Do you stay in the city for all the holidays, but your friends go somewhere else? Is winter weather not conducive to active outdoor recreation? Or do you just like to lie down on the sofa under the Christmas tree and watch something? Then we are coming to you - with our list of films that will brighten up your leisure time!
All people are different, and IT specialists are no exception. Some people like TV series, while others like films no longer than an hour and a half. Our selections, for convenience, grouped by scenarios, will satisfy the tastes of everyone.
Scenario 1: Relaxation
The end of the year turned out to be busy. You tried to meet each of the deadlines and felt like... no, not a jockey overcoming obstacles, but the horse under his saddle. But now it's over. You have several days of complete peace ahead of you, and more than anything in the world you want to return to your childhood, when the only deadline that bothered you was September 1st. A Christmas Carol . The cartoon, originally voiced by Gary Oldman and Jim Carrey, is based on the classic Dickens story. The director is Robert Zemeckis, known to us from at least three parts of Back to the Future and Forrest Gump. In this cartoon, three Christmas spirits come to the main character Ebenezer Scrooge, making him remember the past and think about the future. And as a result, he gets into the Christmas spirit and becomes less of a Scrooge.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . We are talking about Tim Burton's 2005 work. An excellent film about dreams coming true, about fantasy and childhood. Starring Tim Burton's favorites Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Edward Scissorhands. Another Tim Burton film that can be watched endlessly. About an artificial person who found himself in the world of real people and was not ready for it. That the ability to love is what truly distinguishes humans from non-humans, regardless of their origin. And about the dream of true happiness, which forever remains in our soul, no matter how old we are.
Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus . An absolutely fabulous story - just for those who want to briefly return to childhood. Santa Claus's son, Nick, has a problem - he just can't meet his love. Until he gets married, the family “business” will not pass to him. But everything changes after Nick meets single mother Beth Andrews, who no longer believes in miracles.
The 10th Kingdom . This short series, consisting of several episodes, tells the story of a girl who finds herself in a parallel world, which was visited by the Brothers Grimm a couple of centuries ago. Well, the main character literally ran into the kingdom straight from Central Park in New York in an attempt to save the dog, and it turned out to be not just a purebred dog, but an enchanted prince. In fact, this is not a simple fairy tale story at all. She is quite an adult, and the problems raised in her are raised by adults.
The Hudsucker Proxy. A very eccentric comedy by the Coen brothers, filmed back in 1994, takes you to New York, and precisely in the New Year's time. It is stylized to resemble films from the Golden Era of Hollywood (50s). Naive but bright Norville College graduate comes to New York to find a job. However, he has no experience, so he has to be content with working as a courier. At the same time, Norville has an ace up his sleeve - a kind of invention from the “this is for children” series, which no one takes seriously because of its simple drawing (circle). The head of the board of the company where Norville works commits suicide, and... and all this happens before the new year.
Scenario 2. Christmas classics in the original language
You love to watch what is traditionally associated with the New Year (read: it is constantly shown on TV during the New Year holidays). But you are a rational person, and you’re not sure that it’s worth wasting time—even idle time—on the 20th viewing of “Home Alone.” Hmm... let's combine business with pleasure! No, we are not suggesting that you give up your vacation and do some tasks (although, who are we kidding, of course we do. But you can also watch a movie during the break). Let's remember that you and I are IT specialists, and we really need English. Why not watch your favorite New Year's film again, but in English? Star Wars . Classic episodes 4-6, 1977, 1980, 1983. Most likely, there is no point in retelling the plot of this saga. You have probably watched it several times, and with a high degree of probability - in winter. Take it to the next level - try to figure out what Yoda means in the original language!
Gremlins . Small American town. The main character, student Billy, who works part-time at a bank, receives a very original gift for Christmas - an terribly pretty creature. Well, then the mess begins. The English in this horror-comedy is quite simple, so you can watch it in the original language, even if you passed by Gremlins all these years.
The Nightmare Before Christmas . God himself ordered Tim Burton's cartoon to be watched in English, since it is a musical filled with bright and memorable melodies.
The Fifth Element . Distant future. Overcrowding, capsule apartments. Taxis fly, blue aliens perform operatic arias on stage, and scientists recreate the fifth element, which is lucky enough to take the form of Milla Jovovich. This comedy fantasy action movie is traditionally shown on TV closer to the New Year.
Scenario 3. Best TV series
Early winter night (that is, somewhere around 16-30). You are not going to sleep before midnight. You go to the refrigerator, where yesterday’s “Napoleon” is hiding... You are not afraid of obstacles (for example, your mother’s “Aren’t you going to burst, baby?”). You are going to spend several hours alone with your tablet watching a series - and no one will lead you astray. Fargo . If you like high-quality pictures with very beautiful winter landscapes, black humor and the Coen brothers, this is for you. The series was preceded by a film of the same name, directed by the aforementioned brothers. Then came the first season, in which the spineless protagonist Lester gets into real trouble. He meets a thug who offers to kill the bad man who offended Lester. But he is not used to limiting himself to murder alone... And Lester turns out to be not so helpless. By the way, the series received many awards and prestigious nominations. In particular, the Golden Globe and Emmy.
" Firefly" If the name Joss Whedon means anything to you, don't pass it by. If he doesn’t say anything, then most likely it’s too early for you to drink alcohol, but still, come here too. It would be more correct to call this creation a “space western.” And even though he only lived for one season, something else is important – his quality. The plot centers on a spaceship and its crew. The series also won an Amy, even if only for special effects. The closure of the project was so displeasing to Whedon's loyal army of fans that he had to shoot a full-length film - Mission Serenity (2005).
