It’s already a joke in our culture that we spend more time scrolling through a Netflix library than actually watching any content. Maybe it’s analysis paralysis, maybe it’s indifference. Maybe the thought of starting any of the available titles and keeping up with new releases is plainly exhausting. Filmmaking has come a long way since its inception, and while new technologies and new techniques have created punchy, engaging, and exciting movies, sometimes it’s fatiguing to be forced to respond to so much stimuli so quickly.

What To Watch?

Every few months when I feel like I can’t find anything to watch, I remember that there’s an extensive catalog of highly-acclaimed films from the past century. They may not appear in YouTube pre-rolls, Netflix promos, or website banner ads, but there’s no shortage of lists by newspapers, bloggers, and video essayists on YouTube, ranking the best films of all time or doing deep dives on iconic scenes. If you don’t feel like making a decision, pick a list and start working your way through, or sit through a Nerdwriter video or something and learn about how intentional filmmaking can be. Allow yourself to pursue tangents when you find a director or a style you like. One summer I found myself all-in on Hitchcock. This winter I alternated between Akira Kurosawa and Jean-Luc Godard, with a little Truffaut thrown in the mix. There’s something seriously cool about kicking back with a samurai movie.

You may not find many titles on Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu, but there are services like Kanopy that are paid for by libraries or colleges and free for users. This summer, between contracts at work, I watched one classic or foreign film every day, thanks to my college.

Which reminds me…

Use Your Library

Libraries are super cool, tragically underrated, and mine has a very robust Critereon Collection section. Go browse and find a few films that look interesting, bring them home, and enjoy them. It’s a little less convenient than picking a title from a scrolling queue, but there’s a little bit of magic in flipping through physical titles in a place, and you’re not going to be able to do that at a Blockbuster anymore (locally we had a little shop called Village Video, and I loved it), so treat it as an opportunity to get a little nostalgic.

Find A Friend

Put on some tea, grab those tea biscuits you like, and sit down to something neither of you may choose to watch on your own. If you can find a literal rainy day, there’s nothing cozier in the entire world. Too hard? Here, just copy and paste this, and send it to a friend or crush or whatever:

Hey, I’ve never seen Vertigo, but I want to give it a try. Do you want to come over for a classic movie night? 🎥🍿

The image in the header is from a film called Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard. It’s a French noir/sci-fi/French New Wave film, it’s completely bonkers, and the protagonist Lemmy Caution is effortlessly cool.