Five feel-good films for Blue Monday

Need cheering up? Here are five uplifting films for a gloomy day.

1. Black Panther

Whether you are a Marvel fan, a DC fan or not that interested in superhero movies, Black Panther is a great film to inspire you. It can work either as another film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe marathon or you can watch it as a stand-alone.

KU drama and film culture student, Mario Lewis, said: “I just love how it has a happy ending and how they kept fighting to keep their position.”

2. Any of the Fast and Furious films 

If you haven’t already seen the Fast and Furious films, you might think that they are overdone or films that only guys can enjoy. That’s just not true. The first film in the series has a great heist narrative, with Paul Walker playing an undercover cop. There’s more to this series than meets the eye.

Lewis said: “It’s always been one of those films that has made me laugh, and there’s lots of action, which I love!”

3. Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman

I can’t say that I’ve seen this one, but I’m intrigued now. Lewis recommended it, saying: “It starts with the girl unhappy. What she had was taken away from her. But in the end, she finds what she has always been looking for.” Sounds like a feel-good film to me.

4. Labyrinth

It’s an old one, but a favourite of mine. The heroine is a teenage girl who’s so fed up with looking after her baby brother that she half-jokingly asks the Goblin King (a magnificent David Bowie) to take him far away. She has 12 hours to get through the maze to reach the Goblin City before Bowie turns her brother into a goblin forever.

The friends she meets along the way never fail to make me smile – Ludo the loveable night troll who is picked on for his size, Hoggle the grumpy dwarf who loves to collect bracelets, and Sir Didymus the fox who rides Ambrosius, a sheepdog.

5. Good Will Hunting

Another older film, a lot of us were hit hard when we heard about Robin Williams death. But this film can cheer me up from the worst moods.

Janitor, Will Hunting is a maths genius. He gets attention from the maths professor at M.I.T. where he works. But, a product of growing up in working-class Boston and his tough childhood, Hunting often gets into fights and is sent to psychiatrist Dr Maguire (Robin Williams).

There’s so much wisdom in his film, it’s hard not to feel inspired.

That’s it for the recommendations today, let us know if there are any feel-good films that you would recommend.