Movie Quarantine Chronicles: Part 2

If this is your first time reading this blog, I think it’s obvious that I like to watch movies. However, the Coronavirus pandemic washing over the globe has created a sudden drop off in the number of new movies for not just mine, but others’, viewing pleasure. As many studios are moving their blockbusters to future dates or forgoing the silver screen to the flat screens of homes, it’s difficult to find new material to write about. Given that reality, I’ve turned to the streaming services and many decades of cinema preceding us for my viewing. While I am tempted (and will) go back to familiar favorites, I challenge myself to dive headfirst into films I have never seen. Sometimes that consists of a film in the last five years, ten years, maybe forty years! For the duration of this crisis, I’ll be keeping all my fans of the quality films that I’ve seen since being stuck at home. 

Without further ado, here are some of the movies that I’ve seen and recommend for your viewing pleasure while being trapped in the house. 

Hello I Must Be Going (2012)

Flipping through the catalogs of my streaming services, I save movies and shows that could be interesting. This chance movie stars Melanie Lynskey as Amy, a young divorcee who is forced to move back in with her parents in suburban Connecticut, where she engages in an affair with a younger guy and rejuvenates her passion for life in her post-marriage world. This hidden gem is a grounded and personal story that everyone could relate to, a refreshing change from the high stakes blockbusters that always rule the box office.

Hugo (2011)

If you are a movie lover or just fascinated with the magic of cinema and storytelling, this family-fantasy is right for you. In 1930s Paris, an orphan (Asa Butterfield) living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automation. With the help of adventure-seeking Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and a shopkeeper (Ben Kingsley), Hugo seeks to solve the mystery of the mechanical man. Directed by Martin Scorsese, this love letter to the early days of movie making is inspiring to the dreamers inside all of us.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

This movie ranks as one of my favorites of all time. The two and a half hour run-time does not bother me. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman star as two imprisoned men who bond over a number of years, finding solace and finding vindication through acts of common decency inside the walls of a cruel prison. With the current times of isolation and quarantine, movies like Shawshank can remind us “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”.

Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019)

If you have not seen the Ip Man series, this is the best time to go onto Netflix to watch the first three films before going into the finale. Starring Donnie Yen as the Kung Fu master, Ip Man travels to the United States to look for a school for his teenage son in 1964 while contending with the local martial arts community after his student opens a Wing Chun School. Bruce Lee’s presence is shown more in this film than the previous but does not overshadow Ip Man. Some of the finest fighting scenes from Yen and a great story, it is a satisfying finale for the franchise. Overall, I would recommend this series to anyone who loves martial arts movies.

Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts on Part 2 of The Movie Quarantine Chronicles? What movies would you recommend while we are all stuck inside? Comment down below!

Be on the look out for new reviews and Part III!