Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Challenge: Bad Day, Good Films

(This post is part of the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. You can find links to other writers' answers over at Long and Short Reviews.)

Prompt: Films to watch when you're having a bad day

Okay, I kind of love this prompt. So let's see, where to start? Ah. Yeah, here we go:

Last Holiday, with Queen Latifah. It's just... such a sweet and fundamentally kind movie. 

Big Trouble in Little China, with Kurt Russell. Because sometimes what you need is just to watch Kurt Russell beat up the bad guys. And of course, the absolute genius on this particular film is that the protagonist, Jack Burton, has no idea that he's actually the sidekick.

The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis. Sometimes what you need on a bad day is a grand, silly, outer-space adventure with gunfights and explosions and flying car chases and a chance to face off against the Ultimate Evil. 

Better off Dead, with a very young John Cusack. The humor here is a little darker, and it's very much a product of its time, but... I don't know, the absolute absurdity of the whole thing just cheers me right up. 

John Wick, with Keanu Reeves. Because sometimes you just need to know that somebody is having a worse day than you... and everybody else is about to have a worse day because of them.

The Muppet Movie, with Kermit the Frog. Hey, sometimes you just need something fun and funny and musical and sweet instead.

16 comments:

  1. I absolutely love your post! I haven't seen all the movies on your list (I will be watching Better Off Dead asap) but Fifth Element and Last Holiday are great picks, as are John Wick and Big Trouble in Little China - for totally different reasons! And your last one made me legit giggle. You're so right! Next time I'm having a particularly bad day I'm sure some of these will be in charge of cheering me up. So thanks!

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  2. I think I've seen Big Trouble. Did it involve a martial arts fight with some mythic creatures ?

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  3. Any movie featuring The Muppets gets my vote!

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    1. Yeah, the first one is a personal favorite but pretty much any of the Muppet movies would work.

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    2. Yep, I agree one hundred percent.

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  4. Great list, John Wick also made mine.

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    1. True story: that was how I realized that I very definitely absolutely did not want to date one particular girl.

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  6. I do love the John Wick films, especially the first one.

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  7. The Muppet Movie is an excellent choice. Muppets always cheer me up, too.

    Lydia

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    1. I was thinking about it recently, and it's kind of amazing just how big an influence they had -- on the music I know about, the sorts of performance art I was exposed to, and even some of my philosophical and moral thinking.

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