Girl with the Rosebuds: Movies that'll give you the feels

Many times, movies have the ability to make people laugh and cry, drawing our inner emotions and providing a safe release of feelings that have been bottled up inside us. Everyone can probably recall or name a movie or two that really made them think, or cry or laugh until their own problems seem lighter.

The topic at hand is sad movies/tear-jerking movies. People enjoy watching them because they deliver what seems to be an unlikely benefit, making people happier in the short run. Research have found that watching a tragedy movie causes people to think about their own relationships, which in turn boosts their life happiness. The result was that what seems like a negative experience-watching a sad story- made people happier by bringing attention to some positive aspects in their own lives.

'Tragic stories often focuses on themes of eternal love and this leads to viewers thinking about their loved ones and count their blessings," said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick from Ohio State University.

"Tragedies don't boost life happiness by making viewers thinkmore about themselves. They appeal to people because they help them to appreciate their own relationships more,” she said.

But why would people have to get sad by watching a tragedy to feel grateful about relationships in their own lives?

Knobloch-Westerwick said this fits with research in psychology that suggests negative moods make people more thoughtful.
“Positive emotions are generally a signal that everything is fine, you don’t have to worry, you don’t have to think about issues in your life,” she said.

“But negative emotions, like sadness, make you think more critically about your situation. So seeing a tragic movie about star-crossed lovers may make you sad, but that will cause you to think more about your own close relationships and appreciate them more.”

Research has also shown that relationships are generally the major source of happiness in our lives, so it is no surprise that thinking about your loved ones would make you happier, she said.

“Tragedies bring to mind close relationships, which makes us happy.”

Source: http://www.newsucanuse.org/how-sad-movies-make-us-happier/

I for one, at the moment, love sad movies. They really make me feel better after a long mind exhausting day. These movies enlightens me and i'd like to share them with you. Here are must watch enlightening/touching movies.

1. One Day

One Day is a film directed by Lone Scherfig. It was adapted by David Nicholls from his 2009 novel of the same name. It stars the beautiful Anne Hathaway and ever charming Jim Sturgess.

Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) meets after graduation on July 15th, 1988. They spend the night together but agree to simply be friends. Over 20 years, on the same date, 15 July, we watch as the lives of the two protagonists unfold.

Book Descriptor:

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

The novel itself, attracted generally positive reviews, and was named 2010 Galaxy Book of the Year.

“This is me.’" He handed her the precious scrap of paper. ‘Call me or I’ll call you, but one of us will call, yes? What I mean is it’s not a competition. You don’t lose if you phone first”

“Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance”

2. P.S I love you

P.S. I Love You is a 2007 American drama film directed by Richard LaGravenese. The screenplay by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers is based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Cecelia Ahern.

Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They are deeply in love, a normal couple that fight occasionally. However, Gerry dies suddenly of a brain tumor which leads to a downward spiral of Holly's life.

On her 30th birthday, a still distraught Holly receives a cake. In it, a message from Gerry...

Gerry Kennedy: What do you want? I know what I want, cause I'm holding it in my hands. You.

Gerry Kennedy: [calms Holly] Every morning I still wake up and the first thing I want to do is to see your face.

Gerry Kennedy: Dear Holly, I don't have much time. I don't mean literally, I mean you're out buying ice cream and you'll be home soon. But I have a feeling this is the last letter, because there is only one thing left to tell you. It isn't to go down memory lane or make you buy a lamp, you can take care of yourself without any help from me. It's to tell you how much you move me, how you changed me. You made me a man, by loving me Holly. And for that, I am eternally grateful... literally. If you can promise me anything, promise me that whenever you're sad, or unsure, or you lose complete faith, that you'll try to see yourself through my eyes. Thank you for the honor of being my wife. I'm a man with no regrets. How lucky am I. You made my life, Holly. But I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal, when life as you know it ends. P.S. I will always love you

Patricia: So now, all alone or not, you gotta walk ahead. Thing to remember is if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too.

