Finding Your Style: Your Own Unique Take On Lolita

I've been into Lolita for almost 5 years now. Trust me, it has been a love affair as it's probably been for most of you. But, I can honestly say that it's definitely a journey into finding what your actual style is within the realm of the fashion itself. Sure, you could pick a "style" like sweet, gothic or classic, but can you find your style within it. It's taken me a very long time to truly find my style when it comes to this fashion culture and now I'd like to share my style with you.

Let's start off with the beginning. Oddly, you wouldn't be able to tell at all, but I started my frilly days off as a Gothic girl. Though I still love the details of gothic style, since my usual non lolita style is a more all black look (not gothic but...dark colors?) I try to dress a bit differently when in the frills compared to my western street fashion counter part. I think many can consider the first step of most lolitas "the old school step", but at least for me it was more on the ita side (yes, yes, I was an ita! Don't deny you were one also, come on!)  

Sadly, we've all taken the plunge into Lolita fashion sometimes without the complete understanding of it. Take me for example, I got into the fashion because of Mana from Malice Mizer. I don't think I really need to explain much of why I admired him or why I even dared to dress similar to him, but maybe it was my love affair with my own collection of dolls at the time and wanting to look similar to them - and I'm really not going to continue on this since I'm pretty sure 95% of you have the same response. 

But after having the incredible realization that this fashion took real dedication and work (No, really!?), I took a bit of a back step on

 it and let myself collect items until I could actually make a decent outfit. Trial and error outfits took place one right after the other, but finally I saw the light. No no, not the heavenly like, The Rori Light! (I honestly think I saw Momoko holding a hand out to me with this one!) The realization that I found the style that called out to me the most: Sweet Lolita. 

But what exactly draws one to this style (which has been the most popular for the last 3 or so years.) that had me believing in Lolita once more as something that was made for me to wear. I've even seen pictures of me as a baby in clothes are definitely pieces of what would become lolita, especially those bonnets my mother forced upon me at such a young age. Sweet Lolita completed that gap in my fashion heart for me that craved pastels in a bell shaped dress form, that I felt fit me the best in the world of fashion for me. I had never felt so beautiful, so adorable or so healthy looking then I did the first time I put on my first brand dress: A little polka dot number from Angelic Pretty in a stark red and white color palette! 

Since then it's been completely a romance of absolute adorable and cuteness that has made me a sweet lolita girl for life. The use of animals, ridiculously high calorie looking sweets and beautiful shades of pink have made me dedicated enough to want to be buried in it, just like in the picture next to the text. I can't contain myself when I see the newest Angelic Pretty print, in all it's sparkle like wonder, it's almost like the feeling you get on Christmas day looking at the new presents under the tree. Such prints as Pastel Ala Mode and Dreamy Dollhouse have given me such fantasies of fun with friends and adventures into new places. 

I get the same feeling from Baby as well. Baby has this great sort of vintage take on what Angelic Pretty tends to make more modern and or slightly tacky (in the best way possible though, seriously.) Even the newest prints like my favorite Twinkle Princess Dream are just well, a dream in themselves (I'm dying for the navy or pink version!) 

Then fast forward to a little under 3 months ago. I step into a new world of style, that is what has ultimately lead me to writing this in the first place. It's best to understand during my teen years I was obsessed with Punk fashion. Joey Ramone and Debbie Harry were my idols and I dreamed of being just as cool as them by dressing in every bit I could get from Trash and Vaudeville at the time. Quickly I learned that the ones called "punks" were never ones to identify themselves as such and therefore I banished the thoughts from my mind. Fast forward to the point previously mentioned and I re-discovered my love for a very under appreciated brand: Putumayo. 

Putumayo can't and shouldn't even be just connected to punk lolita. It, to me, is the only true brand that can call itself a sweet punk style brand. It mixes the two perfectly. It'll have pieces that focus on fairy tale themes turned upside down. One of my favorites was a theme of cutsews featuring Little Red Riding Hood holding a bloody knife but looking absolutely cute doing so (odd? of course!) Maybe it's because I'm obsessed with plaid, but this brand speaks to me like no other and I'm now on a mission: With every coordinate to capture my love of both sweet and punk to perfection.

