Self-Isolation Media Recommendations #1

Posted by Explosion Network | Mar 26, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0

With cinemas closed and everyone (hopefully) practising social distancing, we are going to provide you with some suggestions to help you get by until things (hopefully) get back to normal. Let us know your own recommendations in the comments below or on Twitter.

Cinema Alternatives

Each week, we’ll give you a recommendation for films to watch in place of the films that were meant to have been in cinemas but have been delayed. This week: Mulan and Onward.

Mulan Alternative:

The Forbidden Kingdom

Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
IMDB: 6.6
Metacritic: 57

Year of Release: 2008
Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Written by: John Fusco
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Collin Chou, Liu Yifei, Li Bingbing and Michael Angarano

Synopsis:
While hunting down bootleg kung fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason Tripitikas makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: He must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the powerful Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk. But only by learning the true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed–and find a way to get back home.

Rationale:
The Forbidden Kingdom is one of the few Western films Liu Yifei made prior to Mulan, so this is an opportunity to get familiar with her before her big Disney debut. This is also the first time Jackie Chan and Jet Lee worked together so you know the fighting is top-notch, even if the story may not be up to par.

Mulan has been delayed indefinitely.

Find out where you can watch The Forbidden Kingdom here.

Onward Alternative:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
IMDB: 5.9
Metacritic: 47

Year of Release: 2010
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: Craig Titley (Screenplay by), Rick Riordan (Based on the Novel by)
Starring: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano and Uma Thurman

Synopsis:
Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school – but that’s the least of his challenges. It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod – half human, half god. At the same time, the powerful gods on Olympus are feuding, which could launch a war enveloping our entire planet.

Rationale:
Much like Onward, Percy Jackson features a road trip, previously unknown abilities, magical creatures and a previously unmet father. A fun kids movie that might not have the emotional heights of Onward but is sure to keep kids entertained.

Onward was briefly in cinemas. It is available VOD in the US and select countries and is slated for release on Disney+ 3rd of April. Check out our Onward review.

Find out where you can watch Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief here.

Movie of the Week

Five Feet Apart

Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
IMDB: 7.2
Metacritic: 53

Year of Release: 2019
Directed by: Justin Baldoni
Written by: Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis
Starring: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moisés Arias and Kimberly Hébert Gregory

Synopsis:
Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is every bit a seventeen-year-old…she’s attached to her laptop and loves her best friends. But unlike most teenagers, she spends much of her time living in a hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control – all of which is put to the test when she meets an impossibly charming fellow CF patient named Will Newman (Cole Sprouse). There’s an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction. Further complicating matters is Will’s potentially dangerous rebellion against his ongoing medical treatment. Stella gradually inspires Will to live life to the fullest, but can she ultimately save the person she loves when even a single touch is off limits?

Rationale:
A love story about two people who have to stay 6 feet (2m) apart at all times due to their cystic fibrosis is a fitting one in this time of social distancing. Haley Lu Richardson is stellar in this and is one to watch for the future.

Find out where you can watch Five Feet Apart here.

TV to Binge

The Lost Room

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
IMDB: 8.2
Metacritic: 83

Year of Release: 1979
Created by: Christopher Leone & Laura Harkcom
Episodes: 6 x 45 minute episodes
Starring: Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Peter Jacobson, Dennis Christopher, April Grace, Chris Bauer, Elle Fanning, Roger Bart and Kevin Pollak

Synopsis:
Pittsburgh detective Joe Miller embarks on a desperate search for his young daughter, Anna, who disappeared from an eerie room in an abandoned New Mexico motel. That room now exists outside of normal time and space, and Joe must find a series of occult objects to use as tools to locate the key to opening the `lost room’. His quest is complicated by others who seek to find the objects for their own hidden motives.

Rationale:
The Lost Room was limited series that aired on Sci-Fi Channel with incredibly low ratings and not great write ups by the likes of TV Guide. In the years since it’s release, it has become a bit of a cult show and is often features on lists of overlooked sci-fi shows and seen a show made before its time. The cast is great with many who went on to bigger things, especially Julianna Margulies. A fun short sci-fi series that you can get through in an evening.

Find out where you can watch The Lost Room here.

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