I hope you can appreciate my moderately dramatic title. If you know me, you know I love to share. You also probably know that I really enjoy curating lists of 'favorite' things. Movies and TV shows are no exception to that. Over the last few years I’ve really identified some of my favorites, but more than just that, some of the media that has fundamentally changed me, comforted me, or made me see things in different ways. In the name of spreading the love, I thought putting together a blog post that cataloged this idea would be a lot of fun!
So here’s the rundown - this post might be on the longer side. I would love for you to sit back and soak it all in, but I understand if you just want to give it a skim. The moral of the story being, all of the shows or movies I’m going to recommend have helped me grow as a person, or made me think about my life, or the world, in a different way. I’m going to try and articulate it the best I can without going on too much of a rant, lol…
So without further ado, this is a (relatively) unranked list of shows and movies that I highly recommend!
Yes, I’m going to start with my favorite movie, and get that out of the way. The first time I saw the Rocky Horror Picture show was with a live shadowcast at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville. I can attribute the spine-chilling, harmonious discord partially to the amazing live cast and theater full of long-time Rocky Horror participants. Something about getting to scream “asshole” and “slut” in a theater packed with people is extremely liberating.
But putting the live experience aside, the Rocky Horror Picture show is a masterclass in camp, queer cinema. The star of the show being Frank N’ Furter, played by my ultimate celebrity crush, Tim Curry, as the most fabulous ‘sweet transvestite’ from Transexual Transylvania. (Similarly located is Pansexual Pennsylvania, but they haven’t made a movie about that yet.)
Frank N’ Furter’s ultimate messages wavering from ‘give yourself over to absolute pleasure’ - which we all should - as well as ‘don’t dream it, be it’ feel strangely inspiring despite the overall hilarity of the movie. Performances from the cast range from swelling emotion to sensual overtures. Yes, the Rocky Horror Picture show can teach you a lot about liberation, self love, self pleasure, and being so deeply yourself that you will no longer dream it, but be it. This is a mantra that has stuck with me in moments of self doubt and insecurity.
Closing thoughts - a queer masterpiece, full of sexual liberation, fantastic musical numbers, and encouragement to have confidence in our radical uniqueness, whatever that means to you. This is my favorite movie of all time, so of course I’m going to recommend it. It is a blast to experience, but it stirs up a really beautiful sense of confidence I think we all ought to seek out more.
Now that we’ve covered my favorite movie, we have to jump to my favorite TV show. I’ve got favorites for everything, but this show still stands as my most loved rewatch. Fleabag follows the story of a somewhat chaotic woman, known only to us as Fleabag, played by my other celebrity crush, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. There are two perfect seasons of this show, following her through hookups, the loss of her mother, the very complicated loss of her best friend Boo, and relationships that are only complicated further by Fleabag’s relationship with herself.
There are so many unique parts of the show that stand out to me - only a few characters have real names, where others we only get nicknames for (ie the famous Hot Priest in season 2.) One of the most enjoyable pieces of the show is that Fleabag as the narrator will break the fourth wall, and talk to us as the viewer. This fosters a really important connection between us and Fleabag - we're always stealing glances, and we're always her 'audience'. What I found so comforting about this show was the relatability factor. I think anyone who has experienced grief, mental illness, and complicated feelings around self worth, can relate to Fleabag. She’s a bit of a mess, particularly in the first season, but she also has an abrupt sense of confidence that often infuriates the people around her. Fleabag can’t help but be her - hilarious, inappropriate - self, and sometimes she hates it too.
I personally find season 2 to be a more enjoyable rewatch than season 1 - Fleabag has found a small sense of brief calm, and you get to see her make a satisfying ‘comeback’ in Season 2 Episode 1, after the chaotic end to the first season. You really find yourself rooting for her quirks and her relationships. At one point in the second season, Fleabag visits a therapist, played by Fiona Shaw, not really taking the session seriously. But the advice that her therapist gives to her at the end of the session has always stuck with me:
Fleabag: Can you just tell me what to do?
Therapist: You know. You already know what you’re going to do. Everybody does.
Fleabag: What?
Therapist: You’ve already decided what you’re going to do.
I’m sure we can all interpret that scene in different ways. But when I watched it for the first time, I felt the lightbulb blink alive above my head. Yes, I already knew what I was going to do. I just had to stop doubting it.
And there’s plenty more shining moments of dialogue like that in this show. At just two seasons it’s a perfect show to watch in one beautiful sitting.
