Quarantine Part 2 Calls for a Quarantine Watch List Part 2!

2020 is almost over; I expect 2021 to be equally as bad considering America is heading towards quarantine 2.0. As a reminder, the mask goes over your nose!

See, President Lincoln knows how to wear one properly!

Now seeing as quarantine 2.0 is likely going to happen sooner rather than later, I bring you a movie list. Much like earlier this year, today you will see a list of five book to movie adaptations to watch when you’re back in quarantine! Isn't this fun!?

As Beetlejuice would say: "It's Showtime!"

5. Starting us out at number five is the classic Universal monster film Dracula. Is this a good book-to-movie adaptation? No, not really. Is it still a great film that cemented vampires as one of the most iconic horror movie villains/monsters of all time? Yes, yes it is.

Released all the way back in 1931, Bela Lugosi stars as the titular Dracula. The rest of the cast is rounded out with David Manners as John Harker, Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, Helen Chandler as Mina Seward, and Frances Dade as Lucy Weston. The film was directed by Tod Browning and Karl Freund and has a runtime of 75 minutes.

The film follows the plot of Bram Stoker’s novel decently well with the infamous Count Dracula stalking the English country side for victims. Some of the characters are removed or changed from the original novel. Some plot points are given the same treatment. Both things are done to better fit the film. Listen, spooky season may be over, but you can’t go wrong with this classic monster movie; especially with that runtime. Seriously, that runtime is great if you’re looking for a quick watch.

4. At number four we have The Help. The Help was written by Kathryn Stockett and was published in 2009. Two years later, a movie by the same name was released. The Help is the story of Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960’s. It follows Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, two African-America maids who work for high society families in Jackson. Both the novel and movie follow the racism they face from their employers. Enter Skeeter Phelan, a young woman with a dream of being a writer, and her first big work will be a collection of interviews from the black woman who spend their lives serving the racist, prominent families of Jackson.

The film boasts an all star cast with Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark, Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson, Emma Stone as Skeeter Phelan, Jessica Chastain as Celia Rae Foote, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly Holbrook. The film adaptation was written and directed by Tate Taylor. This film’s runtime clocks in at just over two hours at 146 minutes.

This movie may be on the longer side, but it’s one of the movies I will watch every time it’s on. It’s basically a scene for scene adaptation of the novel; which I deeply appreciate. This film makes me cry and laugh every time I watch it. And now that I’m writing about it, I kind of want to go watch it again for the millionth time.

3. At number three, I bring you The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The book, written by C.S. Lewis, was published all the way back in 1950 and was the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series to be published. The film adaptation I am referring to didn’t premier until nearly 60 years later in 2005.

This story follows four siblings, Lucy, Susan, Peter, and Edmund Pevensie, who find themselves transported to a fantasy world via a magical wardrobe they discover in an old country manor they are staying at. This world, known as Narnia, is full of talking animals, mythical creatures, and mystical prophecies. Speaking of prophecies, the Pevensies find themselves fulfilling one of these prophecies and now must save not only themselves but Narnia as well.

This film stars William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley as the Pevensie siblings. The film also stars Tilda Swinton as the White Witch and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was directed by Andrew Adamson and has a runtime of 143 minutes. This is another long film, but it brings me back to my childhood. I vividly remember going to the movies with my dad to watch this film; along with it's two sequels. And, ya know, after nearly two decades this films still holds up. The children acting isn’t horrible, and the CGI still looks better than a lot of stuff being produced today.

2. At number two I bring you another vampire film. This time it’s Interview with the Vampire. The film premiered in 1994 and was based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel of the same name. This is the story of Louis who was turned into a vampire back in 1791 and it details his life with the vampire who turned him, the pair’s surrogate daughter Claudia, and discovering other vampires all over the world.

Rice also wrote the screenplay for the 1994 film, and it was directed by Neil Jordan. Interview with the Vampire boasts an A-list cast of Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, Kristen Dunst as Claudia, and Antonio Banderas as Armand. The film runs for just over two hours at 122 minutes.

To be honest, this film can be a mess at times, it's a very faithful adaptation, but it has a lot going on. Kristen Dunst is doing the absolute most as Claudia and is a high point of the film while other members of the cast flounder in my eyes; I’m talking about you Brad Pitt. Honestly, I must just be in the mood for vampire films. Interview with the Vampire is another great vampire film in the hall of vampire flicks that I highly recommend watching once if you never have.

1.Bringing us in at number one is The Hunger Games series. I’m not talking about just The Hunger Games, not just Catching Fire. I’m talking about all four films in the series. The Hunger Games trilogy was published between 2008-2010, and the films were released between 2012-2015.

For those of you who don’t know what this series is about, it follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen as she takes her younger sister’s place in the country’s, a dystopian North America known as Panem, battle royale type “game” where 24 children fight to the death each year. After Katniss emerges victorious from the games, Panem is on the verge of rebellion and she’s going to be at the face of this rebellion whether she wants to or not.

The films stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. Other supporting actors include Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, and Julianne Moore; just to name a few. The first film in the series was directed by Gary Ross while the final three films were directed by Francis Lawrence. In total, the four films make up a total of ten hours, and I can’t think of a better way to spend an entire day if I’m being quite honest.

The quality of the films goes down the longer the series goes on, but like I said, The Hunger Games films are a great way to spend a day. Grab some snacks, a bunch of pillows and blankets, and settle in for a great movie binge with this series.