What Guillermo del Toro, Edgar Wright & more are watching during quarantine

1/3 Alright- here we go- just a few ideas: I hope this can be about things we love. Not about things we hate or things we are weighed down about. We cannot answer questions out in the open but please read and respond to each other as much as possible.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

We will be here a little bit and the first few questions are: What are you reading? What are you watching? What are you listening to? And How many days have you been indoors?

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

I have been indoors for over a month. Self-imposed. I have gone out only for primary needs: food, supplies, etc And I have been mostly rewatching and re-reading. But -as most people- I imagine that I wanted to read or learn or communicate in a way that made this worthwhile.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

Been rewatching Mitchell Leisen: Easy Living, Death Takes a Holiday, Midnight, Hold back the Dawn, etc etc Leisen was (in his time) relegated as being a “Stylist” and unfavorably compared to Sturges or Wilder (sometimes by Wilder himself) with whom he collaborated.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

I have been sustained largely by the Criterion Channel, Netflix, iTunes etc. On the Criterion Channel you can swim in joyful pools: Watch A Woman’s Face by Gustaf Molander (the base of the Cukor remake w Joan Crawford) or IL POSTO by Ermanno Olmi or WATER LILLIES by C Sciamma

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

Or explore Sciamma along with her GIRLHOOD and TOMBOY.

Or watch REDES or Columbia Film Noir (some Joseph H Lewis in there!) or THE EXECUTIONER by Berlanga. SO much!! In my opinion, HD and Bluray are pure honey when viewing B&W films.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

I have been reading- in no particular order- GRINDSHOW (The Selected Writings of William Lindsay Gresham)> as you may or may not know, Gresham wrote NIGHTMARE ALLEY. His output in literature was small- and his life, in many way, full of questions and mysteries.

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

I loved the third season of OZARK

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) April 20, 2020

The TV show that I cannot recommend more strongly is Alex Garland's DEVS on Hulu. It is a compelling thriller built upon some very advanced science/philosophy many-worlds theories — and the the visuals are gorgeous. Just an amazing show.

— N O S ? ? I ? ? ? ? ⊥ ⊥ O ? S (@scottderrickson) April 20, 2020

I have been watching 2 or 3 films a day for the last month. Partly as an escape, partly as inspiration. I'd always dreamed of a strange scenario where I'd have an excuse to methodically get through a huge pile of BluRays but I swear this situation is a result of my Monkey's Paw.

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 20, 2020

The majority of the films are ones that I'd never seen or saw when I was very young and did not fully understand them. I have not being hiding in escapist movies so much though and found great solace in many war time & post war movies – British, Italian, German, French, Japanese.

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 20, 2020

Some of the new discoveries (or rewatches of films I'd seen as a kid) that I loved were: the WWII Powell & Pressburgers, This Happy Breed, the War Trilogy, the post war noir of It Always Rains On Sunday and Waterloo Road, Le Silence De La Mer, Late Spring (only 4 years later).

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 20, 2020

I’m a Bela Tarr fan. Started craving “Turin Horse” a couple of weeks ago. I watched through and enjoyed. And have since come to just “having it on” at various times over the last few weeks. I find it comforting. Like we’re all in the house together. Wild. https://t.co/qpLOn9db2s https://t.co/otmKutlfuN

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 20, 2020

And “Notting Hill.” I mean, need I say more? Caught it last night on insomnia-time cable. Delicious. “I just a girl, asking a boy…” Horse + Hound Magazine. His odd, great group of friends. Her smile where you can see every tooth. Bill Withers montage in the middle. I mean… pic.twitter.com/nrN18GbUKs

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 20, 2020

gdt nice to be talking. i’ve been catching up on a lot of classics. watched so far: barton fink, amelie, roshaman, total recall (original). reading: thoreau walden and pablo neruda. listening to: KMLN and schubert. been in quarantine for 40 days. https://t.co/sv2XtVsWbO

— darren aronofsky (@DarrenAronofsky) April 20, 2020

I've been rewatching Sopranos season 3, which is a supreme work of art. Also been rewatching the TV version of 'Scenes from a Marriage.' It's been a comfort to watch two morbidly disenchanted people decimate each other in the comfort and privacy of THEIR homes.

