These are bizarre times. Lock-down conditions. The term “Social distancing” is widely used and must always be applied in such a way that we can control the COVID-19 virus. This means that millions of families worldwide are locked up in their own homes. Without a doubt, this is for some an inconvenient situation. Working from home. Children who make each other’s life miserable because of the tension. And that of the home workers too. The lack of physical contact with family and friends. And the boredom that strikes quickly. And boredom and frustration are the most dangerous culprits right now, that’ll cause us to stop adhering to the imposed measures.
Maybe my initiative can bring some relief! Below you’ll find a Top-50 of films I’ve seen in the last year (part of the complete list) and that I’ve given a fairly high score. In short, all movies that are worth watching. Admittedly, there are indeed many other films that transcend this list effortlessly. But then it would be a long list, wouldn’t it? Incidentally, this is a personal opinion. I’m aware that others have a different one. But let’s forget about that. This is a tool to put aside your worries and to dispel the emerging boredom. Maybe you’ll discover something new. Hope you’l enjoy it.
1. Schindler’s List (1993)
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler
gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after
witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
(Biography/Drama/History)
2. Beautiful Boy (2018)
Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David
and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience
of survival, relapse and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.
(Biography/Drama)
3. Klaus (2019)
A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place.
When Smeerensburg’s new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts
melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.
(Animation/Adventure/Comedy)
4. The Pianist (2002)
A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the
Warsaw ghetto of World War II.
(Biography/Drama/Music)
5. Joker (2019)
In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated
by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime.
This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.
(Crime/Drama/Thriller)
6. Brightburn (2019)
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero
to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
(Drama/Horror/Mystery)
7. Lion (2016)
A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds
of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
(Biography/Drama)
8. 1917 (2019)
April 6th, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers
are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from
walking straight into a deadly trap.
(War/Drama)
9. Just Mercy (2019)
World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a
wrongly condemned death row prisoner.
(Biography/Crime/Drama)
10. The man who killed Hitler and the bigfoot (2018)
A legendary American war veteran is recruited to hunt a mythical creature.
(Adventure/Drama/SF)
11. Sam did it (2018)
Sam gets the chance to meet his celebrity idol. The only problem is that Sam
works in a morgue and his idol is dead.
(Short/Comedy)
12. Room (2015)
Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son
finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world
for the first time.
(Drama/Thriller)
13. Magnolia (1999)
An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness,
and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
(Drama)
14. Unbroken (2014)
After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a
harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by
the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
(Biography/Drama/Sport)
15. Adopt a Highway (2019)
An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster.
(Drama)
16. Léon : The Professional (1994)
Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin
after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes
his protégée and learns the assassin’s trade.
(Action/Drama/Crime)
17. A l’intérieur (2007)
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood
is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
(Horror)
18. Goodfellas (1990)
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife
Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the
Italian-American crime syndicate.
(Biography/Crime/Drama)
19. Seven Pounds (2008)
A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of
redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
(Drama)
20. Aterrados (2017)
When strange events occur in a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, a doctor specializing
in the paranormal, her colleague, and an ex-police officer decide to investigate further.
(Horror)
21. Hard Candy (2005)
A teenager meets a man in order to expose him under the suspicion that he
abducts underage girls.
(Drama/Thriller)
22. El laberinto del fauno (2006)
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army
officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
(Drama/Fantasy/War)
23. Aladdin (2019)
A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp
that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
(Adventure/Family/Fantasy)
24. Fight Club (1999)
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soapmaker form an underground
fight club that evolves into something much, much more.
(Drama)
25. Fury (2014)
A grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across
Germany in April 1945.
(Action/Drama/War)
26. Avengement (2019)
A grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across
Germany in April 1945.
(Action/Crime/Thriller)
27. Green Book (2018)
A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American
the classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
(Biography/Drama/Comedy)
28. Stan & Ollie (2018)
Laurel and Hardy, the world’s most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers
as they embark on what becomes their swan song – a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.
(Biography/Drama/Comedy)
29. Life Itself (2018)
As a young New York City couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their
first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents
and through lifetimes.
(Drama/Romance)
30. Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Early 1970s. Four strangers check in at the El Royale Hotel. The hotel is deserted, staffed by a single
desk clerk. Some of the new guests’ reasons for being there are less than innocent and some are
not who they appear to be.
(Crime/Drama/Mystery)
31. Guns Akimbo (2019)
A guy relies on his newly-acquired gladiator skills to save his ex-girlfriend from kidnappers.
(Action/Comedy)
32. Shaun of the dead (2014)
A man’s uneventful life is disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.
(Comedy/Horror)
33. Uncut Gems (2019)
With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler
risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.
(Crime/Drama/Thriller)
34. The keeping Hours (2017)
10 years after the death of their son, a divorced couple is suddenly reunited by supernatural
events that offer them a chance at forgiveness.
(Drama/Fantasy/Horror)
35. Parasite (2019)
A poor family, the Kims, con their way into becoming the servants of a rich family, the Parks.
But their easy life gets complicated when their deception is threatened with exposure.
(Comedy/Drama/Thriller)
36. Giant little ones (2018)
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends
dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
(Drama)
37. The Professor (2018)
A college professor lives his life with reckless abandon after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
(Comedy/Drama)
38. Casino (1995)
A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia
enforcer and a casino executive, compete against each other over a gambling empire, and
over a fast living and fast loving socialite.
(Crime/Drama)
39. The Irishman (2019)
An aging hitman recalls his time with the mob and the intersecting events with his friend,
Jimmy Hoffa, through the 1950-70s.
(Biography/Crime/Drama)
40. Ready or Not (2019)
A bride’s wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her
to take part in a terrifying game.
(Comedy/Horror/Mystery)
41. The Boondock Saints (1999)
Two Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston’s criminal underworld
in the name of God.
(Action/Crime/Thriller)
42. Toy Story 4 (2019)
When a new toy called “Forky” joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and
new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
(Animation/Adventure/Comedy)
43. The Prestige (2006)
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion
while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
(Drama/Mystery/SF)
44. American Gangster (2007)
An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas,
whose real-life inspired this partly biographical film.
(Biography/Crime/Drama)
45. Yesterday (2019)
A struggling musician realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles
after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.
(Comedy/Fantasy/Music)
46. Eden Lake (2008)
Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang
of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.
(Horror/Thriller)
47. Mudbound (2017)
Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they
struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after the war.
(Drama/War)
48. The Departed (2006)
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating
an Irish gang in South Boston.
(Crime/Drama/Thriller)
49. The Professor and the Madman (2019)
Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the
Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from
a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
(Biography/Drama)
50. Zodiac (2007)
In the late 1960s/early 1970s, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective
obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes
Northern California with a killing spree.
(Crime/Drama/Mystery)