The Most Life Affirming Movies, a seriously good list

[Lorax7844]

http://www.pajiba.com/guides/the-most-lifeaffirming-films.php#comment-254961

[Lorax7844]

1. I love this list

I was glad to see 2 Jim Sheridan movies. Other than that crap with 50cent he has not directed a bad movie.

[grace0418]

6. I adored In America.

Lovely movie.

[Lorax7844]

16. i love Jim Sheridan

In the Name of the Father
The Field
My Left Foot

Never saw the Boxer but I love Daniel Day Lewis and I suck for missing it.

[PassingFair]

2. "Waitress"?

One of the worst movies I have EVER seen.

Women as helpless servants.

Saved only by the beneficence of men. (Even if it IS Andy Griffith)

:puke:

[grace0418]

4. AGREE! I was so excited about that movie and ended up HATING it.

It pissed me off for days I hated it so much.

[PassingFair]

7. Really got under my skin....

I watched it with my two teen daughters
and damn near EXPLODED at the behavior
of the women.

Not to mention the men.

Abusive husband.
Adulterous doctor/boyfriend.
Passive girlfriends.

Clueless.

I'd rather have them watch "Legally Blonde".

At least Elle Woods gets off her ass and DOES
something.

[pitohui]

27. legally blonde is cute and, i guess, life affirming

yeah legally blonde is by far the better choice, elle woods may come from an airhead background but she is always trying to improve herself and her life, and the film is actually funny too

[Lorax7844]

11. No way, she overcomes

I loved that movie.

[PassingFair]

25. Um...

She attempts to fuck her way out of her problems...

Then some old guy she humors croaks and leaves her
money.

She doesn't "overcome".

She IS "overcome".

Sorry, I just REALLY hated that movie.

:hi:

[begin_within]

3. But no "Ladri di Biciclette" or "Ikiru" or "Tôkyô monogatari," so baloney.

At least they remembered "Harold and Maude."

[grace0418]

5. Except Waitress, I like the rest of the movies. Even love some of them. But I think

Amelie, Babe, and Cinema Paradiso should be added to the list. That's just off the time of my head.

[unpossibles]

8. Amelie, Mediterraneo, Shortbus, Life is Beautiful, Strictly Ballroom

Sure, some of those are slightly twisted ways of being life-affirming, but so is Blade Runner.

[PassingFair]

9. Muriel's Wedding....

and Strictly Ballroom is a genius choice!

[targetpractice]

10. Lost in Translation

Wasn't on the list, but it's my all time favorite for so many reasons!

[Lorax7844]

12. For all the ones not on the list, I actually love all the ones that did make the list.

Never really thought of Blade Runner as life affirming until I read this, I totally agree with that choice though, Roy Batty's scene at the end is one of cinema's best.

I agree with Amelie and Life is Beautiful for sure. I haven't seen to many Japanese flicks other than Kirosawa, who is amazing.

[Lorax7844]

14. I also love Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom

both awesome movies, but I would say Muriel's Wedding is more life affirming, Strickly Ballroom is just fun.

[jobycom]

17. Strictly Ballroom is more rebellion-affirming than life affirming, but it's brilliant.

Any list it winds up on is okay with me.

[PassingFair]

30. Hey! Life IS rebellion!

:evilgrin:

[jobycom]

31. I yield the point.

:applause:

[PassingFair]

32. Love it, love it, love it!

[armyowalgreens]

13. Children of Men fucked me up big time. Shawshank is one of my favorites.

[Lorax7844]

15. i loved that movie, Clive Owen is beyond hot in it

cried my eyes out, but still a great/scary flick.

[jobycom]

18. I'll toss a name into the hat, even if everyone hated this. "City of Angels."

To see humanity viewed with jealousy by the angels, to watch a being give up immortality and relish suffering because it means he can feel the joys of existence as well--that's life affirming in a way no other movie I've ever seen is.

Hated "Wings of Desire." Just thought I'd mention that before someone told me I had to see it.

[JeffR]

19. What Dreams May Come

edited to add: Breaking Away

[InternalDialogue]

28. What Dreams May Come has a soft place for me

I've seen it several times now, and I fall a little less in love with it each time, but its soul is still beautiful.

[Dem2theMax]

20. Lars and the Real Girl.

A piece of perfection on film, that most missed while watching Juno.

[Duer 157099]

21. I just DVRd that the other night and have watched about half of it

It's certainly interesting, and different, lol.

[Dem2theMax]

23. Oh, go back and watch from beginning to end.

Ryan Gosling should have won the Academy Award for his performance. I wish everyone would see this movie. It's a "Harold and Maude" sort of film. Weird, but so touching at the same time.
When you get to the end, just think about how wonderful life would be if people really did accept each other like they do in this film. It's a gem.

[Duer 157099]

22. I'm surprised Life is Beautiful wasn't on the list! n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam.

I keep mentioning this movie, but everyone NEEDS to see it. It's absolutely one of the best, if not the best movie I've ever seen.

www.greatomar.com

All about family traditions and touching other people's lives.

[pitohui]

26. interesting definition of "life affirming"

harold and maude -- seriously? it's about suicide, people, suicide is the opposite of life affirming

blade runner? children of men? eternal sunshine of the spotless mind? shawshank redemption???? oh, yeah, the innocent framed guy loses what 28 FREAKING YEARS of his life? i guess if by life affirming you mean it doesn't matter if you get prison raped if one day you get to flee america...that makes it all OK in the end somehow...

c'mon, some of these are very good movies indeed, but they are not life affirming movies, they are not movies i'm gonna show to the guy with a gun in his mouth to talk him down

hell, he might as well put clockwork orange on the list and be done w. it

[jobycom]

33. Life affirming

in the context of this list seems to mean the realization that life can still be hopeful and beautiful even beyond horrific events. I concede that there can be other definitions, but I think that's what he was saying. In each of those moments, despite all odds, the movie gave reasons for hope and joy.

"Children of Men" made me do a double take, though. I see what he's saying, and that was my reaction at the end of the film, but it was a very subtle affirmation.

I never saw "Harold and Maude." Despite the many recommendations I've gotten for it, it just doesn't sound like one I would like. I don't watch movies the way I take medicine. If it tastes bad, I don't care how good it is supposed to be for me.

[pitohui]

35. well, then add clockwork orange to the list, it has it all

alex is cured, all right, ha ha

seriously, he goes thru murder, rape, prison, the betrayal of friends and parents, and mind control, but he always manages to keep a positive mental attitude...in the end, he comes out on top and will no doubt be an important man in gov't himself one day

[InternalDialogue]

29. Interesting and cool list.

Like others have mentioned, I wouldn't have considered some of those life-affirming until I see the perspective of the list-maker.

The two titles that sprang to my mind immediately were "Searching for Bobby Fischer" and "Frankie and Johnny."

[Xithras]

34. Turtles Can Fly!

Oh wait, that was MOST life affirming. Wrong list.