From romance flicks to action-packed blockbusters: Classic films to distract during lockdown

Here, film writer Dan Morris takes us through some of his top picks from classics currently available via three of the biggest steaming providers.

Get the popcorn out and get comfy. Lights, camera, distraction....

Goodfellas

Netflix

First out of the gate, and with very good reason.

Goodfellas is arguably the greatest gangster flick of all time, and some say Martin Scorsese’s finest work.

The 1990 masterpiece follows the journey of young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) into the warped yet glamourous world of the New York Mafia.

With Henry’s rise through the ranks come the tribulations and indeed ‘trials’ of gangsterdom, and bonds of fraternity that were thought unbreakable are put to the test.

With stunning performances from Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Goodfellas is simply one of the greatest films ever made.

If you haven’t seen it, let lockdown be your excuse. If you have... watch it again.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Netflix

Hugh Grant, eh. Where would we be without that trademark 90s flop-top that perpetuated ‘Mr Very English’ for well over a decade?

In the inaugural partnership between the rom-com royal and genre godfather, screenwriter Richard Curtis, we see Grant at his boyish finest, tackling a life as the guest of never-ending nuptials without ever tying the knot himself.

Charles’s (Grant) life changes when he meets Carrie (Andie Macdowell) at the wedding of a friend, and falls hard and fast.

Following a one-night encounter, American Carrie disappears from Charles’ world, only to resurface at another wedding three months later with a fiancé in tow.

Charles’ feelings are unchanged, but will this be the end for the comically-crossed lovers?

A fantastic feel-good effort featuring a repertoire of best man’s speeches that are sure to help you giggle your way through isolation.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Disney+

“You’re off the edge of the map, matey... here there be monsters.”

It’s a pirate movie. And while this should be ‘nuff said, it’s also Disney’s finest live-action effort (pause for effect...) ever created.

Before the House of Mouse became hell bent on rehashing all of its classics into ‘live-action-that-aren’treally-live-action’ remakes, it struck gold with a beautifully bankable live-action franchise that gave us some of the most enjoyable characters of 21st century cinema.

And this was the flick that started it all.

Blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) finds himself on an eccentric adventure to save the love of his life, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), from a villainous band of undead pirates.

With the eerie Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) leading the ship of scabrous sea-dogs, Will recruits the only the man who may be able to help him – the one and only, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)... “savvy?”

With outstandingly moreish performances from Depp and Rush, this movie may be the best ‘little lads’ film’ ever created. If its managed to pass you by I’m not sure where you’ve been.

Last Vegas

Amazon Prime

A sublime nod to age being nothing more than a number, this twilight outing of four of Hollywood’s finest pros leaves us wanting to retire to ‘Sin City’ as soon as we are able.

The last single man standing in a cohort of aging pals, Billy (Michael Douglas) is about to walk down the aisle with his girlfriend of less than half his years.

However, not before best buds Archie (Morgan Freeman), Sam (Kevin Kline) and Paddy (Robert De Niro) throw off the shackles of old age to join him in planetary party capital Las Vegas for a weekend none of them will ever forget.

Four brilliant veteran actors having the time of their lives – it will leave you with a smile you will never shake off.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Disney+

A story of a relatively unknown band of Marvel misfits that became one of the biggest hitters of 2014.

Whether you love the Marvel multiverse or not, Guardians of the Galaxy is almost guaranteed to get you giggling and provide a bit of light relief during these testing times.

After having been abducted from Earth at an early age, shambolic outlaw Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is forced to work with an equally unconventional crew to stop intergalactic warlord Ronan (Lee Pace) in his quest of destruction.

With superb voice work from Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel respectively in bringing a raccoon and a tree to humourous life, Guardians of the Galaxy will change the way the uninitiated look at the superhero flick.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Netflix

One of the greatest comedic tales of valour, chivalry and medieval mediocrity that has even been told.

A triumph of send-up and slapstick, this outing of the infamous Pythons gives us their hilarious take on the Arthurian legend.

After recruiting men to join the fabled Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his squire, Patsy (Terry Gilliam), lead said knights on a quest to find the eponymous Holy Grail.

Their journey becomes fraught with danger and hilarity as they encounter a world of colourful characters including the dreaded Knights Who Say “Ni” and the terrifying Rabbit of Caerbannog.

Also starring John Cleese as Sir Lancelot the Brave, and Eric Idle as Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot, this timeless flick is a daft laugh from start to finish. And if you can’t get silly at times like these, when can you?

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Disney+

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the greatest story of sacrifice, romance, comingof-age and good-versus-evil ever told was born.

Admittedly, it was born with the predecessor to this film, yet as we can’t monopolise this entire list with the Star Wars saga (or could we?), its second but finest offering takes the spot.

Following the destruction of planet-killer space station, the Death Star, Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his friends Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are in hiding with the Rebel Alliance on the ice world of Hoth.

But though the evil Empire may have had a setback, it doesn’t take the Emperor’s right hand man Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) long to track our heroes down.

As our protagonists are thrown on separate journeys across the galaxy, bounty hunters, treachery and family revelations ensue in the greatest work Lucasfilm ever created.

The Imitation Game

Amazon Prime

Benedict Cumberbatch excels in this story of wartime cryptography and tortured genius.

When Britain declares war on Germany in 1939, mathematical prodigy Alan Turing (Cumberbatch) travels to Bletchley Park to join a team of codebreakers tasked with cracking the Nazi Enigma machine.

Though difficult to work with, Turing soon proves to be the team’s integral spark. But will his genius be enough for them to complete their work, upon which millions of lives depend?

With excellent support from Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode, this exploration of the life and work of one of Britain’s greatest ever minds may be Cumberbatch’s finest performance to date.

A superb piece of filmmaking that cannot be ignored.

True Grit

Netflix

Based on the 1968 novel of the same name, the second adaptation of this tale to film features Jeff Bridges at his cowboy-clad finest, and is a superb effort by directors Ethan and Joel Coen.

Feisty farm girl Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) enlists trigger-happy law enforcer Cogburn (Bridges) to track down the man who murdered her father.

Joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), they embark down a road of danger in which grit is in no short supply.

Definitely one for the gunslingers out there, who after watching Bridges in action, may well be rocking eye patches of their own.

Fight Club

Amazon Prime

Brad Pitt excels in one of the stand-out roles of his career and a cult classic that became one of the most talked about films of the 90s.

Opposite Pitt stars Edward Norton as the unnamed Narrator – an insomniac left unfulfilled by a soulless job and a boring life.

On board a flight he meets soap salesman Tyler Durden (Pitt), a man whose charisma and impulsive spirit are the yin to the Narrator’s yang.

Following a recreational fistfight outside a bar, the two form an underground club where similar men can go to fight and to feel.

As the lives of the men become further intertwined, their world becomes more sinister, and all is far from what it seems.

Controversial and brilliant, Fight Club is a film that demands your complete attention. But with superb support from Helena Bonham Carter, this is happily given.

Definitely one to get the cogs turning – a perfect cerebral stimulant for lockdown.