As the cool Winter breeze makes its way across Northern Virginia, students put on their warmest jackets, scarves, and sweaters, awaiting a refreshing gust of Spring. The first few cold months of the year provide a chilling and dull connotation for students at FC, yet watching the biggest film hits of the Winter while cozying up with a warm cup of hot cocoa is an excellent way to keep entertained. Here is your guide to some of the best (and worst) films of this past Winter.

Wonka (2023) This heartwarming musical film follows the origin of Willy Wonka, the owner of a chocolate factory from the beloved Roald Dahl story, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. The quirky and eccentric Willy Wonka, played by Oscar nominated actor Timothee Chalamet, grips the audience in this out-of-the-ordinary comedy. The movie depicts Wonka’s first introduction into the chocolate business, as he encounters crooks, frauds, and corruption, but forges friendships along the way. Chalamet acts alongside actors like Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, and more. This film, rated PG, is truly entertaining, with snappy songs, charming visuals, and an effectively heartening plot. While the storyline between Wonka and his mother proves engaging, other parts, such as Noodle’s character, entirely fails to captivate the audience in the intended way. Admittedly, the plotline does drag out at moments, and the complete story lacks a cohesive element, yet Wonka is a fun, light tale. Wonka is a riveting watch, composed of magic, love, and an abundance of chocolate.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mean Girls (2024)  Mean Girls, a contemporary remake of the original Mean Girls (2004) blended with the Broadway musical, Mean Girls, tells the story of Cady Heron. Cady, who has been homeschooled in South Africa her entire life, makes the drastic move to a suburban Illinois town. Experiencing American high school for the first time, full of mean girls and all, Cady must learn to navigate the complex dynamics of high school friendships. While the original Mean Girls (2004) takes a fresh, hilarious, and elegantly petty approach to the story, this rendition of Mean Girls fails to capture the same feeling as the original. Instead, it appears as a bizarre and excessively long film. Unlike the original, Mean Girls is a musical movie, yet many of the musical numbers are underwhelming, vocally unimpressive, and annoyingly frequent. The entire movie seemed to be missing the grit and boundary-pushing ideas that made the original so engrossing. Mean Girls comes off as a false portrayal of high school, demonstrating what millennials believe American high school to be, but completely missing the mark. While nothing is necessarily spectacular in this film, it is a funny and visually appealing movie that many will enjoy. The performances from many actors, like Reneé Rapp, Avantika Vandanapu, and Auli’i Cravalho are truly astonishing, and the beautiful setcraft and gorgeous costume design shine among the rest of the monotonous film. ⭐⭐⭐

Anyone But You (2023) → Starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell, on its release day, Anyone But You took the internet by storm. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, this trending film follows the turbulent relationship between Bea and Ben. After having a compatible first date, things go south for Ben and Bea’s relationship, and they must learn to get along despite the irritation they feel towards each other. From director Will Gluck, this romantic comedy falls short of all the marks that make a good movie. Will Gluck seems to be attempting to channel that same eccentric, comedic, and rebellious fervor that catapulted him to success with his 2010 film, Easy A, yet he fails miserably. While the characters are undeniably charming, the vapid dialogue and cliche storyline continuously fail to grip the audience. The directorial choice of basing the film on a Shakespeare play seems like a creative idea, however, the execution is terrible. There either has to be way more Shakespeare references, or way fewer, but the amount this movie settles on just simply doesn’t work. It isn’t satirical to make the assumption that the entire script was written by ChatGPT. This movie proves to be familiar, predictable, sometimes silly, and most of all contrived.⭐⭐

The Holdovers (2023) → Starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers is a bittersweet story about a New England boarding school professor and his unlikely bond with a student who is forced to stay at the boarding school over the Christmas holiday. This playful yet heart-wrenching story is a testament of the “they don’t make movies like that anymore” phrase. This charming film is the perfect example of engaging, thought-provoking, and nostalgic cinema that will be sure to get any blasé film watcher back into the theaters. Perhaps the most captivating aspect of the film is the characters. Written so cohesively for the big screen, these characters are as easy to empathize with as they are to resent. While the plot seems ordinary, the execution makes this film truly inviting. From director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers strikes the audience as a modern day classic, displaying a gracefully new take on the notion that everyone is fighting their own battles. With exceptional acting from all characters, this movie will leave a lasting impression on what it means to be alone and connected. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