The only person I've found do this perfectly is one of the old school girls, Nana Kitade. I actually haven't heard much from Ms. Kitade in recent years, but back about 4 years ago she was one of my idols. She always knew the right way to blend Baby The Stars Shine Bright with spiked bracelets and skulls in this way that almost looked elegant. I remember that moment when I first saw Nana in person, carrying her Baby Bunny Bag and sitting with it, arms all around. It's probably one of the most inspirational images ever for me, and I want to carry that tradition on in my style!

So then, what is exactly my style? It's a mixture of sparkles, Barbies, The 80's with your rock n roll mischief and a lot of confidence. It involves hats, clips and a lot of patterned bows. Give me different kinds of solids, maybe even a print or too that makes you think of the bitter taste of dark chocolate. If Debbie Harry or Cyndi Lauper was lolita, would they approve? If they do then I'd wear it for sure. Take any combination of red plaid or pink and black and you've got a winning result of something fun yet interesting: me. Now give me some pink leopard print and let's go!

So, what do you consider your personal lolita style? Is it a mixture of things or do you like to just try one style per outfit? Post pictures and have fun! 

Iconic Love Letter: 80's/90's Magical Girl Series

Growing up as a child of the 90's, I was fully submerged into the new obsession of the young female gender: The Magical Girl Show! Granted, some of these shows can be considered cheesy, silly and sometimes just plain odd - but do we care? No! As long as there is a character with a cute sense of style, fun powers we dreamed about and some cute guy to crush on, we were set for fun! But wait, Style!? Inspiration!? From a kids television show!? But of course! My absolute favorite part of these shows was the look of each character, and I wanted to dress and be like them all so badly. So, in tribute to these fantastic series that we've all grown up with, I decided to make them my Iconic Love Letter for this week! So hop on your magic wand and let's get started!

Let's start off with my favorite series of the 80's, Jem! If you don't know about Jem, let me tell you that you are missing something, as the iconic heroine would say, Truly Outrageous! Jem is the story of Jerrica, who has just been given the complete ownership of her Father's record company after his passing. She also has to be in charge of an orphanage for little girls. She's so stressed and on top of that, she's dating the cutest guy Rico! What is she going to do!? One day, Jerrica is given the power to transform into Jem, her rock-n-roll goddess alter ego! New, Jerrica must decide between which life to lead: Her own or the one of Jem. The series has some of the coolest and catchiest songs I've ever heard, along with the most epic and tackiest outfits ever. But what makes Jem so cool is that it knows how silly it is, which makes you want to be in the world of the series even more! I mean, I'd love to transform myself into a pink haired rock star, wouldn't you?
Next up, we have Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (also known as Princess Starla in other countries). The plot revolves around an alternative version of Avalon (think Rainbow Bright mixed with Samurai Troopers in terms of style), where people who are given the magic of Merlin can protect the world with The Crown Jewels and chosen animal companions. Our star is Princess Gwenevere, who is now destined to defeat the evil Lady Kale. She also has two allies, known as the Jewel Riders, named Tamara and Fallon! My favorite character of the series was Tamara, considered to be the oldest and prettiest of the Jewel Riders. She carries the heart stone and is known for taking care of the animals of Avalon. Maybe it was the British accent or the fact that she's the reason I'm obsessed with Mint and Pink together, but Tamara is a class act all on her own. Also, who doesn't want to ride on a pet Unicorn named Sunstar? (my favorite of the horses!) I highly recommend this if you haven't seen it!
Now, you can't go without mentioning the popular Magical Girl anime series that were huge at this time as well. Though there are a lot to chose from, I wanted to give special shout outs to my favorites - Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon (S and SuperS being my favorite seasons!). I'm pretty sure that anyone and everyone reading this blog knows of at least one of both of these series, and I'd manage to say you even are a big fan of them too. It was hard to ignore the success of these shows, but especially Sailor Moon here in the states. Though, we were never truly treated to seeing the entirety of these shows (but at least we were given Cardcaptor Sakura uncut many years later), they still are incredible and hard to not adore.
Cardcaptor Sakura is one of those unique series that really, in my mind, has no flaws. It's also important to note that this is probably the closest we've come to having a Lolita super hero of any sort! You can't deny the fact how excited you were to see Sakura's new fighting outfit each episode, created specially by her friend Tomoyo! I'm also a sucker for anything with angel wings, and this just made that aspect even cuter for myself. I have so many favorite outfits and moments from this show, allowing myself to never grow away from it completely.
... and don't even get me started on Sailor Moon. It's hard to clearly define the impact this series has had on me and the millions that have watched it, but it's probably in the time-line of things why I'm even writing this blog today. Sailor Moon was the first anime series I ever saw, watched every episode, and know every plot line by heart. It also brought my down the track line to learning about Japanese pop culture and now, you know the rest of the story. Sailor Moon is also in this unique category of complete pure and fabulous timeless story telling. Sure, there are your occasional filler episodes (there are in EVERY series, honestly.), but they are charming when you get to know all the characters - which I almost consider friends after seeing them for the past 16 years of my life. If you're going to rewatch any part of the series, I recommend the Pegasus story arch along with the R series movie! They're romantic, funny and touching!
Side note: Sailor Chibi-Moon isn't my favorite, Sailor Saturn is actually!
So now you want to incorporate these into your style, but how?
Here is my own personal outfit based on these magical ladies!
First off, pick an empire waist cut JSK or OP. Make sure that it creates a sort of round cuteness effect, and looks a bit casual so you can run around in it. I'd also suggest going with a cutsew or parka that has a sailor/peter pan collar. This is to go along with the sailor uniform inspired style from the anime shows, which are all based around this school uniform style. Next, I'd chose a pair of more comfortable but cute shoes, like these AP Engineer Boots in Pink! I'd also go with a bag that resembles a school styled one, especially since most of these characters are in high school or young adults! Make sure to pick out a cool brooch that looks magical girl inspired, like this one I found on etsy that's based on a Sailor Moon design. Remember to get a big and adorable bow to finish the look, see if you can find one with stars or sequin in it. Even though this coordinate is almost entirely AP and Mint/Pink, you can do it whatever way you like - if Sailor Moon would wear it, then go for it!

