Students on De Montfort University’s Arts and Entertainment Journalism module pick the films, plays, music, TV shows and books that shaped them
My favourite film
Asking a film student for her favourite film is quite possibly the worst idea. This question would unravel into a two-hour conversation. I mean, if we’re talking action films, we could be talking about Pulp Fiction or Fast and Furious or Mr and Mrs smith or any Marvel film. Rom-coms? The Notebook or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or Friends with Benefits. If we’re talking thrillers, the more gruesome the better, so Final Destination is the best. If you’re after films that messed with my head then Sleeping with the Enemy is in the top three, for sure.
Although if you want to know about that one film I could watch over and over again that I wouldn’t get tired of and that I could probably recite every line by heart at this point? Practical Magic. Watched it for the first time when I was 10 and it has been my favourite ever since.
The TV show I’m currently binging
I feel like I’ve been binge watching this show for years at this point. Seven seasons, 153 episodes, hundreds of hours of sarcasm and jokes and messy relationships. Gilmore Girls has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I watch it over and over again. Just like my favourite film, I could probably recite every single line in all of those 153 episodes, and one could argue that that is a major talent. The same happens with Friends, I’ve watched it so many times I can now tell you the episode when Ross cheated on Rachel, or when Monica tried to propose to Chandler, or even when Phoebe’s doll house caught fire.
First time at the theatre
The first time I went to London was 2019. Little did I know then that I’d be moving to the UK a year later. The first time I went to see a show was actually that time in London. I saw Wicked. I cried. Technically I had been to the ballet a bunch of times before that but I’d like to think that was the first real show I ever saw.
First song I adored
Everything and anything by Hannah Montana. Five-year-old me would prance around the living room while my mum was cooking dinner, blonde wig on, purple glittery microphone in hand, screaming at the top of my lungs all of the Hannah Montana tunes I could possibly remember.
Go to karaoke tune
Anything by ABBA is a go to karaoke tune. Dancing Queen is a must at any karaoke bar. Just get everyone singing so you’re not embarrassing yourself alone. Although not everyone would want to hear me sing, my shower hasn’t kicked me out yet…
First gig I saw
I was 13, I skipped school with my friends and made my mum drive me and 10 other girls an hour away just so we could spend two hours screaming Shawn Mendes songs at his concert.
The book I couldn’t put down
Anna Karenina, an 800-page book that when you hold it, it’s as heavy as a bible. It’s beautiful and so incredibly ahead of its time.
Overrated
Star Wars.
Underrated
You know those old famous films we all pretend we’ve seen but no one actually has? Well don’t waste your time on them. Just focus on watching Mrs Doubtfire which is incredibly underrated, and it will make you laugh for an hour straight.
Guilty pleasure
Mamma Mia. Spaghetti with marinara sauce. Every Barbie film I used to watch when I was five. The Spice Girls. Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Online shopping. Matthew Grey Gubler. Scrolling on Pinterest for hours on end. Coffee. Trivial Pursuit. Matt Rife. Criminal Minds.