There aren’t many words that can accurately describe the times we are living in right now. Routines have been uprooted, jobs relocated and lives changed. As college students, the trajectory of our average day has completely changed. Our classrooms have been replaced with group video conferences, our dining hall turned into carry-out and our dorms and homes are now the hub of our lives. Everything has to happen in our residences of living due to social distancing, from work and class, to eating and entertainment.
I’m sure we all are feeling the frustration of having to find ways to entertain ourselves during these lackluster days. And although this isn’t the ultimate cure for this season of our lives, I found that watching movies has lifted my spirits and helped me escape uncertainty, boredom and maybe even some productivity for two hours.
Here are some ways that I’ve been able to escape, and a few ways I plan to in the coming weeks…
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The ninth film by Quentin Tarantino is a long watch at nearly three hours, but the artistry of each scene coupled with the dynamic personalities of characters like Rick, Cliff, Sharon and Brandy (the dog) give life to the dimly lit dorm room I’ll sit and watch this in. My favorite part of “Once Upon a Time” is the setting, 1960’s Hollywood. It is colorful, bright and honestly magical, and I am transfixed every time I watch Cliff speed through the neon streets of Tinseltown. It’s a little brutal at certain parts (c’mon it’s a Tarantino flick), but it’s absolutely worth the watch and the rewatch.
Inception
The magic of movies themselves is that you can get lost in them. This is one of those movies that does that for me every time I watch it. Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller starring Leo DiCaprio is confusing and wild, but it exists in a world that has no limits, a world revolving around dreams. The roads this movie will take you down are exciting and equally as thought-provoking, and if you want a film that will challenge you and make you think, this is it. Plus, the cast is fantastic!
Oceans 11
A lot of people are watching Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion,” a movie literally about a sickness that becomes a pandemic. I am choosing to forego that and watch his more lighthearted, “Oceans 11.” Continuing with the theme of great casts, this film features the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts, and the chemistry between everyone in this movie is electric. This self-aware heist flick will keep you on the edge of your seat as Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his team of eleven stay one step ahead of you all the way to the end!
Little Women
I got the chance to watch Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless story around Christmas time last year, and I can’t wait to watch it again now that it’s been released to the public. One word to describe this movie is authentic. From the sets to the dialogue, the sisters felt like actual sisters, the relationships made sense and the story contained themes that rang home for me and everyone else I saw it with. The movie moves fast, but in the best ways. It cleverly cuts back and forth from the past to the future with such prowess and care that I have to stop writing about it and go watch it now!
Spielberg
It’s not a movie but a collection of the films by a man that I feel has mastered the art of placing his viewers into a world not too dissimilar to our own, and making it magical, suspenseful and emotional. Steven Spielberg is the genius behind “Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan” and more. His movies are captivating, larger than life at times, yet never without the emotional components necessary for a relatable story. You’ll recapture the excitement and wonder you had as a child with “Jurassic Park” and “E.T.,” and experience powerful stories of redemption with “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” Each of his visual stories are worth investing time into; I know I’m going to!
These are just a few of the movies I look forward to watching or re-watching. I hope that each of you find ways to be excited and entertained during this season ripe with unknowns. Beyond movies and entertainment, we all still have a lot to be thankful for, and I encourage you to not just entertain yourselves but to seek others out and encourage them. We have an opportunity to not just watch more movies, but to be more intentional with the newfound time on our hands. So be a light to others and keep pursuing those relationships you hold dear.
My Social-Distancing Watch List:
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Inception”
“Oceans 11”
“Little Women”
“Jaws”
“E.T.”
“Jurassic Park”
“Schindler’s List”
“Saving Private Ryan”
“Good Will Hunting”
“Les Miserables”
“Knives Out”
“Ford v. Ferrari”
“The Green Book”
“Yesterday”
“Interstellar”
“Argo”
“The Shawshank Redemption”
“Into the Wild”
Photo courtesy of Maggie Exum
