Last year at this time, to start a conversation, I told you all about my favorite books. (Books that Stuck)
Since we just past the 1st Anniversary of this blog, I wanted to let you in on a little bit more about me. What better way than to tell you about my favorite movies.
As a book-a holic, I will go down to my grave saying books are better than movies. But not all movies come from books, so there’s bound to be a few good ones out there.
But you may notice a bit of an overlap between my favorite books and favorite movie lists.
Favorite Movies
1. Anne of Green Gables- No one seems to immolate the fiery determination and troublesome spirit as well as Ann-with an E. Plus an over active imagination that is both her joy and her trouble, which is a big part of who I am. This is a movie I can watch over and over and never get tired of it.
2. Flight of Dragons (1982)- This movie might not be very well known, but it was ‘The’ movie' we got to watch at my grandparents. Dragon’s, knights, authors, and science, which was pretty much my wheel house as a pre-teen. Plus, movies are always better at Grandma’s house.
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- ‘I chose wisely’. This is hands down awesomeness! Sean Connery and Harrison Ford were an amazing duo in this film. They depicted the struggle between respect and love in a Father/Son relationship SO well. Plus mystery, treasure hunt and stickin’ it to the Nazis just makes for adventurous fun. So I do have an adventurous spirit stuffed in the corners of my mind and heart somewhere.
4. A Little Princess (1995)-This is such a beautiful film. While I struggled through the book, this rendition gave vision and heart to the characters I struggled to connect with on the written page. If I need a good cry, this is the movie I pull out. Watch and you’ll see why.
5. Stargate- This was such an imaginative mind-bending tale, that it’s no wonder it turned into a TV series for years after. I loved the merging of Sci-Fi and Archeology. While the alien bit was a little far-fetched, the movie did a great job of merging what we know and what we don’t know about ancient Egypt.
6. Pride and Prejudice (BBC Version)- Okay, I might get some groans on this, because so many people love Kira Knightly’s version of Pride and Prejudice. But if you’re willing to sit down for a six-hour girls movie, this will blow you away. A young Colin Firth plays Darcy which is just dreamy, plus the dialogue and family dynamics are pulled beautifully from Jane Austen’s pages.
7. Ever After- After the release of my debut book, Beneath the Hood, you might get that I love retelling of old tales. Which is one reason I love this reimagining of the Cinderella story. The beautiful scenery as well as the strong willed, character of Danielle, struggling to find her voice, might be a character that pulled at my creative heart strings.
8. Serenity- This was a movie, based on the TV series Firefly. Growing up Star Trek: The Next Generation and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman was something we looked forward to in my family. So the Space cowboy malcontents was like sending a kid into a candy shop. I loved how this movie explained a lot of the TV Series plot holes, and let us see these underdogs pull out all the stops on the big screen.
9. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: This amazing combination of dramatic storytelling and epic cinematography, makes it hard not to love. We’ve all felt the burden Frodo faced. We all long for a comradery that you’re willing to go to battle, and we’ve all doubted the path we’ve chosen. Peter Jackson did an amazing job bringing Tolkien’s epic tale to the screen. The next two movies waver from the grand structure, but that might be a post for another day.
10. Black Beauty (1994)- Like #4 and #6 on this list, this version did such an amazing job bringing this classic book to the big screen. For this horse lover, I was entranced and amazed at the ‘acting’ of the animals within the film. I read the book to my kids this last year, and I desperately want to let them watch this movie, but there is some heaviness that will really rock their sensitive souls, so holding off for now. But I can watch it any time I want.
While books bring life to our imaginations to life, movies can send tremors to our hearts and help us see things that our imaginations might be limited by. More on this topic next week. Be the first to get the next post by joining my newsletter at www.valeriefentress.com
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