Movie must-sees!

Hey everyone!

Lately, my family has been watching tonnes of movies because we have more time on our hands in the evenings. My sister and I are quite glad about not clock watching, as our early mornings left with lockdown! We really have been making use of Netflix during quarantine by watching a new movie almost every night. I'm sure you also have some extra time on your hands so I hope you enjoy these recommendations.

Charlie Wilson's War 

This is based on a true story of a Texan congressman (Tom Hanks) who uses his influence to persuade America's secret services and covert operations to help the Afghan rebels against the Soviets. He does this because of the long-term impacts this war will ultimately have on America.

This movie, despite the sombre and realistic theme, is hilarious! The jokes and social situations that the congressman and a Houston socialite (Julia Roberts) get themselves into are very funny. Philip Seymour Hoffman also makes an appearance with a very dry sense of humour. What made this movie even more entertaining was the Southern American accents, I absolutely loved them! This movie did teach me a little bit about the Afghan war and it has since encouraged me to research the subject more. My sister learnt quite a lot as well even though a lot of the topics broached throughout the movie went over her head.

Moneyball

This movie is all about baseball, so be warned. It stars Brad Pitt as the Oakland A's general manager who tries to acquire players and take the team to the big league on a very tight budget. He does this using a controversial computer-generated analysis of players.

This was a rather fun movie, it had elements of humour, family drama and realism. It was also based on a true story and even though the movie centred around baseball, it really drew my whole family in and we were quite engrossed by the story. I learnt more about the process behind buying and selling players in a baseball team, something I had never thought of before and obviously, I learnt more about the game itself. I feel confident that I can now watch a game and kind of understand which team is winning.

The Imitation Game

Another movie based on a true story! I wasn't really planning a theme when I started this blog, but hey... We watched this movie quite a while ago so I hope I can do it justice. It is about Alan Turing solving the Enigma code during World War II. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing and he does it very well. Turing is joined by a number of fellow mathematicians who all invest many hours of effort to crack this code.

This was an incredible movie. It was fascinating learning more about the Engima code and Alan Turing's personal struggles. It made the person more real after just seeing his name on the wall in my Maths classroom. This movie really showcases the immense difficulties and pressure that these mathematicians had to endure to try and solve the code. I highly recommend this movie, not only because of amazing cinematography but because you can learn so much from it!

Practical Magic

This movie is not based on a true story, I would actually be quite worried if it was! It is about two witch sisters who are orphaned and raised by their aunts in a small town. The sisters are played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. These sisters are bewitched with a curse that prevents them from finding their true lasting love. One sister, Sally, chooses to ignore this curse and starts her own family and the other, Gillian, decides to go through life without a permanent partner. All goes wrong when Gillian's boyfriend turns out to be vampire-like and Sally suffers the curse.

This is surprisingly a great movie! There are definitely some odd moments but ultimately, it is a feel-good easy watch. The continuity of the movie is very good, although it does have a predictable ending. I did enjoy it nonetheless and it definitely made me laugh. Even my dad enjoyed it so give it a try!

Killers

The movie follows former assassin turned construction worker Spencer (Ashton Kutcher) whose old life catches up with him when he is put on his neighbourhood's hit list. His unsuspecting wife (Katherine Heigl) gets caught up in the situation when these neighbourhood contract killers try to hurt her as well.

This movie is hilarious! It is such an entertaining watch that you can't help getting caught up. The romantic drama that worms its way into the movie adds to the overall funny atmosphere and the appearance of Tom Selleck in a familial role is quite surprising. This movie is child-friendly but it doesn't seem immature so give it a watch!

Interstellar 

This film is set in the future where the Earth has become a barren and unforgiving place, with food and water in short supply. NASA has sent a team of explorers, led by Matthew McConaughy and Anne Hathaway, through a wormhole near Saturn to find a habitable planet for the human race. As always, in sci-fi movies, supplies in the space shuttle run low and their communication with Earth is disjointed so how will they get back home?

This was a monster of a movie! It is three hours long so I definitely recommend saving an afternoon for it and not watch it in the evening like we did. It is such a fantastic film because it is very unpredictable and it makes you think. The amazing plans that these astronauts come up with to get out of dangerous situations are very cool, even though most of them go over my head! It isn't too complicated to understand as most space-themed movies are, which is quite refreshing. The cast is also fantastic including Michael Caine and Matt Damon so I highly recommend this if you have some extra time.

As it comes into winter, now is a great time to snuggle on the couch with a cup of tea  (and a cat) to watch one of these movies. Let me know which ones you enjoy by tagging me on Instagram @erincoullblog