My 50 lockdown movies, ranked and rated, from best to worst

I’ve always said, in life, if you set yourself a goal you might get about halfway towards it before tapping out, but at least you got halfway – it’s better than no way at all. Hence my short lifetime of moderate successes, little sneezes that didn’t amount to much, just enough to demonstrate a decent life half-lived. Until now, that is. Now I’m guzzling the nectar, scoffing the ambrosia, I’ve not only set myself a goal, I’ve smashed it to smithereens and I might even keep on going (though I’m not sure about that). With most of my gainful employment sucked from the cabin window the minute the plane started going down, I’ve had a little bit of time on my hands – time which I’ve dedicated to first finishing a draft of a film script I’ve been working on (tick!), and second to watching movies, specifically 50 of them (also tick!), from oldies I should have watched, to some I’d seen years ago, to others I just stumbled across. Oh and also to looking after my children (kind of tick).

Along the way I’ve discovered a few things about myself, most curiously that I can only watch films on my own. They’re an immersive experience not a social one, I require floatation tank levels of solitude for best results. Also, that my level of interest appears to be inversely proportional to the amount of grandstanding on show. I’ve struggled with a big budget Marvel juggernaut, with a handful of Hollywood blockbusters, and a couple of ambitious head-scratchers (or chin-strokers, depending on your intellect), and they didn’t take. The ones that did were the simpler stories, generally focusing on one character grappling with their own personality – make of that what you will.

So here they are, my Covid 50, ranked from best to worst, with a handy Covid Rating – 19 being amazing, 1 being turdballs.    

You can read fuller descriptions of each here, here and here. And also here.

The Green Ray (1986) – Covid Rating: 19

Somewhere (2010) – Covid Rating: 18

Ghost World (2001) – Covid Rating: 17

Love in the Afternoon (1972) – Covid Rating: 17

Before Midnight (2013) – Covid Rating: 17

Gregory’s Girl (1980) – Covid Rating: 17

Prick up Your Ears (1987) – Covid Rating:17

Before Sunset (2004) – Covid Rating: 16

When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Covid Rating: 16

I Like Killing Flies (2004) – Covid Rating: 16

Le Samourai (1967) – Covid Rating: 15

Claire’s Knee (1970) – Covid Rating: 15

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) – Covid Rating: 15

Moneyball (2011) – Covid Rating: 15

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) – Covid Rating: 14

Pauline at the Beach (1983) – Covid Rating: 14

Vivre Sa Vie (1962) – Covid Rating: 14

Jackie Brown (1997) – Covid Rating: 14

Breathless (1960) – Covid Rating: 14

Birdman (2014) –  Covid Rating: 14

Crimes of Passion (1984) – Covid Rating: 13

High Fidelity (2000) – Covid Rating: 13

Blow Out (1981) – Covid Rating: 13

Bait (2019) – Covid Rating: 13

Witness (1985) – Covid Rating: 13

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) – Covid Rating: 12

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) – Covid Rating: 12

Saturday Night (2010) – Covid Rating: 12

Synecdoche, New York (2008) – Covid Rating: 11

After Hours (1985) – Covid Rating: 11

Straight Outta Compton (2015) – Covid Rating: 11

Rope (1948) – Covid Rating: 11

The Guilty (2018) – Covid Rating: 11

The Fugitive (1993) – Covid Rating: 11 

The Notebook (2004) – Covid Rating: 11

Chico & Rita (2010) – Covid Rating: 10

Moonstruck (1987) – Covid Rating: 10

Hope and Glory (1987) – Covid Rating: 10

The Trouble with Harry (1955) – Covid Rating: 10

The Naked Gun 2 ½ (1991) – Covid Rating: 10

Mo Better Blues (1990) – Covid Rating: 9

Three Men and a Baby (1987) – Covid Rating: 9

Dirty Work (1998) – Covid Rating: 8

Billy Madison (1995) – Covid Rating: 8

Die Hard 2 (1990) – Covid Rating: 8

Thor Ragnorok (2017) – Covid Rating: 7

Big Night (1996) – Covid Rating: 6

Hustlers (2019) – Covid Rating: 3

Rocky IV (1985) – Covid Rating: 2

Police Academy 2 (1985) – Covid Rating: 1

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