— Ari Aster (@AriAster) April 20, 2020

Recently watched 'Reds' on Amazon Prime, which also has the benefit of being long and is swooningly romantic, which, as a single person, makes me want to cut off my hands and replace them with my feet (also a comfort in these trying times). Nicholson as Eugene O'Neill is a treat

— Ari Aster (@AriAster) April 20, 2020

This is also a good time to dive into the deeply misanthropic and ecstatically hopeless films of Arturo Ripstein. Peter Greenaway's 'The Falls' is also on Criterion Channel for the rest of the month. Perfect way to go slowly insane in the captivity of one's "home."

— Ari Aster (@AriAster) April 20, 2020

In the first watch category: Altman’s 3 Women. I had always imagined this was an impenetrable artsy slog… it is insane and hilarious, and ultimately touching. Duvall is great in it but Spacek is the real MVP for me. It’s stuck with me.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) April 20, 2020

Re-watch: Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Which not only holds up but is even BETTER than I remembered (and I remembered it being great.) It’s tight as a drum and still somehow freewheeling and light. And in the tail end of the optical compositing era, the fx are incredible.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) April 20, 2020

oooh and also the other night we rewatched The Prestige, which I’ve seen a ton but gets better every time.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) April 20, 2020

I'm reading @Gladwell's What the Dog Saw. I'm watching @StevConrad's absolutely wonderful tv show Patriot on Amazon. I'm listening to @jessiereyez new album. I've been inside for 6 weeks, except for taking someone to the emergency room a month ago, and going for safe walks. ??

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 20, 2020

Hello Guillermo! Not sure if you are still going, but over the past 4 weeks, I’ve tried to watch as much as possible whilst also screening a lot for my daughters (3 & 6) so a lot of Miyazaki; TOTORO, PORCO ROSSO, ARRIETTTY, SPIRITED AWAY – all utterly bewitchingly magical…

— CORIN HARDY (@corinhardy) April 20, 2020

…and showed my dino-obsessed 6 year old JURASSIC PARKS 1, 2 & 3… (she noted that she liked the first the best..) – I also watched Raimi’s brilliant DARKMAN and revisited THE QUICK & THE DEAD (loved it!) …

— CORIN HARDY (@corinhardy) April 20, 2020

…and now have been feeling increasingly in the mood for thrillers.. Late to the party, but Finally saw and loved @rianjohnson's KNIVES OUT, also caught up with Tomas Alfredson’s THE SNOWMAN, then watched and was captivated by Otto Preminger’s Noir twister ‘LAURA’..

— CORIN HARDY (@corinhardy) April 20, 2020

…and am now entering a descent into Hitchcock, started with REAR WINDOW – such an inspiring watch – what is the correct order for the next 5 Hitchcocks….?

— CORIN HARDY (@corinhardy) April 20, 2020

I've been on Criterion almost exclusively. Just watched Red Desert again. As always I'm struck by the devastatingly beautiful palatte. And Monica Vitti's performance. Appreciated the film in new ways too. There's a whole plague aspect to the narrative. Both literal & figurative.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 20, 2020

I had never seen UGETSU before. It completely knocked me backwards. It blew my mind. Also thematically relevant to our moment.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 20, 2020

I am reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Things I Don’t Want To Know by Deborah Levy. I am watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with my kids today because I’m trying to wean them off terrible Disney Channel movies, and I am rewatching The Thin Red Line when they go to bed.

— @realSarahPolley (@realsarahpolley) April 20, 2020

I've also discovered this month that Sidney Lumet made perfect films. I don't know why I didn't notice this before. I recently watched Running on Empty for the first time, and this led me to Dog Day Afternoon and I can't believe his confidence, honestly, and rigour.

— @realSarahPolley (@realsarahpolley) April 20, 2020

Thank god for @criterionchannl! I’ve watched so many filmed that have been “on the list” that have really imapacted my life and work. The perfect PandemicBlocker!
Thanks for doing this Maestro! pic.twitter.com/SDAuET57jY

— Joe Lynch (@TheJoeLynch) April 20, 2020