I’ve always hesitated to do a post like this.
For starters, I’m a passionate person… I have lots of favorites! It’s hard to choose between about a thousand amazing stories that have changed my life and made me laugh and weep and want to be a writer and an actor and a dancer and a better person.
The second reason, of course, is that favorites don’t stay static, you know. They change with you as you change. My favorite movies when I was, say, five years old, are not still my favorite movies. And perhaps in five years, some of these movies will no longer be favorites… perhaps I will have *new* favorites. PERHAPS I WILL WATCH A NEW MOVIE TOMORROW THAT COMPLETELY UPSETS THIS LIST. It’s alarming!
H O W E V E R.
I stand before you today (in the purely figurative sense, I hope) in defiance of all that. This is my blog! A place where we celebrate good stories! Even if I change my mind tomorrow! If I do change my mind… I shall… simply write ANOTHER post! Ha!
You can’t stop me.
{A Small Preface: I must admit that some favorites have been left off the list merely because… they would ruin a post like this. To be precise, I am disqualifying any and all Lord of the Rings movies. They are just too Fond and Nostalgic to not be on the list and then… well, you know. The whole list would be dominated by Lord of the Rings and that wouldn’t be quite fair to all the other lovely movies. I’m rather doing the same thing with musicals… and Anne of Green Gables… and miniseries in general… and probably Marvel-or-superhero movies. I hope you can understand and forgive me. They are Very Dear To Me, but they would skew the whole thing if I tried to include them all. Consider this my Plain-Vanilla Standalone-Movie Top Ten, if you would. Thank you, dears.}
Well, then.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
10. Pride and Prejudice 2005
I always debate whether or not to put this on my list of favorites?
Once, when I was 14 or 15, someone asked me what my favorite movie was. I responded blithely, “Pride and Prejudice.” The person laughed at me… and I realized that my answer was considered stereotypical and a little silly.
I think that’s sad.
Jane Austen was a brilliant writer. So brilliant, I think, that many people completely misinterpret her work as merely “a bundle of romance stories” and miss out on all the lively wit, the sassy humor, the fiery comebacks, the social critiques, and the clear-eyed way she presents the world, its ethics, as well as humanity, and its flawed beauty.
Because most people don’t “get her,” they opt to poke fun at those who enjoy her novels because they assume them to be “silly romances.” (Which leads me to ask… why is it wrong to passionately enjoy romance stories? Who made up that rule? But that spiel will have to be restrained for now.)
THUS.
I am choosing to include this movie on my Top Ten list.
Because I think that Jane Austen and her stories are valid pieces of literature. Because this movie introduced me to Jane Austen for the first time, and led me to start reading her books. Because this movie is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS with its sweeping aesthetics and attention to details (like, all the closeups on people’s hands…!) and its brilliant, lovely soundtrack and its Slightly Melodramatic Use Of Rain. Because, even after 6 years, this movie is my comfort-food, my happy-place, my go-to. It feels homey and wholesome and sweet… and every time Darcy walks across that misty field at sunrise, I feel like he’s coming *for me.*
9. Set It Up
Gotta say, I feel a little funny putting this one on The List.
But here we are.
First off. Giving credit where credit is due: I never would have watched this movie were it not for Olivia’s post where she talked about her Movies Of The Month and mentioned this little gem being sorta cute and I took her Impeccable Advice (as one should *always* do, when it comes to Olivia) and watched it on a whim…
AND FELL IN LOVE.
In the space of two days, I had watched this movie two times. In the space of one week, three times. So far, my total viewing number is 4 and I’m hardcore ready for a re-watch. I KNOW. That’s ridiculous and absurd and what am I thinking?
You have some good points there, sir.
But I just… can’t help it.
It’s such a sweet story. I had seen it floating around on Netflix and mentally crossed it off the list because, well, Glen Powell didn’t seem all that attractive as a romantic lead (yes, that is, in fact, how I make my movie-watching decisions, it’s awful of me). But I was So Wrong. And Zoey Deutch–! She is too precious for words. (Kate will now proceed to use words to describe her love for this person, be warned.)
