Classics. Comedies. Eccentric Indies. And those Oh So British period pieces with lush landscapes and ornate interiors. You know the sort. Anthony Hopkins. Emma Thompson.
Delicious.
When I’m not feeling well or insomnia is knock-knock-knocking at my door, films provide what nothing else can – a few hours of solace and distraction.
I’ve been sick. (Can you spell C-O-L-D from Hell?) Even the Grog wasn’t helping. So I’ve resorted to an old standby.
You guessed it. Movie Night!
If pressed, I will admit that the past three nights I’ve laid in bed crumpled, coughing, and maddeningly awake, my irritation eased by watching television into the wee hours.
No doubt this exacerbated my sleeplessness, but movies make magic in powerful ways – as long as we can find the ones with the right combination of qualities to do so.
Movie Time – Any Time?
As sleep abandoned me (to Kleenex, hot tea, and bleary vision), I spent hours selecting among old friends – from Bette Davis to Renée Zellweger – and stumbled into some new ones – all to battle back the raspy throat, the throbbing sinuses, and the typical sneezing and wheezing of a mid-winter head cold.
Yes, I tried books. But the eyes were teary and burning. Anything on my laptop? Too tough on the pitiful peepers as well.
Fortunately, my cable service offers free films, and a few that are just a couple of bucks. I generally manage to make do with what’s available without spending any extra, and the past two nights (of coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and voiceless irritation) left me to zap and enjoy the following familiar films and a few discoveries.
Old (and New) Favorite Films
How about some Bridget Jones – with or without Blue String Soup? Perhaps channeling Madonna in a Thai prison? (It works on me every time, as I have diligently documented in other malevolent moments of flu-like distress or insidious insomnia.)
The King’s Speech, which I watched for at least the sixth time or possibly the seventh? This says it all: Colin Firth, Colin Firth, Colin Firth. And yes, it’s a helluva movie besides. But may I say… Colin Firth?
A Man and Woman – a 1966 French classic, which I cannot believe I’ve never seen before. So sexy, so stylized, so sixties in the most marvelous manner. And how the camera loves Anouk Aimée!
The 1995 version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, with Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant. (Jane Austen possesses curative powers in all forms. And did you know that Emma Thompson wrote that script?)
The Duchess, with Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, makes me appreciate how far women have come. Yes, it’s taken a few centuries in the English speaking world, but talk about a woman’s place being in the home! How about your husband, the Duke, nailing your best friend and keeping her as his mistress right under your nose and next to your toes – at the not-so-cozy castle dining table? And who can possibly manage “work life balance” with two feet of wiggy hair piled on your head?
Missing In Action: Key Curative Ingredient
I see a pattern – don’t you?
When I’m under the weather I go for characters or character studies, but lighter fare than what seduces me when I’m firing on all cylinders. Humor, details, and nuance can draw me in, often the sort that both the Brits and the French seem to excel at.
Despite my nights of movie therapy, I confess I feel as lousy today as I have since the weekend. (We will not comment on how lack of sleep isn’t helping… The insomnia has me in its grip; I’m riding it out… on waves of Colin Firth.)
I have, however, concluded that the Cure has likely not worked due to a noticeable lack of required foodstuffs. Please be assured that on morning errands (oranges, Kleenex, tea bags), I picked up some All Natural Microwavable popcorn.
Don’t you think that will do the trick?
Home Remedy Movies
When all hell breaks loose, or your body screams for you to stop – what soothes your personal savage beast? Music? Reading? Favorite films?
- Your “Go To If All Else Fails” mood-enhancing movies?
- Your movie viewing habits – alone, as opposed to with partner, kids, or friends?
- Those films you could watch fifty times and never tire of?
- Any home remedies to suggest for the Cold From Hell?
Image from “A Man and a Woman” via Wiki, Public Domain, Les Films 13
You May Also Enjoy
” It’s Complicated “. I LOVE that movie. And I could watch it 50 times. “Mama Mia ” too. Maybe I just love Meryl Streep comedies.
