Chill out with a surprising wintry mix
Summer has officially arrived, which means vacations, baseball and flip-flops galore. But it also means heat, humidity and a lot of sweat. If the warmer months already have you a bit exhausted, USA TODAY’s Kelly Lawler recommends taking a short vacation to a cooler place with these TV shows and films. Watching snow fall on screen in the blissful cool of air conditioning will almost make you miss winter.
IF YOU WOULD WELCOME THE PHRASE “WINTER IS COMING”: GAME OF THRONES
We’re less than a month away from the seventh-season premiere of the HBO juggernaut, which arrives later than usual because of production schedules. That’s fine by us because a nice blast of Westerosi winter is just what we’ll need when the fantasy show comes back July 16. In the meantime, you can catch up on the intrigue, war and death that led us to the sure-to-be explosive season. Stream it on HBO Go/Now.
IF YOU WANT A ROMANCE AS SWEET AS FRESH SNOW: SERENDIPITY
Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) meet on a perfect, snowy night in New York City in this slightly twee but enjoyable romance from 2001. The pair put their names and phone numbers out into the universe in the hopes that if they are meant to be, they will find each other once again. The film follows their journey over several years. Stream it on HBO Go/Now
IF YOU LIKE CHRIS EVANS AND APOCALYPTIC TALES: SNOWPIERCER
Sometimes snow is not so pretty. Director Bong Joon Ho’s film follows the last survivors of humanity who have boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that saved them from the onset of a new Ice Age. The film, which stars Chris Evans as well as Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and the late John Hurt, is a visceral, slightly absurd and incredibly powerful story about survival, told in the director’s distinctive style. Rent it on Google Play, iTunes or YouTube.
IF YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE WINTER OLYMPICS: COOL RUNNINGS
You’ve probably seen Cool Runnings — loosely based on the story of the Jamaican national bobsled team — several times on cable over the years. But a particularly hot and humid day is the perfect time to revisit the Jon Turteltaub-directed and John Candy starring comedy, which follows the first Jamaican bobsled team all the way to glory at the Winter Olympics. Stream it on Netflix.
IF YOU LOVE THE MIDWEST AND CRIME DRAMAS: FARGO (2014)
The third season of Fargo, which featured Ewan McGregor playing brothers, among other quirks, just wrapped on FX. Each season of the show features a different cast and story, but they all share a similar tone and setting. The stand-out first season gave us full-throated performances from Allison Tolman and Billy Bob Thornton, and the second gave Kirsten Dunst and Patrick Wilson time to shine. Stream it on Hulu.