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Ten movies To Watch During The Coronavirus Lockdown By Laurence Washington and Jon Rutlege
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ooking for a two-hour escape from the Coronavirus drama that has most of us sheltering in place practicing social distancing? Film critics Laurence Washington and Jon Rutlege have cobble together an eclectic list of movies that are available on DVD, On Demand, Streaming or sitting on your dusty shelves of your home collection. Hopefully these suggestions will distract you until theaters open up and start screening movies-in-waiting that have been postponed.
Casablanca: Everybody comes to Rick’s, and so should you. Casablanca (’42) has been screened more times than any movie in history. Its romantic moments have become part of our vocabulary. People who
have never seen the movie constantly quote the lines. Released as a political movie, Casablanca became a cultural icon. Dooley Wilson sang the iconic song As Time Goes By which became a continuing emotional motif throughout the film. Goldfinger: If you’re going spend an afternoon quarantined, Goldfinger (’64) is the blue print and gold standard of the Bond films. Its running time is perfect: 1 hr. 50 min. Dame Shirley Bassey belts out the haunting title song. Shaft: Directed by Gordon Parks, the first black director to direct a major Hollywood film, Shaft (’71) opened the door for action movies with a black hero. Private detective John Shaft is hired by a black mobster to get back his kidnapped daughter from white mobsters trying to take over Harlem. The film’s score composed by the Black Moses, Isaac Hayes stayed on the billboard charts forever.
offers a great storyline, as T’Challa Chadwick Boseman returns home to rule the fictional country of Wakanda, after his father’s assassination, only to be challenged by his estranged cousin Eric Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) for the throne. Straight Outta Compton: Here’s a first, O’Shea Jackson Jr. plays dad Ice Cube in the N.W.A. biopic. Even if you’re not into hip-hop, Straight Outta Compton (’15) offers a convincing cast who tell a story how N.W.A. revolutionized music and pop culture forever. Chef: Chef (’14) is an incredible story of father and son, and an excellent analogy for Jon Favreau’s film career that expanded into the Marvel Universe with Ironman and Avengers films.
Black Panther: If you’re not suffering from a “Marvel hanger over,” Black Panther (’18) is worth revisiting. It’s refreshing to see superheroes of color, live and rule a technological society. Black Panther’s also Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – May 2020
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Bajrangi Bhaijaan: An Indian film that has length, a great story and a bit of everything for everyone. Trust me, a great introduction to Indian Films. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: This story teaches us that everything will be all right in the end. If things are not all right, then it is not yet the end. We could that lesson about now. Yesterday: Imagine a world without the Beatles, now what if you were the only one who knew they existed. Yesterday (’19) is an excellent “What If” story. If ever we need some of the Beatles magic, it’s now. Arsenic and Old Lace: It’s old school (’44), but an excellent slapstick comedy a perfect escape to take your mind off things right while sheltering in place.
