If you find yourself bored and looking for a bit of escapism during these new and uncertain times, check out these movies and tv shows! Movies to Stream 1) Inglourious Basterds (Netflix) Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is set in Nazi Germany and follows Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his team of Jewish soldiers, whose primary purpose is to kill Nazis. It also follows Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish woman whose family was killed by the Nazis. The film is fast-paced and fun, while also packing a firm emotional punch. For anyone looking to escape from the stress of today, this revisionist history provides an emotional yet satisfying alternative. 2) The Social Network (Netflix) The Social Network (2010) dir. David Fincher follows a semi-fictionalized version of the founding of Facebook. This film is a personal favorite. It’s fun and fast-paced, and its depiction of the events and their participants has held up fantastically well with time. 3) The Bling Ring (Netflix) The Bling Ring is based on the true story of a group of teenagers who performed a series of robberies of the homes of celebrities in 2008 and 2009. Its satire and unconventional cinematography make for an at times uncomfortable viewing experience, but in a way that keeps its viewers engaged. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a good one for anyone looking for a bit of escapism. 4) About Time (Netflix) About Time is directed by Richard Curtis, the writer behind such classics as Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Four Weddings and a Funeral (all of which should also be considered essential viewing). It follows Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson), a man with the ability to travel through time. It’s a heartwarming movie that provides viewers with the same comfort as his other movies but avoids feeling tired through its magical twist on a classic genre. The performances of Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy are charming and sincere. If you’re looking for a feel-good movie that still feels well-made, this one is a great option. 5) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Netflix) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse may, at first, seem like another iteration of a tired story, not worth serious consideration. And yet, despite being another version of a familiar story, Spider-Verse manages to feel entirely new. Its animation style is breathtaking, visually stunning in a way that not much animation manages, or even attempts. The story, too, is strong. It follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he navigates life after changing schools and suddenly developing new powers. The cast of characters is made up of likable, realistic individuals who aren’t difficult to root for, and the voice acting is wonderful, especially that of Moore and Jake Johnson. 6) First Wives Club (Netflix) First Wives Club follows three New York women who’ve just become divorcees, and their quest to get back at their ex-husbands. To many, it’s a classic. The performances and plot are fun and feel-good, and it’s a movie that makes it easy to forget about your woes for a moment and get caught up in the world of Manhattan socialites. It’s fun, it’s empowering, and it’s an escape from reality. 7) Marriage Story (Netflix) Marriage Story, unlike most of the other movies on this list, is not light and happy. It follows Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) as they navigate a painful, jarring divorce. Despite its seemingly mundane subject matter, the film manages to feel new. Its themes are universal in a way that allows anyone to feel for the characters, themselves complicated in a way that never explicitly casts anyone as completely bad or completely good. The performances are one of the movie’s best aspects, including those of the side characters, played by the likes of Laura Dern (who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her role) and Alan Alda. 8) When Harry Met Sally (Hulu)
When Harry Met Sally, if you for some reason haven’t already seen it, follows two New Yorkers over many years, as their relationship evolves from enemies to friends to maybe something more. If you haven’t seen it, now is a great time to do just that, and if you have, it’s worth the rewatch. It’s escapism at its best: sweet, genuine, and filled with things you wish you could do right now.
9) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, or Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu (Hulu)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a French film that follows Marianne, a painter who is commissioned to paint a wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman about to enter into an arranged marriage. It’s romance at its most raw, love in a time of prejudice. The story is compelling and heart-wrenching. Technically, it’s a gorgeous film, composed of stunning shots and beautiful colors. The depiction of love is both intimate and universal, and the exploration of an artist’s relationship to her subjects provides the story with added depth and heart.
10) Parasite, or 기생충 (Hulu)
Parasite is a Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho, and the most recent winner of the coveted Oscars Best Picture award. It’s a movie that defies genre, combining elements of drama, comedy, thriller, and horror to create something both uncomfortable and enamoring. The story centers around the Kim family and the Park family as they enter into and begin to influence each other’s lives. It’s an at times painful examination of class disparities and their effect on society. This film does not provide an escape from reality, but instead a jarring reminder of its shortcomings. It is not feel-good in the traditional sense, but it is masterful in a way that few films manage to achieve. If anything must be watched, it’s Parasite, and now you have plenty of time to do just that.
Movies to Rent
These movies are unfortunately not available to stream, but are wonderful
options if you’re able and willing to rent them.
11) Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise is the first in a trilogy that follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Deply), over about 20 years of their lives. The three movies were filmed about ten years apart, allowing its actors to age and change with their characters. The first installment finds the two meeting on a train through Europe, where they make the impulsive decision to spend the day together. As they explore Vienna, viewers get to know them as they get to know one another. The trilogy is a wonderful look at love and relationships and humanity, and the first film is a hopeful, sincere starting point. Jesse and Céline are young and open, almost pretentious in their surety. The relationship, the conversations, feel real in a way that makes the audience feel like they’re there with the characters. For anyone looking to escape the stress of today, this movie, with its warm conversation and beautiful settings, is a wonderful option.
12) Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit follows a lonely German boy, Johannes “Jojo” Betzler, in Nazi Germany. Jojo is committed to a firm nationalistic ideology and feels a fierce loyalty to his government. It’s a very unique film that could have failed spectacularly, but that manages to handle its subject matter with the appropriate care and grace. Director Taika Waititi also plays Hitler in the movie, but not as he truly was, and instead as a figment of Jojo’s imagination. The film's other performances add to its strength including Jojo’s mother (Scarlett Johansson) and a young Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) who catalyzes Jojo’s shift towards compassion and understanding. Overall, it’s heartwarming and hopeful, but never in a way that minimizes reality.
