When it comes to films, I am partial to thrillers, specifically the psychological kind. For this reason I count Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan among my favorite directors, and I hope to see more of Alfred Hitchock’s work in the future. What I enjoy most about psychological thrillers is their distorted sense of reality and moral ambiguity. Perhaps not surprisingly, my favorite art movement is surrealism, and my favorite novels feature unreliable narrators, such as Lolita or Huckleberry Finn. Given my interest in the human mind, I sometimes wonder if I should have majored in psychology rather than public policy.

Beyond psychological thrillers, I have a voracious appetite for movies in all genres. I’ll consume anything from romantic comedies, to Bollywood blockbusters, to all of Woody Allen’s films. I’ve also watched too many documentaries to number, including, most recently, Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I find that the recipe for a good movie is simply a good story, but maybe I’m just too easy to satiate.

When it comes to television I have the direct opposite tendency. I stick strictly to two genres: comedies and wildlife programs. I believe that watching the “boob tube” should be de-stressing rather than distressing. So, when I watch TV, I watch shows like The League, Planet Earth, and Modern Family. Another favorite is Parks and Recreation, which features my favorite comedians, Aziz Ansari and Amy Poehler whose books Modern Romance and Yes Please, respectively, lie at my bedside.

I enjoy reviewing content for the Princeton Buffer, and more importantly experimenting with new genres. My resolution is to watch anything but what is listed above.

All posts by Pathik Shah