17 March 2012

Movies to watch when you are in bed with a cold

When  you are bed-ridden or couch-ridden with a cold that is just bad enough to make you feel miserable without being bad enough to render you unconscious, the best thing you can do is snuggle up with a movie. The movie should be one that makes you feel happy and comfortable. No dizzying adrenaline rushes and no scary scenes that will make your heart beat too fast & make it hard for you to doze off later, and nothing that makes you cry too much, because you don't need your head to feel any worse than it already does. Here are some of my favourites (WARNING - spoilers abound!) :-

When Harry Met Sally

There is no part of this film that isn't perfect. One of those rare rom-coms that actually fulfils the com part as well as the rom, it has one of the two greatest scenes in fiction featuring Pictionary (the other is in the episode of The Simpsons where the Van Houtens break up). Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal both play wonderfully real characters who are so busy pretending that they are over their past failed relationships that they don't realise they have fallen in love. There's also a fantastic beta couple in Jess and Marie, played by the late Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher. And there's Casablanca. Perfection.

Sense & Sensibility

This is a beautiful film with a great cast - Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Hugh Grant and the divine Alan Rickman. It captures Austen's dry ironical wit perfectly and has not one but TWO happy endings for our heroines. It gets bonus points for a dramatic sequence when Marianne nearly dies of a cold, so you can immediately feel thankful that you live in an age of aspirin and paracetamol and stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself.

The Princess Bride

Funny enough to keep you smiling without making you double over with a painful hacking cough and romantic enough to make you feel warm inside without making you swoon, The Princess Bride is a delight and the second Rob Reiner movie on my list.

Casablanca

Harry and Sally's favourite movie, Casablanca is constantly named as one of the greatest films ever made, but unlike some great movies, it's actually enjoyable! It is full of quotable lines, brilliant characters and memorable scenes and in Claude Rains' Captain Renault and Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine it has one of the all-time greatest bromances in film history. Rick's final sacrifice is more noble than simply laying down his life to save someone - he has to live on without the love of his life, with only the knowledge that she truly does love him back to sustain him. Truly heroic.

It's A Wonderful Life

It's not just for Christmas.  There is a danger that this film will make you blub like a child who has just discovered (spoiler!) Santa isn't real, but it's offset by the fact that this film is the very definition of heartwarming. James Stewart discovering that the love of his family and friends make life truly worth living is simply lovely but for me, watching George becoming a man, a husband and a father is equally rewarding.

You've Got Mail

Although I didn't really like this film that much on first viewing, it's grown on me. It's pure comfort viewing. The loneliness and wistfulness of Kathleen Kelly, as played by Meg Ryan, makes a real impression on me - while she is surrounded by loving friends and a boyfriend who seems perfect on paper, she longs for a connection that is more than that. And she finds it online, with a man she doesn't realise is the man whose megastore book emporium is about to put her cute little children's bookstore out of business. I love the references to books (my old favourite Noel Streatfeild and, obviously, Pride & Prejudice) and the Godfather movie references and some of the writing is beautiful: "I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils" is a standout for me. You also get to see just how pretty Meg Ryan is with a headcold and feel a little aggrieved that the future love of your life doesn't bring you daisies  and make you tea when you're in bed sick.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Classic rainy Sunday afternoon movies generally make for perfect viewing when you're sick and this is a great example. There can't be anyone on the planet with access to a tv who hasn't seen it yet. It's a wonderful combination of old-fashioned adventure and romance with a strong heroine and one of the most swoonworthy heroes of the silver-screen in Harrison Ford, so make sure you're well propped up with pillows in case you should come over a little faint, given your already weakened condition.

The Quiet Man

A classic western which just happens to take place in the west of Ireland, rather than somewhere in the Old West, this is pure old-fashioned entertainment. Most of the actors in The Quiet Man manage to give the impression of being both the embodiment of Irish clichés and a mockery of those same stereotypes. John Wayne is the strong, silent hero, struggling with a guilty secret and Maureen O'Hara is the feisty, passionate heroine who doesn't understand the man she's fallen for. But in the end, with help from pretty much the entire village, a lot of booze and a donnybrook to end all donnybrooks, everybody lives happily ever after. The other heart-lifting aspect of the film is just how incredibly beautiful the countryside around Cong is - obviously technicolour adds a certain glow but I can promise you that it is still as lovely today!

