Film to me... (4 of 4)

Aaaand here comes the last in the series of blog posts of what film means to me... and the next section is about Favourites and Taste!

Film taste is a funny thing. I always find it's a combination of instinct, memory and emotion. The films we love aren't always the best ones, but they've done something to stay with us. They'll all mean something in their own way, but if nothing else, think of this a glimpse into the kind of stories I'm drawn to... and the kind I will never stop talking about!

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1 - What's your all-time favourite film?

This is a film fan's most-hated question, because of the fact you can never really pinpoint one. Well, at least I can't. I'll think of one, and then I'll immediately think of something else that will top it.

But, that said, I think you all know what I'll say... or maybe you won't?

Yep, it's Gladiator. How could it not be? I'm massively drawn to music and emotion together, and I feel like the score for this film doesn't just support, it DEFINES. Every single scene is full of cinematic moments that thousands of people will carry with them for years to come.

That said, if you're a Letterboxd fan, you'll know you're allowed to have 4 favourites. Gladiator is one, but the other three are: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Dune: Part Two and Saving Private Ryan.

Return of the King is the best of the 3 LOTR film in my opinion. It has the best chunk of the story, the best musical sequences and the best scene BY FAR, and even though many people will say their favourite is The Two Towers, I'll stick by Return of the King any day.

Dune: Part Two is a recent addition, given it was released in 2024 but my god it's awesome. The thing I love about the Dune series is that it's worldbuilding as it goes. I've never been confused in the film as I have been with the book, and the way Denis Villeneuve has gone about it and produced such an awesome spectacle is fantastic. The trailer for Dune: Part Three is now out, and I have a feeling Part Two will be toppled once its out... but that's 9 months away yet!

And last but certainly not least, the fourth favourite is Saving Private Ryan. That first scene alone is so realistic that veterans who watched it thought they were back in the fray of it. The emotive tug you get at the outset, and at the end, as Hymn to the Fallen plays, as James Ryan asks if he's lived a good life... It makes me cry even thinking about it!

2 - What genre will you always defend?

Comic book. Plain and simple. Often dismissed as kind of formulaic (because of superhero movies follow the same pattern right?), some of the films may be crap and not go in the direction that everybody thinks, but at the end of the day, I think they're always entertaining.

My generation has been blessed with growing up with the best comic book films we've ever seen with the MCU, and they're building up again with the release of Doomsday and Secret Wars at the end of 2026 and 2027 respectively. We have a new era of DC films out now, with Superman last year - which knocked it out of the park - and Supergirl out this year, which only looks like it could be better.

No experience can ever top a midnight screening of a Marvel movie, and the Infinity War and Endgame double bill, back in May 2019, was one of the best cinema experiences of my life. They don't do midnight screenings like that anymore, I'll tell you that!

3 - Which film do you think is criminally underrated?

Okay, now, this could surprise people, but I'm going to go with Blade Runner 2049. It was a film that no one really gave a chance to, as the original is set on such a high pedestal, but actually, given how film-making has evolved from the 80s, I feel like it was the first sequel in a while you don't just watch, but rather you sit inside of it.

I remember when I saw it, it was in 3D, and the camera wasn't quite lined up properly. We watched about an hour of it with a buggy camera before someone finally went out and said something, only for them to restart the whole film again. At the time I groaned, because the film is LONG (it's run time is 2h30m, not including credits) but then when I sat through it again, when it wasn't blurry, I embraced it, and enjoyed it way more. A whole load of people walked out at that point, and I know that it massively underperformed at the box office, despite the fact you had Denis Villeneuve at the helm, and Hans Zimmer sorting the score. It didn't connect the way it deserved, because it was possibly too slow, or too introspective, or even drawing too much on the nostalgia... but I honestly think that's why it works.

I think it's underrated because it asks more of an audience than most films were perhaps willing to before... and we weren't quite ready for it. But... and I sound so cheesy saying this... if you're willing to answer what its asking, I think it could be classed as one of the most rewarding cinematic experiences of the last decade.

4 - What film do you love that most people don't?

See now I don't think I can answer this one properly, because I think quite a lot of the films I love are quite mainstream. But you know what, I think I can answer.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Loads of people slate it, and I do kind of get why, but I also just love it. The battle scene at the end, the connection finally explained between Rey and Kylo Ren, the return of Palpatine, the comedy of C3PO... I really liked it.

I know we may not get the next trilogy of Star Wars films now, but I also know we now have Dave Filoni at the head of LucasFilm now, which means that we have the ULTIMATE Star Wars fan in charge of content. I can never not be excited about Star Wars, and yes okay, Episode IX isn't the best, but I still think it was a pretty epic conclusion.

5 - Which film will you rewatch forever and never get bored?

I could watch a few, but I genuinely think, if I was given only 1 film to watch for the rest of my life, or if I was deserted on an island with only some food, water and a TV that had 1 remaining film on it, it would actually be Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

Although I've not mentioned it much on here, it's one of my favourite animated films, and it's one of the first films that put Hans Zimmer on the map for me. But this film is special because it's the music that tells the story, not the dialogue, or even complicated plot twists. It's a simple film at heart - a horse fighting to save his homeland from the ever-expanding world of man - but it packs that emotional punch with a killer score that elevates it exponentially.

It's a story about freedom, identity and refusing to be broken, and no matter how many times I watch it, it stills feels powerful. I'll be drumming my fingers along to the beats for as long as I live, and Run Free remains as one of the best pieces of music written a Dreamworks film, alongside Test Drive from How To Train Your Dragon.

Plus, the kid in me always loved horses, so a film about a horse is always going to be wonderful. Of course, this is topped by the fact Spirit, when he does speak, is voiced by none other than Matt Damon!

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At the end of the day, I'll always say to myself that films aren't just something I watch - they're things I will carry with me. Whether it's the stories they tell, or particular moments that linger with me, or even the genres I'll defend 'til the day I die, they all say something about who I am, and maybe how I see the world.

For me, cinema is so much more than just entertainment. It's emotion, memory and identity all wrapped into one, and while tastes change over the years, and new favourites come along, that feeling of sitting in a dark room, completely immersed in a story is something that will never really fade.

If these four posts have shown anything, it's that films make me feel - the ones that are bold, emotional and unapologetically cinematic. Those will always be the ones I'll come back to.