As the sense of isolation and cabin fever sets in, I have put together two movie playlists. One list is for those looking to escape reality, forget about, and ignore the crisis. Another list is for those seeking exposure therapy who want to dive head first into worse-case scenarios. We are, after all, living in a movie that will be made sometime in the future about this COVID-19 crisis. I’m starting with the scary list first:
Scariest movies during the coronavirus quarantine:
- World War Z – 2013 movie starring Brad Pitt written by Matthew Carnahan and Drew Goddard. Movie about a zombie pandemic.
- I am Legend – 2007 movie starring Will Smith written by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman. About a plague that kills most of humanity. Based in New York City.
- Light of My Life – 2019 movie starring Casey Affleck written by Casey Affleck. About a father and daughter journey to escape society after a pandemic has wiped out half the world’s population.
- Bird Box – 2018 movie starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich written by Eric Heisserer and Josh Malerman. About an unknown, invisible, global terror that is crazy contageous simply by looking.
- 12 Monkeys – 1995 movie starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt written by Chris Marker and David Peoples. About a future world devastated by man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population.
- Contagion – 2011 movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Winslet written by Scott Burns. About a pandemic and how government and healthcare professionals struggle to deal with it.
- The Omega Man – 1971 movie starring Charlton Heston written by John William and Joyce Corrington. About a lone survivor struggling to create a cure for the plague that wiped out most of the human race.
- Pandemic – 2016 movie starring Rachel Nicols, Alfie Allen, and Missi Pyle written by Dustin Benson. About a virus that has taken over the planet.
- Containment – 2016 series about an epidemic that leaves Atlanta quarantined and fighting for their lives.
Best movies to escape the reality of the coronavirus and get through quarantines:
- Avatar – 2009 movie starring Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, and Zoe Saldana written by James Cameron. Action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi.
- The Martian – 2015 movie starring Matt Damon written by Drew Goddard and Andy Weir. Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi.
- 300 – 2006 movie starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and David Wenham written by Zack Snyder.
- The Big Lebowski – 1998 movie starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Julianne Moore written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Comedy.
- Love Actually – 2003 movie starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rodrigo Santoro, Keira Knightley, and more. Written by Richard Curtis. Comedy, drama, romance, holiday.
- Gravity – 2013 movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller.
Meantime, I hate the phrase, “shelter in place,” as that was intended for active shooter situations and extreme weather events. We don’t need to take shelter and we don’t need social isolation.
We need to practice good health, social responsibility, and good hygiene. Avoid touching things when in public, keep your hands away from your face, cough or sneeze into a tissue and then immediately wash you hands with soap and water, and clean surfaces using an alcohol-based cleaning solution. Stay home, avoid crowds.
Stay safe and stay strong.