This movie was shown to me by a truly amazing person in my life. I had no expectations going in but the movie brought me to tears in the very best way. Practical Magic follows the story of two sisters, Sally and Gillian Owens, who live with their Aunts Frances and Jet. There are no ordinary moments in this movie, between love spells, familial curses, reanimated corpses, and my personal favorite, midnight margaritas.
Though it has some darker moments, this movie is truly filled with laughter and joy and, most ostensibly, magic! It is what I would call it, hands down, a ‘women's movie.’ Not in a weird restrictive gender-roles way, but what I mean is, it’s about sisterhood, motherhood, childhood, and family. It’s about bonds that stay strong even after years spent apart. It’s about holding on for love, accepting your own magic, and forming friendships that have the power to save lives.
This movie gave me such a sense of warmth and love that is almost hard to put into words. The difficult moments in life stop us in our tracks, make us think differently, and sometimes even turn us against the people we love. I really enjoyed the portrayal of so many different relationships in this movie, especially the beautiful and often complicated relationship between sisters and family. This is a great movie to watch with someone you love. It felt really special to be shared with me and I’ll always hold the messages in the movie close to my heart. Also, nothing beats a midnight margarita.
This was a recent addition to my favorites lists that took my breath away. Pokemon Concierge is a silly, beautiful, light-hearted, and yet deeply moving stop-motion mini series that was recently released on Netflix. It follows the sweet story of Haru, who has moved to the Pokemon Resort to work as a concierge! Any pokemon fan will fall head over heels for this story. It was so clearly made with love, as the stop motion is mind-blowingly impressive.
This show only has 4 15-minute episodes (so far! More is on the way.) The story features a few more characters with hilarious personalities. The message of the show was so simple, but to be honest, the last episode completely moved me to tears. The rundown is as follows - Haru is working on herself quite a bit as she moved to the Pokemon Resort. Through several experiences with other pokemon and trainers, she learns about evolving herself, and helping others to do so as well. But I won’t spoil it more than that.
On top of being so lovingly made, I just think the messages in the show are so applicable to both children and adults alike. This is an easy, lighthearted watch, perfect for a cozy night in, when you just need to unwind and have some laughs. Matt and I were both so excited to watch this and it truly exceeded our expectations. We’re both pokemon fans, so maybe there’s a bit of bias there, but this landed at the top of my list of favorites, so I’ll let that speak for itself.
I love that so much of my favorite media has come from other people. I used to resent it, but recently I have been able to appreciate it as a form of love. I first read my favorite books of all time, the Lord of the Rings, because my Dad loved them too. Sharing is just another love language… anyway! Anima is a short musical film on Netflix, starring and featuring the music of Thom Yorke. This was one of the first pieces of media that Matt shared with me, but it’s special for more than just that. It is a visual masterpiece featuring incredible songs and sounds. To paraphrase Matt, it’s very interpretive. You can bring your own impression to the table and surmise a story and concept. I think creative pieces that like that are so important.
Thom Yorke is easily one of the most talented musicians of our time. I really loved being able to see his music come alive visually. The choreography and sets are pretty stunning. My favorite track featured in Anima is Dawn Chorus, and it absolutely brings me to tears every time I hear it. Knowing a little more about Thom York’s backstory makes the story a bit sad as well. But it’s a visual feast that was clearly made with intention and flair.
I also appreciate how this is more than just a music video, but can be enjoyed pretty easily. It clocks in at just fifteen minutes but, especially the first time I watched it, it felt much longer (in a great way.) Music and film lovers alike will really enjoy Anima. It’s an extremely moving piece that, to me, is so much about grief and loss and the passing of life, that I can’t help but cry some cathartic tears every time I see it. I highly recommend taking the time to check it out.
It is a wonderful thing to be in a world with so much creative media, that was made with love and purpose and messages meant to inspire and persuade. I really enjoy being able to share my favorite things because so many favorite things have been shared with me. I have so many more ‘favorites’ that didn’t make this short list - today I wanted to highlight a few things that have moved me, and stuck with me over time.
Even if you don’t watch anything on the list, I hope you enjoyed perusing my little favorites! Maybe next time you’re looking for something to watch you’ll pick something out that really moves you too. It’s amazing all the messages and themes that stick with us, and the way we go through our lives sticking with them.
Thanks so much for visiting and reading, I’ll see you next time!