These are my favourite movies. You may not like them as much as I do and that is okay. They are in no particular order as ranking them would require more thought than I would like to put into this. These are mostly more just offhand comments rather than full in depth reviews but I do get a tiny bit more serious for some


Amadeus dir. Milos Forman
This is perhaps the greatest movie that I have ever seen

Tideland dir. Terry Gilliam
Imagine if Alice in Wonderland was the worst thing you've ever seen. I love this movie but I can see why everyone else hates it

American Movie dir. Chris Smith
A bittersweet and beautifully shot documentary about a man with a dream. I can't really put my finger on why I'm so fond of it. I just am. I can only imagine how much more I'd love this if I had a passion for filmmaking myself. A lot of people call this exploitative, but I don't see it that way

Primer dir. Shane Carruth
Yes you need to watch it multiple times to really understand it (animations and diagrams are also very helpful) but it's worth the effort because it's one of the best scifi movies and one of the best independent films. It's definitely the best time travel movie and I really enjoy it. It's a bit like the movie Coherence but way better and with characters that aren't super irritating, but Coherence is at least much easier to follow.

Maps to the Stars dir. David Cronenberg
Watch this movie if you want to know what life in a famous Hollywood family is exactly like (at least I imagine)

Rosemary's Baby dir. Roman Polanski
This is my favourite horror movie. The suspense, the build up- perfect! Out of all the movies I've seen, this is the only one that frightens me. I don't have much else to say besides that Mia Farrow is so pretty in this movie.

Swingers dir. Doug Liman
This movie is so money, baby. I love Vince Vaughn and I've had dreams where we were married and I was pregnant with his baby.

The Wicker Man dir. Robin Hardy
This is my other favourite horror movie, avoid the Nicolas Cage remake at all costs.

Black Snake Moan dir. Craig Brewer
I went into this movie not expecting much but it was surprisingly touching and immediately became one of my favourite movies. The power of blues music.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford dir. Andrew Dominik
It's fantastic. Not sure what else to say. The score is also my favourite film score of all time. I like putting it on while I read. It's the only music I can read to. Check this out

Chinatown dir. Roman Polanski
The first time I tried to watch this movie I fell asleep within the first six minutes. In my defence, I was very tired, but it took a very long time for me to decide to attempt to watch it again. I'm not sure why it took me so long, because this film is amazing. Roman Polanski rules.

Sling Blade dir. Billy Bob Thornton
I reckon this is a pretty good movie mhmm

Love Liza dir. Todd Louiso
A little funny at times if you can appreciate the dark humour, but a perfect movie about grief (and inhalant addiction). It's depressing and I found it especially hard to watch but it's such an authentic portrayal of the complete mess of feelings you feel after losing someone very close to you. The misery, confusion, the anger and frustration, the mania, it just gets it all right and for that reason I cherish it, because it just understands. I don't mean to get sappy but I had to be solemn about this one.

The Devil's Advocate dir. Taylor Hackford
I couldn't come up with a more perfect casting choice for Satan if I tried

Risky Business dir. Paul Brickman
Not much to say about this one but it's a very fun watch. I can safely say that I am a Tom Cruise fan and that this is my favourite movie starring him (Jerry Maguire is a close second)

Bad Boy Bubby dir. Rolf de Heer
I feel like many people would regard this as just one of those movies that you show your friends because of how disturbing (and funny) it is, but it's a genuinely touching movie

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior dir. George Miller
Insane movie full of insane characters

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre dir. Tobe Hooper
I have been watching this movie every single Halloween for about six years now. It's a tradition of mine. Slasher films and even horror films in general are usually not that great, but this is perfection in both areas.

The Graduate dir. Mike Nichols
I'm a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel

The Passion of the Christ dir. Mel Gibson
I will continue to watch this every year for Easter until I die. Very moving. I get a little confused when people describe this movie as "too violent" as I think the violence is a very important aspect. It's not supposed to be easy to watch. It's supposed to show what Jesus went through for us. I don't know what else to say.

The Godfather Parts I & II dir. Francis Ford Coppola
It took me two attempts to finally finish this movie (the first time I didn't even make it past the wedding scene, which is nothing compared to the wedding scene in the Deer Hunter, and, I don't mean to go on a tangent, but what on earth? Why is the wedding scene in the Deer Hunter so long? It's at least fifty minutes, which is almost a third of the entire movie. If you watch the Deer Hunter, don't feel bad for skipping the wedding scene.) Anyways, a lot of people think the Godfather is overrated and I disagree. I am very interested in anything that has to do with the mafia and organised crime in general, so I watch a lot of these movies, and the first two Godfather movies are my favourite representations of that world. I love the characters. I love the story. I love the acting and the cinematography. In fact, the Christening scene in the Godfather might be my favourite movie scene of all time. Part II is also really good for all the same reasons. I don't think I can decide if one is better than the other

Dead Ringers dir. David Cronenberg
Another Cronenberg entry. This movie is beautiful and crazy and I'm obsessed with the blood-red scrubs and the psychotic tool designs. Little bit scared of gynecologists and identical twins after watching though

Once Upon a Time in America dir. Sergio Leone
This is one of the longest movies I've ever watched, but it didn't feel long at all. A four hour movie that felt like a two hour movie. That's how great it is.

