Joseph Kreydt

Tag: winter

  • The Curious Groundhog

    Where I live, there are lots of groundhogs. I see them all the time, but not during winter. Last spring, as the world was finally coming back to life, I saw one who also saw me. This poem came to me then. Happy Groundhog’s Day!

    Most of the trees and shrubs
    Have begun to bud.
    As I walked past a field
    Of last year's grass and frozen mud

    I saw a groundhog waddle toward
    The bank beside me.
    He ducked behind a culvert pipe
    But didn't crawl beneath.

    He waited 'til I passed beside him —
    Peaking like he wondered what
    This thing that moves so high above,
    And with so strange a strut,

    Might be or do or be and do,
    Or how he smells or how he sounds —
    And then, when I could see his face,
    He swiftly climbed beneath the ground

    Into a hole where, I assume,
    He has a blanket and a book,
    And having gathered vegetables,
    He hums as he begins to cook.

  • A Poem About a Hope

    The following is a poem I wrote very recently, based on a very true event. It’s most-likely unfinished, but I wanted to share it anyway. Merry Christmas!

    I walked over the hill, at dark,
    Past the willow by the frozen pond,
    Then slowed my gait and steeled my gaze
    ‘Cause something caught my eye beyond.

    Make it newfound love, this thing I sense,
    Or a run-in with a few old friends,
    Or at least an angel singing songs, I prayed,
    And prophesying better days.

    Finally, the lamplight bent just right,
    So I could see the sad, and sadly funny, sight.
    A goose stood upright on the ice
    Alone, there in the dark of night.

    I walked as close as I could get,
    And saw the goose was frozen stiff,
    Unmoving,
    Motionless as a monolith.

    Afraid the ice would not support my weight,
    I recommenced along the normal way,
    But the goose was frozen in my foremost thoughts.
    I ruminated, thinking of the poor bird’s fray.

    Webbed feet frozen to the icy pond,
    He must have flailed his wings and yanked.
    But, in the end, instead of freezing contorted
    Like a scared, pathetic, dying thing,
    He stood up nobly like a king,
    And gave his life into a marble work
    Of Michelangelic beauty–quiet, strong, strange.

    I went back out in the light of the next day.
    The weather’d turned and a thaw’d begun.
    The pond was still half-frozen,
    But the lonesome, solid goose was gone.
    And where he’d stood, my hope had sprung.
  • Best Winter Films That Aren’t Christmas Movies

    Best Winter Films That Aren’t Christmas Movies

    These are movies that fit well into the winter season, but are not Christmas movies. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas movies hold a special place in my heart. But in January and February, when I want to embrace the cold and snow, I want some options that are not Christmas movies. That’s what I’ve compiled in this list.

    The Top Ten

    1. Lars and the Real Girl

    Why it’s mid-winter: Lars and the Real Girl takes place during a midwest winter with plenty of snow, warm blankets, and the hope of springtime.

    Why it’s a great movie: This is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated movies of all time. The premise makes it sound silly, and it does have its silly moments, but the movie is also a thoughtful portrayal of a compassionate community of people making efforts to help one of their own. It’s really a beautiful film.

    2. Fargo

    Why it’s mid-winter: Fargo is another movie that takes place during the winter months in the midwest. It has more snow than you could ever hope for and just the right amount of mystery and murder.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s a Coen Brothers cult classic with plenty of their characteristic dark comedy, introspection, and delightful characters. And even though it’s a dark comedy, the ending is far from dark. Overall, the film is, yes, dark, but it’s also hilarious, snowy, cold, and uplifting. Fargo is a true masterpiece.

    3. Dumb and Dumber

    Why it’s mid-winter: Dumb and Dumber is a buddy comedy about a misadventure to the mountains of Colorado.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s a great, lighthearted mood-lifter with more than enough slapstick and goofball comedy to get you through until spring.

    4. Ip Man

    Why it’s mid-winter: In Ip Man, when things get dark, they get cold and dark. Even though there’s no snow, there are plenty of other signs of winter, like dreary undertones, cold-heartedness, and survival in hardship.

    Why it’s a great movie: Watching the great martial artist Ip Man live through riches and success, then poverty and oppression, and then come out a better man in the end, is inspiring, uplifting, and encouraging, to say the least. If the Rocky films inspire you to stay strong, Ip Man will inspire you to stay strong and wise.