Labyrinth

This is a film to watch if you have one of those colds that make you feel a bit floopy and out of it - or maybe you've just taken medicine that makes you feel that way. Either way, Labyrinth should make you feel normal. It's an absolute mindbender in some parts. It's also a great adventure, with shades of Alice in Wonderland or Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth. Jareth the Goblin King manages to be simultaneously creepy and romantic and sexy - this is explicable almost entirely by the fact that he is played by David Bowie.

Hot Fuzz

This might be a little too exciting and funny to put on the list, so save it for when you're on the mend. The second in the Wright-Pegg-Frost Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, it's an action-comedy which achieves the distinction of being equally good at both parts of that equation. Simon Pegg plays a city super-cop sent to a small Midsomer-like town, where he and useless local constable Nick Frost uncover a massive conspiracy. It's full of great actors in terrific character parts (Timothy! Dalton!), has loads of disturbingly graphic violence and some truly hilarious scenes. It will definitely cheer you up.

Henry and Sunny

Finally, if you have one of those awful colds where you can't stay awake for more than 15 minutes at a time, here's my solution: adorable short film Henry and Sunny which you can watch online. Set in a world not unlike our own, where the recession is (naturally) being blamed on those damn clowns, it is the story of Henry, a lonely clown who falls for a soap-opera star. It was nominated for a few awards at the Feelgood Film Festival and will make you smile and feel warm inside before you slide back into unconsciousness.

16 March 2012

March 2012 - Total of 31 movies watched

1. The Crying Game **** new
2. Terminator: Salvation ***
3. The King's Speech ****
4. Warrior *****
5. The Social Network ****
6. John Carter **** new
7. This Means War **** new
8. Warrior *****
9. Intermission ****
10. 28 Days Later ****
11. John Carter ****
12. Up in the Air ****
13. Equilibrium ***
14. Love Actually ***
15. Swingers ****
16. Batman Begins ****
17. The Prestige *****
18. Eden Lake **** new
19. You've Got Mail ****
20. Rise of the Planet of the Apes *** new
21. When Harry Met Sally *****
22. Let the Right One In ****
23. X-Men: First Class ****
24. Groundhog Day ****
25. Warrior *****
26. 21 Jump Street **** new
27. Avatar *****
28. Step Up ** new
29. She's The Man ** new
30. The Eagle ***
31. The Hunger Games **** new

February 2012 - Total of 20 movies watched

1. Chronicle **** new
2. The Grey **** new
3. The Hurt Locker *****
4. Unforgiven ****
5. Man on a Ledge *** new
6. The Room *
7. Sunshine ****
8. Brighton Rock (2011) *** new
9. The Hurt Locker *****
10. Winter's Bone **** new
11. A History of Violence ****
12. A Walk in the Clouds ***
13. Captain America: The First Avenger ***
14. Chronicle ****
15. A Dangerous Method *** new
16. Robin Hood ****
17. Fantastic Mr. Fox ****
18. The Woman In Black **** new
19. Inception *****
20. Signs ****

January 2012 - Total of 39 movies watched

1. State of Play *** new
2. The Dark Knight *****
3. The Cutting Edge ***
4. Iron Man 2 ****
5. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol **** new
6. The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond *** new
7. Confessions of a Shopaholic ***
8. Puss in Boots *** new
9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ****
10. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo **** new
11. Brief Encounter ****
12. The Hurt Locker *****
13. Jurassic Park ****
14. Mansfield Park ***
15. The Hurt Locker *****
16. Shame **** new
17. He's Just Not That Into You ***
18. The Iron Lady ***
19. I Love You, Man ***
20. Iron Man ****
21. Thor ****
22. Sixteen Candles *** new
23. The Artist ***** new
24. The Guardian ***
25. War Horse **** new
26. American Graffiti ****
27. Jurassic Park III ***
28. Independence Day ****
29. Role Models ***
30. J. Edgar *** new
31. Haywire *** new
32. Maverick ****
33. Coriolanus *** new
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *****
35. As Good As It Gets ****
36. Jaws *****
37. The Incredible Hulk ***
38. The Woodsman **** new
39. The Piano ****

