STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND
You could spend some quality time alone with Tom Hanks simply by renting Castaway (2000), a top-notch entry in the “lost on a desert island” category. Mr. Hanks added another Oscar to his bulging trophy case for this splendid performance. Mr. Hanks’ FedEx plane crashes and only he survives with an eclectic but mostly useless amount of cargo. His struggle to endure and prevail both physically and mentally is extremely engaging. Some critics quibble with the opening and closing portions of the film; I disagree and think they add to the drama.
Perhaps Daniel Defoe founded this popular species of story in the 18th century in Robinson Crusoe. Certainly the idea of being lost on a desert island has had immense appeal through the ages. One of the best films of this type is in fact The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954) which features Dan O’Herlihy in a fine adaptation of the Defoe classic. By the way, the 1996 version with Pierce Brosnan is a dog.
Only a small half step back of the 1952 entry  is Crusoe (1988) with Aidan Quinn as Robinson. Beautifully shot in the Seychelles, the story is enriched by making Crusoe a slave trader and Friday a black man. Who needs whom the most?
In The Black Stallion (1979), the desert island inhabitants are a small boy and a magnificent black horse. Though it is quite good throughout, the first hour on the island is cinematic magic. 
In Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) the strandees are Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. Ms. Kerr is a nun and Mr. Mitchum is not and they are thrown together 
on an island crawling with Japanese soldiers during World War II. The situation is an
intense test of the moral fibre of each and the acting could not be better.
We’re Not Dressing (1934) is the musical rendition of The Admirable Crichton and is far superior to the straight version that surfaced in 1957.  When upper crust folks are stranded with their resourceful servant, the tables are deftly and delightfully turned. With Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Ethel Merman, and George Burns and Gracie Allen, this is still a charming treat over 70 years later.
Swiss Family Robinson (1960) features John Mills as the father of an incredibly inventive shipwrecked brood. Chased into a storm by pirates and then cast ashore, they prove adept at making the best of things. Okay, the tamed wild animals and the convenient inventions stretch way beyond the boundaries of belief. But it’s so much fun it doesn’t matter! 
While the 1963 version of William Golding’s classic Lord Of The Flies is better than the 1990 remake, neither is very good. 
All of the movies in this column are available on DVD and for streaming.  All are ok for kids 8 and over, though some might not hold their interest.