#movies that changed my life

[amandaklwrites]

Movie Review/Why This Movie Affected Me: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Genre: Children, Family/Action, Adventure/Fantasy

Rating: 10/10

Movie Review/Why this movie affected me:

Oh, Narnia. A magical world that I had often dreamt of traveling to as a child. Even now into adulthood, I wish I could be whisked away through a magical wardrobe that left into a land that I could only imagine in my mind.

When this movie first came out in theaters, I was about the same age as Lucy (the actress and I are the same age anyway!), and I am so glad that I got to experience this movie when magic was still filling so much of my imagination. Not that it isn’t now, but it was more intense back then.

Just recently, I had watched this movie again. It is one that I can watch over and over, and never get tired of. It is one that has captured so much of my life that I don’t think I could ever shake it. It was one that stuck with me at age nine, and it’s still fully grasping my heart after so long.

I don’t think anyone will understand why this movie had been so apart of my soul. I don’t remember if anything specific convinced me to go see this movie or if my mom just took me, but I do remember how I felt afterward. I felt like I was empowered, like I had been brought to life. I was obsessed with this movie—and I mean OBSESSED. I talked about it so much in elementary school that other kids were constantly telling me to shut up. I wanted to learn archery because of this movie (my grandpa did teach me!), I had become enchanted with sword fights and armor from this movie, and I fell in love with every single character. I remember crying in the theater when the White Witch killed Aslan, and even more so when he came back to life (let’s be honest, I still cry now), and the absolute wonder of this world of Narnia. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize how much I loved stories of kids traveling into other worlds as a kid. More so than magical things existing in our world (though, I did love Spiderwick Chronicles around this same time frame). I had wanted to fall down a rabbit hole or walk through a wardrobe so much that I had ached as a child.

Growing up, I remember always wanting to be Susan. I dreamt of being so beautiful and wonderful like her (and actually, I am a bit like her when I think about it—I am a bit too serious, I see some things in black and white, and I would probably be hesitant about going into battle), and she was like an idol to me in this movie. But the more I age, the more I realize, especially at the time of seeing this movie, I was more like Lucy. I was a little girl who had believed in what would be considered too many magical things, and I was a bit of a loner. I had dreamt of magic places and characters, and I would be off playing by myself whenever I got the chance. I was teased by other kids, I was made fun of, I was called a freak to my face and whispered about when I was nearby. So, when Lucy is telling the other kids about her experience in Narnia, and they don’t believe her, and Edmund makes fun of her, I know exactly how that feels. One hundred percent. So those moments always get to me. But also like Lucy, I still chose to believe what I believed in, and didn’t take crap from anyone. And I think, in the end, here so many years later, it was for the best. It was what made me who I am.

A few examples to show how much I love this movie, at that age and now—one of them is, when I was a kid and got this movie on DVD, I watched it over and over until I memorized every line, until I could quote the whole movie if I wanted to. And even to this day, when I probably don’t watch the movie for quite some time in between, I can STILL quote every line in the movie. I can say them along the characters, even when I’m not looking directly at the screen. It’s just one of those movies for me.

The other example was a few years ago. My family and I had gone to Seattle to visit, and we went into their big Pop Culture museum they have up there (I forgot what it’s called, I apologize), and I was touring through the Fantasy area, where they had props and costumes of so many fantasy movies. I had turned the corner, and just right there, I saw it instantly. It was Susan’s bow and arrows, and her horn. I remember whispering, “Narnia,” and I rushed over there and started crying. Then, just nearby, was the White Witch’s dress and staff. My mom had to come find me blubbering in the corner (I was luckily all by myself) and pull me away because I kept staring at them. I had felt like a kid again, so excited and amazed that I was looking right at these props of a movie that had changed my whole life.

If it isn’t easy to figure out, I love everything about this movie, even as an adult. It gives me the same feelings a child, though I can look at it from the adult perspective. Like I think it’s pretty incredible that all these children could go into a war and come out alive (though, yes, I do know that most of them are older than they are in the books—I did read all the books after I saw this movie!). It’s pretty amazing. But I do agree that they were strong characters in the first place, with a strong sense of right and wrong.

