My Top 10 Must See Movies

My top 10 must see movies; was originally a guest post elsewhere; now that blog, and associated twitter; are no longer active at the point of this refresh… I thought I’d share my original list in this post. This is definitely worthy of discussion now, though many of them I stand by fully!

I am a massive movie fan, though I don’t blog about film much (although I do share a movie challenge on the blog every year), so this has been a really fun chance to do something different! I do chat about films a lot more on Twitter though, so feel free to say hi over there.
Without further ado, my top 10 must see movies, and why! (In no particular order and subject to change at any time, because 10 is HARD!)

So here they are my top 10 must see movies!

Psycho

I’m a big fan of Hitchcock in general; I definitely think Psycho is a film people should see. Especially for the era it was created, Psycho is unprecedented! It did things that simply hadn’t been done before. It changed horror. It’s simply iconic. Those violin strings alone are iconic!
It was a film of many firsts, coming at an era where the monsters were usually just that, and not mild mannered hoteliers. If it wasn’t for Psycho, there wouldn’t be slasher films with Michael Myers or Freddie Krueger, with this film, Hitchcock inspired not just more movies, he inspired an entire genre!

Back to the Future

Come on! It’s incredible! I think it’s a sad time if I have to explain WHY BTTF is a must watch, everything about this film is amazing. There are a few rare movies I would consider “perfect” and this is one of them.

Jaws

TWO notes. One of the most iconic pieces of music in film, and it still gets me. Jaws, a monster movie set in the height of summer, at the beach! It sounds crazy but it works! This film is beautiful to look at; the characters are amazing, the build up of suspense, and of course the comedic moments. Jaws has everything.

The Goonies

This film is already a classic; but I worry now that it’ll be overshadowed by more modern releases and that does it a disservice; because it’s incredible. It’s the adventure you want to go on and be part of. Even as an adult! Such a great cast, The Goonies is laugh out loud funny, has a ton of heart and it’s still a perfect rainy day movie.

The Lost Boys

The quintessential teen vampire movie. Please keep your pretty glittery nonsense as FAR away from me as possible. I’ve never seen a Twilight movie. I don’t intend to. The Lost Boys is an 80s horror-comedy vampire must-watch! This is the era of great movies like American Werewolf and Gremlins, teen horror really came into its own in the 80s, and this film has it all! It’s got an incredible soundtrack, perfect casting, it looks amazing. It’s just still so good.

Coco

By far and away the most recent film on the list. I LOVE Disney, choosing one film a year or two ago would have been a nightmare, and that is still sort-of true, I could do a list of 10 must watch Disney movies too, but Coco is totally PERFECT.
If you don’t believe me – watch it!

Star Wars – Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

This might be the most controversial film on my list, but only because of the Empire-Jedi debate. I’ve been limited to 10; so I can’t say all 3 maybe; but the original trilogy will always be the best of Star Wars for me; and “Empire” has to be my favourite. It’s well paced, less cheesy and arguably the darkest chapter in the series. So much happens, there is a ton of story development, many of my favourite Star Wars moments (“I know”) and of course THAT reveal. It’ll never get old!

Almost Famous

Almost Famous came out when I was about 15, (the same age as Patrick Fugit’s character William); and I was deeply into music at the time. Thanks to my Dad’s extensive vinyl collection; a lot of what I listened to was from the same era (the film is set in 1973). When I first saw Almost Famous; it felt like it had been made for me; it has comedy, drama and heart. It’s a life lesson. A glimpse into a world you dream about. It’s pure rock and roll. And 18 years later the soundtrack is STILL on my phone!

Check out a 2020 refresh of our favourite movies starting with Spring!

Alien

The fact I’m a horror fan can’t go unnoticed on this list. Alien is without a doubt one of, if not the best sci-fi horror blend(s) ever put to film. It is suspenseful, visually astounding and has an incredible cast – Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, proving to late-seventies audiences that women could be more than the victim. (Unlike Lambert, but we’ll let that one slide).

Obviously numerous sequels have followed but none have equalled the power and inimitable feeling of Alien. Though I did almost put Aliens on this list instead, as it is also brilliant yet, a very different film which you should also watch. (This might be cheating…)

Silence of the Lambs

This is possibly my favourite films of all time. I love horror (no way!), and no matter how many times I see Silence of the Lambs, I’m still on the edge of my seat. I’m still awed by Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter; I’m still right with Clarice Starling from start to finish.

Just that. How many films can you really say have that effect?

In the original post I also mentioned some favourite movie podcasts. If you want to give some movie pods a listen, I recommend Skip to the End (@sttepodcast on Twitter) and Mark and Me (@MarkandMeUK on Twitter). The podcasts both have their own websites; and can be found on most main pod providers.

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