Isolation Film Club

A week or two into the initial UK lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic I was feeling very lonely and isolated and decided to watch a film. After having a chat with a couple of people on Twitter we decided it would be nice to watch a movie “together”, each of us pressing play at the same time on the same film and chatting online as we watched. I decided to invite other people to join us. Then we discovered Teleparty, a chrome extension that allows you to share a link for others to access a Netflix stream together and join a text based chat alongside. And Isolation Film Club was born…

We celebrate our 1st birthday this week after a full year of watching movies together. I say celebrate, because despite the circumstances in which it was formed, we have created a little community made of people, most of whom don’t know each other and have never physically met, that provides a little break in the madness, some comfort, support and laughter and that should be celebrated. Even the weeks where I can’t really be arsed fill me with joy by the end because I get to listen to other people supporting each other, even if that’s as simple as rolling their collective eyes at a poor film choice.

One of my personal favourite things about Iso FC is that the social element is text based. There’s no feeling of being ‘on camera’, you can wear your pj’s or be cooking the dinner without anyone staring at you. The text chat removes the pressure but maintains the social sense of being together. Sometimes it throws up some hilarity like when we try to ‘sing’ happy birthday to someone via text or during Straight Outta Compton when the chat revolved around sourdough starters.

During the less lockdowny times we revert the club to once a month but for now it’s every Wednesday, 8pm. And please note: there’s always room for more and it’s never too late to join in. Some people come every week, some drop in now and again but we all feel a little less alone because we are there together for 90 to 120 minutes a week.

The gang asked me to provide a list of all the films we’ve watched so far, which you’ll find below. I will update it as we go. Thank you, Film Clubbers, for all you have done for me in this weird-ass time <3

Isolation Film Club 2020

1. TRUE ROMANCE (16 March 2020)
2. Hook (weekend matinee)
3. Thelma & Louise
4. Beetlejuice
5. Cabin in the Woods (late night screening)
6. Blades of Glory
7. Rock of Ages
8. Straight Outta Compton
9. 21 Jump Street
10. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
11. Labyrinth
12. Groundhog Day
13. Goodfellas
14. Jurassic World
15. Blues Brothers
16. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
17. Life of Brian
18. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
19. Jurassic Park
20. Brother Where Art Thou
21. Reservoir Dogs
22. The Dirt
23. The Truman Show
24. Contagion
25. Zombieland
26. Christmas on the Square / Nativity
27. Galaxy Quest

2021

28. The Hangover
29. Smokey & the Bandit
30. Zodiac
31. Deadpool
32. Mean Girls
33. Shaun of the Dead
34. Easy Rider
35. Snakes on a Plane
36. Clueless
37. Falling Down
38. BIRTHDAY! – Blinded by the Light
39. Zoolander
40. The MEG
41. The Time Traveller’s Wife
42. Twister
43. Ghostbusters
44. Stardust
45. Dirty Dancing
46. The Big Lebowski
47. Rocketman
48. JAWS
49. E.T.
50. A Star Is Born
51. The Matrix
52. School of Rock
53. Seven
54. Last Christmas

2022

55. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
56. Drop Dead Fred
57. Ocean’s Eleven
58. Bad Boys
59. Joker
60. Eurovision
61. Bohemian Rhapsody
62. Airplane
63. Girl, INTERRUPTED
64. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

2023

65. The Breakfast Club
66. As Good As It Gets
67. Pride
68. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
69. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
70. Stand By Me
71. Sing

2024

72. Pulp Fiction
73. Crazy Stupid Love
74. Miss Congeniality
75. Good Will Hunting
76. Forrest Gump
77. Titanic