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Sunday 14 October 2018

Top Films for a Sick Day

Last week I was struck down with Freshers' Flu to the point that I ended up going home from work one lunchtime and having the rest of the week off work. I spent a lot of my time in bed and then on the sofa, where I watched (and napped to) a lot of films because I wasn't up to doing anything else! The common cold seems to be making it's way around the office and everyone seems to be going down with something, so I thought I'd share with you my top films to get through a sick day in case you end up having one soon!


Harry Potter
Harry Potter is the ultimate sick day watch, not least because there's so many to go through that they can last you all day if not longer! I've watched the series so many times that it doesn't matter how much I pay attention to what's going on, or if I fall asleep and wake up at a much later point. I always watched Harry Potter when I was poorly as a child, so watching it when I'm ill now is like receiving a comforting hug. I'm not sure I really need to explain the plot to Harry Potter (is there anybody now that doesn't know the story?) but if you haven't had the chance to watch them all through I would definitely recommend!



Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty is one of my favourite Disney films, and it doesn't require a lot of thinking when you watch it. It follows the tale of Princess Aurora who has a curse placed upon her that on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die (one of the good fairies turns this to that she will fall asleep until true love's kiss) and the events that unfold on her 16th birthday. As princesses go she's pretty reliant on everyone else around her, but the drawings are beautiful and I like the songs!


Mary Poppins
Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and animated penguins as waiters dancing and singing - what more could you want? Mary Poppins follows the tale of nanny Mary Poppins (lol spoiler in the title there) who, I want to say is magic as I don't know how else I would describe her, comes to look after Jane and Michael Banks who have a mother preoccupied with fighting for votes for women, and a father more interested in his job than his children. With Mary, the children jump into chalk drawings, take tea on the ceiling, and dance with chimney sweeps on the Edwardian London skyline.



The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
As with Harry Potter, I like to watch a series of films because then I can just take a load of DVD's upstairs and watch the series through. The Narnia series is good because it breaks up the animated films, and The Lion, the Witch, and the the Wardrobe is a good one because it's like a cosy Christmas film without actually being a Christmas film so I can get away with watching it at any point during the year. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe follows four children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy), who are evacuated from London during World War II, and move in with the Professor in the countryside. Here they discover the world of Narnia through a wardrobe in the spare room. Narnia isn't as welcoming as it appears, as it's ruled over by the white witch who's made it always winter but never Christmas, and soon the children are wrapped up in this world and the prophecy that they must fulfil.



School of Rock
I think the School of Rock has to be one of my favourite films - to the point that after attending the English Society Ball back in 2016 and the live band played 'Zak's Song' I decided I too want a live band at my wedding just so they can play this song. It's got some great one liners that still make me laugh out loud, and I don't think they'll ever get old. School of Rock focuses on Dewy, who is trying to make it in a rock band but after being kicked out of one he pretends to be his flatmate Ned and takes on a substitute teacher role. Rather than teach the children he turns them into a band with the aim of playing Battle of the Bands (the children think it's a nationwide school competition that they're entering).


Shrek 2
I think I may actually have watched Shrek 2 before ever watching the first Shrek, and it's still my favourite of the series. Despite saying I like to watch a series of films, I normally end up only watching the second Shrek because it's my favourite one. This is another film that I used to watch a lot when I was ill as a child; especially when I was round my nanna and grandad's as this was one of the DVD's they had (they had a lot of video's but only had a DVD player in their bedroom!). Shrek 2 carries on where the original left off - Shrek and Fiona get married and the film follows their travels to meet Fiona's parents and discover that Prince Charming was meant to save Fiona from the tower and break the curse, rather than Fiona turn into an ogre permanently. This has a lot of funny moments and I'm a sucker for a good film soundtrack!


The Wizard of Oz
Can you see there's bit of a theme going on here with films involving music and being predominantly children's films? The Wizard of Oz is another one I used to watch a lot at my nanna and grandad's (this time on video!) and it's another one that has a great soundtrack. The Wizard of Oz centres around Dorothy Gale, who is swept up in a tornado and lands in the exuberant world of Oz and her plight to get back home through this weird and wonderful land.



Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
I know, I know, you may be thinking 'isn't it Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?' - the new one is but the original with Gene Wilde is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! Both are equally a good film for a sick day, but my preference will always be the original version. I think this version is closer to the original Roald Dahl book, and when you're not feeling so hungry because of your illness I find the mass amount of chocolate in this film ends up making me feel hungry again! This film has a lot of funny moments, including some of the special effects, and it was very clearly made in the 70's. I think this is another one where most people will know the plot of the story, but in case you don't, this film focuses on the elusive chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka, and five children's trip into the factory.




As you'll have seen from this post, a lot of the films I watch during a sick day, are ones that I used to watch when I was ill as a child, and I'll never try to watch a new film when I'm ill. Rather I like to watch ones that I've seen countless times before so I know where I am if I fall asleep for half of it and I haven't missed anything important, and they all make me feel super cosy when I'm not feeling so great in myself. What are your go to films for a sick day?

Jess x

*All gifs are sourced from giphy.com*
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1 comment

  1. I like secret garden if it is winter, box of delights at christmas, disney cartoon Cinderella and alice in wonderland at anytime xxxx

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