With cinemas closed and everyone (hopefully) practising social distancing, we’re sharing suggestions to help you get by until things (hopefully) get back to normal. We’ll also provide alternatives for films that were meant to release in cinemas this week.

Let us know your own recommendations in the comments below or on Twitter.

Cinema Alternatives

Black Widow

Directed by: Cate Shortland
Written by: Eric Pearson (screenplay), Jac Schaeffer (story), Ned Benson (story)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz

Synopsis:
Natasha Romanoff—aka Black Widow—confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must face her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Scarlett Johansson’s eighth—and likely final—appearance as Natasha Romanoff was set to be her first as the lead. The film has been pushed to November 6, 2020.

Alternative:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
IMDb: 7.7
Metacritic: 70

Year of Release: 2014
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Written by: Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely (screenplay)
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson

Synopsis:
After the cataclysmic events in New York with the Avengers, Steve Rogers—aka Captain America—tries to adjust to the modern world in Washington, D.C. When a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve is drawn into a web of intrigue that threatens the world. Teaming with Black Widow, he works to expose a widening conspiracy while fending off professional assassins. When the full scope is revealed, Cap and Natasha enlist a new ally, the Falcon—only to face an unexpected, formidable enemy.

Rationale:
The most spy-like film in the MCU to date, The Winter Soldier gave Black Widow room to shine alongside Captain America when S.H.I.E.L.D. appears to turn on them. Regarded as one of Marvel’s best.

Find out where you can watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier here.

Alternative:

Atomic Blonde

Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
IMDb: 6.7
Metacritic: 63

Year of Release: 2017
Directed by: David Leitch
Written by: Kurt Johnstad (screenplay), Antony Johnston (based on The Coldest City), Sam Hart (based on The Coldest City)
Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, Toby Jones

Synopsis:
Lorraine Broughton is MI6’s most elite spy—willing to use all her lethal skills to survive an impossible mission. With the Berlin Wall about to fall, she heads into the heart of the city to retrieve a priceless dossier and dismantle a ruthless espionage ring, teaming with an embedded station chief to navigate the deadliest game of spies.

Rationale:
Starring Charlize Theron, Atomic Blonde is one of the best female-led action films in recent years. The plot can get convoluted, but David Leitch’s (John Wick, Deadpool 2) action—especially the apartment-block fight—is stellar.

Find out where you can watch Atomic Blonde here.

The Secret: Dare to Dream

Directed by: Andy Tennant
Written by: Andy Tennant (screenplay), Bekah Brunstetter (screenplay), Rick Parks (screenplay), Rhonda Byrne (based on The Secret)
Starring: Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, Jerry O’Connell, Celia Weston

Synopsis:
Miranda Wells is a hard-working young widow raising three children. A powerful storm brings a devastating challenge—and a mysterious handyman, Bray Johnson—into her life. Bray’s belief in the power of positive thinking re-ignites the family’s spirit, but he carries a secret that could change everything.

Yes, you read that correctly: a drama based on the mid-2000s self-help phenomenon. A new release date will be revealed once “clarity for a safe and comfortable moviegoing experience is established.”

Alternative:

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
IMDb: 7.1
Metacritic: 41

Year of Release: 2012
Directed by: Kirk Jones
Written by: Shauna Cross (screenplay), Heather Hach (screenplay), Heidi Murkoff (based on What to Expect When You’re Expecting)
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro

Synopsis:
Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance-show star Evan find their high-octane celebrity lives no match for the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when hormones ravage her body, while her husband Gary struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who’s expecting twins with his much younger wife, Skyler. Photographer Holly prepares to adopt, but her husband Alex isn’t sure and joins a “dudes” support group to vent. And quandary: what happens when your first child comes before your first date?

Rationale:
Based on the #1 best-selling pregnancy book (first published in 1984), the film didn’t wow critics and was a modest financial success, but it boasts a likable cast and a positive audience score.

Find out where you can watch What to Expect When You’re Expecting here.

Alternative:

Mean Girls

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 7.0
Metacritic: 66

Year of Release: 2004
Directed by: Mark Waters
Written by: Tina Fey (screenplay), Rosalind Wiseman (based on Queen Bees and Wannabes)
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey

Synopsis:
After years in Africa, home-schooled Cady Heron enters a suburban Illinois high school and gets a crash course in cliques: jocks, cheerleaders, stoners, the “cool” kids, and more. Much to her surprise, she’s embraced by a clique known as “the Plastics,” led by Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith. When Cady breaks the unwritten rules and dates Regina’s ex, the Plastics declare war—and Cady faces vengeful behavior her jungle upbringing never prepared her for.

Rationale:
Based on the self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes, it explores how high-school cliques form and how aggressive behavior manifests. A critical and financial success, Mean Girls is a bona fide cult classic and later became a hit musical—the most successful movie ever adapted from a self-help book.

Find out where you can watch Mean Girls here.

The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee

Directed by: Dean Murphy
Written by: Robert Mond, Dean Murphy
Starring: Paul Hogan, Chevy Chase, John Cleese, Olivia Newton-John

Synopsis: Aussie icon Paul Hogan just wants the quiet life in Brentwood, California—daily crosswords and regular calls from Lucy, his delightful 10-year-old granddaughter in Sydney. When his agent informs him he’ll be receiving a knighthood for services to comedy, he’s less than impressed and turns it down. But after Lucy tells classmates and they laugh at her, Paul decides he needs to accept to help her save face.

Shot in 2018, this film—starring Paul Hogan as a fictionalized version of himself—currently has no new release date.

Alternative:

Crocodile Dundee

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
IMDb: 6.6
Metacritic: 62

Year of Release: 1986
Directed by: Peter Faiman
Written by: Paul Hogan (screenplay & story), Ken Shadie (screenplay), John Cornell (screenplay)
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Mark Blum, John Meillon, David Gulpilil, Michael Lombard

Synopsis:
A journalist travels to Australia to interview a unique crocodile poacher. After he saves her from a croc, she invites him to New York. Despite cultural differences, they fall in love.

Rationale:
The original. A massive hit—the #2 film of 1986 (behind Top Gun)—and it even led to Paul Hogan co-hosting the Oscars. Watch and learn what a knife is.

Find out where you can watch Crocodile Dundee here.

Alternative:

This Is the End

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
IMDb: 6.6
Metacritic: 67

Year of Release: 2013
Directed by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson

Synopsis:
James Franco throws a party packed with celebrity pals when an apocalypse of biblical proportions erupts. As Hollywood crumbles, six friends are trapped in Franco’s house. With cabin fever and dwindling supplies, their friendships—and sanity—are tested.

Rationale:
If you want actors playing fictional versions of themselves, this is it. The cast is stacked, with cameos from Michael Cer