So whatever Magical Girl you like the most, feel free to incorporate them into your style! What is your favorite Magical Girl series? Was it not mentioned here? Have you ever made an outfit inspired by them? Mention in the comments below!

LVF Celebrates 150 Followers and Birthday (pt.1)

LVF has something to celebrate! We've reached 150 followers, which I happened to have seen had happened just around my actual birthday! But how indeed did I celebrate my birthday? Well I'll tell you it was truly something fabulous. My boyfriend had in a series of events, surprised me by taking me to the local big market store, then to Reb Lobster for lunch and then... 15 of my friends were all waiting for me at my house! It was such a shock and surprise in so many ways, I literally was really speechless for a good 20 minutes

It was absolutely magical! I even got some really neat presents, including a lot of gift cards and even some brand, a Metamorphose necklace to be exact! I loved all my presents, from the handmade to the adorably personal, it all meant the world to me and the best present of all was having my friends there with me. Look out for another post with some present pictures and more adventures!

Iconic Love Letter: Tarina Tarantino

I always like to try something new, and with that I give you a new series of posts called Iconic Love Letter! Each post will center around someone that I consider to be a style icon. Whether it be a designer, model or even a normal lolita girl - someone always inspires me and I want to share that inspiration with you! So, who is the center of attention when it comes to our first post? Well I wanted to share some light on someone that inspires and ends up in every single one of my outfits, Tarina Tarantino!