The cast, I think, are the most important part of this film. All four of the kids were absolutely perfect, and for their ages, fantastic actors in my opinion. William Moseley and Anna Popplewell slip so well into their characters that to me it felt so seamless. Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley were younger, so their portrayals were a little rougher, but honestly, they were still so good, considering their ages. Everyone else was just as wonderful—Tilda Swinton as the evil White Witch was horrifying, James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus is just so sweet (and I somehow got Tumnus in a personality test?!!?), and the ultimate Liam Neeson as Aslan was the best casting.

Let’s talk about Aslan for a moment. I do know very well about the connections of these stories with Christian allegories that may or may not have been purposeful by C. S. Lewis (though, we can also discuss how Lewis was raised Christian, then became an atheist, then Pagan, then Christian again at the convincing of his friends—I’m looking at you Tolkien—so I think a lot of his work is influenced by it all), but can I just say: if Aslan is God, I’m one hundred percent okay with that. I think Aslan as a view of God is exactly what Christians should believe in for their God. I myself am not religious at all, but I know a lot of Christians and I have read the large chunks of Bible for Literature Studies, so I think I get the grasp of some of their beliefs. And most of the Christians I know, or people (like my family) that had been raised in churches and religion, believe in a God that is kind and watchful and just lets people live their lives (yes, I know, not everyone believes in this version of God, I’m just speaking on experience from talking to people that I know that believe in God). And I think Aslan reflects that well. He is “not a tame lion” as Mr. Tumnus puts it, which I think reflects on the idea that Aslan/God could be cruel and destructive if he wants (think about what he did the White Witch), but mostly, he is kind and gentle and all knowing. Aslan isn’t always there, and he doesn’t step into every single thing in the world of Narnia, he steps away and leaves the Narnians to experience the world themselves. And I see the connection between the idea that the Narnians are hopeless and left behind when Jadis the White Witch rules over Narnia and Aslan hadn’t come to save them. But, according to the prophecy of the four children, he wasn’t meant to save them all himself. He still keeps to the sidelines to let the Pevensie children save the world themselves, and he steps in toward the end. (And yes, with the same allegory, he returns and the Narnians faith does as well). But I have always loved Aslan, as a child and even as an adult that has an entirely different set up beliefs than most people I know. I love the allegory of him as a type of God. Because if there had to be a God, I would want it to be Aslan the Lion. I would believe in him completely. Though, I did notice the line that he said to Peter, where there was something even higher than him that controlled their destines and that makes me wonder—if that is a direct quote from Lewis (I’ll have to research that), or just a line from the movie, what does that mean?? Are they talking about the powers of the universe? Are they saying that Aslan isn’t the only higher power in this world? Which to me, makes him even more complicated and interesting, to have him mention something like that. And my god, he sacrificed himself for Edmund, do we realize that? I hated that scene in theaters and I still hate it now, watching the humiliation he’s put through, the absolute fear in his eyes, even if he knew what would happen. It makes him feel less like God, and almost human. Because though he knows he’ll come back—he’s scared. He doesn’t want to die at all, he doesn’t want to experience that. And to me, that was when I had loved him even more. Because he has feelings, he responds to fear and danger, but he still has the belief that everything will be okay. I could easily write a whole essay about Aslan, but I’ll leave it at that for now. I just love Aslan so much.

Everything about this movie feeds me joy into my soul. The story itself, the magic, the love of the siblings, the battles, the comfort of knowing that something like Aslan can protect a whole world. The movie had created a whole world for all of us to see, and I thought it was beautiful then and I think it’s still just as magnificent now. It’s a movie that taught me something as a child and as an adult and keeps hope and belief and magic in my heart. Can’t you tell at this point? I could gush and talk about this movie for hours, maybe even days, so I can’t go into every single detail—but maybe I’ll mention some things I’ll reference on my blog in the future.

But I can say, this film opened my whole world. I can remember that whole time frame after I saw it, how much I loved it, how it made me feel so strong and magical myself. I even have a jewelry box that is an exact replica (though small) of the wardrobe, and some other cool prop stuff. I cried when I watched the Disney+ episode of props from their movies and it was William, Anna and Georgie seeing their costumes and props (I’m not kidding, I sobbed like a child). I still look into wardrobes just in case whenever I stay somewhere. It showed me that though I was considered a freak at my school, I didn’t care. I still believed in myself and the magic. I think this movie (along with Alice in Wonderland, to be honest, since I loved that one before this, so it was influential there too), is the reason I don’t care what people think of me, for the most part. I just do my own thing, I can be alone, I believe my own stuff. Of course, things get to me and everyone cares about what people think of them, but for the most part, I’m comfortable with who I am and I always will be myself. And I can thank this movie for that.

