[em3rgentOrdr]

When it was released in 2008, this sunny tribute to ABBA was the most successful movie musical ever. But the onslaught of Scandi pop from Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep is somehow less central to the film’s success than its location. It’s set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, and the cast and crew set up in the Sporades island of Skopelos. Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) and Dominic Cooper (Sky) romp about in unspoiled Mediterranean coves such as Kastani Beach. In bad news for fans making the pilgrimage to the island, though, the jetty – where we see Sky’s stag-do mates memorably dance in flippers – was temporarily added for the film. Perhaps most striking is Agios Ioannis, where Sophie and Sky are due to be married. This dinky church sits precariously above a 100-metre cliff face in the north of the island, with 202 steps leading to the summit. Sarah James

[hewhocutsdown]

Tarantino’s lauded love letter to late-Sixties LA, and a semi-fantasy version of the city, now (natch) a popular bus tour all of its own. The seductive and enthralling locations are countless – the 1938 Aquarius Theatre, the Puerco Canyon in Malibu, Casa Vega on Ventura Boulevard. How well Tarantino captures the sense of the sprawling movie lots, the vacant extras, the catering trucks, the everyday strangeness of it all. The tone of the movie is phenomenal, capturing not just a fascinating place in time but a newly famous, and doomed, woman in that specific place in time: Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), filmed bowling down the freeway in her convertible, or watching herself in a movie in amazement, or just dancing and laughing at a party in a modernist bohemian enclave of the Hollywood Hills (away from ‘the tired old men and tired old money,’ as Raymond Chandler once put it to describe other Californian neighbourhoods). A woman at the high point of her happiness. ‘Good air, and a view of the mountains,’ Chandler also declared, was the best LA (ie, life) could offer. What more could any of us want? [links]

[Julipan]

‘I love not Man the less, but Nature more,’ Byron wrote. This movie is as much as anything about travelling alone. Christopher McCandless was a restless young American seeking personal revitalisation by hitching towards Alaska in the early 1990s, inspired in part by Walt Whitman (‘I take to the open road’). Emile Hirsch’s McCandless grows ever thinner in leaky boots, his rucksack brimming with guides to edible plants, his hair a dustbowl, scrawny arms eternally on the brink of throwing each meagre item in his possession off a bridge just to ensure he won’t lose the focus of his ideals. Living on what he can forage, he strikes up brief friendships – in that intense, addictive way that any backpacker will recognise – with a catalogue of characters en route. The suspiciously buoyant Swedish campers. The caring older couple keen to offer their advice. The watchful girl with a guitar and a sheaf of sad songs. From the wheat fields of South Dakota and the blue water of the Topock Gorge, everything we see looks gorgeous. Especially the very guts of Alaska itself when we get there – huge skies of winter sunshine. It’s a landscape that eventually consumed McCandless, and its vigour and immensity feel overwhelming.

[just a man]

WILD SCENERY AND LIT-UP nights pull me out of my home office. As does people-watching, and the adrenaline boost of things that are hard for me — like getting lost — and making myself understood in another culture and language. Movies set in foreign backdrops can trigger that “need more” feeling.

[liamwilson1980]

I asked Matadorians what movies make them think of spinning out of their everyday lives for a minute. I’m only 12 for 23 but, thanks to my colleagues, the other 11 are now on my short list.

[5bernardorios2]

Endless Summer is considered a film classic among surfers and is recommended by Tim Patterson . Two surfers follow summer and the best waves around the world. It’s set in the mid ‘60s, so some of the language and stereotypes about the locals are from that era, but the footage is singular, and develops the idea of following your passion in whatever form it takes (in this case waves). more

[Solego]

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

[laurenexbush]

For the romantics out there, this is one of the best travel movies. Wouldn’t you just love to buy a villa in Tuscany and fall in love with a stranger? here

[comboy]

I admit it, after this movie came out, I didn’t drink Merlot for years! Sideways takes us on a road trip through California wine country and it really is filled with amazing performances. more

[matador]

Check it out on Amazon and Read our Article about our experience at Skellig Michael [links]

[roywalsh]

This is considered one of the great comedy travel movies, but I look at it as a drama. John Candy’s character breaks my heart.

[dogparts]

Up in the Air makes you love the idea of travel but it shows the emptiness that the life of a vagabond can lead to if you don’t stay grounded with your family and friends. more

[freeozradio]

Or maybe you're just out of things to watch. Whatever the case, the best time-travel movies cover every genre. Looking for a tug-at-your-heartstrings romance? Try About Time or The Time Traveler's Wife (both of which star Rachel McAdams, who must have a thing for time travel). If a sci-fi action flick sounds more appealing, the Terminator films still hold up. For a goofy comedy, watch Hot Tub Time Machine or Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Like we said, there's something for everyone.

[chrisadamshtm]

Does 2020 have you googling “best time-travel movies” as a last-resort attempt to try and transport yourself to a different version of reality? No, just us? Well, it's certainly understandable. Who wouldn't want to get out of this year, if only for a couple hours? The idea that you could potentially jump into a machine and change the past à la Back to the Future or stumble upon an infinite time loop like in Palm Springs is an interesting thought experiment, to say the least. here

[charlestaylor142]

So Palm Springs is not technically a time-travel movie, but it's definitely time-travel adjacent. The film follows Sarah (Cristin Milioti) and Nyles (Andy Samberg), two acquaintances who find themselves perpetually repeating Sarah's sister's wedding day. Frankly, this rom-com might remind you of your own quarantine time loop (in the best way possible, of course). more

[darich]

[links]

[vorton]

[ralphmcclure]

more