Around this time last year, when lockdown kicked off, I made a to-watch list. Naively thinking it might last a couple of months, it started off succinct with classics I’d never seen and new releases I’d missed. By the end of the year, I’d ticked around 90 films off the ever-growing list.

However, since the new year rolled around, I’ve really struggled to get my movie mojo back, falling for the allure of trash TV and the various seasons of drag race. But I miss my night spent getting into bed early to curl up around my laptop screen. Even on the laziest days, watching a film and being able to add a new tick to my list made me feel like I’d at least achieved one thing, and when the credits rolled I’d always feel that nice sense of post-productivity calm. Having let most of my good habits slip in this long 3^rd lockdown, I reckon this is one I can pull back.

To get started, and encourage you to do the same, I’m visiting some past watches that always make me want to watch more. Some magical, some heart-breaking, these films will make you want to watch more films.

Babyteeth

Probably a symptom of living through unprecedented times, but suddenly I’m a person that cries at films. Previously I’d only ever cried at Paddington 2 and Perks Of Being A Wallflower which made me violently wail in the cinema, but god, Babyteeth made me bawl.

I added Babyteeth to my list after I saw some screencap quotes from it that had my favourite sharp-witted flavour of comedy, but I didn’t know much about the story. The trailer risks slipping into cheesy, presenting it as another Cancer tainted love story, but the film misses all the fault-in-our-stars clichés and remains so unique and so human.

I don’t want to linger too long on the story as I don’t want to give it away, but as well as a bittersweet, beautiful plot, Babyteeth is also visually stunning. The lighting, the chapter structure, the colours; lovely, lovely, lovely. This is one of those films where you want to find a crisp photo of every single scene to put on Instagram. When it finished, I laid there in silence for 20 minutes to process how much I loved it, and then immediately wanted to chase that feeling with some more heartbreaking movies.

Yes God Yes

On the other hand, Yes God Yes made me want to watch more comedies.

Honestly, I’ve very judgemental about American comedies as they’re never dark enough for me, but Yes God Yes ticked all my boxes and had me cry laughing.  Starring Stranger Things’ Natalia Dyer, this one is about catholic teens essentially discovering sex at a summer camp. It’s a coming of age film in the best way, in that it's awkward and stupid and points out how ridiculous it all is.

I also love that this film has that ‘independent vibe’ that I can never quite put my finger on explaining. It feels uninterrupted by execs and very much untethered from traditional big-budget American cinema. And the jokes don’t have that bashfulness that a lot of American comedies have, managing to tap into the straight-faced humour I love. And as above, this film is so bright; the lighting and laughs feel like they could shake away and lockdown-grumpy cobwebs.

Beautiful Boy

If you want to get back into heavy, serious watches; take on Beautiful Boy. Incentivised by Timothee Chalamet’s face, this film was so gut-wrenching I couldn’t even bring myself to cry, just laid there in emotional agony.

You might know this one as it has a heavy promo circuit back in 2018, but it’s based on a pair of memoirs written by father and son, David & Nic Sheff, about Nic’s struggles with addiction from being a young teen. Firstly, the acting in this film is incredible. Despite loving Call Me By Your Name and Little Women, this is the film that made me go oh! Timothee can act! And Steve Carell steps into this serious Dad role so seamlessly you manage to forget about all his comedy work. Between the two leads, these characters will have you feeling every emotion from annoyance to intense sympathy, somehow still managing to cut it with a touch of humour and moments of beautiful catharsis.

Honestly, it’s quite a hard watch being so emotional, but it never loses its grip on your attention or dips off into too much. Bathed in blue-toned light, this is one to switch on if you want to force a good cry.

 

Malcolm & Marie

Malcolm & Marie is best watched with a glass of red wine or some kind of neat cocktail. Settle down and start watching it as the sun sets so it’s dark by halfway through. Maybe dress up a little so Zendaya’s beauty isn’t quite as intimidating.

Malcolm & Marie is a great one if you want to ease yourself into more avant-garde films. Filmed in black and white, and not following a traditional plot structure, Malcolm & Marie adapted to the strange world of covid restrictions by doing something totally different. The film only has two characters and is filmed entirely inside one house, and I love the small world of it. It’s essentially about the intricacies of relationship, success and the muse figure, and I love how both characters are the hero and the villain all at once.

It’s funny and intense, heartbreaking and heartwarming, offering so much from so little. Add it to your list.

Fantastic Mr Fox

I’m ashamed to say I only watched this film for the first time last night, but afterwards, I felt so excited about movies again that I was inspired to write this. I’m a big Wes Anderson, but I’d never been too bothered about Fantastic Mr Fox before, brushing it off as a kids film. But now I’m angry over all the years I’ve deprived myself.

If you haven’t seen it, I implore you to watch it. And if you have seen it, I recommend you watch it again. Infusing the classic Roald Dahl novel with all the Wes Anderson signature colours and quirks, this film made me laugh out loud, filled me with comfort and threatened to make me cry over how sweet these animals are. As with every Wes Anderson film, it has a killer soundtrack and cheeky humour that both silly and mature. Similar to Isle Of Dogs, I love the angles and intricacies of this film that puts so much detail into simple scenes.

Simply, this film made me so happy and that’s what we all need.

 

Submarine

This week was the 10-year anniversary of Submarine, and I was reminded how much I love this stupid film. In fact, one of the first blog posts I ever wrote was about the film, in which I dub Arctic Monkeys music ‘a bit too swear-filled’.

And while my writing ability has, hopefully, improved, my love of this film hasn’t changed at all. I think Submarine is one of those movies that you appreciate more and more as you get older. Back then I definitely loved the angst of it, but now I love how pathetic and melodramatic is it. The awkwardness of the characters versus the dramatic narration and cinematography makes such a unique contrast that I think really informed my taste in films. It’s so much of amazing one-liners that still make me laugh and always makes me want to go hunting for films that could possibly try and compare.

  ✿ ✿ ✿

Send me your recommendations!