iRate: What to watch during your self-quarantine

By JASON GUYER
These are difficult times we are in and heading towards. By now, everyone should be practicing social distancing or maybe even self-quarantine. If things continue to trend upwards, we may even find ourselves with shelter-in-place orders as some cities and states currently are.

This will inevitably mean boredom.

The arts have and always will be good for boredom and for entertaining people in difficult times.

The novel coronavirus is having its way with the world and is starting to change how the world operates. The entertainment industry is being affected tremendously and in turn changes that have been planned for a long time will soon be coming.

The biggest will be home theater premieres. Companies are starting to and planning to release theater films to the public at large for rental streaming. As if your home was the theater.

Universal Studios started the service with three films — “The Hunt,” “The Invisible Man” and “Emma” — on Friday, March 20.

“The Hunt” is terrible but in its own horror-esque way it is also terribly good fun depending on your preference for horror.

I reviewed “The Invisible Man” a few weeks ago and it is absolutely worth the watch. But you will have to decide if the $19.99 rental is worth it for a good thriller.

The film most worth the $19.99 price-point is “Emma.” “Emma” is a wonderful version of the Jane Austen classic. Anya-Taylor Joy is a revelation. However, you will most likely have to like period pieces and Jane Austen to want to pay the $19.99 price.

Personally, the price-point is too high for just a rental. I would rather see the home preview releases sold to keep at a higher price-point like $34.99. This would include keeping it and what would have been a movie ticket price to get it early. Rentals are not worth it to just see them two or three months early.

The COVID-19 virus and the effect it has had on life around the world, along with these new offerings and the change of service style, led me to think about what people are going to and should watch.

So, here are some recommendations of some good films and some lesser known films. They range from free on streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, or even to rent/purchase.

These are a collection of some of my favorite films over the years.

“SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER”

This film is one of my favorites from childhood. I saw this film at the age of 12 a couple years after its release and his stuck with me my whole life. Searching for Bobby Fischer is the story of Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc), a 7-year-old who gets noticed for his chess talent. He becomes interested in speed chess at the park and learns the game from a hustler as his parents invest in the services of Bruce (Ben Kingsley), a famous coach. Josh learns tough life lessons through the game of chess. — HULU or BUY

“EDDIE THE EAGLE”

Inspirational stories do not get better then “Eddie the Eagle.” The film is about Michael Edwards, known as “Eddie the Eagle.” He is an English ski-jumper and Olympian who in 1988 became the first competitor since 1928 to represent Great Britain. (Hulu or buy).

“JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT”

Jay and Silent Bob embark on a cross-country mission to stop Hollywood from filming a reboot based on them. Sound familiar? It should, the film is similar in story to “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” “Reboot” is far better though. It may just be the nostalgia for the 90’s in current culture but this Kevin Smith offering is his best in years. (Amazon Prime or buy).

“TOP HAT”

When I saw the beautiful scene of this film being played on the side of a building in Italy by people in quarantine. The film starring Ginger Rogers as Dale Tremont and Fred Astaire as Jerry Travers had to make this list. (Amazon Prime or buy).

“THEY”

The film takes place over a single weekend. Thirteen-year old J, born male, is deciding which gender they will be in advance of a meeting with a doctor. J writes in a diary indicating the times they feel like female, male, or no gender. This film is a must see. I loved every minute of it and how it connects you to the characters and people in the film. The film gets to the heart of identity issues and family values. (Amazon Prime or buy).

“SON IN LAW”

Always remember to Wheez the Juice, and yes, the weasel is missed. Pauly Shore was my childhood comedy in a nutshell. The comedy styles of Shore and Farley are quite missed. Comedy has never quite been as funny to me since.”Son in Law” is one of his best efforts. Country girl Rebecca (Carla Gugino) goes away to college in Los Angeles. Rebecca immediately feels out of place in the daunting urban setting but she is befriended by a savvy party animal named Crawl (Pauly Shore). (Buy).

“IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT”

Frank Capra’s romantic comedy about spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) jumps ship and then Ellie falls in with cynical newspaper reporter Peter Warne is a classic. (Buy).

“ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE”

When a zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven. Anna and her friends fight, slash and sing their way to survival. “Anna and the Apocalypse” is a delightful musical with a horror(sort of) spin. (Hulu or buy).

“RUSH”

The story of Nicki Lauda and his rivalry with James Hunt is as inspirational as it gets. In the racing world there may not be a better story of two racers. “Rush” is also the best racing film in twenty years. (Buy).

“FRANCIS HA”

Greta Gerwig at her best as a New York woman, who doesn’t really have an apartment. Who apprentices for a dance company even though she’s not really a dancer. She runs headlong into her dreams. (Netflix or buy).

Jason Guyer is an avid moviegoer and works in the graphics department at the Eagle Times. For questions or comments he can be emailed at [email protected].