With the fun and excitement of the holiday season in the rear-view mirror, it’s all too easy for cabin fever to grab hold as the long winter months stretch on. Shereen Siewert welcomes Marathon County Public Library Marketing Specialist Dan Richter, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point films expert Cary Elza and Gamers Who Care member Jason Davis to offer up ways to beat the winter blues in our region.
Richter will talk about the most highly anticipated new book releases of the season, while Elza will share a list of must-see movies to add to your watch list. Davis will share information about his group’s gaming events and talk about the best games for families to play together in the cold months ahead.
Recommended Games
“Risk: Legacy” by Rob Daviau and Chris Dupuis, “Pandemic: Legacy” by Z-Man Games
and other legacy-style games
“On Tour” by Chad DeShon
and other “Roll-and-Write” genre games
“Catan” Series by Klaus Teuber
“Escape Room In a Box“
and other “Escape Room” style games
Producer’s Recommended Games
“Codenames” Series by Vlaada Chvátil
“Sushi Go!” by Gamewright Games
Recommended Films and Series
Movies/Series That Revel in Winter
“Little Women” (Greta Gerwig, 2019, in theaters)
“Lord of the Rings” trilogy. (Rentable on Amazon)
“Game of Thrones” (HBO Go)
“Frozen” Marathon (Disney Plus):
“Frozen” and “Frozen 2,” then “LEGO Frozen” and “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”
Disney Plus Nostalgia In General
“Davy Crockett” series, “Willow,” “The Muppet Movie,” “TRON,” and more, plus the original and remake ”Ducktales”
“Fargo” (Coen bros, 1996), then watch the series on Hulu. (Hulu)
“Top of the Lake” (Jane Campion, 2013, Hulu)
“Winter’s Bone” (Debra Granik, 2010, Rent on Amazon)
“30 Days of Night” (David Slade, 2007, Free on Crackle)
“Dr. Zhivago” (David Lean, 1965, Rent on Amazon)
“The Revenant” (Alejandro Inarritu, 2015, Rent on Amazon)
“The Ice Storm” (Ang Lee, 1997, Rent on Amazon)
Movies For Forgetting It’s Winter
“Midsommar ” (Ari Aster, 2019, Rent on Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
”The Mummy” (Steven Sommers, 1999, Rent on Amazon)
“The Fifth Element” (Luc Besson, 1997Rent on Amazon)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)
Movie Marathon Recommendations
John Wayne marathon:
“Howard Hawks,” “John Ford: Stagecoach,” “Red River,” “The Searchers” and “Rio Bravo” (Rent on Amazon, except for ”Stagecoach,” Criterion Channel”
Elvis movie marathon:
“Blue Hawaii,” ”King Creole,” “Viva Las Vegas” and “Bye Bye Birdie” (Crackle)
Summer-in-the-winter marathon:
“Where the Boys Are” (1960), “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “Gidget” (Rent on Amazon)
Other Must-Watch Movies and Series
Bong Joon-ho’s ”Parasite,” (not yet released in US), “Snowpiercer” and ”Okja” (Netflix)
“Dracula” (Netflix)
“Brittany Runs a Marathon” (Amazon Prime)
“One Child Nation” (Amazon Prime)
“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (Joe Talbot, Amazon Prime)
“Fleabag” (Amazon Prime)
“Watchmen” (HBO)
“His Dark Materials” (HBO, not yet released)
Recommended Books
“Long Bright River” by Liz Moore (Jan. 7)
“Lady Clementine” by Marie Benedict (Jan. 7)
“Why We Can’t Sleep” by Ada Calhoun (Jan. 7)
“Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance” by Zora Neale Hurston (Jan. 14)
“All the Ways We Said Goodbye” by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White (Jan. 14)
“A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende (Jan. 21)
“American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins (Jan. 24)
“Brother and Sister” A Memoir, by Diane Keaton (Feb. 4)
“In the Land of Men: A Memoir” by Adrienne Miller (Feb. 11)
“Postscript” by Cecelia Ahern (Feb. 11)
“Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America” by R. Eric Thomas (Feb. 18)
“The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson (Feb. 25)
“The Upside of Being Down: How Mental Health Struggles Led to My Greatest Successes in Work and Life” by Jen Gotch (March 24)
Also Mentioned (released in 2019)
“Educated” by Tara Westover
“Maybe You Should Talk to Somebody” by Lori Gottlieb
Episode Credits
- Shereen Siewert Host
- Rick Reyer Producer
- Joy Ratchkramer Producer
- Dan Richter Guest
- Cary Elza Guest
- Jason Davis Guest
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