Oscar-Worthy Travel Movies: My Top Ten Films About Flying, Hotels, Aviation, Miles & Points

A thread http://landofmiles.com/2021/04/22/oscar-worthy-travel-movies/

Oscars are just around the corner and I've been streaming a lot of movies at home in an attempt to watch the contenders before the April 25th awards ceremony.

That's how I discovered one of the films included in this list of my top ten films about travel, planes, hotels, aviation, and the miles and points hobby.

During the pandemic I watched another five hundred films, included many old favorites. Nine of them are included here and still make me smile when I watch them. All are fun--my main criterion. I hope you'll enjoy them, too.

10. Crazy Rich Asians ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2018)

Crazy Rich Asians, starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Yeoh, is set primarily in glittering Singapore, following a flight in suites class (JFK-SIN) on a Singapore Airlines lookalike.

This film will make you fall in love with romantic comedies and move Singapore to the top of your travel list.

If you're stuck at home during the pandemic, put on your Singapore Airlines PJs, grab your popcorn, and wallow in the opulence of Crazy Rich Asians.

Top inflight movie.

Fun fact: Most of Awkwafina's lines as Peik Lin Goh were improvised.

Rent or buy from Amazon or watch with HBO Max.

9. Die Hard 2 ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099423/) (1990)

Die Hard 2 takes place on Christmas Eve at Dulles International Airport where vacationing cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is waiting for his wife's flight.

Terrorists take over the air traffic control system and he has about 58 minutes to stop them before his wife's plane--which is circling the airport--runs out of fuel.

During the action-packed decathlon of violence that follows, McClane jumps onto conveyor belts, is ejected from a cockpit, and leaps onto the wing of a moving airplane. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.

As fun as it is unlikely, Die Hard 2 is terrific entertainment.

Disclaimer: I don't like violent films but like this one because IAD is in the Commonwealth of Virginia--my home state.

Rent or buy from Amazon or watch with Cinemax.

8. Sully ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3263904/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2016)

Sully, a/k/a Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, is biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.

The film follows the 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Sullenberger, on the Hudson River, and the subsequent publicity and NTSB investigation.

Cast includes Laura Linney, Katie Couric, and Anna Gunn.

Rent or buy from Amazon.

7. The Terminal ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362227/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2004)

The Terminal is a comedy-drama film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski, an Eastern European man stuck at a JFK Airport terminal after being denied entry into the US because of passport and visa complications resulting from a coup in…

…his country that took place while he was in the air.

As farfetched as it may seem, the film was partially inspired by the true story of the 18-year stay of a passenger in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (1988 to 2006). The Terminal will make you laugh and cry and feel good about the world.

Cast includes Stanley Tucci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Kumar Pallana.

Available on Prime Video and Hulu.

6. Up In the Air ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2009)

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, and racking up airline miles (ten million is his goal).

His hobby and his lifestyle, which includes casual hookups, is threatened when a new hire (Anna Kendrick) presents a new business model that would eliminate his travel.

Beautifully written, smart, funny, bittersweet, and entertaining. Clooney at his best.

Cast includes Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, and Sam Elliott.

Rent or buy from Amazon or watch with HBO Max.

5. Airplane! ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/?ref_=vp_vi_tt) (1980)

A laugh a minute, Airplane! takes off with a near-perfect cast. Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves (Pilot), and Leslie Nielsen (Doctor) head up a brilliant ensemble. It's absolutely silly and a bit naughty, too, but if you need a good laugh, get a boarding pass for this one.

The dialogue is unforgettable. A timeless classic.

Cast includes Ethel Merman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julie Hagerty, and Robert Hays

Memorable quote: Pilot:  Surely you can't be serious. Doctor:  I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.

Rent or buy from Amazon or watch with STARZ.

4. Lost in Translation ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2003)

A romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Fading movie star (Bill Murray) Bob Harris is having a midlife crisis when he travels to Tokyo to promote Suntory whiskey.

He meets a neglected young woman (Scarlett Johansson) who is staying at the same hotel and the two form an unlikely bond.

Globalists will recognize supporting actor Park Hyatt Tokyo.

Rent or buy from Amazon.

3. Catch Me If You Can ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) (2002)

This is a hugely watchable and fun account of the youngest person on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Leonardo DiCaprio delights as Frank Abagnale Jr., a skilled, bold, and charismatic forger who passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot.

Cast includes Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, James Brolin, Ellen Pompeo, Elizabeth Banks.

Rent or buy from Amazon.