By KAYLEE BREWSTER
kbrewster@inland360.com
With the holidays coming, in anticipation of time with family and friends, you may be looking for something to do.
You might want to do something indoors to beat the cold weather. And with the long winter break, you might want something that will take a considerable amount of time.
The solution? A movie marathon.
Many of the films are available through various streaming platforms as noted; the rest can be rented through sites like Amazon and Google Play or through area libraries.
Here are some options with varying total lengths of time and not including any bonus films. (The time is the approximate length of watching the movies straight through. Please don’t do that. Take some breaks between films).
Series: “Lord of the Rings”
Total Length: Theatrical release: 9 hours, 17 minutes; Extended version: 11 hours, 54 minutes
Tips: Watch the extended version if you haven’t already, there are many additional scenes cut from the theatrical release that add to the story and smooth over clunky transitions.
Bonus: Also watch “The Hobbit” series, if you feel the need to spend even more time in Middle Earth.
Where to stream: Find “Fellowship of the Ring,” Netflix; “Two Towers” and “Return of the King” on Starz.
Series: Harry Potter
Length: 19 hours, 39 minutes
Bonus: Also include “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the newest series to spin off from the Potterverse. The latest film, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” is showing in area theaters.
Where to stream: All films except “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” are available on Syfy.
Series: Star Wars
Length: 22 hours, 30 minutes
Tips: Watch in chronological order: “Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,” “Episode II: Attack of the Clones,” “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith III,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Episode IV: A New Hope,” “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back,” “Episode: VI: Return of the Jedi,” “Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.”
Where to stream: “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” can be found on Netflix.
Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Length: 40 hours, 48 minutes
Tips: Watch in Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline order (or pretty close to): “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: Dark World,” “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Black Panther,” “Doctor Strange,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Where to stream: “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Black Panther,” “Doctor Strange” and “Avengers: Infinity War” (available Christmas Day) are on Netflix; “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is on Starz; and “Ant-Man” is on Syfy.
Series: “Toy Story”
Length: 4 hours, 39 minutes
Bonus: “Toy Story 4” comes out this summer, so check out the trailer.
Series: “Rocky”
Length: 12 hours, 45 minutes
Bonus: The latest in the Rocky series “Creed II” is showing locally, so finish off your marathon with a trip to the theater.
Where to stream: “Rocky” through “Rocky V” are available through Roku Channel, Vudu and Crackle.
Series: Dark Knight trilogy
Length: 7 hours, 37 minutes
Bonus: If you want more of the caped crusaders, can check out other adaptations such as “Batman,” “Batman Returns,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman & Robin” or “The Lego Batman Movie,” as well as numerous other TV shows and animated films.
Series: Indiana Jones
Length: 8 hours, 2 minutes
Tips: Do yourself a favor and pretend the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” doesn’t exist.
Where to stream: All films are available on Amazon Prime, including “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.”
Series: “The Godfather”
Length: 8 hours, 57 minutes
Where to stream: All films are available on Netflix.
Series: “The Fast and the Furious”
Length: 15 hours, 57 minutes
Where to stream: “Furious 7” is on FXNow, and “The Fate of the Furious” is available on Max Go.
Christmas marathons
Series: “Home Alone”
Length: 7 hours, 10 minutes
Where to stream: “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” can be found on Starz.
Series: “The Santa Clause”
Length: 4 hours, 53 minutes
Where to stream: “The Santa Clause” and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” are available on Freeform.
Series: “Die Hard”
Length: 10 hours, 14 minutes
Where to stream: Find “Die Hard 2” at Max Go and “A Good Day to Die Hard” at FXNow.