Zoey plays Harper (adorable name alert), who talks very fast and loves very genuinely and LIVES HER LIFE in the most abundant way possible and is Quite Bad at dancing (#relatable, dude) and dresses like a Classy Toddler (#alsorelatable, to be honest) and who I have decided that I aspire to be.
Glen Powell, obviously, plays opposite as Charlie — who is Rather Adorable and charming and kind and boyish… and the two of them have this light, fun chemistry and slow-but-not-really-smoldering, gentle kind of falling-in-love that feels a little more like falling-into-friendship… (Which is also something that Olivia just recently talked about on her blog, and I’m finding I wholeheartedly agree.)
I don’t know what to say, folks. This makes it on my Top Ten because it’s easy to watch. (That sounds lazy, but I mean it in the best way!) It’s comforting and funny… it makes me smile. It makes me… *happy.*
A Small, Slightly-Unrelated Ramble For Ya: In addition to realizing that I really like Gentle, Quiet Love Stories… I’m also discovering my great love of spoilers-slash-rewatching-slash-knowing-the-ending. I have accidentally (or not-so-accidentally…) spoiled a great many shows and movies for myself. Mainly, I thought, this was because I didn’t know if I’d *ever see them* and so it didn’t matter if I knew what happened. As I’m getting older, though, and make my own movie-watching decisions (and have greater access to streaming services like Hulu and Netflix), I’ve watched a lot of Said Shows And Movies that I read spoilers for… AND I DON’T MIND. I’m totally chill with it. So what? I know the ending. That doesn’t seem to lessen my enjoyment of the story whatsoever. In fact… it might increase it. And I think that’s where my Great Love of re-reading/re-watching comes in. I like falling in love with details I don’t notice the first time and with beginnings I wasn’t paying attention to and background characters and scenes I glossed over… I like falling in love with a story as many times as possible. It doesn’t matter that I know exactly what will happen. (I kind of knew anyway… it is a romance, after all.) Knowing what will happen — how the story will end — takes all the fear and tension out of a story, and makes it comforting and lovely and nostalgic. (And we all know I am a Big Fan of all those things.) So… yeah. There you have it. The scoop on me… that you didn’t ask for.
(Finally… A Wee Warning: There is relatively little sexual content in this movie — the two main characters only kiss at the end of the film, others do have sex but it is only alluded to briefly — but there is a Whole Lotta language to be heard. Like, a lot. There is also Not Actual Language but… not-so-nice words, referring to anatomy and such. So while this movie is very *light* tonally, the language is something to brace yourself for.)
8. Baby Driver
This is always a movie I forget about. Like, I don’t necessarily forget that it exists, but I forget that it’s one of my favorites until someone mentions it or something and I’m like OH YES THAT MOVIE I SAW EXACTLY ONE TIME AND FELL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH.
In addition to just being a Fun Post, then, this is also kind of about reminding myself of some Underappreciated Small Gems like Baby Driver.
If I had to break this one down for you… well. Three things: language and music and driving.
That… kinda sums it up.
Which makes it sound Rather Bad, I realize.
And maybe it sort of is… but maybe not? There’s also Lily James. There’s also sweet relationships. There’s also redemption and hope… and dancing. (I’m such a sucker for dancing.) There’s bad guys who aren’t what you expect and boys who aren’t what you expect. Of course, there’s also a lot of fancy driving and action scenes and booms and guns and all that. Not to mention a really cool premise and a poppin’ soundtrack that makes you feel like you are living inside Baby’s head-slash-earbuds. Also… language.
So, yeah. This one might not be for everyone. But I think it’s kind of beautiful.
7. Penelope
This post is just going to have a lot of Olivia in it, I guess. *shrug*
So Olivia has talked about this movie at various times on her blog and I always thought it sounded cute. Sadly, it isn’t still on Netflix (or I’d probably be watching it an unholy number of times…), but a few months ago IT WAS and I watched it with a College Friend and it was so sweet and precious and then I watched it AGAIN with The Brothers (I have four of those, but in this case it was just two of them)… AND THEY LOVED IT TOO (how often does THAT happen?) and now we are all a little bit obsessed.