An Indian film (that was a blockbuster in India) that I watch with my family called ” Kuch Kuch Kota Hai ” One of the best feel good movies of all times – a comedy but you will cry too.
“All That Jazz ” I think I have watched that one 50 times.
A German film about a chef called “Mostly Martha” with seriousness in it, but uplifting and , at times, hilarious.
I think I have seen every version of Jane Austin’s “Emma” and Pride and Prejudice” (Colin Firth!) ever made.
I read movie reviews and clip them. For myself, I tend towards movies where women have revelations about themselves, movies about food (like Babette’s feast) or foreign films. Recent finds were “I am love” set in Milan (and, in part, about the transforming qualities of food) and “Cairo Time”. Now I want to go to Egypt.
Cold remedies? Hot lemonade, hot baths, and lots of sleep, and Vicks on the bottom of your feet if coughing keeps you awake (seriously).
Lunaboogie, you might enjoy this…
Oh! Babette’s Feast. Yes! Stunning film. Glorious. And you’ve now given me a few that I didn’t know about to look up…
HOT lemonade? Huh. Okay. Weak tea, tons more lemon in it, piping hot. (Close enough?) Vicks on the bottom of my tootsies??? (Oh! Tootsie!) Yeah, the sleep part. Can’t seem to manage that. (Thus, the movies. Any excuse for a little Colin Firth.)
By the way, Lunaboogie… Since you like foreign films, I would recommend “Pacte de Silence” with Gérard Depardieu. (He annoys me these days, but… this is a film I caught on cable a few weeks back – really intriguing). And another, but it requires a strong stomach and is certainly not easy fare for any hour approaching bedtime… “Incendies.”
One more that I saw not too long ago – riveting: “The Lives of Others,” which is German.
Google them if you haven’t heard of them. You might enjoy them!
Did I mention Colin Firth – or was that you? The best microwavable popcorn? Redenbacher’s Tender White. No microwave popcorn taste.
I could watch Under the Tuscan Sun over and over. Love, especially, the reinvention of the house.
I could watch Something’s Gotta Give – just to view the beach house and her writing cave over and over.
Bridgette Jones movies – yes.
I usually watch old movies alone – unless I’m with my daughter. Then we’ll burrow in and watch for hours and hours, into the night and start again the next morning after walking the dog and eating breakfast.
Her favorite? Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Mame.
And I can watch whole seasons of Project Runway too. Love the sewing and bickering and Tim Gunn and the creative process.
Hot water with a slice of lemon, sipped slowly is one of the best remedies I know. That and gargling with warm water and salt.
Feel better soon!
No such thing as too many mentions of Colin Firth, Barbara (*grin*) – whatever the source. Did you ever see 2008’s “Genova?” A good film, again with Firth. One I never heard of until it showed up on cable.
And yes – the house in Under the Tuscan Sun and Something’s Gotta Give is a terrific movie (with another gorgeous house).
By the way, if you’ve never seen Woody Allen’s “Interiors,” try to dig it up. It’s not his usual. 1970s, with some of his (then) favorite actors – but a very different film and it is certainly about “interiors” – very striking.
Going for the hot water and lemon (again)… now…
An American President – Annette Benning is so gorgeous and I love Martin Sheen.
Chocolate – Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche AND Judy Dench – who could ask for more?
The Thomas Crowne Affair – love, love the scene with all the men in bowler hats!
Cinema Paridiso
Midnight in Paris
But when I’m really in need of something familiar it’s Jason Bourne or The Birdcage.Pretty sure I know all the lines.
Such good movies, Deb…
Have you seen Impromptu with Hugh Grant, Judy Davis, and the fabulous Emma Thompson? Delicious.
Wolf – Is that the one where she’s George Sand and he’s Chopin? (If so, I have seen that long ago. Delicious, it is!)
Thanks for the ideas, BLW.
Almost forgot “Amelie”
Ah, movies! Enchanted April is a slice of heaven. As are all movies with Colin Firth.
