Cinematherapy: The Girl’s Guide to Movies for Every Mood by Nancy Peske and Beverly West

                 There are a lot of classic movies I have never seen.  For some this is by choice.  Others I have slept through.  Then there are those that I just happen to have not watched for one reason or another.  For years I did not think about all the films I have not seen.  With the large amount of movies I have watched throughout my life, it did not seem to be that pressing of an issue.  I knew I should get around to the classics, but there were others to pay attention to first.

                This year something changed.  I have seen the ads for TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar before as they do it every year.  The ads are not really any different as those from the past, but this year they kicked me.  They told me that now is the time to catch up on all those classics I have been putting off.  Which made me wonder, where do I start?

                First I thought of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list.  It would definitely let me know about the most prized films, which is part of what I am looking for.  However, I did not know if it would also give me the quirky, not as well known movies.  Those I want to see as well, especially after watching Walk, Don’t Run, an odd, but enjoyable film starring Cary Grant and Jim Hutton.  I needed something that would give me both types of films.  That is when I remembered a book I received as a gift a long time ago.

                Cinematherapy is clearly a book for women.  If this is not noticed in the full title, Cinematherapy: The Girl’s Guide to Movies for Every Mood, it is apparent once you begin reading.  I am only talking about reaching the Table of Contents.  The chapter titles are definitely female oriented.  When you move onto the Introduction and contents of each chapter, this becomes even more pointed.  There are a lot of cracks about men.  Some get a little mean, as they do in the discussion of certain female characters as well.  I am not particularly fond of this, but I believe the authors give a lot of other good content that will help me in my movie choices.

                The authors include movies from the thirties (I do not believe I saw any from the twenties) to the nineties.  Each chapter concentrates on a different mood a woman may be in and the movies that fit with that feeling.  This book was published in 1999, so while you go through I am sure you will think of more recent movies that can go in each category as I did. 

                Every film listed is accompanied by a summary and a lot of commentary.  The authors make it very clear what they think about each movie, especially when they do not like something.  While sometimes the comments can be snide, others are very helpful.  There are things in storylines that frustrate me.  Having these extra little tidbits and comments helps me make a decision about whether the discussed film is one I really want to see or not.       

                Aside from the films themselves, there is a lot of other movie related content throughout the book.  Quotes from different films can be found in every chapter.  Some I know and others I do not, but no matter which is the case, the quote makes the film it is from quite intriguing.  Another feature is the discussion of attractive actors.  Each actor’s attributes are broken down and the authors go into detail as to why the actor is so attractive.  These are amusing parts of the book as the authors get quite descriptive.  It is also where it is apparent the publishing date is 1999.  So many heartthrobs have come and gone since then.  If the book were written today, I think the featured men would be quite different.  A good chunk of the ones in the book are still around in the heartthrob context, but some are not.

                While I do like this book, there are definitely times where there is a difference of opinion between the authors and myself. We do not agree at all about which version of Father of the Bride to watch. Also, some of the movies they dislike quite strongly I truly enjoy. This, however, is to be expected. Nobody agrees on everything, especially when it comes to which movies people like. Everyone has their own taste. However, despite our occasional differing opinions, I believe Cinematherapy is what I have been looking for. This book has a great selection of films and it will get me started on all those I have never seen but I really should.