Pack the Popcorn! Escape with a Travel Movie
"You've always been crazy, this is just the first chance you've had to express yourself." Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
"Don't fence me in," sang Cole Porter. It's a sentiment we share at Fathom HQ. But as we are practicing some distancing with no getaway plans on the horizon, we're relying more heavily than usual on armchair travel, streaming movies that whisk us away to faraway lands.
Pop some corn, get cozy on the sofa, and roam the world cinematically with these old and new favorites. You'll find a lot to add to your bucket list. And remember: you'll get there soon enough.
To Catch a Thief
What do you get when you add Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, stolen diamonds, and the French Riviera? A Hitchcock masterpiece.
The Endless Summer
Bleach blonde surfer boys leave their California home for an around-the-world adventure in search of the perfect wave.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The mischievous adventures of a legendary concierge at a famous European ski hotel between the wars and the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. Set among the backdrop of Wes Anderson's perfectly imperfect cinematic tone.
Out of Africa
A young Meryl Streep, perfectly draped in neutrals, plays a young Danish coffee plantation owner in 20th-century colonial Kenya who has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited, big-game hunter played by Robert Redford (also in matching neutrals).
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
This playful embodiment of wanderlust follows a monotony-stricken employee (played by Ben Stiller) at Life Magazine who is the undeniable hero of his life — in his dreams.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Before there was Eat, Pray, Love, there was Under The Tuscan Sun, the story of a woman who buys a villa in rural Tuscany after her marriage falls apart. Because a little pasta heals everything.
Before Sunrise
Before the world got wrapped up in the reality TV dramas of The Bachelor and Love Is Blind, we were enamored of a baby-faced Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy strolling the cobblestoned streets of Vienna after hours. In chapter one of the trilogy, the city becomes a part of the love affair, just as Paris would nine years later in Before Sunset, and Messenia, Greece, nine years after that in Before Midnight.
8 1/2
Fellini's gorgeous Italian fantasies, dream sequences, and celebration of imagery — vivid and colorful even in black and white.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Six-year-old Hushpuppy's moving adventures throughout a mythical swampland inspired by Louisiana bayous.
Casablanca
So much to love about the noir classic. The intrigue. The love triangle. The "we'll always have Paris" nostalgia. The world's best American bar in the middle of Morocco. The fateful climax at the airport.
Catch Me If You Can
Jet set travel is at its 1960s best in this caper about a seasoned FBI agent in pursuit of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who, before his 19th birthday, successfully forged millions of dollars' worth of checks while posing as a PanAm pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor.
Encounters at the End of the World
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica, where he finds a desolate, beautiful landscape largely untouched by human hands and a group of unique people willing to abandon civilization and risk their lives to study it.
Wild
With absolutely no experience, a heavy backpack, and determination, one woman hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in search of soul-cleansing self-redemption.
Chungking Express
Wong Kar-Wai encounters love, lonesomeness, and chaos in a hyper real Hong Kong.
Cinema Paradiso
An '80s Italian classic and a love letter to the magic of the movies. Starring Rome, the small town of Giancaldo, Sicily, and an unforgettable kissing montage.
Delhi-6
In this Hindi-language Bollywood delight, old India confronts contemporary youth and attitudes.
Dr. No
A James Bond film that follows 007 to Jamaica as he investigates the death of his fellow agent. Prepare for blue skies, pristine beaches, and wet bathing suits.
Good Bye Lenin!
A German tragic-comedy about a son who must keep his mother from knowing that East Germany as she knew it no longer exists. There is color peeking through the solemn gray buildings.
In Bruges
Two Irish hit men hide out in the picturesque old city of Bruges, Belguim, as they wait on orders from their gangster boss.
Into the Wild
A biographical drama based on Jon Krakauer's book about Christopher McCandless, a top student who drops out of university, donates his savings, and heads alone into the spectacular, unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.
Manhattan
Can you overlook the #MeToo creepiness of a dork like director Woody Allen seducing a young Mariel Hemingway? We understand if you can't, but we still have a soft spot for this black-and-white valentine to our home town.
Midnight in Paris
A charming goof flits between days in contemporary Paris and nights with the bohemian It crowd of the 1920s. Read more on Fathom: Midnight in New York, Dreaming of Paris.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
An aging transsexual, two drag queen sidekicks, and a hilarious romp through the incredible Australian desert.
Roman Holiday
Audrey Hepburn is a princess romanced by a handsome suitor on a Vespa through Rome. Just about as perfect and charming as a movie can get.
Seven Years in Tibet
A 1997 film based on the book by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (portrayed by Brad Pitt) on his experiences in Tibet during World War II. The opening scene of Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, though originally shot in British Columbia, Canada, is absolutely majestic.
The Darjeeling Limited
Wes Anderson takes us to India! Three brothers search for their mother via train and motorbike. Tons of fun, nonsense, color, panoramas, and Adrien Brody along the way.
The Gods Must Be Crazy
A screwball comedy set in the jungles of South Africa. Bonus sequence: A spectacular view of the edge of the earth.
The Kite Runner
A rare look at the beautiful city of Kabul — before, during, and after a series of tumultuous events that reshape the landscape.
The Last Emperor
Expect glorious panoramas of China during the reign of the last emperor, Puyi.
The Motorcycle Diaries
A biographical drama about the journey of famous Marxist guerilla commander Che Geuvara. Starting from Buenos Aires, two blokes and a motorbike travel across Latin America. Follow them through Argentina, Patagonia, Chile, the Atacama Desert, Machu Picchu, and Caracas, Venezuela.
The Night of the Shooting Stars
According to Italian folklore, the Night of San Lorenzo is the night when dreams come true. This 1982 Italian fantasy war film follows a group of Italians who flee their town amidst rumors of a Nazi invasion. It's a fantastical love letter to the beautiful Tuscan countryside. You'll want to go lie under a cypress tree and stare at the stars.
The Red Balloon
A classic film about a boy chasing a balloon around Paris. Will inspire wanderlust in travelers of all ages.
Thelma & Louise
A waitress and a housewife take off in a '66 Thunderbird for a vacation that turns into a nightmare. The quintessential road trip movie set in the West, we particularly love the last scene at Dead Horse Point, Utah.
Y Tu Mamá También
Two teenage boys and an older woman go on a sexy road trip through Mexico in this coming-of-age story directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
La Dolce Vita
The image forever burned into our memory: Anita Ekberg frolicking in Rome's Trevi Fountain.
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