Whenever I watch this movie, I feel like I’m home.

[darrencrissarmy]

Episode 7: Darren Criss | MOVIES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE PODCAST

Golden Globe and Emmy winner #DarrenCriss joins Ian de Borja to talk about their love of submarine sandwiches, growing up as a Filipino-American in the San Francisco Bay Area, his new show #Royalties and the three movies that changed his life.

[rolloroberson]

“Many critics attended the movie and prepared to condescend, but the movie could not be dismissed: It was so joyous and original that even the early reviews acknowledged it as something special. After more than three decades, it has not aged and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre and even rock. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies.”

Roger Ebert 1996

Movies that Changed My Life

[dakrolak]

#BeAWarrior Wednesday! Opens on Friday! Who's excited? MEEEEE

[amandaklwrites]

Movies that changed me or affected me: Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Genre: Fantasy, Children’s/Family

Rating: 10/10

Why this movie changed me in some way:

I just watched this movie again yesterday, the first time in probably a couple to a few years. I didn’t see it when it first came out in theaters, but I saw it not long after the DVD released. Weird backstory: I first watched it when my (then) boyfriend had broken up with me, and I think I felt my heart knitting back together as I watched this movie. I think I watched it quite a few other times in a short period of time. I feel that way again.

Now, just a warning, I may become a bumbling idiot as I tried to explain myself through talking about this movie. It is one of those situations where I’m not sure if I will totally explain myself well when trying to talk about how much this movie means to me. So, I will try my best and I hope it makes sense!

This movie just speaks to my soul.

First off, let’s talk about Jack Frost. Jack. I love this character so much (I will say that it is so weird how we humans can be attracted to an animated character, right??), and his struggles speak to me on a strange level. Not that I died and became a spirit of nature, and I don’t remember my past. Well, actually, maybe? It would make so much more sense, honestly. But anyhow, those feelings he has of being unseen, of wanting someone to understand him, to not feel so alone all the time—my god, does that speak to my soul. And I’m not saying it to be like “oh, boo hoo me,” or to say that my friends and family don’t get me on some level. That isn’t it. Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I was really different, and I could never figure out how or why. But I was. And I’m not kidding, I have felt invisible a lot in my life. There are times when I’m talking to a coworker, and another walks up, interrupts me, and they start talking about something else, so I just slink off and sometimes no one speaks to me again for hours. People have actually told me they forgot I was there. Plus, I have friends, all the time, not respond to my messages, and to a degree, that feels like invisibility in a way too. So, watching this movie about this young man not understanding his place in the world, and trying to figure out why he was chosen, is something I question nearly all the time. I often, very often, think “what am I meant to do here? Why am I here?” (and not in a suicidal way), so I get that. Seeing Jack’s growth as a character, seeing him learn lessons and figure himself out makes me cry every time like a little child because I get it. I get it. But also, I understand one of the things he learns—he finds friends in the guardians by the end of the movie, and that means he just has to find his people. Ones that may not entirely understand him but get him at some level. And that’s what I have been figuring out—who are my people? Because, for the most part, I know who I am and I’m pretty grounded in my personality, but I still stick out like crazy all the time. I’m someone who likes to sit back and watch people, which I think to some degree, so does Jack. He’s a watcher, and he likes watching people (though he does want to be seen, which dude, I GET THAT!), and seeing what humans do. Our humor is similar. I only wish I was less uptight as him, and that’s where our differences lie, and that’s why I feel like I can be in love with Jack Frost without it being weird (like, I’m in love with myself???).

