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Time to test your resilience, kiddos! I don’t know about you, but I’m already crumbling under my new year’s resolutions… Perhaps 2022 isn’t the year to turn over a new leaf. Instead of trying to shed those extra pounds, how about we focus on basic human survival?

According to UPenn professor and best-selling author Adam Grant, watching horror movies is a kind of exposure therapy, and people are unintentinally microdosing fear and anxiety in harmless situations to build up resistance to the real thing. Here’s a handy-dandy list of movies available at horror-streaming behemoth Shudder, nicely paired with their literary counterpart, to help get you through this never-ending hellscape that is 2022.

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Today marks the eighty-first birthday of the beloved Hayao Miyazaki, and we’re here to celebrate his critically-acclaimed films. Known mainly for his work with Studio Ghibli, the animation studio he co-founded with fellow director/screenwriter/producer Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, Miyazaki’s made a huge impact on the international animation community and animation fans alike.

His original film Spirited Away is currently the eighth highest-grossing animated film of all time, five of his films place in the top ten highest-grossing anime films, and he’s won countless global awards and nominations for (including, but in no way limited to) the Tokyo Anime Awards, The Mainichi Film Awards, the US and Japan Academy Awards, the Annie Awards, Kinema Junpo Awards, and the Golden Bear Award. He’s also a Person of Cultural Merit, an official and high honor for those who’ve contributed to the creative advancement of Japanese culture.

Whether you’ve watched all his films, starting with Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, or you have that one comfort Miyazaki film that you turn to in times of need, the themes of humanity and nature, friendship and family, and all sorts of human emotions are sure to stick with you.

Many viewers still have that itch that only Miyazaki films can scratch, and while you wait for Miyazaki’s last film, based on Yoshino Genzaburo’s novel How Do You Live?, try these middle grade and young adult books based on your favorite Miyazaki film.

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Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that revivals and reboots are a big part of Hollywood right now. From Ghostbusters to Home Alone to Child’s Play to this month’s highly anticipated release of The Matrix Resurrections (over 20 years since the first film was released), everyone loves seeing older franchises updated and brought back to the big screen.

Inevitably, moviegoers can expect more classic franchises to get refreshers, and while remakes are definitely an option, it seems that fans are far more interested to see continuations of the original story. Of course, not every ’90s franchise deserves a follow up and some have already had failed attempts, but these five would have the subject matter, big names, or devoted fanbase to pull off a resurrection of their own.

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The King’s Man hits cinemas this month, continuing the story of the Kingsman with a prequel – and instead of focusing on Eggsy, the underdog of the first film, it will look at how the spy organization fared in World War 1.

While the details of the plot will have to wait until it hits the big screen, fans of the series know that they can count on director Matthew Vaughn’s incredible approach, which means brilliant action, bold shots, and a lot of comedy to balance it out. This, and the original Kingsman, makes a change from the classic spy movie style, but it’s the time period that really makes this stand out. While there are many critically acclaimed spy flicks set in the modern day (or the era they were released in), giving things a period flair creates something truly special—as these other phenomenal historical spy and action movies do too.

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December is going to be the month of Boba Fett, as The Book of Boba Fett launches on the small screen on December 29th (hoping to recreate the success of The Mandalorian), and an actual book, Be More Boba Fett, lands on the shelves on December 21st. The book, a lighthearted look at entrepreneurship subtitled “Always Get the Job Done,” is bound to be a hit, and it isn’t the first Boba Fett book, either! In 2013, The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett was released, adding to the mythology and canon culture of the bounty hunters of this universe.

It’s easy to see why this bounty hunter is so popular, of course, as he’s one of the most mysterious characters from the original trilogy, and one whose mythology continues to grow as the Star Wars universe expands. He’s also far from the only one who has found their way into the pages of a book, as well as in adventures on screen. From tie-ins and novels to a Star Wars take on mindfulness and more, these are some of the best Star Wars books that have only come to the galaxy not-so-far-away a very short time ago…

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Need some small but mighty stocking stuffers to, you know, stuff some stockings? We've got you covered with these wide range of titles, perfect for last minute stocking additions!