Badmovies.org Forum

We are all familiar with the term 'comfort food', but what about 'comfort movies'?

I was thinking about this tonight as quite a chill is setting in, as it is for most of us this week. I've been out working some stores, had a tire repaired, and having the dang cold wind remind me even further about a toothache. Tonight would really be a good night for a movie which just makes me feel comfortable.

Oddly enough, such a movie for me is Field of Dreams.

It was sometime in January of 1998 when I first had seen this movie. I had finished up a shoot (I am referring to photography smartass) in some town in Illinois. It was Monday and we were scheduled to be in another town for the following week. Unlike the usual haul we end up having to make, the new shoot was only about an hour away; meaning a potential for resting up before the next day's shoot.

There was several inches of snow (4-6; I did not measure it) on the ground when we left and the temperature was quite cold. We had no problem getting to the new location, and, unlike most motels where reservations were set for us, this one was actually quite nice with comfortable rooms.

I had carried in my basic essentials (downside: interior room entrances means a long haul with equipment), but just wanted to relax before I carried in the studio equipment. It was a warm and cozy room, I had some food I'd bought on the way there, and I had turned on the TV to be treated to this movie called Field of Dreams while I curled up with my food just to relax and watch a movie.

Living on the road as a photographer entails long hours and it is not often you are ahead of the game and can just sit down and enjoy yourself (you also don't get paid for driving 12 hours between shoots; the cheap bastards). Since then, the movie Field of Dreams remonds me of that calm complacency in an otherwise hectic schedule and has become somewhat of a comfort movie for me.


Is there any movie which you would consider a comfort movie for yourself?

Why did you post this in the bad movies board?


But to answer the question, I'd have to go with Starwars.

Because he knows we find comfort in bad film :teddyr:. Tonight I was going to put in SHAOLIN TEMPLE II or THE HEAD, but Jonny Knoxville was on MTV and they were having a marathon of JACKASS. Must have watched 2 hours straight. I guess I get real "comfort" from that show.

(http://www.missmix.fi/c/9512/8544_JohnnyKnoxville211.jpg)

One of the comfort movies around here is Shogun......it's best when it's cold and raining outside and you know you're not going anywhere for the whole weekened. Every time I see it it's just as good as the first time. Now we're going to have to get it on DVD because the tape(VHS) is getting a little bumpy..I should say the many tapes, it took 4 tapes to record it...they're old.    :smile:

Because this has always been the general movie conversation forum.

Oh, easy one:
Curse of The Cat People --
Despite its title, if you've never seen it, it's really a very touching film about loneliness and lack of affection and resolution.  It's a beautiful, dreamy picture that always took me up when I was down and in despair-mode. 
I own it, but I watch it very seldomn, saving it for special occasions.
peter johnson/denny crane

My "comfort" movies are the classic Universal monster films.

My comfort movies are usually old films from the 50's. The original version of The Thing tops the list. I play that one the most often. Them!, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and Forbidden Planet also get played quite often.

Speaking of the Field of Dreams...
I live about an hour away from the actual Field of Dreams.
It's up north, in Dyersville, Iowa.

I've even played baseball on it with some friends and strangers who also happened to be there.
It was kind of surreal...playing on that field with the house behind us and the corn in front of us.
The corn was cut back further though.  It didn't come right up to the backfield like it did in the movie.
Getting a hit and scoring a double or an R.B.I....man that was fun!
Come to think of it, that was the last time I used my baseball glove.  I'm gonna have to break it out again and go up there this summer.

(http://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/images/aerial.jpg)

They also have a gift shop there but I didn't buy anything.

Here's the Wiki entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_of_Dreams_%28Dubuque_County%2C_Iowa%29)

Here's the official website (http://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com/)

Thats easy.  Godzilla from the 60's is my biggest set of comfort movies.  I also really really have a soft spot for Field of Dreams, Ash.  Add in The Natural, and Bull Durham and its a basebal triumvirate for me that I'llw atch any time. 
I also love Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, its a downer, but I really enjoy it. 
-Ed

If I'm sick or just don't feel good, my comfort movies are the Marx Brothers, I have all there films and can watch them over and over and over, back to back. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a film I always enjoy.  If I can't decide what to watch I'll often turn to it.  Night Tide has recently become another one (I need to see the original Cat People 'cause this film was inspired by it).  I need some more atmospheric horror films in my collection. 

