Coming This Holiday Season... UGLY-CRYING!

In honor of all the cheesy holiday tearjerkers that are about to come out in full force on Lifetime and Hallmark, I thought it would be interesting to make a list of films at which I have cried. Some of them have even made me ugly-cry.

First, let me clarify that it takes next to nothing to make me tear up, but you see, there are different degrees of crying. There's the "I-have-'allergies'-excuse-me-while-I-blow-my-nose" type of crying, which is milder than the "A-ninja-must-be-cutting-onions-somewhere-nearby" type of crying, which is milder than the full-blown "I'm-sobbing-and-I-don't-even-care-that-you're-laughing-at-me" type of crying.

Let's explore this...



Level One: "I Have 'Allergies'"

5. Monsters, Inc.: My throat gets all tight at the end when Sully goes into the closet and shuts the door, and Boo runs over and opens it and he's gone.

4. Toy Story 3: When Andy is about to drive away and he looks back at the toys on the porch and whispers, "Thanks, guys," my seasonal allergies suspiciously kicked in.

3. The Blind Side: When Michael told Sandra Bullock's character that he had never had a bed before, I had to blink a lot. Must have been itchy eyes... or something...

2. The Notebook: Make no mistake, I ugly-cried in a dorm room when my floormates and I watched this freshman year of college, but nowadays I just get watery eyes at the end.

1. Atonement: The scene on the beach, when James McAvoy and Keira Knightley are returning to that cottage... and that beautiful cello music swelling as the credits roll... *eyes stinging*



Level Two: "Onion-Cutting Ninja"

5. Forrest Gump: The scene where Forrest is at the grave talking about his little boy gets me every time.

4. The Pursuit of Happyness: The scene where Will Smith and his son are sleeping in the subway bathroom, and someone is trying to open the door and Will starts crying... *waterworks*

3. Up: I think this movie broke my record of fastest-tears-ever. I was crying within the first 10 minutes... and so were at least four of the friends who were with me, and two of the four were dudes!

2. The Pianist: I love the scene where Adrien Brody is playing the piano for the German soldier. *sniffle*

1. The Shawshank Redemption: So many scenes... like the story of Brooks Hatlen... the carving of "So Was Red" in the wall... and then the beach at the end.



Level Three: "Yes, I'm Sobbing. So What?"

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: I saw this in 3D, which turned out to be a bad idea because my glasses kept slipping down my face from all of the crying I was doing. The scene in the forest where the ghosts of James, Lily, and Sirius appear was where I ugly-cried the hardest.

2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: I cried buckets at each one of the scenes at the end (i.e. the tower falling, Sam talking about Rosie when he and Frodo are on the mountain), but especially when Aragorn (who has just been crowned) bows to the hobbits and everyone follows suit. And when Frodo turns one last time before setting sail to the West. I didn't feel bad, though, because EVERYONE in the theater was bawling.

1. Hachi: Never in my two-and-a-half decades of movie-watching life have I ever, EVER cried more at a movie than when I watched Hachi. Do yourself a favor and never see this film, especially if you've lost a dog, unless you're emotionally prepared for it. Just look up the legend of Hachiko, the loyal Japanese dog, and you'll get an idea of why this is my number one ugly-cry.



My predictions for crying at movies this year: The Hobbit (maybe) and Les Miserables (almost certainly). Now I gotta see about making a list of BOOKS that have made me cry.

What about you? What movies really get your tear ducts working?