" True detective" The main characters, played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, are very different from each other (one is a family man, the other is a closed loner), but together they investigate a complicated story. In the past, the heroes were able to stop a serial killer, but 17 years later the case was reopened. The viewer is shown two lines simultaneously: the events of 1995 and 2012. This series is usually liked by men who associate themselves with McConaughey's hero. Therefore, if you want to watch something “masculine,” this is the place for you.
“The house of cards” . This series is worth watching for at least three reasons. The first and obvious one is to be surprised and indignant, to examine and receive aesthetic pleasure. It was filmed really beautifully, the actors played wonderfully, the plot was good, intriguing and sometimes sinister. The second reason is to understand what Netflix is, which produced this series. This company is a real phenomenon in the business world because it has already successfully changed its business model twice. The first time, I switched from renting DVDs to online display, the second time, from streaming to producing my own content. And finally, the third reason is because Kevin Spacey is really great as the President. And, due to the recent scandal, all scenes with him will be replaced.
The Big Bang Theory . This is a long series (Season 11 is currently airing), but if for some reason you missed it, catch up! It’s hard to find a person with a higher technical education who doesn’t like four weirdos: two physicists, an Indian astrophysicist and a skinny Jewish engineer. If you can’t or don’t want to watch the original, I recommend the translation from Courage-Bambay. And if you're already a TBBT fan, check out its spin-off Young Sheldon, which premiered in fall 2017.
Scenario 4. New series
You are a fan of modern TV series, but you have already watched everything from the list above, and even much more. But lately things have overwhelmed you, and you practically missed the year and the 2017 season. What should I do with myself? Darkness . Do you love the theme of time travel, but have you already watched Back to the Future 100 times? Try to evaluate the new series "Darkness". The main action takes place in Germany, in a provincial town with one nice feature - the presence of a nuclear power plant. Every now and then people disappear without a trace in the city. But the main question to ask is not “where are they?”, but “when are they?” The series is very atmospheric and can be binge-watched, making it a great candidate for holiday viewing.
Silicon Valley . If you don’t want to forget about your future favorite programming job, even during the holidays, here it is. A sitcom about startup friends trying to sell their development - an extremely effective data compression algorithm. In 2017, the fourth season of the series was released.
Stranger Things . The warm lamp atmosphere of this series attracts even those who have never been to the 80s, that is, were born when they were already over. The main characters, 12-year-old boys, live in a small American town, and grow up without our Internet, since it’s the beginning of the eighties. One day one of the boys disappears without a trace. At the same time, a girl with telekinetic abilities escapes from a secret government laboratory. The series contains a lot of quotes from the classics of American cinema - “E.T.,” “It,” “Alien.” The series turned out to be very successful: the second season was released in the fall of 2017, and next year we are guaranteed a continuation.
Rick and Morty . The third season of this sci-fi animated madness was released in a year that will one of these days become history. "Rick and Morty" follows the misadventures of a cynical, alcoholic scientist, Rick, and his grandson Morty. The series began as a parody of Back to the Future, but has long since become an independent project, having received a vocation for its original humor and creativity.
Twin Peaks . The third season, which appeared in 2017, is not suitable for everyone. Frankly speaking, not even every fan of the first two seasons, released in the early nineties. But if you want to get into a completely different reality and puzzle over something much less logical than Java problems, or not puzzle, but just watch something crazy, but skillfully filmed - welcome to Twin Peaks, Washington State .
Scenario 5. Films for companies
You are sitting quietly at home, watching the series from the list above. And suddenly the doorbell rings - friends come pouring in. A flowchart appears in your head, where one branch leads along the slippery slope of increasing the degree, and the other offers a harmless alternative in the form of watching some blockbuster together while eating pizza. " Avengers" There is everything here - heroes and beautiful women in the person of Scarlett Johansson, gadgets and struggle, large-scale destruction and all kinds of weapons. Everything to spend a pleasant evening with friends without taxing yourself too much intellectually. If you're not a fan of comic book movies, read on.
The Aviator . Suitable for viewing in a male company for those who are no strangers to engineering. This is a film based on the life of American millionaire and inventor Howard Hughes. It is about achieving goals and pursuing dreams, about heaven and earth, about what makes outstanding people such.
The Imitation Game . This film will appeal even to girls who are far from mathematics. After all, Alan Turing is played here not by someone else, but by Benedict Cumberbatch. And even though his hero’s orientation is questionable, his charisma does not disappear from this. There is also a lot of passion in the film: decoding the Enigma has become not just a complex puzzle, but also a moral dilemma.
Sensation (Scoop) . Even those who are not Woody Allen fans enjoy watching this work of his. Perhaps it’s the aforementioned Scarlett Johansson, or maybe Hugh Jackman? But most likely, this is still the plot and humor. An aspiring journalist receives a message from the other world - from a deceased scribbler who learned a sensation right in Charon's boat - and is eager to share it with someone. The heroine Scarlett takes on this task together with Woody Allen, who plays an old illusionist.
1+1 (Intouchables) . It's hard to find a person who wouldn't like this film. If for some reason you missed it, then this is exactly the moment. It's about how a disabled man and a restless young guy found in each other what they were missing in life. It's not the easiest movie, but everything ends well. Which is good for the New Year's mood.
Whatever you decide to watch this holiday season, we wish you a good new code!
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