Shaun of the Dead always cheers me up when I'm down.  But every once in a while, I just feel like putting on Star Crystal.  Just for the hell of it.

Interesting you mention Field of Dreams.  The other night, I built it and they came--  a DVD shelf, and some DVDs I had ordered and didn't expect for another week... Lame, I know, my brother already took a swing at me for that,

I've had a few over the years. For a while it was the Marx Bros. Mostly Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera. The last one is still one I'll turn to from time to time when I feel down.

For a while it was Big Jake, I used to watch it so much I could recite the movie line for line.

For a brief time it was Grosse Point Blank. It cheered me up after a lousy night at work the day after Thanksgiving when I really felt like crap and had gone home early after getting hurt while doing busy work. Then again I think I just wanted to meet a woman like Minnie Driver's character. Or Minnie.

Murphy's War is my when I'm home sick film. It's a decent but unspectacular movie. But I found out years ago, if you watch it after 10:30 at night or when you are home sick in bed it seems better than it is. Strangely I'm not the only person I know who feels this way.

During a major depressive episode several years ago while racked with insomnia among other problems, watching The Third Man would temporarily ease my mind. I had even thought of trying to write a short story with a mentally ill character who had numerous obsessions, including one that he had to know that The Third Man was airing somewhere on television at least once in any given week or he was convinced civilization would collapse.

Nowadays it's probably My Name is Nobody, that movie has stuck with me since childhood when I first saw part of it. I want to get a copy of Rancho Deluxe since it registered as an instant comfort movie with me when I first saw it.

I joke with some people that Sexy Beast has a similar "comfort" effect on me. Actually it's a joke with a grain of truth to it. Weird.

Returned since I forgot to type the word "Soup", some Marx Bros. fan I am.

Logan's Run

For us it's been Shogun, if it's a long weekend, but for me personally there are three movies, Godzilla (original), Rodan, and Godzilla 1985. I can remember laying on the living room floor with my 7 year old daughter, both of us covered by a blanket (to protect us from the monsters), eating chips and popcorn and generally having a lot of fun. Now watching any one of these films brings that memory back and makes me feel warm and comfortable.

I would nominate What's Eating Gilbert Grape as my number one comfort movie. My second choice might be City of the Lost Children. 

The first GhostBusters, some of my old Godzilla VHS (none specific) and Suburbia for some reason.

Right now I'm home with a major cold, so it would be a good day to figure out a good comfort movie. Since it was my day off anyway, I was going to write a review for a mexican horror flick, but I might rethink that plan.


Incidentally, if anybody knows a way to get rid of a nasty cold, I'm all ears. :bluesad:

Any good-spirited classic comedy (and in some cases not so classic). Basically anything halfway good or better featuring Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, the Beach Party Gang or Sandra Dee.  I also find Blade Runner and the Patlabor anime films strangely comforting on some level.

With a cold, what you primarily want to do is keep up your nutrients, being that your body will lose them at a faster rate due to the cold.

Juices (e.g. orange juice, V8, etc.) and soups (tomato, chicken noodle, cheddar broccoli, etc.) make for convenient nutritional sources which are easy to digest without taxing your body's energy (a full meal requires more digestion and thusly is why we feel tired after eating). If you drink milk, it can do your body good as well.

Supplements you can take include Calcium/Magnesium tablets and multivitamins. Calcium and magnesium, despite the association with bones, are also two of the primary constituents of the muscles and the supplement can help to allay muscle aches (this supplement is commonly used for night cramps as well). When ill, I will cut a multivitamin in half and take a half of one every two to four hours; yes, it is more than the recommended dose, but when ill, you are losing nutrients at a greater rate and this is simply for no other purpose than to replenish lost nutrients and nothing else.