December 2011 - Total of 33 movies watched

1. The Perfect Score *** new
2. The Thing (2011) *** new
3. Batman Returns ****
4. In the Cut **** new
5. Top Gun ***
6. The Mummy Returns ***
7. Singin' In The Rain ****
8. 50/50 **** new
9. Take Shelter **** new
10. Scrooged ****
11. The Lake House ****
12. The Truth About Cats and Dogs ****
13. Blades of Glory ****
14. The Sixth Sense ****
15. Zoolander ***
15. The Devil's Advocate ***
16. Scott Pilgrim Versus The World **** new
17. Something Borrowed *** new
18. New Year's Eve * new
19. Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan ****
20. The Black Swan (1941) *** new
21. Step-brothers ***
22. Another Earth **** new
23. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows *** new
24. Team America: World Police ***
25. 28 Weeks Later *** new
26. My week with Marilyn *** new
27. Star Trek ****
28. Ratatouille ****
29. Enigma ***
30. Spider-Man **
31. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version) **** new
32. Some Like It Hot ****
33. E.T. *****

November 2011 - Total of 17 movies watched

1. Aliens *****
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *****
3. The Ides of March *** new
4. Sensation **** new
5. Immortals **** new
6. Tower Heist *** new
7. Black Hawk Down ****
8. Open Range ****
9. Monsters **** new
10. V for Vendetta ****
11. Bronson *** new
12. What's Your Number? ** new
13. Monsters ****
14. Cellular *** new
15. Sunshine **** new
16. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ***
17. Captain America: The First Avenger ***

October 2011 - Total of 8 movies watched

1. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ***** new
2. Jane Eyre ****
3. The Fighter ****
4. Drive **** new
5. Star Wars V: Empire Strikes Back *****
6. Warrior ***** new
7. Inkheart ***
8. Ghostbusters ****

September 2011 - Total of 9 movies watched

1. Cowboys and Aliens *** new
2. Possession ***
3. Star Trek ****
4. Jane Eyre **** new
5. Friends with Benefits *** new
6. One Day **** new
7. Clash of the Titans (1981) ***
8. Beauty and the Beast (1991) ****
9. Jurassic Park ****

August 2011 - Total of 36 movies watched

1. The Cutting Edge ***
2. Push ****
3. I Capture the Castle ***
4. When Brendan Met Trudy ****
5. Kick-Ass ****
6. Sense & Sensibility ****
7. In Bruges *****
8. Only You ***
9. Arriety **** new
10. Horrible Bosses *** new
11. Captain America: The First Avenger *** new
12. Super 8 **** new
13. Beginners **** new
14. The Guard ****
15. Howl's Moving Castle ****
16. Jarhead ***
17. Casino Royale ****
18. Cold Comfort Farm *** new
19. Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence *** new
20. (500) Days of Summer **** new
21. A Lot Like Love *** new
22. Sabrina (1995) ***
23. The Lake House ****
24. Sweet November **
25. Legends of the Fall **
26. About Adam ***
27. The Big Sleep ****
28. The Ugly Truth ***
29. Leap Year ** new
30. The Sure Thing ****
31. Better Off Dead ****
32. The Quiet Man *****
33. Hot Tub Time Machine ****
34. Page Eight **** new
35. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet ****
36. The Last of the Mohicans *****

JULY 2011 - Total of 14 movies watched

1. Zombieland ****
2. The Saint ***
3. You've Got Mail ****
4. Sliding Doors ***
5. The Guard **** new
6. Stage Beauty ****
7. Straw Dogs **** new
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 *** new
9. Tuck Everlasting *** new
10. The Commitments ****
11. Lady Jane ***
12. Mulan *** new
13. Jagged Edge ****
14. A Hazard of Hearts ** new