With cinemas closed and everyone (hopefully) practising social distancing, we’re going to provide suggestions to help you get by until things (hopefully) get back to normal. We’ll also offer 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
F9
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Daniel Casey
Starring: Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron
Synopsis: Dominic Toretto and his crew join forces to battle the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered — his forsaken brother.
This might have been the delay that hurt the most, given we here at the Explosion Network had recorded all of It’s About Family in the lead-up to F9. On March 12, the film was pushed back a year to April 2, 2021, so Justice is Still Coming. (But is it though?)
Alternative:
Furious 6
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
IMDb: 7.1
Metacritic: 61
Year of Release: 2013
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Chris Morgan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, John Ortiz
Synopsis: Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries; Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked by facing his presumed-deceased girlfriend, Letty.
Rationale: Probably the most important film to watch prior to F9. The last film directed by Justin Lin before his return to the franchise and the last appearance of Sung Kang as Han before his fiery “death.” One of the best entries in the series. Listen to us talk about it on It’s About Family.
Find out where you can watch Furious 6 here.
Alternative:
Torque
Rotten Tomatoes: 23%
IMDb: 4.1
Metacritic: 70
Year of Release: 2004
Directed by: Joseph Kahn
Written by: Matt Johnson
Starring: Adam Scott, Martin Henderson, Ice Cube, Monet Mazur, Jaime Pressly, Will Yun Lee, Jay Hernandez, Matt Schulze, Max Beesley, Fredro Starr, Christina Milian
Synopsis: Biker Cary Ford is framed by an old rival and biker-gang leader for the murder of another gang member — the brother of Trey, leader of the most feared biker gang in the country. Ford is now on the run trying to clear his name as Trey and his gang look for blood.
Rationale: Director Joseph Kahn aimed to make a send-up of The Fast and the Furious with Torque — amusingly produced by Fast franchise producer Neal H. Moritz. Critically panned at release, it’s since gained a bit of a cult following for impressive stunts and action sequences later aped by other films, including in the Fast saga.
Find out where you can watch Torque here.
Antebellum
Directed by: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Written by: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
Starring: Janelle Monáe, Marque Richardson, Eric Lange, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, Gabourey Sidibe, Robert Aramayo, Lily Cowles, Jena Malone
Synopsis: Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.
From Lionsgate and the producers of Us and Get Out, Antebellum is the feature debut of Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. The film has been delayed to 20 August 2020.
Alternative:
Us
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 6.9
Metacritic: 81
Year of Release: 2019
Directed by: Jordan Peele
Written by: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker
Synopsis: A mother and father take their kids for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by unresolved trauma and eerie coincidences, Adelaide grows increasingly certain something bad is coming. After a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers, the family returns to their vacation home — where night falls and four figures appear in the driveway, holding hands. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying, uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.
Rationale: The top horror film of 2019 from the producers behind Antebellum. Lupita Nyong’o’s performance was critically praised, and many felt she was snubbed by the Academy.
Find out where you can watch Us here.
Alternative:
The Butterfly Effect
Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
IMDb: 7.6
Metacritic: 30
Year of Release: 2004
Directed by: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Written by: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz, William Lee Scott, Elden Henson, Logan Lerman, Ethan Suplee, Melora Walters
Synopsis: Evan Treborn has lost track of time. From an early age, crucial moments of his life disappeared into a black hole of forgetting, his boyhood marred by terrifying events he can’t remember. Determined to act now where he couldn’t then, Evan purposely travels back in time — his present-day mind occupying his childhood body — to rewrite history and spare his loved ones. But by altering the past, he transforms the present.
Rationale: Not a horror film, but it does scratch the time-travel itch. Better than the scores might imply. Watch the director’s cut if you can; it has a darker, more interesting ending.
Find out where you can watch The Butterfly Effect here.
Movie of the Week
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 7.5
Metacritic: 69
Year of Release: 2010
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Written by: Michael Bacall (screenplay), Edgar Wright (screenplay), Bryan Lee O’Malley (based on Scott Pilgrim)
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Mae Whitman, Ellen Wong
Synopsis: Scott Pilgrim meets Ramona and instantly falls in love. But after a showdown at a band competition with one of her exes, he realises he has to deal with all seven of her evil exes to win her heart.
Rationale: One of my favourite films of all time. An incredibly stacked cast and razor-sharp direction from Edgar Wright. Set to be re-released in cinemas, but you should watch it now — and then again in cinemas.
Find out where you can watch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World here.
TV to Binge
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 8.2
Metacritic: 85
Year of Release: 1997 – 2003
Created by: Joss Whedon
Episodes: 144 × 42-minute episodes
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson
Synopsis: Buffy Summers tries to live a normal life in high school while embracing her responsibilities and destiny as a hunter of vampires and demons.
Rationale: One of the reasons I left a bunch of uni assignments to the last minute one semester is because I was binge-watching this show. I bought the DVD box sets and watched every chance I could: first thing when I got up, last thing before bed, even in the uni library on my laptop with headphones. A great series that mixes horror, comedy, and teen drama.
Find out where you can watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer here.
