5. Transsiberian
Transsiberian is a film that has haunted me ever since I first saw it. A thrilling, suspenseful potboiler of Hitchockian proportions, starring Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as a couple taking the Transsiberian rail from Beijing to Moscow. Befriending a mysterious couple, their trip becomes sidetracked by drugs, infidelity, and eventually murder. When people ask me why I love movies so much, I point to unexpected gems like this.
4. Fargo
Fargo's greatness has been discussed ad nauseum, and it's all legit. It's probably the Coen Brothers' most atmospheric film, and there's no debating how good Frances McDormand and William H. Macy are. But the thing that always sticks out in my mind, is the way all that blood looks splattered against the silvery, shimmering snow.
3. The Ice Storm
There's no blood. No deep mysterys amongst the frozen tundra. The ice storm that rages throughout this story is simply a metaphor for the icy relationships between the characters. Ang Lee's 1970s period dark comedy shreds the suburban facade, and thows us into a hidden world of key parties, partner swapping, and underaged sex. That's like the holy trifecta.
2. Let the Right One In
Something abouts and snow. It's a strange, but perfect combination. Perhaps it's due to their pale skin meshing seamlessly with the ivory background. It works just as well in 30 Days of Night, another snowy vampire flick. Unlike that film, Let the Right One In is more thoughtful than gorey, although the violence comes quick and without warning. It's the story of a young, bullied boy, who becomes reluctant friends with the new girl in his apartment complex. Unbeknownst to him, she's a vampire eternally stuck in the body of a 12 year old. An American remake of this Swedish flick is on the way, but make sure you see this one first. You won't be disappointed.
1. Alive
The cannibal flick! That's how I started watching this harrowing story of a Uruguayan rugby team that crash lands into the snowy mountains of the Andes. The survivors were faced with the painful realizion of a slow, frozen demise, and their remote location made rescue nearly an impossibility. Of course the main reason people remember this film are the gruesome scenes where they are eventually forced to begin consuming their dead friends, but that's only a small part of this real life miracle brought to the big screen.
