Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Levonne's Top Ten "Comfort" Movies

You’ve heard of “comfort” food? Well, I have a list of “comfort” movies. Some of my favorite movies are over a decade old. I’ve seen all of them more than once and some as many as five or six times. Viewing one of these favorites can make for an enjoyable evening when John and I are traveling from one place to the next and want to just relax and to be comfy and cozy at home in The Jazz. How many of them have you seen? (published today at <RVT.com>)

Cocoon is a 1985 science fiction film directed by Ron Howard about a group of people who all live in the same senior housing complex and who become rejuvenated after swimming with alien “eggs”. Don Ameche, Maureen Stapleton, Steve Guttenberg and Jessica Tandy are among the talented cast of the movie filmed in Florida. You can’t help but feel good about aging after watching this beautiful, love-filled adventure.
A River Runs Through It was made in 1992. It was directed by Robert Redford and was one of Brad Pitt’s early movies. I remember thinking that both Redford and Pitt were such heartthrobs. This movie is a period drama during the Prohibition era through the Great Depression. Nothing compares to those Missoula, Montana fly fishing scenes that are sprinkled throughout the entire movie. If you love fishing and Brad Pitt, you’ll love this movie.
Walk the Line is the 2005 gaze into country singer Johnny Cash’s (played by Joaquin Phoenix in an Academy Award-nominated role) transformation to music icon. From his beginnings as an Arkansas farm boy to a Memphis’ Sun Studios legend, his story unfolds perfectly. Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her portrayal of Cash’s wife June in this film. Whether you like Johnny Cash or not, it’s one great story.
Fargo, the 1996 American crime film by the Coen brothers which stars Frances McDormand as the pregnant police chief (she won an Oscar for her performance) is a classic. William Macy plays a car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife. Everything goes hay wired from there and you got to love those Dakota accents as much as the story about the murder investigations itself!
The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American supernatural horror film. Frankly I don’t usually like supernatural or horror films but this movie was fabulous in every way. Cole, a troubled little boy is able to see and talk to the dead and a troubled child psychologist (played by Bruce Willis) tries to help him. What a powerful story of overcoming one’s fears and losses along with being a phenomenal ghost story!
On Golden Pond is the1981 drama with Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn and Jane Fonda. Jane’s character is the adult daughter of Henry and Katherine’s characters. The aging couple spends each summer at Golden Pond. The daughter leaves her stepson with her parents at the lake while she and new husband take their own vacation. Watching Henry Fonda’s character struggle with his own mental and physical decline as he makes a remarkable relationship with his estranged daughter’s unhappy stepson makes for a fabulous, tension-filled and inspiring story.
Forrest Gump is the 1994 epic romantic comedy-drama starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field. We follow slow-witted Forest Gump (Hanks) through several decades of his life – 1994 to 1982. Filmed in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the movie oozes southern culture. Forest’s sixties experience dominates the movie along with all the sixties music that makes the soundtrack. If you love anything Vietnam era, you certainly will love this movie.
Shawshank Dedemption made in1994 is the drama starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Both men are fabulous in their roles as prison inmates. Their friendship and making their way successfully during through their stays in the prison is a journey well worth taking with these two great actors. I love this movie!
I saw October Sky when it came out in 1999 with my young niece and nephew in my home state of North Carolina. The film was set in East Tennessee and was the best film imaginable for us to see together. Jake Gyllenhall, Chris Cooper and Laura Dern gave performances that not one of us has ever forgotten. The movie is based on the true story of a coal miner’s son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 to take up rocketry. The father was against his son’s interests but the son went on to become a NASA engineer. A great family movie!
The 1985 film A Trip to Bountiful stars Geraldine Page, John Heard and Rebecca DeMornay. Page as Carrie Watts is obsessed with returning to the home of her youth before she dies. Her son and daughter-in-law whom she lives with during the 1940′s are absolutely opposed to the idea. If you have ever longed to go “home,” this movie will touch you heart deeply. It is truly a timeless piece.
I hope my list is helpful and I hope you’ll see some of these if you haven’t already. What are some of your favorite movies that you try to keep on hand in your RV? When is your favorite time to watch movies?

 

PGAuthor Levonne Gaddy's book "This Restless Life: A dream chased through California parks in an RV" chronicles her and her husband's relocation adventures from the southwest to Central Coast California during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. They encounter many twists and turns including a dead body found near their camp hosting camp site, problems finding work and multiple threats of floods. @Levonnegaddy

8 comments:

  1. I have not seen October Sky or A Trip to Bountiful. I will look for them at the Library or on instant view Netflix.

    I rarely watch movies a second time. I remember as a kid waiting all week for the movie on Saturday night on TV. The only night we could stay up. I always hated it when they had one we had seen before. I rarely reread books either.

    Now then, music I can listen to over and over.

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    1. Hi Merikay. I hope you'll enjoy those two movies. I sure did. Good to hear from you!

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  2. I haven't seen all of the above, but you have some good choices in movies! I recorded a bunch of old AMC movies at one time & have them stashed in the RV. I also got the Long, long trailer with Ricky & Lucy - it's an interesting movie of how an old RV used to be. I buy movies when I see them on sale or at garage sales too. I've not sat down & watched most of them lately. I've been getting movies from the library to watch, then I return them.

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    1. I think I'll make a list of the movies that include RV stories. Ricky and Lucy's movie is definitely a classic. I recall seeing it when I was a child.

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  3. great list of movies..have seen a few of them! I like Steel Magnolias though..that is one of my faves!

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    1. Oh yeah! I love Steel Magnolias too. It's a classic! Thanks Sue.

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  4. Fargo would qualify as one of my comfort movies, too. Love that one.

    I left you a comment earlier re: reviewing your book, but maybe it got caught up in spam. does your book have a narrative, levonne? because i've only reviewed fiction and narrative non-fiction. it doesn't have to be linear necessarily, but it does need a cohesive story behind it. do you want to send me via email some pages for me to see more?

    i'm afraid i'm virulently anti-amazon and thus i do not do any reviews there.

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    1. There is a narrative with a cohesive story behind it. At least that was my attempt/intention. What is your email address? I'll send some pages. Levonnegaddy@hotmail.com

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I always love to hear your thoughts.