Appropriate/comforting films for the clinically depressed...

[Gamblour.]

About Schmidt
Shawshank Redemption
Ghostbusters
Royal Tenenbaums
Rope

[cine]

cnn comfort

[Gamblour.]

Now I have to watch Driving Miss Daisy because of that article, thanks.

[MacGuffin]

'Wonderful Life' Tops Inspiring Film List

George Bailey's brother proclaimed him the richest man in Bedford Falls. Now the story of the despondent businessman, who got a chance to see how ugly the world would be without him, has been proclaimed the most inspiring American movie.

Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart as the disillusioned George, led the American Film Institute's list of inspirational films revealed Wednesday in the group's annual top-100 TV special that aired on CBS.

"We all connect to that story. We may not all connect to the story of a fighter from Philadelphia or a singing family in the Austrian Alps," said the TV special's producer, Bob Gazzale, referring to two other films on the list, "Rocky" and "The Sound of Music"

"But there's no way to get away from the inspiring story of George Bailey. It relates to us all."

"To Kill a Mockingbird," with Gregory Peck as the upright Southern dad seeking justice for a wrongly accused black man, was No. 2 on the list chosen from 300 nominated films on ballots sent to 1,500 filmmakers, actors, critics and others in Hollywood.

Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," starring Liam Neeson as a German businessman who saves his Jewish workers from extermination by the Nazis, was No. 3.

Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" was fourth, while another Capra-Stewart collaboration, the political saga "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," ranked fifth.

Spielberg landed two other films in the top 10, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (No. 6) and "Saving Private Ryan" (No. 10). Rounding out the top 10: "The Grapes of Wrath" (No. 7), "Breaking Away" (No. 8 ) and "Miracle on 34th Street" (No. 9).

The 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life" is the story of a man who dreamed of escaping his dreary town and making a mark in the world. Circumstance traps George Bailey in tiny Bedford Falls, where he runs his family's penny-ante building and loan and battles the town's miserly overlord.

One Christmas Eve, facing scandal and criminal charges after his uncle misplaces $8,000, George is driven to attempt suicide, but an angel steps in to show him all the good he's done and what a harsher place the world would be without him.

As family and friends rally to his rescue, George learns to embrace the life he thought he loathed and receives a heartfelt toast from his sibling: "To my big brother George the richest man in town."

With five films, Spielberg led directors in the top 100. Spielberg's others were "The Color Purple" (No. 51) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (No. 58). Capra was next with four films, his others being "Meet John Doe" (No. 49) and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (No. 83).

Sidney Poitier and Gary Cooper each appeared in five films. Poitier had "In the Heat of the Night" (No. 21), "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (No. 35), "Lilies of the Field" (No. 46), "The Defiant Ones" (No. 55) and "A Raisin in the Sun" (No. 65). Cooper was in Capra's "Meet John Doe" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," plus "The Pride of the Yankees" (No. 22), "High Noon" (No. 27) and "Sergeant York" (No. 57).

The films ranged widely, including sports tales ("Hoosiers" at No. 13 and "Field of Dreams" at No. 28), real-life drama ("Apollo 13" at No. 12 and "What's Love Got to Do With It" at No. 85), musicals ("The Wizard of Oz" at No. 26 and "Fiddler on the Roof" at No. 82), science fiction ("Star Wars" at No. 39 and "2001: A Space Odyssey" at No. 47) and family films ("Pinocchio" at No. 38 and "Babe" at No. 80).

The oldest movie was Charles Chaplin's 1931 silent film "City Lights" (No. 33). The newest were two from 2004, "Hotel Rwanda" (No. 90) and "Ray" (No. 99).

Past AFI lists have included best comedies, movie quotes, songs and love stories.

With the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the war in Iraq and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the group wanted to examine films that offer hope.

"This was kind of an interesting moment in American history, coming off Sept. 11, being at war, having natural disasters of such tremendous impact. What role do the movies play at times of really emotional turmoil?" said Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI director. "I think the movies are fundamentally a very inspirational way we communicate, and we thought this was an exciting opportunity to recognize those films."

