Connor at Conman at the Movies has created a thought-provoking blogathon, one that calls movie fans to think of films that embody the emotions in Pixar’s instant classic Inside Out.
Joy: A film that always puts a smile on your face
Sadness: A film that sends tears streaming down your face
Fear: A film that made you want to cover your face (in fright)
Anger: A film that made you want to punch someone else’s face
Disgust: A film you wouldn’t want to face again (this one’s a bit more open-ended)
After much thought, I’ve come up with five choices that epitomize these emotions in me, so here goes:
JOY: Elizabethtown (2005)
While it’s sometimes more of a dark comedy, Elizabethtown is still a delight for me every time. It starts out with Orlando Bloom having the worst day imaginable (how could any of my bad days compare?), topped off by his being sent to Kentucky to bring home his dead father. If the small-town quirk doesn’t win you over, how about Kirsten Dunst’s Claire, who makes it her mission to raise this suicidal visitor out of his despair and into a new appreciation for life, complete with a fantastic soundtrack. “Freebird” has never made me smile so much.
SADNESS: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
I cannot imagine a film more depressing, more heart-rending than Grave of the Fireflies…and it’s a cartoon! (Sorry, anime.) The story of two orphaned Japanese children during the last days of World War II is just so tragic, and the feelings of sorrow keep growing throughout until the inevitable, quiet, hopeless, gut-wrenching end. I hardly ever cry anymore, but this film does it every time.
FEAR: Poltergeist (1982)
I haven’t seen many horror movies so my choice here may seem wussy compared with others, but seriously, this film traumatized me when I saw it as a kid. I can’t stand jump scares, and that clown still rules my greatest moment of cinematic fright. Not to mention that swimming pool full of corpses. *Shiver.*
ANGER: Urban Cowboy (1980)
I’ve already ranted about how much I despise this movie, but this gives me another opportunity. John Travolta and Debra Winger play such pitiful white trash, and Travolta’s character especially is so childish as he insists on proving his alpha-male status even as he flagrantly cheats on his wife to make her jealous. The country music cannot save this maddening “romance,” in which the characters think a mechanical bull ride can heal a marriage more than the words “I’m sorry.” Can you tell I don’t like this film?
DISGUST: The Last Airbender (2010)
While it doesn’t have the gore or raunch that would normally turn me off from a film, M. Night Shyamalan’s film version of Avatar: The Last Airbender is unfathomably, disgustingly bad, the kind of bad that makes you wonder why no one noticed while making it. Wooden acting, stilted dialogue, weak special effects, laughable action scenes—on its own, it may have been just a bad film, but as an adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon series, it tramples on everything that made that series great. Is there anything so disgusting as a missed opportunity?
Thanks for a fun idea, Connor!
Finally, someone else who likes Elizabethtown! I personally loved the music throughout.
Also as a fan of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, I’m so sad about the film (which I’ve yet to see).
Someone else else who likes Elizabethtown! It’s definitely an underrated gem. As for TLA, count yourself lucky you haven’t seen the film. I tried hard to like it, but it just couldn’t compare with the show.
Great post! I couldn’t agree more about Urban Cowboy. They both act ridiculous, cruel, and childish and physically abuse each other. Yet “true love” prevails in the end. Egads. 😦
Tell me about it. One of the most irritating films I’ve seen. Thanks for commenting!
great choice SG. I know…. I gotta rewatch elisabethtown soon.. I promise, it’s on my list and getting closer (I hope)
I hope so too. You may even like it more than you remembered and bump it up your 2005 list. Maybe. 🙂
Maybe. ….
EEK! I love that you love Elizabethtown (it’s been years since I’ve seen it, but I never understood the hate) and that you just dumped all over Urban Cowboy…since I hated that movie outside of Winger, who I thought was actually spectacular in it.
And yes…Grave of the Fireflies…you know I agree with you there!
Great work!
Thanks, Andrew! Elizabethtown deserved praise and got criticism, while Urban Cowboy deserved criticism and got praise. Go figure.
Great picks, and great write-ups about them!
Thanks, Jay!
I’m with you on Grave of the Fireflies. It’s a masterpiece but one of the most heartbreaking movies I’ve ever seen.
Most definitely. Not many movies can still make me cry, but when they do, I have this special connection to them, like Fireflies or The Five People You Meet in Heaven.