Binge Watching The Classics

Quarantine and self-isolation have hit people in different ways. When left with all this extra time on your hands, what do you do? Some have vowed to get into better shape, to start cooking or running or to read more. Some have gone the other way entirely, passing the time by getting drunk on a weeknight or consuming ungodly amounts of takeout.

While I’ve probably experimented with all of the above, my quarantine experience has focused around one thing above all else. Watching classic American cinema. 

I actually started by binging The Simpsons – a journey that is far from complete – which may have had a hand in this pull towards the classics. When you get a room full of Ivy League comedy writers with a vast understanding of the history of film, they are bound to produce a lot of classic referential humor. I actually regret the order of my undertaking, as I’m sure I missed some great jokes in those first few seasons. 

Oh well, here we are.

Influenced by the fantastic podcast Unspooled, hosted by Paul Scheer and Amy Nicolson, I decided to start with the American Film Institute’s Top 100 list from 2007. A collection of 100 American films, ranging from 1916’s Intolerance to 2001’s Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, AFI based their selections on critical reception, popularity, historical significance and culture impact.

Thanks in huge part to HBO Max, which includes the Turner Classic Movies collection, and a smattering of classics on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, I’ve only had to pay for one of these movies so far. As I write this, I am 25 movies in.

While there is still a long way to go, I wanted to share with you my current top five and my current bottom five of the 25 films I’ve watched so far. Figuring it was best to do this in podcast form, the first episode will drop next Wednesday featuring a discussion of my #5 best film and #5 worst film, and we’ll slowly work our way towards the top and the bottom of my list.

For reference, a list of the films I’ve watched and their ranking on the AFI list can be found below. Thank you for making my quarantine pastime feel like it was productive in some way. And please start watching some of these classic films on your own! It’s been a wonderful experience.  

1)Citizen Kane (1941)

3) Casablanca (1942)

4) Raging Bull (1980)

5) Singing in the Rain (1952)

6) Gone With The Wind (1939)

10) The Wizard of Oz (1939)

15) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

30) Apocalypse Now (1979)

31) The Maltese Falcon (1941)

38) The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)

41) King Kong (1933)

42) Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

44) The Philadelphia Story (1940)

47) A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

51) West Side Story (1961)

52) Taxi Driver (1976)

55) North By Northwest (1959)

62) American Graffiti (1973)

63) Cabaret (1972)

66) Raider’s of the Lost Arc (1981)

68) Unforgiven (1992)

69) Tootsie (1982)

71) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

88) Bringing Up Baby (1938)

91) Sophie’s Choice (1982)

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