I've watched High Fidelity and Superbad just about all the way through every time I see them on TV, so perhaps they now qualify for me.
May have already said this on the zodiac thread, but that movie is almost the platonic ideal of a comfort movie for me. Slow paced procedural, strong ensemble cast, a film which is long and is itself about the passing of time...once you're past the berryessa scene the movie just settles into an almost dream like rythym, in which details of the case are discovered, then forgotten, and then return again.
― ryan, Thursday, 4 February 2016 17:25 (eight years ago) link
Trayce ikwym about Love Serenade but it's weirdly comforting somehow
The Browning Version remake is another go to
― gaz hoos coombeing to dinner (qiqing), Thursday, 4 February 2016 20:53 (eight years ago) link
every powell & pressburger film
― clouds, Friday, 5 February 2016 16:33 (eight years ago) link
re Zodiac; a whole bunch of us also picked that upthread!
― piscesx, Friday, 5 February 2016 16:37 (eight years ago) link
Gremlins 2Threads
― emil.y, Friday, 5 February 2016 16:39 (eight years ago) link
The classic Leone westerns
― lute bro (brimstead), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:23 (eight years ago) link
she wore a yellow ribbondefending your lifewonder boysf for faketank girlvivre sa vie (all those long takes)california splitthe wrath of khandr strangelove or how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
― denies the existence of dark matter (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:40 (eight years ago) link
what a beautiful curve that list almost had. a lesson against parenthesis.
― denies the existence of dark matter (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:42 (eight years ago) link
oh i see everyone including me already said wonder boys.
― denies the existence of dark matter (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:44 (eight years ago) link
I've had so many over the years--I tend to comfort-watch them right off the list every couple of years. Right now, Zodiac, No Country for Old Men, Nixon, Fargo.
― clemenza, Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Basically the same three years later; would now add All the President's Men and Advise and Consent.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:45 (eight years ago) link
the third manthe 39 steps (or most pre-hollywood hitchcock for that matter)
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 06:54 (eight years ago) link
wow, did not know about this: Crabbin was a single character in the novella. The screenplay's original draft replaced him with two characters, played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne.
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 07:01 (eight years ago) link
Raiders Of the Lost ArkThe Quiet ManThe Empire Strikes BackDo The Right Thing
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 17:19 (eight years ago) link
90s jackie chan films
― ogmor, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 18:06 (eight years ago) link
god yeah. i must have seen the HK import VHS of Drunken Master II about twenty times.
loads of HK stuff for me, tbh:
The MissionFull ContactGod of CookeryThe KillerHard Boiled
also:
Raiders of the Lost ArkThe Right StuffDie HardRushmoreBlack NarcissusRepo ManAlienAliensBlade Runner
may as well add Mad Max: Fury Road to this list at this point
― nomar, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 18:11 (eight years ago) link
All the President's Men
― clemenza, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 00:45 (20 hours ago)
Just logged in to post the very same!
For me at least I think the comforting effect is mainly down to a combination of the truth-triumphs-over-power narrative with the 'procedural' aspects of watching people adsorbed in a skilled task.
― RA the Rugged Advisor (Mr Andy M), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 21:10 (eight years ago) link
And now I want to go and watch it, of course.
― RA the Rugged Advisor (Mr Andy M), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 21:11 (eight years ago) link
swingersthe wedding singer the Daniel Craig Bond moviesbarcelona
― piscesx, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 01:22 (eight years ago) link
Tootsie The Lady EveJFKTouch of EvilThe Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 01:23 (eight years ago) link
Add Double Indemnity to my list--I watch that a couple of times a year.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 01:28 (eight years ago) link
Two 80s movies that are soothing to me (I think its mostly due to the awful/amazing very-80s look of the films) - Working Girl and Wallstreet.
― Rod Steel (musicfanatic), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 02:49 (eight years ago) link
Key largo
― lute bro (brimstead), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 02:50 (eight years ago) link
^^^ Key Largo, Double Indemnity for sure. Pretty much anything they used to show in the afternoon on the TV when I was sleeping on my mother's sofa, any noir stuff or screwball. Any of the Falcon films, any of the Thin Man films. These aren't the films I have seen most in my life, just the ones I can watch when I cannot function to any extent beyond the remote control and the bottle.
