Dystopian Movies & Series to Binge on Whilst Quarantined

I almost named this blog post “We’re All Going to Die Anyway, So Here Are Some Dystopian Movies and Series to Freak You Out Even More”, but I thought Ewan (aka my boss) would veto that… so here we are.

Most of the world has been quarantined, all of the toilet paper and hand sanitiser has been stolen by angry boomers, but hey, we still have the internet? For that reason, the QOS team decided to offer you some lists of what to watch when quarantined.

First up: Dystopias!

Series

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For all of you rich kids with AppleTV+, check out See. The sci-fi drama (starring Jason Momoa, drool) tells the story of a future world, where all people have lost their sight, until one day, where a pair of twins is found, who are able to see! With just 1 short season of 8 episodes (renewed for season 2), this would keep you busy for at least a day.

-> See is available on AppleTV+

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The Handmaid’s Tale! Now, this was an obvious one. Ever since the Margaret Atwood book got picked up for a series (and a film in the 90’s mind you), The Handmaid’s Tale has become a worldwide sensation. Be aware: If you wish to have a full Offred experience, check out the book before watching it (if you’re still able to order any) and then watch the first series. As a purist myself, I refrain from watching on after the first season, which is where the book ends. (Even though yes, Atwood released a sequel to the book 34!!! years after the first one, but it seems more like a capitalist move to me). The series tells the story of a future world where human fertility is at an all-time low, meaning that fertile women now serve the higher-ups of the country, as handmaidens, who are basically baby-birthing machines.->The Handmaid’s Tale is available on Hulu.

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If you don’t mind a subtitle, check out the Brazilian thriller 3%. You will immediately fall in love with the way they say three percent, and the plot, which is SOLID. Very binge-worthy and a great introduction for Brazilian productions. 3% tells the story of an extremely poor Brazil, where every year, the best 3% of every year make it to the “Offshore”, a utopic island, where every single wish you may have is fulfilled.

-> 3% is available on Netflix.

Movies

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Are we over The Hunger Games yet? Nah. In case you have been living under a rock, The Hunger Games books and movies took the world by storm. The Hunger Games follow Katniss through the yearly system of “sacrifice”, which has been implemented through the government of Panem. Also, if you’re interested in seeing the low-rent version of Hunger Games, Divergent is currently available on Netflix.

-> The Hunger Games is available on Amazon Prime

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For those of us with a child’s heart, Wall-E still remains a crowd favorite. The adorable animation introduces us to Wall-E, a clean-up robot left on Earth to clean trash and to find any signs of plants to restart human living on Earth. After Wall-E stumbles upon a beautiful plant, he then sneaks his way onto a rocket onto the humans’ cruise ship in space. All in all, it’s a beautifully heartbreaking story of climate change and the impending problem of drowning in our own trash.

-> Wall-E is available on Disney+

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As you might have noticed by now, this list does not include too many super high-end films or series, because we’re all just here to have fun, right? A stupid fun film to watch is Idiocracy, starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Terry Wilson, Dax Shepherd and many more… Luke Wilson plays soldier Joe Bauers, who wakes up after 500 years of a military hibernation experiment to the dumbest society you could ever imagine. He is then recognized as the “smartest person alive” and is quickly given the task to fix everything wrong with America he has to wake up to.

->Idiocracy is available on Hulu

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Is it even a list if there isn’t Will Smith on it? I, Robot will give you an evening full of action and of the fresh prince of Bel-Air fighting off robots who wish to take over the world. And if I, Robot isn’t enough Will Smith for you, go check out I am Legend, if you haven’t already (it will break your heart).

-> I, Robot and I am Legend are available on Netflix

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I left the spookiest for last: Contagion. In short 106 minutes, you can witness a virus, originating from Chinese bats taking over and killing the whole world. Sound familiar? Yeah, this one will leave you up all night until the end of your quarantine. 

-> Contagion is available on Amazon Prime

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That’s it for today’s list, watch out for new lists being posted both on our webpage and on Letterboxd. For the time being, stay safe and take care!

Edit: Recommendation from Rory: High Rise starring Tom Hiddleston in a high stake drama about the life of residents of a tower block that quickly spirals out of control.

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Queen & Slim

Think you’ve been on a bad tinder date? Well, think again, because Queen & Slim has come to change your mind.

We meet Queen and Slim, an African-American couple, having their first date at a cheap diner. It does not go very well, so they decide to leave and Slim offers to give Queen a ride home. The two aren’t getting along very well and it’s clear that they won’t see each other again. Until a police officer pulls them over. We, as viewers and the duo are then confronted with an agitated police officer, who isn’t calming down. After an altercation, the police officer takes a shot at Queen, grazing her leg, and Slim shoots the police officer in self-defense. 

What do you do? Stay and possibly spend a lifetime in prison? Or do you run and risk everything for the slight possibility of fleeing successfully?

Queen, a criminal defense attorney, decides that in this case, it’s better to run.

Queen & Slim marks the directorial feature debut of Melina Matsoukas, who is best known for working with pop stars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Lady Gaga on some of their most influential music videos, such as Just Dance, We Found Love, Pretty Hurts, Formation and many others. It’s clear that Matsoukas is excellent at making music videos, but features? Not as much.