Then, there’s Pitch. You guys, this may be dark and twisted, but I GET PITCH. I always felt like Jack and Pitch were more similar than different, and Pitch represents what Jack could become if he lets his anger fester. Yes, Pitch represents darkness and fear and nightmares (a bogeyman after all), but he wants the same things as Jack, even if they are for the wrong reasons. He’s one of those people that self-destructs when he feels alone and not seen, and he wants to make everyone pay for him feeling that way. My therapist told me a long, long time ago, that I could have become that if I had let myself. But obviously, I didn’t, and I don’t, but my god, I like watching Pitch because that was a path I could have chosen. It is one that is familiar, though disturbing. I felt a lot like that back in high school (which led to a terrible cycle of depression), and I never told anyone but my therapist. Not even my mother. I was just like Jack, heading down the path of becoming like Pitch Black, because I didn’t know how else to turn, to make sense of how I felt. But facing that darkness and fear, you learn what you are capable of. I met with that darkness a few times, and I decided to pull myself away (though, I wish I could have fought it off with some icy powers!). Jack and Pitch’s paths were ones that I knew too well, so those parts of the movie always get to me in some deep ways.

The Guardians! I love these guys! They are absolutely wonderful and I love them way too much. But also, what they stand for hits me hard every time. They are chosen to become protectors, especially of children, but of the magic and wonder of the world. They bring joy, they are there for others, and they are so happy about it. Now, this may sound so, so weird, but all this speaks to me on another level. I am a very spiritual person (in the sense of the connection of everything on the planet, the universe, souls themselves, etc), so there have been many times, since I was a child, that I thought I was here on this earth to give other people joy, to save them, to bring them an escape. It didn’t matter how I felt. I did it for my childhood friends during their worst times, I did it for a couple friends in junior high school, even one of my newer friends compared me to Peter Pan, bringing stories and fun to just help her forget about the world for a while. Sometimes, when I feel really alone (like, my friends aren’t talking me, or some have left me behind or whatever), and I haven’t spoken to a single person for hours or days, I start to think this. And I think it gives me comfort? That though my friends don’t really talk to me or do much, I still throw away that hurt and focus on making sure they’re okay and having fun, and I try to make them laugh when they’re down. No matter how I’m feeling. Friendships have always been unequal since I was a child, and sometimes it bothers me, sometimes it doesn’t. Since I was probably 5 years old, I’ve been telling myself that I’m here to bring others joy, to help them escape from real world problems. Even if no one does the same for me. Which is okay, for the most part. So, maybe that makes me a Guardian somehow? To bring wonder and joy and laughter to the people around me, no matter the cost. I’ve been told I’m a good listener, and I know how to make people laugh when needed, so maybe that is my role in the world. Maybe that’s the point of my existence. I hope this doesn’t sound too weird? I’m not saying all this to make anyone feel bad for me or trying to say that people suck and I’m this perfect person. Cause I’m not, dear god, I’m not at all. It’s just how I have made sense in the world and where I fit. I would like to think that makes me a Guardian like North, Tooth Fairy, Bunny, Jack and Sandman. I would really like that honestly.

The themes in this movie always makes me cry. I see the scenes of the Guardians interacting with children, just to give them a good, happy life while they are children, and I sob as a child. I was one of those huge believers (yes, I will admit it! I still believe in all these guys!), and I have always believed in the magic of the world, even if we can’t physically see them. To me, what else would be the point of living? Their existence is to do this for the children, and to them, it gives them purpose, it brings them joy themselves, and I love that. It’s the same feeling I get when I watch people open presents that I got them and seeing how excited they are. It gives me this elated feeling that I can’t explain—because there’s just absolute joy in their face. I love seeing people when they are just so happy. Bringing joy is entirely something else, and it’s beautiful honestly.

There are little details in this movie that I caught in this movie that got me. The fact that the movie ends with Jack becoming a Guardian, ON A FROZEN POND. Get it? His new beginning starts where he ended, where he died as a human and become what he was meant to become. And whenever Jack lands on a car, the car alarm starts. I would like to think that whenever a car alarm goes off randomly in the middle of the night or day, it’s because something magical that we can’t see (or shouldn’t see?) is moving around. My mom always said that ever since I was a little, little kid, I would see creatures hidden in the corners of our house, I saw people and ghosts, and I would talk to them. So, maybe I’m the weirdo who still believes in magic and that there are beings hidden behind veils that we can’t see all the time, but that’s fine with me. I’ll be like Jamie, telling everyone that the Easter Bunny is coming when everyone else loses faith. I would rather believe in magic than not. I would rather be the person who believes in these magical beings, and though I never see them, I know they are there, rather than just moving along in the world and not noticing the little magics in the world. That may be just me, but oh well. I was called a freak and a weirdo to my face growing up because of this belief, and it didn’t stop me then. It won’t stop me now.

