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Added by Rossjm on 2 Sep 2010 10:19
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Films I Hold Close to My Heart

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People who added this item 6526 Average listal rating (4535 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 8.4
Why

Arguably the film that got me into film. I saw The Shining, accidentally, when it was on Television and had missed the first 15 minutes. I was 12 years old and I sat mesmerised, before I even knew what film it was. (Soon enough I guessed it was The Shining, mostly because I hate seen the spoof Simpsons Halloween episode before). I nearly gave up on this because I felt it was 'one of those creepy films that will scare me at night'. I was more or less right but I don't regret the decision. It remians to this day my favourite film.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 398 Average listal rating (224 ratings) 6.4 IMDB Rating 6.3
Why

The very first Black and White film I saw. This appeared in the TV Guide and I saw 'Starring a young Jack Nicholson', who I held in very high esteem after recently watching The Shining. Anyway, as turned on the TV, I waited eagerly, only to be surprised that it was Black and White when it began. At my young age, I was fairly ignorant and nearly turned it off. Anyway, it served as a life lesson because I decided to stick with it. At first all I kept thinking was "What would that look like in colour?'" but less than a quarter of a way into the film, I forgot about it being black and white; I was fully immersed in the joyful, campy but strangely creepy atmosphere of the film. I still remember now how the 'Feed Me' line creeped me out.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

My favourite Childhood film of all time. I watched this endlessly. In Year 5 at primary school, this was chosen to be our year's school play. During that time, I watched it almost non stop. People say to me now, "Didn't it scare you?" but to be honest, it is just the tunnel scene that is creepy and it isn't that bad. Yes, it made me feel a tad creeped out every time I watched it but that was all part of the strange allure of this film. It didn't faze me and I would always return for another viewing. Classic songs, too and even before I knew who Gene Wilder was, I loved his performance!
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 4204 Average listal rating (2784 ratings) 8.3 IMDB Rating 8.5
Psycho (1960)
Why

In summer 2007, I was on holiday (I believe it was Majorca) and I could not wait to get back and buy this film. As soon as I got back, I ordered it online, along with several other films I wanted to see (Die Hard trilogy, Frankenstein etc). It arrived in the morning and I put it on that very night. It blew me away and, along with The Shining, helped kick start my love of film.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 6250 Average listal rating (4245 ratings) 8.2 IMDB Rating 8.3
Why

When I was about 13, after I had seen The Shining, I would always walk past this in shops (Only places Supermarkets like Asda, I wasn't into film enough to frequently visit DVD stores) and always be intrigued by it. I would pick it up and wonder what exactly it was and what it was about. I read the description and how it included rape as main theme and remember thinking, "wow, this looks even more controversial than I first thought". However, I felt even more compelled. One day, just as I was about to go to bed on a school night, I notcied it in the TV guide, with its expected 5 star rating. Cos it had already started by about 3 minutes, I rushed upstairs and turned it on. I was captivated. When I had told my mum, who was always leniant on what I watched (She never minded me watching horror films), she was shocked. "Too late, I can't unsee it" I would joke. This is on here because, of all the films I would watch in my room on TV when I was meant to be sleeping, this is the best one and an unforgettable film watching experiance.

Oh and I have seen the first 3 minutes since then...how could I not rewatch a film as good as this?
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 3763 Average listal rating (2518 ratings) 6.1 IMDB Rating 6.3
Why

This was the first 12 Rated film I saw in the cinema...and I was only 11 (I know, cheeky!). I had gone with about 11 others from my new tutor in my first year at Secondary school - Or for what other nationalities probably know it - High School. This included my first proper Girlfriend (Who was only just 12, I was one of the youngest of the year). We were nearly all refused because not all of us were old enough but one of the parents said "What difference does it make?" (My view exactly, I think some Film Certificates are useless). We were let in and it was one hell of an experience, being with 'the cool kids' of my new classes and my new start on life as a secondary school pupil.