    5. Dead Poets Society

    Why it’s mid-winter: Dead Poets Society may be the very first dark academia film, and when is dark academia ever not wintry? The film also takes place during the school year at an oft-snowy boarding school setting.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s about a band of brothers discovering the wonders of poetry, art, excellence, and, through those things, life itself. I’ll warn you, this one doesn’t exactly have a happy ending, but it’s a great film nonetheless.

    6. Beauty and the Beast

    Why it’s mid-winter: Beauty and the Beast also feels a bit dark academia. It’s not quite that, but it certainly has its fair share of darkness, books, and snow.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s a timeless love story, through and through. Need I say any more about such a classic?

    7. Scott Pilgrim vs the World

    Why it’s mid-winter: Scott Pilgrim takes place during winter in Toronto. It doesn’t get more wintery than that.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s a romantic comedy for nerds with plenty of action, excellent music, and hilarious characters.

    8. Mr Deeds

    Why it’s mid-winter: Mr Deeds takes place in two places–Vermont and New York City–with a fair helping of winter jackets and snow.

    Why it’s a great movie: It’s a hilarious Adam Sandler classic about an average guy who writes his own greeting cards and happens to inherit a huge fortune. As you might expect from an Adam Sandler movie, it has its fair shares of romance and humor.

    9. Spectre

    Why it’s mid-winter: Spectre is the snowiest and most introspective James Bond film I’ve seen.

    Why it’s a great movie: This one has an excellent balance of action and introspection, winter and romance, snow and camaraderie.

    10. The Proposal

    Why it’s mid-winter: The Proposal takes place, mostly, in Alaska, and it doesn’t hold back on beautiful shots of the scenery.

    Why it’s a great movie: I know this list is getting pretty full of romantic comedies, but this one is tough to pass up. This is one worth giving your full attention–no scrolling through social media while it’s on–so you don’t miss the great cinematography or hilarious blunders that might take you by surprise.

    Those are my top ten, but there are plenty of others. Who would have thought there were so many movies to fit the winter season? Here are a few more.

    A Few More Wintry Movies

    Amadeus

    Amadeus has a dark feel as it follows Mozart, the great musician, plunging into vice, despair, and death. It also has a long runtime, perfect for a long winter night.

    Balto

    Balto is an animated film based on a true story about a sled-dog delivering much-needed medicine through a harsh winter storm.

    Beautiful Girls

    Beautiful Girls is about the comings and goings of small town folks during a small town winter. That makes it sound kind of like a Hallmark Christmas movie. It does have some romance, but it’s far from being Hallmark-esque.

    A Case of You

    A Case of You is a cheesy, romantic comedy that takes place during winter in Brooklyn.

    Out Cold

    Out Cold is a hilarious 00s teen comedy that takes place at a ski resort with plenty of snowboarding and drinking.

    Casablanca

    Is Casablanca wintery? It has always felt wintery to me. Perhaps it’s because of the noir-like, melancholic tone, or maybe it’s the cool, foggy aesthetic. Or maybe it’s because Out Cold is loosely based on the plot of Casablanca.

    Higher, Deeper, and Further

    Higher, Deeper, and Further–three separate films that make a series–are snowboarding/trekking documentaries that offer plenty of inspiration to explore the snowy, great outdoors when you’ve been cooped up inside for too long.

    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

    Eternal Sunshine has one of the greatest winter scenes/shots in cinematic history. The main characters–played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet–flirt, play, and dream, on a frozen lake.

    Force Majeure

    Force Majeure is a French film about a family vacation to a ski resort with plenty of humor and a bit of introspection as well.

    The Hateful Eight

    The Hateful Eight is a Quentin Tarantino murder mystery that takes place in a western haberdashery during a winter blizzard. It’s strange, hilarious, twisty, and cold.

    Ice Age

    Ice Age is an animated goofball comedy about a couple of animal friends trying to survive the ice age.

    Reign Over Me

    Reign Over Me is probably Adam Sandler’s darkest film, but it’s an incredible story. It’s not quite wintery, but it’s certainly not summery either. It matches that feeling at the end of winter when you just can’t take another snowfall, when you desperately need spring.

    Rocky

    Rocky is the perfect inspiration to keep your New Year’s Resolution, even when it’s cold outside.

    Three I Haven’t Seen

    These last three are pretty obviously winter films–based on their covers, trailers, and/or names–but I haven’t seen any of them yet so I can’t say much about them other than that.

    • The Revenant
    • Snowpiercer
    • A Tale of Winter

    Have you seen them? Do you have any others to add to the list? Let me know. I can always use another good, wintry movie to get me through these cold months after the holidays.

  • Like Snow