As a media production and management major, one of my favorite topics to discuss is my favorite films. I know I am not the only one who has seen the Letterboxd interviews on my TikTok and have been obsessed.
Letterboxd is an app where you can write reviews, log movies you have watched, and share them with friends. There is one feature where you can add your top four favorite films of all time to your account. Now I don’t take this decision lightly, it was something I really had to think about. I could take the artsy approach to make me look cool, but I wanted them to be genuine to me and what I truly love.
Although creating this list was already hard enough, I decided to make it harder by ranking them. If you have never seen some of the films I am listing, I beg you to watch them as soon as you finish reading this article. They are simply masterpieces.
- The silence of the lambs, Directed by jonathan demme
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Now for my top movie, which has been my top for some time now, is the 1991 horror crime directed by Jonathan Demme, The Silence of the Lambs. If I had to bring a movie to a deserted island, it would be this one because it quite simply never gets old.
There is always something I find to fixate on while rewatching this movie, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. FBI trainee Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster, works with murderer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to find the serial killer on the loose known as “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine).
I love Foster and Hopkins so much, and they do such a good job bringing this movie to life. This is another movie I like to make my friends watch and then see how they react because the twists and turns are just too good. This is one of my favorite films because I admire how the story being told can portray such emotion. As a media production major, I have learned much from just consuming this movie. If you haven’t seen this film, please give it the time of day; it is my favorite of all time for a reason.
- la la land, directed by damien chazelle
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In second place, I have none other than the 2016 musical romance directed by Damien Chazelle: La La Land. This movie is a very popular choice for good reason. The film follows Mia (Emma Stone), a struggling actress who meets Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), and her life seems to take a turn for the better.
This movie represents trying to continue a relationship when both parties will do anything to reach their dream. This movie is gut-wrenching; I cry every time I watch it, but its message is incredibly important. Everything from the editing to the cinematography to the profoundly moving soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz is utter perfection. It offers a valuable lesson for young people everywhere: growing up might not be what you expect, and the path you think you’ll take may lead you elsewhere, but in the end, you will be alright. This is why I have the poster hanging in my room. As a former dancer, I would choreograph a dance to every song from this movie at least once, making it a piece I truly cherished.
- back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis
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In third place, I have one of the films that got me into being a film freak: the 1985 family sci-fi film Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis. This movie is everything I could want in a comfort film.
It follows the teen protagonist Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his Scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) navigating the dangers of time travel. When Marty is sent back in time, he is meant to make sure his parents fall in love with each other because if not, then he would cease to exist. Not only that, but he also must make it back to the future in time to save Doc’s life.
This movie has two sequels that I believe are just as enjoyable — that is how much Zemeckis gets you to love these characters. After watching this movie, my mind was blown, and I think I love it so much because of the nostalgia it brings. I remember my dad telling me how good it was and making me watch it. The thing is I never really take other people’s word for it when it comes to praise for movies but the love for this movie is right on because it is truly a work of art.
- the shining, Directed by stanley kubrick
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I am ranking The Shining, a 1980 horror mystery directed by none other than Stanley Kubrick, in fourth place. One of my favorite activities is making others watch this movie and paying attention to their reactions.
The film is about the Torrance family, consisting of Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and Danny (Danny Lloyd), who move into the Overlook Hotel in Colorado to become the winter caretakers. It is adapted from the book Stephen King wrote, so you know it will be a crazy story. The father, Jack, slowly becomes psycho, and you realize that something is wrong with the hotel.
I won’t spoil the ending, but the first time I watched this movie, I was taken aback. Again, as a media production major, post-production is one of my favorite things to fixate on in film. Kubrick was able to use extensive editing and sound design to make the movie seem simple but give it that sense of eeriness. I believe that is the reason I enjoy this movie so much. If you haven’t seen The Shining, it is a classic you must watch.
Honorable Mentions
These movies are also worth your time, but they didn’t quite make my top four. I separated the films by category, so If you ever need a list of movies to watch, now you have one!
