13 movies to play at a party

CINEMA HOTLINE NO. 1

Movies deserve your full attention, but sometimes they’re equally improtant as background viewing, but no in the mindless, nefariously passive way of Netflix.

Q: What makes the perfect party backdrop, like the bar at Nitehawk, where old films silently play on a vintage TV? Could some movies actually be more enjoyable on mute? -

Andrew Truong

of Buttered Popcorn

A: Something with visual flair and plenty of on-screen antics that can potentially spark conversation.

When it comes to party-movies, subtitles and genre movies are your friends here. Painted with vivid colors, fake blood and eccentric set-dressings, Italian giallos fit the bill, as do other exploitation flicks. They serve as both visual wallpaper and a backdrop to festivities, and a salve for wallflowers in need of something to engage with. What better way to break the ice than the simultaneous shock of seeing someone violently decapitated by a moving glass door?

I have tamer options below, keep scrolling. The best part is almost all of these are streaming for free.

Dario Argento is the master of the form. Choose any of his earlier work from the 70s. Suspiria (1977) features the most vibrant palette of jewel tones and Deep Red (1975) as the name suggests is bathed in profound scarlet tones, and not all of them bloody.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) is lighter on shocks and color but no less fun.

For less gore, Death Walks at Midnight (1972) by Luciano Ercoli is more buttoned up (more mystery less schlock) with more tasteful interiors (mostly white, moddish pops of color) but a still wild plot line.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

You could put on the new Suspiria from 2018, but that one is both scarier and more pretentious, beautiful as it may be. In fact, any Luca Guadagino or Paolo Sorrentino movie works in the background in theory, since these are more sumptuous fashion spreads than anything else. But there’s something a bit gauche about having something so “tasteful” playing in the background of the party, regardless of it’s level of refinement. If someone had one of these on during a party, I might think they were trying a little too hard.

Old Suspiria on top; new on bottom.

Really, what you want is texture. The films of Jacques Rivette would work gorgeously. I hesitated adding them to this list since they are more than just evocative impressions that should be watched mindfully, but having them on at party and might inspire some guests to want to take the time to actually check out the French director’s work.

If you’re squeamish, you can always opt for a midcentury musical, like Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) where the mise-en scene evolves with the seasons or Stanley Donen’s Funny Face (1957), to gawk at Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy.

Keep the volume low for the majority of these (obvious exception for Suspiria. Goblin’s soundtrack is too iconic) lest a neighbor falsely recognize the sounds of cold blooded murder as the real thing—or worse, that you like musicals.

That leads me to: Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014), which also holds visual and aural appeal. The soundtrack consists majorly of Can, which is what would be playing at our apartment anyway if Zach was in charge of cueing up records. Adapted from Pynchon’s novel, the movie is so convoluted it’s unlikely you’ll grasp everything on first viewing so you won't be spoiling anything by seeing things unfold ambiently during a party. There are also many familiar actors and hair pieces that come up.

It’s also long, so you won’t have to think about what to put on next.

NICOLAS ROEG MOVIES haven’t aged well. There’s something outdated and earnest about, so if you want to watch them, now is the time.¹

Bad Timing (1980) has Art Garfunkel and The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) has David Bowie—who for all his panache as a performer becomes so utterly normal on screen. (He also stars in the The Linguini Incident (1991), a convivial movie that disappointingly does not live up to the playful premise of its title.) Best not to ruin the legacy and watch him on mute.

Performance (1970) if you can find it, has Mick Jagger. I’d want to hear him though.

This was a lot of fun. What’s movie is playing in the background at your party?

1. Except Don’t Look Now (1973), which somehow works.