Anyhoo, welcome to another Friday Night Fab Five where I list Five things I am into, at least for this week. Now this Friday Night Fab Five is going to be quite different from previous Fives because I'm going to focus on movies that are total bummers.
Maggi, I'm bummed just reading this post, what is going on?
Well, give me a minute and I'll tell you!
First off, you need to know this about me: 1. I hate spoilers and try to avoid them at all costs. I like to be totally surprised by everything, good or bad, a movie may offer me. And 2. I HAVE to have a happy ending. None of this dead person, unrequited crap. I want happy, I need happy. (I'm still mad at "Mrs. Doubtfire" for not getting the parents back together in the end and I've never forgiven Cameron for killing off Jack in "Titanic". I mean come on, take turns on the door or grab some dead persons raft or SOMETHING Leonardo, sheesh! Yes yes, I know that this is not realistic or "real life" but I don't care...
Okay, so we have Netflix and I started just throwing a bunch of stuff in our queue that looked interesting or that I hadn't seen yet. I started getting a little depressed and it was about my third movie in that I realized that everything I had watched either had a sad ending, was totally depressing or just plain sucked. It was then that I knew I was destined to highlight the best of the saddest for you, my fine readers.
A little note: 1. Just because I was bummed by these movies does NOT mean they aren't worth watching. I thought they were all good. 2. Yes, this may make me an awful person but if a movie or documentary is super sad, I LOVE showing it to friends and family without telling them anything about it ahead of time or what's going to happen. Don't ask me why I think it's fun to bum the people I love out but there it is...
So do you have your tissues? Great, on we go! (Feel free to click the movie titles to go to their Wikipedia page, just be aware of spoilers if you've not seen them yet!)
1. Phoebe in Wonderland
Ah yes, the first in a long list of sad and/or upsetting movies that I accidently watched all in a row. First of all, there is the word "Wonderland" in the title, how can that be bad? Then the opening sequence has these seemingly cool parents giving their daughter this mixed media hand made Wonderland thing-a-ma-jig. Then the movie makes this weird turn and the delightful Wonderland movie I was expecting turns into something completely different.
2. How Green Was My Valley
I had recently finished Maureen O'Hara's autobiography and she spoke often of this movie so I decided to check it out. This is a black and white drama about a Welsh family of coalminers and it is a bummer. People dying or leaving or doing goodness knows what else.
3. Revolutionary Road
Ahhh finally! A movie set in the 50s could never betray me right? RIGHT?! Holy smokes talk about a train wreck of a marriage suffocating the life out of it's occupants and the innocent people (i.e.-ME) watching them! Mother of pearl, this was a sad piece from one end to the other. But it was nice seeing DiCaprio and Winslet together again!
4. Atonement
For the love of...Are you kidding me?! This movie about A Girl Who Sees Something is an excellent movie. That being said, come on! Seriously? What a downer! Plus, the ending you don't see coming?! Double Downer! Sidenote: I am admittedly not a huge fan of Keira Knightly but she is quite good in this movie.
And finally....the Queen of All That is Depressing *drum roll*
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
This one is worse because it's true. This is actually a documentary and it will rip the heart out of your chest. A film maker is told that a childhood friend is killed and so he decides to travel around the country, interviewing family and friends to create a movie of sorts for his friend's son so that he may know something of his father. What results is mind boggling and I wholeheartedly suggest you watch this movie ASAP.
And on that note, here passes another Friday Night Fab Five! :D If you've seen any of these, I would love to hear your thoughts! (Just no spoilers please, just in case others want to watch them. :) Have a sad movie you want me to check out? Just leave it in your comment!
Have a great weekend everyone!
16 comments:
Atonement is about the only downer ending movie that I love! I hated the ending, yet I still find myself loving the movie anyway! I like happy endings too :-)
I have not seen any of these and I am so glad that you did this post tonight...I am a Maggi girl....I can watch the news and be really depressed...I want to watch a movie and be HAPPY!!! I am with you on Titanic!!!! That just stunk!!! I am on my own and watched a chick flick last night....Confessions of a Shopaholic!!!! Kinda stupid...kinda cute!!!! I will be waiting to see what the others post....waste of time with NO HAPPY ENDINGS!!!! Have a great weekend sweet friend!!! :-)
Hi Maggi!