- Coming of age
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Everyone has heard of the coming of age genre, but if you haven’t, each movie within this genre sticks to a certain formula. It is all about the protagonist’s journey navigating through what it is like to grow up. Adulthood is not an easy thing to understand at first, which is why we see them greeted by a sort of problem or task. In the end, they can live life freely as they now think they have everything figured out. My picks for this genre are The Breakfast Club directed by John Hughes, The Goonies directed by Richard Donner and written by Steven Spielberg, and Ferris Bueller’s Day off directed by yet again, John Hughes.
- Romance
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The Romance genre can be a broad one. An age-old classic are the 2000s romcoms, but don’t get them confused with a tragic romance for movie night, or you will be greatly disappointed. For this genre my picks stick with the classic happily ever after ending, so if you are looking for a movie to brighten your day, these would be the ones! My first pick is Dirty Dancing directed by Emile Ardolino, followed by Pride and Prejudice directed by Joe Wright, and lastly How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days directed by Donald Petrie. Each of these romances has its own charm, so don’t be scared to binge each one!
- Animated
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If the last genre wasn’t broad enough, this one is even broader. Some like to believe that animated movies are just for kids, but I would beg to disagree. I watch these movies more than I would like to admit, either as background noise or for a simple rewatch. Those movies are The Incredibles directed by Brad Bird, The Aristocats directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, and The Lego Movie directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord. I enjoy The Aristocats for its vintage feel, as it was distributed in the 70s. But if you enjoy plain, simple fun, The Incredibles and The Lego Movie are for you. I quote both of those movies daily and that is not a joke.
- Thrillers
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Another genre I thoroughly enjoy even as a scaredy cat is thrillers. There was a point in time where my mother and I went ham on thrillers and watched a bunch of the classics. Thrillers are those movies that have you biting your nails. The main job of the movie is to create suspense and while they obviously want you to watch their films, you find yourself covering your eyes quite frequently. As shared before I think all of the movies I am going to list I first watched with my mother, and she has pretty good taste so you can trust me. The first is The Sixth Sense directed by none other than M. Night Shyamalan, followed by Ghost directed by Jerry Zucker, and lastly Flight Plan directed by Robert Schwentke. I had a blanket over my head for multiple points in each of those movies.
- Horror
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Thriller is a great segway into the horror genre. The two can be mistaken for each other, but I believe we all know that a horror movie is going to be scary. I have said before that I am a scaredy cat and that is no lie, so while these are horror movies, if I can manage to get through them alive, I think you can too. My picks for this genre are Alien directed by Ridley Scott (with one of the best sequels known to man), What Lies Beneath, another one directed by Robert Zemeckis, and I can’t not recommend A Nightmare on Elm Street directed by Wes Craven. While I do think my picks from the thriller genre can be watched alone, I do encourage to watch these ones with a friend, because when it’s just me watching I begin to think someone’s after me.
- musicals
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Ah, one of my favorite genres, which is musicals. This includes really any movie where one breaks out in song at least once within the duration of the film. Two of these movies have significant historical elements throughout, and one of them is just a guy singing in a mask. My first pick in this genre is West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (even the remake is fantastic I cried on a plane while watching it), followed by The Sound of Music directed by, yet again, Robert Wise, and lastly The Phantom of the Opera directed by Joel Schumacher. Each of these movies has perfect soundtracks that you should listen to anywhere you can bop your head.
- comedy
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Lastly, and one of the most beloved, is the comedy genre. I think everyone enjoys a good laugh so watch these alone, with your family and friends, or even as something for background noise! I pulled some of my favorites out of the wood works in hopes that you may have not seen them yet. My picks are Blue Streak directed by Les Mayfield, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels directed by Frank Oz, and Troop Beverly Hills directed by Jeff Kanew. Each of these movies has its own special charm which is why they have found their way into my heart.
The beauty of Letterboxd is that everyone gets to express and share their opinions on various films, and the beauty of films is that everyone interprets them differently. After reading this, I hope you have a list of movies you are excited to watch. As you can see, I appreciate these movies so much, and I hope you will love them as much as I do.