Here’s a list of movies that have left a lasting impression on me. It’s hard to define a list of favourite movies when I can’t hold the names of all of the movies that I’ve loved in my head at once and my mood changes over time. I was also sure I’d already done this list so if that ever resurfaces then it’ll be interesting to compare. I’ve attempted to group my preferred movie genres but obviously many of these movies cross genres… and (don’t hate me) I’ve grouped movie franchises and sometimes directors where there are so many greats from one director.

Action Thriller/Spy/Cold War

  1. Hackers

  2. Bond (GoldenEye, The Living Daylights & Casino Royale)

  3. The Hunt For Red October

  4. Die Hard & Die Hard 2

  5. Pulp Fiction (and also Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, The Hateful Eight)

  6. Indiana Jones (Original 3)

  7. The Bourne Identity

  8. Where Eagles Dare

  9. Zero Dark Thirty

  10. Anna (Luc Besson)

  11. Bullet Train

  12. Atomic Blonde

  13. Inception

  14. Hard Rain

Murder/Mystery

  1. Clue

  2. Sleuth (1972)

  3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

  4. Ex Machina

  5. The Menu

  6. The Game

  7. Knives Out

Space Sci-fi

  1. Moon (and Mute)

  2. Alien & Aliens

  3. Sputnik

  4. Interstellar

  5. The Martian

  6. The Fifth Element

  7. Arrival

Zombie & Monster Sci-fi

  1. Nope

  2. Ghostbusters (Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon), Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis)

  3. Zombieland & Zombieland 2: Double Tap

  4. Cloverfield

  5. Monsters (2010)

  6. It Follows

  7. Edge Of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat)

  8. Chappie

Superhero

  1. Iron Man, Avengers: Endgame, Deadpool 1 & 2, Guardians of the Galaxy

  2. Split, Glass & Unbreakable

  3. The Dark Knight & Rises

Artsy

  1. Parasite

  2. The Peanut Butter Falcon

  3. Drive

  4. The Grand Budapest Hotel

  5. Whiplash

  6. Jo Jo Rabbit

  7. Searching For Sugar Man

  8. Three Thousand Years of Longing

  9. Amsterdam (2022)

  10. Triangle of Sadness

  11. Everything Everywhere All At Once

  12. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Teen

  1. Empire Records

  2. The last 5 Harry Potter movies

  3. Muppet Christmas Carol

  4. Big Hero Six

  5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

  6. Elf

  7. Spontaneous

  8. Turning Red

  9. Nerve

  10. Hunt For The Wilderpeople

  11. In Your Eyes

Musical

  1. Rocky Horror Picture Show

  2. Hamilton

  3. God Help The Girl

I’ll add others here when I remember them! And if you’re looking for a single most important movie to me? Empire Records. It was the movie that soundtracked the end of high-school and it’s aged surprisingly well.