It may sound a little odd, but I feel certain movies, songs, etc. are just so profound that they seem to make life worth living even when you’re down in the dumps.
I think you know what I mean … something that just seems to brighten your day no matter what, or upon reflection, is just so very important to your life or the way you see things you can’t imagine what it would be like without it.
For me, I have to go with …
Movies: Star Wars. The sheer creativity and imagination these films give me are amazing. Even in a crewed-up galagy there is hope. And cool spaceships.
TV: Buffy. I don’t think I need to say any more there.
Music: A bunch of oldies, such as “Two silhouettes on the Shade”, and “Baby, Baby, Can’t you hear my Heartbeat” always bring a smile to my face. Mid way is “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” and newer is “Bittersweet Symphony.”
Movies : October Sky. Now and then, a regular person with powerful dreams gets to fulfill them with bitterly hard work.
**T.V. :**The Pilot of “Six Feet Under”. If you want to see if television is capable of giving voice to the true human condition, watch this 65 minute pilot.
** Music :** And You And I, by YES. Miami 2017 by Billy Joel. Summer, Highland Falls by Billy Joel. Mysterious Ways by U2.
Music: Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata. Also, and in fact more intensely, Sleater Kinney’s “Get Up” from The Hot Rock. I just want to scream and fly and twirl and… everything. That song really gets to me. It sometimes moves me to tears.
TV: Not much here fits the bill.
Movies: Legends of the Fall and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me really get me going. Which is strange as they are both quite depressing. But I feel… more than content, almost complete; satisfied with existence.
For songs, I’d have to say all the lastest work by the Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots are just outstanding; and when I first saw the FL in concert, the whole experience was so wonderous. Can’t wait to see them again with Beck in a few weeks!
[ul][li]Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, the final mvt of Beethoven’s 9th, Abbey Road, Stevie Ray Vaughn, 70’s era Ramones, Leonard Cohen.[/li][li]2001: A Space Odyssey, Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, A Charlie Brown Christmas, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, Spirited Away.[/li]Lewis Carroll, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Tom Robbins, cheesy SF/Fantasy/Horror, Mordecai Richler.[/ul]On preview, I see montag has mentioned The Flaming Lips. I agree, they’re the best band nobody has heard of.
Movies: Amelie, after repeated viewings, still doesn’t fail to put a grin on me with sustained up-time. I’m pretty sure that when (soon, I hope) Spirited Away makes it to DVD that it’ll join the list as well. For a third, O Brother Where Art Thou? is right up there.
TV: I’m going to go with Fawlty Towers.
I’ve no entries in music. For books, I can reread Daniel Pinkwater’s Yobgorgle an infinite number of times; likewise the first three books in the Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy (the last few just sort of lost something intangible for me).
Stay with me here: Romy and Michelle’s HS Reunion. It’s far from profound, but I own a copy and it always makes me feel better, no matter what mood I’m in. Except for that mood that requires that I watch Office Space. American Beauty and The Big Lebowski help, too.
montago I’ll agree with you on the Flaming Lips. I’ve just recently become aware of their existence, and just acquired Soft Bulletin. Awesome stuff. I’m playing it back to back with The The’s Dusk. A couple other CD’s that make life worth living, or maybe make life more bearable are Nick Cave’s No More Shall We Part, Willy Porter’s Falling Forward, Concrete Blonde’s Group Therapy, and almost everything by Sparklehorse.
I don’t watch TV, and I’m still alive, so I guess nothing there.
TV: Nothing overwhelms me now. But for many years MAS*H kept me afloat by teaching me to rely on my sense of humor under horrible conditions.
Music: “Waltz” from Sleeping Beauty Adagio for Strings by Barber Londonderry Aire Mr. Lucky by Mancini The Girl from Ipanema by Tom Jobim
Soundtrack from A Man and a Woman (French)
Books: Trinity by Leon Uris The Tracker by Tom Brown
Older movies: ** Doctor Zhivago – I just submerge myself in it.
** A Man and A Woman (the French version, subtitled) Breakfast at Tiffany’s Field of Dreams
