Winter Watches

Blame the steadily declining weather, but I�m slowly falling into hibernation mode and with that comes more and more time spent inside catching up on movies both old and new. When it really is just too damn cold to do anything much at all, I�m all about bedding down with a good film, be it solo or tempting others to be more proactive than I and come join me on the sofa with the promise of tea/wine/chocolate (in that order) on arrival.

This week has been the first real sign that winter is upon us and with that I�ve been compiling a mental list of favourite movies for sloth-like Sundays and lazy dark nights. Preferably served with rain beating against the window, a fire nearby and a dog on your lap.  

It�s A Wonderful Life | I�m new to this classic but it�s been my boyfriend�s Christmas family tradition for years. Makes you remember to appreciate the here and now rather than dwell on the shoulda-woulda-couldas. Dare you not to cry.

Chocoloat | Another favourite piece of movie comfort food. Johnny Depp, chocolate and an antiquated French town in need of rescuing � ticks all the boxes. 
 

The Shawshank Redemption | A proper all-time great that will see you through a whole afternoon, all wrapped up with a heart-warming dose of redemption (the title is a bit of a giveaway on that one).

The Lives of Others | One of my all-time favourite films. German film set during the communist occupation of East Berlin that offers a glimpse at what life was like for those being monitored and the agents doing the monitoring.

Love Actually | It�s not Christmas till I�ve watched this at least once. Beats The Holiday hands down.

Goodbye First Love | Beautifully shot, bittersweet French film about first love and second love colliding. 

You Can Count On Me | Heart-warming film about family-ties and sibling-bonds with Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney.

Stepmom | Incredibly sad subject matter, it�s the cast that really does this one for me; Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts and Ed Harris, aka a dream team. Makes me cry like a baby every time.

Good Will Hunting | If you haven�t already seen this classic, watch it immediately. Matt Damon as an angry genius struggling to accept his potential under the help of mentor and psychologist Robin Williams.

Edward Scissorhands | I remember trying to watch this when I was about 6 before my mum ushered me out of the room. Maybe that�s why its always held some sort of allure. When I did eventually get round to watching it properly, it totally lived up to be the modern-day Fairytale I imagined it would be.

Manhattan |  One of Woody Allen's neurotic best - and the cinematography is basically a love story to the eponymous city. 

Baby Boom | My all-time favourite Diane Keaton goes from Manhattan career woman to rural Vermont and back again with baby in tow. Nostalgic, feel-good and more than a little camp, this always takes me right back to watching it on video when I was little.

Like Crazy | Incredibly real and moving tale of first love divided on other sides of the Atlantic. I defy anyone not to be able to relate in some way. Oh and the majority of the script is entirely ad lib to boot. 

Adam | An unconventional romance between New York neighbours Adam and Beth. Sweet without being sickening.

The Horse Whisperer | Gets me every time. And enough camp fires and chemistry to metaphorically warm you up. 

So there's mine - what are your favourite films for dark and miserable winter nights? 

Let me know if you get round to watching any of the above for the first time - would love to hear your thoughts.

xx

Movie Me Now

Whether its going to the cinema (the Curzon and Electric are my favourites in London), watching one of the many DVDs from our 'to watch' pile, reading reviews in the Sunday papers or listening to my favourite geeky film podcast (Film Spotting for anyone interested) in the bath, movies are a massive part of my downtime. So much so, I don't really feel like I've had a proper weekend unless I've zoned out to at least one film.

So I thought it might be fun to do the occasional 'recently watched' post to highlight a few of the films, both old and new, I've seen and loved of late. I tend to get carried away with these sorts of things so I'm going to be strict with myself and keep it all as brief as possible!

So if you're in need of something to watch this weekend or just reminding of an old favourite, I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration.  Let me know what you think and if you too have seen any of the below-I'd love to know what you think. 

I Wish // Nobody Knows

After being totally won over by I Wish after seeing it at the ICA a couple of months ago, I decided to investigate some more of Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeka's films, starting with the 2004 Nobody Knows.  Undeniably sweet, I Wish is the best kind of visual soul food, meandering along to a heart-warming ending that's saved from veering towards sentimental by a good dose of dry humour and realism. So one day, while off-sick from work with a thick cold, I curled up in bed with Nobody Knows expecting much of the same.

The film sees a group of children left alone in a small apartment after their wayward mother appears to have left once and for all. Akira, the eldest brother on the cusp of adulthood, is left in charge of his 3 siblings and has to juggle keeping his family together while also dealing with the turbulence of being a teenager. 

Half coming-of-age melodrama, half tragic tale of survival and loneliness, Nobody Knows is one of those films that really gets under your skin and despite feeling quite slow while you're watching, it stays with you for a long time afterwards.

Buy the DVD here.

Rachel Getting Married

A heady mix of love, loss, addition, grief and one rollercoaster of a wedding, Rachel Getting Married is an amazingly real portrayal of a normal family dealing with extraordinary circumstances and emotions. A far cry from her Princess Diairies days, Anne Hathaway is really brilliant as damaged Kym while Rosemarie DeWitt is fast becoming one of my favourite actors for her incredibly natural way of performing.

 Desperate, tragic and hopeful all at once, Rachel Getting Married might not be one for a Sunday evening (you've been warned), but its beautiful cinematography and intense performances make it well worth a watch.

Buy the DVD here. 


The Sessions

I never had myself down as a much of a weeper when it came to movies, but in the last year or so I've become much more of crier and The Sessions is case in point of this more emotional me.

I actually saw this a little while ago, around Christmas time, but couldn't not include it in my first film post. Telling the story of Mark O'Brien, a man reduced to a horizontal life in an iron lung after contracting polio at 6 years old, who employs a sex surrogate to help him lose his virginity, The Sessions is more heart-warming, charming and funny than its subject matter might belie. The fact it's an entirely true story just makes it all the more moving. 

On a visual level, I loved the 1970s San Francisco setting but it's the performances that really sets the film apart. Having only seen him in pretty sinister roles previously, John Hawkes was a revelation in terms of talent and sensitivity. 

Engaged from start to finish, I was left feeling incredibly humbled in a flurry of bittersweet tears that took a full afternoon to recover from.

Buy the DVD here.