1. Yes, you do still have to start a Letterboxd account - you can catalog reactions, date watched, and this can also be used as a place to save “to watch” lists.
  2. Anything you can think of to add to the list, start it now. Then, pick 3 people you admire. Ask them what their favorite films of all time are. You will now have an incredibly long list. For double points - go look up the “200 films you have to watch before film school”. Any title that seems important, or cool to you, put it down.
  3. Walk into this an autonomous mind - no-one can tell you what’s good or bad. In fact, walk in knowing that most of the things people love, they love for subjective reasons. Some classics are mid. Some flops are iconic. When people say why you should watch something, mentally note anything that seems interesting to you, but rememeber - your film journey is for your joy.
  4. Now that you’ve made the list - forget the list. It is there to raise your awareness of the films you may come across in the wild. Trust me - I tried using the list to decide what to watch - you will be paralyzed. You will see this entire enterprise as a chore. You will be tired. You won’t be excited. Just keep the list there, so you know when you’ve sunk a battleship, so to speak - when a film you watched was a film you intended to watch.
  5. Pick ONE venue (Indie Cinema nearby, BFI Player on Amazon, searching “classic” or “iconic” on Netflix). Pick ONE regular timeslot (every evening, every Friday, every Sunday morning, every time your partner and you need a break)
  6. Go to that venue, and pick something that sparks joy (this will often be something from your list, by virtue of it being something you recognize)
  7. Shut everything else off and vibe. It can be good to remind yourself that you’re gonna need to leave a quippy review after you watch this, or have opinions about it when asked - that allows me to relax into a “duty” to focus, without feeling like it’s a demand. You have to be able to say why you don’t like something and develop your taste by knowing why you do like something.
  8. You only have a certain amount of time on Earth. If you’re watching something at home and it isn’t sparking joy within the first hour, bail, I beg you.

Repeat steps 2-8 until you feel insufferably knowledgeable about the ‘classics’. Rebel against conventional wisdom, like me, and the world becomes infinitely more exciting.

Easter egg for the eagle-eyed 🪺

10 of my favourite films I watched this year so far;

  1. Your Monster
  2. Challengers
  3. I Saw the TV Glow
  4. Get on Your Knees (Comedy Special)
  5. Fall Guy
  6. Civil War
  7. La Chimera
  8. Please Baby Please
  9. Nowhere (Gregg Araki)
  10. Queen Christina
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