If you are taking aspirin, and I am specifically referring to aspirin, for aches and pains, you could use a vitamin C supplement. Aspirin causes the body to lose vitamin C. The supplement is not so much to replace the lost vitamin C, but, as the body loses vitamin C before it rids itself of aspirin, extra vitamin C will, theoretically, allow the aspirin to stay in the body longer and be more effective. If you drink orange juice and are taking the multivitamins, you should be getting plenty of vitamin C from that alone.

Don't forget to drink a glass of water ever now and them. Even with the juices, it is still good to have plain water to keep yourself hydrated.

The old addage to fight a cold with plenty of fluids, rest, and an apple a day pretty much holds up. It basically means to keep yourself hydrated, keep up your energy, and keep up your nutrients.

Zap may pop in with some more useful advice than what I can provide.

I was going to suggest Sudafed, but now I'm not sure....Menard seemed to cover all the bases...Sudafed clears me up pretty good....Hope you feel better soon...I HATE GETTING SICK... :question:

Sudafed is great when you have head congestion; and that often accompanies a cold. It is unfortunate that we have to put up with the new BS in trying to purchase it; good grief, it's an over the counter drug and you have to provide everything but a blood and urine sample to get it.

Another 'Comfort Film' for me would have to be the original Dawn of the Dead. There's just something comforting about being trapped in the Monroeville Mall with a bunch of Romero Zombies way back in 1978.

Thanks, you guys are awesome. I have a bottle of sunny delight, several pacages of ramen noodles, a bottle of Acetominophen tablets and a DVD copy of Bad Taste. I should feel better in no time.

There is the old folk remedy of whisky, honey, and lemon. Combine the three and swallow a spoonful when ever you feel a cough or sneeze coming on. That's the way we did it when I was little.

An old timer I used to know used to say the real remedy was to suck lemon, throw away the honey, and drink the whisky then go to sleep until you feel better.

On second thought listen to Menard. I've had like one major cold in almost three years and don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I may just print this thread to get his advice down for the next time I get sick. I'm overdue.

I've found that a couple shots of Jim Beam works really well, you'll still have a cold, but you won't care, you'll feel better, and it's easier to go to sleep.

well, I would suggest staying away from the booze altogether because you don't want to get dehydrated. you do need to drink lots of fludis but the hard stuff doesn't really help. if you want to sleep take some liquid NyQuill or something like that. drink oj, cran, ginger ale & lots of H20.

Just found Zoolander playing on Comedy Central. 

I can't understand why I love it as much as I do...

For a cold, you want a tablet of the real Sudafed.  Wash it down with a cup of non-caffeinated herbal tea, with a spoonful of honey and a shot of cheap brandy (no need to use the good stuff).

Do not attempt to drive, fight monsters, or move from the couch.

Comfort movies for me:
Zardoz, Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, Princess Bride, Star Wars, Blues Brothers.

maybe it's the 'walk off' scene. get's me everytime. 

Mine would have to be "Angels in the outfeild" coz that was always on when i lived at my grandmas house when i was little. "Snow Dogs" is one too, im not sure why.

Thanks again, everybody. My cold is starting to wind down, and I dont feel nearly as crappy as I once did. I think I also found my comfort movie, Star Wars, which I caught while it was on hbo this weekend. I hadnt seen the original in years, and it was awesome to see it again. Come to think of it, if you're stuck in bed all day, the whole series is perfect. I'm almost finished the review I mentioned earlier, and it should be posted before the end of the week.

It's funny about Star Wars.  For most movies that come out on DVD or get rereleased, we (at least I) want "director's cut" (see, Bladerunner) with extended scenes and what not.  With Star Wars, I just want the original version.  Is it because Lucas added later CGI scenes instead of flim that wound up on the cutting room floor?  Or is it because he changed from Han shooting first -- which does change Han's character greatly, IMO.

I'm sorry, no offense, but thank god the flim didn't end up on the cutting room floor..... That would of been pretty messy.  :bouncegiggle:  :bouncegiggle:

Ditto.
And any Kaiju flick, and some comedys.
Young Frankenstein, Whats up, tiger Lily?, A night at the opera, the Tremors series....oh, yeah...