Living under quarantine during a pandemic can take a psychological toll on anyone. Escape from reality by taking a cinematic break with these four movies.
By Blake Mara
Whether getting your flick fix on through Blu-ray, DVDs, or streaming services, Tusk recommends you start watching (or revisiting) these films while you’re stuck inside.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)
Availability: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, iTunes, Blu-ray, DVD (Theatrical/Extended Edition)
Grab some snacks and get cozy because this classic fantasy adventure epic will have you committing too many hours of couch time. Immerse yourself in the dark yet captivating world of Middle-Earth beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring, where you’ll be introduced to Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and several other heroic characters joining their quest to save the Shire and rest of the world from the Dark Lord Sauron. With incredible visual effects and storytelling, it’s easy to see why this trilogy made headlines in Hollywood, earning every minute of screen time.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Availability: Blu-ray, DVD, Rent/Buy from Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
What better way to spend an evening in than to cuddle up with your furry friend and watch a movie honoring our canine companions. After all, who doesn’t love dogs? Set in a futuristic dystopia, this stop-motion animated film about a boy searching for his banished dog in the midst of a dog flu outbreak on Trash Island offers a dramatic eeriness and comparable illustration to our society, while still providing charming and heartfelt moments we love about animal based movies. While it may hit too close to home for some right now, other pet owners and movie fans may appreciate its deadpan humor and incredible voice acting.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Availability: Hulu
Loneliness is setting into many of us right now, whether you’re single or together-but-apart. Feed your need for romance with a period piece about forbidden love between two women—an artist and her subject—isolated together on a seaside estate in 18th-century France. Though in French, Portrait of a Lady on Fire has received global praise for its ability to lure any viewer in through its methodical visual and poetic language illustrating the longing, lust, and love between the two leads as they slowly become closer and more intimate despite knowing they’re living on borrowed time.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Availability: DVD, Blu-ray, Netflix, Rent/Buy from Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube
Based on an acclaimed graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, offers fans of video games, comic books, manga, music and pop culture a funny, inventive, and entertaining look into geek and hipster culture. Follow slacker guitarist-turned-hero Scott Pilgrim as he fights for the love of Ramona Flowers by battling it out with her seven exes, in some of the most stylish action sequences ever shot. Whether you’re into video games or not, this film will take you into a quirky, smart, and dynamic world full of distractions from our current reality.
