[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

SELF-ISOLATION FILMS

Toy Story – I don’t think you can go far wrong with Pixar’s first feature length film, one which is funny and exciting, moving and heart-warming. I would probably leave my contact details with this emergency parcel along with the message “You’ve got a friend in me”.

Some like It Hot – Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon all with career-best performances, a wonderful script, and a film which never fails to bring a smile to my face. I hope it would be light relief to whoever is fortunate enough to receive this film parcel and that they would find it to have the same rewatch value as I do – it’s a film I could watch at least once a week for 12 weeks and still feel like watching it again.

North by Northwest – You have to have a bit of excitement and intrigue in your life, and there aren’t many films that do it better than this. With Cary Grant’s suave adman thrust into a world of espionage and trying to find George Kaplan, it’s a film which has managed to stay fresh, funny, and thrilling for over 60 years and should be one which you can repeatedly enjoy during your period of self-isolation.

The Third Man – While we are on the topic of intrigue, espionage, and morally dubious characters, I may as well give you a copy of one of the greatest British films ever made, Carol Reed’s celebrated post-World War II crime thriller. It features some of the finest monochrome photography ever seen, a great chase sequence, Orson Welles’ most memorable monologue, and a wonderful score by Anton Karas.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service – This is a very different type of espionage thriller, one with a ‘proper’ spy and action sequences which still thrill over 50 years after it was released. Thanks to the script and a great performance from Diana Rigg, it’s the Bond film with the best Bond girl and, in Telly Savalas’s Blofeld, one of the best antagonists. It’s a film which should entertain both Bond fans and non-fans alike.

Pinocchio – Another animated film and the one I consider to be the best from Disney. It’s a timeless story, a film with a rollercoaster of emotions, some great songs, and an ending which just about anyone will find moving. Although it has some very dark sequences, these help to make the ending even more rewarding and uplifting, and I hope everyone would appreciate the masterful storytelling and animation.

Local Hero – Talking of uplifting, this is a great British film with wonderful characters, a superb score by Mark Knopfler, and great performances by Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert. It also features a mermaid, an early role from Peter Capaldi, and will properly make you look at life in a different way, taking stock of what’s really important. When all this is over, you’ll properly want to go to your nearest Scottish beach!

Shoah – This isn’t fun, but I think at least one film you should watch during this period of self-isolation should be in some way ‘worthy’, something which is heavy going but brilliantly made and should leave you with a greater understanding of one of the darkest periods in human history. It’s a film which can be spaced out over a couple of weeks and having this opportunity to take your time and watch something like this might make it less of an ordeal and far easier to watch.

Raiders of the Lost Ark – A film which is similar to North by Northwest in that it contains humour, excitement, romance, an iconic performance from one of cinema’s most charismatic actors, and some great music. It’s a film which I could repeatedly watch during a period of self-isolation, I know that many other people love the movie, and hope that whoever finds this on their doorstep would be pleased to have it available to watch.

The Princess Bride – From William Goldman’s great novel comes a great film. It’s a fairytale for people who don’t like fairytales, a film full of great characters, memorable lines, and yet another great score. If you haven’t seen it before, you should have fun spotting the cameos and, just like the grandson at the end of the film, would like to experience it all again the next day.

These are 10 films which were in my long list but didn’t make it to the final list and would go in the box if I was allowed to include 20 films:

• Mary Poppins
• Life of Brian
• Casablanca
• Singin' in the Rain
• This Is Spinal Tap
• Silent Running
• Ben Hur
• The Jungle Book
• Amélie
• Slumdog Millionaire

It was really hard to leave these out because I think that they stand on their own as a good mix of feelgood family fun, thoughtful meditation on loneliness and the importance of nature, exciting action, suspense and some songs which you’d know off by heart and happily sing out loud to yourself!