When bound to your bed, the key-word is relaxing. Anything that is long enough to last past a 30-minute nap and keeps going for many more. Naturally, the subject matter can’t be too thought-provoking or engaging to prevent a healing slumber. Another essential component is daydreaming potential. You’re already feeling miserable; a sweet, well-rounded film that let’s your mind drift off to unknown lands is just the right medicine to make you feel better. With these criteria in mind, check out this list!
Home Alone 3
It’s bad news for bad guys… Again.
Adorable Alex Pruitt (Alex D. Linz) has to stay at home because he is sick with chickenpox. And although he is not feeling jaunty, Alex fends off four terrorists who hid a computer chip in a remote-controled toy car that somehow ended up with our little protagonist. Sequels often disappoint but not this one! Home Alone 3 is charming and delightful and will make you fantasize about your own sick adventures.
Tip: Look out for Alex’s sister for an early star appearance!
Rush Hour
The fastest hands in the East versus the biggest mouth in the West.
This is buddy cop comedy 101 but that will not diminish its incredible entertainment level. Jackie Chan as inspector Lee from Hong Kong and Chris Tucker as agent Carter from the LAPD have the chemistry of a century. This is not only obvious throughout the movie, but gets cherry-on-topped with a hilarious blooper reel at the end. Together, they solve a kidnapping case, kick ass, have a laugh, sing in the car and become best friends. Funny, endearing, action-packed and never getting old, this movie just has to make you smile.
George of the Jungle
Watch out!
Sometimes you just need a silly comedy to lighten your ill-spirited mood. This early role of Brendan Fraser is basically a parody of Tarzan with a balance of priceless humor and disarming heart. The latter mainly carried by Fraser’s boyish charms. But the perfomances of his colleagues Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Richard Roundtree etc. can’t be overlooked. All of which makes the movie a success and something I keep coming back to every year.
Live Free or Die Hard
Yippee Ki Yay Motherfucker!
Bruce Willis as John McKlane is a classic top-runner for action fans. The fourth film in the Die Hard series is perfect for some drift-off fun. McKlane has to pick up a person of interest and bring them to safety – easy. But brilliant hacker and anxious sweetheart Matt (Justin Long) is followed by some very determined terrorists and so the hero gets thrown into a much more complicated endeavor. Well, not too complicated. Besides some genius one-liners and ridiculous action, Timothy Olyphant as the bad guy balances this movie out perfectly. You can fall asleep, get back into it, laugh and be entertained while drinking 3 gallons of tea.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Go somewhere really different this year….
Milo Thatch, a young adventurer, voiced by Michael J. Fox, sets out on a trip to find the lost city of Atlantis and finish what his grandfather started. Visually, this movie is downright beautiful. Storywise, there is a whole lot you can read into it or you can just enjoy the well-rounded characters and their journey to find friendship, family and justice. Mystical, playful, precious, adventurous – everything you need to inspire curing dreams of your own exploits.
The NeverEnding Story
A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs
a hero in a land beyond imagination!
If you seek the ultimate escapist adventure then this is your winner! Bastian (Barrett Oliver) enters a fantastical world full of incredible destinations and wonderful characters. He befriends the boy Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) and fights villainous forces to protect the land of Fantasia. Imaginative creatures, heartbreaking resistance to evil and powerful loyalty will touch your heart while your mind ventures off into places you didn’t know you could think of. You’ll forget about your stuffed up nose in no time. And the best part: there are two more of these!
The Hobbit trilogy
One journey started it all.
Now we’re moving into the ‘lasting more than a 3-hour nap’ territory. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) joins the party of Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to claim back their homeland of Erebor. One can imagine, the journey is not peacefully uneventful. Orcs, goblins, wargs, trolls, elves and stone giants aggravate the dwarves’ path significantly. The trilogy checks all the boxes: fantastical escapism, impressive duration, visual supernova. At any given timestamp, these movies are entertaining and offer at least one brilliant performance by one or more of the talented artists.
The Harry Potter series
Let The Magic Begin.
And lastly, the ultimate time-consuming experience. The Harry Potter series offers over a 1000 minutes of viewing pleasure. Join Harry & Co and watch them grow up, get more mature, powerful and inspiring. You can spend an entire lifetime with these kids for an impeccable dosage of mind-lulling magic. If that feels too extreme, you can always pick and chose between (close to) 8 homeruns and savor them individually. My personal favorite is Prisoner of Azkaban (it even rewinds the story so you won’t miss anything if you dozed off midway through!).
As you might have noticed, this list doesn’t really include new releases. The reason for that is the association of comfort with movies from my childhood or earlier teens. Hopefully, these can give you a curative dose of comfort as well, so you can beat whatever is torturing your body! Get well soon!
Scapegrace Heroine 