Some Movies that made me:

I recently started a book by Graham Duff on the concerts in his life that were landmark events. Om top of it being a really good book, I also thought it would be a really good idea to adapt for this blog. So I am going to go through some of the films that I have watched, growing up, recently that have shaped my love for film.

Treasure Planet:

I was obsessed with this film as a child, and rightfully so, this is a work of art. Obviously when I was 3 I did not care about the animation style or the cinematography, don’t worry I was not pretentious… as a child, all I cared about was that it was space pirates having huge battles and it was the coolest thing I could ever imagine. I recently went back and re-watched it and I am delighted to say it has stood the test of time. This was one of the last hand drawn animated Disney films and it stand up so well. The creator of this was only allowed to make this if he made two other more profitable films. This film is obviously for children but is a great example of being enjoyable for everyone.

Star Wars:

This series of films is the blueprint for all we know about modern blockbusters. I remember the first time I watched it and I was instantly hooked. As soon as I watched Episode 4 I wanted to watch the next film in the series, find out about all the planets, the species, I was obsessed with Boba Fett, a minor side character that had been fleshed out in wider material. I had encyclopaedias, comic books, watched TV series, I was fully engrossed in the world of Star Wars and I still to this day believe that it sets the standard for world building… it is just a shame that the prequels and sequels did such a bad job at expanding the story!

The Dark Knight:

I watched this for the first time in a cinema in Belfast. I remember the one so vividly because it was the one, I was sent to with an older cousin or my Godmother when I was getting on people’s nerves being in my Grandparent’s house for a whole 2 weeks. This was a run-down cinema that never had more than 6 people in it no matter the film that was on. I remember sitting down in the worn-out seats, so excited to watch the Dark Knight. I was going through a massive Batman phase at the time and had blown up the family in-car DVD player trying to hotwire it to an old box tv trying to watch Batman the animated series, so I am sure this annual cinema trip came earlier than usual due to my parent’s annoyance.

To say I was excited for this film would be an understatement, it did not matter to me that this was a Christopher Nolan film and all the buzz surrounding Heath Ledger’s performance had not registered to me; I wanted to see Batman on the big screen. Let me tell you, even at the age of 8 or 9 I was not disappointed. The only thing that did annoy me was the sound design. That buzzing sound that plays in high stakes scenes to build tension? I thought was a broken speaker at the awful cinema we watched it at. It was only once I had the DVD playing (on a proper DVD set up do not worry) and a few more birthdays in the bank that I could appreciate that excellent sound choice. This is the quintessential superhero film that perfectly captures the dynamic of the Batman the Joker, it flows fantastically and feels like one of the comics being played out on the silver screen.

Nolan perfectly finds a balance between realism and the absurdity of a man wearing a Bat costume fighting a clown and does not sacrifice the film-making process. This was shot heavily on Imax and with practical effects and t still looks stunning to this day. I could watch this film countless times and never get tired, it is the benchmark for superhero films and is the best in its class in every single category.

Superbad:

I have touched on this film and what makes it so great in a previous review, so I won’t touch on the technical side of it too much. I came across this film at the perfect time in my development as a person. At the age of 13 when I first saw this film it was like having an out of body experience and watching myself on the screen. Obviously, I was not at the point where I was going to house parties and planning to leave for university at this time of my life, but I was incredibly awkward, terrified of talking to girls and still trying to make swearing sound natural… so not much development it would seem! It is no coincidence that this film speaks to so many, it was the first I had seen at least that did not focus on the cool kids like Ferris Bueller that everyone loved, but instead reflected a more realistic teenage experience. This crafted its own lane in the coming-of-age film, and you can see its influence on those within the genre that came after it.

Donnie Darko:

The film that started it all. We all know how much I love this film; it is simply the best in my eyes and it would take some effort of film-making to knock it off its perch. I still remember the first night I watched this vividly. At 16 years old, a random night and a lot of options on Netflix, I picked this film and blew my tiny little impressionable teenage brain. This was the perfect storm for my malleable brain at the time. I had started thinking about films with more consideration, Netflix had opened me up to a whole new range of films that I had never considered watching. All of a sudden it was not just whatever the biggest blockbuster my friends wanted to see in cinema, or whatever film we had in the house, I had 100s of films at my disposal… so naturally one of the first picks was my dad’s favourite.

As good as this film is, I think it’s the effects it had on me that will cement it as my number one pick. This was the first film I watched that made me question things about a film. I had just as much fun watching this as I did taking a deep dive into the surrounding material and piecing it all together to try and get a deeper understanding of what had happened in the plot. This film really did kick start my love of film and for that, it will always be my favourite. Post Donnie I would scour Netflix looking for films that would evoke similar feelings. This has led me to some fantastic finds and a new hobby. I genuinely believe I would not have created this blog had I not watched DD that random Friday night in year 12.

Dazed and Confused:

This was the next big one in the post Donnie film era. I had never seen anything like this before and I loved it immediately. You can find my full review of this film in my first post on this blog. This was again a result of browsing Netflix looking for something to fill an evening when I came across this. I saw the stacked cast list and how young they all were when this was made and that this was one of Tarantino’s favourite films which was enough to convince 17-year-old me. I have said it before, but this film really opened my eyes to the structure of film making. I was captivated throughout, no clue where the story was going but loving the journey. This is such a unique and fun film and opened my mind up to less linear stories.

The Royal Tenenbaums:

I cannot believe it took me till I was 21 to see this film, but it was worth the wait. I watched this over lockdown when I decided to go on a Wes Anderson marathon, one of the best decisions I have made. I was familiar with Anderson’s work having loved Fantastic Mr Fox and having seen Isle of Dogs and The Grand Budapest Hotel. I loved the look of his films and the atmosphere that they portray. Wes’ quirkiness in his film making intrigued me and I wanted to see how it developed through his discovery. This post will focus more on this marathon because I think I want to save a full review for Royal Tenenbaums. This week I would watch one Wes film a night in chronological order. Seeing how his visual style has developed from Bottle Rocket right up to the French Dispatch with his signature Wes Anderson look. The stop motion films are fun, and Rushmore is a classic, but for me, Royal Tenenbaums is the highlight. It is the perfect mix of comedy, quirkiness, and heart. The needle drops are incredible and its visually stunning, not quite as colourful as his more recognisable, but still uniquely strange and intriguing. I’ll stop there but you can rest assured knowing a full review is coming!

The Last Blackman in San-Francisco:

This film caught me completely by surprise. For all my other favourite films I have known something about them at least going into them. I had heard about them or had heard a buzz surrounding the name. With this film I knew nothing going in. I was intrigued by the name and the Netflix synopsis and checked it out. Such a good decision because this film had such a strong impact on me. It jumped straight into my top 5 films, and I immediately told those close to me to watch it. The backstory of it and how that is told through the plot, how visually stunning the film is, the performances; there are so many things that are incredible about this film and for a debut effort makes it more impressive. This film sums up what is so great about when a fresh voice and vision comes onto the scene and makes such an impact on the market. This is truly what I love about finding films where there is so much love and attention put into every aspect of the process.

Barbarian:

Most recently, the film that had such an impact on my perception of the cinema going experience was Barbarian. I arrived in to this film knowing genuinely nothing about it. I had such a brilliant experience that really brought home what is great about the cinema experience. The lack of contextual knowledge about the plot going in to this film enhanced what is so good about the cinema going experience. The darkness, big screen and audio system immersed me in the film so deep and provided a better experience than any home viewing. I had not really had an experience like that in the cinema before, more often it was a fun activity to do with others but this film really showed why cinemas are so necessary still in a digital age, it really can be a special experience.