Actually… now that I think about it, I’m *annoyed* that more people don’t talk about this movie. It’s like… the Disney Princess Movie we didn’t ask for because we didn’t know we wanted it but as soon as you watch it, you realize it is Perfection. Like, Enchanted is super cute and all but it doesn’t hold a candle to Penelope.
First of all. Penelope herself is lovely. She isn’t *strong* in the traditional sense. There is no sword-wielding here. There aren’t really any declarations of independence or claims that This Girl Doesn’t Need Anyone (Especially A Man). In fact, Penelope frequently does need help. She gratefully and graciously *accepts* that help, when she needs it (which is nice to see, since so many Fictional Females who actually do need help but then… act mad or annoyed at the person who helped them? Weird?). She breaks away from her overbearing mother and experiences the world for the first time (#TangledVibes), which is good and healthy, of course, but she doesn’t turn freedom into rebellion. This sweet girl just wants to visit a park and revel in crowds and city lights. MORE THAN ANY OF THAT, though, Penelope shamelessly puts herself forward, time after time, even though she’s been rejected more times than she can count… THAT’S THE MOST HEROIC THING ABOUT HER. She doesn’t want to hide. She wants friends… even though she is different. She wants to believe the best… even after seeing the worst. She keeps asking for love… which is a Crazy Hard thing to do (even for those of us in, ahem, more normal circumstances). And when Penelope’s *secret* is revealed and the world is inspired and charmed by her fearlessness and innocence — she never assume the worst about people. She doesn’t think of herself as a victim. She doesn’t try to hide or change. She doesn’t wonder if people are actually laughing at her or using her somehow. She just… trusts. She has faith in people. I admire that… so much.
Secondly… MAX. His horrible renditions of “You Are My Sunshine.” His playing chess with Penelope through a mirror. His thievery. His acute perceptiveness when Penelope asks him what he thinks she wants most — he doesn’t say “love” like you expect, he says “freedom.” Just… wow. A precious boy.
You need this movie in your life. Take it from me.
6. Tangled
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I don’t even know how to talk about this movie.
(I could write a whole post about it.)
(Should I write a whole post about why I adore Tangled?)
(Also… is anyone else noticing *just how many* Comfort Movies are in this top ten? Because I am.)
Okay, okay. I’m gonna give this a shot.
Again, this is a go-to happy-movie for me. When I come home from college, this is one of the first ones I want to watch. (My brothers groan. But I make us do it anyway.) So it definitely has that Comforting Familiarity Element that I love.
I guess it also feels… personal? Without going into the nitty-gritty details (maybe another day, another post, another blog…), I relate to Rapunzel on a number of levels and I feel like we legitimately have a lot of things in common when it comes to how we were raised and the situations we’ve been put in. Maybe even some of the abuse Rapunzel experiences. So… yeah. I guess it just feels like I’m watching *my own* story… but with a happy ending. And that gives me hope, I guess. It’s a reminder that Good Things Can Still Happen.
I also really admire Rapunzel. She’s innocent and filled with wonder. She’s compassionate and looks for the best in others. She has a strong moral compass. She doesn’t immediately get lost when exposed to The World, you know. She brings out the best in others because she kind of implicitly demands that people treat her with respect and love. There’s a lot of admirable traits here. (Also, PROUD MOMENT for me: I asked my family members what movie character I most remind them of and my dad said *Rapunzel.* I’m dead.)
Finally… I do feel like this movie is super *deep.* I knowwwwww, it’s a Disney Princess Movie and made for kids and all that jazz. But I’m also firmly convinced that it’s about abuse and trauma and recovery and that’s just Important To Me. The romance between Flynn (#irefusetocallhimeugene) and Rapunzel is more than just two pretty people (although they are Rather Pretty) being attracted to each other. It is two broken people helping each other find healing. It is Flynn, especially, working to reverse YEARS of abuse by subtly providing Rapunzel with new identity. It is Rapunzel saving Flynn from emptiness… it is Flynn saving Rapunzel from someone who wanted to take advantage of her. There’s just… so much.