The film certainly opens strongly and gives the viewer a promise of a great story. In fact, the first 15 minutes might even be the best part. Instead of living up to this promise, the whole story feels like a veeeery long short film, which is stuck in a timeless continuum. The last 15 minutes of the story managed to pick up my interest again for a great finale, even though it felt a bit cliché, to say the least.

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Matsoukas definitely knows how to make a film look beautiful. It has some great shots and is visually appealing, but feels all together very dreamy and unrealistic, which isn’t exactly what the story intends to go for, at least at the beginning. All in all, one could say that the story is mediocre. The execution doesn’t lack in spectacle, but the film is so set on making Queen and Slim icons of the Black Lives Matter movement and all of it so deep, that it just feels forced and overdone. Combine this with bizarre choices in sound editing and the climax pun and it just doesn’t really seem to work. (You’ll know what I mean once you’ve seen it)

Finally, the story all just feels very lucky and unrealistic. The characters never seem to run out of luck. The collaboration of Matsoukas’ directing and the writing by James Frey and Lena Waither just doesn’t mesh well. Matsoukas’ intention is to create an everlasting story, which clearly attempts to become an icon for the Black Lives Matter movement but instead, it just overdoes it and bores. Again, not the first and last 15 minutes though! 

What I personally was able to enjoy most, was the cast. Daniel Kaluuya doesn’t have to prove himself anymore, we all know that he’s a great actor and together with Jodie Turner-Smith the two make a great duo. Also noteworthy are Chloë Sevigny and Indya Moore, the latter giving us some much needed queer representation.

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In conclusion, Queen & Slim is a good movie, but it feels more like a stretched out short film. 

★★★⋆☆

Also, next time, consider Canada instead of Cuba. Your chances might be better.

Release date (Switzerland): 09.01.2020

Release date (USA): 27.11.2019

• Ewan Graf
• Kally Künnap
• Lachlan Thiele
• Michelle Bernet

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Film data: Director: Melina Matsoukas - Screenplay: Lena Waither - Story: James Frey and Lena Waithe - Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson, Indya Moore, Benito Martinez - 131’ - USA - 2019 - Universal Pictures

Photo and Video Source: © Universal Pictures International Switzerland. All Rights Reserved.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You

To All the Boys I've Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You is the second installment in the Netflix teen romance To All the Boys trilogy, which is based on the novels of Cathy Yan. After the huge success of the first To All the Boys film in 2018, the fans were quickly promised the rest of the trilogy. Principal photography was already finished in 2019. The second installment of the trilogy, P.S. I Still Love You, was directed by Michael Fimognari, who’s best known for his work in cinematography in the drama and thriller genre, for films such as The Haunting of the Hill House (2018) or Doctor Sleep (2019). This marks Fimognari’s debut as a director. 

Spoilers ahead! (Even though, the film’s title will already spoil it for you)

The film follows Lara Jean Covey (Lara Condor) navigating through the milestones and difficulties of a teenage relationship with her boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Instead of the perfect relationship she had always imagined of, Lara Jean is constantly reminded of the past: she worries about Peter’s ex-girlfriend daily and more importantly, she receives a return letter from her middle-school crush John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher, replacing Jordan Burtchett) from Model UN, who was also one of the recipients of Lara Jean’s love letters from the first installment. The rest of the plot is painfully predictable, which can leave the viewer especially underwhelmed. 

Yet, P.S. I Still Love You suffers from more than just a predictable plot. The essential part of Lara Jean’s character, the support system of the three sisters, which is emphasized in the first installment, is now almost non-existent. Lara Jean’s sisters are now replaced by a retirement home resident, played by Holland Taylor. This older lady sure is a fun new addition to the story, yet it seems unfitting as Lara Jean’s beloved sisters are now on the sidelines. One can see even more unfitting character development, when Lara Jean’s current boyfriend Peter is suddenly portrayed as (pardon my language) an asshole, and the returned John Ambrose as an angel. 

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The cinematics of the film are fine, it is what you’d expect from a teenage romance on Netflix. What P.S. I Still Love You excels in, is the creation of an idyllic atmosphere, with beautiful use of color, a strong soundtrack and quote-worthy dialogue. The combination of which creates the impression that this film wasn’t intended to be good or award-worthy, but instead, the creators are designing a perfectly repostable facade, appealing to the teenage viewer, which will essentially result in free marketing.

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In conclusion, To All the Boys I've Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You underwhelms with a predictable plot, and problematic character development, which allows for the film to be quickly forgotten as just one of those high school romances. The question now is if the last of the trilogy, To All The Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean, will manage to revive the story from sequel fatigue and present us with a worthwhile end to the trilogy, or if it will follow down the path of many failed trilogies, such as Divergent, Legally Blonde, 50 Shades and so on...

★★☆☆☆

If you haven’t caught up with the first part of the trilogy, don’t bother. If you are a fan of teenage romance stories, such as The Fault In Our Stars or Five Feet Apart, go ahead, you’ll have a blast.

Netflix Release Date (Global): 12.02.2020

Film Data: Director: Michael Fimognari - Writers: Sofia Alvarez, J. Mills Goodloe - Cast: Lara Condor, Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher, Anna Cathcart, Janel Parish, Trezzo Mahoro, Emilija Baranac, Holland Taylor, John Corbett - USA - 102’ - Netflix

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Photo and Video Source: Netflix Switzerland. All Rights Reserved.