Introducing: "Ben's Movie Recs for Every Genre"

Don't know what to watch? Better Call Ben.

One of my favorite aspects of 100 Movies Catholics Should See is that it continues to grow past the list of 100 movies Catholics should see. I myself spearheaded the list of 100 Movies Catholics Should NOT See. The reviews provided by this Substack are a successful recommendations list. Yet, I am afraid we at 100 Movies have become victims of our own success.

100 Movies Catholics Should See has now recommended 140 movies; all of them are great. Unfortunately, 140 movies is too many to choose from on any given Friday night. Despite possessing the easiest access to the largest catalogue of movies ever seen in each of our smart TVs, the task of choosing what to watch has never been more difficult. We have all felt the anxiety of too many choices—too many voices—from Prime Video or Netflix or Disney+.

In my own time, I have watched 1000s of movies and logged over 1100 reviews on Letterboxd. I have waded my way through years’ worth of forgettable cinema and come back like a painter from the jungle with only the finest specimens for your enjoyment. I have gone through some of the major genres and chosen just one (impossible, I know) from each as my top recommendation.

DRAMA

When I find myself in the mood for a meat-and-potatoes drama that plumbs the proverbial depths of human experience, I find the confines of a single movie quite cramped. Instead, I have found the domain of the miniseries to be much more suitable to fully-realized characters and dramatic arcs. If you want a good drama, look no further than the 1981 BBC miniseries adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

Deeply Augustinian in its spirituality and beautifully gilded in its aesthetic, Brideshead Revisited is a drama for the ages.

HISTORICAL FICTION

There are dozens of classic historical fiction movies out there that could take this title. 1917 is a thrilling one-shot story of World War I. Saving Private Ryan is a brilliant story (with lots of shots) about World War II. What fascinates me most, though, is that brief two-decade period between the wars where mankind had just witnessed so much suffering in the Great War and was preparing to launch itself into an even greater war. For historical fiction about this era, I can’t recommend a better performance than Jeremy Irons’ role as Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited—the 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s greatest novel.

Have you ever wondered what Oxford was like in the shadow of the Great War? Brideshead Revisited will immerse you in the history.

SCIENCE FICTION

What is science fiction? When I think of some of the best science fiction movies out there, like Jurassic Park or RoboCop, I realize that people aren’t drawn to the “science” in science fiction, they’re drawn to the human stories of people encountering an ever-changing technological landscape. As the world becomes more inhuman, viewers relish the opportunity to watch someone simply being human amidst the ever-changing world. This sentiment is not new; it’s especially present in Derek Granger’s 1981 adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. Evelyn Waugh’s rhapsodic reflections on the relationship between technology and humanity take center stage in Jeremy Irons’ delicious voiceovers.

The human stories at the center of science fiction are always the best stories. Brideshead Revisited thrives at the intersection of technology and humanity.

FANTASY

At this point, I’m sure you’re thinking “Of course, this guy’s going to recommend The Lord of the Rings as the ideal fantasy movie; it’s a Catholic movie blog after all.” You would be right in most circumstances, but I really struggle when it comes to recommending which of the LOTR movies I really recommend. If you’re going to spend 14 hours watching something like all of The Lord of the Rings movies, I’d recommend watching a little-known BBC miniseries instead. You probably haven’t heard of it, but it’s called Brideshead Revisited; it’s an adaptation of a mid-20^th century English novel starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. While not strictly fantasy, the story itself is fantastical.

What Brideshead Revisited lacks in orcs, elves, and dwarves, it makes up for in cocktails, sehnsucht, and cigarettes.

ROMANCE

The world of cinema has excelled in tales of romance over the past 125 years. From Animal Crackers to The Shape of Water, Hollywood excels in telling heartrending tales of passionate romances. While American cinema has always been (and will always be) the best (USA! USA! USA!) at making romantic films, the British have their fair share of legendary cinematic romances. If you want delightful stories of heartbreaking romance, look no further than England’s own adaptation of her best-loved novel, Brideshead Revisited, from 1981. The romance between Charles and Julia encapsulates that ever-human struggle beneath beauty’s own finitude.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but Granger’s Brideshead Revisited is the best romance since Abelard and Heloise.

COMEDY

Dying is easy; being funny is harder. It’s hard to be funny—really hard. Dozens of comedies come on to streaming platforms every year. None of them are even remotely funny.

True comedy greatness comes with the passing of time. One generation’s “Kilroy was here” becomes the next generation’s “skibidi toilet.” Time winnows the comedic chaff away and what remains is pure.

A great example of this is the comedic interactions and timing between Sir John Gielgud and Jeremy Irons in the 1981 miniseries Brideshead Revisited. The dialogue is the pinnacle of perfection in subtle British comedy. I highly recommend it.

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These are just a few of my top recommendations for 100 Movies Catholics Should See. There are so many new things that you could watch, but why bother when you have the full DVD box set of Brideshead Revisited? Get a copy of your own at your nearest Goodwill today.