After the extended coronavirus lockdown was announced in India, I have been receiving requests to compile my own “Quarantine Movies Watchlist”. It was about time I resisted my laziness so finally made the list. I have tried to exclude too mainstream, too offbeat, and older pre-2K films and have tagged the ones which are available on Netflix and Prime Video. Read the synopsis, watch the ones which you have not and enjoy while being indoors.
1. THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010) (Streaming on NETFLIX)
When his wife is convicted of a murder she swears she did not
commit, a college professor (Russel Crowe) plots to break her out of prison in
this truly edge-of-the-seat thriller also starring Elizabeth Banks and Liam
Neeson.
2.
ORPHAN (2009) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
Offering a chilling blend of horror and nail-biting drama, it’s a story about a husband and wife who recently lost their baby and plan to adopt a 9-year-old girl, but who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be.
Offering a chilling blend of horror and nail-biting drama, it’s a story about a husband and wife who recently lost their baby and plan to adopt a 9-year-old girl, but who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be.
This film is a refreshing take on the superhero genre which
effectively uses found-footage concept to tell the story of three high-school
friends who accidentally gain superpowers but don’t know how to use it for good.
4. Wild Tales
(2014)
Wild Tales is a terrific Spanish black-comedy anthology film composed
of six standalone shorts, united by a common theme of violence and vengeance and
all of them ending in (literally) explosive anti-climaxes.
5.
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
Starring Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Resident Evil),
this movie is about two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that
psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands. I promise the
ending will take you by surprise.
6. THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (2011)
In this eye-opener, a chilling vision of the House of Saddam
Hussein comes to life through the eyes of an army lieutenant who was forced to
become the double of Hussein's sadistic son Uday Hussein (Dominic Cooper was
terrific in a double role).
7.
PEPPERMINT (2019) (Streaming on NETFLIX)
Pierre Morrel directs this brutal revenge film where a woman (Jennifer
Garner) comes back from self-imposed exile to seek revenge against those responsible
for the violent deaths of her husband and daughter.
8.
Changeling (2008)
A relatively offbeat film directed by legendary filmmaker
Clint Eastwood, Changeling (starring Angelina Jolie in arguably her career-best
performance) is a period biographical mystery-drama which revolves around a
grief-stricken mother, who single-handedly takes on the LAPD, when it tries to
pass off an obvious imposter as her son.
9.
Triangle (2009)
It’s an intelligent, complex & superbly written mystery-thriller
with an unconventional narrative. It plays with your mind from the beginning
until the very end. The ending was neat & clever when all the pieces fall
into place- It left me grinning.
10. MATCHSTICK MEN (2003)
Directed by veteran Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), an
accomplished con artist (Nicolas Cage) and his protégé are on the verge of
pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former's teenage daughter arrives
unexpectedly. The climax is wonderfully executed. The pacing is relaxed, which was
a pleasant change from the usual con-flicks.
11. CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
It’s a thought-provoking tale of a devoted father (Viggo
Mortensen), who dedicates his life to transforming his six young children into
extraordinary adults. But when a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to
leave this self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that
challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent and brings into question
everything he's taught them.
12. THE MAN FROM EARTH (2007) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
The story concerns Professor John Oldman, a scientist who
summons a group of associates to a cabin one freezing night and strikes them
with a fantastic revelation: he is not a traditional human, but a 14000-year-old
immortal. The entire film is shot inside a room but there is never a dull
moment.
13. THE CALL (2013) (Streaming on NETFLIX)
Moving at breakneck speed, The Call is about a veteran 911
operator (Halle Berry) who receives a life-altering call from a teenage girl
who has just been abducted and realizes
that she must confront a killer from her past to save the girl's life.
14. DAN IN REAL LIFE (2007)
A light-hearted adorable dramedy about a widower Dan (Steve
Carell), who finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's
girlfriend.