The Wrestler dir. Darren Aronofsky
I loved wrestling when I was growing up- it was the second thing I ever became obsessed with after SpongeBob, and I no longer watch but I still have a great deal of respect for it, so this movie is particularly important to me

Wes Anderson Movies dir. Wes Anderson
I love so many of Wes Anderson's films. I don't want to take up too much space on this page with his movies so I'm combining them all into one section. I love Bottle Rocket, Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest Hotel and the French Dispatch. Don't ask me to rank them because I think I just love them all equally. I honestly didn't like Rushmore and I haven't seen Isle of Dogs or Asteroid City (yet). I like his movies for a lot of reasons, but I think the number one reason is just how refreshingly sincere they are

Death Wish dir. Michael Winner
I loved the Death Wish series. Many do not, but I did. I even prefer this over Dirty Harry if you care to make the comparison.

Big Trouble in Little China dir. John Carpenter
This is objectively the greatest action movie of all time and it's not up for debate

Hamlet dir. Laurence Olivier
My favourite film adaptation of any Shakespeare work. The most beautiful, dreamy cinematography imaginable.

The Nightmare Before Christmas dir. Tim Burton
I've loved this movie all my life.

Take Shelter dir. Jeff Nichols
I thought it would be like a slightly better version of Twister, but it's actually a whole lot better than Twister and nothing like it at all.

Dog Day Afternoon dir. Sidney Lumet
I love John Cazale and Al Pacino so much it's unreal.

Paris, Texas dir. Wim Wenders
I don't think I can sincerely put into words how this movie makes me feel.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? dir. Joel Coen
This movie makes me very comfortable. It's so much fun. I like to put this one on when I'm scared or unhappy.

Happiness dir. Todd Solondz
This, like Bad Boy Bubby, is another one of those movies that people like to show their friends because of how disturbing (and funny) it is. Except unlike Bad Boy Bubby, this one is not touching or wholesome in any way. Don't watch this one with your dad.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly dir. Sergio Leone
I like westerns, and this is easily my favourite. As for the rest of the Dollars Trilogy, I also loved For a Few Dollars More, but for some reason I just couldn't get into Fistful of Dollars.

Manchester by the Sea dir. Kenneth Lonergan
This one made me cry a lot. An authentic story about grief and guilt. I think it's the most depressing on this list. It's not really funny or touching, it's just really sad

Gattaca dir. Andrew Niccol
I'm not sure how this flopped in the box office. I love this movie.

Thief dir. Michael Mann
I used to think Heat was the best heist movie until I saw this. This is the most badass movie ever

Major League dir. David S. Ward
Greatest sports movie ever made! Not really, but this is one of my feel good movies. Moneyball is fantastic, and maybe the real greatest sports movie ever made, but the fact that the A's lost in the ALDS and didn't even make it to the world series does make me wish they took a few creative liberties for the sake of MY personal satisfaction. This movie does what Moneyball couldn't for me, which is delivering a storybook ending for the underdogs that makes me smile and tear up.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy dir. Peter Jackson
I'll admit two things: I was putting off watching this for a VERY long time, and I have never read Tolkien. I loved it though. One day I will read Tolkien's work. As someone who loves C.S. Lewis as much as I do, it feels WRONG that I haven't even touched any of Tolkien's works. But one day. I decided that within the first ten minutes of the Fellowship of the Ring. Before watching this I was dying for something that was sincere and fantastical. I wanted an epic tale of friendship and heroism. I wanted exactly that. I hate that I was so late to the party.

The Hunt for Red October dir. John McTiernan
This is the most anxiety inducing movie I've ever seen and for that reason I really like it. Also submarines are badass

Apocalypto dir. Mel Gibson
Put whatever historical inaccuracies aside, this movie is so amazing. There aren't many like it. I didn't know exactly what to expect when I first watched it, but it was WAY better than I thought it'd be. The visuals alone were insanely good, good enough for me to just fall in love with it, not to mention how exhilirating it is. Also had some funny moments, like the scene where the guy makes a "Hey I'm walking here" joke but in Mayan. I really want Mel Gibson to direct more movies because I love his style, and this movie is him at his best. As a Catholic, I don't want to admit that it's better than the Passion of the Christ, but I think it might be. And I love that movie a lot.

Rambo: First Blood dir. Ted Kotcheff
This is a movie that exceeded my expectations like no other. Prior to watching, I had assumed that this was just a mindless action movie about a guy shooting third worlders in a jungle without any real story to it. I was wrong, and I am quite happy about that. It ACTUALLY turned out to be a poignant tale about a man who was trained to kill, sent to war, and discarded on his return when he needed the most help. And then he gets chased into the woods and kinda becomes a slasher villain (he's still the real hero) because his green beret training puts him miles ahead of some bumbling small town cops in terms of combat and survival skills. It made me pretty mad that Vietnam vets were treated the way they were, it made me think, and it also made me excited to see things blow up.

Honourable mention: The SAW Franchise
Is it the best movie franchise? Of course not. Do I love it? Of course I do. I love every SAW movie. SAW I and SAW X are probably the best in terms of quality, but all of these movies are extremely fun and I love the character of John Kramer