My Favorite Movies

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

Last year I did a blog post all about my favorite TV shows, and I said I was going to follow up with my favorite movies, but then life happened and I never got to it. So, I'm doing it now! Better late than never, right? 

Similar to the TV shows, I'll break up my favorite movies into different categories, as follows: animated, classics, and live action. Now, I don't watch as many movies as I do TV shows, but I definitely rewatch more movies than I do TV. Also, I haven't seen like, any new movies for the past three years or so, aside from anime movies. I'm also including childhood favorites in here, because well, I still love them. Basically, these are the movies that I can watch over and over again and not get sick of. 

Okay, let's get into it! 

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Animated Movies

1. Frozen and Frozen II

I feel like this wouldn't come as a shock to anyone who has known me since the first movie came out. I first saw Frozen in theaters with my sister and our best friends, and I was immediately like "This is my favorite Disney movie." And honestly, that hasn't really changed, except now the sequel is my favorite and the first a close second. I relate to Anna on a personal level, really. And I'm totally and completely obsessed with the fire salamander from the sequel. It's just so freaking cute!

2. Howl's Moving Castle

I mean, if you want to get technical, I could honestly put all of Studio Ghibli on this list, but I wanted it to be fair so I just picked my favorite. Howl isn't the first Ghibli movie I ever watched (that honor goes to Spirited Away), but it's definitely the one I've watched the most. When I was a kid I wished for a romance like Sophie and Howl's. And then I read the book by Diane Wynn Jones and fell even more in love with them. 

3. How to Train Your Dragon (all three movies)

Another movie I saw in theaters with my sister. This movie series quickly stole my heart, because really, who doesn't love Toothless? Plus, as most of you probably know, I'm Norwegian and descended from Vikings, so it's fun seeing movies about Vikings that aren't violent and bloody. I only have the first two movies on DVD, but since the third one is on Hulu I'm not worrying about it yet. One day I'll have them all, though. 

4. The Swan Princess

Ah, a true childhood classic. And yet another movie my sister and I bond over. I remember when Netflix added it, my sister and I dropped everything and watched it together, as we hadn't seen it in like ten years at that point. I make so many references to this movie and no one ever catches them, so if you watched this movie as a kid please let me know!

5. Ratatouille 

I love rats, and I love food, so really it's no surprise I love this movie. My mom gets squeamish with this movie because she hates rats, so I don't watch it around her, but it holds a special place in my heart. When I get rats of my own (which will have to be when I move out) I'm probably going to name one of them Remy. 

6. Anastasia

Another childhood favorite. When I was a kid I thought I was Anastasia, a princess in disguise who will fall in love with a handsome boy from my youth, but now I realize I'm probably Rasputin, a decrepit old man on his way to hell. Okay, that metaphor got away from me a little, but I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from. I also make a ton of references to this movie, particularly Bartok's lines. He's adorable and I love him. 

Classic Movies

1. The Wizard of Oz

Oh man, this is my favorite movie of all time, and it has been since I was like, three. I went through several VHS tapes of this movie because I would watch it so much, I would literally wear down the tape and fray it. Before I started school, I would sit and watch this movie over and over again, two or three times a day. I was Dorothy for Halloween when I was four. And of course I still watch it, and I can quote it to boot. I also get really protective over this movie; I don't like the other adaptations and if someone says that they don't like it I get huffy. It triggers an automatic response in me. 

2. Roman Holiday

I love Audrey Hepburn, which is evident due to the fact that I list two of her movies here. I went through a phase when I was seventeen and just learned everything I could about her life, and I watched all of her movies, and I had printed out pictures of her to put on my wall. She's the closest thing to a celebrity role model for me, I guess. Roman Holiday was her debut movie, and it's in black and white. I have a soft spot for old black and white movies, because Turner Classic Movies was always on in my house (when we had cable, that is). But the first time I watched Roman Holiday, I was instantly hooked, no going back. 

3. Breakfast at Tiffany's

Very similar to Roman Holiday, this is my second favorite Audrey Hepburn movie. Something about it just makes me unwind, like sitting in a comfy chair after hours on your feet. "Moon River" became one of my favorite songs because of this movie, as that was when I first heard it. I've never read the book, but I do plan on doing so at some point. 

Live Action Movies

1. Chef

Oooooh, another food movie! I love food movies. But my favorite thing about this movie is that there's really no "drop." I'll explain what I mean: typically in the third act of a lot of movies and plays (if we're doing a four act setup) there is an emotional, physical, or mental drop for the main characters. It's the point where things start to really go downhill. Chef doesn't have that. My mom and I, when we first watched it, kept waiting for the drop and it never happened! We were so thrilled, we immediately went to the store and purchased the DVD. Now it's my go-to movie if I ever want a pick-me-up. And it always makes me crave Cuban food afterward. 

2. The Princess Bride

Back to the childhood classics! I distinctly remember watching this movie whenever I spent the night at my aunt and uncle's house, because I think it was the only movie they had that was appropriate for children, and the only thing I remembered from it was the part in the swamp. And then I found the DVD at a yard sale when I was a teenager and all these memories rushed back and well, I had to have it. It's a cult classic!

3. The Lord of the Rings (extended editions only)

Really, how could I not mention these movies? My family and I still do a full run through at least two or three times a year, which we've been doing since they first came out, so nearly twenty years! With the extended editions, there is over twelve hours of content, and I can quote all three movies, each line, word for word. Even the elvish. Yeah, I'm that nerd. I will never say no to a Lord of the Rings marathon, but remember, it has to be the extended editions, or I'm not watching. 

4. Detective Pikachu

This is the most recent addition to my list, since the movie only came out a few years ago. I was debating if this were going to go in the animated section or live action, what with the CGI Pokémon and such, but ultimately I decided it was more live action. If you recall from my favorite TV shows, Pokémon was on there, so when I saw they were making a Detective Pikachu movie, I knew I had to watch it. And I was definitely not disappointed! Well, I was disappointed that I would never live in a world with Pokémon, but that's a problem for another time. 

5. Julie & Julia

One more food movie for you. Personally, I really only like this movie for the parts about Julia Child, because it's Julia Child. I used to watch her show was I was a kid, and I have her cookbook and everything. Julie Powell I kind of hate, because her book talks all about how she cheated on her husband and did this, that, and the other thing for fame and money, and well, she and I would not get along if we ever met. But mainly, I watch this movie for the food. I love French food, obviously, as you can tell from Ratatouille. This just gives me more food to drool over. 

6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I debated over whether or not to include this movie, but I figured I would because honestly I really do love it. It's so stupid and hilarious, and again I make so many references to it all the time. This is the closest movie I have to a comedy on this list, because I don't really like comedies or even rom-coms very much. But this movie never fails to make me laugh. 

7. Clueless

Oh man, talked about a cult classic. I just love the aesthetic of this movie. The outfits of our three main characters, especially. I've also watched a ton of analysis videos on this movie, about the clothes and the slang used and everything like that. This is also the closest a Jane Austen will ever grace my favorites list (if you don't know, Clueless is very loosely based off of Austen's novel Emma). I went through a period where this was the only movie I would watch, when I was like fifteen or something. And of course, I still really love it. 

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Alright, there are all of my favorite movies! Do any of your favorites overlap? Let me know in the comments. 

Until next time!