Planning on watching a movie tonight? Here are few of good cinema that you can watch on your sole movie night.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Although you’ve probably seen this movie 10,000 times by now, you’ll never get tired of it. There’s nothing better than Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in a rom-com. Plus, we can never resist a movie about magazines. Benjamin is challenged my coworkers to seduce a woman. Meanwhile, Andie has to write an article about how to lose a man in 10 days. What will happen when these two meet?! Watch it to find out.
Annihilation
It is one of the most overlooked, but fascinating films of 2018, and now that it is available on home video, you get to watch it in the dark, by yourself, taking in every detail of the Shimmer and how it seeps into the characters’ brains. Thematically and visually, Annihilation offers a wealth of texture. It’s a meditation on guilt and trauma, a look at what it’s like to grow as an individual, and a glimpse at what can happen when we finally find the transformation we so desperately desire. The film leaves some of the questions it poses ambiguous, so while it’s fun to discuss theories after the movie is over, Annihilation is more of a story that rewards silent contemplation. A film like this begs you not only to watch it attentively, but also to sit with it in silence after the credits roll.
Lost in Translation
In addition to Bill Murray’s magnificent performance, and Scarlett Johansson’s exceptional performance, Lost in Translation earned Sofia Coppola only the third Best Director nomination awarded to a woman in Oscar history, demonstrating her ability to escape her famous father’s long shadow. This is a movie that requires quiet concentration. You won’t lose sight of the story if you see Lost in Translation in a group—there isn’t much plot—but the self-reflection the film generates may be lost in the midst of a group. As Johansson’s character discovers in that unforgettable final scene, some secrets can only be discovered if you lean in close enough to hear a whisper.
Children of Men
Children of Men is not just one of the best science fiction films of the 21st century, it’s one of the best films of this century as a whole. Despite its dense, taut, cerebral depiction of a world in which all human reproduction has ceased, Alfonso Cauron’s film is certainly worth watching, but it may have additional meaning if you watch it alone. It’s a film about the decline of humanity, so loneliness and futility are themes worth considering, but it’s also a film with meaning in every frame. In addition to Cuaron’s visual style and the brilliant performances of the impeccable cast, the film is deeply symbolic. Watching it alone gives you the advantage of picking up on as much of that as possible. Also, the gorgeous long takes, no matter how emotionally wrenching, just beg for uninterrupted watching.
The Other Side of the Wind
Orson Welles’ final film was finally completed and released on Netflix in 2018, nearly five decades after he started working on it. For years, The Other Side of the Wind has been a fabled piece of cinema history, a kind of cinephile Holy Grail that many film lovers have been eagerly awaiting. The film is finally here, and it can be watched in the comfort of your own home, so chances are good that many fans will treat it as a sacred moment to be savored without distraction. There’s no denying that this movie’s brilliant mockumentary style makes it worth watching alone. Films like this are breathless and constantly moving, with characters appearing and disappearing in an instant. The audience is spoon-fed very little information, and Welles’ attempt to make a challenging work of cinema that broke all the conventions of the time is still very captivating, even if it looks a bit conventional to modern eyes.
All is Lost
In JC Chandor’s All Is Lost, a hit 2013 drama about a sailor who endures a litany of increasingly dangerous mishaps during a solo voyage, Redford’s ability to captivate audiences is evident in every scene. The experience of watching this film alone is transformative. Only one character speaks, making sounds that ordinarily might not be noticed–like thunder–all the more intriguing. A movie with little to no dialogue, with most of the sound coming from the main character shuffling around, becomes a more immersive experience due to the inclusion of what would normally be an ordinary background detail. The roaring storm and the sextant, both crucial details in All Is Lost, require the audience’s full attention.
Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón’s hit 2013 space drama Gravity, which stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney as Lt. Matt Kowalski, packed theaters for weeks, but to fully make its point, it needs to be seen alone. In addition, the filmmakers successfully project Stone’s panic onto the audience after she is marooned in space. Astronaut Sherwood Spring recalled a time from his own career when watching the film and relating to her fears. Being in Dr. Stone’s position requires watching the film alone since fear is alleviated in a group setting. Whether or not there is sound in space is open to debate, but Cuarón’s composition of Gravity’s soundtrack is a second reason to watch it alone – and at high volume. The skillful use of sound amplifies the intensity of the film. It is even the crescendo in the score that allows audiences to feel the emotional weight of Bullock’s character’s struggle to survive on Earth. One sound, one second of distraction can ruin the experience.
The Shawshank Redemption
Do you remember the times you turned on the TV and just couldn’t stop watching a movie, regardless of how long it had already been on? It may not be one of your favorite movies, or even one you usually choose to watch, but once you’re pulled in, you can’t escape. For many people, that’s The Shawshank Redemption. The Frank Darabont-directed film did not do well at the box office, but it has since been recognized as one of the greatest films of all time. The Shawshank Redemption has the power to change your life. (At least that’s what people keep telling Morgan Freeman.) When you’re in the middle of it, you don’t want any distractions — and if you don’t want to cry in front of people, you don’t want to watch it with them.
