In honour of the Oscars...

Here are my favourite films.  I can't pretend they're particularly highbrow, they're probably not the movie with the greatest script or storyline, but those movies that I can watch again and again without getting bored.  I like to watch films to be entertained first and foremost and I think these choices reflect that! I don't think they're too predictable although those of you who know me won't be surprised by some of the choices.

So...in no particular order here we go: -

1.  Gone With The Wind

I can remember quite clearly the first time I saw this film.  I was 11 years old and fell in love with it at first site.  I adore the sheer scale of it, the costume, the superb characters.  I love the storyline, the fact that it is so epic, that it doesn't have a happy ending for...erm...anyone really!  But, despite the fact I know the script forwards, backwards and each of the parts I watch this film pretty regularly.  Usually when my husband is away or out at the football and my daughter is in bed I settle down with a duvet, a box of tissues, a hot chocolate and revel in this film. I think, in conclusion, to say it was released in 1939 it is an incredible spectacle.  I had this film poster on my wall for many years.

2.  Sweeney Todd

What is not to love about this movie? Dark, Gothic, amazing Stephen Sondheim score, the brilliant Johnny Depp, the superb Alan Rickman and of course the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter.  Blood, guts, gore and singing - a truly fabulous mix! The soundtrack is one of my favourites on my iPod - there's nothing I love better than singing along at the top of my voice!

3.  Skeleton Key

This is one of the cheesier choices! I adore this movie. Starring Kate Hudson, set in New Orleans and Terrebonne Parish in America it is a mix of the supernatural and hoodoo.  The ending is a super little twist.  I just find this movie such fun and love watching it!

4.  Quills

This is such a harrowing film but I really enjoy it.  Geoffrey Rush is just absolutely superb as the Marquis de Sade in this story of his incarceration in a mental hospital and the writing of his most famous works.  It is a film I only saw for the first time recently but I have long been a fan of the Marquis' writing - ever since we read Justine at school.  Lovely film, brilliant cast but expect to howl!

5.  Bram Stoker's Dracula


Again probably no surprise if you know me but for me this is the ultimate vampire movie.  Rich, sublime, perfectly acted but again with a touch of sadness that will make you cry if you're feeling delicate! I think Gary Oldman is a superb actor overall but this role for me is utter perfection.  I'm not, if I'm honest a huge Keanu Reeves fan but even he is perfect as Jonathan Harker.  Again a must see film if you haven't and one I revisit regularly!  Even the strap line of the film "Love Never Dies" touches me inexplicably!  I like the fact that Dracula seems such a sad character in this movie, rather than portrayed as a monster.

6.  The Crucible

Another leftover from my school days - we studied the play by Arthur Miller.  My father spotted the film in Woolworths and bought it for me and it has become a staple for my DVD shelf.  Again another tearjerker (seeing a theme here...) but such a powerful story.  I have always been interested in witchcraft and especially Salem.  My husband took me on honeymoon to New England and we visited Salem - truly fabulous but very moving.  I love the chemistry between Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder in the film.  With an utterly tragic end.

7.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy

OK a little bit of a cheat here as I'm classing three films in one but in my opinion they cannot be separated.  I think Peter Jackson's adaptation of the JRR Tolkien novels is just utterly amazing.  Such a huge task to take on but he did it so well.  The sheer scale of the films is overwhelming, the creatures, the scenery, the special effects.  I cannot pick out one actor/actress that is better than the others but together I cannot imagine anyone being more appropriate for each of the roles.

8.  The Slipper and the Rose

Probably not so well known this one - it is a musical version of the Cinderella story from the 1970s.  I adore the costume, the characters and the damn catchy songs (written by the very talented Sherman brothers).  Some of the actors are pretty incongruous in a singing part and I know certain of them were not keen on being reminded of the film later in their careers but I think its absolutely lovely and a real feel good film on a horrid winter day!

9. The Railway Children

See technically I don't know if I can include this.  It IS one of my favourite films but only when I stop it 10 minutes before the end.  I cannot bear to watch the end where Jenny Agutter runs along the platform yelling "Daddy, my daddy!" (I'm actually welling up writing about it) It is the saddest moment I have EVER seen on film.  But the film is lovely and filmed not so far from where we live which I like also.  It really is an absolute classic and EVERYONE should see this film at least once.  But remember to brace yourself for the ending unless you're made of stone!

10.  The Harry Potter films.

Again no real surprise here, and another cheat but my blog my rules!  I prefer the later films....my daughter is only allowed to watch to the fourth film (she's 4 and obsesses with Hermione).  So we compromise by watching the first four when she wants to then I watch the later films whilst she's at school!  It works well!  I have a feeling that the Deathly Hallows will become my absolute favourite - at least the first part.  I love the scale of it, the actors are perfect and they're just fun.

So there we are.  My favourite films - do you agree/disagree?  What would you have chosen?