The Film Emotion Blogathon

(I know I've been involved in a lot of blogathons recently, and I apologize if you come here strictly for the reviews. But I've been travelling a lot lately, so I don't really have time to watch anything new. I will try to rectify that though. Oh, and there'll be a few more blogathon participations throughout the rest of the month as well.)

Connor over at Conman at the Movies decided to create his first blogathon. Inspired by Inside Out, the general concept is simple:

1.) Pick five films to represent the five emotions in Inside Out. The criteria for choosing these films is listed below. I would be willing to allow a tie, if you couldn’t decide between two films to best represent one of the emotions.

2.) Write out five paragraphs, (one for each film) talking about the movies and why you chose them.

3.) Post them on your blog (or Tumblr or whatever). 

4.) Send me the link by posting it here in the comments.

What I’m looking for are five movies that make YOU feel a certain emotion. Here’s what to look for: 

JOY: First of all, you want to pick a movie that makes you happy. The kind of movie that you put on whenever you’re in a bad mood that never fails to lighten your spirits. It can be a family film, a romance, a comedy – as long as there’s a smile on your face by the end credits, it should be fair game. 

SADNESS: Now for the movie that made you cry the most. From Bambi to Titanic, there are plenty of tear-jerker movies out there. These are movies where you gravitate towards the main characters and really don’t want to see anything bad happen to them. Maybe a character dies, maybe the guy doesn’t get the girl, but your eyes should be pretty watery by the film’s end. 

FEAR: This is the movie that gave you the most nightmares. Pretty self explanatory. There are plenty of classic horror movies to choose from, but it doesn’t have to be an out-and-out horror film. If the movie’s about a more subtle kind of fear, or if the movie just has a creepy atmosphere, that should work. Whether blunt or subtle, this is the movie that scares the **** out of you 

ANGER: This is a movie that you flat out hated. Not a movie that was dull or boring, but a movie that just fills you up with rage just thinking about it. Maybe it’s a movie made by a certain director that had so much potential, maybe it’s an adaptation or a sequel that just didn’t do the original justice. It could also be a movie where your anger isn’t directed at the movie, but at the characters. Ever wanted to scream at movie characters for making such incredibly stupid decisions? 

DISGUST: This last one is a bit tricky, I’ll let you interpret it the way you want. It could be a horror film with a lot of really awful imagery that you don’t want to look at, it could be a comedy with a bunch of gross-out humor that you can barely listen to. It could even be a movie that you like, but your disgust comes towards the basic premise in a grander sense, like being disgusted by what you see in 12 Years A Slave or Schindler’s List. Either way, this film should make you cringe.

My choices start after the jump.

JOY

Her (2013, dir. Spike Jonze)

I was first thinking of choosing The Apartment for this category but I decided on something a little more contemporary. Her had the same effect on me as The Apartment did. It had me leaving the theater with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

SADNESS

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943, dir. William A. Wellman)

I'm not much of a crier but I do get that empty feeling in my chest when I see something devastating. You could just imagine how I felt when I first watched The Ox-Bow Incident. (Also, how the hell did Dana Andrews not get nominated for his work in this?)

FEAR

Requiem for a Dream (2000, dir. Darren Aronofsky)

I've stated before that because of Requiem for a Dream, I pretty much vowed to never, ever get involved in drugs. Oh, and kudos to anyone who can watch that third act more than once. You're a braver soul than I ever will be.

ANGER

Funny Games (1997, dir. Michael Haneke)

I don't really know why this is but the first time I saw Funny Games, this seething sense of anger boiled up within me. (Obviously I haven't re-watched it since then.) I mean, I sort of understand why some people like it but from my standpoint, it's a film I wouldn't have other people see.

DISGUST

Fruitvale Station (2013, dir. Ryan Coogler)

Fruitvale Station is one of those films that, because of certain recent events, you can't help but feel a pang of disgust. (The fact this is based on one such event just makes it more stunning.) The society we are a part of is beginning to crumble, and we must do something about it.