I love a simple sicky soup – broth, rice (if you have it) drop a scrambled egg in and then a squeeze of lemon. I’m also newly sold on the excellency of humidifiers for sad sinuses.
ah! now THIS is a post we know how to respond to (got very confused as to what to say with the marriage, children, divorce and so on – forgive our silence – but we do enjoy reading your words……truly….especially that flash fiction – there’s A NOVEL there, most definitely.)
ok.
**mood-enhancing movies? Anything by Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers or starring Doris Day
***movie viewing habits – mostly alone, with a notebook if a DVD to write down fav lines and ideas – at the cinema in NYC with NMP and in LA with either George (who writes the 1904 blog) or Maria (who owns the shop Yolk) and in Palm Springs with Greg – basically with anyone who can cope with us repeating our fav lines ad infinitum (not many people can – we have a memory like a steel trap and an uncanny sense of mimicry)
**films you could watch fifty times and never tire of? see answer to Q.1
***Any home remedies to suggest for the Cold From Hell? Sleep, admitting it might be more than the Flu (the body saying Take Care Of Me Now or sadness that needs writing out or a new vitamin/fresh juice regime or Cake – lots of – in bed, wearing something soft in flannel and thick caring socks) and movies and more sleep and hot baths with deep bubbles in lavender and kind handkerchiefs for sore noses and hand cream next to the bed to soothe while watching a movie and definitely audiobooks – something soothing read by Dame Judi Dench. Nothing like a bedtime story to aid recovery.
sending you vast wellness vibes from the Other Coast.
_teamgloria xx
we didn’t follow the rules (such as they are – we know your blog is Huge and it’s meant for smaller ones) but we’d love your responses to our Questions here (scroll down): http://teamgloria.com/2013/02/21/at-the-request-of-dear-aubrey/
Mood-enhancing movies:
Cool Runnings
Trading Places
Life of Brian
When Harry Met Sally
Annie Hall
Out of Africa
Shawshank Redemption
Invictus
His Girl Friday
Arsenic and Old Lace
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Independence Day
Shaun of the Dead
Rocky
American President
Bend it Like Beckham
The Hangover
Bridesmaids
The Help
Ghandi
The Green Mile
The World’s Fastest Indian
Hoosiers
Remember the Titans
Freedom Writers
The Blindside
Dead Poets Society
Good Will Hunting
Gran Torino
Shine
The Peaceful Warrior
The Family Man
Click
Quite an eclectic mix, Curtis! (There are a few I haven’t heard of. And some I know very well…) I find it interesting that some films I don’t blink an eye at – on a woman’s list – show up on yours. (Dreadful, the assumptions and stereotypes we make about each gender.)
I adored The King’s Speech. Colin Firth — sigh! I loved him in Love Actually too.
We haven’t reached the point where we *need* to stay up into the wee hours with a movie, but my sleep schedule as of a week and a half ago has been flip-flopped and segmented. I should take some of your suggested movies and put them on the Netflix list. (Or I could use this time to catch up on blog reading … my office hours now coincide with late-night feedings!)
A good time for suggested movies, CT… with those new night feedings. Sending huge hugs and congrats to the entire Troubadour clan on your addition! xoxo
In the trenches with you, BLW!
Cold remedy steam bath that definitely helps with the respiratory stuff!
Boil about two cups of water, pour into metal bowl
Add 5-6 drops of Eucalyptus oil
Add 5-6 drops of Rosemary oil
Place towel over your head and bowl; Breathe in the steam for 5 minutes until steam is gone, reversing breathing pattern. In through nose, out through mouth, then in through mouth…
Do this as many times as you can throughout the day – BE SURE to keep tissues nearby as it will clean out your sinuses!
I pour the scented water back into the pot and use it as the base for my next batch. It not only puts the vapors into the house, it makes the batches a tad more potent. 🙂
Let me know how it works for you! It is a longtime fave in my home; even my children will do it without too much grumbling, because it has proven effective time and again.
