Netflix’s library has over 4000 movies. Several are entertaining—some even good. Erring on the side of underestimation, if each movie runs 90 minutes, it would take over 360,000 minutes, or 250 days to watch Netflix’s entire film catalog. And since the service regularly adds and removes content, choices must be made—and that means knowing how to sort out the “Knives Out”s from the “Emoji Movie”s.

Movie production is reaching record highs, which leaves many of the new films lacking, so some viewers are most comfortable staying in their niche of reliable (even if occasionally repetitive) flicks. But beyond the comfort movie horizon lies a forbidden planet of films, and many teens are ready to explore it.

“We’ve all encountered decision fatigue,” Literary Analysis of Film teacher Jamie Ling said. “And I’ve talked about this in class too, where it’s like, I myself will go, ‘Okay, I want to watch a movie. I feel like watching a movie,’ and then I’ll scroll through multiple streaming platforms for a half an hour, and then I’m exhausted.”

In class, Ling walks her students through units exploring various genres, which allows them to get a taste for all sorts of films they might not have otherwise tried. However, for those at home who get headaches from their phone brightness far too often while scrolling through streaming services for hours on end, she recommends asking friends directly for suggestions or simply finding definable traits of movies they enjoy and looking up lists of similar films. Or just read this article. Welcome to the party, pal.

“In this world, there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig.” — “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)

The western is one of the oldest genres, and has existed since the invention of film, as some of the first recordings depicted reenactments of Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West” show, and movies like “The Great Train Robbery” were some of the first that audiences could see on screen. By the 50s and 60s, the most iconic westerns, like “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “High Noon,” were at the height of their popularity. But for those less enthused by the idea of watching a two-hour spaghetti western, there are plenty of newer options. From the ’70s onward, traditional westerns lost their popularity, replaced by neo-westerns, parodies and movies that technically checked off the criteria for being a western but would never be labeled as such (think “Star Wars”). 

Western movies take place in the American West (although modern westerns like “Django Unchained” may even subvert that), and often feature a rugged landscape, chases on horseback, shootouts and saloons, tied together by corrupt or morally gray characters. Though current high school students could hardly be further removed from the wild, wild west, some, like senior Benjamin Wolgamuth, still find fun in the intrigue that comes with watching these antiheroes.

“I think what makes those movies so appealing is…it feels very grounded,” Wolgamuth said. “You watch them go through an insane struggle against other characters [aiming to achieve] a similar corrupt goal, and yet make it in the end.”

“I’ll have what she’s having.” — “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989)

Meet-cutes. Misunderstandings. Love. Breakups. Humor. Welcome to the rom-com.

Rom-coms (short for “romantic comedies”) follow a lighthearted story of a romantic relationship, combining humor and love, as the name would suggest. They originated in the 1930s, when, due to restrictions like the Hays Code, studios could not include explicitly sexual relationships between unmarried characters, so the focus shifted to fluffier, more wholesome romantic love, and the comedic situations surrounding it. Today, the inherent silliness of rom-coms has attracted fans of its own.

“I like how [rom-coms] can kind of be anything,” senior Tyler Strand said. “They can be down-to-earth; they can be cheesy; they can be sweet; they can be serious. It’s kind of my comfort genre.”

Many people know rom-coms for their formulaic nature and oft-repeated tropes. But many modern audiences look for something beyond the traditional conventionally attractive heterosexual couple with an astounding inability to communicate. Good news for them: Over time, qualities of these movies have indeed shifted to include a broader audience and more diverse storytelling. And for those with a…less than optimistic view of love, some films, like “500 Days of Summer” even mislead audiences using well-known tropes in order to tell a more cynical story.

Strand enjoys movies that fall out of the mainstream, and watches them to connect with their deeper meaning rather than for surface-level entertainment. For newcomers to the rom-com genre, he recommends “Red, White and Royal Blue” and “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.”

“Definitely start with something like ‘Red, White and Royal Blue,’” Strand said. “It’s a little bit lighter, it’s a little less explicit, for sure, but there’s definitely a lot of funny moments, and a lot of laughs and jokes in there.”

