Tuesday 15 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday | Favourite Movies/TV Shows



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Favourite Movies or TV Shows' - it's a chance for us bookworms to share some of our other favourite stories which happen to be told through a different medium. 

I decided to stay away from any book adaptations, even though there are a few that I love, so without further ado, here's my list!


Beauty and the Beast (1991)

I am a Disney nut, so obviously at least one Disney film was going to be on this list and it had to be this one. Why? Because not only is Beauty and the Beast my favourite Disney film, it's my favourite film period. I love this film so much and I'm never going to grow out of it; in fact people who claim they've grown out of Disney are just as bad as people who claim you can grow out of YA. Stories are stories no matter how old you are.





Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

Honestly a lot of the films and shows on this are going to be ones from my childhood/teens that have stayed with me, and this is one such show. Can you believe it's turning ten years old next year? This show may be animated, but it's not only for children. This show is just gorgeous and it explores some really mature themes without talking down to its audience. If you love character-driven shows and you haven't watched this yet then I recommend it. It's just beautiful story-telling!


The Mummy (1999)

This film is another one of my all time favourites, and it's just so fun. When it was originally released I was only eight and I don't think I watched it until I was at least ten or eleven, which was probably for the best; the scarab beetles terrified the life out of me when I was younger.

The Mummy has a little bit of everything. It's got action, adventure, humour, romance and a fantastic female lead - what's not to like? Plus Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo aren't too bad to look at, either.



Firefly (2002)


I didn't actually get around to watching Firefly until this year, but I always knew I was going to love it. Who knows why I waited this long to watch it; perhaps because I'm very lazy when it comes to tv shows (I really have to force myself to watch them sometimes) or maybe because the show was cancelled, and I was reluctant to become invested in something that was going to end sooner than I'd like.


Usually when I watch shows with a relatively big cast of main characters I'll have one or two that are my absolute favourites, but what I love most about this show is that I love all the characters and I'm not sure that I could pick a favourite. This show is so much fun and there's a character for everyone - if only it hadn't been cancelled!


The Tudors (2007-2010)

This show is the kind of show that polarises people. There are those who love it despite its flaws and there are those who are too invested in historical accuracy to enjoy it. Now I love me some historical accuracy in my fiction and dramas, and I'm well aware of this show's flaws - in fact I'm as willing to point them out as someone who hates it - but what I love about this show is the way it humanised all six of Henry VIII's wives.

When it comes to famous historical figures it's so easy for us to look at old, stiff portraits and think we know everything about the person in the picture. What this show did was give Henry's wives, and Henry himself, as many likeable qualities as unlikeable ones. This show reminded its audience that these people, though they lived 500 years ago, were still people, and as someone who writes historical fiction I can't help but appreciate that.



Friends (1994-2004)


It's so bizarre to think that this show started a month before I turned 3 years old. 20 years on and it's still being enjoyed and watched, and if that's not the mark of a good show then I'm not sure what is.

I discovered Friends during my teens, a couple of years after the show finished, and my best friend and I watched it and loved it whenever I slept over. Like Firefly, this show is another show in which there's a character for everyone, but I love them all. It still makes me laugh, and if I'm ever feeling down, sad or depressed all I have to do is stick on an episode of this and I feel better.


Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Did this film really come out 11 years ago? Bloody hell.

I feel very lucky in that, as a child of the 90's, I got to witness the releases of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series and the Pirates of the Caribbean films during my childhood and adolescence. I've no doubt in my mind that these films were formative.

The Pirates films are so much fun. I know I've said that for several of the films/shows on this list, but I guess that's just what I enjoy to watch. If something isn't fun then why watch it? These films made pirate stories cool again, and they introduced me to Captain Jack Sparrow, my one true love.



The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)


Here we have another Jack, and this one sparked my life-long admiration for Tim Burton's work. I was only 2 years old when this film came out so obviously I can't remember its release, but watching it is a constant memory throughout my childhood. I loved this film when I was little (and still do) and I can't remember a Halloween or Christmas when I didn't sit down and watch it.

To this day it's still my favourite of Tim Burton's films, despite the fact that he didn't direct it, and I'll be watching it again as soon as October rolls around!


Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

I don't think I've met anyone who watched this film and didn't love it. Watching this film reminds me of the feeling I got reading Grimm's Fairy Tales when I was younger; it's dark, spooky, melancholic and hopeful, and frankly I don't watch enough non-English speaking films.

