Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'Favourite Movies'.

This is an interesting topic! Favourite movies or TV shows? I've gone for movies because I don't actually watch a huge amount of TV shows, but I watch too many films I think.

1) Moulin Rouge.

This film always has been, and always will be, a favourite of mine. I first watched it when I was pretty young and I absolutely fell in love with the style of it, AKA, Baz Luhrmann's amazing eye  for making films beautiful. It was fast paced, the song adaptions were catchy and well put together and the story makes me cry every time. Every time I watch this film I notice something that I didn't notice before and I think it is a film that everyone should try and watch, if they can.


2) Disney Films.

These films have been with me since childhood and I have loved them all. Obviously, there are some I liked over others, but in general I don't think there has been a Disney film that I haven't enjoyed if I have watched it. Choosing a favourite was extremely hard. In the end I went with 'Aristocats' because it was the first one I remember watching that I have watched over and over again without losing any kind of love for it. It was literally on repeat throughout my childhood and I don't see that adoration for it ending any time soon. Other favourites include 'Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs', 'Mulan', 'Robin Hood', 'The Jungle Book', 'The Lion King' and their latest installment, 'Frozen'. I know this shouldn't really count but I'm a huge Pixar fan too. 'Monsters Inc' and 'Brave'are fantastic films and of course I can't not mention 'The Incredibles'!

3) Studio Ghibli Films.

I hope this generalization isn't cheating, but I love all these films. I have chosen a favourite (after a lot of deliberation) and came to 'Howl's Moving Castle'. I've always loved the story-line and the character in that one. Calcifer was hilarious and Howl and Sophie are a pair that I will ship until the day I die. I have a couple of close seconds too. 'Princess Mononoke' was the first Studio Ghibli film I ever watched and I actually found it quite scary, but loved it! Then of course there's 'Spirited Away' and 'My Neighbour Totoro' which I think that most people who love this animation studio will agree are classics. One other that I didn't mention yet was 'Grave Of The Fireflies'. It's not a hugely well known one but it is a beautiful, touching film.

4) Marvel Films.

That's right guys, I'm generalizing again! Marvel films have made up the last few years of my life. They are the ones I look forward to being released and I always come out of them feeling excited, desperate to watch the next one and extremely happy. My favourite is 'The Avengers' purely because it takes all of the superheroes that I know and love (along with my favourite Villain) and brings them all together in one film! Of course if I were to take individual superheroes, the 'Iron Man' series has been the most consistently amazing for me, and I have loved the 'Thor' story-line too. 'Iron Man 3', 'Thor: The Dark World' and 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' are my top three outside of 'The Avengers' which only goes to show that in my opinion, the films are just getting better and better.

5) Pan's Labyrinth.

Ah, Guillermo Del Toro. He is one of my favourite Directors of all time, and this is definitely my favourite film of his that I have watched. Despite it being in Spanish (a language I speak very little of), I have watched this film too many times to count, and loved it! The fantastical creatures, imaginative story-line, just the pure amount of creativity that went into it was phenomenal. It makes me cry every time I read it and so of course it had to make this list! Del Toro's more recent film, 'Mama', I also really enjoyed (though if you're easily frightened then don't watch it). I can't wait for 'Crimson Peak' to come out!

6) Harry Potter Films.

Of course these had to appear on here. After reading the books, watching the films when I was younger was probably the thing I'd look forward to most! I loved them all though my favourite book (and film) has always been 'The Order Of The Phoenix'. I think it's because that is the film when everyone starts banding together, you really get the sense that a war is going on and of course the woman we all love to hate, Professor Umbridge makes her first appearance! Imelda Staunton does a fantastic job of bringing her to life. 


7) Matilda.

'Matilda' was my favourite childhood story, and when we watched the first ten minutes of the film once in class, I knew I had to watch the rest of it. This film makes me laugh so much, and when I'm not laughing I'm crying at some of the sadder parts. Above that though is Pam Ferris' portrayal of Agatha Trunchbull. This woman takes scary to a whole new extreme. Every single time I watch her in her house, trying to find Matilda and Miss Honey as they desperately hide and look for a way out, I find myself covering my face with a cushion absolutely terrified. If you haven't seen it, watch this film just to see Trunchbull played how she should be played!

8) The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Okay so this film is a pretty old favourite of mine. It was my first ever Tim Burton film and I completely fell in love with it! I liked the songs, the story, the stop-motion animation style. Since then I've watched a fair few of Tim Burton's films, and while there is a pretty recognisable formula with both  his animated and his live-action movies, I've never really found myself disappointed. I like his dark, quirky, Gothic style and I always look forward to the next one. 'Sweeney Todd' and 'The Corpse Bride' are another couple of my favourites. Also, he's going to direct an adaption of 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children' and I'm so excited!

9) Anastasia.

Yes, yet another animated film has made it to the list! And yes, it is another childhood favourite. I didn't know my choices were so...themed. This film is extremely sad, at times scary, at times funny and beautifully animated. A lot of people mistake it for a Disney film, or maybe Dreamworks. It isn't, but it is easy to see why it has been attributed to those great animators. Because it is also great! FOX did this one and I have watched it a lot. I actually like it better than some Disney Films, the soundtrack is beautiful. I'm a sucker for a great film soundtrack.

10) Chicago.

This musical film was just a fantastic adaption of a very awesome stage musical. I loved the style choices made by Rob Marshall, the Director. It made me laugh so much at times, the musical numbers were elaborate and amazingly done and I loved the costumes too. I've watched it a fair few times and it has never become boring for me. I was pleased when he worked on another Musical adaption, 'Nine' and he went for a very similar style. I was even more pleased when I found out that his next project was 'Into The Woods', yet another Musical I love!