Got nothing to do over the holidays? Here are a few things you can watch/read that can help alleviate your boredom!

Movies:

Slumdog Millionaire: Drama, Thriller, Romance, Rated R, 2h 3min, 2008

The protagonist, Jamal Malik, is shown on one of India’s top game shows called “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” but is accused of cheating since he got every answer correct. Coming down to his final question, Malik has a flashback to his childhood and all the events that brought him to where he is now. We find that his past is what gave the answer to each question.

Content Warning: violence, gore, profanity

Hereditary: Horror, Drama, Supernatural, Thriller, Mystery, Rated R, 2h 7min, 2018

After the death of their matriarch, the Graham family begins going through a series of ominous and disturbing events in which, over time, they become increasingly gruesome. 

Content Warning: gore, profanity, substance abuse, violence and nudity

The Joy Luck Club: Drama, Adaptation, Rated R, 2h 19min, 1993

The Joy Luck Club was a club formed by four immigrant Chinese women to keep each other company. Each of the four women had daughters of their own, and over the course of the movie, we see the ups and downs of the relationship between the American-born daughters and their immigrant mothers.

Content Warning: violence, profanity

Cinderella Man: Sports, Drama, Rated PG-13, 2h 25min, 2005

James Braddock, a boxer, breaks his hand and is forced to give up boxing right at the start of the Great Depression. With no source of income to support his family after leaving the ring, he goes into manual labor. However, that job was a rare one in which only a few men were selected to work. Braddock finds that his family cannot survive like this and decides to work his way back into the boxing business.

Content Warning: abuse, violence, implied rape, sex and profanity

The Da Vinci Code: Thriller, Mystery, Rated PG-13, 2h 29min, 2006

With the death of Jacques Saunière, a museum curator, Robert Langdon, a symbolist, and Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer and Saunière’s granddaughter, go on a quest to find who killed him. Along the way, the two uncover secrets of both Saunière and Sophie which later proves to be very crucial to the entire religion and history of Christianity.

Content warning: cults, gore, profanity, violence and sex

Books:

Battle Royale: Fiction, Dystopian, Horror, 666 Pages

Taking place in a fictional fascist Japan where they come out victorious after WWII, the Japanese government has set up military programs called Battle Experiment No. 68 Program. In this program, a random class was selected and thrown onto an island to fight to the death, and only the last student standing would get a ride back home.

Content Warning: graphic descriptions, profanity, implied sex and violence

Pride and Prejudice: Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, 254 Pages

With the news that the handsome and wealthy Mr. Bingley will be going to the public ball in their little suburban town, the six Bennet sisters dress to impress him in hopes of catching his eye and eventually marrying him. Upon their meeting, the second eldest Bennet sister, Elizabeth, is introduced to Mr. Bingley’s friend, Mr. Darcy. Initially, Mr. Darcy makes rather rude remarks about her and she mocks him back but as the two meet again and again, they begin to warm up to each other.

Wonder: Fiction, Children’s Literature, Heartwarming, 310 Pages

August (Auggie) Pullman is a 10 year old boy with mandibulofacial dysostosis, a medical facial deformity. After finding out that his best friend, Jack, had mocked his looks, Auggie begins a journey, making new friends as well as rekindling with old ones.

The Fault in Our Stars: Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, 313 Pages

Hazel Lancaster, diagnosed with thyroid cancer, goes to a cancer patient support group. There she meets the incredibly charming Augustus Waters who has osteosarcoma. There is an immediate spark between the two and they begin to fall in love.

Content Warning: violence, profanity

The House of the Scorpion: Fiction, Dystopian, Young Adult, 400 Pages

Matteo (Matt) Alacrán, a clone to infamous drug lord El Patrón, must survive a rough upbringing in the Alacrán clan. He believes that he is very much human, but prejudice against him leads to danger throughout the book. Will he survive? 

Content Warning: drugs, child abuse and violence

TV Shows (Anime):

Anohana: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, 11 Episodes, 2011

The leader of a group, Jinta Yadomi, sees the ghost of his friend, Menma, five years after her death. She comes to tell him that she had a wish she wanted to fulfill before passing into the afterlife, however she does not remember what it is. As the show progresses, Jinta gathers his old friends together and they help Menma to find and grant her wish.

Maid Sama: Romance, Comedy, 26 Episodes, 2010

Misaki Ayuzawa works as a waitress at a maid cafe to support her family. The only people who know about her job include her family and fellow student, Takumi Usui, who accidentally found out but decided to help keep her secret after taking an interest in her.

The Promised Neverland: Dark Fantasy, Thriller, 12 Episodes, 2020

In a seemingly perfect orphanage, the caregiver, who everyone calls “Mama” announces that one of their youngest, Connie, will be adopted. Excited for her adoption, the rest of the children watch as Mama takes her out of the orphanage, however two children realize that Connie has forgotten her most cherished toy rabbit and chase after to return it before she leaves. What they see outside the orphanage gate is not a happy family waiting for Connie, but Demons. They realize that they are not living in an orphanage, but rather a farm where they harvest human brains. After returning to the orphanage, the two devise a plan for everyone to escape. 

Content Warning: gore

Say I Love You: Romance, Drama, 13 Episodes, 2012

Following the “shy girl and popular boy” anime trope, Mei Tachibana, shy, quiet, and kind, falls in love with the school’s popular boy, Yamato Kurosawa. Over the course of the anime, the two go through many obstacles that challenge their love for each other.

Content Warning: violence

Cowboy Bebop: Neo-noir Sci-fi, Action, 26 Episodes, 1998

Set in the future, Spike Spiegel, a space cowboy with a dark past, teams up with Jet Black, a former officer, Faye Valentine, a con artist, Edward (Ed) Wong, a hacker, and Ein, a genetically engineered and very intelligent Corgi, to go bounty hunting. The five live in a spaceship together and despite finding each other irritating, they care for and trust each other deeply.

Content Warning: violence, gore

TV Series/Dramas:

Prison Break: Serial drama, Crime drama, Action thriller, 5 Seasons (90 Episodes), 2005-2019

With his brother coming into contact with a shady organisation, and eventually getting framed for murder and put on death row, Michael Scofield creates an elaborate plan to bust his brother out and clear his name.

Content Warning: violence, gore, implied sex

Killing Eve: Drama, Action, Thriller, 3 Seasons (24 Episodes)

Eve Polastri, a British Intelligence officer, enters a secret organization in order to capture the infamous female assassin, Villanelle. After countless cat-and-mouse chases, the two ultimately develop an obsession for the other, yearning to learn more about each other rather than focussing on their assigned tasks.

Content Warning: violence, gore, sex

While You Were Sleeping: Korean Drama, Romance, Thriller, Fantasy, 16 Episodes

This drama follows a young woman as she experiences extremely vivid dreams, which we later find out, tell the future. She ends up meeting a young prosecutor who also has dreams that tell the future, and the two work together to prevent their dreams from happening in reality.

Content Warning: violence, gore

Misc:

Omeleto:

If you’re into short films rather than long movies or TV shows, then head to Omeleto where you can find many award-winning short films. There are a variety of genres, each with its own unique and breathtaking cinematography.

If I Knew Then:

Harvard Business School had their Class of 1963 alumni write advice to younger generations. It ranges from marriage to wealth to turning points.

Think With Google:

A home for growing, this site allows you to go through several small windows where you can learn more about the latest industry trends, consumer behavior, marketing insight, and more.