Our favorite way to celebrate the New Year has always been curling up on the couch and watching movies. As ever, we lean towards nontraditional holiday movies, and we have a list of recommendations for you. Check out our top three New Years movies streaming online.
1) The Gold Rush (1925)
This movie is a silent film and features Charlie Chaplin in his prime. As the title would suggest, the film follows a gold prospector (Chaplin in his Tramp persona) in his journey to strike rich. After a terrifying ordeal in the mountains, the prospector stumbles into town and promptly falls in love. He invites the woman out to a New Years Eve dinner party, and imagines himself winning her over with the famous roll dance. If you haven't watched the scene itself, you've probably seen at least one reference to it in something--two dinner rolls, each stabbed with a fork being held/moved to look like they're legs in shoes dancing. The film was immediately met with rave reviews worldwide and, in 1998, secured its spot on AFI's top 100 list.
2) Forrest Gump (1994)
New Years is a time for reflection, and we think Forrest Gump is one of the perfect movies to honor such a time. The film spans decades, following major events in American history through the life of one man. As Gump shares his life anecdotes to various strangers, the film becomes a compelling story of self-reflection at both personal and societal levels. One New Years Eve, Gump is invited out to party with a friend, where he's told, "Don't you just love New Years? You get to start all over. Everybody gets a second chance." While the night out didn't go as planned, Gump realizes it solidified his connection with his friend and others. The film was a box office success and continues to be a cult favorite 30 years later.
3) The Shining (1980)
How could we write this list without including Kubrick's The Shining? Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, this film follows a small family as they stay off-season as winter caretakers of the mysterious Overlook Hotel. Nothing says "new year, new you" like Jack's complete descent into madness and assimilation into a body of timeless haunting! In the film, the haunted hotel leaves traces of old parties and New Years Eve bashes for Jack to find and interact with. Plus, all the snowy winter vibes make this a perfect cold-weather film to enjoy once the temperature breaks freezing. While King famously hates Kubrick's vision of his novel, the film has generally received high praise and maintains a strong cult following today.
Angela Wolf Video offers corporate video production services near Philadelphia, PA. Do you have a specific video question? Schedule a free video analysis call at bit.ly/callawv