Top Ten Feel-Good Movies
It's tricky. It's a category that we somehow always file under 'not really as important as most other types of movies cause all they do is make us feel good'.
So here's a chance to redress that balance and give these types of films their due. We all need cheering up every so often. As per usual with these lists, this is a personal set of choices and not something that any of you will agree with 100 per cent but it's always interesting to see how and why we differ on particular choices.
1) 'Imagine me & you' - Hilarious, heart-warming and ultimately ott ending a la Richard Curtis & co. all add up to a thoroughly enjoyable movie that is packed full of wonderful characters and performances.
2) 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the whistle-stop cafe' - So difficult to sum up this amazing movie without waffling on too long. This is a powerful movie concerned principally with the lives of three women and events that unfold in the past and present. You will laugh, you will cry, you will have your faith in humanity restored.
3) ' Volver' - Nothing cheers one up like watching Penelope Cruz...do anything. The movie is a testament to Almodovor's understanding to humanity, principally the strength and warmth of the women in this movie.
4) 'A good year' - Yeah yeah yeah, it's corny, it's a rehash of script-writer Peter Mayle's 'A year in Provence' and it's very slow- but it's Ridley Scott and it's Russell Crowe and it's the gorgeous sun-drenched countryside of Southern France. Just sit back and let yourself enjoy the wonderful old-fashioned story and visuals. A rare treat.
5) 'Once' - Irish busker meets Czech girl who misses her piano. Glorious triumph that skates on the edge of cynicism and spirit-lifting music therapy. An incredible achievement.
6) 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - a movie that reminds us what true love is and where to find it in today's post-sentimentality society.
7) 'Notting Hill' - It's hard not to just shove all of Curtis & Grant's ouevre in here but instead I'll let this one stand for their particular brand of encapsulated British charm and bitter-sweet romances. NH is notable for a fascinating look at pairings between famous and non-famous people, Rhys Ifan's triumphant break-through and the hauntingly beautiful Elvis Costello cover of Aznavour's 'She'
8) 'Monsters Inc.' - Ahh Pixar. Good Lord, has anything ever looked as good as the movies these CGI Jedi Masters come up with? With this movie they hit the exact blance needed to blend technical wizardry with charming story and wonderful voice talents of Billy Crystal and John Goodman topping off an almost perfect animated experience.
9) 'Crash'- An odd choice on this list, I know, but one of those movies that rewards one paying close attention and also a very nice holistical approach to society and as the end approaches, one's time is well rewarded by some incredible scenes of closure.
10) 'Big' - One of THE ultimate feel-good movies. The only problem including it on here is that pretty much everyone on the face of the planet has seen it already- well, go see it again.
So here's a chance to redress that balance and give these types of films their due. We all need cheering up every so often. As per usual with these lists, this is a personal set of choices and not something that any of you will agree with 100 per cent but it's always interesting to see how and why we differ on particular choices.
1) 'Imagine me & you' - Hilarious, heart-warming and ultimately ott ending a la Richard Curtis & co. all add up to a thoroughly enjoyable movie that is packed full of wonderful characters and performances.
2) 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the whistle-stop cafe' - So difficult to sum up this amazing movie without waffling on too long. This is a powerful movie concerned principally with the lives of three women and events that unfold in the past and present. You will laugh, you will cry, you will have your faith in humanity restored.
3) ' Volver' - Nothing cheers one up like watching Penelope Cruz...do anything. The movie is a testament to Almodovor's understanding to humanity, principally the strength and warmth of the women in this movie.
4) 'A good year' - Yeah yeah yeah, it's corny, it's a rehash of script-writer Peter Mayle's 'A year in Provence' and it's very slow- but it's Ridley Scott and it's Russell Crowe and it's the gorgeous sun-drenched countryside of Southern France. Just sit back and let yourself enjoy the wonderful old-fashioned story and visuals. A rare treat.
5) 'Once' - Irish busker meets Czech girl who misses her piano. Glorious triumph that skates on the edge of cynicism and spirit-lifting music therapy. An incredible achievement.
6) 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - a movie that reminds us what true love is and where to find it in today's post-sentimentality society.
7) 'Notting Hill' - It's hard not to just shove all of Curtis & Grant's ouevre in here but instead I'll let this one stand for their particular brand of encapsulated British charm and bitter-sweet romances. NH is notable for a fascinating look at pairings between famous and non-famous people, Rhys Ifan's triumphant break-through and the hauntingly beautiful Elvis Costello cover of Aznavour's 'She'
8) 'Monsters Inc.' - Ahh Pixar. Good Lord, has anything ever looked as good as the movies these CGI Jedi Masters come up with? With this movie they hit the exact blance needed to blend technical wizardry with charming story and wonderful voice talents of Billy Crystal and John Goodman topping off an almost perfect animated experience.
9) 'Crash'- An odd choice on this list, I know, but one of those movies that rewards one paying close attention and also a very nice holistical approach to society and as the end approaches, one's time is well rewarded by some incredible scenes of closure.
10) 'Big' - One of THE ultimate feel-good movies. The only problem including it on here is that pretty much everyone on the face of the planet has seen it already- well, go see it again.