With all the excellent movies that have (and are going to) come out this year, it’s only fitting to write a blog post featuring my favorite movies. I’m also taking a film class this year, which means I can learn about what goes into making my favorite films. In the first semester, we’ll be studying costume design, sound, cinematography, scriptwriting, and direction, with movies like Hugo, Edward Scissorhands, Barbie, Citizen Kane, and many more.  Second semester, we’ll be going chronologically through movie history, from Charlie Chaplin’s films to Interstellar.

Seeing Spiderman: Brand New Day in theatres was incredible. Spiderman/Peter Parker is one of my favorite characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), topped only by the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes. Being able to get into Marvel and the Spiderman movies as I’m growing up and the movies keep coming out has been such a fun experience, and I can’t wait to keep watching them through my teenage years. Brand New Day in particular was my favorite of the Tom Holland Spiderman movies, because of the characters and the music, especially “oh yeah?” by Steve Lacy & “Loser” by Tame Impala). The movie somehow felt so nostalgic even though it’s set in modern-day NYC. 

Coraline has been one of my favorite movies for about three years, because of the detail that Laika Studios put in the film. It’s claymation, which is incredibly difficult and time-consuming. Neil Gaiman’s original book scared me to death when I was younger (and I loved it). It feels only fitting that it remains one of my favorite movies to this day. 

Jurassic Park is a classic adventure movie, and it’s been one of my favorite movie soundtracks for years. There are so many scenes to highlight that I might as well just describe the whole movie, but one stands out specifically: The “clever girl” scene is genius, especially with the added layer of it performing as a callback to the movie’s second opening scene (where Dr. Alan Grant talks about velociraptors hunting in packs.)

The Martian was the first Andy Weir novel I ever read, at camp last year, and it ended up being one of my favorite books that summer. Once I got home and found out there was a movie, I was so excited to watch it–and Matt Damon’s performance certainly did not disappoint. I love the gritty, dark humor of this movie, and the music makes it even better. 

The Princess Diaries is one of the few movies I know by heart; I could probably recite a scene from it verbatim. It’s a perfect coming-of-age movie, containing both the whimsy of becoming a princess and the twists and turns of becoming an adult. 

Looking ahead to upcoming theater release dates, I am most excited to see Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, Wildwood, and Sunrise on the Reaping. I’m so excited for the new Avengers movies; Marvel is a new love of mine. Laika never fails to impress, and I hope Wildwood is just as beautifully crafted as Coraline. Sunrise on the Reaping is probably my favorite book of the Hunger Games series, and I can’t wait to see it turned into a movie! I’ve always loved storytelling, and movies are a perfect conduit for telling complex, immersive, wonderful stories.