Anne of Green Gables Trilogy

Anne of Green Gables follows the life of a young orphan from the time she was first brought to Avonlea, to her return for nursing in World War I. Her humor, imagination, and romantic ideas have slightly molded the person I am today. Because of my excessive viewing of these films as a child, I became the most romantic member of my group of friends. With this, I used to lead my friends in fantastic adventures of romance, heartbreak, and mystery, much as Anne did with her best friend Dianna.
As I have written these posts, I have come to realize that my favorite films aren't based on their worldly merit, but with my personal experiences with each one, making them unique, just for me.

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music inspired two of my passions, history and music. I watched this film over and over again as a child, and even grew to believe that I was actual in the film. It's description of regular life leading up to World War II planted a seed that later grew into a strong interest of European history, and its amazing music inspired me to go out into the woods and sing my heart out to the trees and animals. The film itself is very well written, directed, and acted, only increasing the movie's worth in my mind. I will forever dream of singing on the hills of Austria, alive with the sound of music.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

When I was in second grade, I had troubles reading. I was a smart kid, excelling in ever other subject, but for some reason I couldn't wrap my head around reading. One night, my father came into my room to tuck me in and with him he carried a huge red leather bound book. It was The Lord of The Rings, a complete set. For the next six months, he and I would each read a page and switch off until it was time for me to go to bed. Before I knew it, I could read.
When the movies came out, I was very excited to see them, of course, my mother didn't let me until after I was thirteen because of the violent content. In the span of one week, I rented the two movies that were already released and went to the theater to see The Return of The King. Although the movies aren't exactly like the books, they still hold the same feeling and explore the main themes, making them very enjoyable to watch and discuss with anyone who is interested.

Waking Ned Devine

Although my very proud Irish father had shown me this film as a child, I didn't really absorb it until my Sophomore year at a party for our fiddling group going to Ireland. The first time I watched it I thought it was funny and had very good music in it. The story is about a pair of old Irish men who discover that someone in their village of barely 50 has one the Irish Lotto. With this simple plot, the story then spins out of control on a wild adventure of lies, manipulation, and humor.
With this film stuck in my head, I returned to Ireland for the second time later that month. The portrayal of the Irish culture in the film was so real and accurate that I have watched the film at least ten times since then to bring me back to the green island of Ireland.
Although this film isn't considered a great classic, it will forever hold a special place in my heart and its poster will be spread out over my bed so that when I wake up in the morning, I smile with the memories of music, green fields, and naked old men riding motorcycles.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Watching a favorite movie for the first time is often an experience one remembers. For me, this was true for O Brother, Where Art Thou to an extreme. This film is about a band of escaped convicts on the search for a treasure that their leader, Everett, had buried before getting arrested by the state of Mississippi. I first watched this film on a road trip to New Orleans, and we were driving through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, when we watched this on the bus. Many of the themes from the movie spilled out into our trip, and the soundtrack was replayed in actual settings over and over again.
Of course, this film is also amazing for its actual merit and intelligence. Written by the Coen brothers, it has added itself to the list of classics because of its real portrayal of the south during the depression, its parallel to Homers epic poem The Odyssey, and, of course, its humor.