25 Movies that Impacted my Life

I don't remember the first movie I ever saw in a theatre, but when I was 8 I have this vivid memory of leaving a theatre with my baby sitter's daughter. I was crying, I had just seen Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. It had moved me to tears. I loved movies from an early age. I remember buying the Parent Trap on VHS in french and watching it over and over. Movies have been so impactful on my life. It's provide the perfect escape and movie magic is absolutely phenomenal. I love props, I love visiting anything that could get me behind the scenes of props. The Universal Studio Tour is one of my favourite things. I love shows about props and clothing from movies. I have excluded documentaries, because I like the ones about climate change and healthy eating.

I love movies, here are 25 movies that have impacted my life.

1) A League of Their Own

On a random Saturday afternoon as a child, I was laying on my mom's bed, watching TV. I watched like 30 minutes of this movie and loved it, it wasn't until I was a little older that I actually got to watch the whole thing. I never knew there was a real league of women baseball players and to me, that is so incredibly special. Am I fascinated with baseball because of this movie? Yes. Do I understand how to play? Basically. I love how strong the women are, I love the sister story behind the baseball plot line. I love the actors in it. It's so so good.

2) Stepmom

Again, I caught this on TV, I fell in love. I watch it every fall on a cold grey day. The acting in the movie is so good, the casting was on point. The plot line is so well developed, it's such a great story to show a mothers love. It is so special to me.

3) Marie Antoinette

I really didn't like this movie when I was a kid, but as I got older and could understand the themes, I liked it so much more. The way it is filmed is so interesting and different from a normal period piece. It made it feel modern in a plot line that was clearly not. It's such an interesting story.

4) The Parent Trap

I can't say how much I love this movie. It's a classic in my books. It reminds me of summer, the camps I never got to go to, but overall its a story about family and sisters. I also did think Lindsay Lohan was a twin because of this movie.

5) Sex and The City the Movie

I will always say, "there isn't anything Sex and the City can't fix". These ladies are glamorous, smart, talented, and why wouldn't I want to be one? Personally, when I see Carrie write, I want to write, it sparks my need to share my life. It's about the ladies and their friendship, not the men.

6) Father of the Bride

I used to watch this movie on Saturday mornings with my dad and my sister on TBS. It quickly became a favourite. It's also such a nice story between father and daughter.

7) Legally Blonde

Elle Woods has the top confidence. She is kind, positive and if you don't live every day like her, well you're doing it wrong. She instilled that I could do whatever I wanted and be whomever I wanted to be.

8) Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls was one of those movies I could watch for days. Set in the middle of the civil rights movement, it's a movie that brings glamour and is based on The Supremes. I know the whole soundtrack, I can quote the movie. It's fabulous, it's real, and it's emotionally beautiful.

9) Centre Stage

I was not a ballet dancer, but I was a dancer and this movie was so well done. The plot line is interesting and the ending number is such a powerful piece of art.

10) Signing in the Rain

Debbie Reynolds, do I need to say more? I love tapping as a kid and this movie is so perfectly classic. It's absolutely spectacular.

11) Harry Potter (1-8)

Harry Potter brings a comfort that I can't find in any other movie. It's magical and provides the best escape to life.

12) Star Wars (4-6,1-3, 7-8)

I only got into Star Wars recently, but it's so damn good. I don't know why I didn't watch these sooner.

13) Back to the Future (1-3)

I love this movie! My whole family loves this movie. You can't watch it enough. My dad introduced this to me on another TBS Saturday morning and I mean, how do you not fall in love with this? It's such a good movie, the plot is spectacular. I am in love with Back to the Future.

14) Matilda

My mom introduced me to this one when we were visiting my nana and baba. We were renting movies. It's such a powerful story about the magic of books and love from strangers. I also still want magic powers that let's me do cool things.

15) Mona Lisa Smile

I know a lot of people hated this movie, but I think it shows what it was like for women in 1954, how little they could do and the dynamics of how the women are. It's a layered movie that is so special. The characters are well developed.

16) Mean Girls

This movie is a cult classic. It's well written, the casting was great, and it's truly hilarious. It also shows how awful people can be in high school. It's entertaining. I wanted to see this movie so badly and on a flight home from BC, my mom wouldn't let me watch it because it was an overnight trip. I knew I loved it then, but would only get to watch it much later because it wasn't appropriate for my age.

17) Remember the Titans

What an excellent movie about schools integrating in the Civil Rights Movement. I did a whole paper on Brown V. Board of Education. I love the civil rights movement. I love that my 7th grade teacher introduced me to this movie. It's such a special uplifting movie.

18) The Butler

I love this movie because it depicts the whole civil rights movement from a different aspect that we normally do not see. It's such a special movie that offers a different view point. It's very impactful.

19) Soul Surfer

What an inspirational movie! I love Hawaii, I love surfing, but this story is beautiful. The casting is great, the script is great and overall its a comforting movie.

20) National Treasure

I watched this with my parents on New Years Eve, about 10 years later, I made my family go on a National Treasure movie trip. I secretly packed in as many movie locations as I could and as much American history as I could. It was amazing.

21) Mr. Hollands Opus

Mr. Hollands Opus is one of those impactful stories about life and teaching. My mom was a teacher and I always loved how she impacted her students. Mr. Holland shares his love of music and at the end of the movie, we see that. It's so emotional to see his whole career and see how amazing it was.

22) The Big Short

I didn't quite understand the housing market crash when it happened. It hurt so many people. This movie did a great job at explaining it and showing how people had figured out that there would be a crash and they shorted the housing market. It's powerful, it's about money, and it's really well done.

23) Mrs. Doubtfire

My great aunt introduced me to this movie at 7. I loved it so much, she let me keep the VHS copy. Robin Williams is so classic and the movie is so interesting. I don't think my childhood would have been as good if this movie wasn't in my life.

24) October Sky

October Sky is one of my favourite movies about people setting limitations and kids breaking them. It's inspirational.

25) Mamma Mia!

This movie is so happy. Like most musicals, it brings a smile to my face. I saw this in Las Vegas on opening weekend. The theatre was empty, which makes sense since people don't go to Las Vegas, me and my sister just had to see it. We sang most of it and it was so much fun.

Thanks for reading,

Samantha