Revisiting Five Films That Stay With Me

Monday is about movies. And sometimes TV. Today it's about revisiting an old concept - seeing if we can maybe get it going again right here...

I’m always looking for a new series of posts I can push out from time to time. This is over on my website Off The Tracks. That little site has been around for 10 years now. I missed its birthday and should have written something about it – because I’m a believer in the fact that you have to celebrate (and call out) your own milestones and moments. (No one else is going to). There’s no shame in it whatsoever.

When I started Off The Tracks I had an idea for a series of guest posts where regular readers, celebrities, local musicians and music industry stalwarts, as well as other writers, would all contribute by writing about five albums they were loving then and there. It meant they could mention a favourite new album or reflect on an old classic, ideally a mixture of both.

I then decided to start asking some of the same people – and loads of different people – to contribute a list focused on movies. But how could I get people to write about films old and new without them merely listing their absolute favourites?

After a bit of thinking on it, at least three or four minutes anyway, I came up with Five Films That Stay With Me.

My interpretation of this still allowed for anyone to write about their all-time favourites, but freed them from any ranking, and the idea was more around them picking films that sat heavy, in either a good way or a bad way. One or two guest writers picked up on that and mentioned films they absolutely hated but couldn’t stop thinking about. Others were more focussed on the films that gave them nightmares (in a good way I guess?) Or the films that they felt they never ever needed to see again because every frame was burnt into their mind. Or of course films on regular rewatch. There was also space to mention a brand new movie – if it hit hard of course.

It was a fun series to offer – but like anything, it runs out of steam. And given I’ve removed myself from most social media now I can’t really fire the Five Films back up on Off The Tracks. Part of the joy of it, I guess, was people being able to share their contributions on their own social media, and me sharing it across my website’s Facebook page too.

I wondered if any of the readers here might be interested in offering one? I could share them out now and then as an occasional series right here on Substack. Some new guest posts from some new regular readers, sharing a bunch of new titles – well new and old – but newly shared.

If you think that’s a cool idea, leave me a comment below saying you’d be keen. Or send me a message – you can email me via this medium, or directly on Simon and then @ and then offthetracks (all one word) and then the usual dot-co-dot.nz. (Or, um, here).

I’ve been looking back through the Five Films archives – and you can too.

My own selection would have totally changed now, which is also the point – trying to just mark a moment in time, rather than feel like the list is for all time!

I chose Withnail & I, Purple Rain, Interiors, Taxi Driver, and Wake In Fright.

It's fair to say that those films do continue to sit with me, all of them amazing experiences the first time around, all of them films I’ve seen more than once. I can see why I chose them too – attempting to pick from a few different eras and genres, mainstream (mostly) but also a little bit fringe/cult too.

Withnail was a student-flat favourite and its mood has shifted as I’ve grown up. It went from being hilarious to heartbreaking. It’s all the more poignant for that.

Purple Rain was really the confirmation that I was (becoming) a Prince fanatic. It was the start of my love of music movies and though there are some moments in it that haven’t aged well (the sexism/misogyny) I can still watch it and marvel at the simplicity of the idea behind it and the compelling musical performances that sold it.

Interiors I would have picked because it was the first time I watched a serious Woody Allen film, and properly considered him a filmmaker – his other films had been hilarious to me, or quirky and silly, but this is the dark drama that showed his film influences and wider reading. I’m not sure I’d go back in now for anything much from Woody. I tried reading his memoir – and eventually made it to the end, but my interest in his work is largely gone now.

Taxi Driver blew my mind as a teen – and I’ve watched it quite recently, in fact it’s the only one on this list that I have watched in the last year. It’s just a wonderful film, the music, the direction, the writing, the performances. And it has aged wonderfully.

Wake In Fight was one of the more recent watches for me at the time of deciding my list. And it was compelling, so gobsmacking, that I went straight out and read the novel it was based on. The book was okay, kinda cool – but the movie is just the right shade of horrific for me. I loved it. And love it still.

So that’s my list. And I’m pleased enough with it still. You can read my thoughts from the time about each film here.

And I’d love to know in a list below – in the comments – what Five Films have (most) stayed with you. And/or if you’re interested in expounding on the list, you are welcome to get in touch and send me a word doc with some thoughts on each and I’ll credit you and post it as a guest contribution to Sounds Good!

What do you think?