If you haven't heard of Tarina, well let me sing her praises! Mrs.Tarantino is a alternative jewelry designer from California. Obsessed with pink, Hello Kitty, Barbie and everything else girly - Tarina takes her own spin on classic icons that we all love and makes them into funky wearable jewelry and pieces that are handmade and cherished the world over. With her own beautiful pink hair, Tarina is herself an icon of both fashion and the proper way of upholding a business. To me though, there's many things about Tarina, aside from being my go to style girl, that I adore about her.
First of all, she has no holds about being herself in every way possible. Tarina isn't considered the skinny model girl that everyone dreams of being and especially in an industry that strives for that, she just let's it roll of her shoulder and stays her fabulous healthy self. As someone that isn't super small and can't fit into every single piece of the latest fashions, and tall as well, Tarina solves all those problems and gives me inspiration to dress for my body type and make it even more incredible then someone else 50 pounds lighter then me. Tarina also is probably the reason why I'm a lolita (gasp). Tarina embraces Japanese Pop Culture and brings it to the public in a perfect and lovely way, something that Gwen Stefani didn't catch on to as easily. She even has a Lolita collection, including Hello Kitty dressed in head to toe Gothic and Sweet Lolita!
Did I mention my favorite thing about Tarina? Well she happens to be good friends with two of my other favorite style icons, Maki and Asuka of Angelic Pretty. Maybe one day they'll do a collection together (one can only dream!). Me and Tarina even own the same dress (as shown above), Dreaming Macaroon in Black (OP style), which is one of my favorite dresses in my closet! Another cool thing about Tarina? She also has her own exclusive Barbie Doll (dressed in a combination to tie for of Pink and Mint!) and has her own recently released make up line at Sephora! My favorite items from the make up line are the Lip Gloss in Disco Nap and the Primer, which is to die for. Now, do you love Tarina or what? If you do and are curious how to embrace some Tarina into your style, here is a little coordinate I came up with inspired by this pink haired goddess!First, I chose my favorite dress as mentioned before! Then go and get as much Tarina jewelry as possible. My favorite collection is her heart shaped items, which all go together in some odd fashion. Then go with all of her make up you can get in the brightest and pink girly shades. Then add unique little unique punk like touches, like these adorable strawberry colored boots from Doc Martens, and add whatever you can find in terms of shoe clips. I chose these pink heart clips, but pink bows will work too. My other little touches I chose were these black and white polka dot tights, and this pink and blonde mixture wig from my friend MintyMix.com. Finally, get your own Tarina Tarantino Tiara or any sort of crown you can to add some final sparkle! This is just my idea of perfecting the fabulous of Tarina, but you can do it whichever way you feel best!
So to make a final note, Tarina is an absolutely fabulous pink fairy of a lady. As you can tell she really is an inspiration to me, and when I met her (yes, that's me in not my most fashionable moment.) it was a grand moment to see someone I admired as a woman in person and tell her of the things she's done for me to make me feel beautiful as myself. So go forth, find your inner sparkle and see what you can do to add some Tarina to your wardrobe or style! I'm sure it'll put the biggest smile on your face when you do.

To get more from Tarina, check out her website here. If you're interested in her Sephora collection, go here. I also recommend her blog, Sparkle Factory. Got someone you'd be interested in seeing an Iconic Love Letter to? Comment below!

5 Frills Related Party Things - Move Over Alice!

Here at LVF, we really like to please the viewers, because without you this blog really wouldn't be possible. So because of that, this post is actually inspired by a recent viewer request! On my most recent post, I was asked about specific party themes in general. I've dealt with this sort of brain storm a lot, but not as much when it comes to specific frilly related themes. So, that is the focus of this post.

But it's important to note that most of the time I see one theme always pop up: Alice in Wonderland Tea Party. As I believe you all know, I'm not one to continue on cliches in frilly land, especially Alice! (You can read my article on Alice here) So this post will have no Alice related party themes at all, and apologies if you were in hopes of it. Trust me, if you're looking for such it's easy to find everywhere else.

Now, on with the ideas!


1) Marie Antoinette Theme
Cake: Vanilla (Dyed in Pink) Cake with Velvet Almond Buttercream Frosting (Dyed in Mint).

Granted, next to Alice, Marie Antoinette is probably just as cliche, but yet she's something that is just usual in the realm of Fashion in general, so you can't completely go wrong. But yet, what is the best part of this theme? Extreme decor. Pick colors like creams and pinks to use for ribbons and balloons, with hints of mint! Make all the tables covered in pictures from the Rococo period, along with tiny lace clothes for all the tables at your location! As activities, you can play a version of Pin The Tail on the Donkey, but instead Feed Marie The Cake. Make a full size picture Marie, blind fold a guest and see if they can land the cake on her mouth! You can also have a headdress making craft, where you design feather style hair clips (check out this DIY page for inspiration). You could also bake a selection of French treats, like these French Lace Cookies or these creations from Alice's Tea Cup! To go with your snacks, make a DIY Tea Station, full with all your favorite kinds of tea. Remember, Jasmine was one of Marie's favorites! Finally, as you enjoy your royal day to your hearts content, play a super cute card game! The winners of the game win a lovely selection of pearls!
2) Fairy Tale Adventure Theme
Cake: Red Velvet Cake

