Movies were my first love. I can’t pinpoint exactly when that passion began — as Jane Austen wrote, “I was in the middle before I knew I had begun.” I was an anxious child who often felt uncertain about how to move through the world, but stories made sense. I loved their structure, the control they offered, and how filmmakers could shape life’s chaos into something coherent and meaningful.
My parents encouraged that love, especially my mother, whose knowledge of classic movie stars seemed endless. I remember my first theater trip around age four for Toy Story 2, and after that I was taken to everything from Star Wars to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films. Nothing — not even an R rating — kept me from seeing a movie I wanted to watch, and my parents learned quickly that parental controls on the TV were futile. As a kid I gravitated to late-90s and early-2000s adventure epics. I went through a Russell Crowe phase, repeatedly watching Gladiator and Master and Commander. Over time my tastes refined toward literary adaptations, quirky indies, and the stark beauty in films by directors like Jane Campion.
This list highlights a selection of films that shaped who I am. From fairy tales and Austen adaptations to grand romances and animated classics, these are movies I watched during formative years — films that influenced the person I grew into. They’re rewatchable to the point of obsession: I’ve seen many of them countless times and never grow bored. These movies remind me why I fell in love with cinema.
I’m not claiming these are definitively the greatest films of all time, but they are the films that made me. Here are the 10 best films, as they mean to me.
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10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
“We are what they grow beyond. That is the burden of all masters.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review
Star Wars has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My fourth birthday had a Star Wars theme, and though my godmother’s Darth Vader costume terrified me, the franchise quickly became central to my childhood. When The Force Awakens arrived I was excited but left the theater feeling oddly empty — it felt like something was missing. The Last Jedi, however, reignited what I loved about Star Wars. Rian Johnson took risks, pushing the franchise forward instead of hiding behind nostalgia. The film isn’t perfect, but its ambition and willingness to challenge expectations made it the most emotionally resonant recent entry for me.
Mark Hamill’s performance here stands out as one of his finest. Despite his public reservations about Luke’s arc, his work in the film feels committed and honest. For me, The Last Jedi offered a meaningful send-off for the character that felt real and earned, and it remains a reminder of what the sequel trilogy might have been.
I still wrestle with disappointment over how the trilogy concluded, but The Last Jedi endures as a film that reminded me why Star Wars mattered to me in the first place.
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9. Ever After (1998)
“A bird may love a fish, Signore, but where would they live?”
“Then I shall just have to build you wings!”
Ever After, with Drew Barrymore, revisits the Cinderella story in 16th-century France and even features historical figures like King Francis and Leonardo da Vinci. It’s the kind of film I turn to when I need to believe in something: lush, romantic, and gently funny. Ever After is one of the most satisfying fairy-tale adaptations I know, grounded by a sense of justice — goodness is rewarded and cruelty is exposed.
I grew up during a time when girls were often told their favorite stories were frivolous. I outgrew that shame and now celebrate romance wholeheartedly. Ever After remains dear to me because it captures everything I seek in a love story: warmth, intelligence, and the comfort of a world where virtue can be recognized and uplifted.