15. CLOVERFIELD (2008) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
Its Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla. Another brilliantly executed
found-footage horror film where a group of friends venture deep into the
streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
16. QUARANTINE (2008)
An American remake of Spanish film REC, Quarantine is a
zombie-horror venture which shows a television reporter trapped inside a quarantined
building, after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turn humans into
blood-thirsty creatures.
17. INSOMNIA (2002)
This is one of the best films by Christopher Nolan. Back then,
he was not a household name, but the magic was still there. Insomnia is a murder
mystery which pits two onscreen legends: an insomniac Cop (played by Al Pacino)
and the antagonist (played by Late Robin Williams). It’s one of the best investigative
cop thrillers out there. Not to be missed.
18. NIGHTCRAWLER
19.
Upgrade (2018)
When a paralyzed man is approached by a billionaire inventor
to “upgrade” his body with an experimental AI implant, that will enhance his
physical abilities, he accepts the offer to take revenge from his wife’s murderers.
20. HARDCORE HENRY (2015)
Somewhat similar in premise to Upgrade, Hardcore Henry is about the titular character Henry’s attempt to save his wife using his special powers from a telekinetic. The entire film is uniquely shot from a first-person perspective.
21. THE INVISIBLE GUEST (2016) (Streaming on NETFLIX)
Much superior to the Bollywood remake BADLA (starring Amitabh
Bachchan), The Invisible Guest is a brilliant film by Spanish director Oriol
Paulo. It is about a successful entrepreneur accused of murder and a witness
preparation expert has less than three hours to come up with an impregnable
defense. One of the best mystery revelations ever filmed of which even Night
Shyamalan would be proud of.
22. SEARCHING (2018) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
In this hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices
we use every day to communicate, a helpless father must trace his missing daughter's
digital footprints before she disappears forever.
23. ALLIED (2016)
Helmed by one of my most loved directors Robert Zemeckis, Allied
is the story of intelligence officer Max Vatan (played by Brad Pit), who in
1942 North Africa encounters a beautiful French Resistance fighter on a deadly
mission behind enemy lines. Reunited in London, their relationship is
threatened by the extreme pressures of the war.
24. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005)
Its Primal Fear meets The Exorcist. A fact-based and thought-provoking horror movie that will scare the hell out of you and after the end you will be longing for more. Must watch for horror movie buffs!
25. HARD CANDY (2005)
A disturbing thriller about a teenager girl who meets a fashion
photographer through an online chat session, to expose him under the suspicion
that he abducts underage girls.
Directed by Martin Campbell, the man behind some good James
Bond films, Edge of Darkness is about homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel
Gibson), who investigates the murder of his activist daughter and how he
uncovers a corporate cover-up and government.
For those who liked Mel Gibson’s EDGE OF DARKNESS, this conspiracy-theory thriller is highly recommended. It revolves around an Interpol agent’s (Clive Owen) attempt to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.
28. BRIGHTBURN (2019) (Streaming on PRIME VIDEO)
The film centers around a Superman-like child from another
world who crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he
proved to be something far more sinister. Only his foster mother knows how to
kill him. But will she?
29. WIND RIVER (2017)
In this murder mystery, a veteran hunter (nicely underplayed by Jeremy Renner) helps an FBI agent investigate the murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation. It’s a slow-burning thriller worthy of your time especially if you are a fan of the genre.
30. THE DEBT (2011)
This espionage thriller is narrated in a non-linear format
spanning two parallel timelines – first of 1965 where three Mossad Agents cross
into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal and then thirty
years later, the secrets these agents share come back to haunt them.
31. HIGH TENSION (2003)
Helmed by horror specialist Alexandre Aja, it is about two best friends Marie and Alexia, who decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror. The twist ending will catch your off guard.
32. CRAWL (2019)
Another Alexandre Aja film where a young woman, while
attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself
trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.
In the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and an
ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang to defuse a neutron bomb in this no-holds-barred
action entertainer. Directed by Pierre Morrel (Director, Taken), it has one of
the best-ever-filmed chase sequences, which alone makes this one a must-watch
for action movie fans.
