Winter in the Southern hemisphere isn't all that it's cracked up to be. We don't have any major holidays to celebrate, there's no big New Years' Eve parties to partake in and the weather isn't anything to write home about: just heaps of grey skies and no snowmen in sight. The Northern hemisphere folk really managed to luck out with all of their winter festivities, and it's not fair! 

It's far too easy to get all down in the dumps about this kind of crappy time of year, but rest assured we've still got some ripper flicks to check out that embody the same kind of quiet winter you'd find on this part of the world. Spy our picks below, and make sure to get all snuggled up under some blankets before you press play (you'll need the extra warmth). 

THE THING You might think you're in for a shit time this winter, but we can guarantee that it's nothing compared to what happens to this Antarctic research team (you'll become a lot more thankful about your winters being boring after sitting through this flick). Directed by legendary filmmaker John Carpenter, The Thing is a 1982 science fiction horror movie based on a 1938 novella that follows a group of American scientists working on the isolated ice island of Antarctica, where they must stop a mutating shape-shifting alien from taking over the planet. It's weird, it's a bit gross but it's a hell of a good time, and we reckon that the special effects still hold up well. A word to the wise: you might not want to eat during this one. 

TOKYO GODFATHERS OK, you caught us, this one is technically a Christmas flick, but it's such a good one that we reckon we can let it slide (we promise you'll still enjoy it in July). Directed by the late great Satoshi Kon (who you might remember if you've ever seen Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Paprika), this animated movie follows three homeless people sleeping rough in the big city of Tokyo attempting to reunite an abandoned baby with its parents, with a whole heap of hijinks getting in the way. The trio includes Gin, an aptly named alcoholic and middle-aged man, Hana, a transgender woman and former drag queen, and Miyuki, a teenage runaway. The director himself described this one as a "twisted sentimental story," and we can't help but agree with him. It's a dark tragicomedy with a whole lot of heart. 

FARGO Any and all fans of dark crime thrillers set in the snow need to give this iconic Coen Brothers-directed film a watch – if you haven't already seen this one and bragged about watching it to your mates already. Starring some beloved familiar faces like Frances McDormand, William H. Lacy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, this atmospheric black comedy follows Marge (McDormand) investigating a triple homicide within the wintery setting of Minnesota – and things soon get a bit hectic from there. It's fun, it's full of action and you'll be able to impress even your artiest film nerd pals once you tell them that you watched this flick, which we see as a pretty neat win/win situation in our eyes. 

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND We know that the very vast majority of you lovely readers have already watched, re-watched and then told all of our friends to watch this one for themselves already now, but this one is really such a great movie. Starring Kate Winslet and Jimmy Carey as a couple undergoing a memory loss procedure in order to permanently forget the other, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a surrealist flick chock-full of great visuals and stellar performances by all of the film's cast, and we reckon that you'll still find yourself batting away the tears – even after the third re-watch. It's a classic for a reason; it shows off the more introspective personality found within the coldest season (that isn't just sniffling and waiting for the sun to show up) and it reminds us that in order to appreciate the good times, you need to live through the bad times. 

IN BRUGES Quickly back on the topic of dark comedy crime thrillers (they really seem to relish in winter-time, hey?), this 2008 flick stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hitmen sent to spend time in the picturesque (or the unbearably dismal, depending on which character you ask) Belgian city of Bruges – hence the name – by their crime boss played by Ralph Fiennes. It's got a no-holds-barred biting sense of humour that might be a tad too dicey for some, but if you get your kicks laughing at much more macabre topics, then we suggest hopping to it and giving this a watch.