Whether it’s moving to a new city and not having much of a social life, or it’s a re-discovered obsession with all things film: I have been on a bit of a bender consuming film and books and a little bit of television. So if you’re bored, or recovering from Juul withdrawals, or find yourself hungover one weekend, or you’re like me and just like movies: come at me with this list. I understand many of these films are old, but this is a curated list of some of the movies, books, and TV that have struck a chord with me over the past 7 months, no matter the decade or language. All I ask is just keep your minds open, that’s what this whole damn thing is for right?

FILM: To Be Or Not To Be (1942) – Dir. Ernst Lubitsch - Comedy

A saucy and hilarious film at the time (and today), an acting troupe in Poland find themselves having to act their way out of the horrors of the invading Nazis. This movie was released 3 years after the actual Poland was bombed, and was considered “too soon” at the time, can you imagine someone making a 9/11 comedy in 2003? This movie’s full of wit, physical comedy, plot twists and desperate selfish actors just trying to do their job. Don’t let the black & white fool you either, it’s full of colorful characters and gags (all at the hilarious expense of Nazis). It personally opened my mind about filmmaking in general, as clearly this film has been ripped from by the likes of Mel Brooks, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino (the second half Inglourious Basterds is clearly stolen from To Be or Not To Be) – all to reinforce the adage “good artist copy, great artist steal.”

 FILM: The Third Man (1949) – Dir. Carol Reed – Drama/Mystery

I love this movie. It moved to the top of my favorite films list. It’s black & white, it’s a British director, but damned if it couldn’t of been made today. An American pulp novel writer Holly Martins arrives in a postwar Vienna to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to find out that Harry has died. The more Holly investigates Harry’s death however, the more things unravel. This is a movie that makes use of black and white in the best of ways: with harsh shadows and canted angles. The soundtrack is incredible, and like the previous film in this list, it doesn’t take any gumption to enjoy it. It has all the elements that make a film great in my opinion: interesting characters, entertaining stakes, plot twists, action, and just the right dose of weirdness. I will be stealing shots and plots from this film for my next movie. If you watch any film from this list, watch this one—AND IT’S ON NETFLIX.

 SPECIAL: 100% Fresh (2018) – Adam Sandler – Stand-Up

Adam Sandler made movies and SNL sketches that all of us quote and enjoy to this day. More recently, he has not: Grown Ups (or Grown Ups 2 or anything recent) will never live up to Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, or Big Daddy; not even close. With the Sand-man putting out so many, let’s be nice and say, “not up to par” films on Netflix over the past few years it’d be easy to say that he and his production company Happy Madison have lost their touch.

It was viewing 100% Fresh however, that reminded me (and so many) why we love this guy. As the special goes on, you become enamored with (and reminded) how funny and gifted he really is. Plus, the last two songs are gut punches straight to the heart that made me laugh and cry so hard I had to hide my face from my roommates in shame. Sandler’s song devoted to a late friend (I won’t spill who) at the end reminded me why it’s important to love your buddies well and check in, and his song devoted to his wife reminded me why it’s important to not take what you have for granted ever. Please watch this. AND IT’S ON NETFLIX. (I really did cry).

FILM: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) – Dir. Bryan Singer? – Drama/Bio

Yo, I realize this is a hot take, but I enjoyed this movie a whole lot. Why this has gotten a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes while the rest of the Rotten Tomato community is creaming their pants over A Star is Born (90%) is a reminder that I do not trust the Tomato-meter and you should just see movies and decide for yourself. Yes, this movie was full of flaws, and hokey characters, and yada yada, but it’s a MUSICAL about QUEEN – I knew what I was signing up for when I walked into the theater. I had a good time. I enjoyed the characters hokey-ness and all. Plus, it just reminded me the fun-times you can create for an audience. Yes film and TV and books should be reflections of life and art and whatever, but sometimes I just want to watch a movie and be entertained! Isn’t that the point of “entertain”-ment? Or does everything that we laud need to be a bad torture porn “realistic” depiction of sad shit etc. disguised as an art movie? No.

Go decide for yourself, enjoy the performance, stay for the music.

 FILM: Heaven Can Wait (1943) – Dir. Ernst Lubitsch – Drama/Comedy

Not to be confused with the 1978 movie of the same name, this forgotten classic is shot in vibrant technicolor, so I promise not as hard to gear up for as my other picks. This is my second Lubitsch film on the list as he has become one of my favorite directors. It’s a strange set-up: a playboy dies and is met by the devil at the entrance to Hell, the playboy then recounts his life and tries to convince the devil why he deserves eternal damnation, recounting all the stories of his love and lies in his life. Brilliant acting, witty dialogue, and hints of sadness that caused me to reflect on my own life and the good things we have. Please watch.

TV: Homecoming (2018) – Dir. Sam Esmail – Drama/Mystery

I never listened to the podcast that this was based on, and though the TV series was probably two-episodes too long, the directing, plot structure, and visuals of this show won me over. I had never heard of Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot & Comet) but this show made me a fan. His eye for things and his ability to build tension and comedy in a scene pulled right at my sensibilities (I was inspired but also mad that I didn’t get to direct the show myself). Julia Roberts delivers a great performance, but it’s actor Shea Whigham that won me over with his meek compliance officer character. Watch on Amazon Prime Video now.

 TV: Maniac (2018) – Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga – Drama

Similar to Homecoming, I felt this show could have been a 3 part mini-series, or at least fewer episodes (who is making these poor writers make 10-episode series??). Despite it’s dragging at points, it was an enjoyably weird and darkly funny delight. Fukunaga won me over with Season One of True Detective and Beast of No Nation, so I was rooting for Maniac from the beginning. The exploration of mental health in a colorful alt reality reminded me of something I would love in high school, and to me that was a callback into my own sensibility and remembering what I love about visual storytelling in the first place.

BOOK: The Collected Novellas of Stefan Zweig – Stefan Zweig

An Austrian writer who was exiled to many countries that weren’t his home during World War II, Stefan Zweig has become one of my favorite writers after I realized The Grand Budapest Hotel was inspired by his writings. His stories are often thematically tied to nostalgia, and he was once one of the most popular writers in the world in the 1920s and 1930s. Zweig and his wife died in a suicide pact in Brazil because they couldn’t stand what the violence of the war had done to their homelands. His stories, however, have found a resurgence recently some of my favorites from this collection are: A Chess Story, Journey Into The Past, and Burning Secret. Reminding us that nostalgia has a warm sadness that will bring a false sense of joy, but trying to recreate the past will only end in heartbreak.

So it’s best to just enjoy the present.

Love,

- CW

I’m tired of writing but here are some other notable films I enjoyed:

-          The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – Dir. Alexander Mackendrick

-          Mid90s (2018) – Dir. Jonah Hill

-          The Apartment (1960) – Dir. Billy Wilder

-          A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Dir. Stanley Kubrick

-          The Shining (1980) – Dir. Stanley Kubrick

-          Rear Window (1954) – Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

-          The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

-          Shoot The Piano Player (1960) – Dir. Francois Truffaut

-          The Earrings of Madame de… (1954) – Dir. Max Ophuls

-          The Graduate (1967) – Dir. Mike Nichols

-          Rashomon (1950) – Dir. Akira Kurosawa

-          The Thin Man (1934) – Dir. W.S. Van Dyke