I haven't seen or read any of these... hmmm, might make for a great weekend!
Happy Friday!
Christina
OX
I haven't seen any of these and thanks for the warning! I don't need to watch any downer movies theres enough downers in real life! ugh! hope you move on to some happy ones!
Wow, those are definitely "heavy" movies. I've seen a few..haven't seen Revolutionary Road but I'm afraid to. :( Weather wouldn't help either and getting dark early either, boohoo! Lol! Oh well, gotta turn more lights on around the house to stay cheerful!
Have a great weekend!
xoxo
oh my - i'm not the boo hoo type! i totally agree that kate should have shared the door, what is wrong with her? :D
I haven't seen any of these, but I almost picked up Revolutionary Road!
i am sooooooooooooooooooooo with u on the movies u list that i have seen.......i was soooooooooooooooooooo excited about kate and leo back together and then *well* couldn't stand the movie...i think this post just rocks! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
i actually haven't seen any of these!! so thanks for the reviews!!
I was so terribly bummed when Jack died, too. I was just a kid (maybe 12 or 13) when I first saw Titanic and was so upset about how it ended I remember writing my own short story in which Jack actually didn't die, but was brought back to life by the shock of sinking into the cold water, swam back to the surface, ended up getting picked up by a rescue boat and was eventually reunited with Rose. Though I don't have the story any more, I remember most of my girlfriends at the time agreeing that the movie should have ended the way my version had the movie cap off :D (Teee-hee, the silly things we did as middle school kids.)
Wishing you the loveliest of weekends, darling gal!
♥ Jessica
Oh Maggi I'm totally with you on this girlfriend. I hate sad, heartwrenching movies. Hate them. I watch movies to be pleasantly entertained.
So mum said, watch this movie it's funny, Okay no worries....it was The Notebook ..I'm still trying to recover. Mum pulled a swifty cause she loves painful movies and knows I would never watch them if she tells me the truth.
xxx
Hiya..well Rev.Rd was such a heavy movie and I was quite relieved when it was over.The whole backdrop to the characters was so restrictive & depressing.Ihate seeing someone 'trapped'really annoys me!Outstanding acting though. Maureen's movie is dated &oh gawd so freakin' boring but SHE was a vibrant beautiful talented musical woman.
'Truly Madly Deeply' I remember that being a bit of a tearjerker with comic relief &satisfying ending .Or the original Wuthering Heights with Merle Oberon & Lawrence Olivier.Classic but sad.I can't think of any other sad movies(ooh Kramer vs Kramer that was saddy) as I'm inclined to go for a degree of comedy or else the'darker' faerytale types ie Perfume,The Lady of the water,Whatever happened to Baby Jane or one of my fav flics True Romance now THAT was/is a good film.
Rainey
This is a great post! I also hate spoilers, but I don't really need happy endings all the time. However, I don't need deep dark endless trouble movies, either. The only one I saw here was Atonement. I actually liked that movie, although I agree that the ending was a bit of a downer in tone. I had already read the book and it was great, so I was pretty much prepared. I've found that it's easier for me to handle downers when I'm reading them, than when I'm watching them on screen. Atonement was, overall, a good book.
Thanks for a good read!
I remember seeing 'Ordinary People' in the theatre and thinking, 'I will never watch anything like that again' and I have done my best. It's a classic when it comes to 'downer movies'. My husband is British, so I have come to accept movies that sorta start in the middle and have no end, which authentic, set-in-Britain movies tend to be...but I am with you...give me SOMETHING at the end that gives me hope!
I haven't seen any of these either, but I am surprised because my husband is a movie buff, so I am sure Revolutionary Road is coming soon to a 'Murray House near you'.
And...Jocelyn...I so far have refused to watch 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' because I am a HUGE Sophie Kinsella fan, have read all her books including this one BEFORE anyone had ever heard of it in the states....and THIS MOVIE doesn't even SOUND like the same book!
Great post, BTW...Maggi! ; )
Whoah. Dear Zachary sounds good!! Thanks for the suggestions!
Okay..I've only seen Revolutionary Road and Atonement...Kate Winslet hasn't starred in many films with happy endings I must say...I like her but her films generally involve her breasts and sad endings! Atonement was really well-made...I think the ending really makes you reflect on how your actions can have profound consequences.
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