It was once said that to get the best judge of one’s character, you merely must ask for their Letterboxd top 4. Whittling down every film you have ever seen in your short little existence is an incredibly hard task to complete, it allows for an excellent telling of the soul, and one’s decision can make or break friendships – I’m being deadly serious here, do you really want to be associated with someone who has sharknado 5: global swarming (albiet, an excellent title) in their top 4? I think not. 

This little blog of mine is still in its very early stages. If you’re here reading this, congratulations, we’re about to make history, as I try to worm my way into the big, scary world of film journalism (aaaaaa) and thought what better way than to start a thriving and intimate relationship with each other than sharing my very own Letterboxd top 4 films. Quick note, before I do so, if you agree, yippee!! You have excellent taste and should probably reward yourself with some M&S cookies (preferably the white chocolate ones). However, if you do tend always to make the wrong decisions and, in this case, disagree with my top 4… keep your opinions to yourself, as I am overly sensitive. Whilst I pride myself on my favourite films, I do not wish to hear anything but praise for them, thanks. 

1. Little Women dir. Greta Gerwig

Little Women is the ultimate story of the wonders of childhood, and what it means when it draws to a close, and it makes me cry every time I watch it (5 stars). A book-to-film adaptation, originally written by Louisa May Alcott, a struggling author who grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, who was inspired by her own childhood, growing up in an unconventional family, to write about her own experiences, which found a home in the four March sisters, Jo, Amy, Beth and Meg. Whilst there have been many adaptations of Little Women, Gerwig’s adaptation is by far my favourite. I would also rank this adaptation higher than the original works (I’m allowed to say that, I’m a huge reader, alongside a cinephile). 

Saoirse Ronan is phenomenal in the role of Jo and has since become an auto-watch actress. I adore her. Ronan’s portrayal of Jo is passionate, fiery and energetic and is a brilliant driving force of the film. Whilst Jo is our main character, I would say this is an ensemble piece, with the story focusing so much on the importance of sisterhood that we get glimpses into each sister’s life and how they affect one another, each sister being a completely different and individual person. Attentive Meg, played by Emma Watson; Hot-headed Amy, played by Florence Pugh; and gentle Beth, played by Eliza Scanlen. A brilliant cast for a brilliant film, I won’t go into the entire cast (I’m sure you have more productive uses of your time). Still, other favourite faces include Meryl Streep, who plays the stern Aunt March, and Timothée Chalamet, who plays the ever-charming Laurie. Each emboldened their characters and truly brought them to life in a way that hadn’t been seen before.

Gerwig’s adaptation of the story has the characters played by the same actors throughout their childhood and adulthood. It meshes the story between flashback scenes and the present day, primarily utilising colour-grading to differentiate the two: a warm, bright tone to reflect childhood and a cold, grey tone to reflect adulthood.

It is rewarding to see that throughout the film we grow up with the sisters and go through each trial and tribulation of what it meant to be a woman in the 1800’s, finding their way finding their way in what makes them the happiest, “Just because my dreams are different than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant”, Meg points out to Jo, when she chooses to follow the traditional route of Mother and Wife. Little Women is for sure an excellent piece of feminist art, one that makes me proud and emotional to be a woman, the scene that hits me IN THE HEART, like a goddamn sucker punch to the gut is when Jo is expressing to her mother with frustration, the societies narrow-minded view of women; that she feels that she is worth so much more than romantic love, but sometimes does feel lonely, and whether she cares more for the feeling of being loved than to actual be in it, I stand by this point, Jo March is my aromantic icon. 

2. Little Shop of Horrors dir. Frank Oz

Okay, it’s time to unleash my inner theatre kid. Yes, I am one of those, and no, I cannot sing. Little Shop of Horrors is a camp 80s horror-comedy musical, and I love it dearly. It is based on the off-Broadway stage show, which is also based on the 1960 Roger Corman film, featuring Jack Nicholson (I’m yet to see this version, but I’m hoping he does the Kubrick stare the entire time). However, in the 1986 edition, Seymour Krelborn is played by the amazing Rick Moranis, who is a down-on-his-luck orphan working in Mushnik’s Flower Shop, hoping that one day Lady Luck will hear his prayers and get him out of downtown Skid Row. When Seymour buys a strange plant from a Chinese man for $1.95, his life is upturned unexpectedly. This strange new plant is aptly named Audrey II (in honour of his colleague, whom he’s unrequitedly in love with), a carnivorous, human-eating monster, unbeknownst to everyone, but Seymour, and he’s getting hungry. As Audrey II feeds and grows, Seymour becomes more successful, and there’s a chance he may have a shot at love; however, these conditions will only continue if he agrees to one thing…murder. 

