In an interesting move for the media company, Warner Bros. Entertainment has spent the past month quietly uploading free full-length movies to a playlist on YouTube. The selected films comprise obscure oddball movies from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, such as Mr. Nice Guy (1997) starring Jackie Chan and The Wind and the Lion (1975). While these aren’t exactly modern blockbuster films, beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s a fun and free opportunity to develop your cinephile side.
Tedium’s Ernie Smith first noticed the new collection of archive films on February 5th. The playlist has been updated with more films for the last few weeks without fanfare. Smith’s theory is that Warner hasn’t made space for its “less-heralded content” on streaming services, and is operating under the assumption that “nobody wants this stuff,” making for an ironic commentary about its archives. Smith also speculates that YouTube might be the best option for archive films like these, considering that streaming services tend to focus on presenting new releases and recent works.
The films are somewhat hit-or-miss in terms of quality, but you’ll find some gems. The aforementioned Jackie Chan film Mr. Nice Guy already has over 16 million views on YouTube — as Chan’s first film to ever be scripted and shot in English, it’s a funny and energetic story with all the kung-fu stunts and gags you could hope for.
Some other generally lauded options include Waiting for Guffman (1996), a musical comedy by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy that spoofs Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot; and Michael Collins (1996), a war thriller starring Liam Neeson.
The playlist currently includes 37 films, and the description implies that more are coming — in fact, just within the last three days, they’ve added Overnight Delivery (1998), The Phantom Tollbooth (1970), and Curly Sue (1991). You can see the Warner Bros. Entertainment playlist on YouTube here.