Television to Stream
1) Community (Netflix)
Community is a comedy that follows a misfit cast of characters as they attend school at a community college. The show is unlike many other things on television, its plots and modes of storytelling often charmingly bizarre. Its characters are similarly odd. They’re many different ages, they’re attending community college for very different reasons, and yet, together, they make an entertaining group. As the seasons go on, characters and tropes become more exaggerated, at times becoming more critique (of television, of society, etc.) than straight comedy. Community masters the callback, making viewers feel as if they’re in on a joke. Season four, thanks to a decision to swap out the showrunner, is the only major flaw in the show’s run, notable for its lack of the quality and innovation that makes Community so good.
2) The West Wing (Netflix)
The West Wing is not exactly an unknown. It enjoyed a seven-season run as one of television’s most popular programs, winning a multitude of awards along the way. Still, the characters’ genuine passion and commitment are a welcome break from the present. The show arguably deserves criticism for its idealism and romanticization of some of America’s most powerful figures, especially when President Bartlett drifts a little too close to becoming a deity, but if anything can be considered escapist television, it’s The West Wing.
3) Arrested Development (Netflix)
The first three seasons of Arrested Development are some of television’s best. They’re wildly funny and often clever in ways that don’t become clear until a few seasons in. Many of its jokes are recurring, spanning the entire series in a manner that feels like a really good inside joke. It’s loaded with jokes, including some that only become apparent on rewatch. The newer seasons (the product of a revival, seven years after being canceled) are comparably much weaker, but have some moments that are just clever and hilarious as the original show.
4) Schitt's Creek (Netflix and Hulu)
Schitt’s Creek is one of the most popular shows of the moment. It follows the Rose family as they navigate their new reality after losing their immense wealth and being forced to move into a motel in a small town (Schitt’s Creek) that Johnny Rose had previously purchased as a joke. At the show’s start, the characters are vapid and material, focused on nothing more than “escaping” their new life. As it progresses, however, it becomes more heartwarming, more a story of found family, of the value of relationships, of love. It’s very funny, and it’s very hopeful. In the words of showrunner and star Dan Levy, “We show love and tolerance. If you put [homophobia/prejudice] out of the equation, you’re saying that doesn’t exist and shouldn’t exist.” Schitt’s Creek is a wonderful, feel-good show about a world where love and acceptance are a given.
5) Battleground (Hulu) Battleground is a comedy-drama, the first of Hulu’s original scripted series. It ran for one, glorious season, before ending in cancellation. The show blends elements of many aspects of pop culture, combining the mockumentary-style and ordinary characters of The Office with the politics and satire of shows like Veep and The West Wing. Its cancellation, though tragic, is understandable, as, in a post-West Wing world, it’s often hard to garner a large audience for a show about the in’s and out’s of politics. Still, though it does require the viewer to not detest politics, Battleground is universal enough to appeal to a broad range of viewers. 6) Ugly Betty (Hulu) Ugly Betty follows Betty, a young woman in Queens, New York as she begins working as an assistant at a high-fashion magazine. She’s determined to succeed in journalism, even if it means working at a place she feels she doesn’t belong. Betty is kind and smart and driven, and it’s easy to want the best for her. The rest of the characters are similarly likable, from Betty’s sincere, compassionate family to her enemy-turned-friend coworkers. The show is unique for its creativity and its heart, and juxtaposition of realistic human problems with wild, fantastical situations and characters. 7) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hulu) Buffy is considered by many to be a classic, beloved early version of the supernatural teenager genre. Even in today’s very saturated market of teen dramas, it holds up as one of the best. Its characters and plots are compelling, its blend of reality and fantasy effective. For fans of young adult drama who’re looking for something with a little more substance, Buffy is a great option. 8) Succession (HBO) You’ve probably heard plenty about Succession at this point. The show’s second season has skyrocketed it to a spot as one of HBO’s most popular shows in a post-Game of Thrones era. Critically, it’s done well too, taking home the Best Drama TV Series award at this year's Golden Globes. The show centers around the wealthy Roy family, as the children of Logan Roy vie for his seat as head of Royco (the family company). Succession’s performances and writing make for a clever, impressive final product. It’s a cynical show about objectively bad people, but its sharp wit and oddly-likable characters make it an entertaining watch. If you like dry comedy and laughing at the plights of the world’s worst, this is the show for you. 9) Sex and the City (HBO and Amazon Prime Video) Sex and the City is one of this list’s more famous (or, arguably, infamous) options. The antics of Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda have become a cultural staple, an often overrated comedy about four extremely privileged women. Still, for anyone looking for escapism, the trials and tribulations of these Manhattanites are sufficiently unlike the present. Though some plot lines seem much more problematic now, the show still manages to be a clever and light break from reality, interspersed with moments of sincerity, pain, and growth. 10 ) House, M.D. (Amazon Prime Video) House, M.D. follows Doctor Gregory House, a genius capable of solving health-related mysteries, and his team as they treat patients with unusual ailments. It’s loosely based on Sherlock Holmes, and occasionally references the famous sleuth. For fans of shows about medicine and unusually intelligent people, House is a fitting choice. The fairly episodic format also means episodes can be consumed with long pauses in between, and don’t require intense thought or analysis.
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