I just wanted to do a chill post, and movies aren’t that far out of the realm of books and games, right? It’s all stories! And some of these even started as books! So it’s still a good topic for my blog, I think. Plus I get to just chat about things I love. Things you might love too. And if you feel like it, you can tell me about your favorite movies, and then we’ll all have some new recommendations for the next time we’re staring at a screen trying to figure out what to watch 🙂

Tangled

Starting with my favorite! I didn’t see this movie until it came on TV one day. Then I watched it again when it played again the next day. Then I bought it and watched it like 10 times in a week. Seriously, I watched it every day, sometimes twice a day, for like a week straight. I think I found it at the perfect time because I was newly housebound with chronic illness, and I connected so much with Rapunzel for various reasons. But it’s also just a lovely movie with wonderful characters and a beautiful romance and story. And there are so many little things to notice with rewatches. And ugh, the hug near the very end, when Eugene just pulls her closer and buries his face in her shoulder, that’s the best part <3

Sunshine

I am determined to convince more people to watch this movie. It is so good, and so not well-known enough for how good it is. Do you like Cillian Murphy? Do you like Chris Evans? They’re on opposite ends of the hotness and acting roles spectrums (as in, both are hot and both are great actors, just in different ways), you must like at least one of them for one of those things! And they’re both in this movie! I’ve even seen a quote from Chris Evans about how no one sees his good movies, referring to Sunshine.

The first time I saw it, I was freaking out, and my friend and my mom didn’t understand. Then I watched it in college with a roommate, and she ended up sitting on the floor, watching through the slats in a chair, freaking out, while our roommate in another room was just like, “What is happening out there??” and I felt so vindicated that someone understood. It is so intense. Granted, I’m not a horror/thriller movie person, so I have a low threshold for that kinda thing, but I feel like it’s still intense if you really get into the story.

What I love is how it explores what might happen if a group of people were pushed to their absolute limit. You’ve got a mission to literally save the entire world. You’ve got an isolated ship in the middle of space as the setting. You’ve got conflict among the group members. You’ve got danger. You’ve got horrible decisions that need to be made. You’ve got suspense. You’ve got well-written characters. It’s so good. Here, watch the trailer.

Also, bonus, it has this song (I believe the origin of this song), and this song is just so amazing. Gives me chills kinda amazing. This song just makes me feel. (Though I do feel like they should’ve used it for the big ending, rather than earlier in the movie.)

The Prestige

I have seen The Prestige only once, I think, and it was when it came out in theaters. But I remember the ending really making the movie and blowing me away so much that it was immediately one of my favorites. I’ve heard that, in the book, you know everything the whole time, and honestly that feels like it wouldn’t be as fun of an experience.

Dragonheart

This was one of my most watched movies as a kid, but I hadn’t seen it since maybe middle school, until I watched it again a couple years ago. I was afraid it wouldn’t hold up, but it very much did! I adore this movie. It is 100% a love story between a man and a dragon. There are so many romance tropes (watching the sunset, a dramatic moment in the pouring rain, bickering and fussing over each other like a married couple, a townsperson knowingly saying, “Go get your dragon, Bowen!”, naming him after a constellation—that’s not even a trope, that’s like a whole new romantic thing), and every single one of them is between Bowen and Draco.

I actually looked into this, because it seemed like there was no way that was an accident. It turns out there was some drama between writer and… Producer? Director? I don’t know, but they changed a lot, including basically removing the romance between Bowen and the woman (whose name I can never even remember, that’s how important she is), and the writer wasn’t happy. But the person/people who made the changes, they don’t seem like the type to make a gay romance. So weirdly enough, it might’ve been an accident. But in all seriousness, whatever it is, the relationship in the movie is still genuinely fun and beautiful.

Anyway, one more thing I will say is, *SPOILER* be prepared to cry if you watch this. *END SPOILER*

And this another movie with one of my all-time favorite soundtrack songs. This song also makes me feel so emotional.

Little Miss Sunshine

This is another I was surprised held up really well. It has that type of humor I love but don’t know how to describe. And I love how it sort of slowly builds up over the movie. It doesn’t necessarily make you laugh out loud from the start, but it does by the end when it all comes together. It also has some great messages/commentary, on things like body image and not forcing beauty ideals on children.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Honestly, I don’t know if I would love Rocky Horror if I saw it for the first time now. It might be one of those movies you have to grow up with or see at the right time. But because I did, it’s a lot of fun! Great songs. Weird story and characters. I’ve seen it in theaters twice, that was a lot of fun too! (You get to shout things, people dress up, it’s a whole event.) And I get “Science Fiction Double Feature” stuck in my head all the time because I am often seeing or typing the word “science fiction,” being a SFF book blogger and all.

Sweeney Todd

Just a cool movie. Also some great songs. Though I do have to look away when they do the throat slitting lol. Fun fact: I played Mrs. Lovett in one of my school’s ASL shows. We didn’t do whole movies, so it was only three songs (signing and lip syncing), but I think it was the role I nailed more than any other. I needed so much help with the sexy roles, but this one—weird murderer lady—I excelled at 😅

Singing in the Rain

More great songs, and even better dancing! One time I got really into singing the title song, threw my arms out to side for the, “Come on with the rain,” moment like he does in the movie, and a chunk of ice cream flew across the kitchen out of the container I was holding. Also started “tap dancing” once while watching the movie before remembering it was 3 am and I was in a second floor apartment.

Call Me By Your Name

I saw this for the first time recently, and I watched it four times within like five days. I couldn’t stop! I just needed to see it again. It’s so well written and acted and really really captures the emotions, and the characters feel so real and true to life. Even the things Elio says are just the right amount of dramatic that I’m like, “I 100% said stuff like that as a teen.” It’s just so good, and the more I watched it, the more things I noticed and loved about it.