Hi lovely people, today we are doing a fun post which is a follow up from my previous post about songs/song titles that reflect chronic illness (which you can find here). This time however, the focus is on film and tv.
I recently reached out on my social media to ask people to give me film and/or tv programmes which reflect their lives with chronic illness. Some of the picks are based on the film/tv title itself whereas others are reflected in the plot.
As with the songs post this has produced an array of answers some serious, some more light-hearted, there is no right or wrong, they are individual choices made by myself or people who volunteered answers. I hope you enjoy…
Following on from my top Halloween film picks, I couldn’t resist sharing my top films for Christmas. Christmas can be a very difficult time for people with chronic illness due to the various activities, communications and heightened visual and audial disturbances, but watching films can be a great activity to do with others or alone. It is just a case of picking the right one so let’s get started….
Let’s get right to the crunch and dive straight in with proper xmassy films: The SantaClauseand Elf.
The Santa Clause is one of my most favourite Christmas films of all time. Starring Tim Allen the movie is about a father who transforms into Santa. This is a great watch if you enjoy seeing the north pole in all its glory and love the magic of believing. Keep a look out for the various elves in particular Judy who makes the perfect hot cocoa.
Elf starring Will Ferrell is a must see for Christmas fanatics. The movie is centred around the story of Buddy – a human who was raised by elves – who after discovering he is not an actual elf goes on a journey to New York City to find his biological father. This film is filled with festive cheer as Buddy explores this new world with an elf mentality. – Son of a Nutcracker!
Ok so I know not everyone loves a Christmassy film at Christmas so let’s take a look at my top non-Christmassy films that are considered Christmas films – if you catch my drift: Bridget Jones’s Diary and Home Alone.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romantic comedy that definitely resonates with me. Starting at a Christmas party with that disastrous Christmas jumper and Bridget trying to combat single life. That soon changes however when she has two men vying for her affection in the form of Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy. The movie has some great scenes and funny moments especially in the form of Bridget’s friends alongside a very catchy soundtrack.
Home Alone is the ultimate Christmas comedy about a young boy being left you guessed it – home alone. I think most people probably know the story by now and if you don’t I really recommend you watch it. There are some great performances especially by a young Macaulay Culkin and is definitely a great pick if you want a few laughs over the festive period.
So we have the Christmassy and the not so Christmassy films, but now I want to share some shorter stories for my fellow chronic illness warriors who may find viewing longer films too much on their bodies. I give you Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman and Father Christmas.
The Snowman – This Raymond Briggs’s classic is a visual masterpiece and so beautifully crafted. It is also the story that brought us Walking in the Air and a lot of flying snowmen. For such a short story it sparks the magic and excitement of Christmas as well as a slight tearjerker at the end (I won’t spoil it for you).
Father Christmas – Again this Raymond Briggs’s classic has the same visual beauty, but this time follows Father Christmas on his year from one Christmas eve to the next. This has a funnier element to it then The Snowman, with Father Christmas getting up to all sorts of adventures.
For the eagle-eyed viewers amongst us you may notice that both short stories give cameos to each other with The Snowman featuring in Father Christmas and Father Christmas featuring in The Snowman, so it is a lovely nod to each story. If you want something short that gets you in the festive mood I strongly recommend this picks to make you smile.
Here we have it my top picks for Christmas – of course there are many others, but I wanted to keep it simple. So what will you be watching this year?
Living with chronic illness it can be hard finding activities you can enjoy that are low energy, so with Halloween around the corner now is the perfect time (chronic illness or not) to emerge yourself in the world of film.
The genre of horror has such an array of different categories it really can be for anybody. From slasher to psychological and comedy to monster, the choices really are endless. So with this in mind I have selected my top films to watch this Halloween if you dare….
FYI – Please note all these films should only be watched if age appropriate – always check the certificate.
Kids Halloween Film – The Witches
Let’s start gently with a good children’s Halloween pick (also ideal if you are not a big horror fan) and my top recommendation The Witches. You already know this is a great pick as it is based on the great children’s book of the same name by Roald Dahl. Although there is a new version for 2020 I still believe the 1990 version starring Anjelica Houston as the Grand High Witch is brilliant.
Runner up – Casper
Comedy Horror– Shaun of the Dead
Runner up – Scary Movie
Splatter Horror– Saw
People have very mixed views on the franchise that is Saw and the mastermind behind it Jigsaw, but for me Saw was one of the best horror franchises I have ever seen. As with a lot of films I found the very first film the best which centres around two men being chained up in a room and not knowing how they got there. The twists and turns are highly entertaining and the plot twist at the end was something I never saw coming. Not forgetting of course the array of games that are played throughout the film and the gore they produce.
Runner up – Hostel
Slasher Horror – Halloween
Runner up – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Supernatural Horror – IT
There are so many worthy supernatural horrors out there, but one of the most memorable is Stephen King’s IT because lets face it what’s scarier than a creepy looking clown? Pennywise (the clown) is actually a shape shifting monster who forces the characters to face their scariest fears. The film is actually split into two parts (so you need to watch the second film to get the whole of the story) as the children from the first film come back as adults and try to defeat the clown once and for all.
Runners up – Sinister and the Blair Witch Project (I couldn’t resist picking two!)
Now not everyone would call this a traditional horror as this film is about six people taking part in a mysterious escape room experience which quickly becomes more real than they were expecting. Watching the players go from room to room you feel yourself go along for the journey on the different challenges they face.
Runner up – The Belko Experiment
Other strong recommendations on my little list of horrors include:
Mama
Scream
Wicker Man
So here you have it my top film list for Halloween this year – what are yours?
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