Coronavirus has shut down all of the places you used to go for fun. Your options are Netflix and Netflix, and it seems like you’ve already watched anything that’s any good. Here are ten films that may surprise and entertain you.
10. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Starring: Maxwell Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Lily Banda
This film tells the amazing story of science Wizz, William Kamkwamba, from Malawi. When he can no longer attend school because his parents can’t afford the fees, he makes a deal with his science teacher so that he can continue his studies. A drought drives him to design a windmill to pump water for the town’s crops. He’ll need his father’s help to carry out his plan, though.
9. Knock the House Down (2019)
Director: Rachel Lears
Starring: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin
This documentary follows four female Democrats who ran for congress in 2018. It shows how each runs her grassroots campaign against a long-time incumbent. Three of the candidates lose their races and one of them goes on to win a seat in congress.
8. Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, and Jim Broadbent
This animated film tells the fantastical story of Mary Smith, a girl who moves to a new town. Here, she meets Peter and finds the “fly-by-night” flower. She accidentally discovers that the flower gives her magic powers, and her broomstick takes her to a school for witches. The director of the school is a little too interested in Mary’s flowers and friend Peter. As the movie advances, Mary finds herself on a quest to save her new friend and keep the witch school director from misusing the flowers.
7. Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park
This romantic comedy tells the story of two next-door neighbors, Sasha and Marcus. While Sasha’s family is busy at their store, Marcus’s parents welcome her into their home. The two become best friends until they take their relationship to the next level and end up in a fight. Years later as adults, they find each other again and hilarity ensues.
6. District 9 (2009)
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, and Vanessa Haywood
This sci-fi flick tells the story of thousands of alien refugees from a broken spaceship stranded in South Africa. The government forces them into a slum called District 9, but years later decides to relocate them to another area. To do so they hire guards from MNU, a weapons manufacturer. In this relocation effort, Wikus, a human employee, is injured and stained with a strange liquid. When he begins turning into an alien, he realizes that his family, job, and life are at risk, so he decides to ask an alien for help.
5. Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse (2018)
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Mahershala Ali
This version of Spiderman is computer-animated and takes place in a parallel universe. A radioactive spider gives a teenage boy, Miles, superpowers. Later he meets Spiderman, who promises to tutor him. They discover the SuperCollider which is a machine that opens portals to other universes. The villains find the two boys. Spiderman dies helping Miles escape and explains that the city will be destroyed if he doesn’t shut down the machine. Everything takes a strange twist when Spiderpeople—women, robots, animated pigs, and more—start showing up to help Miles on his mission.
4. The Sapphires (2012)
Director: Wayne Blair
Starring: Chris O’Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, and Shari Sebbens
In 1968, three aboriginal singers decide to try out for a place entertaining the troops in Vietnam. It all starts when Dave, a talent scout, hears women singing in a talent contest and recognizes their potential. He convinces them to audition. The women are successful, but there is romantic turmoil that becomes an obstacle.
3. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, and Norm Lewis
Also a story about Vietnam, this movie shows us the misadventures of a troop of US soldiers. When they are sent to retrieve gold from a crashed plane, they decide to keep it for themselves. They hide the gold, but an explosion destroys the landmarks that marked the spot. Years later, the veterans return to Vietnam with the idea of finding their treasure. Each of them reveals secrets and discover new things about themselves on the journey with their friends. This movie is action-packed and guaranteed to entertain.
2. A Silent Voice (2012)
Director: Naoko Yamada
Starring: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuki, Kensho Ono
A Japanese film about friendship and bullying, a Silent Voice tells the story of two high school students facing difficult issues. Shoko is deaf and has a hard time making friends. Shoya is the victim of bullying and is embarrassed by a photo posted online of him. As the two friends explore the guilt they feel for past actions they become close. Each of them contemplates suicide at separate moments in the film. This story highlights the difficulties that teenagers face when forming relationships.
1. See You Yesterday (2019)
Director: Stefon Bristol
Starring: Eden Duncan-Smith, Danté Crichlow, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Johnathan Nieves
See You Yesterday is a sci-fi adventure about a science prodigy. The main character uses her genius to build a time machine. Her goal is to travel back in time and save her brother who was killed by a police officer. She will learn that altering the past is dangerous.
