It’s safe to assume that everyone that goes so far as to direct a feature film is some level of a film nerd, right? You would have to be a bit of a film geek to want to spend so long creating your own film. So, it shouldn’t be shocking that Edgar Wright is clearly one of those cinephiles. But when you gaze upon his list of films that he watched during the pandemic, it really does show just how much of a nerd he might be. (And obviously, we mean this with the utmost respect.) However, even the most respected filmmakers in the world have to catch up with some of the classics.
Thanks to the folks at Total Film, Wright has shared his list of 200 films that he’s watched during this ridiculously terrible year. Some of the films are favorites that he’s revisiting, while the majority are first-time viewings. Some are classics (“2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Akira,” “La Haine”) while others are clearly fun, somewhat-guilty pleasures (“A Knight’s Tale,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “Frankenhooker”). And he’s even seen a film or two that have yet to get full releases, such as next year’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021
But even though you might assume that Edgar Wright, with his encyclopedic knowledge of film, would have seen just about everything already, that’s not exactly the case. We all have “blind spots,” so to speak, and it appears that Wright, like the rest of us, has been trying to use this time to fill some of those. Some notable first-time viewings include films from Andrei Tarkovsky, Robert Bresson, and Ingmar Bergman.
READ MORE: Edgar Wright To Direct Feel-Good Ghost Film, ‘Stage 13,’ Written By Simon Rich
Needless to say, this is an extensive list and is a great jumping-off point if you’re looking for a list of films that you should go out of your way to check out.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020
Here’s the full list of 200 films that Edgar Wright watched during the pandemic (1ST TIME WATCHES IN BOLD / CINEMA VIEWINGS WITH *):
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
3:10 TO YUMA (1957)
36 HOURS
45 YEARS
49TH PARALLEL
4 MONTHS 3 WEEKS 2 DAYS
ABOUT ENDLESSNESS*
AKIRA (4K)*
AMADEUS (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
AMERICAN BEAUTY
THE AMERICAN FRIEND
AN AMERICAN PICKLE*
AMMONITE*
ANDREI RUBLEV
ANGST
APPLES *
THE APARTMENT
THE ASSISTANT
ARMY OF SHADOWS
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR
AUTUMN SONATA
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
BEAST (2018)
THE BEAUTY JUNGLE
BEAU TRAVAIL
BEDLAM
BEING A HUMAN PERSON
BEING THERE
THE BELLBOY
BELLE DU JOUR
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION
BERGMAN: A YEAR IN THE LIFE
BEYOND THE DOOR
BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET
BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC
BILLY BUDD
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT
THE BLACK STALLION
BLOCK-HEADS
BLOOD AND BLACK LACE
BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB
BLOODY SUNDAY
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
BOY
BREAKING AWAY
BRIDES OF DRACULA
A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY
CAPERNAUM
CARRY ON AT YOUR CONVENIENCE
CARRY ON DICK
THE CHASER
CINEMA PARADISO
CIRCUS OF HORRORS
THE CIRCUS
CLEO FROM 5 TO 7
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
CLOSELY OBSERVED TRAINS
CLOSE UP
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES
CONTAGION
CRIES AND WHISPERS
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANOURS
THE CROWD
THE CRUEL SEA
CULLODEN
DEKALOG 1-10
DANGEROUS LIAISONS
A DAY IN THE COUNTRY
DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID
DEATH BY HANGING
THE DEFIANT ONES
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
DIRTY HARRY
DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES
DO THE RIGHT THING
DOWNHILL RACER
DR JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
DR MABUSE – THE GAMBLER
DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD
DRUNKEN ANGEL
DUCK SOUP
THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE…
EASY LIVING
EDDIE MURPHY: RAW
THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER
EQUINOX
EVERYTHING GOES WRONG
EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN
EYE OF THE CAT
FANNY AND ALEXANDER
FATAL ATTRACTION
F IS FOR FAKE
FAT CITY
FESTEN
THE FIENDS AND THE FLESH
THE FIFTH CORD
THE FIREMEN’S BALL
FIRES WERE STARTED
FISTS IN THE POCKET
THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY UNDER SUSPICION
FORTY GUNS
FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE
FRANKENHOOKER
FRIDAY
FRIEDA
GAS-S-S-S
GATES OF HEAVEN
GERMANY YEAR ZERO
GERTRUD
THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS
GOD’S OWN COUNTRY
THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
GOOD MORNING
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY*
GONKS GO BEAT
THE GREAT ESCAPE
GREETINGS
GREMLINS
THE GROOVE TUBE
THE HALFWAY HOUSE
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
HAPPILY (2021)
HARPER
HEATHERS
HE WHO GETS SLAPPED
HEREDITARY
THE H MAN
THE HIDDEN
HIGH AND LOW
HIGH LIFE
HOFFA
HOOSIERS
THE HOUSE IS BLACK
HUE AND CRY
HUMAN DESIRE
