I saw a post on twitter about the 20 movies that impacted you the most, and you have to post them without an explanation. But I think these films are quite eclectic and maybe some of you would like an explanation, so over two posts, I’m going to go through why I picked them. These are not necessarily my favourite films, but they had a big impact on me. These are also in no particular order because these aren’t my favourites, but I will be explaining them in order of the pictures from left to right. Please feel free to ask any questions. :) _______ 1. Camp (2003): Umm, honestly in retrospect this movie is kind of terrible but I was obsessed with it. My Dad got it for me as a random pick up from the video store when I was home sick from school. He knew how much I liked musicals and was like... sure, teen musical, we’ll give it a go. The picture from the movie here is the actress Anna Kendrick (virtually unknown at the time) singing a song I believe is called ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ from the musical Company. This film had an impact on me because it boosted my confidence. Here were these weird kids, being themselves. And sometimes that didn’t work out for them but when it did, they were stars. It made me want to sing all my problems away. And it showed me that we all start somewhere.
2. Beast (2018): I am in awe of this film. Once I decided that I wanted to be a director, I started watching films as often as I could. An opportunity to watch Beast when it came to town with the Perth International Film Festival. I don’t think it got a proper release here at all, so if it wasn’t for being gifted free tickets to go and see a show from my university, I might have missed it. This film has an impact because it is clever, dynamic and harrowing. It is good storytelling and always shows you what it needs to, it doesn’t tell you. And by that I mean it has very little exposition in the dialogue. You can almost feel the passion and care that Michael Pearce put into writing and directing the film. It solidified for me that I want to be a filmmaker.
3. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003): This was the first anime movie that I watched after watching the series. Because of this it kind of solidified the difference between telling a story over time with episodes and telling a story as a movie. Also, the butterflies are beautiful.
4. Battle Royale (2003): This made me fall in love with gore/dystopian stories, and with Japanese cinema (which I need to watch more of). I honestly don’t know why I identified with it so much but I did. I watched it whenever I was in a bad mood while I was at my first high school. Maybe that says something about my mental state? Regardless, this is my angry film and I love it.
5. Empire Records (1995): It’s about teenage rebellion, it’s about being a freak, and about learning to love yourself and accept love from others. I don’t remember when I first watched this film but I believe I was well in my emo phase because I remember watching Deborah navigate her mental health and everyone is there for her and that really impacted me. If you want to watch something that toes a good line between fun and serious, with some amazing actors, that is also brilliantly quotable, this is the film for you. It was certainly the film for me.
6. Fern Gully (1992): This was the first movie to scare me but I liked it. I’ve always liked creepy films, and always loved animation. I also like to think it instilled in me values - like, maybe don’t destroy the rainforests? Animals live in there. This film both traumatised and fascinated me.
7. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961): You know how I said that not of all of these films are my favourite films? Well, this one actually is. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is magical to me. Now, we do have to forget about the racist depiction of a Japanese character in this film (someone should recut it so all the parts with that character are removed), but other than that this film is a work of art. I love how soft it is. I love how Audrey Hepburn plays Holly, and yes, it’s a bit ‘manic pixie dream girl-y’ but somehow the character feels very real. This was the film that made me fall in love with cinema.
8. Cruel Intentions (1999): First of all, I was 9 when this movie came out and I don’t think I watched it too long after then. I watched this film with my parents, which is horrifying in retrospect and I have no idea why they let me watch it. But I can tell you that I had a major crush on Kathryn, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, and that probably says a lot about me. There’s also a kissing scene in this between Kathryn and Cecille, played by Selma Blair and that was ummm, kind of a sexual awakening, haha. Not that I acknowledged that for a long time. Also, this was my first introduction to the band Placebo, with their song ‘Every Me, Every You’ and they are a kick-ass band so thank you Cruel Intentions.
9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001): Other peoples lists will have things like 2001: A Space Odessy, but mine has Harry Potter. All of the movies made a big impact on me, but this was the first film I had read as a book and then seen as a film (to my recollection). For me, seeing the thing that I had pictured in my head come to life, and quite accurately I might add, was amazing. As someone studying to become a filmmaker, this film (and the others in the series) has made me examine every book I read, break it down in my head and imagine what I could do to bring it to life on the big screen.
10. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): So, I make no secret of the fact that I got up to a bit of mischief in my late teens/early 20′s. This movie helped with that. I mean, it’s a beautiful mess and for a girl whose sanity wasn’t always verifiable, this film was both a blessing and a curse. We can’t stop here, this is bat country!”
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I’ll post part 2 soon!
