I don’t like movie critics.
In fact, I’m not a fan of any kind of critic. It isn’t because they have differing opinions from mine—I’m grown enough to accept not everyone likes the stuff I do— but the unnecessarily verbose language and a strong belief in their own sauce are off-putting. But Dom Griffin is one of my favourite exceptions.
If you don’t know, Dom is a film critic who runs The Armchair Auteur, a video project that covers weekly reviews, old and new, rants and video essays about film and film-adjacent pop culture. I’ve known him for quite a few years and his critiques have piqued my interest in films I never would have considered otherwise.
For this video, Dom gives his beginner’s guide to movie binging during quarantine. I managed 60 films in 2019 which is more than I expected but Dom was out here watching 611 last year (according to Letterboxd). How did he do it? You’ll have to watch to find out.
But one tip he gives early on is: watch shorter films, particularly around the 90–100 minute mark. It sounds obvious but it makes sense if you want to run through a larger quantity of movies. You’re also more likely to finish it even if you’re not 100% into it. Nobody wants to commit to a 4-hour movie and realise it sucks halfway in. That’s 2 hours you can’t get back.
For more helpful tips, watch Dom’s guide and please subscribe to his channel.