Stop Scrolling, You’re a Cinephile Now
Streamers have no taste, don’t let them pick what you’re watching.
TV dinner, that’s what we call it in my house.
You get your giant tub of spaghetti (or whatever), you cozy up on the couch, and you lock in for 2 hours of pure rapture. That is, unless you fall into the scrolling trap. Let’s be real, the majority of streaming services suck. Netflix1 is shilling the same 11 titles across every category on the homepage but putting them in a different order to make it feel like the same movies are “Action Thrillers” and “New and Popular” despite being neither of those things in earnest. So, you scroll and scroll and scroll, looking for the perfect film to accompany your dinner but by the time you find it your spaghetti is one solid clump of cold noodles, or worse, it’s late so you resign to watching an episode of [insert whatever stupid TV show is currently dominating the media cycle]. That ends now. You’re a cinephile, act accordingly.
How To Pick What To Watch Like A Cinephile
If you’re reading this then you probably have a robust Letterboxd watchlist. Bless you. But my problem with the Letterboxd watchlist is that when it comes time to watch something for TV dinner, I’m trying to catch a vibe. I have to be in the mood for a lot of movies. I can’t just work my way through my watchlist because I might be in my Soviet-era WWII beat while my watchlist is yelling at me to watch YiYi (2000)2. So much of the watching experience comes from finding the right movie at the right time. So how do we do that? *peers over glasses pushed down the bridge of my nose* I’m glad you asked.
Set Your Starting Point
First, you have to find your starting point: the movie that’s going to be your compass. This works whether you’re trying to chase the dragon of a film you love or are trying to branch out and curate a chapter in your personal cinematic journey. Let’s say you’re in the mood to watch something that will make you laugh. You’ve had a long day and you don’t want any movie homework. Totally fair. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to think of a movie that you’ve already seen that made you chuckle and flutter your tootsies. Insert any other feeling you’re searching for and this process will work all the same. This film is now your starting point.
Finding Something That Feels Like A Rewatch
For the sake of this experiment, I’m going to pick a starting point movie that I already adore and makes me cackle every time I watch it. For me, A Different Man (2024)3 fits this bill to a tee. Now, I’m going to think long and hard about what I love about this film. There’s so much. I’m like a fuzzy baby moth and A Different Man is a flame I just keep fluttering around. The direction is perfect. The cinematography is superb4. Stan, Pearson, and Reinsve’s performances are so complex, yet nuanced. But if I want something funny then I’m going to use the script as my launching pad. I want to match that tone, wit, feeling. A quick IMdB search reveals that the screenplay was written by the director, Aaron Schimberg. So, I’m going to see what else he’s penned. Looks like the last thing he directed and wrote before A Different Man is a film called Chained for Life (2018). It’s also starring Adam Pearson again. “That’s a bingo!” I can already tell this is the vibe I’m trying to catch. Even if I don’t give it a perfect score, this is exactly what I’m in the mood to watch and it only took about 90 seconds of searching to find.
If you’re not crunched for time then another approach I like to take is reading/watching/listening to interviews with the director. A lot of times they will reference other films that inspired them for this piece, so now you have more than one film to add to your rolodex for when you’re in the mood to watch something similar.
Defining A Chapter In Your Cinematic Journey
Deep into lockdown, I would fall into cinema rabbit holes. Doing so created some distinct chapters in my journey as a cinephile. There’s something so comforting about defining specific periods of time with films or music. I find that it makes memories even richer and easier to recall. I can remember exactly what was happening in my life when I was deep into my 1970s NYC crime drama epoch.
Not only do movie rabbit holes create clear seasons in your life but they also help cultivate your tastes as a movie connoisseur. Let’s say watch all of those Soviet-era WWII films in a month, then you start dissecting them. We’re creatures of habit, we instinctively uncover patterns, so you’ll naturally begin to discover what elements you gravitate towards; how different perspectives approach similar subject matter, how filmmaking techniques shape the narrative, and–most importantly–why you like and dislike the movies you do. This is what it means to truly become a cinephile. You’re building the hills you’re willing to die on.
To get started, you need to set your starting point again. Pinpoint a movie that you love and work from there. You can, of course, follow the steps above but branch out by watching a certain Director of Photography’s oeuvre or unpacking a certain actor’s body of work within that decade. But if you want to get freaky with it–and I’m going to bet that you do–this is what you’re going to do. Pick a starting point film that premiered at a film festival5, bonus points if it earned an award at said festival. From there, you’re going to pick all of the films selected in that same category at that same festival for the year and get to work. If it won an award, watch all of the films from that decade that won the same award.
When you sample different films and motifs, you start to understand which delicious genres make you want to lick your plate clean. And I’m not talking about the hacky streaming genres like “Action” or “Comedy”. I’m talking about those oddly specific film genres like “Smash your heart into a million pieces and then throw those pieces out of a helicopter” or “Films that pass The Spaghetti Test.”
Most Streaming Platforms Are Garbage But Not All Of Them
I’ve talked a lot of smack on streaming platforms, Netflix specifically, but there are a few I actually really enjoy. Criterion is my favorite, they have excellent curation and serve defined chapters which can be a great starting point for exploration. But keep in mind that Criterion will be limited to the films they have the rights to stream, so don’t be afraid to explore elsewhere if you latch onto a genre you like. I also really like MUBI, their catalog is small but they get a lot of great independent titles monthly. There’s also a soft mushy spot in my heart for Max aka HBO. I know, I know, it’s not cool per se but they have TCM and it makes me feel safe knowing I can watch the made-for-TV/HBO original masterpiece Gia (1998) whenever my cheeky heart desires.
Filmroulette
If you’re fully untethered to a vibe and you just want a good movie to happen to you (one, you’re my hero and two, this is possibly the most fun way to select what to watch) then we’re going to play Filmroulette, it’s kinda like Chatroulette but with less dick shots, probably. Go to Criterion and watch a movie that’s leaving at the end of the month. Sure you can pick based on the actor or director, but picking based on title or cover card is wild and highly encouraged. If you notice the same company card6 popping up in the opening credits on the films you like, take note, and go through their catalog, start at the beginning. You can also never go wrong by simply watching all of the Palme D’or winners at Cannes. Pick a decade and go buck wild.
Okay–now that you’re watching like a cinephile–which movie, cast/crew member, or film festival are going to deep dive into for your next watch? Feed me your film launching pads below, it’s time for TV dinner and I’m starving.
Do yourself a favor and cancel your Netflix subscription. Spend that money at the movies instead.
Which is totally fair, btw.
If you haven’t seen this, add it to your Letterboxd watchlist 🤭, stat. Watch it when you’re in the mood to be fully engrossed in something slimy, hilarious, a lil sexy (yes, I’ll say that!), and wholly original.
The karaoke scene alone is a masterpiece!!!
As a “Spaghetti-head” I’m going to assume this was your instinct anyway.
Everyone knows about A24 and Neon–and you’re a cinephile now so those are too mainstream for your tastes. I’m obsessed with Janus films. I will watch literally anything Janus puts out. Kino Lorber has also been on my radar the past few years.