Time to get back to work, but the movies? Any romantic comedy. Renee? Awesome! Nicole Kidman. Reese Witherspoon. Sandra Bullock anytime of the day or night! I LOVE the Bourne movies. Many on Curtis’ list are found on mine. I’ve recently been tapped into the sitcom Big Bang Theory and love the quirkiness of the entire cast… Someday we should meet, and you can introduce me to foreign films…maybe your appreciation will be infectious… ;P
Get well, Journeyer!
Eucalyptus oil? Rosemary oil? Wow. They sound exotic, Annah Elizabeth. (I’m making a note.) But they’re not something I have in my pantry… (Steam and an herbal tea bag?)
“Sense and Sensibility” is one of my all-time favorite movies. I also enjoy “Lost in Translation”, “Amelie”, “In the Mood for Love” and “Bridget Jones”. But movies I enjoy over and over again are often ones that are action-packed, like “Terminator” (1 & 2), “Alien”, “Aliens”, the newest Star Trek and the latest Batman series.
I love the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Knotting Hill, Bridget Jones, Batman are also movie that I enjoy as well.
Hope you feel better soon, Wolf.
When I’m sick I become like Greta Garbo, and just “want to be left alone” (although I’ve read she never really said that).
I know. If we lived closer I’d loan you mine… But, do the next best thing and hit your local natural store… I also see that GNC stores also carry the pure oils… Make the trip. You’ll be glad you did. (and the bottles will carry you through many colds.)
Oh, I’m so sorry you’ve been so sick, but I am in awe that you can still write! All I had was some muscle ache this week and I haven’t been able to write a word…
I love your movie list and I intend to check out each one, except for Bridget Jones which I’ve seen. I loved Shall We Dance (the Japanese version), When Harry Met Sally…I’m completely dating myself as I can’t seem to get around to watching as many movies as I would like. Oh, I recently saw Amour in the theater which stars the now 80-something actor from a Man and Woman. He was just phenomenal, and I don’t know why he didn’t get nominated for an Oscar.
As for home remedies, my mother used to boil up Coke, scallion and ginger. Delicious! I usually do a ginger, garlic, honey and lemon drink. I use a lot of ginger and drink it as hot as I can tolerate it. I make a potful and drink about 3 cups a day. Hope you feel better in time for the Oscars!
Thanks, Cecilia. (All these home remedies, and I’m missing many of the ingredients. But great ideas for things to stock up on when I’m back up and out of the house again and at the grocery store.)
That’s Jean-Louis Trintignant in “Amour.” I can hardly wait to see that movie!
Here are 3 more I didn’t think of before – Girlfriends (from the 80’s), 13 going on 30, My Brilliant Career and (in the theaters, now) Silver Linings Playbook. (Shall We Dance, the Japanese version mentioned earlier, is a winner).
Feel better!
So glad I checked back, BLW! Such rich comments with so many movie recommendations – fantastic! There are many I’ve seen and have been reminded to view again. The two you asked about – Genova and Interiors? Haven’t seen or heard of either of them – so thank you.
Speaking of Woody Allen – I just watched To Rome with Love – it was very good – such beautiful Italian scenes – especially I think, having just been there a few months ago. And Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so good too!
Can we just escape for a few weeks and watch movies and write and stroll and eat and sleep? In what lifetime does that happen?
A friend recommended “Bernie”, a docudrama about a small town east Texas murder, starring Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. This is excellent storytelling, mixing actors and townspeople in a way that drew me in far more than I would have expected. The movie strikes a tone that seems over-the-top at first, but is actually a perfect representation of east Texas. There is a wonderful balance between comedy, pathos and feel-goodness.
I also have to second the mentions of Kings Speech and Silver Linings Playbook. Loved them….
Bernie… Will have to check that out. The King’s Speech! Adore that movie, Robert. (Haven’t seen Silver Linings Playbook yet.)
Popcorn with your movies? 🙂