Look, let’s face it. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are beyond stressful. In fact, in my mid-20s, I am already finding myself completely over it. If I hadn’t previously committed to plans, I would just throw in the towel right now, get a robe ready and plan to hunker down on the couch for the next 48 hours.
Anyway, if you’re thinking of laying low tonight — or if you’re going to be nursing a hangover on Sunday, you don’t want to do so without some visual stimulation. Take a look at my choices below for what movies and TV from 2011 you should be checking out!
Movies
Crazy, Stupid, Love. – The earnest, heartwarming comedy hits home with all of us. The story of relationships, starting over, and learning how to love put a new spin on a tired genre. Oh, and it has a lot of shirtless Ryan Gosling.
The Help — A big budget schmaltz-fest it was not! Emma Stone totally killed her role in the film, based off of the bestselling novel. Take it from me, the kind of guy who hates preachy period pieces, this is worth it.
Weekend — This gay indie focuses on two British dudes, who think they’re going home to have a one night stand. What develops is a lot more serious, and this film makes you examine a lot of the connections in your own life. Seriously, watch it!
Midnight in Paris — Woody Allen‘s latest is a star-studded love song to Paris. What better way to spend New Year’s Day, considering the plane fares to Europe are a tad steep this time of year!
Contagion — Even though this movie has made me scared to touch anything on the subway, it’s still awesome — and actually scary! Between this and Scream 4, I thoroughly enjoyed everything on the thriller front this year.
TV
Game of Thrones — Already a cult classic, HBO’s Game of Thrones is the kind of show that you will try to casually watch an episode of then so caught up in it you end up glued to your couch for five hours. Definitely one of 2011′s TV gems and an awesome book series you’ll have a hard time putting down during your morning commute.
Friday Night Lights — Though this critically acclaimed drama is no longer on the air, new fans are flocking to the show daily. Thanks to Netflix Instant and DVDs, you can view this pretty much at the drop of a hat. And believe me, you want to. This is basically everything Varsity Blues wished it could be. I’m lookin’ at you, James van der Beek!
Absolutely Fabulous — BBC America will be running the incredible show from 7:30 AM on Sunday, until 6 AM the next day. Okay, well, that’s a LOT of AbFab – and frankly, I’m ready for it (although I’m not sure if Patsy and Edina will cure your hangover or actually make it worse.)
Real Housewives — This entire weekend, Bravo will be running our favorite guilty pleasure reality show. Even though I’ve seen the episodes approximately 3.5 times each, I’m always down.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — If you’re a Food Network junkie like me, you won’t want to miss this marathon beginning at 6 PM tonight and going until 4 AM. This is a true celebration of greasy food and greasy hair — genius.
