The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge

by chuckofish


How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools hate knowledge?
–Proverbs 1: 22

Feeling down? Tired of the news cycle and all the bad news? Severe weather forecasts giving you the blues? Me too.

Well, it’s times like these when I turn to my DVD collection to find something–not necessarily the “best” movies–but one that will cheer me up. You know, like McClintock! (1963), because John Wayne.

Yup. Here are some further suggestions:

  • Hatari (1962) John Wayne and a diverse hipster crew go on safari in Africa. “Hatari” means danger in Swahili, but there’s nothing to worry about in this adventure film.
  • The Professionals (1966) Four American soldiers of fortune head to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped wife, but everything is not what it seems. The Oscar-nominated screenplay is A+.
  • The Court Jester (1956) Singing, dancing, jousting–“A royal treat for the whole family”. A great cast, a great screenplay, and Danny Kaye.
  • Guys and Dolls (1955) Sometimes a musical hits the right spot and this is one of my favorites. Marlon Brando sings!
  • Pillow Talk (1959) A classic rom-com starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day as a playboy songwriter and an interior decorator who share a party line and fall in love. 
  • The Best of Times (1986) Robin Williams and Kurt Russell star as two guys hoping to redeem themselves thirteen years after a disastrous high school football game. We can all relate.
  • The Sting (1973) Newman and Redford in a classic caper film involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss. 
  • The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) Chaos (and hilarity) ensue following the grounding of a Soviet submarine off a small New England island.
  • Hoosiers (1986) One of the best sports films ever tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that enters the state championship led by coach Gene Hackman with a spotty past.
  • 21 Jump Street (2012) or 22 Jump Street (2014) Just because. Channing Tatum.

P.S. The boy concurred with these choices and also suggested Roberta, The Awful Truth and Top Hat–all classics from the 1930s, plus Donovan’s Reef (1963) and Kung Fu Panda (2008). What would you suggest?

I hope this helps.