The best feeling one can experience is the cool breeze on a nice fall day. Take in the beauty of the leaves changing color and rest on the ground after a fall from the trees. Plus, imagine that Halloween is just around the corner; you’ve got the costume and the basket for candy – but the next day, you wake up to Christmas decorations in your living room. Killjoy, right? However, now that Thanksgiving is over, people can properly transition into winter by embracing the feeling of both seasons through comforting movies. Whether it’s a thriller to give you a scare or a heartwarming rom-com to lull you into a nap, here are some classics for you to dive into this season.
1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by the infamous Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a beautifully crafted stop-motion picture film that internalizes the theme of greed. In the movie, the gracious Mr. Fox, played by George Clooney, breaks a promise to his wife Mrs. Fox, played by Meryl Streep, where he puts his life and communities in jeopardy due to his animalistic instincts. This drives him to steal from 3 gluttonous farmers – each more dangerous than the other. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean – the three B’s – all equally mean, ‘one’s fat; one’s short; and one’s lean.’ This movie is so emotionally charming yet so gruesome and deep dives into self-destructive behavior. The film also spends an extraordinary amount of time showing other important themes of family, friendship, and trust. This picture conveys the empowering message of uniqueness to oneself and how that is the path to genuine happiness.
2. The Breakfast Club
Released in 1985, The Breakfast Club has become a long-time favorite for many people over the decades. The movie revolves around a group of kids who have a Saturday-day detention – all of whom have little in common due to their different social circles and cliques. Throughout the film they come together as a group to digest and break down the social stereotypes that initially separate them from one another. The Breakfast Club is admired for its significant portrayal of teenhood and the way it operates in creating situations and characters audiences can relate to. Not to mention, it takes place during the school year which primarily focuses on the colder seasons. Yet, just like Fantastic Mr. Fox, this flick covers the importance of self-discovery and uniqueness within oneself since it heavily focuses on the differences between each person. Coming from a high school student, this movie is a must-watch.
3. Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a cult classic sci-fi thriller directed by Richard Kelly that explores the extraordinary topic of time travel. Although the film was released in 2001, it’s set in the 1980’s. Portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie narrowly avoids death and then has hallucinations of a giant bunny rabbit by the name of Frank, who then tells Donnie that he has 28 days until the world ends. Consequently, he becomes increasingly obsessed with time travel. This movie weaves through existentialism, mental illness, and blurred lines between reality and imagination. Navigating ordinary life and an alternate reality, the audience experiences lessons of the tangent universe and what it all means to Donnie. The movie can be complicated at times, but it presents importance in the theme of identity, teen angst, and alienation. Let it be said that this film is great for family watch parties (perhaps without children), especially the ones that enjoy thrillers!
4. Sleepless In Seattle
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are two of the most popular stars of the 90s, but Sleepless in Seattle is one of the only films where they work alongside each other. This movie explores the great combination of romance and comedy, and follows a widower by the name of Sam (Hanks) who lives in Seattle and a journalist Andie (Ryan) in Baltimore. Sam’s son Jonah (Ross Malinger) calls a talkshow hoping to help his father find a new wife; as he tells his story, he didn’t know that Andie was listening. Even though she was engaged, Andie was drawn to Sam’s story. This film has a thematic depth regarding independence and connection since the way they come together is through Jonah. Romance, drama, and a lot of hope make Sleepless in Seattle the perfect movie for your love-longing late nights.
5. The Sixth Sense
Released in 1999, The Sixth Sense marks the debut of the renowned M. Night Shyamalan . The movie follows a psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, played by Bruce Willis, who spends time helping a boy by the name of Cole Sears, played by Haley Joel Osment. Through the film Cole interacts with ghosts, and at a certain point Crowe can see them too. The Sixth Sense is a complex masterpiece that is able to convey the importance of communication, redemption, and perception. If you are a fan of horror movies and still love to shed a few tears, this movie would be great for your watchlist.
6. A Rainy Day in New York
Starring Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez, A Rainy Day In New York is a slow-burn romance film that revolves around a college couple Gatsby and Ashleigh (Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning) on a weekend visit to New York; Gatsby wants to visit his hometown while Ashleigh is off interviewing a film director for her school’s paper. When the two are separated, Gatsby runs into an old friend, who insists he does a small scene for a film project. While filming, Gatsby meets his ex-girlfriend’s sister Chan (Selena Gomez) who is playing another role for the movie. A Rainy Day In New York is a slower-paced film yet an easy watch for familiarly cold nights with a warm cup of hot chocolate.
7. Isle Of Dogs
With yet another Wes Anderson masterpiece, Isle Of Dogs is another stop-motion picture with incredibly alluring thematic depth and emotional expression. Set in the fictional city of Megasaki, Japan, an outbreak of ‘Dog Flu’ overflowed in the streets – infecting house dogs, fosters, and strays – all dogs have been infected. Eventually, the disease began to infect civilians, so Mayor Kenji Kobayashi banished all dogs to Trash Island. Now present day, the audience meets a group of dogs, Duke, Rex, King, Boss, and a grumpy leader named Chief, who witness a plane crash into the island. After investigation, a little boy is discovered – he’s come in search for his missing dog. On a heart-felt journey, they all set off to help this kid find his dog. This film has the heartwarming ability to bring people together.
8. The Twilight Saga
Before becoming a cult-classic series of movies for the young adult audience, Twilight had immense popularity among teen readers. While the movies are a little ‘cheesy’ and have a wide range of reviews, the vampire-themed romance films discuss identity, belonging, and the importance of family. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is sent to live with her father, Charlie, in Forks, Washington, and she then falls in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a vampire. Exploring the areas of complex relationships, there’s conflicting love with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a shapeshifting werewolf, creating external issues as vampires and werewolves have had long-term rivalries. This is perfect for romance and drama enjoyers, just make sure you are prepared to cringe (a little).
