During the beginning of Quarantine there were plenty of lists dedicated to great films to watch while at home. So with the world getting somewhat better, if you want something to distract you and make you question life, the universe and everything around it, in no particular order, here are some of the best. There were plenty of films and TV that could have made the list (The Cat from Outer Space, James May: Our Man with a Plan), but these were just the ones that stood out.

Willow (1988 – Disney+)

    This is a film about a midget and Val Kilmer who have to take a baby, who can save the planet (or something, I kinda missed that part) to a magical wizard, things get out of hand when they discover the wizard is a rat. The film was a Lucasfilm production, so there’s a ton of inspiration from Star Wars, and a little Indiana Jones, to the point where I would say the villain is basically the Emperor from Return of the Jedi, and there’s an action scene that ripped nearly straight from Temple of Doom. 

     There’s no one word to describe it. When you watch the film, it feels as if you’ve been taken to another dimension. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you. There’s a lot of fun to be had, and the special effects still surprisingly hold up well today for the most part. Nothing perfect, but clearly something that could only originate from the endless mind of George Lucas. 

Dirty Money: Episode 5, “The Maple Syrup Heist” (2018 – Netflix)

     Oh, you still think Tiger King is a big deal? Dirty Money is a documentary series on Netflix showing different aspects of corruption with different corporations. This specific episode deals with a heist that spending over the course of several months in 2011-2012, in which $18.7 MILLION DOLLARS OF MAPLE SYRUP WAS STOLEN IN QUEBEC CANADA. Let me make it perfectly clear that this is real, it actually happened. If you have any fascination with Canada on any level, please seek this out. This very well could be the greatest heist film never written. 

Over the Top (1987 – Amazon Prime Video)

     Over the Top, winner takes all, loser takes the fall! A film in which Sylvester Stallone arm wrestles other truckers in order to get custody rights of his son back. At one point you see a low angle shot of Stallone in his truck; with one arm he’s driving, and with the other he’s curling a dumbell.

     There is lots of entertainment value here, but if you’re studying how to write a good screenplay, maybe don’t seek this out. There are many, many plot holes. It’s a film about arm wrestling while covered in sweat and baby oil, not an arthouse film. Over the Top is exactly what the title markets. 

Can of Worms (1999 – Disney+)

     This is the film that inspired this list’s inception. This Disney Channel film might be the weirdest film ever made. When small, minuscule, tiny events bother the life of high schooler Mike Pillsbury, instead of speaking with the school counselor or his friends, he sends an intergalactic message into space saying that he wants to leave earth. Things change around for him, when he gets more than one response. (There will be some small spoilers in the following two paragraphs.)

     You will constantly find yourself asking, “What is going on?” during a typical viewing experience. One of the aliens that shows up is a dog, but it’s made very clear throughout the film that he’s not actually a dog, that’s just the form he takes in the film. This makes a part later in the film, where the dog asks for he’s ears to be scratched, make you sit up and think really hard at what he’s actually asking, considering he’s not really a dog. 

     In the beginning of the film, Pillsbury tells a story about an alien race that he made up. Then, later you discover that the same alien species is actually real, meaning that this kid is so intelligent that he was able to create an entire race, in his mind, but they’re also real. Crazy stuff, man. I’m not even sure if the writers knew what they had done. Put National Treasure 3 on hold, let’s see a sequel to this. It’s time to re-open the can of worms!

     There you have it, this was just a fun, short list of entertainment. If you have access to these streaming networks, these might make you smile in these hard times, or again, even just distract you. These options may remind you there’s more to the universe than politics, or grades.