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Christmas is over but we still have plenty of cold winter days left. Fortunately, there are plenty of (non-Christmas) movies to entertain us this winter. Ranging from heartwarming to horror, choose one of these nine Wintertime films to watch!
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Considered to be one of director Wes Anderson’s best films, The Grand Budapest Hotel tells the story of a young lobby boy named Zero who works under the concierge Monsieur Gustave H. who gets accused of murder. Full of Wes Anderson’s iconic dry humor and gorgeous cinematography, The Grand Budapest Hotel combines beautiful sets, colors, and direction with an amazingly complicated story.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): Ryan Gosling stars as an antisocial man who shocks his family and the rest of his small town by purchasing a life size sex doll who he seems to be convinced is a woman that he has been seeing. Everyone around him must follow the advice of the local psychiatrist and pretend that the doll, who he has dubbed Bianca, is a real person. Lars and the Real Girl is a warm story with a shocking amount of heart and love and a great early performance from Ryan Gosling.
Fargo (1996): In a cold Minnesota town, a man named Jerry Lundegaard has found himself in debt. He decides that the only solution is to hire two men to kidnap his own wife. When the plan goes awry, a local pregnant cop finds herself investigating the triple homicide left behind. Written and directed by the Coen brothers, Fargo is a hilarious dark comedy guaranteed to entertain.
Lady Snowblood (1973): Often cited as the inspiration for modern thrillers like Kill Bill Volumes One and Two, Lady Snowblood is a Japanese tale of revenge. Yuki has been raised as an assassin for the sole purpose of doing away with her late mother’s abusers. Lady Snowblood is a violent and important film, and endlessly exciting.
The Trial (1962): Set in a surreal, bleak world this Orson Welles deep cut adapts the famed Franz Kafka story about a man who is arrested for a crime, only no one will tell him what the supposed crime is. Starring Psycho actor Anthony Perkins. The Trial’s oppressive, wintery atmosphere embraces Kafka’s disdain for court systems.
Paddington (2014): When Paddington, a rare type of talking Peruvian bear loses his uncle in a storm, his aunt decides to send him to London, where he hopes to find the explorer who discovered their species many years ago. However, this proves to be difficult as no one in London is as kind or as willing to help him as he expected…Until he meets the Brown family. Paddington is the sweet heartwarming story for everyone looking to feel good.
Hugo (2011) : Orphan boy Hugo Cabret has lived by himself for months, taking care of the clocks of a French train station. He spends his time stealing mechanical parts from a nearby toymaker to rebuild an automaton left to him by his father. Hugo then meets a curious girl, the goddaughter of famed silent filmmaker Georges Méliès and the toymaker Hugo has been stealing from. Director Martin Scorscese shows audiences his love for cinema through this beautiful adaptation of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”.
Groundhog Day (1993): Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray as a cynical middle aged news reporter who finds himself stuck in a time loop, repeating the day he is meant to report the Punxatwany Phil event in Pennsylvania. He ends up growing fond of the beautiful producer who has come along with him to the small town. Groundhog Day is the perfect February comedy.
The Shining (1980): Writer Jack Torrence brings his wife and son to an isolated hotel to act as a caretaker for the empty building during the winter. Eventually the isolation, or perhaps the ghosts inside of the hotel, drive Jack to act out against his family. Based on the book by Stephen King who was inspired by his stay at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado’s Estes Park, making The Shining a Colorado classic.
Andrea "The Schis" Schisler is a senior at Poudre High School. She has been held on suspicions of being a dork. She failed her driver's test twice and should be regarded as extremely dangerous. If seen, do not attempt to reason with her. It won't work.