Saturday 07 November 2020 6:24 am  |  Updated:  Monday 09 November 2020 11:14 am

The Morning Wire weekend: How to have fun during lockdown

By: Life&Style Writer

This is not the weekend we wanted, but it’s the weekend we have to make do with. As we enter another period of lockdown, there are no galleries, cinemas, restaurants or places to have fun of any kind.

So here’s the weekly Morning Wire culture and entertainment round-up, lockdown edition. Over the next few weeks we’ll give you the lowdown on how to stay sane in the age of covid.

Board games

For decades board games lived largely unloved lives, their battered boxes pulled off dusty shelves on rainy days and holidays.

But times have changed. Geek culture has become pop culture, and lockdown has only accelerated our desire for physical, social experiences. Now board games of dizzying complexity are multi-billion pound enterprises, played by City bankers as well as nerdy teens. 

So if you’re looking for ways to survive lockdown 2.0, here’s our guide to some of the best board games out there.

Thankfully you can kill two birds with one stone – supporting your favourite chefs and taking a little restaurant methadone – by ordering in some of these amazing home delivery kits, which we will be rounding up every week through lockdown.

Restaurants-in-a-box

The prospect of another month without restaurants is frankly too much to bear, especially with the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping. Thankfully you can support your favourite chefs and have a slap-up meal, all without breaking quarrantine. Find out how in our comprehensive guide, which we’ll update every week.

Our wines of the week

We could all do with a drink right now – and our new wine columnist Dom Jacobs has some recommendations that are perfect for whiling away a chilly lockdown evening. Check it out here.

Streaming

Prepare to spend another month in front of the TV. Thankfully there are some excellent new films out this week, and remember that renting new movies isn’t just a great way to pass the afternoon – it’s also helping to keep the industry alive, so you can feel good about yourselfg while you’re at it.

Our critic James Luxford says Tsai Chin’s performance in new film Lucky Grandma is one of the best of the year. She plays Grandma Wong, an elderly Chinese woman living in New York’s Chinatown. Resentful of her declining health and at risk of losing her independence, she hops on a bus to the local casino where, she hits a winning streak. 

Chasing the buzz, her luck runs cold and she leaves penniless. On the bus home, she happens to sit next to a mob accountant, who drops dead, leaving her with a bag full of money. Making off with the cash, she finds herself with a bunch of criminals on her tail. 

While it sounds a little cliche it’s really a character piece – and a brilliant one at that.

As foreign travel is pretty much a no-no for the forseeable, why not take a trip through the magic of cinema in indie gem Luxor. Andrea Riseborough plays Hana, a British surgeon who arrives in the glamour of Luxor for a break, having suffered an unspoken trauma.

While its thoughtful tone and leisurely pace won’t be for everyone, London-born filmmaker Durra has crafted a character study that rewards those who pay attention.

If you’re looking for something a little more… mainstream, perhaps it’s time to jump back into The Mandalorian, which has just started its second season.

We’ll be reviewing each episode as it airs, starting with this one, which is an absolute banger. Maybe lockdown won’t be so bad after all.

Or just write a novel instead

If none of that appeals then why not make a start that novel that you said you were going to write during the first lockdown? If you’re looking for inspiration, we interviewed someone who actually did write a novel over the summer – and plans to start a sequel during lockdown 2. Read our interview here.