Again, there is a strong cast in this film, with household names including Steve Martin, as a sadistic dentist who has an addiction to nitrous oxide, i.e. laughing gas. Bill Murray, a willing dental patient, who seems to thrive off a painful visit to the dentist and John Candy, a wacky and weird radio presenter. 

The songs in the film are incredibly catchy, and I quite often find myself singing aloud, SUDDENLYYYY SEYMOURRRRR. I mean, who knew, Rick Moranis could sing? Certainly not me. At a short 90 minutes, Little Shop of Horrors is an incredibly fun film, even if you’re one of those saddos that don’t enjoy musicals. I highly recommend that you give it a watch; I guarantee that you’ll have an earworm the next day, telling you to FEED ME. 

3. Back to the Future dir. Robert Zemeckis 

I have a confession: my top 4 changes quite a bit. This list will probably be obsolete in 3 months; however, Back to the Future will always be there, it may end up being my absolute favourite film of all time. That is quite the claim, so I don’t want to mark it as that officially, but…perhaps? Again, another film from the 80’s, and it’s an absolute classic, it is a sci-fi comedy. It focuses on Marty McFly, who whilst in a car chase from libyan nationalists (oop), accidentally travels back in time when the DeLorean hits 88mph, to 1955, jepodising his own future existence, with the help of his best pal, Doc Brown, they must get back to good ol’ 1985 without messing up the timeline too much…God, I hope that his own mother doesn’t fall in love with him!! Back to the Future is just an all-around feel-good comfort movie to me. I’m not ashamed to say that I pretty much know the entire script word for word, sound effects and all. 

Michael J. Fox stars as teenage Marty McFly and is the ultimate main character for me. He is courageous, easy-to-root-for and incredibly cool *insert clip of him breaking that kid’s scooter and turning it into a skateboard*, plus he plays the guitar, what’s not to love about this guy?! Christopher Lloyd plays Doctor Emmett Brown. He is a crazy haired scientist who befriends Marty, and whilst it’s normally creepy when an old man hangs around with a child, when watching BBTF, Marty and Doc’s friendship is one of the greats, a fantastic double act that truly makes the film a classic. 

I would not be able to praise Back to the Future if I weren’t going to mention the soundtrack. Perhaps one of my favourite soundtracks of all time, primarily featuring Huey Lewis and the News, it’s pure 80s goodness. I urge you to listen to Back in Time, it encapsulates the entire feeling of the film. I feel such a thrill when I listen. 

4. IT dir. Andy Muschietti

Coming up at number four is a little rogue compared to my other films, but here we are, and we’re talking about IT, not the creepy Tim Curry one from the 90s, but the 2017 adaptation. As mentioned earlier, I am an avid reader. With that, an avid Stephen King lover, I’m actually taking it upon myself (for however long it may take) to read all of his books in publication order, I read IT, all 1100 pages of it, last summer and really enjoyed it, and wanted to read it all again, as soon as I reached the last page, (let’s forget the problematic ending, huh), but couldn’t justify to myself, so I decided as a way to reread, I must reach it by reading the 17 books previously published beforehand (make it make sense idk). All this to be said, I bloody love Stephen King and how his somewhat demented mind works, and the 2017 adaptation of IT is no exception. 

The film is faithful to its original works. In the mega-tome, the story spans 30 years, 1957 – 1985, in which our main characters return to the small town of Derry, Maine, to face the entity of IT. However, in the film, the focus is on the friendship group from their childhood, during their summer of terror. It’s also important to note that the film takes place in 1989 rather than 1957, which fits into the 80s nostalgia wave that was prevalent in 2016-2018.

The group consists of Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Martell), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff), a group of misfits and losers, and I feel extremely maternal towards them. The film opens with the death of little Georgie Denbrough, who, whilst out playing in the rain, gets his arm bitten off and dragged down into the sewer by Pennywise the Dancing Clown – the “humanoid” embodiment that the entity of IT takes hold of in which to haunt the town.  The group spend their summer facing their own individual fears and working together to battle this bloodthirsty clown. 

Like many 80s nostalgia pieces, IT emphasises the importance of friendship and the need to stick together, even in times of fear. By far my favourite element of the film is Pennywise himself, portrayed by Bill Skarsgård. The creature design is extremely effective in instilling fear into the audience, and Skarsgård’s performance is genuinely unnerving and sends a shiver down your spine. Oddly enough, this film has become a bit of a comfort film for me, judge if you may, but Pennywise may be my favourite horror character, I love that silly guy!