With all the talk about AI (or is it SI now 😉) possibly killing us, I think this might be a good weekend to unplug.

Put down the phone. Close the computer. Get outside. Meditate. Write something with an actual pen. Sit under a tree. Talk to another human being. Spend some time with yourself.

Or...

Do the next best thing.

Stay inside and watch movies about people doing all of those things. 😂

Just don’t watch anything about robots taking over the world. We’ve got enough going on. Sheesh.

Monday morning, the robots will still be here.

Probably.

In the meantime, go outside.

Or watch somebody else go outside.

Baby steps. 😂

I'll start you off with six movies I think filmmakers should watch when they need to unplug, recharge and find a little creative inspiration.

And yes, I went way back for a couple of these, but we’re filmmakers, right? We’re about that life. Let’s go back to a time when things were quieter and we weren’t afraid of robots coming for us through our electronics.

Adaptation (2002)

I know, I know. Anything Charlie Kaufman is a signal to the anxiety gods.

However, what could be better than watching someone else suffer from writer’s block? It’s like a bonding session.

And how can you go wrong with a double dose of Nicolas Cage in his prime? I mean, come on.

It’s weird, neurotic and creative and if you’re struggling with your own writing, maybe watching somebody else completely unravel over theirs will make you feel better about yourself.

Barton Fink (1991)

Let me tell you, I love Barton Fink.

Do I remember if I totally understood all of it? No.

But hey, how can you go wrong with the Coen Brothers? Their films have always felt like indies living inside the studio system to me.

What I especially love about this film is watching that Hollywood dream quite literally burn to the ground. It’s a hilarious and an increasingly unhinged take on being a writer dealing with the studio system.

RIP Michael Lerner.

Nomadland (2020)

Okay, this isn’t exactly a way-way-back movie. But I think everything that went down in 2020 makes it feel like it happened much longer ago.

After losing her job and home during an economic downturn, the lead ends up living a nomadic life in a van. This movie is the epitome of being with and learning yourself.

What I love about Nomadland is that it captured so much of what people were feeling then—and maybe even more of what people are feeling now—about work, the economy, big business and what happens when the life you thought was secure suddenly isn’t.

It might be a harder watch for your relaxing weekend, but it’s a worthy one.

Into the Wild (2007)

Directed by Sean Penn and based on a true story, Into the Wild follows a young man who gives away his savings, abandons most of the comforts of his life and heads into the wilderness.

Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well.

Still, the idea of connecting with nature and chucking amenities like cars and money to live off the land is a refreshing journey—albeit one I’d much rather watch than partake in.

I’m not giving up my amenities. How would I write this great article. 😂

I also like recommending movies like this to filmmakers because there are long stretches where the environment has to help carry the story. Learning how to tell a story through images, locations and behavior rather than relying on a lot of characters and dialogue is invaluable.

Origin (2023)

Again, not exactly a movie from back in the day. However, it plays with time and transports us to different periods in history, so I’m counting it. Hey, there are no rules here.

What I loved so much about Origin was the journey, I’m sensing a theme here 🤔, the character goes on to investigate caste, race and the connections between different systems of oppression.

Like many of Ava DuVernay’s movies, I walked away having learned things about this country and history that I either didn’t know or had never connected.

It’s beautifully acted, ambitious as hell, and I also love the fact that DuVernay found a way to make it outside the traditional Hollywood studio system.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)

The best way to describe this movie is the logline from IMDb - a young man searches for a sense of home in a changing city that seems to have left him behind.

But the movie is about so much more than that. It’s about displacement. Friendship. Grief. Identity. Trauma. Gentrification. What “home” actually means.

And all the things that we, as a society, are finally reckoning with (I think or hope.)

It’s also just a beautiful movie to look at. If we’re talking about slowing down and actually watching a movie, this is a good one.

Okay, I’m going to end there.

I think I’ve given you enough non-techy, get-creative, commune-with-nature, get-in-touch-with-yourself movies to keep you busy.

Maybe watch one.

Maybe write something.

Maybe go for a walk without your phone.

Maybe sit quietly and do absolutely nothing.

And whatever you do, maintain this one hard rule for this particular weekend:

No Terminator. No Ex Machina. No 2001: A Space Odyssey.

We're trying to unplug, not spend the weekend wondering if ChatGPT is plotting against us.

Although ironically, 2001: A Space Odyssey is playing in 70mm in New York right now. I’m just going to leave that information right here. 😉 👀

Enjoy your weekend.