Rather then choosing just one Fairy Tale, I decided to go with all of them. Go with classics like Little Red Riding Hood (See why you need Red Velvet Cake in this, right?), Thumbelina and Cinderella, just to name a few! Decorate your house in fairy dolls and glitter. Cover the tables and walls with bottles of treasures, candies shaped like crowns and crushed flowers. As far as activities, you could build a fairy house together with all the guests! Make all the guest come dressed as their favorite fairy tale characters, and take pictures that can later be made into a fun scrap book. You could also plant a collection of lost items around the house, a treasure hunt is always the best! As a snack, make these adorable treats that are considered part of a Southern Fairy Tale! Finally, you can have a marathon of your favorite fairy tale films! Chose some of the classic Disney flare, or maybe some Fairy Tale Theater from the 80's (Yes, it's on Netflix!)
3) Peter Pan Neverland Theme
Cake: Banana Cake
One of my favorite childhood stories of all time, have an incredible time with this Pirate lolita special theme! Make sure everything is covered in maps and buried treasure treats! Make skull shaped cookies, such as these from Pillsbury. Make jar necklaces with glitter for all the guests to wear. My favorite activity is to decorate your own Pirate hat and or Eye Patch, like here! Get tons of feathers, bows and glitter to make it your own unique spin on frilly and pirate style. Make sure everyone wears some form of plaid, and when they enter the house have them walk the plank to get inside. Finally, when you decorate the cake, remember to put a little Peter Pan figure on top, such as this adorable one here! Don't forget the best part of this, you can watch your favorite version to end the party! My favorite is Hook, but the 2003 version is adorable as well as with of course the Disney classic.


4) Everything Cute Theme
Cake: Cupcakes instead!
Do you have a favorite Sanrio of San-X character? Well have a party inspired by them! My personal favorite is Rilakkuma and Sentimental Circus, along with Little Twin Stars and Tuxedo Sam! Go on ebay and get as many different kinds of invitations, tiny toys and more to give out for your party. Then, make everyone come to the party in a coordinate based on their favorite, or at least Hello Kitty (Isn't that everyone's favorite?) Then as for fun, you can make cupcakes based on the characters. Get tons of different icings, color dyes and sprinkles to have as much fun as possible. You can also have a DIY area for all different kinds of sweet drinks based on the characters too! You can make a Hello Kitty drink with Cherry flavored Pepsi, or make a Chococat Hot Chocolate drinks. To end the day, select to watch some episodes from the Hello Kitty TV Series from the 80's/90's. My favorite episode is The Sleeping Princess, which can be viewed here.

So, did any of those ideas spark your imagination!? To check out cool cake recipes and ideas, check out the websites of bakeries like Magnolia's and Billy's! If you need more party ideas, check out tumblr and the many neat pictures for inspiration it offers! I'm sure you'll be able to find something fun for your own theme!

La Vida Birthday ~ The Way To Organize The Frilliest Birthday

It's odd to think that in a little over 3 weeks, I'll be 21. Over these many years of having birthday party after party, I've seen a lot of great ideas and tips come out from the imagination of both myself and my mother. Though not till in the last three years have they been influenced by lolita, they've all had something neat to embrace and share. But what about if you want to throw something on the frilly side, and not just the usual birthday flair? Here are some helpful tips!

1) Pick Something Fun and Frill!
If it be a sleepover, a trip to a special place, a dance party or all combined, pick something you want to do! Even if the thing you chose isn't exactly lolita related, make it relate in your own special way. If it's going to be a sleepover, picked lolita related movies or create lolita versions of games. If it's going to be a trip going celebration, pick a frill friendly place! I love going to places like Soho (Tarina Tarantino and Betsey Johnson, anyone?) and getting something delicious to eat with friends (Cafe Angelique is adorable). If you decide on a dance party, have fun creating a fantasy playlist of the coolest and cutest tracks! One of my favorite bands to dance to is Alphabeat, who have a great mix of cute lyrics and delicious 80's inspired beats!

