From a very young age I have been a little obsessed with films! I used to sit with my mum and watch fabulous Hollywood movies just oozing glamour and nostalgia, and I don’t mind admitting we were huge musical fans too!
I am sharing some of them with you today; maybe some of your favourites are here too! With so many to choose from it is almost an impossible task but each of these here have a very special meaning to me; from Hollywood musicals to sci-fi, from war to wizards, sit back, relax and grab yourself some popcorn!
White Christmas (1954 Dir Michael Curtiz)
Hollywood at it’s very best with big names and production – this is my favourite Christmas film, always on when decorating the tree and wrapping presents. Outstanding performances from Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen and of course Bing Crosby. This is the ultimate feel good film with a finale to rival the best ending of any film.
28 Days (2000 Dir Betty Thomas)
Huge Sandra Bullock fan and some of you might have missed this one. A story of addiction where our lead overcomes her own demons. Funny, sad, poignant this is Ms Bullock at her very best. Dominic West, Viggo Mortensen, Elizabeth Perkins, Steve Buscemi great supporting cast.
Star Wars (1977 Dir George Lucas)
I am a HUGE SW fan, my nickname is Yoda so I had to go back to the beginning where our story started (well at the time it was the start). By far still my favourite from this money making franchise and a must for all of us die hard fans. A New Hope was groundbreaking in budget, box office takings, special FX and made Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill household names.
Flashbacks of a Fool (2008 Dir Baillie Walsh)
This is one of those under the radar films. Beautiful story of childhood friendships, loss, choices. Daniel Craig leads this cast and his performance as a fading Hollywood star is superb! Mark Strong, Felicity Jones and Emilia Fox all putting in stirling performances and the sound track is to die for!! (WARNING TRAILER HAS NAUGHTY BITS!)
Bond (1962 – present Dir Various)
All of them! Massively addicted to Bond from a very young age when I read all of Ian Fleming’s books. Sir Sean Connery has always been my favourite, followed by Pierce Brosnan but then DC arrived and took it to another level. I was deeply distressed by M’s death and particularly losing Dame Judi Dench from these films (one of my favourite actresses ever) but Ralph Fiennes has done a fab job taking over. From Voldemort to M, who would have thought!
Still Alice (2014 Dir Richard Glatzer/Wash Westmoreland)
A must see film! Julianne Moore puts in a stunning performance as a university linguistics professor suffering early onset of Alzheimer’s. Great supporting cast with Alec Baldwin and Kristin Stewart. Having nursed my mother through lewy body dementia this is a painful but powerful film to watch. Understanding her confusion and finding myself sympathetic with her husband (Baldwin) in his inability to cope. Reach for the tissues! Moore won an Oscar for this role and deservedly so!
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954 Dir Stanley Donen)
Another one of my favourites from Saturday afternoons with my mum. Howard Keel leads the cast with Jane Powell playing his leading lady. This is just stunning in colour, scenery and sound! Pure indulgence from me, great dancing, singing and a jolly good story!
Big Trouble in Little China (1986 Dir John Carpenter)
80’s film that at the time was overlooked as just a bit silly but this is one film to watch! John Carpenter directed and with a host of classic films behind this maybe why the audience were left a little disappointed by the storyline. Great cast with Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall and Dennis Dun. The story is fantasy, the martial arts very cool. Kurt Russell makes this film great, I don’t think any other actor of the time could have pulled this one off! This only took half at the box office what it cost to make but since then has gained accreditation as a cult film!
Schindler’s List (1993 Dir Steven Spielberg)
Just such a powerful film, this is the one that I find most harrowing but had to be in this list. The harsh reality of war stunningly bought to life by Spielberg with for me, one of the greatest performances ever seen in cinematography by Liam Neeson. I sob in disbelief at the film, the history just cries out to you; one mans journey to rescue his factory workers and save over 1200 innocent lives. If a film had to be made the document the atrocities suffered by so many, this was the one. (Won numbers BAFTAs, Oscars, Golden Globes). Watch out for the closing scenes which bring even more sentiment to this film. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall plus many others contributing to an outstanding film.
Harry Potter (2001 – 2011 Dir Various)
How can I not include the films that changed so many lives? My children loved them, my mother loved them, I love them now. I am HP obsessed – wear pyjamas, watch the films, go to the studios. The stories are amazing (thank you J K Rowling), the actors fab, the CGI is just beyond imagination. They are all stories in their own right, my personal favourite has to be The Order of The Phoenix but catch me on a slumber weekend and I will watch them all back to back! Just too good not to!! These films made household names of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson and quite possibly the longest list of well known actors every to appear in a film franchise.
So there you go, just a few of my favourites but my film collection has everything from Indiana Jones to Aliens, from The Exorcist to The Notebook. I must have over 1000 dvds plus hundreds more saved on more digitally advanced devices. I am a movie buff, if you are having a quiz do invite me – I promise I will not let you down!
(Thank you to YouTube/contributors for all of the clips).