Neuman’s Movie Monday-Winter Movies

With it being so bitter cold, we look at the movies that are also suffering from the winter blues. We did exclude Christmas Movies, Hockey Movies, and movies about Jamaican bobsledders.

10. Ice Age

If we are talking about being in the winter, we might as well talk about what it must have been like when the entire earth was covered in ice. When these animals have to return an infant back to the human tribe, the three become unlikely heroes. Overall it's a pretty good movie and really it's about as cold as cold can be.

9. Dumb and Dumber

"It got a little nippy going through the pass air." It's always important to have some foresight. Well Lloyd had the foresight to wear an extra pair of gloves when headed to the Rockies. Harry on the other hand had hands that were freezing. Not only did Harry get some gloves but also had a sweet skiing get up even if he didn't get to hit the slopes once due to... LOOK! FROST!

8. Frozen

This movie took America by (winter) storm. It seems like since this movie came out in 2013, everything was Olaf or "Let it Go" or "Do You Want to Build a Snowman." It's a pretty good movie but it didn't exactly blow me away. It is weird to think that the writer of "Let it Go" (Bobby Lopez) was also the writer of the Tony Award winning, Avenue Q, and a co-writer for The Book of Mormon with the creators of "South Park."

7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

 As soon as Lucy goes through the wardrobe she is transformed into this winter wonderland. Plus when the enemy is the White Witch, you know that she's cold hearted as well as cold in the air. With snow all around, even Mr. Tumnus looks cold with no shirt on.

6. Fargo

I once took a movie criticism class in college and the instructor called "Fargo" the greatest American movie ever made. I would not go that far at all. I wish I had seen "Fargo" and had an opinion on it when he made that claim because I would have whole-heartedly disagreed. Here's the thing about the Coen brothers, they can make great characters but they don't know how to end a movie... "Fargo" included. Don't be so shocked by the wood chipper to realize that the true ending is a shot in the leg... oh boy. But it should be on this list considering Fargo, N.D. is cold cold cold! The coats are as thick as the accents.

5. Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

I don't know if this one is cheating but if we had a movie where Earth was completely covered in ice, it shouldn't matter that Hoth is as well. It's so cold on Hoth that they just bolt electrical wires right to the ice. They know that the ice isn't going to melt and short-circuit the wires, so they just go with it. When Luke is trapped out in the harsh environment the only thing that can keep him warm is the innards of his Tauntaun (and I thought they smelled bad on the outside.)

4. Grumpy Old Men

Set in Minnesota, this movie just looks cold. Whether they are sitting out in their ice-shanty or dumping snow on each other from the roofs of their own house, cold plays a big part of this fantastic comedy. It's not only set in a Minnesota winter, winter isn't even the season that it's in. It's actually set in and around Thanksgiving. But it's such a cold fall, that the lakes are all ready frozen over and the ice fishing season had all ready begun.

3. Groundhog Day

Even if the weather man predicted no snow, snow happened and Punxsutawney got dumped on with snow. The whole point of the movie is to celebrate the groundhog who is supposed to tell us if we are going to have an early spring or six more weeks of winter. But when you live the same day over and over again, winter never ends. I have always appreciated the fact that February is only 28 days (typically) but Phil spends February 2nd over and over for 8 years, 8 months and 16 days. Now that's a long winter.

2. The Hateful Eight

I have never hidden how much I like this movie or Tarantino movie's in general. This one has some of the most brutal winter weather we've ever seen. With high winds and plenty of snow fall, it's difficult to warm up just watching this movie. It doesn't matter if they have to bolt the front door closed with 2 nails, wrap up in multiple blankets, or if you have no choice but to drink the coffee. (Spoiler alert... don't drink the coffee.) This cold Wyoming setting is perfect for these 8 to all get trapped together. But who gets to leave?

1. The Shining

The cold plays a huge part in this movie. The whole resort is shut down during the Colorado winter and it's up to these 3 to be caretakers for the resort. There's nothing like getting stir crazy when you are cooped up in the winter. Even if you have the whole place to yourself, you can still crave the outside world and these 3 can relate to that fact. It's the ultimate winter movie. As good as Jack Nicholson is in this movie, you have to feel for Shelley Duvall. This movie drove her crazy. Stanley Kubrick was so mean to her to literally drive her insane. Kubrick made her do so many takes and yelled at her so much that she gave him clumps of her hair that had fallen out due to the stress she was under while filming. The ending shot has turned into a popular meme, and you either know what I mean or it's time to watch "The Shining".