“I killed him for money and a woman. And I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman.” — “Double Indemnity” (1944)

Crime movies fundamentally revolve around illegal activity, so naturally, law-abiding teens love this kind of thing. And they are pretty good, fellas.

According to an article by forensic psychologist Richard Lettieri, the appeal of crime stories comes from their position as a “safe” way to explore the dark side of natural human impulses. People who would never really act on their desire to break the law can still experience the thrill of doing so by watching movies like “The Godfather” or “Heat.”

“Students really like the film noir unit,” Ling said. “To the Hagerty students’ credit, my students are not scared of black and white films. Maybe in the beginning, but I don’t get that sense. … Students really liked film noir, and they really appreciated ‘Double Indemnity.’”

Noir films are a subgenre of crime with a focus on moral (and often literal) darkness. Though classic noir, like the kind that Ling primarily shows in her class (since they tend not to be R-rated), follow a more strict formula, neo-noir movies adapt their qualities to a wider range of modern situations. 

It can be intimidating to dive into older black-and-white films, or even modern ones that lean a little on the experimental side, but for a safe bet, neo-noir movies like “The Usual Suspects” and “LA Confidential” are a solid starting point, since their character-driven stories and unique dialogue make it easy to watch them without needing a Charlie Kelly-style corkboard to keep track of the plot.

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here; this is the war room!” — “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964)

Comedy can be a divisive genre, and very few movies lack humor completely, leading to a whole slew of horror-comedies, drama-comedies, romance-comedies (see above) and more. Still, many seek out films that pursue the goal of humor above all else.

“Comedies [are] going to be extremely subjective to your type of humor,” senior Paul Noorlander said. “There’s a lot of comedies that people love that I don’t like. The one that comes to mind is a lot of Will Ferrell comedies, or particularly, ‘Elf.’ … I can’t stand that movie, but I know a lot of people love [it] and think it’s hilarious.”

With all of this variety, nailing down exactly what makes someone laugh requires trial and error, but some students have go-tos that appeal to all sorts of crowds.

Senior Reid Campbell enjoys buddy comedies and feel-good movies that convey a more genuine message. He recommends “The Muppet Movie,” among other Muppet content, for its versatility.

Campbell also takes a particular interest in stop-motion animated comedies, including the buddy comedy “Wallace and Gromit” and the adventure comedy “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.” With this format comes unique kinds of storytelling and more fantastical effects that are not limited by the same factors as on a live action set. 

From satire to slapstick, the sheer volume of choices makes getting into the comedy genre a long journey. But for many, it is an enjoyable one.

“You want [the audience] to think, ‘If these people can make me happy, how can I make others happy the same way this makes me feel?’” Campbell said. “It kind of just circulates around the idea that everyone should help each other out once in a while.”

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” — “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)

Love, hate, sadness, anger—the only thing viewers will not see in a drama is happiness. Dramas focus on the complexity of human interactions and emotions, and like comedies, they tend to blend with other genres. For those looking for something more like a comedy with added emotional depth, “Little Miss Sunshine” can be a good starting point, or for those with an interest in historical fiction grounded through a human perspective, “Nuremberg” would be the perfect fit.

Of course, one of the most common topics for dramas to explore is romance—but not exactly the kind every teen would want to take home to their parents. Dramas in this genre can explore darker, stranger themes, especially relating to less idealized romance.

“I’d say [these films are] something that a lot of people would call weird or kind of disgusting, almost,” Strand said. “I like films like that, that make me think and that make me feel maybe something a little more nuanced or a little unorthodox.”

Strand appreciates how film can portray tragic and untraditional stories, particularly those revolving around romance, and likes to watch movies like “Call Me By Your Name” and “Bones and All” (which is well-suited to those who do not mind an overlap with horror).

“I ain’t got time to bleed” — “Predator” (1987) 

The cardinal rule of action movies: Explosions solve everything.

