So, this is the last one folks. I really contemplated what I wanted to do for this last blog, should I just do another movie? Should I do a short film week like last year? Yada Yada. However, I decided I would give brief summaries of my favorite movies of all time (not in order of favorites because I don’t really roll that way) to recommend to all of you! Kinda cheesy, but I thought this could be a kind of pay it forward type deal. I hope you take a few of these into consideration and put them on your list of movies to watch!
Number One
Megamind
This was going to be the movie a reviewed in full this week if I had gone with that plan. I just really enjoy this movie and believe it still really holds up with its themes and overall message. If you bring this movie up talk for at least 20 minutes about it, then send you 3 links to video essays about the movie. I have done this to friends, sorry not sorry.
But this movie follows the ‘super villain’ Megamind as he struggles with his identity as a supervillain without a superhero to fight anymore. He finds that he just wants to be a ‘normal’ person and how that’s what he has wanted all along.
Number Two
Good Will Hunting
I quote this movie daily, it’s all over my Instagram, and I always recommend it to everyone I meet. My high school history teacher recommended this movie to me in my junior year when I started to question my academics and most importantly myself.
Will Hunting is a janitor at MIT and solves a graduate-level, otherwise unsolved, mathematics problem. Without a ‘formal’ education and short temper, after he gets arrested the Professor of the Math class makes a deal with him to not be as harsh if he agrees to meet with therapist Sean Maguire. Sean and Will have such a unique relationship that they build from one another. This is a real tear-jerker!
Number Three
Perfect Blue
Satoshi Kon has been a name that I had heard thrown around when talking about anime and decided to watch one of his most famous films (other than Akira). This movie is a psychological thriller through and through and I don’t recommend it unless I know someone would be comfortable watching it. There are quite a few graphic scenes in this movie, and I had to watch it multiple times to fully understand how the movie fit together to tell the story. This movie has some of the best takes on identity to this day, so I recommend it if these types of movies are your forte.
Mima was a pop idol until she decided to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. In the world of acting, she must shed her ‘good-girl’ image and this has her struggling to find herself (leads her to go insane?). In the meantime, she has a stalker that wants her to go back to her pop idol ways thus sparking a lot of Mima’s identity crisis.
Number Four
Howl’s Moving Castle
My full review of this movie is already on the blog! Find it here:
https://sites.psu.edu/kennamoviereview/2021/11/05/33/
Number Five
Her
I watched this movie for the first time with my ex-boyfriend from high school. I think this is one of Joaquin’s best movies in my humble opinion. This movie is very well-paced and has an interesting premise.
Theodore writes personal letters for other people, and while grieving after his marriage ends, he decides to try the new AI system that pops up. He slowly builds his relationship with ‘Samantha’, and it evolves from companionship into love.
Number Six
Luca
My full review is already on the blog! Find it here:
https://sites.psu.edu/kennamoviereview/2022/02/22/from-one-gay-italian-to-another/
Number Seven (ending with lucky number seven)
Grease
This movie played on repeat every time I had a broken heart. This movie and its songs make me feel nostalgic about my childhood, my mom really likes this movie and originally showed it to me.
This movie is set in the 1950s and follows Sandy and Danny as they traverse high school cliques and teenage love. Musical numbers convey a lot of the plot, as this is an adaptation of a musical.
I have many, many other movies that I think are some of my favorites (these are just a few) so let me know if you want more!
Links to pictures
Ah yes, I know first-hand how much you love talking about Megamind and I thoroughly enjoyed the video essay on it. I also definitely need to watch Perfect Blue and Her after reading and hearing your suggestions.