Stars of the 5 Inch Screen

I'm taking a day or two off of spec-related puns to write about some other topics.  Today, I revisit the tyranny of choice as a film adaptation.

I'm not sure about you, but I feel inundated by the overwhelming number of television series I'm expected to follow.  Whether it's via friends' recommendations, online recommendations, or via the antiquated TV news that drones on in the background of my day so the dog always has white noise to listen to, I feel there's at least a new show being shoved at me per week that should be added to my bucket list.

As a child, I was a faithful linear programming follower.  And, when Netflix on DVD first appeared, I willingly binged series in a bid to return my current digitized allotment as fast as possible to work through my queue.  But, as the number of content producers exploded, I slowly migrated from attempting to watch as many series as possible, to attempting to jot down as many as possible for later viewing, to nodding along as people told me about as many series as possible.

Still, as the faithful American, I feel obligated to stay fixated on my screen for at least a requisite portion of my week.  However, I've decided to mix in a little of 30s or 40s-style Americana and concentrate on movies.

Why movies?  Well, great ones are iconic, and good ones are as satisfying as series.  Plus, even the longest movies clock in around 3 hours and don't require binging from dawn to dusk to get through From Dusk Til Dawn.  Sure, maybe the Marvel Cinematic Universe requires an advanced degree, but most other genres require watching 3 movies, max (even The Godfathers only occupy one workday).

The tyranny of choice still applies here, but I've already got a few sources that help me pare the selection down.  There's AFI's lists (including an annual one they've been publishing since 2000 that I just found out about yesterday), which are a great start.  There are also the NY Times' 50 best movies on Netflix/HBO Max/Hulu/... that they update frequently and have been the source of my last couple of movies.  And, if I decide I want more foreign content, I'm sure I'll be able to drum up some list or another to satiate my pretention.

I warn you, though, that I'm no cinephile.  A decade plus of residing in corporate tech management has stunted my ability to focus on one task with consistency, so I split my viewing into chunks.  It's an accomplishment that I finished Hell or High Water in 2 sittings (also, would definitely recommend).  I also watch most movies on my phone.  Sorry.  Not sorry.

Until next time, my human and robot friends.