By Carla Rubio

Spending months at home during quarantine to practice social distancing has led many to turn to different forms of entertainment. With an abundance of spare time, activities such as scrolling through social media, picking up new hobbies, and taking advantage of popular streaming platforms has become the new routine.

These streaming services—Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, and Amazon Prime—have been especially useful to catch up on movies that many might be missing out on.

Here’s a list some popular all-time favorites to fill in on during a pandemic-filled lockdown: 

Parasite

After winning the “Best Picture” award—debatably the most anticipated prize at the Oscars—along with three other big categories, the Korean movie instantly reached Hulu’s home page and grabbed the attention of many due to its cleverly executed themes of class discrimination and greed. It follows a South Korean family of four, living underground and struggling to keep a stable job or commodities, as they fabricate a plan to trick a wealthy family into hiring them all.

Train to Busan

Yet another Korean hit, this thriller follows a father and daughter traveling by train during a deadly zombie outbreak. Once a bitten woman climbs onboard, the events that follow are horrific (and nail-biting) as the trapped passengers must find their way to safety amongst the undead citizens. Although the movie was released in 2016, now is the perfect time to watch it as the sequel—Peninsula—will soon be released.

Hamilton

Every theatre kid’s biggest dream came true when the hit Broadway show was filmed with the original cast and began streaming on Disney +. Alexander Hamilton’s story is told through comedy, rap, and clever wordplay throughout 46 songs, and every moment is filled with incredible vocals and emotion. The show manages to capture the attention of those that aren’t history buffs or theatre lovers.

Get an outlook on the Hamilton movie here.

Fight Club

This 1999 film is truly a classic with Hollywood favorites Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. It surrounds two men who begin an underground fight club with a specific set of rules that expands beyond control. The movie gains its popularity from the huge plot twist and the message it sends: resistance to the norms of society.

Matrix

Lastly, but most certainly not least, this sci-fi action movie is loved by many due to its indescribable impact and eye-catching cinematography. Despite being released about 20 years ago, the film that follows a computer hacker who learns the truth about his convoluted reality is ahead of its time, to put it mildly. This film and its two sequels are at the top of every sci-fi lover’s list and has been watched even more upon its Netflix release.

So get comfortable and huddle up with some friends for a quarantine-filled showtime, because these classical, yet diverse sets of movies and shows are a must-watch.