10 Movies You Need for Armchair Travelling
Sure, staring at your television screen isn’t quite the same as experiencing a place IRL – watching *Lost in Translation* will always be a different experience from actually wandering the streets of Tokyo. But film does have the power to transport us (it also has Bill Murray sometimes – so there’s that). We’ve rounded up a watchlist of binge-worthy travel movies to help satisfy your wanderlust until you can get back out into the world.
### 01
## Roma
### For the cinematic architecture
An intimate tale told on an epic scale: Alfonso Cuarón’s monochrome masterpiece offers a glimpse into the art nouveau and neo-classical architecture in Mexico City’s Colonia Roma neighbourhood during the 1970s – long before it became hip. The story focuses on an Indigenous woman who works as a maid for a middle-class family and the domestic complications that arise when the husband runs away with his mistress.
Available to stream on: Netflix
### 02
## Crazy Rich Asians
### For the no-holds-barred extravagance
Peer into the lives of Asia’s moneyed dynasties while enjoying a whistle-stop tour of Singapore’s star attractions: the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and the city’s hawker street food stalls. This modern-day Cinderella fairy tale sees a Chinese-American economics professor travel with her enigmatic boyfriend to Singapore for his buddy’s wedding, blissfully unaware of his family’s extreme wealth and status before setting off.
Available to stream on: Crave, Prime Video
### 03
## Amélie
### For the offbeat take on Montmartre
See Paris through the eyes of a quirky dreamer and imagine wandering the winding hillside streets of Montmartre or skimming stones across Canal Saint-Martin’s luminous green water. In this 2001 French language hit, Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) finds subtle, yet ingenious ways to improve the lives of those around her.
Available to stream on: hoopla
Available to rent on: Cineplex
### 04
## Lost in Translation
### For the city lights
Watch Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Bob (Bill Murray) find a connection over drinks at the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt Tokyo before getting lost in Shinjuku and Shibuya’s dreamlike neon labyrinths. Seventeen years after its release, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation remains a hallmark of indie cinema. It is a portrait of overcoming loneliness by choosing to live in the moment – an antidote to feelings of drift and isolation.
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play
### 05
## Sideways
### For the sundrenched vineyards
Pour yourself a glass of red (anything but merlot) and enjoy the ride on this hilarious romp through California’s stunning wine country. Sideways is the misadventure of a has-been actor who surprises his old college buddy – a depressed divorcee and wannabe novelist – with a celebratory getaway to the Santa Ynez Valley and the town of Solvang.
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play
### 06
## The Darjeeling Limited
### For the vibrant landscape
India’s kaleidoscope of colours gets the Wes Anderson treatment as three bickering brothers take a spiritual train journey across India to the Himalayas in an attempt to bond with each other. The Darjeeling Limited contrasts the experience of travelling in a packed train carriage with Rajasthan’s wide desert expanse.
Available to stream on: Prime Video, hoopla
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play
### 07
## Roman Holiday
### For the Italian flair
Two worlds collide in this black and white classic. Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), a reporter for the American news bureau, takes a seemingly intoxicated lady (Audrey Hepburn) who has passed out on a park bench back to his apartment for safety unaware of her royal identity. Mixing Hollywood’s golden age glamour with the charms of the Eternal City, Roman Holiday features landmarks such as the Colosseum, Spanish Steps and the Tiber river.
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play
### 08
## The Grand Seduction
### For the natural Newfoundland setting
Welcome to Tickle Head, population 120. Acquaint yourself with the tight-knit residents of this picturesque fishing village – shoreline views and rocky terrain – on the Newfoundland coast and find out why they are going to such extraordinary lengths to ingratiate themselves with the newest resident: the Cricket-loving Dr. Lewis who is sent to the village instead of prison after being caught with drugs in St. John’s.
>Available to rent on: Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV
### 09
## Lawrence of Arabia
### For the desert vistas
Vicariously immerse yourself in Jordan’s stunning deserts – from the cliffs of Wadi Rumm to Jebel Tubayq’s black basalt rocks – as T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a British army misfit, helps Arab tribes unite and rise up against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Available to stream on: Netflix, Crave
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play
### 10
## Forgetting Sarah Marshall
### For the laid-back tropical vibes
After his girlfriend dumps him, a music composer for a TV show (Jason Segel) heads to the stunning Turtle Bay Resort on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, to heal amid palm trees and white sandy beaches. But his troubles follow him when he discovers she’s vacationing in the tropical paradise with her new British rock star boyfriend. The inevitable hilarity ensues.
Available to stream on: Prime Video
Available to rent on: YouTube, Cineplex, Microsoft Films & TV, Apple TV, and Google Play