The pandemic kept me from movie theaters….but boy did I watch a lot of movies!

Why?  Because, research says, of the many reasons why watching movies is good for us. They call it “Cinema Therapy.”

Why movies?

…I love thrills and chills (all the Alien movies, Event Horizon and Get Out are favorites, and a lot of the Marvel movies since I’m a fangirl).

…to enjoy different cultures, times, and performances, like the teamwork between Toshiro Mifume and Akira Kurasawa (OMG, Throne of Blood as a retelling of Macbeth)

…for the visual art form value (outstanding performances like John Gielgud in Julius Caesar or amazing directors like Martin Scorsese’s The Silence).

…and for laughs (anything by Mel Brooks!).

Since the pandemic, I’ve also turned to movies for comfort.  Sometimes it’s because everything turns out all right in the end, no matter how improbable (The Princess Bride). Often it’s the memory associated with the movie (my late husband and I loved Repo Man and used the dialog in our conversations).

Desert Island Films

Sometimes it’s just the comfort of simple repetition of movies I’ve seen so often they are like old friends. I call these my Desert Island movies…the ones I could see again and again if I were on a desert island. Galaxy Quest. The Godfather Trilogy (yep, even the last one). City Heat (Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood, anyone?)

But how about you? What are your desert island movies and why? Let us know in the comments!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.