Tomorrow, after you’ve eaten enough mashed potatoes to last you until the December holidays, you’re going to need a recovery game plan. Here it is: Attach your laptop to your host’s TV with an HDMI cable ($10 or under) and download instant entertainment. Here are a few post-dinner marathon ideas to keep all kinds of families happy. (I’ve seen all of ’em, so I can vouch for their watch-worthiness.)
Mystery-loving Anglophiles (teens and older): The BBC’s Sherlock. This modern-day retelling of everyone’s favorite sleuth stories stars the enigmatic Benedict Cumberbatch and Bilbo Baggins, aka Martin Freeman. ($13.99 per 3-episode season or $4.99 per 90+ minute episode.)
Fantasy-loving Anglophiles (young teens and older): The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in preparation for the December 14 release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Watch The Fellowship of the Ring (3 hours, $1.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy), The Two Towers (3 hours, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) and The Return of the King (3+ hours, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy)…and you’ll finally be ready for seconds.
Action-loving ‘Mericans (teens and older): The Die Hard series, in honor of the new installment coming next year. Watch the original Die Hard (2+ hours, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) at the very least, then follow up with Die Hard with a Vengeance (2+ hours, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy), and Live Free or Die Hard (2+ hours, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy). Die Hard 2: Die Harder is unfortunately not available on instant.
Holiday-loving Nostalgics (all ages): An extravaganza of spirit to jump-start the season: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1+ hours, $9.99 to buy), It’s a Wonderful Life (2+ hours, $9.99 to buy), and A Christmas Story (1.5+ hours, $0.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy).
Classic-loving Spielberg Fans (older kids and up): The director’s early PG works, in honor of Lincoln. Fall in love with E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial (2 hours, $9.99 to buy), get terrified by Jaws (2+ hours, $2.99 to rent, $4.99 to buy), and be inspired by Close Encounters of the Third Kind (2+ hours, $9.99 to buy).
Conversation-Loving Movie-Watchers (teens and older): Talk-worthy recent releases that will keep you conversing way past Friday’s turkey sandwiches. Argue whether Prometheus (2+ hours, $1.99 to rent, $12.99 to buy) is a worthy prequel to Alien. Debate whether controversial documentarian Mads Brugger’s means justify the ends in his corruption-uncovering The Ambassador (1.5+ hours, $3.99 to rent, $14.99 to buy). Discuss who is most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse in between episodes of The Walking Dead (Gore warning! $1.99 to buy each episode, $10.99 to buy Season 1, $22.99 to buy Season 2, Season 3 still in progress).
Good post! Do you have more recommendations for mystery-loving Anglophiles who have already watched Sherlock seasons one and two?
It’s not straight-up mystery, but the people I know who love Sherlock generally also love the BBC series Mi-5. It’s a 10-season spy show that’s really well written, excellently casted and brilliantly acted. Beware, though: the Brits have no qualms about killing off your favorite characters…it makes it all the more gripping because you can never quite relax. On Amazon Instant, it’s $1.99 to buy an episode or $10.99 to buy a season.
Life of Pi and Red Dawn open today…sheesh…so many movies, so little time…
I was just a few year too young to see the first Red Dawn…feel like I need to go back and do my research before seeing the new one ; )
Yes. See the original Red Dawn first. And while you’re at it, check out Toy Soldiers as well. I can’t tell you how many times I watched those 2 movies during my formative years.
Queueing…now…
Every Thanksgiving, after we put the kids to bed, my wife & I watch Love Actually. A great movie to kick off the Christmas season. (No marathons though.)
Oh, that’s a great tradition. My dad and I watched Bringing Up Baby the night before Thanksgiving, which is a tradition I’d like to keep going next year!
I’m a big Spielberg fan when it comes to holidays. Goonies and Indiana Jones!
Spielberg & Thanksgiving just go together. Feel-good, inspiration, family-friendly…it’s all there.
What, no Star Wars (only episodes IV-VI up there, though, really…)? ;)
A Star Wars marathon is always a good idea (yeah, IV to VI only)! But they aren’t on Amazon instant, so you’ll have to rely on your family’s DVD collection. We had the beta tapes when I was growing up…I think my little bro had Empire memorized by the time he was four years old…probably still does! What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?