Unstuck Cinema
Films can transport and transform you. Some brain research suggests that watching positive films can actually alter your mood and increase your ability to deal with stress.
My son Zach and I are both movie buffs, with a regular Saturday afternoon outing to one of the local art film houses in Los Angeles. In fact, he's the go-to-guy in the neighborhood when anyone - adult or kid - wants to know the latest movie buzz. When I asked Zach to write up a few of the films he thought my community might find uplifting, he wrote the following, starting appropriately enough with "Up."
If you have a favorite film - new or classic - that you want to share, please write us at info@libbygill.com and put Unstuck Cinema in the subject line.
UP 
A touching animated film about the hardships we face and the friends that help us survive them. A crotchety widower accidentally lifts off via balloon power on an adventure with a very talkative young "Wilderness Explorer." The unlikely duo face danger and delights as they travel through South America, each growing exponentially from their friendship.
The Savages
At first, you may find absolutely nothing in common with the troubled family portrayed in this film as two adult children must face their own problems as they deal with their father's worsening dementia. With two stellar performances from Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, we watch the brother and sister become better people through the shared experience of caring for the father who never cared for them.
Once
What appears to be a modest film (shot on video, no less!) ends up revealing a poignancy about how music brings us together. This gritty yet delicate film shows that, while music may not always heal us, it definitely helps keep us sane. A Dublin vacuum-repairman-by-day becomes a street performer-cum-minstrel by night. He meets a girl, they makes beautiful music together, and possibly, just possibly, heal some wounds of the past.
Young@Heart
A documentary (rockumentary?) about a group of senior citizens that sing in a choir. But this just isn't any choir! Oh no, these oldsters toss aside the more choiresque vocal pieces in favor of Sonic Youth and Talking Heads. And while it may sound like the premise of a sitcom that never got picked up by the network, Young@Heart ends up becoming a heartwarming portrait of people pushing themselves to give meaning to their lives through music and friendship.
Rocky
This is a classic love-conquers-all story, with a good amount of perseverance thrown in for good measure. Lo
ok at it like this: no film will get you as pumped while simultaneously making you feel hopeful. Sure, it may seem like a sports film, but it is also a beautiful love story.
August Rush
Our friend Nancy recommends August Rush, a movie about holding onto your faith and your beliefs. A drama with fairy tale elements, where an orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents.