Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had watched a few movies in theaters every year since I was a child, but I had never really been "into" cinema. When I went back home in March 2020 to live with my parents during the two weeks to flatten the curve that somehow lasted more than two years, I decided to watch some pandemic-themed movies, which led me to watch a lot of movies, which led me to develop a substantial interest in films: watching them, listing them, discussing them.
During my lockdown movie-watching, I kept a chronological list on this website of the films that I watched. This page is the descendent of that original page.
A simple list of the films no longer feels appropriate, given that I've tried to make this website much nicer. So, I will write some thoughts after the name of each film below, trying to remember details about these movies as best I can and trying to recollect, as viscerally as possible, how these movies affected me when I first watched them.
I hope that some might find these perspectives more than negligibly interesting, and that some might watch some of the films below based on my recommendation. (Or steer clear of them, as the case may be).
Great film, and a topical one on a list of movies watched during a pandemic. A solid early career performance from Cillian Murphy. A fantastic opening sequence featuring the equally fantastic song "East Hastings" by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Absolutely do not confuse this with the comedy-drama film 28 Days. I like the "happy" (alternative) ending better than the tragic, depressing, realistic one. I guess I'm a dumb American.
Heartbreaking, wonderful movie. Liked the nod to Saving Private Ryan near the beginning, when, after a bomb has exploded in a coffee shop (almost killing our protagonist), you can briefly see a patron who survived the blast walk out carrying her own severed arm. The scene where the fighting stops to allow the baby, the mother, and the protagonist to exit the battleground, and those present are in awe, and then the fighting unceremoniously resumes a few seconds later will stick with you.