When I look back at the people that we all went with now, it seems strange. Some turned into Chavs/Yobs, some moved school and some I never even tak to now. However, that day and this film will always remain close to me.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 3175 Average listal rating (1976 ratings) 7 IMDB Rating 7.5
Why

The film I would watch quite a lot around my Grandparent's house, along with Fantasia and Snow White. I remember I sued to always do a Children's Jigsaw Puzzle of this too, when I went round. A classic Disney film and one of the more darker ones too. I think it teaches children from a young age that life isn't all bright colours and nice well-to-do people and maybe that is why this has stuck with me so much.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2946 Average listal rating (1843 ratings) 6.9 IMDB Rating 7.6
Why

This is the Disney film I would always want to watch at my other Grandparent's (On my Dad's side) house. I suppose this is more colourful and upbeat than Pinocchio and I loved the two films for different reasons. This one I would watch for the fun of the adventure, less the power of the story.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

The first horror film I ever watched. A big thanks to my older sister who got me into Horrors, which I partly attribute to my love of film now. Anyway, we both started horror films when we were fairly young (Me being 9 and my sister being 11). My mother would say "If you get scared, it is your fault" and she didn't mean it in a 'I don't care' way, I suppose it was sort of a life lesson.

I watched this film, with my sister (Who had seen it countless times before), not in the normal linear fasion but getting my sister to skip to each murder from least gory to most gory. Funnily enough, the first kill of the film was the last I watched. Having a VHS player at this point didn't help with the fastforwarding to each scene either!! After I had watched the muderers, we watched the film in its entirety.

I love it and always will. It is one of the most under rated thriller/horror films of all time, even if some of it is fairly cheesy.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 529 Average listal rating (310 ratings) 7.4 IMDB Rating 7.4
Why

This is on here quite simply because it is the scariest film I have ever seen. No gore, not cheesy effects, just pure atmosphere. More people should see this classic.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 683 Average listal rating (475 ratings) 5.5 IMDB Rating 6
Why

The first 15 rated film I saw in the cinema. Strangely enough, the first 12 Rated film I saw in the cinema (The aforementioned Meet the Fockers) was with my girlfriend called Abbie and this, my first 15 rated film, was with a different girlfriend...called Abby. Suffice to say, my older and 'more mature' relationship lasted less than my younger one...that is a story for another day (or just for the people that know me well :p).
Rossjm's rating:
Why

The first silent film I saw. I was 14 and I could not wait to see this. I brought it for a rather expensive £23 on special edition DVD and it was definitely worth it. It is cheaper now of course. It was about £7 cheaper online at the time, even. (For the full story, check out my DVD's I Hold Close to My Heart list). Meanwhile, this is about the actual film, so I will talk about why it is on here. After all the anticipation I wanted badly to watch this. I wasn't sure if I would even like it (Being a German silent film) but I was almost certain I would anyway, based on how intrigued it had made me (When I first saw a still of the shadow going up the stairs). Nosferatu is a film that served as another brick in the wall that makes up my love for films.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1105 Average listal rating (665 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 7.8
Frankenstein (1931)
Why

My Dad had told me about how he watched this on TV once when he was a Kid, when it was shown on TV. I wanted to know what it was like. I knew how iconic the monster's look was from this film already and I was interested in what the film would be like. It blew me away and remains today one of my close favourites.

We watched this in my Film Studies class at college and the reaction from most of the ignorant classmates still angers me today. They picked holes in its effects (Which are very good and haven't actually aged that badly, compared to some films from this era) and moaned about thef act we were watching another black and white film as if it was a chore of some sort. I was not very happy, especially with one guy in my class who talked the whole way through it, mocking it. Although to be fair, he ended up getting on everybody's nerves throughout the year, despite starting off as one of the popular guys.

I also watched this film around the same time I watched Psycho, when I was just getting into my love for cinema.

A classic film and the best Universal Monster Film that was made in the 1930's - 1950's period.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 959 Average listal rating (607 ratings) 7.3 IMDB Rating 7.4
Why

Having seen Frankenstein and loving it, I decieed to watch Dracula. It was the first film I watched in 2008 (The first year I truly acted on my enjoyment of film, still remaining my most productive film watching year so far, with over 200 films, not including rewatches). I was a little disappointed (but still liked it) and for a time it was my least favourite Universal Monster Film. Yet when I rewatched it in 2009, I absoultely loved it. Dwight Frye as Renfield is one of the best peformances of all time, being 23rd in my
Top 100 Male Performances list. His manic laugh (Strangely comic, too) made me realise how great a role it was, even the first time I saw it.

