What Should I Watch?

So you’re stuck in your house. You have reorganized your bookshelves for the fourth time this week and had your daily zoom happy hour that you swear you and your friends came up with the original idea for. Cheers. And now… it’s still only 6:30. Didn’t time used to move so much faster? So you have a brilliant idea. Let’s watch a movie! 

If you’re anything like me, you’re stressed out by the sheer number of options on streaming platforms (that’s another blog topic, coming soon). I find myself sometimes spending 20-25 minutes scrolling through, paralyzed by the fear that the movie I ultimately land upon could be the second best choice. Lately, I have found it much more helpful to keep a watchlist of movies I need to catch up with or rewatch. This way I can decide before I even turn on the Roku where I’m going and why.

At the very beginning of this pandemic, I had a group of friends ask me for a list of good movies that they could catch up with. Mostly, I wanted to provide them with a list of movies that I think are underseen from the last 5 years - maybe not by devoted cinephiles, but definitely by the average public (you aren’t average, you are extraordinary). So, I’ve added and subtracted some from that list to create this one.

To the right, you will find a description of each movie, or maybe even a short anecdote. Some are better than others, but I won’t give grades here. Decide for yourself! If you want my rating for each of these movies, check out my Letterboxd page that you can link to in the menu of the site.

So, without further ado…

Collin’s Definitive Movie Guide for Surviving Quarantine 

Let’s start by saying that if you have never seen the Before Trilogy and you waste a whole quarantine without righting this wrong in the universe, you’re not flattening the real curve. I know I said movies from the last 5 years, but it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want. And I want to proselytize for Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

THE FUN

Dope (2015) - The messaging of this movie may be a little too on the nose, but the journey is really fun and makes a star out of Shameik Moore.

What We Do in the Shadows (2015) - This is the funniest movie since Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in my opinion.

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) - Looking for a movie in which there are absolutely no stakes whatsoever and it doesn’t matter because you just want to hang out with the characters forever? I present to you, Richard Linklater’s 80’s version of Dazed and Confused.

Sing Street (2016) - A catholic school boy in Ireland starts a rock band to win the affections of a girl, and “Drive it Like You Stole it” is a bop.

Logan Lucky (2017) - It’s just really fun to watch every actor in this movie trying something new. Fun heist movie by the same director that did Ocean’s 11.

The Scary

It Follows (2015) - A clinic in taking traditional horror tropes and exploring them in a way that feels human.

The Witch (2015) - A masterpiece of uneasiness and watching someone unravel psychologically. Recommend.

Green Room (2016) - Possibly the most stressful movie I’ve ever seen.

Ex Machina (2015) - This movie isn’t exactly scary, but it is eerie. It’s my favorite movie of 2015, and it just may be the best.

Get Out (2017) - Shameless plug for a movie that probably doesn’t qualify for having been underseen. But have you rewatched it lately? How about 100 times? No? Then you have underseen it on a personal level.

The Sorrow

Wildlife (2018) - Paul Dano’s directorial debut about a marriage on the rocks and it stars an ELECTRIC performance from Carrie Mulligan

A Ghost Story (2017) - Logan and I were second in line on the waitlist to see this at Sundance 2017 and didn’t make it in the doors because people were freaking out about it so much. Very very good. And so stylish. And so much pie.

Waves (2019) - This is a LOTTTTTTTTTTTT of movie. It probably bites off more than it can chew in terms of the things it is trying to explore, but there is no denying the artistry and downright gumption it takes to attempt a project like this. Worth a watch.

Krisha (2015) - The debut feature of Trey Edward Shults, the same filmmaker as Waves. Krisha is among the most impressive first films I’ve ever seen. Shults shoots, edits, and scores a movie about a son’s meeting his longtime estranged mother as if it were a horror movie. So effective.

Born to be Blue (2016) - Ethan Hawke portrays Chet Baker, a talented trumpet player fighting addiction and the gnawing realization that he is past his prime.

Columbus (2017) - Another that Logan and I waited to get into at Sundance, only this time we got to see it at 11pm in a library. This movie is amongst the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Quiet. Understated. SO deeply human. Yet the main character of the movie is the city itself that plays the backdrop of the story, Columbus, Indiana. That may sound like snobby analysis, but trust me, this movie will stick to your bones.

The Fits (2016) - This movie doesn’t perfectly fit into the sorrow category, but I’m tired of coming up with categories. Beautifully shot movie about a girl who grew up as a tomboy but now wants to be on the dance team to fit in, and what fitting in means/costs/the lengths we’re willing to go to be accepted.

The True

Minding the Gap (2018) - Might be my favorite movie since Moonlight. Best if you go in blind.

Tower (2016) - The most unique documentary i have ever seen, about the first school shooting in US history on campus at the University of Texas.

Cameraperson (2016) - A DP (director of photography) on 40+ documentaries, Kirsten Johnson takes leftover footage from each one and edits them together to be her memoir. So so so effective and good.

The Culture

If you read this blog long enough, you will find that I adore movies that explore a culture that I am unaccustomed to or give humanity to a marginalized people group.

Florida Project (2017) - A remarkable dive into the world of America’s hidden homeless through the eyes of a child. Big time recommend.

Shoplifters (2018) - I love movies that a huge central character is asian culture itself, plus this one has awesome explorations of morality, family, and secrets

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) - Stop what you’re doing and watch Kubo and the Two Strings. Right now.

If you want a place to view this list, I made a copy of it over on Letterboxd that you can access here. As an aside, consider hopping on Letterboxd to follow what I am watching, in addition to thousands of other people. It is a great way to keep track of what you have seen and its where I keep my watchlist that I talked about.

Until next time, stay safe and happy watching!