Small Aside: There is also stunning visuals, a great color scheme, and DANCING.
5. Finding Neverland
Be Ye Warned: The movies from here on out are basically Depressing.
This movie is darling (see what I did there?) for so many reasons. It’s a historical sort-of-nonfiction piece about playwright J. M. Barrie. For those of you who aren’t familiar, he wrote Peter Pan. As far as I can tell based on my personal research, the movie is fairly accurate, which is always a good thing but in this case also a Sad Thing.
This film displays a wide range of content — from funny and lighthearted scenes with “Uncle Jim” and the Llewelyn-Davies boys playing pirates, to moving and emotional scenes about children who grow up too fast and mothers who die too soon, to the Absolutely Heartbreaking moments when we see James’ marriage falling into shambles because his stories were more important to him than his wife… yeah. This movie has it all.
It also has Johnny Depp. And… I’m a Huge Johnny Depp fan. So. It couldn’t really *not* be a favorite, could it?
4. Inception
Welp.
Just recently re-watched this movie and it’s… gorgeous, among other things.
Breathtaking.
A cinematic masterpiece, by all accounts.
Visceral, for me personally.
Mind-bending.
Somehow, this movie manages to be incredibly cerebral — meaning that the whole thing is sort of a mind-game and feels like solving a puzzle — while also being intensely emotional and engaging AND PERFECTLY PACED. In other words, this movie could be Super Boring. But it’s not. You feel confused and perplexed and challenged by a conceptually difficult premise, yes, but you also feel interested and intrigued and amused and compelled to keep watching and shattered by Certain Grievous Events.
Like, there is this one moment that keeps making me want to cry. I think I gasp and jolt in my seat every time I see it. So like… I’m emotionally AND physically invested in this story, clearly.
But! Don’t get me wrong! There are also some fun parts! I laugh a lot too! Mainly because…
THE CAST.
Wow.
Could there be a more perfect ensemble? We’ve got Tom Hardy (#swoon) and Ellen Page (#adorable) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (#swoonagain) and Michael Cain (#pleasebemygrandfather) and then, of course, DiCaprio, who isn’t really swoon material despite what others seem to think? but is definitely a superb actor (especially as Gatsby… OH NO. WHY IS THE GREAT GATSBY NOT ON THIS LIST. DANGIT. #toolatenow).
The only thing that could make this movie better would be to have Christian Bale somehow in it. Just saying.
3. Gladiator
I’ve only seen this movie once, so maybe it’s a bit presumptuous to have it so high (low?) on my list. But here it is, nonetheless. I have committed and I cannot turn back. (#PoorGatsby)
Based on the rest of the movies on this list, you could say that this is not My Typical Movie. But actually… I think that’s not so. I think this is Exactly My Kind Of Movie. I’m a big fan of heavy themes, despite all the comfort-movies up above. I like action films, if not all-out war movies. I also tend to be drawn towards *character-driven stories* where the acting (typically of one character) is what the whole movie depends on. Gladiator has all of those things.
I never had strong opinions about Russel Crowe before… but THIS MOVIE. He is actually fantastic. And you CANNOT convince me otherwise. Whatever other movies he has been in — and perhaps not been too great in — he is an incredibly skilled actor, at least in this film.
Then, of course, there are the Aforementioned Heavy Themes. Like what it means to be trapped, to be a slave. What it means to be, truly, *free.* How fear connects to slavery, to trapped-ness. And how love always means sacrifice, and ALWAYS means freedom. The symbols and imagery throughout are simply Powerful.
AND THE HANS ZIMMER SOUNDTRACK. A little dash of Pirates of the Caribbean with a whole lot of Heartrending Epic? Yes, please. (#insidejoke)
2. Amazing Grace
Again, I find myself at a bit of a loss.
