New speedrun challenge unlocked: Navigating from one movie to a very different other one, on a streaming platform, while only clicking through the suggestions. TikToker Liam Farrey did exactly this, “speedrunning” Apple TV suggestions from Fight Club to Marmaduke (the original, not the 2022 one).
To get from one to the other, Farrey and a friend clicked through some inspired suggested films including In Bruges (“a comedy” they agree.) The two timed their progress, with questionable precision, throughout this incredibly difficult and frankly inspiring run.
The duo have since pulled off similarly beautiful Apple TV suggestion speedruns, mostly inspired by the comments on the original TikTok. New hits include navigating from Schindler’s List to Minions: The Rise of Gru, along with tabbing from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to Surf’s Up.
It usually only takes three or four jumps to get from any one movie to another — Surf’s Up took a little longer, but like some commenters pointed out, they really dropped the ball by not selecting Happy Feet when it popped up. That penguin connection, guys. Luckily speedrunning is all about improving times, and they’ll undoubtedly get there.
This also reminds me of playing the Wikipedia game at the library computer. Very good times were spent navigating through links to get from Schrödinger’s cat to Pluto, or The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift to cheese. Was I supposed to be, instead, using the computer to research historical information about Frank McCourt, author of acclaimed memoir Angela’s Ashes for a sophomore English class book report? Who’s to say.
I hope Liam Farrey (and friend) will keep taking suggestions from commenters. Here are some of my favorites: RoboCop to Spirited Away, Saving Private Ryan to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and Where the Wild Things Are to The Godfather.