Sorry about the list plugs but I figure I have nothing to lose :p
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 251 Average listal rating (137 ratings) 6.9 IMDB Rating 7
Why

I'm going to be honest with you; I was 14 and was effectively looking for any film that might have a sexy scene in it and with a title like this, I couldn't go far wrong. However, I also ended up actually enjoying this neo-noir, under rated classic. I got more than I bargained for with Basic Instinct though...with that treacherous ice pick scene.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 408 Average listal rating (259 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 8.1
Why

I waited ages to see this film and when I finally did, I was not disappointed. It remains now in my top 10 films. The famous last scene indeed makes this film all the more better but it is pretty damn spectacular to begin with.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2846 Average listal rating (1827 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.6
The Birds (1963)
Why

After seeing Psycho, I really wanted to see The Birds and it was as good as I thought it would be. The second Hitchcock film I saw, that, along woth Psycho, prompted me to watch more Hitchcock's.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 8578 Average listal rating (6131 ratings) 7.7 IMDB Rating 7.9
Why

This is on here because it is one of the few films that made me cry when watching it (Yeah, I'm a cynical bastard who rarely cries at films). I'm not sure what it is, it isn't exactly due to sadness, or even happiness, it was just emotional for me.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1224 Average listal rating (775 ratings) 8.4 IMDB Rating 8.4
Why

Kubrick's most human film. Another film that made me genuinely cry. Absoulte classic, under appreciated Kubrick gem. Such genius from a man who was only 29 when he made it.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 5273 Average listal rating (3630 ratings) 8.1 IMDB Rating 8.3
Why

A film I had heard of, even before I was properly into movies. Along with Shawshank, this was the film I had heard of, seen around in shops etc that I wanted to see. First time I watched it, I wasn't blown away as such. Second time, however, I was astonished. Well, second and a half time, in between the two viewings I brought it round my friends house when I was staying the night. We got about 20-25 minutes into it and then I got a massive nosebleed. Seriously, if I didn't stop it I would have looked like a character from the film. My friend wasn't getting into it that much anyway, so we decided to shut it off. I think we settled for a comedy in the end. I think it was Airplane! that we had both seen before. We ended up falling asleep half way through that, I think we only ever finished one film that night and it was There's Somethign About Mary that was showing on TV.

This is a film I hold close to me for the memories I had with it, even though I love it as a film in itself, too.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 762 Average listal rating (497 ratings) 5.2 IMDB Rating 5.6
Why

Jeepers Creepers 2 and to a lesser extent, Jeepers Creepers are two of the most under rated and most wrongly ridiculed films I have seen so far. The second one has some good acting from relative unknowns, impeccable atmosphere, it can be fairly creepy and even when too much starts to go on, it still pulls itself together for a perfect end scene. Hell, it even has some racial tension in there and political correct morons usually lap that right up. The reason it is on here is because I loved it when I first saw it. It creeped me out and I have watched it several time since. It may not be perfect but it is damn enjoyable and doesn't get enough credit.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2126 Average listal rating (1436 ratings) 7.3 IMDB Rating 7.4
Why

Another film I had wanted to see for absolutely ages, when I heard we were going to watch Drag Me to Hell in my Film Studies class a few months ago during my first college year, I wanted to be sure to see where Raimi had started first. For some reason, The Evil Dead has not been released on Region 2 DVD for a few years now and can only buy them second hand. Instead, I asked my Film teacher to lend me his DVD. It was worth the wait because I loved it. The atmosphere, the dark humour, the glorious violence. An iconic film that I will always hold close to me.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

I watched this when I was about 13 and my friend had come round to stay the night. He decided that 12am was a reasonable time to go to sleep (Barely late at all!) so I stayed up and watched this on TV after reading about it in the TV guide. A fantastic film and one of the best British films from recent days. Also, alregly under rated compared to Shane Meadows modern, gritty classic This is England. Personally, I prefer this.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2100 Average listal rating (1412 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.8
Misery (1990)
Why

I watched this late on night on TV and it was one of the best film experiances I have ever had. I was still only just beggining to get into films and I decided to watch this. One of the tensest films I have ever seen. I was captivated.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2339 Average listal rating (1509 ratings) 6.3 IMDB Rating 6.5
Silent Hill (2006)
Why

I watched this film with two friends when we had an all nighter sleep over. It was a horror night, in which me and my other friend initiated our other friend into the wonderful world of horror. We started with the standard classics such as Halloween and Scream, then we watched Saw and this. This was the only film of the night that I watched for the first time. When Pyramid Head rips off the skin of some woman, we couldn't believe what we had just seen, even though it isn't too full on. Great experiance, even if the film isn't perfect.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1564 Average listal rating (1000 ratings) 7.6 IMDB Rating 7.7
Why