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 02:55 (eight years ago) link
The Lost Weekend. Anything I know beat-for-beat really. Also any of the Scottish Ken Loach ones, cos they were no doubt cue'd up at my mothers. Gregory's Girl and Local Hero too. These days in my house I just watch absolute trash that I've never seen before for comfort, or less comfort than something in front of my eyes
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 02:59 (eight years ago) link
Just finished re-watching Sorcerer, which I think I've seen a dozen times since buying the Blu-Ray last year.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 03:00 (eight years ago) link
Sorcerer I could see working this way, just for the pacing and the framing. I suppose I don't have any Comfort Films (as opposed to comfort music), or Comfort Books, I just turn to whatever can occupy my mind without a lot of thought
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 03:04 (eight years ago) link
I remember watching Donnie Darko every day for a week, but that was not comfort, that was mental illness. I mean, I was fighting demons in the street with sticks that whole period. But yeah, as I understand this concept I'd go for fast-talking black and white stuff, that'd be closest to a warm place for me.
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 03:09 (eight years ago) link
The late 80s setting and overall vibe of Donnie Darko made it a big one for me in the couple of years after its release. No one else was really tapping into that at the time, and the lack of smirkiness re: the setting (see, The Wedding Singer, Wet Hot American Summer for counterexamples) made it ideal for wallowing in comfortable childhood nostalgia.
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 03:53 (eight years ago) link
Chef
― ... (Eazy), Wednesday, 2 March 2016 06:40 (eight years ago) link
Carol.
― piscesx, Sunday, 27 November 2016 19:58 (seven years ago) link
Watched Rounders again last night for something close to the tenth time. This can be added to my list. Found an old David Edelstein review--good paragraph on Malkovich.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/1998/09/place_your_bets.html
― clemenza, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:55 (seven years ago) link
fast times / dazed + confused
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:57 (seven years ago) link
Shaolin vs. Lama these days.
― how's life, Thursday, 1 December 2016 14:04 (seven years ago) link
I guess stuff that I've come to think of as "Thanksgiving movies" counts. The big epic movie series (LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars) that I don't have a huge amount of investment in but that are pleasant to have playing in the background while other shit is going on.
― i need microsoft installed on my desktop, can you help (Old Lunch), Thursday, 1 December 2016 14:14 (seven years ago) link
Enter the Dragon
it showed up on tv the other day, makes me feel like a little kid whenever I see it
vivid memories of it being on Sat night tv, staying up late while my parents & their friends played cards in the kitchen
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 1 December 2016 17:55 (seven years ago) link
oh totally
― I've read Ta-nehisi Coates. (marcos), Thursday, 1 December 2016 18:05 (seven years ago) link
I second 90s Jackie Chan films. That stuff is pure joy.
Nothing makes me happy faster than Buster Keaton.
― jmm, Thursday, 1 December 2016 18:09 (seven years ago) link
not much Merchant Ivory (or that ilk) in this thread. the trailer for a 25th anniversary revival of Howards End reminded me of its comfort factor.
― piscesx, Thursday, 13 July 2017 15:02 (six years ago) link
Bowfinger
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Saturday, 22 July 2017 06:41 (six years ago) link
Mistress America
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Monday, 20 November 2017 01:24 (six years ago) link
My Bodyguard
― iCloudius (cryptosicko), Monday, 20 November 2017 01:45 (six years ago) link
My Bodyguard was the secret gay love story of my late teens.
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 20 November 2017 02:19 (six years ago) link
Yeah Mistress America is a great one. Baumbach in general too I guess.
― piscesx, Monday, 20 November 2017 03:12 (six years ago) link
xpost
I vastly prefer it to most non-secret gay love stories.
― iCloudius (cryptosicko), Monday, 20 November 2017 03:54 (six years ago) link
Coming To America
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Monday, 20 November 2017 16:51 (six years ago) link
First Blood. Mainly because ITV show it once a week and I've thus become quite attached to it.
― Ste, Monday, 20 November 2017 20:15 (six years ago) link
Raising Arizona
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Monday, 20 November 2017 20:17 (six years ago) link
was stressed out yesterday so I put on The Shining. Sounds counter-intuitive but it worked
― Evan R, Monday, 20 November 2017 20:27 (six years ago) link
Raiders of the Lost Ark
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 21 November 2017 00:47 (six years ago) link
Quick Change, in between Groundhog Day rewatches
― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 21 November 2017 01:10 (six years ago) link