| The other day, I was asked whether I was a book buff, a film buff, or a music buff. It’s a surprisingly tricky question to answer. When I was younger, I was very much a book person — rarely without my nose in one. Reading for pleasure remained a constant until around five years ago. It’s not that I don’t read anymore — I do, every day — but now I read primarily for information rather than escape: articles, papers, news, magazines, blogs. Reading as my primary leisure activity has quietly stepped aside. Music has been a lifelong companion, though my relationship with it has changed. In my twenties and thirties, it was daily and immersive. These days, I listen in shorter bursts — an hour or two, once or twice a week. I used to write poetry with loud, head-thumping music playing; I can’t do that anymore. In truth, I don’t write poetry anymore either — primarily through tiredness. My musical taste has always been eclectic, and probably still is, though it’s less dominant in my day-to-day life now. These days, it’s films that take centre stage. Film is my escape world — alongside gaming, as I’ve mentioned before. I’m drawn to intense audio-visual stimulation, to atmosphere, colour, emotion, and energy. Certain things feed that need more than others, and I sometimes wonder whether this even explains my love of gardening — colour, vibrancy, movement, and life are powerful stimulants for me. At some point, someone asked me an even more complex question: If you had to name your 15 favourite films of all time, what would they be? Honestly, it was brutal. It took me twelve weeks to arrive at a list I felt was truthful. Choosing “the best” films is impossible — best for whom, and by what measure? A global audience? A critical consensus? Or simply what resonates most deeply with me? In the end, I chose the latter. These aren’t films I think everyone should love — they’re films I do love. Films I can return to again and again. My Top 15 Films of All Time (in date order) Seven Samurai (1954) A timeless study of honour, sacrifice, and humanity — and the blueprint for modern ensemble storytelling. The Godfather (1972) Operatic, restrained, and devastating. A masterclass in power, family, and consequence. Jaws (1975) Perfect suspense. Proof that what you don’t see is often more terrifying than what you do. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) Anarchic, rebellious, and endlessly quotable — a comedy that reshaped the genre. Apocalypse Now (1979) War as madness and myth. Unsettling, hypnotic, unforgettable. An American Werewolf in London (1981) A rare balance of humour, horror, and tragedy — and still the most extraordinary werewolf transformation ever filmed. Blade Runner (1982) Mood, philosophy, and visual poetry. A film that grows richer with every viewing. The Breakfast Club (1985) Teenage identity stripped bare. Honest, emotional, and still painfully relevant. Platoon (1986) Raw and personal. War without glamour, seen from the mud and moral grey areas. Stand by Me (1986) Growing up, friendship, and the quiet losses we carry forward in life. Dead Poets Society (1989) The beauty and danger of ideals. A film about voice, courage, and conformity. Uncle Buck (1989) Warm, funny, and deeply human. John Candy at his most heartfelt. Schindler’s List (1993) Devastating, essential, and profoundly humane. A film that demands to be remembered. Jerry Maguire (1996) Vulnerability, love, and integrity wrapped in a deceptively simple story. Saving Private Ryan (1998) Unflinching realism paired with moral gravity. Sacrifice rendered with respect and weight. These are my films — the ones I return to. There are hundreds more I could include: Dirty Dancing, Glory, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator… the list could go on forever. But for simplicity’s sake, these fifteen feel right. So now I’ll turn the question outward: What would your Top 15 films be? |
My Top 15 Films of All Time
Earthly Comforts 
That’s a fantastic and well thought list! I haven’t seen every one of these but many of them and I would very much agree with their inclusion in this list! Happy watching! 🙂
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Hey Suzanne 🙂 How are you? Which ones have you seen? Wishing you and your family a lovely Christmas.
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I haven’t seen these movies except a couple that I don’t even remember.
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Which two?
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I’ve only seen two of your favorite movies LOL I’m probably one of only a handful of people who have never seen The Godfather.
Most of my favorite movies were made before I was born. In NYC there was Channel 11 which had a show called the Million Dollar Movie and they showed the same movie twice a day for a week. So I grew up watching movies from the 1930’s and early 1940’s and they still remain my favorites. “Moonstruck”, which we owned on tape and DVD is the only movie I will watch again and again aside from the oldies.
What I find striking about my taste in movies is that when I was a kid I loved musicals – anything with dancing in it – any of the Busby Berkley movies and ‘Reveille with Beverly” always comes to mind – and now I have no patience for musicals – movie or stage. Tho I like movies about music or that feature music, like “The Commitments” (1991) but that movie sort of falls into the oldie category these days.
Happy Christmas to you and yours!
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The Commitments was an awesome film Grace, l watched this several times at the cinema when it first came out. It’s a wonderfully quotable film. moonstruck was also an excellent movie what’s not to love about Cher and cage. Also wishing you a lovely festive period also Grace. xx
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