"What's Your Letterboxd Top 4?"

I have seen too many films–I mean, there’s no such thing really–but last year I watched 150, the year before a grand total of 270 films, and this year I am sitting at 94 so far (granted some I was kind of tuned out for, like Ouija Shark but that's besides the point). The thing is, I don’t use my Letterboxd four favorites in the traditional sense, and although I love the films, I wouldn’t say they are the most defining of who I am. (Well maybe one of them, but no spoilers.)  I love film, not just making it. I love admiring the craft. Here are a few of the over 1,600 films I’ve seen, selected based on parameters to best describe me. 

Image from The Shape of Water.

1. The Movie that Made Me Fall in Love with Movies: The Shape of Water directed by Guillermo del Toro

This movie came out when I was 13 years old, but I’ve loved movies and writing long before. However, this film was the one that opened my eyes to what filmmaking and directing can be. I was a big fan of the show Face Off, a special effects makeup show, as a child, and that’s where I was introduced to character-performer Doug Jones. I found out that he was going to be in the del Toro feature, and I absolutely had to see it. It didn’t take my Mom much convincing because she, too, was intrigued. It was the most magical thing I had ever seen. It touched my heart in ways I never really thought it would.  The color palette throughout the film is so rich, filled with the most gorgeous teals and carefully placed reds. The storylines of the marginalized people in the narrative, of which there are many, are so powerful and handled with such love. Their stories were not of tragedy, but of hope and aspiration. 

Image from Scooby Doo.

2. The Long Lasting Childhood Favorite: Scooby Doo directed by Raja Gosnell

Ever since I was a child, I loved Scooby Doo. It was just that show and movie for me. This has been my childhood favorite, and it lasted into my adulthood. Every rewatch I notice something new. Now, I can particularly quote it. Sure, at times it has its dumb moments, much like my next pick, but it is just so full of life. The casting is pulled straight from the cartoon. The acting is perfect. It’s bold. It just simply makes me so happy. There are some photos that exist of my posed with all of the various Scooby Doo movies I owned when I was around 8-10. I’m not sure how old I was, but I remember at every age I loved the cartoon. Scooby Doo has even been with my throughout my entire college journey. Literally I own a not quite life size, but large Scooby Doo plus and I have brought it from home and I have had it since Freshman year. I have rewatched the Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated as recent as last year and probably around six different times throughout the year. What can I say? I just love it.

Image from This is the End

3. Most Unexpected Favorite: This is the End directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

My references, like Jay Baruchel’s, are out of control (mostly thanks to watching many films, as we have established). I honestly just wanted to throw in that line somehow. I accidentally stumbled upon this film when I was bored on Netflix, and I not only fell in love with Seth Rogan’s comedic stylings, but also Backstreet Boys (but that’s unimportant). After this film, it inspired me to watch as many films from my favorite comics of the cast and now, I’ve fallen head over heels for comedy writing in film. I already loved horror comedy, but this made me find a new connection with just comedy. I see the film as a masterpiece, unironically. It is quick, punchy, unique, and everything you can want and more. There’s great chemistry, and there’s nothing quite like it. Also, I know this film didn’t age quite well, but there is not much I can really do it except not supporting some of the comedians moving forward. I don't think I'll find another movie quite like this one though. I used to just watch some of it before I went to sleep some nights. I was a pure comfort movie for me.

Image from Scream.

4. The Film that Changed My Life: Scream directed by Wes Craven

Every single time I write, Scream is what comes to mind. I saw this roughly around the same time as the del Toro pick. The Shape of Water may be a film I admire, but Scream is a film I constantly turn to in writer’s block. It is truly the film that I would define as me. I even have a running joke amongst friends that I am “literally Randy Meeks.” I think about the film constantly. My first introduction was almost addictive. I saw all of the sequels and similar films immediately after in quick succession. I was trying to find that fix, but nothing beats the original. It has a great set of characters, with great actors to match it. Fun dialogue and perfect pacing. It is the horror movie to define all horror movies, and it’s literally making fun of them. It’s brilliant in so many ways, and my connection to this movie with my collection of shirts, a purse, a figurine, a poster, and much more merchandise can’t easily be severed.

These films are just a microcosm of not only my passion but my life. I can identify where I was in life based on movies, and these ones changed me for the better because film has the power to do that. As Nicole Kidman would say, “we come to this place to laugh, to cry, to care,” and although that AMC Ad was absurd in a campy way, it is a true statement.