More Comfort Films: LA Times List
Posted on March 11, 2009 at 8:00 am
I’ve already provided some of my favorite comfort movies, one from Cinematical, and a list from Idol Chatter’s Kris Rasmussen. Want some more ideas? Take a look at this list of comfort movies from Betsy Sharkey of the LA Times. She says:
Comfort films rarely have a pedigree. But then cinematic greatness is not what you’re in search of. These are back-room movies, behind closed doors along with other necessary vices — that box of Kraft mac and cheese, the pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey — while the best movies of all time, those loved and judged for their soaring artistic, cinematic and intellectual feats, live in an entirely different space in your psyche.
But need a laugh right now? A cry? To escape? Or just to feel better? Comfort films are there to fit, and fill, whatever the emotional need of the moment, able to lift the shade on even the darkest of moods (or deepest of recessions). You don’t even have to consume the whole film to enjoy the benefits; they’re like munchable movie snacks for the mind, and catching a scene or two as you’re channel surfing can usually satisfy the cravings.
There are rules, of course, but not many. The films can be comedies or dramas, weepies or creepies, but they should forever go unpunished for any indiscretion, whether it’s cheesy dialogue, plots filled with potholes or actors who might drop this particular work of art off their résumé if it weren’t for the ruthless memory of IMDB.
She has some great choices like “Best in Show” and “Finding Nemo,” both movies I have watched countless times, and one from my list, “Galaxy Quest.” Look for one of her other choices on my upcoming list of some of my favorite movie inspirational quotes.
, Jim Caviezel in 
, Victor Garber in 
, Jeffrey Hunter in the respectful 
, and even Will Ferrell in the awful “Superstar.”
and 
, both starring little-known actors, which may be an advantage because familiarity with other roles is not a distraction. Though they are different in tone and approach, both films are sincere and inspiring and both are worth seeing.
The true story of the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of their own Union army and battling the Confederates, with brilliant performances by Denzel Washington (who won an Oscar), Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick as the white officer who truly believed all men were equal. 
The obstacles to education and professional advancement kept Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) from medical school, but he was a pioneer in heart surgery.
Writer Alex Haley told the story of his own family going back to the capture of one of his ancestors from Africa to be sold into slavery in this historic miniseries.
A slave rebellion led to an historic Supreme Court case that addressed fundamental notions of personhood and inalienable rights.
This documentary about the Brown v. Board of Education case that transformed American schools and culture has interviews with lawyer Thurgood Marshall (who later became the first black Supreme Court justice) and others involved in the case.
Denzel Washington is mesmerizing in this story of the incendiary leader and his journey from complacency to activism to understanding.
This PBS documentary covers the Civil Rights movement from the murder of Emmett Till to the march in Selma. 
Angela Bassett stars as the Civil Rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat on the bus electrified the nation.
Halle Berry is dazzling as the pioneering performing artist.
This documentary tells the story of photographer Art Kane’s 1958 iconic photograph of all of the great jazz musicians of the era.