If you're living/visiting along the northeast coast, you're most likely snowed in! And when there's nowhere to go and you're stuck inside, why not curl up and watch a good film? Here are nine films to watch about the cold while you stay nice and toasty inside!
Wind River
Directed by Taylor Sheridan
Starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham, Kelsey Asbille, Julia Jones, and Jon Bernthal
One of THE BEST investigation procedural mystery thrillers I've seen in a very long time! The story is reminiscent of a great American novel, but it is all written by filmmaker Taylor Sheridan. The plot involves U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), who finds the dead body of a young woman he knows in the frozen wild lands of Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The investigation is soon turned over to rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), and the two team up to try and find out what events lead to the woman's death. The story has a wonderful cast of complex characters, with tense, nailbiting moments, as you're left guessing who's the culprit. By the movie's end, there is justice but it doesn't feel like it's enough -- which makes it all extremely realistic. Overall, the story is a captivating thriller with solid performances and I would easily recommend it to anyone searching for a truly good film.
Beautiful Girls
Directed by Ted Demme
Starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Michael Rapaport, Uma Thurman, Natalie Portman, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Mira Sorvino, Martha Plimpton, and Rosie O'Donnell
One of my favorite comedies from the 1990s is this indie gem which focuses on small-town life, returning home and bittersweet lessons of growing up. Timothy Hutton stars as struggling New York pianist Willie Conway, who returns home to Knights Ridge, Massachusetts, for his high school reunion, and looks for answers on whether to marry his girlfriend as well as whether he should quit being a pianist and get a "safe" job. He reconnects with old buddies who are also going through similar growing pains. A delightful comedy with plenty of great performances.
Alive
Directed by Frank Marshall
Starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton, Kevin Breznahan, Sam Behrens, Illeana Douglas, Jack Noseworthy, Bruce Ramsay, Danny Nucci, and Jose Zuniga
Based on the true story of an Uruguayan rugby team who were involved in the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed into the Andes mountains on Friday, October 13, 1972. The film follows the group of rugby players who survived and their harrowing ordeal of surviving not only the wild but the freezing temperatures! When they learn the rescue search has been called off, they must struggle to save themselves.
The Shining
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers
To me, The Shining is one of those rare cases which pretty much never happen with film adaptations of books -- specifically, I equally love the original novel by Stephen King and the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation. Jack Nicholson here is a man possessed. He becomes Jack Torrance. This film was one of the first true mental mindf#*%s of a film in that you don't quite know what's real and what isn't. The isolationist, wintery cold feel of the film and its setting add to the terror of the story, as well as -- near the end -- the cold. But what is most creepy here is the concept of a dear loved one as suddenly becoming a rampaging, murderous maniac. Kubrick's photography -- assisted heavily by cinematographer John Alcott -- help to surround the viewer in Torrance's world as well as his son, Danny's, and his wife, Wendy's (Shelley Duvall). By the end of the film, even though each character's fate is shown quite distinctly, you're still left feeling not quite sure what the hell is going on ... in a good way! This is another notch in Kubrick's successful film career, well worth watching over and over.
The Thing
Directed by John Carpenter
Starring Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, and Richard Masur
Based on the 1951 film The Thing From Another World (which was loosely based on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There?), you won't find a much gorier '80s horror movie than this John Carpenter classic! Halloween may be somewhat iconic, but The Thing is Carpenter's best film! The story works on a person's paranoia of "how much do I really know anybody?", putting the ragtag crew of an American research station in Antarctica against a creature that can assimilate the appearance of any living thing. According to Carpenter, this film is the first in his Apocalypse Trilogy (the other two films being Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness). The performances are all well and good but it truly is Rick Baker's creature special effects and makeup that makes this film so memorable ... especially in a day and age before CGI. If you're looking for the perfect film to give you the heebie-jeebies, look no further!
Frozen
Directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana
Based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Snow Queen, Frozen follows a fearless princess (Kristen Bell) who sets off on a journey alongside a rugged iceman (Jonathan Groff), his loyal reindeer, and a naïve snowman (Josh Gad) to find her estranged sister (Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have inadvertently trapped the kingdom in eternal winter. A perfect musical tale for the kid in all of us!
Mystery, Alaska
Directed by Jay Roach
Starring Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, Mary McCormack, Burt Reynolds, Colm Meaney, Lolita Davidovich, Ron Eldard, Maury Chaykin, and Scott Grimes
A forgotten film from the 1990s but a good one. The story centers around the fictional town of Mystery, Alaska, where ice hockey is a way of life, and the small, lovable local hockey players rally together to play an exhibition game against the New York Rangers. For many of the men, this is a chance to shine and possibly win a spot with the Rangers. The film is mostly a dramedy than a sports film, but it's sure to please!
Snowpiercer
Directed by Joon-ho Bong
Starring Chris Evans, Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Ah-sung Ko, and Alison Pill
Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, this story takes place in 2031, aboard the globe-spanning Snowpiercer train which holds the last remnants of humanity after an attempt at climate engineering in order to stop global warming has unintentionally created a new ice age. Chris Evans stars as a lower-class passenger who begins a revolution against the upper-class seated at the front of the train. This is a rollicking action film, full of plenty of drama and just the perfect film to watch when cooped up indoors, especially in tight spaces!
Fargo
Directed by The Coen Brothers
Starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, John Carroll Lynch, and Kristin Rudrud
I have to admit I'm not crazy about this film, but I would definitely be remiss if I didn't mention it in this countdown purely on the fact that the film takes place in Minneapolis and North Dakota, two states which have some of THE COLDEST winters in the country! The film takes place in the winter of 1987, and Oldsmobile sales manager Jerry (William H. Macy) cooks up a plan to make money to pay back a lucrative loan by having his wife kidnapped and have his father-in-law pay the ransom, which will help pay off his loan. However, things go sideways and get all messed up in this black comedy crime film from the Coen Brothers.
Are there any movies featuring the cold you can think of that I missed? Any films you enjoy watching on a cold day? Sound off in the comments!
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