Movie Tips & Recommendations for Self-Isolation

Are you tired of lying in bed? Bored in quarantined? Not at all productive even though you have more time than ever? Me too! If you’re getting bored or running out of things to do while social distancing, movies are always a great option! In this post I’m sharing some great movie-related websites to check out during the quarantine, as well as my latest movie recommendations!

Websites to Check Out

Kanopy

Kanopy is a streaming site with a wide variety of movies (including the Criterion collection which includes a lot of classics), and chances are you already have access to it, since a lot of public libraries (including the Toronto Public Library) and post-secondary schools provide it for free. It’s worth noting that the content seems to change depending on which institution you sign in with (and that there aren’t as many recent movies), but if you don’t like the selection on Netflix (because honestly, who does?), Kanopy might be worth checking out.

Netflix Party

If you miss watching movies or shows with friends, you should check out Netflix Party. The free Chrome extension syncs your Netflix with other people’s, so that the movie or show plays at the same time across everyone’s screens. It also adds a chat bar to the side, so that you can keep talking shit about the dumb characters in horror movies.

Movies to Watch

The Graduate

Confused in life? Losing all your motivation? Tired of all your options and not particularly motivated by anything except for doing your father’s best friend’s wife? So is Benjamin Braddock, the aimless university graduate who’s especially relatable to everyone who’s at home and can’t be bothered to do work right now. Jokes aside, Benjamin’s lack of direction in life is really relatable and the movie itself is amazing and funny af. It’s even been copied in a lot of other movies (like The Bee Movie), and if you’re bored at home, I’d highly recommend it.

The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye is the story of a private detective who’s trying to figure out who killed his best friend’s wife. Unfortunately, he’s not very good at it, but overall the movie is great. It’s essentially murder mystery meets gritty neo-noir meets Hemingway (literally) meets a guy who just loves cats. What more could you want?

Fan

Fan is an amazing movie: a superfan meets his idol who doesn’t live up to his (unhinged) expectations. Since they resemble each other, the fan decides to dedicate his life to ruining the idol’s reputation. The movie constantly leaves you on edge, and if you like shows like How to Get Away With Murder or Quantico, you’ll definitely love Fan as well.

Night Moves

Night Moves is a suspenseful movie about a group of eco-terrorists who decide to blow up a dam and their psychological derailment afterwards. It does move a lot slower than the other movies on the list, dragging the suspense on, but the payoff is well worth it.

Knives Out

Knives Out is a classic murder mystery, where the police try to determine which family member killed an old rich novelist. Since there are so many elaborate stories and alibis, it’s really fun to come up with a theory about who the murderer was as you watch (but honestly good luck, because there’s also a really good twist at the end). If you haven’t seen Knives Out yet, I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: Some of these movies (especially The Graduate and The Long Goodbye) aren’t necessarily child-friendly.