I think Guillermo del Toro's a brilliant storyteller, and I continue to love his work.




Orphan Black (2013-present)


Orphan Black's another show I didn't start watching until this year - in fact I accidentally marathoned the entire first season in the space of 3 days - and I'm in love with it. Tatiana Maslany is amazing at what she does and, like Firefly and Friends, I love all the clones so much that I find it hard to pick a favourite.

What I really love about this show is how it's addressing themes such as a woman's right to her own body and what she does with it, and right now I think it's so important that we're talking about it; especially when there are still people out there who think they have the right to shame women into having or not having abortions, or think that it's justified to blame a woman when she is a victim of sexual abuse.

I just think this is a very important show, and it addresses all these issues so beautifully while maintaining an excellent story and gorgeous character progression.

So what are some of your favourite films and/or shows?

J.

29 comments:

  1. Oooh, The Nightmare Before Christmas. :D Love that but didn't pick it. I did choose Beauty and the Beast and Avatar, though. :) And as you mentioned, I too chose quite a few things from my childhood / teens.

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  2. I adore Friends. I have seen the episodes so many times, but I still re-watch them. Beauty and The Beast is one of my favourite ever Disney films. Great choices! :-)

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    1. Friends never gets old, I think that's why it's one of the best shows of all time - it doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, I still watch it again and again!

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  3. Friends! I can't believe I forgot friends! Also I love Firefly so much!!! Have you seen Serenity?
    My TTT

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  4. Once I had a baby I had to sing it Baby Got Back to see if he'd smile like Ross and Rachel did with Emma.

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  5. So glad you put Firefly and Orphan Black! I was so grateful for Serenity

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    1. They're both fantastic shows - I've noticed I tend to love shows with ensemble casts. :) If a show focuses just on one person I tend to lose interest fairly quickly, because quite often the main character can be kind of annoying. ^^; These two are brilliant, though. I can't wait for season 3 of Orphan Black!

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  6. Orphan Black! LOVE! And OMG how much I LOVE The Mummy! It is brilliant! I must admit....I have not seen a single full episode of Friends. But I plan on getting them from my library and watching them all soon!

    Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library--My TTT!

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    1. The Mummy's so much fun, isn't it? :D You should definitely check out Friends - it's great!

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  7. I've stepped away from tv and movies for so long that I need some new recommendations. Thanks for sharing these. I'm taking notes today.

    And, since I'm not really in a position to recommend tv or movies, I decided to venture off on my own this week and post about mood-boosting books: Be-Happy Books.

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    1. I hope you find something new that you like! :)

      That's a great idea! ^__^

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  8. I love Pirates of the Caribbean! I know it's not exactly the same as it was when it started, but I still laugh in every movie and secretly enjoy myself to pieces. xD Jack Sparrow just gets crazier and crazier and it's totally awesome. xD My TTT!

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    1. Yeah movie 4 wasn't all that great, but I still love the franchise! :)

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  9. Beauty and The Beast! Totally agree. Belle was (and probably still is) my favourite children's role model! :)

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    1. I love Belle; she's always been my favourite Disney Princess. :D

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  10. I hear Orphan Black is fantastic but haven't started it yet/

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  11. I watched the Tudors up to the end of Anne Boleyn. She is one of my favorite historical characters, but after that I lost interest in the show.
    But Jonathon Rhys Meyers sure is handsome!

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    1. Natalie Dormer's portrayal of Anne Boleyn was fantastic - she's always who I think of when I think of Anne Boleyn now. The show did lose a little something after she left, but I still recommend watching the rest of the series if you ever feel like it. :) They do a really good job of portraying Henry's downward spiral into madness.

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  12. "You are, without doubt, the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

    "But you have heard of me."

    ;)

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  13. I just started watching Orphan Black and I marathoned through the first season... I was obsessed! I have put off watching season two, and we'll see.

    Great list!

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    1. I did the same with the first season - the second season's just as good! :)

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  14. `Beauty and the Beast`....definitely

    http://newhorizonreviews.blogspot.com/

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  15. Great picks! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie! And my younger brother got me into The Last Airbender, and now we watch The Legend of Korra. :)

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    1. It's definitely one of the best ones. :D I've watched some of The Legend of Korra, but so far I'm not the biggest fan. I might give it another try, though!

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