Five movies to get you out of a film watching slump
Any self-proclaimed cinephile knows the feeling — that moment when it all starts to blur together, like you’ve simply watched one too many movies.
After a few long slogs in the cinema, or one too many evenings spent in front of the TV watching old classics, tricky foreign films, or intense emotional offerings, it’s easy to fall into complete apathy. You end up just wanting to watch some light entertainment TV show, or worse, find yourself watching a movie with half your attention on the screen, and the other half directed towards your phone.
It can be a hard rut to get out of. When you’re burnt out, it’s tough to rejuvenate your engagement or reignite the passion you know that you have for movies somewhere. Especially if the run of films that exhausted you were all middling three-stars or less, or if you’ve hit a rocky road of absolute shitters, you can be left wondering why you’d ever invest two hours of time in a movie again.
But then the moment will come. With the right film, suddenly all that love and excitement towards cinema will come flooding back when the feeling of a great score, a great sequence or simply a great story hits. Covering all bases for what you might need for a refresh, try one of these five films to snap you out of the slump.
Five great movies to get you out of a slump:
Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe, 2001)
Tom Cruise is never an immediate person that comes to mind when thinking about films that could save you from a state of cinematic fatigue. He might have starred in some of the highest-grossing films around, or earned some of the biggest paycheques in Hollywood history, but he’s rarely a name associated with great cinema, or awe-inspiring cinema that’s going to make you care again.
That is, however, with the exception of Vanilla Sky, a criminally underrated treasure amongst his filmography. It feels like a strange blip for everyone involved as suddenly Cameron Crowe was writing a head-fuck psychological flick, Penélope Cruz and Cameron Diaz are both playing dream girls with unusual depth for the 2000s, and Tom Cruise is putting in a genuinely riveting, complex and intense performance as David Aames.
If you’re in a slum and struggling to even be able to bring yourself to sit down and watch a film, this is a good one to ease back in with, as with each moment, it steps up. You can start out with half attention, but guarantee that by the mid-point, you’ll be all in trying to figure out what the hell is going on. By the time the revelation comes through, you’ll be hooked and reinvigorated by the power of a cinematic bait and switch.
Baby Driver (Edgar Wright, 2017)
There are certain things that will always grab your attention. Good music is one, high octane action is another, and as Baby Driver combines the two with the most insanely satisfying choreography, it would surely be impossible not to fall into focus.
Within seconds of Baby Driver beginning, it scratches an itch. Every single movement, even the most subtle details, is timed to absolute perfection to the music, with the opening bars of the explosive track ‘Bellbottoms’ instantly locking your attention in. Then, as the drama of the film kicks off into intense car chases and all your classic action, it’s both easy watching and electrifying.
Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2004)
Sometimes, the thing you need to shake off a slump is complete and utter emotional devastation. In a period of intense apathy, a sharp punch right to the heart can help, and Mysterious Skin delivers the hardest hits around.
Take it from me. I’m a huge fan of movies that are so sad they’re almost tough to watch. I rarely cry and it takes a lot to rattle me when it comes to difficult or upsetting subject matters or scenes, but this movie from Gregg Araki had me bawling like i could hardly breathe.
The emotions in this movie can only be described as visceral, as you finish it feeling like you haven’t dared to exhale or move for hours. Even in its lighter moments, something intense always seems to linger, and in its darkest, it’s almost winding. A truly powerful piece of cinema; if you watch this and still feel disillusioned by the potential movies hold, you’re perhaps a lost cause.
The Red Shoes (Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, 1948)
If all else fails, reconnect with the masters. I’m not talking about Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino, or anyone modern that demands heavy thinking. I’m talking about Powell and Pressburger, two leaders from a time when cinema was truly out to awe its audience.
Nowadays, it can often feel exhausting how much a movie asks its viewer to keep up, as if modern directors simply want to prove how smart they are. But in the 1940s and ‘50s, movie makers were too busy being amazed by new technology and being desperate to simply show people what could now be done.
“We’ll be doing things that haven’t been done before, we’ll have to work very hard—but I know it’s going to be worth it,” director Michael Powell said to his cast and crew on the first day of filming this iconic movie. It’s a truly adventurous outing where they decided to cast a genuine ballerina in the lead role for a ballet film, and then essentially built its entire impressionistic world around her talent. Mostly, though, The Red Shoes is a masterpiece to look at. The central dance scene that it’s most celebrated for is a true feast for the eyes and the perfect moment of hypnotic beauty to refresh them.
Theatre Camp (Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, 2023)
Surrender to it. Surrender to that slump and let yourself watch something utterly brainless.
However, if you’re going to do that, at least watch brain rot that’s actually good like Theatre Camp, the criminally underrated 2023 mockumentary from The Bear’s Molly Gordon.
Theatre Camp feels like watching an inside joke from a bunch of really funny friends because that’s exactly what it was. The movie was conceived by Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and then supported by a cast of their friends like Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, with improvised contributions from the all-star new comedy cast, including Ayo Edebiri and Owen Thiele. Essentially, it takes all the stereotypes of the classic theatre kid and puts them into overdrive for a truly ridiculous comedy that sits on the right side of cringe.
Even the most cynical comedy watchers would let out a laugh here. It’s such a disarming film and such a stupid one that it’s perfect for letting the mind rest in a cosy nest of silly niceness, ready to hit the cinematic ground running again soon.