I watched this film with my Dad in '08 when it was on the TCM (Turner's Classic Movies) channel. It blew me away, watching the film and noticing all of the iconic quotes.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

I watched this on the 21st Decemeber in 2008 (Don't ask me why I still know the date) late at night on TV. I had wanted to watch it for a few months when I saw it in the TV Guide a few months before it was shown the time I watched it. When I saw that it was on again, I put it on. It creeped me out and all of the five stories were excpetional entertainment. An under rated British horror film. Very 70's in feel and sometimes I love films that have dated slightly. It shows their age better and soemtimes that is good.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1269 Average listal rating (848 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 8.2
Why

I watched this around Christmas time in 2007 with my Dad, who had told me how good it was. He wasn't wrong and I deeply enjoyed this film. I couldn't wait until the enxt year when it was shown again and of course, I watched it again.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2881 Average listal rating (1867 ratings) 7.2 IMDB Rating 7.5
Why

One of the first horror films I saw, I watched this one with my sister after we rented it from Blockbuster. At first my mum objected to me watching this particular horror film (She didn't mind so much with some of the others I had seen) yet she gave in when we kept on about how much we wanted to see it. My sister and I both loved it and our reaction to the infamous Blood Geyser scene would have been priceless.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

How could I not have The Pokemon Movie on here?! The television show was fundemental in my growing up and I'm sure it was for a lot of Mew Too (Oh that is a bad joke). I saw this in the cinema with my sister and my Dad (Who may or may not have fallen asleep, he did for sure in the second one). One of my personal favourites from my childhood.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 216 Average listal rating (86 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.5
Why

Another film I watched at night on TV in my room, Ratcatcher particularly stuck with me. One of the most dirtiest, depressing films I have ever seen but is realistic portrait of Britain and strong, natural performances make this film great.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 835 Average listal rating (489 ratings) 6.3 IMDB Rating 6.7
Why

Another average film I watched late at night. These sort of films shown on TV were never usually classics but if I wasn't tired enough to sleep, I would watch a film like this. I quite liked it and it has a great ending but it isn't anything special. It is on here because it aws one of the films that reminds me of those nights I'd stay up and awtch any film that looked appealing.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

Same as Unfaithful

This film didn't blow me away and the plot is forgettable but it is on here because of the pure nostalgia.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 9 Average listal rating (3 ratings) 5.7 IMDB Rating 4.1
Contagion (2002)
Why

Same as Unfaithful and Contagion

Nothing outstanding but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A good film to watch if it is on TV.
Rossjm's rating:
Why

This was a childhood film, even though I never wanted to eat when I watched it because I thought he looked like a piece of poo and it put me off my food. I watched it again in 2008 and I loved it just as much... and I still think he looks like poo...
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 32 Average listal rating (16 ratings) 6.3 IMDB Rating 6.4
The Sorcerers (1967)
Why

Yet another film I watched at night when I should have been sleeping when I was younger, only exception is, this was great. An under rated horror film from young, talented director Michael Reeves, who only died a year after this was made and the completion of his next film, the even better Witchfinder General.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 2241 Average listal rating (1387 ratings) 7.5 IMDB Rating 7.8
Why

A film I used to watch a lot round my Gran and Grandad's house, I loved it. I loved the music (even before I fully understood which composers they were), the animation and the stories.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1302 Average listal rating (777 ratings) 8 IMDB Rating 8.2
Why

When I bought the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die at the start of 2008, the first film in the book, this, intrigued me. I had seen the image of the spaceship in the eye of the moon before but it was even more excited about watching after getting this book. I found it on Youtube.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE

As it is likely the original film doesn't have an existing score, or indeed may not have been made with one at all, you can mute the sound and watch just the film or you can listen to the new score composed for the video.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 1233 Average listal rating (737 ratings) 7.8 IMDB Rating 7.7
Why

Same as A Trip to the Moon

Also, it was the eye-slitting scene that made me want to see this but it looked good in general too. My secon favourite short film after A Trip to the Moon.
Rossjm's rating:
People who added this item 508 Average listal rating (325 ratings) 7.1 IMDB Rating 7.3
Why

Same as A Trip to the Moon and An Andalusion Dog

Also, this being called The first Western film, I wanted to see how good it was. A suspensful, iconic short film.
Rossjm's rating:

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Like my DVD list, this focuses on specific films instead.

DVD's I Hold Close to My Heart

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