Movies Worth Renting While Quarantined

It's been less than a week and you've watched every free movie available, time to start convincing your parents to throw in some extra dough for movie night.

The Prestige ($2.99 to Rent)

I'll say it now, this is my favorite movie of all time. I'm not kidding, this movie is entrancing. It's absolutely brilliant and the best Christopher Nolan film to date (this is coming from a die-hard Nolan fanboy). Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play dueling magicians who try to one-up each other, which turns into a deadly obsession for both. The twist near the end absolutely floored me and when you re-watch it, the whole movie is set up to be one big magic trick. I mean shit, this movie is a masterpiece guys.

Knives Out ($4.99 to Rent)

This movie was so damn entertaining, my entire family loved it. It's a classic who-done-it and was like a remake of the board game, Clue, but with an all-star cast. It nabbed a few Oscar nominations, including best screenplay. Oh, and listening to Daniel Craig attempt a Savannah-accent also adds to the humor of it all.

A Few Good Men (Actually Free on Amazon with Ads)

Yes, this is the movie that gave us the iconic line, "You can't handle the truth!" Starring Tom Cruise as a young army lawyer who goes up against the US military to investigate the death of a cadet, this movie is one of Aaron Sorkin's best works (he's the best screenplay writer of all time). It's a court room drama for the ages and worth the watch, especially if law is something you're even minutely interested in.

Argo ($1.99 to Rent)

One of my favorite movies of the 2010's, this didn't win the Best Picture Oscar for nothing. Based on the remarkable true story of how a team of CIA agents posed as a Canadian film crew to get into Tehran and rescue the Americans held during the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1980. The dialogue is sharp as hell, the mood goes from funny, to patriotic, to bone-chillingly intense. A great watch, your dad will probably love it.

Spotlight ($3.99 to Rent)

Speaking of Best Picture Oscar winners, Spotlight was a haunting look at the true story of how a small Boston newspaper team uncovered the disturbing truth of what the Catholic church was doing to cover up their child-molesting priests. Set in 2001, it follows the underdog team and their fight against the power of the entire Catholic church. It's disturbing, it's brilliantly written, and some of the statistics they uncover will blow you away.

Gifted ($3.99 to Rent)

Good luck not having a smile on your face with this one. This movie is a great option to watch with your entire family, it's such a great feel-good film about a man who cares for his niece who happens to be a child protege. He wants to give her a normal life, but his mother wants to give her the special attention and training she thinks she needs. The performances are great, especially the young and talented McKenna Grace.

Arrival (Free on Hulu or $4.99 to Rent)

One of the greatest sci-fis ever made, this movie is probably my second favorite movie of all time. When aliens arrive on Earth, Amy Adams (snubbed for an Oscar for this) is hired to figure out a way to communicate with them before shit hits the fan around the world. One of the craziest twist endings ever, you'll be sitting on your couch afterwards and reexamine your entire life.

Gone Baby Gone (Free on Hulu or $3.99 to Rent)

Wow, this movie takes so many turns, your head will be spinning. A private investigator is hired to find an abducted little girl. He and his wife are well-connected with the poor areas of Boston, the people who won't talk to the Police. You legit will not know the good guys from the bad for most of the movie and you'll be at the edge of your seat the entire time.

Baby Driver ($2.99 to Rent)

On god, this is the most stylish movie I have seen since Ocean's Eleven. Edgar Wright is a genius when it comes to music's role in a movie, and the way he syncs the fight scenes and getaway scenes with classic rock hits was just too incredible to watch. Funny, intense, and a little heartfelt when it needs to be, it stars Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Bernthal. Most unrealistic part was the fact that the car chase scenes in Atlanta had no traffic.

Silver Linings Playbook ($3.99 to Rent)

This movie has a lot of Oscar nominations under its belt, from best picture, best performance for both actor and actress (Jennifer Lawrence won btw), to best adapted screenplay. It's a light-hearted take on the not so light-hearted subject of mental illnesses. Bradley Cooper plays a man diagnosed with bipolar disorder who has to move back with his parents when he meets another girl who suffers from mental illnesses of her own and the two have their weird but great relationship. The chemistry is great and the movie is actually hilarious at times. A very sweet movie.

Perks of Being a Wallflower ($1.99 to Rent)

One of my favorite coming-of-age movies (Superbad is the best one, It's just a fact I'm sorry), this movie is a great feel good movie to watch with the family and I'll bet it'll get your mom crying about missing you when you were innocent in high school. Or maybe she's crying because the high school kids are so innocent and you're downing your 6th IPA while she's wondering where it all went wrong? Who knows, watch it anyways it's a great one.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ($3.99 to Rent)

This movie is so GOOD! It somehow is one of the funniest, most clever, and saddest movies I've ever seen (It's a juggling act that transitions so smoothly). I mean it got nominated for best picture, yet not many people got the pleasure of watching it. Frances McDormand won an Oscar for this role and damn does she deserve it. A hard-ass, disgruntled mother buys out 3 billboards outing the local police who never solved her daughter's murder. It's a movie about grief and how we all deal with it, and what we all do about it.

The Social Network (Free on Amazon Prime with Ads)

Again, Aaron Sorkin manages to turn a simple true story about college nerds who create a website (that ends up being Facebook) into a Shakespearean drama full of betrayal and intense court room dialogue. It's smart, it's beautifully shot, (probably because it's a David Fincher movie) and even though it takes some liberties with the truth, you don't like Mark Zuckerberg anyways so you won't care.

St. Elmo's Fire ($3.99 to Rent)

Did you love The Breakfast Club but wish it was the same actors but instead of high schoolers in detention, they were recent college graduates navigating the world of adult life, sex, and drugs? Damn, you're weird as hell, but watch this. It's an 80's classic.

Poltergeist ($1.99 to Rent)

One of my all-time favorite horror movies, this Steven Spielberg classic revolves around the haunting of a small-town family. They just don't make good horror movies like this anymore, I mean you really care about the family in this one. I never care about the families in horror movies, and it's probably because the movie set the bar too high.

The Green Mile ($3.99 to Rent)

Bring your tissues for this one, it's is one of the most emotional movies ever made. From the same director of The Shawshank Redemption, this is another Steven King adaption that deals with a remarkable man with a gift being put on death row for the death of two little girls. The death row (nicknamed the green mile) guards start to believe that the man may not have done it. This movie is simply beautiful and will undoubtedly bring tears to your eyes.

Whiplash ($3.99 to Rent)

One of the best movies about music ever made. It's has Miles Teller in an Oscar-worthy performance as a young drummer who will do anything to be the best, even if it means putting up with the intense method teacher played by the Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons. Simple plot right? WRONG! This is one of the most intense movies I've seen, I mean you're tense throughout the whole movie. It's a psychological drama. It can be summarized by J.K. Simmons character saying the line, "There are no words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'."

Parasite ($4.99 to Rent)

Look, just get over the subtitles and watch it. Every person who complained about having to read them got over them within the first 15 minutes. It's smart, edgy, and well-acted and very deserving of the Best Picture Oscar.

Ford v Ferrari ($5.99 to Rent)

You don't have to love racing movies to thoroughly enjoy this timeless tale of how Ford took on the impossible task of entering the 24 Hours at Le Mans to beat Ferrari in 1966. Back then, Ford wasn't known for race cars and that's all Ferrari was known for. So, Ford hired American motor icon Carroll Shelby and maverick driver Ken Miles to team up and put American innovation to the test. Watch this with the family, I promise you won't be disappointed.