What We Love Wednesdays!! All Time Fav Movies

This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dirty Dancing - WHAT A FILM - and as it's film night in the UK (Orange phone network gives us 2 4 1 on film tickets) so we thought we'd challenge ourselves to narrow down our list of favourite all time films to a manageable 10. Originally the plan was to have a joint list but, well, that didn't happen purely because we'd still be debating it!!! Enjoy our somewhat biased opinions and let us know if you agree, disagree or think we've missed any classics!

Sarah's Super-Duper Standout, HAVE TO WATCH, FILMS:
1. In Her Shoes - Growing up with my sister wasn't the easiest - she was prettier, cuter, far more social and like-able; I was a bespectacled, socially-awkward, greasy haired sport geek and this film plays out a story that I could very imagine happening in my family. Thankfully we still have our parents, unfortunately we don't have a Nan in a retirement home in Florida but my sister NEVER fails to land on her feet. As she's grown older we've gotten on better but there were times when our worlds were just so vastly different you wouldn't have seen the family link. Like the time that she came to visit me at Uni - I went out to lectures and returned to a house party! I knew NO-ONE there and it was still only 1 of 2 house parties ever held in a house I lived in!

2. Crazy, Beautiful - I love this film for many reasons; there's the whole messed up rich girl falls in love with hard working Mexican who travels miles to get to the same school as her thing, and while that forms the main storyline, there is SO much more to this film. The first time I saw it I became OBSESSED with Jay Hernadez - I mean posters, pic in my purse kinda obsessed, the second time I really enjoyed it for the story, the third time I was leaving school and the 'finding my way in the world' theme was really poignant and on my latest watch it was the 'forbidden love' bit that got me! So yeah there are plenty of reasons why this film makes it into my top 10!

3. Hairspray - Spot the conflict with me saying this later - but I LOVE this film, it is my feel-good movie and NEVER fails to cheer me up. Both the original version with Rikki Lake (remember her!!!) and the version with John Travolta & Amanda Bynes are part of my film collection. Even just the soundtrack makes me smile. I saw it on stage with Michael Ball (love him!) and was dancing in the aisles - the music just proves irresistible to me. (This may feed in to Laura's dislike of it!)

4. She's The Man - Funny film, the first time, apparently, I actually voted against watching it but one of my school friends persuaded me otherwise - I'm grateful she did! Laura and I actually both picked the film out on DVD night in Oz as one of our favourites and ever since then it has remained a joint fav. From Amanda Bynes' impression of a 'dude' to the line 'There comes a time when a man has to move on, Yvonne' this film makes me laugh out loud!

5. Bring It On - OK I promise I don't have a thing for Kirsten Dunst but that girl does pick films that appeal to my DVD choices. If you haven't seen this film you have to! Spirit fingers anyone?!?! OMG just thinking about this film makes me want to watch it - yes it's about Cheerleading, yes it has questionable acting and I'm not sure there is much of a story line as such but you have to watch a film that has a scene with a cheer that goes 'Brrrr it's cold in here, there must be some Toros in the atmosphere' - hahahahahaha

6. Dirty Dancing - It's an olden but a gooden. I must have seen this film more than 10 times and it never gets old. I think it captures that time when you're ready to be independent you just need to find the best way to do that. I'm not sure Butlin's Holiday Camp ever provided the opportunity that Baby got but it's nice to imagine that if you were her you'd have that last dance!

7. Easy A - I think this one also features on Laura's list, but how could it not! Emma Stone is my current favourite actress - witty, kooky and making great film choices. She holds the Easy A film and makes it what it is. We watched it a few weeks ago and the whole way through I was saying 'I forget how good this film is'. Amanda Bynes features (wow I had no idea Amanda would be my common theme) and again there are some really good plot links - the Christians praying for everyone to be saved while 'committing' sins themselves, the kids getting bullied seeking help to become cool but my favourite bit - when she's talking to her parents! I wished I related to my parents like she does!

8. Enchanted - The 'real' life fairytale. I love Amy Adams and I love her in this film. In some ways this film is slightly true to life - the guys I dated way back when were always from cheesy fairytales and in the end I fell for something real, not something that looks/sounds good but has no substance! James Marsden (also in Hairspray) is an awesome Price Charming but Patrick Dempsey wins us over with his great 'Dad' role. OK my Prince is actually a Princess but other than that I clean with rats & pigeons :) I kid, I kid!

9. The Holiday - Essentially a Christmas movie but this film is all about the cast for me, and the setting. Filmed not far from where I grew up (the England bit not the Los Angeles bit!) this film captures how I see the UK in an idyllic winter - the cottage, the snow, the friendly, welcoming countryside pub and I love it. Contrasting with the hot, bigger than life American story line this film has it all. From showing that there is really no benefit in losing life to work and nothing better than family and friends there are lessons in it that make me think every time. While I love America and the 'bigger is better' mentality I will also always be an English Country girl at heart.

10. Knocked Up- this has become a 'go-to' film for me because you can't fail to like it. This was the film where Seth Rogan came to my attention and Katherine Heigl became less annoying! It's got sooooooo many funny moments that are just close enough to real life to make you go 'OMG that could happen!' It has enough cringe, feel-good and humour to make it the perfect choice who ever your film buddy is. Oh and it has Paul Rudd and all most all the films he's made i've enjoyed!

