For as long as I can remember, watching movies has comforted me in my most trying times. Whether it be illnesses that won’t quit, breakups, or bouts of homesickness…cinema has always been my savior. If I popped in the right DVD (or VHS if we want to go waaaay back), a smile would immediately cross my face and for those 90-120 minutes, life would feel right again. Or at least, I would forget about all that was ailing me and be transported to a warm and fuzzy place.

These are the ones that just do it for me:

1. 10 Things I Hate About You; a huge smile erupts on my face when I see that this movie is playing on Netflix (ps; it is NOW) even though I own it. There’s just something special about scrolling through your viewing options and seeing one of your favorites show up. Like a little packaged surprise! This movie reminds me of high school, which was a turbulent and hormonal time sure, but also such a carefree one. It was also the first time I ever saw Heath Ledger (& I’m pretty sure everyone else’s too), and he quickly became one of my absolute favorites. Plus, THAT scene. You know the one. You’re just too good to be true…..CLASSIC.

2. That Thing You Do!; I’m sure you’ll see a theme with this list. I’m a sucker for 90’s teen flicks. This one is just so special to me though. I love all music-related films so I was really excited for this movie to come out when I was a teen. So much so that I bought the soundtrack before the movie had premiered and listened to it on repeat so much that I knew every word to every song by the time I actually saw it in the theater opening day. It’s such a sweet, sweet story and never fails to get me in a better mood. AND, it’s pretty much impossible not to sing along to the main theme. Try it. I dare you.

3. Empire Records; yep, keep those teen flicks rolling. This is honestly the first time I realized I had a favorite movie. I watched this movie so often that I could spit back every piece of dialogue (and still can). In fact, I still use quotes from it on a daily basis anytime I see fit. If you are able to recognize said quotes, you will instantaneously be in my inner circle. You have been warned. Also, if you are in the NYC area next month, make sure to check out the 20th year anniversary (!!!!) of the film at Rough Trade in Brooklyn which will be turning their store into the beloved Empire Records. I so wish I could go!

4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy; it was due to these films that I truly realized I was a fangirl. I lived, breathed and ate every piece of this fandom during its entire run and had all the collectors editions of the films. I grew to love this cast like they were my buddies and still squee pretty hard when I see a group or pair of them together randomly. It renewed my faith and love of the fantasy genre and helped me start reading again after a long dry spell in college. Needless to say, when it’s on TV, I need to watch it. Fun fact: my LJ username was HobbitLuv for a bit. Yeah, it was legit guys.

5. The NeverEnding Story; when something is good, it never gets old and this movie is the perfect example. My cousin gave me a VHS tape with this movie and Romancing The Stone when I was a kid. I never watched Romancing the Stone passed the first viewing, but my heart just could not get enough of The NeverEnding Story. It filled it with just the perfect pinch of fantasy, romance and utter wonder. Till this day, I’m still on the fence as to whether watching Atreyu’s horse, Atrax, sink into the Swamp of Sadness permanently scarred me as a human being. That, my friends, is what a true film should make you question. 😉

Honorable mentions: The Secret of Nimh, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swingers, The Sandlot, Fight Club, The Harry Potter series, Almost Famous & Kill Bill (1 & 2).