THE HUNT
I AM CURIOUS YELLOW
THE INFORMER (1935)
ICE COLD IN ALEX
IDIOCRACY
IL SORPASSO
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
I’M YOUR WOMAN
INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN UNDER SUSPICION
INTOLERANCE
IN WHICH WE SERVE
THE INTRUDER (1962)
IRREVERSIBLE
ISLE OF THE DEAD
IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY
JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY
JEANNE DIELMAN – 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE
JIMMY HOLLYWOOD
JOURNEY TO ITALY
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
JULIET OF THE SPIRITS
KELLY’S HEROES
KILLER OF SHEEP
THE KILLER SHREWS
KINGS OF THE ROAD
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE
A KNIGHT’S TALE
L.A. STORY
LA HAINE
LA JETÉE
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
L’ARGENT
LA RONDE
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO*
THE LAST RUN
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD
THE LATE SHOW
LATE SPRING
THE LEOPARD
LA PLAISIR
LE SILENCE DE LA MER
LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN
THE LIFE AHEAD
LIFE AND NOTHING MORE
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
LILYA 4 EVER
LISTEN TO BRITAIN
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
LOLA MONTÈS
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT
THE LONG DAY CLOSES
LOST GIRLS
LOVES OF A BLONDE
MACABRE (William Castle)
MACBETH
THE MADNESS OF YOUTH
MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW
THE MAN FROM LARAMIE
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE
MANK
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN
MAUVAIS SANG
MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON
MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS
MID 90s
THE MINDBENDERS
MINISTRY OF FEAR
MIRACLE MILE
MIRROR
THE MISFITS (1961)
THE MISSION
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT
MOMMY
MONA LISA
MONSIEUR HIRE
MOONRISE KINGDOM
MOROCCO
MURDER BY CONTRACT
MY BODYGUARD
MY LIFE AS A DOG
NAPOLEON
THE NAVIGATOR (Buster Keaton)
NEKROMANTIK
NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH
NO DIRECTION HOME (BOB DYLAN)
NOWHERE TO GO (1958)
NYMPHOMANIAC I & II
OLDBOY
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST*
ONE EYED JACKS
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING
ORDET
OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE
THE OX BOW INCIDENT
PAISAN
PALM SPRINGS
PARADISE LOST 1, 2 & 3
PATERSON
PATHER PANCHALI
PAYBACK
PEOPLE ON SUNDAY
PERSONA
PHANTOM LADY
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE
PHILADELPHIA
THE PIANO TEACHER
PIECES OF A WOMAN
PINK STRING AND SEALING WAX
LA PLAISIR
POLICE STORY (1985)
POLYESTER
POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING
POSSESSOR: UNCUT
POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
THE PRESTIGE
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
THE PRODUCERS
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN*
THE QUEEN OF SPADES
RAILROADED!
RAN
REBECCA (2020)*
RIO GRANDE
ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS
ROCKS*
LA RONDE
RONNIE’S
FELLINI’S ROMA
ROME OPEN CITY
RUN LOLA RUN
SAFE
SAINT MAUD
SALESMAN
SANSHO THE BAILIFF
SANS SOLEIL
SATANTANGO
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD (Dolby Cinema Edition)*
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
A SEPARATION
SESSION 9
THE SEVENTH VEIL
SHAME (BERGMAN)
SHANGHAI EXPRESS
SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
SHOAH
SHOESHINE
A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING
SISTER (2013)
THE SMALL BACK ROOM
THE SNORKEL
SON OF THE SHIEK
THE SON’S ROOM
SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR
SOPHIE’S CHOICE
THE SPARKS BROTHERS (2021)
SPIDER
STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE
THE SURROGATE
FUCKING AMAL (SHOW ME LOVE)
STALKER
THE STATION AGENT
STOLEN FACE
SUMMER WITH MONIKA
SWALLOW
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY
THE TALL T
TEAM AMERICA WORLD POLICE
THEOREM
THIRST
T-MEN
TENET* (twice!)
LA TERRA TREMA
THE TERMINATOR
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940)
THE THING
THIS HAPPY BREED
THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES
THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK
TOGETHER
TOMB OF LIGEIA
TO SLEEP WITH ANGER
TOOTSIE
TOUKI BOUKI
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
THE TRAIN
TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
UGETSU
UMBERTO D
UNDERWORLD U.S.A
THE UNKNOWN
THE UNTOUCHABLES
VAMPYRES (1974)
VERNON, FLORIDA
VIRIDIANA
MY VOYAGE TO ITALY
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN
WANDA
THE WAR GAME
WATERLOO ROAD (1945)
WE ARE THE BEST!
WENT THE DAY WELL?
WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOUSE?
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
WHISTLE AND I’LL COME TO YOU (1968)
WINGS OF DESIRE
WITCHFINDER GENERAL
WITNESS
WILLARD (1971)
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (1989)
WOMAN IN THE DUNES
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
WORKING GIRL
WORLD OF TOMORROW (2015)
YOU,THE LIVING
YI YI
ZAPPA
ZERO DU CONDUITE
ZODIAC
ZU WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN