COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has given us an unpleasant reality. Fortunately, movies are a great source for escapism. A necessary distraction into the world of imagination and fantasy. Let's put our tendency to be couch potatoes to good use by making it a game.
Games improve our outlook on life. It activates neurons in our brain, which prevents diseases like dementia. Having fun is medicine to fight anxiety and depression (https://anzmh.asn.au/mental-health/the-psychological-benefits-of-playing-cards/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20reconnecting%20with%20the,loss%20associated%20with%20older%20age.)
1) Getting Together - Make some snacks and beverages and gather your family/roommates in the living room. Don't have enough people or want to include those outside your home? Invite people to play on Zoom, Facetime, Google Hangouts, or countless other virtual platforms.
2) Select a Movie Everyone Has Seen: This is not an exhaustive list. There are countless other movies, foreign films, and other features people know and love.
2010+: Star Wars (sequel trilogy and spinoffs), Avengers (multiple), Black Panther, Jurassic World (multiple), Incredibles 2, The Lion King (Live Action), Finding Dory, Frozen (multiple), Batman: Dark Knight Rises, Toy Story (multiple), Beauty and the Beast (Live action), Captain Marvel, Hunger Games (multiple), Wonder Woman, Iron Man (multiple), Captain America, Harry Potter (multiple), American Sniper, Boyhood, Moonlight, 12 Years a Slave, Selma, Things To Come, Coco, John Wick (multiple), Train To Busan, Ladybird, Margaret, Toni Erdmann, Get Out, Carol, No, The Tree of Life,
2000-2009: Avatar, Batman: The Dark Knight, Shrek (multiple), Pirates of the Caribbean (multiple), Spiderman (multiple), Transformers (multiple), Star Wars (prequel trilogy), Lord of the Rings (multiple), The Passion of the Christ, Finding Nemo, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mulholland Drive, Gladiator, Children of Men, Lost In Translation, Sweet Home Alabama, 13 Going On 30, I Am Sam, Catch Me If You Can, The Notebook, American Psycho, Punch-Drunk Love, Grizzly Man,
1990s: Titanic, Jurassic Park (multiple), The Lion King (animated), Forest Gump, Independence Day, The Sixth Sense, Home Alone (multiple), Men In Black (multiple), Toy Story (multiple), Twister, Mrs. Doubtfire, Beauty and the Beast (animated), Ghost, Aladdin, Saving Private Ryan, Austin Powers (multiple), Terminator 2, Armageddon, Dances With Wolves, Batman Forever (Val Kilmer), The Fugitive, Liar Liar, Before Sunrise, Groundhog Day, Goodfellas, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Fargo, The Piano, Close-Up, Schindler's List, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Selena, The Matrix (multiple), My Girl, Roger and Me, The Silence of the Lambs, Clueless,
1980s: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Batman (Michael Keaton), Indiana Jones (multiple), Ghostbusters (multiple), Beverly Hills Cop (multiple), Back To the Future (multiple), Top Gun, Tootsie, Crocodile Dundee, Rain Man, Three Men and a Baby, Fatal Attraction, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gremlins (multiple), Rambo (multiple), Do the Right Thing, The Shining, Die Hard (multiple), The Terminator, Dead Poets Society, Heathers, The Verdict, Blow Out,
1970s: Star Wars (original trilogy), Jaws (multiple), Grease (multiple), The Sting, Superman (multiple), The Godfather (multiple), The Exorcist, Smokey and the Bandit, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, Rocky (multiple), Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Towering Inferno, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Love Story, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Airport, American Graffiti, Saturday Night Fever, The Poseidon Adventure, The Trial of Billy Jack, The Amityville Horror, Young Frankenstein, Every Which Way But Loose, Apocalypse Now, Star Trek (multiple), The Goodbye Girl, Heaven Can Wait, Alien (multiple), Hooper, Fiddler On the Roof, The Muppet Movie (multiple), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Suspiria,
1960s: The Sound of Music, The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Jungle Book (animated), My Fair Lady, Thunderball, Cleopatra, 2001: A Space Odyssey (multiple), Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, How the West Was Won, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Funny Girl, Herbie: The Love Bug (multiple), James Bond (multiple), Bonnie and Clyde, The Dirty Dozen, Lawrence of Arabia, Midnight Cowboy, The Odd Couple, Valley of the Dolls, West Side Story, Doctor Zhivago, Bullitt, Easy Rider, The Longest Day, Romeo and Juliet, Tom Jones, Oliver!, The Bible: In the Beginning, Hawaii, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hello Dolly!, Bob and Ted and Carol and Alice, Paint Your Wagon, Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, Mary Poppins, The Sand Pebbles, The Guns of Navarone, The Carpetbaggers, Spartacus, 8 1/2, Psycho, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Parent Trap, To Kill a Mockingbird, Z,
1950s: The Ten Commandments, Lady and the Tramp (animated), Peter Pan (animated), Cinderella (animated), Ben-Hur, Sleeping Beauty (animated), The Bridge On the River Kwai, Around the World In 80 Days, This Is Cinerama, The Greatest Show On Earth, Rear Window, South Pacific, The Robe, Giant, Seven Wonders of the World, From Here To Eternity, White Christmas, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Sayonara, Cinerama Holiday, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Peyton Place, Some Like It Hot, Quo Vadis, Auntie Mame, Seven Samurai, Singin' In the Rain, Tokyo Story, The Seventh Seal, The Night of the Hunter, A Face In the Crowd, Rebel Without a Cause,
Not satisfied with this list? The American Film Institute has a bazillion more options at: https://www.afi.com/afi-lists/
3) The Audition - Once a movie or TV show is selected, who are the characters? Think of the hero, the lancer, the ogre, the smarty-pants, the old timer, the rookie, the philosopher, and the comic relief.
Which friend or family member would fit that role? Who has the physicality, emotions, motivations, and intentions for the part? Or for a twist, who'd be the most awkward loved one for the production?
4) Defend Yourself From the Critic - To me, this is the most fun part as every is encouraged to submit their nomination and decide as a group. State your case, have constructive feedback, and remember to laugh. Describe specific scenes with your loved ones cast. What would change and what is true to life?
AND DON'T FORGET TO HAVE FUN! And, please feel free to contact if you have any questions or suggestions!