3. The Last Song

The Last Song is a 2010 American coming of age romantic drama film developed alongside Nicholas Sparks' novel by the same name. The film was directed by Julie Anne Robinson in her feature film directorial debut and co-written by Sparks and Jeff Van Wie. The Last Song stars Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Greg Kinnear.

The story follows a troubled teenager, Veronica "Ronnie" Miller (Miley Cyrus) who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learns to reconnect. During the summer, she also falls in love the handsome and popular Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth) whose introduction involves crashing into her in a volleyball match and accidentally spilling Ronnie's milkshake on her.

The Last Song was released on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The film performed well for a Wednesday release, garnering $5,125,103 on approximately 3,300 screens at 2,673 theaters, for an average of $1,917 per theater, and topping the daily box office. It placed first at the weekend box office, making $36,203,000. Over the course of its five day opening, the film earned $65,590,000. As of July 15, 2010 the film had made $89,041,656 worldwide.

Book Descriptor:

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

Jonah Miller: Mom says its because she has PMS.
Steve Miller: Do you even know what PMS is, Jonah ?
Jonah Miller: Of course I do dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. It's the Pissed At Men Syndrome.

Will Blakelee: Evening!

[he puts his chair on the sand. Then takes out a lantern]
Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller: Are ya movin' in?
Will Blakelee: Hey, if I wanna get some sleep, I'm gonna need something to scare off the racoons. They don't like bright lights or music.
[pulls out a radio and turns it on]
Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller: You're planning to sleep here?
Will Blakelee: Well, the truth is, the town sorta got together and we decided we just couldn't take another one of your bad hair days.
Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller: [she hits him with her book repeatedly] What's the matter with you?
Jonah Miller: [from the porch] This doesn't look good. You're not okay with this, are you?
Steve Miller: [shakes his head 'no']
Jonah Miller: Then we better maintain visual contact.
Steve Miller: [nods his head 'yes']

Steve Miller: [in letter to Ronnie] Love is fragile. And we're not always its best caretakers. We just muddle through and do the best we can. And hope this fragile thing survives against all odds.

4. Koizora, Sky of Love

Koizora (恋空 Koizora, lit: Sky of Love) is a 2007 film based on a cell phone novel of the same name by Mika. The film is directed by Natsuki Imai and it stars Yui Aragaki and Haruma Miura.

Koizora debuted at the Japanese box office on 3 November 2007. It grossed a total of US$36,684,020 in both Japanese and international box offices.

During her freshman year in high school, Mika Tahara loses her cellular phone, but later finds it in the school library with the help of an unknown caller. Throughout the summer, Mika and the mysterious caller continue to communicate, and agree to meet each other once school starts again. The caller turns out to be Hiro, a delinquent-like boy that Mika is initially afraid of but ends up falling in love with. However, there are many trials and tribulations ahead for them to be together.

Hiro: Where do humans go after they die?
Mika: Heaven.
Hiro: I want to be the sky. So I always know where you are.
Mika: Like a stalker.
[Hiro amused and smiles]
Mika: Clear skies will mean you are happy. Rain will mean you're crying. Sunset means you are embarrassed. Night will mean you are gently holding me.

Hiro: Mika... smile.

5. A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember is a 2002 American romance film based on the 1999 romance novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Shane West and Mandy Moore, was directed by Adam Shankman, and produced by Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros. The novel is set in the 1950s while the film is set in 1998.

When a prank on fellow high-school student Clay Gaphardt goes wrong, popular but rebellious Landon Carter (Shane West) is threatened with expulsion. His punishment is mandatory participation in various after-school activities, such as the drama club, where he is forced to interact with quiet, kind and bookish Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), a girl he has known for many years but to whom he has rarely ever spoken. Their differing social statures leave them worlds apart, despite their close physical proximity.

At first, Landon was only using Jamie for help in the school play and treats her coldly when his friends are around but as he spends more and more time with her, he is surprised to find she is far from the person he thought she was and begins to question whom he really wants to impress.

Book Descriptor:

Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood...

Landon: Do you love me?
[she nods]
Landon: Will you do something for me, then?
Jamie: [smiles] Anything.
Landon: Will you marry me?
[Jamie smiles and kisses him]