Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Precious and other super sad movies you love

"Precious" was recently unleashed in limited release. From the Tweets and Facebook statuses, some folks are still shaken by the memory of the movie.

The film, backed by both Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, is based on "Push," a novel about an illiterate and overweight young girl and her struggles with her abusive parents.

The movie is getting some pretty loud Oscar buzz.

Having seen it, I can co-sign for the fact that the director pulled great performances out of the main character, newcomer Gabby Sidibe, Mariah Carey and Mo'Nique, the latter two unexpectedly killed in their roles.

It is, nonetheless, a downer, as our heroine goes through almost every outrage imaginable and then some. I watched it at a special screening a few weeks back and could practically feel the weight of sadness in the theater.

It didn't quite make me cry, but I might venture to add it to the list of saddest movies ever, which includes the following:

"THE COLOR PURPLE"

I am not prone to crying, except in extreme circumstances. That's why I am baffled by how this movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah and an otherwise awesome ensemble cast brings me to tears every damn time I see it. I know exactly what is going to happen. I practically have all the lines memorized. Still, I cannot watch this flick without a Kleenex. It may have something to do with the separation of the sisters and what they do to poor Miss Sophia (Oprah). Whatever the cause, I seriously avoid this movie if I want to stay in a good mood.

"TERMS OF ENDEARMENT"

This complicated mother-daughter tale, coupled with a terminal illness, get my waterworks going. Especially heartbreaking is a scene where a dying Debra Winger is sassed by her own angry young son. Jack Nicholson brings a much-needed comedic touch, but this movie is a saline selection for sure.

"BOYZ N' THE HOOD"

Ricky! Nooooooooooo!!!!! Whenever I watch John Singleton's wonderful and eye-opening film about young men coming up in South Central, I'm all good until Ricky (Morris Chestnut) meets a bitter end. Most embarrassingly, I once cried in the Northwestern University library as I watched it for the fifth or sixth time for a paper. I was embarrassed to go to the library the rest of that month for fear people thought of me as Crazy Crying Girl.

"MENACE II SOCIETY"

Another important film about young men coming of age in LA. The protagonist, Kane, was more of a dirty hero (if even that), but the last few minutes of this movie get me every time. In the venerable words of O-Dog aka Larenz Tate, "Stay up, Kane!"

"THE SIXTH SENSE"

Some people were frightened by this film, and I admit some of the scenes were creepy. But I found it to be more touching than anything, particularly the twist at the end. (Don't read any further if you're still lounging under your rock and haven't bothered to see this film.) I absolutely lost it in the movie theater when it was revealed poor Bruce Willis was dead. I had to sit there and collect myself before the lights came up.