Snowpiercer (2014)

While we’re trapped and hoarding toilet paper, I thought it would be appropriate to review a movie about being trapped and hoarding. Unfortunately, it’s not about hoarding toilet paper, but that would be hilarious. No, no, this is a horror film and it’s not for the faint of heart.

The Platform is a Spanish horror/thriller and science fiction film. It was directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and released in 2019, but Netflix found the best time to give it to us. But don’t worry, this film is much, much more drastic than what’s going on today.

The film takes place in a tower-like prison called the Pit, and it’s filled with many levels. There are two inmates per level, and in the center of each level is a giant hole. A platform filled with food descends the hole, and the inmates only have two minutes to eat as much as they can. Unfortunately, those on the upper levels are able to take more food, while those at the bottom only get what’s left…or nothing at all. It’s usually the latter, but the inmates can do nothing about it.

So. You’ve been quarantined. For many of us in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, we find ourselves locked in our houses, with not much to do. We can’t report to our jobs, or our jobs are being done remotely, or our ability to work is vastly restricted. And with all of this free time we have on our hands now, this is the perfect time to catch up on all of those movies we’ve been continuously putting off for a “rainy day.” Well folks, it’s pouring outside, so let’s watch some movies!

These picks are all based on my own subjective opinion, but I’ve compiled a list of different films of different genres across Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and Hulu that I think everyone should watch. If you’ve already seen them, watch them again! These are the movies that, in my opinion, can’t steer you wrong.

1 | Alien (1979) | Amazon Prime 

Directed by: Ridley Scott

While we’re trapped and hoarding toilet paper, I thought it would be appropriate to review a movie about being trapped and hoarding. Unfortunately, it’s not about hoarding toilet paper, but that would be hilarious. No, no, this is a horror film and it’s not for the faint of heart.

The Platform is a Spanish horror/thriller and science fiction film. It was directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and released in 2019, but Netflix found the best time to give it to us. But don’t worry, this film is much, much more drastic than what’s going on today. It is simply a movie after all, albeit a terrifying one.

The film takes place in a tower-like prison called "the Pit", and it’s filled with many levels. There are two inmates per level, and in the center of each level is a giant hole. A platform filled with food descends the hole, and the inmates only have two minutes to eat as much as they can. Unfortunately, those on the upper levels are able to take more food, while those at the bottom only get what’s left…or nothing at all. It’s usually the latter, but the inmates can do nothing about it.

Each month, the inmates are randomly assigned a different floor. So it’s pure luck if they’re able to get to an upper level, but it’s a terrible one if they get a lower. While contained in these cells, they’re able to bring one item with them. One character brings their dog, while another brings some rope.

The film stars Iván Massagué Horta, who plays a man named Goreng. He brings along the book, Don Quixote, in which some of the themes, such as chivalry, play out in the film. Goreng shows signs of chivalry, a contrast to other characters who show nothing more but ignorance as they fend for themselves.

Okja, Bong Joon-Ho’s 2017 masterpiece, is a satire on corporate greed and comments on animal cruelty with a very diverse perspective. The film takes place in a post-modern world where The Mirando Company has genetically modified giant pigs and placed them with farmers around the world to see what farming techniques will rear the best “super pig.” The (fictional) Mirando Company will hold a contest after 10 years, hosted by zoologist and spokesperson Dr. Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) to present the world’s best super pig at a ceremony in New York City. Mija (Seo-hyun Ahn) and her Grandfather (Byun Hee-bong) live in South Korea with Okja, Mija’s best friend and an incredibly intelligent super pig. After visiting the farm in the stunning mountains of South Korea, Dr. Johnny Wilcox chooses Okja to attend the celebration of super pigs in NYC. Mija, an unbelievably strong young female lead, goes on a ridiculously dangerous and chaotic adventure to rescue her best friend, Okja. 

Space Sweepers takes place in an all-too-plausible future where the Earth has been rendered almost uninhabitable by pollution and climate change. Those who can afford to have fled to space, with the wealthiest living in luxury on a colony owned by the UTS corporation. A Mars colonization effort is also underway, spearheaded by UTS’s founder and CEO, James Sullivan (Richard Armitage). The less fortunate survive by fighting over space debris to sell as scrap metal.

The premise requires a healthy dose of exposition, and the first 20 minutes of the film occasionally drag as a result. It helps that an exhilarating chase-sequence and stunning shots of the colony’s artificial biosphere break up the rounds of info-dumping. Eventually, the film focuses on the ragtag crew of a scavenging ship called Victory, led by the hard-drinking and unscrupulous Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri). Her crew includes Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), a jaded ex-soldier who defected from UTS’s private military; Tiger Park (Jin Seon-kyu), an engineer and former drug kingpin who narrowly escaped execution on Earth; and Bubs, a former military robot in the process of forging her own identity. The plot takes off when Tae-ho discovers a stowaway on board the Victory: an adorable young girl named Kot-nim (Park Ye-rin) who may or may not be a dangerous android in disguise. What ensues is both a surprisingly heartfelt tale of found family and a scathing indictment of classism.