Review: Top 10 from winter break

As a Utah State University student who works a couple of part-time jobs on campus, I didn’t have much to do during winter break. As an English major, I also didn’t have any tests during finals week, which meant I returned home on Dec. 7. Therefore, I had a lot of time to consume media — I also went outside and touched grass, which was easy because there wasn’t any snow — and I compiled a list of my top 10 pieces of media during the break. Keep in mind, most of this isn’t new, but maybe some of these recommendations will be new to you. I’ll also give you a spoiler: No. 1 is “Heated Rivalry.” So, if you want to hear my review of this new show — which is obviously positive based on its position here — stick around.  

10. Todd Phillips’ “The Hangover”

This 2009 comedy is a classic — at least for my dad. Starring Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha, it follows a bachelor party as they go to Las Vegas for the weekend. Things are going well as they head out to party, but suddenly, we see them as they wake up the next morning, completely hungover and unable to remember anything from their night out. To their horror, they discover one of them, the groom-to-be, is gone. “The Hangover” is a hilarious quest to figure out what happened that night, complete with two weddings, villain Ken Jeong and even a baby and tiger in the friends’ hotel room. I now understand why this movie has occupied my dad’s mind for so long, and although I know they aren’t rated as highly, I will definitely be watching the sequels.  

9. “Found Heaven” by Conan Gray

I am self-righteous, so I certainly do feel like a “better” Conan Gray fan than others because I knew him — and not just “Heather” — before his recent, most popular album “Wishbone” came out in August. Last year, I was privileged enough to go to his “Found Heaven” tour in Phoenix, Arizona, where my sister and I sang our hearts out to all the songs, including standouts “Alley Rose” and “Winner.” “Found Heaven” was Gray’s third studio album and marked a unique shift for the artist, as he catered the album toward an ‘80s aesthetic. At first, this scared me because of how much I liked his previous albums, but it took just one listen for me to become enamored with the sound. This break, I revisited “Found Heaven” after spending so much time listening to Gray’s recent album, and with it, I revisited some of the most magical, heartbreaking and compelling songs out there.  

8. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” 

We all played “Animal Crossing” in 2020. If you didn’t, you probably know someone who did. With the release of the Nintendo Switch version of the game happening right at the beginning of the 2020 quarantine, people were spending a lot of their newfound free time engaging in the social stimulation game. I practically haven’t played since 2020, and I got to start my village from scratch. The game is so relaxing and provides a sense of accomplishment and pride as you develop your town, build relationships with the villagers and customize your house. My favorite part is getting to visit other islands, gather all its resources and abandon it for the benefit of my own village. Perhaps I should find a game that makes me look inward. Either way, “Animal Crossing” is a relaxing way of pretending to be social as the cold months hit us.  

7. Odyssey Dance Theatre’s “Christmas Spectacular”

As a dancer, I take every opportunity to go to as many dance performances as I can. Odyssey Dance Theatre, a professional dance company in Salt Lake City, is famous for putting on the Halloween show “Thriller,” which highlights performances inspired by popular Halloween or spooky tales. As someone who has participated in “Thriller” as a dancer and viewer, I was so excited to go to the “Christmas Spectacular” for the first time, where the company does the same thing for Christmas as it did for Halloween. Iconic Christmas stories, such as “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” were turned into beautiful dances across a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and my all-time favorite, tap. This show got my whole family in the Christmas spirit and amazed us with beautiful costumes, exciting new choreography and fun spins on classic stories.  

6. Hernán Jiménez’s “Love Hard”

I’m not a Hallmark Christmas girl, but I do love a holiday romcom. My all-time favorite is “Love Hard,” starring Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet in a hilarious and heartwarming tale of online catfishing. The title is a mix of two of the characters’ favorite Christmas movies: “Love Actually” and “Die Hard.” When the lead — yes, a reporter in a big city — goes to surprise her online dating match across the country for Christmas, she realizes she has been catfished. But in good news, the pictures her catfisher used were of someone he used to go to high school with, someone who is in the same city. This is a Christmas movie I have to watch every year because it is just so fun and beautiful and makes you feel all warm inside without being cringey.  

5. Michael Dowse’s “8-Bit Christmas”

Speaking of Nintendo — and of Christmas — “8-Bit Christmas” is my favorite Christmas movie ever. It’s been my family’s Christmas Eve movie since it came out in 2021, the one we watch after opening our pajamas. Think “Christmas Story” but for the ‘80s, where the kid wants an 8-Bit video game system. This movie is so funny. I practically have it memorized, but I laugh at all the jokes every single time. It also ends with such a heartwarming moment, so it’s the perfect blend of humor and meaning that makes it a new Christmas classic.  

4. “Bottom of the Pyramid” by Nia Sioux 

As I mentioned before, I am a dancer, and I have been since I was 3 years old. This means, of course, I have watched “Dance Moms.” I now hate the show because of its treatment of children, but growing up, I loved it because the girls inspired me. One of the original cast members wrote a beautiful memoir detailing her experience on the show and at the dance studio run by the infamous Abby Lee Miller, and it was an incredible read. Sioux is so honest, thoughtful and intelligent in her words, and I think it brings up a lot of important topics the dance world should be thinking about, including discussions of body and race. As the only returning Black dancer on the show for seven seasons, Sioux explains how racism and tokenization were parts of her everyday life, including in dance, and I think this is a must-read for anyone — especially dancers and previous lovers of “Dance Moms.” 

3. “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah

Maybe winter is the season of memoir, but I finally had the chance to read from Trevor Noah, a comedian who is most famous for hosting “The Daily Show.” Born in South Africa, Noah recounts his experience growing up in and leaving South Africa. The book is whip-smart and ridiculously funny but also honest and moving in the descriptions of apartheid and what it was like to grow up as someone with a white father and a Black mother — therefore, “Born a Crime.” Every single person should read this book.  

2. Ballet West’s “The Nutcracker”

I suppose my dance background is proving this list to be more biased than it already was, but if you are ever lucky enough to see the first American “The Nutcracker,” which is arguably the most famous ballet of all time, it will be toward the top of your list too. Ballet West is always a pleasure to watch when down in Salt Lake City, but their version of “The Nutcracker” is exquisite. Every single dancer, including those in the background, could be a lead at any other company, so the technique onstage was flawless. As someone who has been in many a “Nutcracker” before, there’s always a wonderful sense of nostalgia that comes when watching the ballet, and no one does it better than Ballet West and their glorious sets and costumes. I’ll admit, parts of the ballet are undeniably outdated, and I think the whole thing could do with an update for cultural sensitivity. However, when looking at the actual dancing, Ballet West’s rendition was perfect.  

1. Jacob Tierney’s “Heated Rivalry”

Based on the hockey romance book by Rachel Reid, this new Crave original is taking the world by storm. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams play the leads — and I am obsessed with their friendship in real life in a non-parasocial way — who are supposed to hate each other. They are the best hockey players in the world, but they happen to be on rival teams. However, despite the outside pressure, they spark a romance, and the end result is a yearning, magical and heartwarming piece of television genius. In the hockey world, where being part of the LGBTQIA+ community isn’t accepted, these two are afraid of what their identities and romance would mean for their futures. The important conversations that come up, and beautiful moments of joy, make this show my top watch of winter break. I have to shout out episode five for being tied for the No. 1 spot in iMBD history at 10 stars. Episode five is simply perfect cinema.  

My New Year’s resolution is to watch less television because I should not have been able to make this list as easily as I did. However, I hope this next year is filled with amazing media that continues discourse on important topics and can bring us some joy and escapism, especially as midterms hit us sooner than we think it will.