Look out of your window. Granted, it may not be as bleak a view as mine is but nonetheless: It’s January. It’s grey. It’s bitter and depressing. We’re all fighting the post-holiday funk which somehow creeps its way into our bones every year, despite protests of new years, new yous. It’s inevitable, so face it, wallow in it. Whilst things will get better with the coming of spring, for the moment, it’s all about winter and therefore, we must adapt our way of living according to the season. It’s ok to be a little bit anti-social; it’s ok to avoid the outside in favour of the warm glow of your home. It’s January and the sofa is your friend. Comfort films are a must to survive the dark season; the bright lights of cinema bring us warmth when everything else fails. So gather supplies, hunker down and put on the TV. We’re in this for the long haul.
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is one of those films that you can watch again and again and again. Jokes aside, the film stands the test of time precisely because of its deceptively simple narrative. Bill Murray’s weatherman Phil is perhaps the most pessimistic film character this side of Oscar the Grouch. Landed the job of Groundhog Day reporter, Phil somehow becomes trapped in time, forced to live the same day again and again. The initial bleakness of the film is perfect for January but pretty soon, things start to look up for Phil. He learns that time is a blessing (and so should you too!) But seriously, Groundhog Day is the perfect reminder that no situation is as bleak as it seems and there are countless possibilities for how things can turn out. January could be great!
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Before the tragedy that was Audrey Hepburn’s cockney accent in My Fair Lady, she was living up New York society in the film adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella. Whilst Breakfast at Tiffany’s may not be a film for everyone, it’s overwhelmingly simplistic view of the world is enough to make you forget all of your January blues. In a world in which Holly Golightly tumbles her way into the New York scene, narrowly avoiding a prison sentence, it seems that nothing possibly could go wrong. Watch if only to admire the alarming preservation of Hepburn’s hairstyles after a night on the tiles. Now that is a thing lifted directly out of fantasy.
Home Alone
With Christmas over and done with, it seems foolish to watch anything that will remind us of festivities past. Home Alone, however, is so much more than a Christmas film. Its silliness and warmth will make you wish you were in the bosom of your family time and again. No matter how many times I watch it, I just can’t get over how sneaky Kevin McCallister’s booby traps are. I mean, the kid’s obviously some sort of ninja genius. Eat pizza and bow down to the kid with a plan. Never underestimate planning ahead.
Fargo
You just can’t relax without the Coen brothers. Whilst other films in their oeuvre may seem more appropriate to the bleakness of January, I vote Fargo for its plain faced acceptance of its own melancholy. You thought your January was bad? Why don’t you try and visit the town of Fargo. Set in the dimmest Minnesota winter, the film follows a botched fake kidnapping, organised by a desperate man in order to gain his wife’s inheritance. Cheery stuff. There is something, though, in the film’s humour, that will leave you oddly uplifted. When a man’s fate is being murdered by wood chipper, you know that you haven’t hit rock bottom.
Lost in Translation
What it is about Bill Murray? His sad basset hound face just makes me feel warm inside. Lost in Translation is a great film, not least because of its Tokyo skyline vistas and addictive soundtrack. Whilst the film looks at loneliness in the midst of large crowds, it also feels incredibly local, as if it were talking directly to you. The film speaks to every part of us that feels lost, or passive, or confused. Fumbling through a new world in the film seems a little less scary and with Lost in Translation, you feel a little closer to those around you.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Heading the (only) animation category in the list, Wes Anderson’s stop motion film is one to watch on any day but will surely brighten your gloomy January. Based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl, the film takes a few liberties with the plot, adding a few cinematic alterations to up the ante. The world Anderson creates is the one you always imagined your stuffed toys living in; from the quaint kitchen ware to the miniature outfits, nothing has been overlooked. The film is utter escapism and more than a little silly but when you’re feeling blue and all you want to do is absolutely nothing, put the film on. It’s like a warm hug.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This film should be on everyone’s list for everything. From the wry humour to the snappy plot, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a film that will always make you feel happier, whether you want it to or not. Taking the day off school and using elaborate means to avoid being caught out, Ferris Bueller embarks on a rollercoaster day off, enjoying more activities than you or I would partake it over the course of one year. It’s how we all imagined skipping school would be, only done better. Ferris Bueller stands the test of time because it is just so darn happy. And in January, we’ll take as much of that as we can get.
Sixteen Candles
Ok, I know that I’m going out on a limb here and maybe it’s the sixteen year girl inside of me talking but Sixteen Candles should be prerequisite viewing for anyone who claims to love cinema. When Samantha’s family forget her sixteenth birthday, it looks like all hell is about to break loose. With the John Hughes stamp of approval, however, it’s pretty clear that things won’t stay wrong for long. The film taps into our innate belief that no one cares and the world is rubbish and I never asked to be born and swiftly undermines it. Watch when you want to be reminded just how special you truly are.