I think you can tell by now how much this movie affected me, changed me. I found this movie at a time when I needed healing, and instead, I had an awakening. I realized so much about myself watching this movie. I feel like my spirit actually moves when I watch it. It’s the strangest feeling, but my god, it makes so much sense to me.

I hope this movie moves you in some way. Or that you have a movie that makes you feel this way. Everyone should.

Also. Don’t stop believing in magic.

[isahbellah]

ah, yes, the soon-to-be avengers tower

and the beautiful ending credits

this movie is made of fangirls/fanboys tears and sweat, seriously.

[fortyfoursunsetsaday]

41 Movies That Changed My Life

Please, just please, promise me you'll watch these before you die. Not all of them are happy, not all of them are "indie". Some are stories of love, some of innocence, some of adventure. These are the movies that taught me what love feels like, molded my sense of humor, comforted me, and above all else, gave me the gift that is a love of great films. 

(in no particular order other than that which they came to mind)

The Art of Getting By

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Ruby Sparks

The Count of Monte Cristo

Love Actually

Moonrise Kingdom

Assassination of a High School President

Charlie Bartlett 

Where the Wild Things Are

The Breakfast Club

big

Larry Crowne

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Carolina

500 Days of Summer

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

10 Things I Hate About You

Meet Bill

P.S. I love You

The Big Year

Whip It

Life of Pi

Little Rascals

Running With Scissors

Juno

Up

Peter Pan (live action 2004)

Wall-E

Myth of the American Sleepover

Youth in Revolt

Howl's Moving Castle

August Rush

Hugo

The Fifth Element

Limitless

The Descendants

Elizabethtown

We Bought a Zoo

Sucker Punch

The Perks of being a Wallflower

[emmydarling-blog]

always <3

[keeksdeexo]

Movies that changed my life

#1 White Oleander 2002

'Never let a man spend the night, she said. Never apologize, never explain. She was breaking all her rules, and it would change everything.'

[garconniere]

La Jetée by Chris Marker (1962)

watching La Jetee when i was 18 profoundly changed not only the way i watch films, but the way i look at photographs and the way at storytelling/making. rip chris marker.

[amandaklwrites]

Movies that changed my life or affected me in some way #1: Alice in Wonderland (Disney)

This is the first ever story that I can remember from so far back into my childhood that I don’t think there was a time when Alice in Wonderland wasn’t a part of my life. I have always seen this movie and I can clearly, DISTINCTLY remember being about 5 or 6, and telling my mom and my childhood friend’s dad all about the book, late one night, sitting on a bench right by the sea. This is such a vivid memory, my little mouth running off, talking about how wonderful Alice’s Wonderland was. 

And I still feel that way. I love this story so much that it is a very important part of my core. I can’t really explain why. But it is. Let me explain. 

I own roughly 13 different film/tv adaptations of this movie. I have about 22 or 23 editions of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. I have so much merchandise of it and from Disney/Disneyland, I want to get a tattoo of it, and I did a whole presentation on the book for my Children’s Literature class. 

I think it is the magic and fantasy of this story. As an only child, I was always a kid who played by herself, making up worlds for myself. So, in some way, I think I connected with this story of a girl falling down a rabbit hole and escaping into a magical world all by herself. I’ve always believed as a child that I could survive Wonderland on my own too, and would rather do so by myself. 

And I always connected with Alice. She’s smart, she talks to herself a lot, she has a temper, she’s emotional. I have always been all those things, and I pride myself in some ways, much like she does. But I also know I change a lot, and I think that is what Alice experiences herself. 

In some warped way, this story always made sense to me. So many people think this story is complicated and confusing, but to me, it always made sense and felt like home. I think I like the warped and unusual, worlds that make you think differently and outside of the box. Because I have never thought conventionally, I have always looked at two sides of every situation, and I don’t think that will ever change. I live inside my own Wonderland inside of my head, filled with so many stories and imaginations that my therapist has told me in the past that I have had a harder time distinguishing reality from fantasy sometimes.

So, I think, this movie was important to me from the beginning because it made me realize I wasn’t alone. There was another little girl escaping into dream worlds that made her wonder and think. I connected with this story, and especially this movie (I believe I watched it first), on a spiritual level that I couldn’t explain or begin to understand. But it just makes sense in my soul. 

To me, it’ll always be Wonderland.