Carry on Beautiful!

This was supposed to be my top five but i just couldn’t settle on that, so we have six! I’m a huge movie fan and really want to write and direct movies in the future so I spend a lot more time that i would care to admit watching movies. I thought it would be a fun post to just share my all time favourite films and it’s a great post for if you don’t know what to watch, i would definitely recommend all of these.

These are not in order but first, i’m gonna talk about Lord of the Rings. Thats right, i’m counting the entire trilogy as one because come on, how the hell am i supposed to choose between them?? Lord of the Rings just has a beautiful story. It has adventure, romance, fantasy, Viggo Mortensen, battles, just everything i could ever want in a film. There isn’t a single scene that i don’t think is perfect and i think its the perfect set of films to watch on a rainy day, plonked on the couch with a load of blankets and all the junk food you can stomach. The story of Frodo and the rest of the fellowship trying to destroy the one ring to rule them all is a classic and well loved story that all ages can enjoy and cherish.

I got into Lord of the Rings because my year four teacher showed it to the entire class in primary school and honestly, through out my education it’s probably only the lessons that we watched this that have really stuck with me. I think that these films taught me a hell of a lot as a kid, how important it is to be loyal and honest, how important friendships can be, that you shouldn’t give up on doing what you think is right when the going gets tough and so, so much more. 

I’m a pretty big fan of Disney’s classic films but not so much of the newer ones ( I HATE FROZEN) Big Hero 6 is, however, the exception to that. It has the same sort of style as the classics in that it sticks to the general formula of ‘someone dies/gets injured, family member freaks out, does something silly, action, happy ending’ but it does it in a way that feels really organic and not at all forced.

Put on top of that the fact that it deals with depression and loss in a realistic way while still being child friendly and in a way that kids can understand, really unique well put together characters that feel like real people and not just props for the main character, several attractive and adorable, well fleshed out female characters without ANY romance? Sounds like a winner because it is a winner. 

I only saw this film recently but i absolutely fell in love. It’s basically about a girl who saves a cat from being run over but he happens to be the prince of the kingdom of the cats. To repay Haru for saving him they (they being the cat residents of the Kingdom of Cats) arrange for her to marry him.

If that summary doesn’t make you want to watch it i don’t know what will. The animation of this really blew me away. The cats are INCREDIBLE and everything you see is just beautiful, i don’t think i’ve ever seen a film with animation this good to be completely honest and as a cat lover, its just perfect in every way.

This is the only comedy on this list because honestly, its the only comedy thats ever made me actually laugh. I have a pretty strange sense of humour when it comes to films but this just tickles me. The music is great, the musicians in it are unexpected but welcome (Especially Dave Grohl. God i love Dave Grohl).

This is definitely one of the least child friendly films on the list thanks to the mentions and displays of drugs but for anyone that’s ever smoked weed its just funny and relatable. Jack Black is of course, like always, absolutely hilarious and his humour works really well with Kyle Gass, making them into a fantastic musical comedy duo. I’d definitely suggest watching this while drunk, it definitely makes it funnier! The Lovely Bones is one of the saddest, most heart wrenching films i have ever watched. Suzie is a super likeable character and the whole film has the most beautiful shots. It really utilises different lighting which gives certain parts of the films a real dreamlike feel, which i think a lot of directors aim for but don’t achieve.

This is the only film that has ever made me so tense i had to pause it. That wasn’t even just the first time i watched either. I know whats going to happen now, i’ve seen the film at least fifteen times but i still always end up with my heart in my mouth. This is a great film to watch with close friends because guarantee you’re probably going to end up crying together.

Last but not least, A walk on the Moon. This film is just gorgeous. It shows true love and freedom and having to sacrifice what you want for what you need. Its a beautiful romance without the stereotypical happy ending and again, it has Viggo Mortensen in it so i don’t really know what more you need.

Viggo plays an incredible character, Walker Jerome. He sells blouses at the holiday place Pearl and her family are staying at to see the moon landing. Obviously she falls in love with Viggo because who can resist him? I cant. I can’t resist him at all which is why i spent £15 buying this on DVD from Amazon even though its on Netflix. I don’t regret it though.

Thats it for my list of tops for now, let me know what your favourite films are in the comments and what you think of my favourites! There are going to be a few more lists of my favourite things coming soon so if you enjoy reading them, make sure you check back in a couple of days!

-Dana