Are there any online movie clubs like book clubs?
January 31, 2022 8:07 PM Subscribe
Just curious if there are online groups or clubs where the group will pick movies to watch & discuss every couple days, maybe with sub-groups depending on how often you want to watch?
This came up when I was telling a friend who runs that I was jealous that they now have "running retreats" and I said, "I wonder what my equivalent would be, maybe a couch retreat" and they diplomatically offered, "ooh, a movie retreat!"
So I wondered if this is available right now, today? Preferences would be sci-fi, gonzo, thriller, adventure, spy, tiki, fantasy, some combination of those key-words.
Would be fancy & cool if one could select which networks one has access to, for example the way JustWatch and Reelgood allow content filtering with icons for different services.
And bottom line, it's OK if due to licensing it needs to be limited to stuff available on Youtube, like TV movies from the '80s, and from Canada, or wherever else eh.
I know there are some podcasts that do watch-alongs sometimes but it usually seems a bit less of a discussion format and more of a periodic thing, like "we watched and you were there to hear us watch it".
Bonus, if at some date in-person meetups could be done, bringing this firmly into retreat territory; that'd be even better but is not really a necessity at this point in time.
This came up when I was telling a friend who runs that I was jealous that they now have "running retreats" and I said, "I wonder what my equivalent would be, maybe a couch retreat" and they diplomatically offered, "ooh, a movie retreat!"
So I wondered if this is available right now, today? Preferences would be sci-fi, gonzo, thriller, adventure, spy, tiki, fantasy, some combination of those key-words.
Would be fancy & cool if one could select which networks one has access to, for example the way JustWatch and Reelgood allow content filtering with icons for different services.
And bottom line, it's OK if due to licensing it needs to be limited to stuff available on Youtube, like TV movies from the '80s, and from Canada, or wherever else eh.
I know there are some podcasts that do watch-alongs sometimes but it usually seems a bit less of a discussion format and more of a periodic thing, like "we watched and you were there to hear us watch it".
Bonus, if at some date in-person meetups could be done, bringing this firmly into retreat territory; that'd be even better but is not really a necessity at this point in time.
Best answer: Fanfare has clubs! There are also some folks who post regularly in the genres you mentioned (eg DirtyOldTown).
posted by youarenothere at 5:07 AM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by youarenothere at 5:07 AM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you both for those great answers. I'm looking forward to diving in & learning more.
posted by circular at 3:50 PM on February 1, 2022
posted by circular at 3:50 PM on February 1, 2022
Best answer: I love this question!
* Scarecrow Video in Seattle has film discussion series... now on Zoom. Coming up: old sci-fi films. If you're in Seattle you can rent the videos. The Scarecrow discussions are very good!
* Braver Angels does monthly movie discussions. January was "12 Angry Men". February will be the documentary "What Killed Michael Brown" -- soon to be announced. You'll need to scroll through their event list to find the movie discussions. (Discussions are themed around the Braver Angels mission and goals.)
posted by valannc at 3:56 PM on February 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
* Scarecrow Video in Seattle has film discussion series... now on Zoom. Coming up: old sci-fi films. If you're in Seattle you can rent the videos. The Scarecrow discussions are very good!
* Braver Angels does monthly movie discussions. January was "12 Angry Men". February will be the documentary "What Killed Michael Brown" -- soon to be announced. You'll need to scroll through their event list to find the movie discussions. (Discussions are themed around the Braver Angels mission and goals.)
posted by valannc at 3:56 PM on February 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks valannc! I really appreciate those adds.
posted by circular at 9:00 PM on February 3, 2022
posted by circular at 9:00 PM on February 3, 2022
If you're into horror, the recent release by Severin Films of their mammoth folk horror box set, All the Haunts Be Ours and the subsequent release of most of the films in it to Shudder has several of the horror nerds around these parts largely watching the same movies at the moment. The resulting posts are mildly livelier than usual.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:56 PM on February 4, 2022
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:56 PM on February 4, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
To join, all you'd need to do is sign up to Letterboxd – they have paid options but the basic membership is free. It's integrated with things like JustWatch but often the films chosen will be available for free somewhere, e.g. YouTube.
Letterboxd itself is an awesome community and you don't necessarily need to participate in a club to get a lot out of it.
posted by RubyScarlet at 8:58 PM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]