Dive Into Winter With These Movies | Arts and entertainment
Fall films are bursting with color; winter films quietly glow in icy white tones. If you’re looking for something to watch while you wait for the temperatures to rise, here are a handful of entertaining movies that take place during the colder seasons. (I’ll leave out the more obvious choices but, of course, “Groundhog Day,” “Fargo,” “The Shining,” and many other snow-capped classics are always worth revisiting.)
“Force Majeure” (2014): In this Swedish film (not to mention the dubious American remake, “Downhill”), a couple have a moment of truth after a sudden avalanche at a ski resort – their instinct was to protect their kids, his was to pick up his phone and run. It’s in the opening of the film; the rest elegantly examine the cold between them, in a setting where the snow sparkles like diamond sand. (Streaming on Hulu, Kanopy, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“Last Vacation” (2006): Queen Latifah plays a department store employee who takes a lavish winter vacation (in the snowy town of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic) after learning that she no longer has only a few weeks to live. Not the most original of places, but Latifah’s open and honest performance transcends the storyline, creating a character that is immediately close to your heart. (Showtime, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“Little Women” (2019): Greta Gerwig’s enchanting adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about her family doesn’t take place entirely in winter, but that’s enough – the Christmas scenes, Amy falling through the ice, the crackle of a warm fireplace – which I consider part of the season. It is a film that will warm the coldest hearts. (Starz, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“March of the penguins” (2005): an art house surprise upon its release, this nature documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman is a charming dive into the life of the Antarctic penguins, who return to their breeding grounds every year in a repetitive cycle. (Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
‘The Mountain Between Us’ (2017): This film, in which two near-strangers played by Idris Elba and Kate Winslet find themselves stranded on top of a mountain together, is not a masterpiece – in fact , it couldn’t be more silly – but considered a fantasy novel, it’s a lot of fun. Admit it: wouldn’t you love the chance to be stranded on top of a mountain with Elba, whose character here is sort of an outdoorsman / superhero who maintains impeccable grooming even afterwards? weeks without interior plumbing? Oh, and there’s a dog too. (Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“A Simple Plan” (1998): I wrote about this Sam Raimi movie last year in my Movies with Moira series, but I throw it here because I’m always surprised how many people don’t. heard. On a snowy afternoon in a small town, three men find a crashed helicopter, a dead pilot, and a bag containing millions of dollars in cash. What they do next, and how it changes them, makes the viewing absolutely fascinating, with stellar performances by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. You will shiver, for many reasons. (Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … And Spring” (2004): From the late South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, this beautifully meditative film takes place on a small monastery raft floating on a tree-lined lake, as two of the monks watch the seasons go by. The scenery is exquisite over the years, but winter – with the mirror of the lake clouded over and its waterfalls hardened in silence – is most spectacular. (Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)
“Wind River” (2017): Taylor Sheridan’s tense and thoughtful film is about a murdered young woman and an obsessed investigator (Jeremy Renner) – familiar territory, but “Wind River” is unusual in that he is less interested in the details of the crime than in the ice cube of grief in his heart. Snow falls in waves in the film’s Wyoming hills, and Sheridan lets the drama unfold slowly, allowing the cast’s lovely words to float in the cold air. (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu)