I think that was my point. As a reader of this list, it is of passing interest. Take the course this list accompanies and I will receive much better context and substantially improve my understanding of their inclusion.
But that's not what it is. It's a list that one of the top living film directors on the planet thinks that directing students at one of the leading film schools in the world should watch.
That's a different thing entirely.
Each one of these films has things directors can learn from by just watching them. Film being a visual medium and all.
Sure, some lectures can provide context, but the movies themselves are the actual content.
I very much doubt the list, and the act of watching them is the whole lesson Spike is trying to impart. The lecture series would complete the educational message.