My incredibly biased list of the best media ever
Photo courtesy of Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia Commons
Robin Williams has played a lot of iconic roles in his past, but one of his best was as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting (1997). It was an emotional and powerful role Williams played to perfection.
In the past four years I have written for the Arts and Entertainment section about everything under the sun, including movie releases, bad television shows, books turned into movies, and my personal opinion about anything that comes to mind in the media. It only feels right to have my final article be a compilation of my all-time favorite pieces of media, which is full of incredible bias and cliché opinions that I hold very near and dear to my heart.
Starting off strong with my all time favorite movies that are proudly listed on my Letterboxd profile in no particular order: Little Women (2019), Almost Famous (2000), The Muppets (2011), and Good Will Hunting (1997).
While I think that all versions of Little Women (including the book) are absolutely amazing, the 2019 version directed by Greta Gerwig truly captures the essence of sisterhood and the love of female relationships. As both a writer and a younger sister, I have unfortunately made this movie a part of my personality ever since I first watched it during my freshman year of college.
Even though Almost Famous (2000) has been around longer than I have, I did not discover the incredible film until my senior year in high school. Ever since then, I have made it my mission to show it to anyone who has 124 minutes of free time. The iconic movie has an incredible collection of music and drama, two things that I believe to be incredibly important in a great movie.
The Muppets (2011) may not be what many people consider to be peak cinema, but I never said these were the best movies ever—I just said that they were my favorite. Even though I hate puppets, I make an exception for these little guys. The Muppet universe has an incredible plot line and brings a nostalgic smile to my face every time that I see it.
On a more serious note, Good Will Hunting (1997) is my go-to movie every time that I need a good cry. Robin Williams does an incredible job, yet again, of showcasing an incredible range of emotions and bringing out the best in those around him. My TikTok saves folder is full of edits of this movie, which I can only watch if I am ready to cry.
Alongside being a big movie fan, I am also a long-time poetry enjoyer. I know many people find it hard to believe that someone could enjoy reading poetry in their free time, but I swear it is true. Laura Gilpin wrote one of my all-time favorite poems, which any poetry fan will definitely know, called “The Two-headed Calf.” Only two stanzas long, this poem still manages to make my heart swell with emotion every time I think of it. Maybe it is because I grew up on a farm and spent countless summer nights bottle feeding calves that had been abandoned, or maybe I just have too many emotions. But either way, this poem packs an incredible punch and has rightfully taken social media by storm for many years.
As cliche as it is, I find it impossible to pick just one song to proclaim as my favorite, but I can name just a few artists to be my favorites. I find myself loving artists even more after I get to hear them live, so Noah Kahan, Flipturn, The Chicks, Zach Top, and Taylor Swift are constant repeats in my playlist. I do have a dream list of artists I would pay an arm and a leg to see live, including Elliot Smith, Joji, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Conan Gray, and Lana Del Ray, just to name a few.
Just like a song, I find it impossible to pick just one book to be my favorite. A recent read I find myself thinking about often is Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. The novel follows a female college student who begins the novel with a magazine internship, which I at first found to be relatable, but quickly found that this book is not simply about an average girl’s internship in New York City.
All of this is to say, you should be proud of the media that you love! There is no need to hide the fact that your favorite book might be a part of a series you read as a middle schooler, or that your favorite artist is a mainstream pop star. You do not even need to have a “real” reason to enjoy something, and you do not have to explain yourself to anyone.