Those without much exposure to the action genre (or those with exposure to the wrong movies) find the chokehold that it has on fans mystifying, but breaking the code often just means finding the right movie, whether it is story-driven and suspenseful like “Die Hard” or has the visual appeal and unusual world-building of the “John Wick” movies.

Dated as it sounds, going back to earlier action movies like “North By Northwest” can also give viewers an idea of what makes people love action in the first place. Plus, there is not a single cooler action hero to ever have existed than Roger Thornhill. Except maybe John McClane.

A lot of major franchises, including Marvel, DC and Star Wars, fall into the action genre, and are a great option for those who need to get invested in a larger world in order to care about an individual scene. For many, this solves the “Why should I care?” and “So what?” problems, as new stories arise and the action holds a new level of meaning for the universe at large. 

Senior Ian Urbanek loves Star Wars movies in particular, because it leans into the inherent distance from real life that movies can have, focusing on the action and science fiction elements without trying too hard to stay grounded in reality.

“It has amazing writing that I do like,” Urbanek said. “They don’t try to make it seem real, which is what makes me really like it, because a lot of these shows go on trying to make things realistic, but they don’t go into like, ‘Oh, it’s supposed to be cartoonish.’”

Fans of other action franchises hold similar sentiments. Wolgamuth enjoys Marvel movies for the way that they portray the contrast between relatability and otherworldliness.

“What makes [Marvel movies] interesting is that the characters are fantastical,” Wolgamuth said. “You know, ‘He’s literally me.’ [These are] the characters that you wish you were, yeah, but yet they still have human struggles.”

Wolgamuth likes the first iteration of Spider-Man movies in particular, and recommends them because of their value as standalone movies (since they existed before the emergence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Urbanek recommends that newcomers to Star Wars either start at the beginning of release order, with the original trilogy, or at the beginning of the chronological order, with the prequels.

“I’d probably say start with either ‘A New Hope’ or ‘Phantom Menace,’” Urbanek said. “And I know that they’re not the best ones, but you don’t want to start them off with the best. You want to make them want to watch the best ones by showing them what they’re going to get, [and] what they’re getting into.”

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” — “Scream” (1996)

“The thing that I like with horror is very similar to the thing that I like with comedy,” Noorlander said. “…In comedy and horror, a bad movie can be a lot better, because the simple goal of those genres is either to scare the audience or to make them laugh.”

Many people find horror a tough genre to begin exploring, mostly because—obviously—it can be a little scary. But for Noorlander, observing how different movies pursue the same goal can be a study in creativity.

“The way that ‘Creep’ pursues horror versus the way that, like, ‘Terrifier’ pursues horror is a completely different method,” Noorlander said. “It’s like gore versus suspense, but it’s still to get to the same end goal. And I think it’s really cool to see how people try to get to that.”

For those who are hesitant to watch something intended to scare them, Noorlander recommends starting with horror-comedy.

“My first horror movie that I ever watched in theaters was ‘Cocaine Bear,’ which is an absolutely horrendous movie, but it was a really good start into horror,” Noorlander said. “…It’s less of a constant fear and dealing with something you’ve never felt before, and more [of a] roller coaster of emotions, which I find to be a lot better for people who aren’t used to that type of genre.”

Other horror-comedies include “Gremlins” (best for those who prefer something solidly on the silly side), “Lisa Frankenstein” (for the rom-com fans looking to branch out), “What We Do in the Shadows” (for fans of…“The Office”?) and “American Psycho” (author’s choice).

For those interested in more traditional horror films, viewers can try out “Saw” (obligatory violence warning), “Scream,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” or “A Quiet Place.” There is a particular appeal in that all of these are franchises, meaning that fans of these films have more content to explore.

In terms of newer horror, “Get Out,” “Nosferatu” and “Sinners” are popular choices. “Sinners” in particular has taken the nation by storm since its release last year.

“In terms of horror films, I definitely love ‘Sinners,’” Noorlander said. “It is one of my favorite movies of all time, just because of its cultural relevance, while it also has a very well-developed plot where there’s nothing that’s really left open.”