The end is in sight, the semester is nearly over. The nights are long, and the heating in your slightly shitty student house is on the blink again. But hey, at least Netflix still works. Grab a blanket and settle in a for a film night or two.

Friday night – Chalet Girl – Genre: rom-com

Stay with me now – Chalet Girl is a perfect rom-com for these winter nights. Felicity Jones stars as Kim, a former competitive skate-boarder who takes a job as a chalet host to a very rich family to earn some money, and instead switches up her skills to take up snowboarding, all while frolicking in the snow with Ed Westwick’s posh-boy Jonny. Unfortunately Jonny is, of course, engaged to someone much more suited to his family’s social standing than Kim’s role as a glorified live-in cleaner. Thanks to Jones’ talent there’s a surprising amount of depth to this film, and Ed Westwick provides the eye-candy to balance out the film’s emotional scenes. Fluffy, but equally thoughtful, it’s a perfect friday night film.

Saturday night – Limitless – Genre: action/thriller

Bradley Cooper stars in this film as Eddie, a struggling writer who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, is convinced of his status as a failure until he stumbles upon a drug that can give him access to 100% of his mind. Suddenly, he is able to read, memorise and understand everything he’s given and he quickly rises to to the top of the financial game, where business boss Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) realises he can use Eddie to make him millions. Eddie is quickly pulled into a net of addiction and danger, with drug moguls and hit men out to get him. The premise is now being extended into a TV series, but the original film is a gripping whirlwind two hours, and probably much better suited to portraying the fast-paced word the drug opens up.

Sunday night – The Lobster – Genre: romance/comedy/drama

If you missed the excellent The Lobster when it came out in cinemas, make sure you catch it now it’s on Netflix. The film is set in a version of the future where single people are forced to find another partner 45 days after their break-up, or else they’re turned into an animal. It sounds bizarre, and it absolutely is, but this extended metaphor is at times brutal in it’s execution. A strong cast including star names Collin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and Ben Whishaw help make the film fully realised. At times funny, and at others very sad, The Lobster is a quirky indie-romance with plenty of dark humour to match these dark evenings.

Heather Nash

(Image courtesy of Film 4 and The Irish Film Board)