COVID 19 WATCHLIST: FILMS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED PT. 1
In what can only be described as an episode of Black Mirror we find our lives on perpetual hold, stuck within the confines our living spaces, helpless to do anything but wait and worry. Anxiety’s already a son of bitch and that’s with work and everyday routines providing us with necessary distractions. These days we have time. SO much time.
Release the quarantine binge watchlist!
Before the outbreak, I was already spending a ton of time watching all kinds of film. Horror, action, independent film, blockbusters, classics, B movies…I’ve seen them all. And now, with the extra time we have on our hands, I figured this would be as good a time as any to recommend some great films that you might have missed.
We might not have sports or concerts or even work, but we still have movies.
First up is an action classic and easily one of Tom Cruise’s greatest films. I’m talking about 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow, which is based on Hiroshi Sikurazaka’s novel, “All You Need is Kill”. I’m sure you heard the Groundhog Day comparisons, but it rings true for this effort. Cruise plays against type as Major William Cage, a selfish Army public relations officer suddenly thrown into a brutal war against invading aliens. He dies rather quickly, as one would expect, but is brought back to relive the same day, over and over again. Why? How? These are some of the questions that the film delves into, all the while fleshing out engaging characters.
Director Doug Liman does wonders blending the source material with inspirations like Aliens and Starship Troopers to create something truly unique. The action is strong and way beyond its PG-13 rating. The effects and designs are A1. Its social commentary on war is bitingly honest. Most importantly, the leads are memorable. With the help of the film’s time travel concept, Cruise’s Cage pulls off one of the biggest 180s in recent memory, going from an incompetent jerk to a believable hero quite convincingly. And oh, Emily Blunt.
*Hot Take Alert*
I know it’s saying a lot, but I’d put Blunt’s take as Rita Vrataski on par with Linda Hamilton’s turn as Sarah Connor or Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. She’s really that good here. In a world where some films force the “strong woman” archetype, Edge of Tomorrow creates absolute magic, not unlike Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road. If you see this movie for anything, see it for Blunt, who effortlessly pulls off an strong and complex co-pilot of a character.
Don’t get it twisted though, this is a Tom Cruise movie, but one with a surprising amount of depth, especially given its usually repetitive genre.