Laura's All-Time Amazing Fantastic Could-Watch-A-Million-Times Movies


1. Rocky Horror Picture Show - You may not know this about me, but I am a GIANT RHPS fan. I have owned the film in VHS and DVD, gone to see performances of it live, and watched the film in a theatre in costume with props every year that I can, around Halloween. I know all of the words to the songs, quite a bit of the actual dialogue, and think Tim Curry is damn sexy in drag. In fact, going to see RHPS is one of the things that makes October my favourite month (besides, you know, my birthday!) - aren't convinced with my RHPS top-fangirl status? Check out last October's trip to see the show HERE!

Us at RHPS 2011, and to the right, I had this pic in my bedroom growing up, next to a framed poster of RHPS!

2. Hair - Don't get confused, this is NOT Hairspray. *shudder* Hairspray is annoying, and Hair is an awesome 1970's hippie musical about free love, peace, drugs, and... well, hair. I've always been a flowerchild at heart, and Hair has been one of my favourite movies for going on 10 years now. Only out-aged by RHPS (and Ferris Bueller)! It's so amazing. The music! The dancing! The love! The peace! The beautiful women with long flowing hair! The hot black guy! What more could I have asked for?

3. The Boat That Rocked - When I was little, my mum drove me everywhere listening to Oldies 104.3 on the radio. So until I was 12ish, I pretty much only knew '50s, '60s and 70's music. I think this is awesome. I love TBTR because it is about pirate radio in the 1960s, during the British Invasion of pop music. It's an incredible mixture of some of the best music you'll ever hear, humour, awesome acting, history - oh man I love it. Watch it. Better yet, come over and we can watch it together!

4. She's The Man - Pretty sure I had a giant Amanda Bynes crush when I was younger. She is so great in this remake of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night where she dresses up like a boy to play soccer on the boy's team. Sarah noticed awhile ago that she looked an awful lot like Justin Beeber all dressed up like that, so I entered her into that site LesbiansWhoLookLikeJustinBeiber.com. Apparently they didn't think it was as awesome as we did, because they didn't show it. Boo.

Seriously, which one is which?

5. Easy A - If you follow us on Instagram (@Sprezzatura_LnS), you'll have seen that yesterday we got to see Emma Stone! In real life!! I know, we cried a little as well. She is one of the cutest and most relate-able women in movies at the moment - and she is absolutely hilarious, and this awesome movie draws from the book we all had to read in school - The Scarlet Letter. At least, us Americans did. Also, it has Amanda Bynes in it again!

6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Have I ever told you guys about my friend Erin and I? Well, we started a religion when we were 13. Oh, you had no idea I was part of the second coming? I think the Siam Dynasty deserves a blog post in itself, but the bit that is relevant is that it is a polytheistic religion. And one of the three Gods is Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Was he the God of friendship? I don't really remember. Erin? Anyway, he is a big part of what makes this movie so damn amazing. That and Matthew Broderick singing 'Danke Schoen'. Classic '80s movie.

7. Down With Love - This is an adorable little movie set in the 1960s about a woman making her way in a man's world. Women's equality, courtesy of Renee Zellweger. It has Ewan McGregor in it, who is just so adorable (God of love in the Siam Dynasty, coincidentally for his role/singing in Moulin Rouge) and he sings *swoon*.

8. Grease - Who doesn't love this movie?? I watched it every Wednesday for a year in fourth grade at a weekly sleepover. And every week, I argued with my friend over who got to be Sandy. And I won most times, because my Mum is Australian and I am blonde. Owned. But later that year I went as a Pink Lady to a different friend's birthday party and because I wore cropped pants instead of the regular '50s poodle skirt, her Grandad said 'who's the boy?' at me. Scarring haha, even all these years later! So many Grease related memories. Again, I know almost all the words to the whole movie, including all the sha-la-las and ramma-lamma-ding-dongs.

9. The Darjeeling Limited - I also tend to love Owen Wilson movies. By far my favourite Wilson brother, I hate that he has tried to commit suicide like three times, and wish I could just make him better. Because he is so great - he's like Matthew McConaughey in a goofy and fun way, but with likability. I love him in The Royal Tenenbaums, this movie, and most recently Midnight In Paris. This list is just a bunch of me rambling, isn't it? Anyway, this movie is about three brothers trying to find themselves and each other on a train across India. It has Natalie Portman in it too, and is just beautiful in every way - it's touching, funny, interesting, with great music (again) and really made me want to take a train across India. Luckily for my terribly sensitive stomach, Sarah doesn't really want to go to India. But maybe one day, I will get to live this movie!

10. Music & Lyrics - I went to put this movie in my top 10, and got made fun of. By the girl who is putting Hairspray in hers. Yes I know I have an unnatural hate for that movie, especially considering I haven't seen it. But anyway. I love this movie so much. I love Drew Barrymore, in everything she is in pretty much (I always think she reminds me of me), and I think Hugh Grant is very endearing. There, I said it, despite being told by one of my friends who runs in his circles here in London that it is more impressive these days to say that you didn't sleep with Hugh than that you did. I still think he's great. And you know what? I adore the awesomely cheesy soundtrack that comes from Hugh playing an 80s pop star. So don't hate on Music & Lyrics!

What have I learned about myself in writing this list? My favourite movies all either are focused on music/musicals/have a great soundtrack, or have historical/literary ties. Also that I enjoy rambling. But you knew that already, didn't you? :)