How do I explain to you what this movie means to me?
Unlike many of the others on my list, this is not a new-to-me film at all. I’ve seen it so many times. As a little girl, the nonlinear timeline confused me. As I got older, I learned to appreciate a truly brilliant film.
When I watch this movie… I FEEL LIKE I’M WATCHING HISTORY UNFOLD BEFORE MY EYES.
I so rarely can say that about any story.
I don’t know that I’ve *ever* been able to truly say that about a movie before.
The performances here… they don’t FEEL like performances. They feel like the agonized cries of real people. They feel like blood and guts and SOUL POURED OUT for the audience to see.
Ioan Grufford *is* William Wilberforce to me.
After watching this movie… I discovered what a hero was. Not like… a Marvel hero. Or like, the way we use the word “hero” in everyday chatter. I mean, when someone asks you, “Who is YOUR hero?”
I realized that one of MY heroes is William Wilberforce.
And I owe that 100% to this movie. To Grufford’s performance here. To making me realize that LIVES were spent, drained, sucked dry to end slavery. To make me see the nightmares… the tired voice that shouted on even when a hundred others drowned it out… the broken body, destroyed by years of fighting for justice… the tears in his eyes when his bill finally passed… This movie has the power to change lives.
It shocks me that so few people have seen this movie. It shocks me how few people are TALKING LOUDLY about this movie.
So. Do something for me.
If you haven’t ever seen Amazing Grace… please watch it. Take away nothing else from this silly little bit of fluff, but this request, and I will be completely satisfied.
It is a great movie in every possible sense of the word. It has a great cast — Romola Garai is fabulous, Rufus Sewell is hilarious and awkward, Ioan Grufford is amazing, a young Benedict Cumberbatch is charming and snarky, Michael Gambon is utterly lovable.
But the characters you will meet here are so much more important than the actors.
Hannah More. William Wilberforce. Olaudah Equiano. Thomas Clarkson. John Newton, who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” You need to meet these people. You need to be *changed* by these people.
P L E A S E W A T C H T H I S M O V I E.
1. The Book Thief
Not gonna lie… it feels a wee bit anti-climactic to have this as Big Number One after shouting in your face about Amazing Grace.
But here we are.
There are a lot of things I could say about the topic of this movie — the oppression of Nazi Germany and the devastating loss of war and tyranny and genocide. There are plenty of things I could say about the themes of this particular story — bravery and kindness and family and hope and the astounding ability of the human spirit to heal from deep pain and suffering and to emerge strong.
Instead, I want to say something about stories.
Their subtlety. Their power.
There are a lot of gory movies out there. Lots of explicit ones. That’s not always a bad thing. We certainly need to be shocked sometimes. We need to see the horror of slavery, the gruesomeness of death, the agony of losing someone, the indescribable wickedness of rape and human trafficking.
I’m not saying there is *never* a time and a place to see awful things and be convicted and called to change because of them.
But. There is also power in stories like this one. Quiet stories. Stories that break our hearts without bloodied corpses.
Stories about kind Germans. Stories about a snowball fight in the cellar. Stories about the incredible power of words. Stories about a runaway boy learning to smile again.
(Because… MAX.) (#dejavu)
I simply think that as a storyteller myself… talking to an audience likely full of fellow storytellers… there is a lesson to be learned from movies like this one. Deeply sad and hugely impactful, but also deeply artistic and hugely subtle.
Let’s learn to be those kinds of storytellers, perhaps.
BEFORE YOU GO… Let’s chat a bit! What is your favorite movie? OF ALL TIME? Do we share any favorites? Have you seen some of these — and what were your thoughts on them? Here’s a fun question: Do you *absolutely hate* any of the movies on my list? Have you seen Amazing Grace/Did I convince you to watch it? How do you feel about spoilers, or knowing the ending of a story? IS TANGLED NOT THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO THIS CRUEL WORLD (please say yes)? Also… tag me in some of your Movie-Related Posts! I’d love to read about some of your recent Favorites 🙂
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