The film centers around a female reporter (Kate Beckinsale) facing
a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her
source. The spirit of ethical journalism has been beautifully captured in the
film. Matt Dillon, as always, is brilliant in the film.
An atmospheric horror
film about a caving expedition gone horribly wrong as the explorers become
trapped and pursued by a strange breed of predators.
In case you were able to avoid the Hindi remake HEARTLESS
(awfully remade by Shekhar Suman), then you must watch this original. It’s the hair-raising
story of a wealthy young man undergoing heart transplant surgery discovers that
the surgical team intends to murder him. But what makes the goings-on interesting
is that while undergoing open-heart surgery, the man's failed anesthetic leaves
him completely alert, but paralyzed and unable to tell his doctors.
37. WICKER PARK (2004)
An unusual romantic thriller which follows an advertising executive
(Josh Harnett), who believes a woman he sees in a café is his long-lost love. His belief leads to obsession, as he puts his life on
hold to trail her.
38. THE FOURTH KIND (2009)
Though not as highly rated as some other thrillers in this
list, I really liked this alien-encounter-horror-thriller starring Milla
Jovovich involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has
seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40
years and there are accusations of a federal cover-up.
39. PREDESTINATION (2014) (Streaming on NETFLIX)
In this mind-bending exploration of time-travel, Predestination
chronicles the life of an agent (Ethan Hawke) sent on his final assignment and he
must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.
The moral implications of modern warfare are confronted in this
thought-provoking, powerful drama starring Helen Mirren as, a UK-based military
officer in command of a top-secret drone operation to capture terrorists in
Kenya and Aaron Paul (of Breaking Bad fame) as an American Pilot.
This one has the ever-reliable Mel Gibson portraying the role
of an ex-con, who reunites with his estranged wayward 17-year old daughter to
protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her. A simple,
uncomplicated action thriller.
This psychological thriller is about a troubled young woman,
who is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she is confronted
by her greatest fear--but is it real or is it a product of her delusion?
43. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016)
A young woman wakes up after a terrible accident to find that
she's locked in a cellar with a man, who insists that he saved her life and
that the world outside is uninhabitable following an apocalyptic catastrophe.
Uncertain of what to believe, the woman soon determines that she must escape at
any cost. Watch it to find out whether it as actually a post-apocalyptic movie
or just a psychological thriller.
An investigative thriller about how a retired military
investigator (Tommy Lee Jones) works with a police detective to uncover the
truth behind his son’s disappearance following his return from a tour of duty
in Iraq.
Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the
world's most elite operatives - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham)
and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader
of a secret military society (Clive Owen).
An attorney (Ryan Gosling) intending on climbing the career
ladder toward success finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative genius criminal
(Anthony Hopkins) he is trying to prosecute.
A decent sports film where a champion boxer (Jake
Gyllenhaal) fights to get his daughter back from child protective
services as well as revive his professional career, after his wife’s death
sends him on a rampant path of destruction.
The Road is a post-apocalyptic film about a father (Viggo
Mortenson) and his son walking alone through burned America with just a pistol
to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road. Guy Pearce
has a cameo in the end.
It’s a sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl, who is the first
of a new generation of humans to be raised by Mother, a robot designed to re-populate
the earth after the extinction of humankind. But the pair's unique relationship
is threatened when an injured stranger arrives with news that calls into
question everything Daughter has been told about the outside world and her
Mother's intentions.
You have probably seen this time-traveling gem. But I have included
it for those still have not. The film starring Ashton Kutcher (in his career-best
performance) shows him having memory blackouts throughout the film, which later
are revealed to be related to some form of time traveling mechanism. Must
watch even if you have little interest in science fiction. And the climax was
heart-breaking but perfect.
An exhaustive list of not-so-mainstream movies across varied genres.
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting in all the effort!
The pleasure is all mine bro :)
DeleteThis is a good list...
ReplyDelete