ESCAPING to the movies is one way I cope with a hectic day. Whether it’s getting settled in the theater seat with a bucket of popcorn on my lap or eating ice cream out of the container while I press “PLAY” on my DVD, watching a movie always puts me in a happy zone.
Your happy quotient for the day will of course be affected by the type of movie you see. It all depends on your personal taste too. My husband enjoys horror flicks. Even if they scare him sometimes, he finds humor in them. I, on the other hand, abhor them. I suppose it’s my hyperactive imagination. It’s the evening after that scary film I’m more worried about actually.
And so I gravitate towards lighthearted comedies, romance flicks, those with stories about the triumph of the human spirit. Throw in a bunch of chick flicks there too. They usually have happy endings anyway. If your day doesn’t seem to end very happily, then at least watch the happily ever after movie and hopefully it gets a little cathartic.
If it’s a movie theater I am in, I prefer sitting way back and smack center. The magic of the movies still has an effect on me — the dimming of the lights, the trailers, the crunch of popcorn… it’s thrilling! I’ve also seen some movies just by myself and it was one of the best ways to deal with a crazy day. Now if only cinema authorities would do something about those noisy viewers! And when I’m home, I just put on my pajamas, grab my junk food and get ready for a marathon. At least I escape into the world of film in my own home.
These movies, old and new, have uplifted my spirits — “Dan in Real Life,” “White Chicks,” “Love Actually,” “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset,” “Amelie,” “Sleepless in Seattle”… ah, so many!
What movies put you in your happy zone?
April 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Romantic comedies, such as Just Like Heaven and Music and Lyrics, really make my day. I would also recommend Korean movies because most of them have happy endings and somehow, it makes me believe in the magic of love.
As for horror flicks, I also enjoy watching them but definitely not alone.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
hmmmp.
so many good stuff to watch. i also love feel-good movies to escape from reality and have the illusion of invincibility and fantasy. right now i enjoy watching ‘music and lyrics’ well the ’80s songs kinda lighten up the tiring day. i also like seeing again and again ‘little miss sunshine’ and ‘across the universe.’ love them very much.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:56 am
It’s Little Miss sunshine that puts me in the happy zone. I just can’t get enough of the craziness and of course the heart in the lives of the characters. It’s a feel-good family movie.
I also haven’t outgrown my preference for horror movies when it comes to marathons. From Asian flicks to foreign remakes, I just can’t get enough of them. But I don’t watch them on my own.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Well, I rather enjoy some horror films, too, like your husband! I laugh at a lot of them because the techniques and character types are usually stereotypes from way back. Often the plots are very reminiscent of each other as well. The Friday 13th series were quite scary but I had to laugh, too. I never think there is anything personally worrying about them- I know the monsters and spirity things are just a load of rubbish! I mainly like high drama, adventure stories and semi-documentaries (eg. Atanarjuat- about the maturation of an Eskimo boy; or The Weeping Camel). Recently I loved “There Will be Blood” with Daniel Day Lewis as the sometimes sociopathic mining magnate; I also loved “Atonement” with Keira Knightley- sooo dramatic and sooo characteristic of the times it was set in.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Hi Toni
I’ve come via Shai Coggins’ social networking web experiment. I’m 56 years old and live in Adelaide but I don’t know how far from Shai because I have never met her! My training is also in Psychology, but I am in research, not into treating people. I will have a look at some of your interests and see if I can get an idea of who you are and what you are interested in. You seem to have diverse interests! Maybe we share some.