The American Film Institute's list of the 100 most-inspiring movies, with film title and year of release:

1. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946
2. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962
3. "Schindler's List," 1993
4. "Rocky," 1976
5. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939
6. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982
7. "The Grapes of Wrath" 1940
8. "Breaking Away," 1979
9. "Miracle on 34th Street," 1947
10. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998
11. "The Best Years of Our Lives" 1946
12. "Apollo 13," 1995
13. "Hoosiers," 1986
14. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" 1957
15. "The Miracle Worker" 1962
16. "Norma Rae," 1979
17. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975
18. "The Diary of Anne Frank" 1959
19. "The Right Stuff" 1983
20. "Philadelphia," 1993
21. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967
22. "The Pride of the Yankees" 1942
23. "The Shawshank Redemption" 1994
24. "National Velvet," 1944
25. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941
26. "The Wizard of Oz" 1939
27. "High Noon," 1952
28. "Field of Dreams," 1989
29. "Gandhi," 1982
30. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962
31. "Glory," 1989
32. "Casablanca," 1942
33. "City Lights," 1931
34. "All the President's Men," 1976
35. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967
36. "On the Waterfront," 1954
37. "Forrest Gump," 1994
38. "Pinocchio," 1940
39. "Star Wars," 1977
40. "Mrs. Miniver," 1942
41. "The Sound of Music" 1965
42. "12 Angry Men," 1957
43. "Gone With the Wind," 1939
44. "Spartacus," 1960
45. "On Golden Pond," 1981
46. "Lilies of the Field," 1963
47. "2001: a Space Odyssey," 1968
48. "The African Queen" 1951
49. "Meet John Doe," 1941
50. "Seabiscuit," 2003
51. "The Color Purple" 1985
52. "Dead Poet's Society," 1989
53. "Shane," 1953
54. "Rudy," 1993
55. "The Defiant Ones" 1958
56. "Ben-Hur," 1959
57. "Sergeant York," 1941
58. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," 1977
59. "Dances With Wolves," 1990
60. "The Killing Fields" 1984
61. "Sounder," 1972
62. "Braveheart," 1995
63. "Rain Man," 1988
64. "The Black Stallion" 1979
65. "A Raisin in the Sun" 1961
66. "Silkwood," 1983
67. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" 1951
68. "An Officer and a Gentleman" 1982
69. "The Spirit of St. Louis" 1957
70. "Coal Miner's Daughter," 1980
71. "Cool Hand Luke," 1967
72. "Dark Victory," 1939
73. "Erin Brockovich," 2000
74. "Gunga Din," 1939
75. "The Verdict" 1982
76. "Birdman of Alcatraz," 1962
77. "Driving Miss Daisy," 1989
78. "Thelma & Louise," 1991
79. "The Ten Commandments" 1956
80. "Babe," 1995
81. "Boys Town," 1938
82. "Fiddler on the Roof," 1971
83. "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," 1936
84. "Serpico," 1973
85. "What's Love Got to Do With It," 1993
86. "Stand and Deliver," 1988
87. "Working Girl," 1988
88. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942
89. "Harold and Maude," 1972
90. "Hotel Rwanda," 2004
91. "The Paper Chase" 1973
92. "Fame," 1980
93. "A Beautiful Mind" 2001
94. "Captains Courageous," 1937
95. "Places in the Heart," 1984
96. "Searching for Bobby Fischer," 1993
97. "Madame Curie," 1943
98. "The Karate Kid" 1984
99. "Ray," 2004
100. "Chariots of Fire," 1981

[Gold Trumpet]

Another list, but not another diss from me. AFI is shameless these days for what categories they feel are worthy of list-making but AFI also makes no attempt to be important like ones that imitate Sight and Sound. So, I'll applaud the few films included I love. "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "The Right Stuff" are great works of Americana storytelling. Both films have the gloss and feel of popular filmmaking but both are also worth the rewards of nearly any film outside the influence of Hollywood. They would place very high on my top list for Best American Films ever made.

[pete]

The truth is, for me, any good movie.

When I'm feeling down (not CLINICALLY depressed, but whatever), I just want to go home and lay on the couch and watch a good movie, then fall asleep afterwards.  It makes me feel better.

aw Matt, you and your marijuna euphemisms.  pass me the "movie" and let me "watch" it too!