Admittedly, I am more drawn to an excellent TV series than I am dedicated to films. As I’ve grown older, my attention span for sitting down to watch a film has lessened, and I crave the fixation of more drawn-out content. I’d go as far as to call myself ‘sheltered’ when it comes to film. I have not yet stepped out of my box.
Writing this felt like I was being asked to summarise my entire life into five brief bullet points, which is simply impossible. I found myself thinking that my choices were ‘too embarrassing,’ or that the films I chose were far too cinematically weak and puny. But hey, everyone has a guilty pleasure. Unless you’re me, who has far too many.
The Princess Diaries (2001) dir. Garry Marshall
The amount of time I spent watching (and falling asleep) to this film is immeasurable. The Princess Diaries never fails to fill me with a sense of nostalgia, happiness, and overall warm feelings in my stomach, making me feel like how I did when I was younger. I felt as a child, until becoming a young adult, that I resonated with protagonist Mia Thermopolis. She is a prime example of the person I wanted to be. Teaching me how to stay true to myself, and that the one who will always love me the most is myself. I used to write diary entries mimicking Mia’s speech and mannerisms, including all the ‘awesome’ and ‘cool’ phrases of the 2000s (which in retrospect, were ridiculous), I almost became a complete parody of Anne Hathaway’s on-screen presence. My mother still writes to me not by name, but by Princess Mia, on all of my birthday cards. Some things will never change.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005) dir. Mike Newell
I’m an advocate (in most cases) for having to read the book before you watch the film. The fourth Harry Potter film is a perfect example of this sometimes flawed, somewhat elitist viewpoint. Almost every member of my family below my grandparents have followed the same routine of ‘coming of the right age’ to read the Harry Potter books. It was somewhat of a milestone. I would borrow the books one-by-one from my grandad, and made my way through the entire franchise. As the films were being released, I was far too young to see them at the cinema. All that came between myself and escapism was a shiny age rating, a barrier that started to disappear once Goblet Of Fire was released. Harry Potter taught me many valuable life lessons. They were the characters I grew up with, the books and films that initially raised me into adulthood. I’ll going to be in love with these films, never forgetting to mention the absolutely beautiful series of movie soundtracks which aided in creating the daydream in which is Harry Potter.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) dir. Francis Lawrence
I was your typical dystopia-obsessed teenager, spending my life with my nose in books galore like the Divergent and Percy Jackson series. Yet nothing could quite fill the gap like The Hunger Games did. The films outshone all of my expectations, with the second film in the franchise, Catching Fire, being by far the most cinematically strong of them all. I have no other words except to say that both the cast, the acting, and the book-to-movie portrayal are outstanding. I was a shamelessly hardcore fan for many years, and when I left the cinema that day in November 2015 following the release of Mockingjay – Part 2, I felt that a part of me was suddenly missing. The world in which I came to know, to love, and to loathe (at times), was concluded. Together, Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins had brought together all the pieces of the novels in which I adored, morphing them into a perfect re-enactment of my imagination. I’m also still hurt over Cinna and Finnick…
Midsommar (2019) dir. Ari Aster
Following Hereditary, I always placed faith in Ari Aster to produce another masterpiece. Midsommar is both wonderful and traumatic. The iconic Florence Pugh never fails to surprise me as one of my most favoured actresses, a symbol of both femininity and power. Hearing Pugh’s screams and wails in Midsommar is chilling to the core. Whenever I’m recommended a film or television series to watch, I push it further into the back of my mind, to the end of my ‘mental watch list.’ After months of being told by several family members and friends that I ‘desperately’ needed to watch this film, I finally made the choice to have a night in and attempt to focus. This is the most advanced and peculiarly beautiful film I have ever seen. A ‘pretty disaster.’ As far as the horror genre goes, specifically psychological thrillers, Midsommar is at the top of my list and shall likely remain there for quite some time, at least until Aster amazes us once more.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) dir. The Russo Brothers
Along with the rest of the world, I watched Avengers: Endgame in the cinema during opening week (twice, if I’m honest.) The atmosphere was something that I will never experience ever again. Accompanied by my best friend, we could never have prepared for the emotional hurt that this film put us through, ending a cinematic chapter 22 films in the making. When I returned home, I sat on my bed, sat staring into the distance for a good hour or two, followed by re-purchasing tickets for the following week to further bawl my eyes out into yet another overpriced box of popcorn and a soggy iced slush. The alternate reality I had spent most of my adolescence hyper-fixating over had come to a bittersweet end, and I had never felt further from home.
It’s something special (and awfully geeky) when you feel like those that you see on screen are your own family. Marvel has never failed to achieve this; from being a young child obsessed and idolising Peter Parker (I’m looking at you, Spider-Man 2), to finding myself still in the same position 18 years later, except with many more heroes to love. My first professional writing piece I wrote and successfully pitched was covering a Marvel production. These films hold a special place in my heart, and have paved the way towards the rest of my life. Things like that really stick with you.
Honourable Mentions: Dune (2021), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith (2005), Tangled (2010), Scream (1996).
Words by Mia Stapleton
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