2) Buy yourself a new birthday/party dress or come up with a cute new coordinate! Every birthday, if I can, I buy myself a new dress to celebrate the occasion! I always love to pick something ridiculously pink and fluffy to the core, to fits my style and price range (I never spend more then $150 if I can!) For those of you who don't have the budget for a new dress, come up with an amazing coordinate out of your favorite colors and items if your wardrobe! I'm a sucker for themes ~ pick something in lolita that you love. For me I adore Carousels or old toys, which could be my theme this year. Celebrate yourself in a color, theme and style that represents you on your special day! If you want to get something new for your outfit, but don't want to get a new dress, get a new jewelry piece! My favorite place to buy pricey yet beautiful quick additions is Top Shop. They may not be the cheapest, but they are amazing accessories that are just as good as brand pieces, like this Pocket Watch Necklace!

3) Plan even more!
After the essential ideas and plans are mapped out, it's best to dig into the details. Make a list of times for people to arrive, food to prepare, and music to play! What movies should you watch? Wait...

What Movies Should You Watch!? Here are some ideas
For Classic Style: Little Women (1995)
For Sweet Style: A Journey Through Fairy Land (1985)
For Gothic Style: Panna a Netvor (Beauty and the Beast) (1979)

You might also wanna try some frill related games! Create a Lolita based trivia game or play games like Clue - whoever wins gets prizes! Don't go crazy, but you could make something like a batch of cookies or some handmade jewelry. Either way you can be extremely creative and fun with it.


4) Decorate your cake with something about yourself
No matter what, store bought or homemade - make sure your cake is personal. Some years, I've let the cake step aside and I end up disappointed, as I find the cake or delicious baked good the best part of the celebration. The cake should speak volumes of what you love and like, so everyone can share in what makes you amazing - just like the cake! I also go to little cheap toy stores and by in-expensive figures of my favorite characters or use ones I still have from when I was a kid. Check out etsy for tons of fun things to put on your cake. You can even print out pictures of Misako Aoki or Amo, laminate them and put them on sticks to put on the cake for a nice touch. This year I'm going with an Icebox Cake (picture above)! It's made of chocolate circle cookies stack on top of one another with lots of white frosting!

and finally....
Have fun at your party!
It is your birthday after all and hopefully this list makes it a little more fun then the usual bash!

January on LVF

2011 has finally arrived and so far, it's pretty glorious! As you can see on LVF, things have been updated and some new things are up on the site. As stated before, this month I'm turning 21, which means I'm going to be officially an adult. So, in celebration of the last few weeks of my youth, I'm going to be posting about some of my favorite things. Maybe it's a tribute to Oprah or just a tribute to myself, but I thought this would be lots and lots of fun to see.

What about Favorite Coordinate of the Month? This time, one of my favorites curly_b was selected. She has a fantastic sense of her own unique and classy style, that mixes both sweet and pirate and a bit of punk together in a beautiful way. Check out her blog here!

Next up, what is the Video of the Month? Well, if anyone knows me by on live-journal and sees my icon, you know there's one singer I adore oddly enough: Michael Jackson. So in tribute to my favorite things, I posted part the music video for his song Ghosts. In the video, Michael is a magical ghost from what seems to be the Victorian era. But when he is hunted down by a mob of angry villagers, Michael begs to ask the question... "Is this Scary!?" It's very campy but fun, I recommend checking it out. Fun fact: The guy who is leading the Mob is actually played by Michael as well, he's just covered in lots of make up and an extremely convincing fat suit. Tricked ya, ha?

Keep checking the page for a new section called Fashion Icons and for some other buttons to click and experience even more fun and frills!

Getting To Know You: LVF's Favorite Movies

Once in a while on LVF, we like to take a moment to appreciate some of the finer yet not frilly things that could otherwise be appreciated. Sometimes I get asked "Hey, what are your favorite movies then, ha Miss Frills?" Well guess what, that question shall now be answered! Remember, none of these movies are really frilly related (yet all pictures have a bow on them, for fun!), but they are excellent regardless. Now, on with the movies!

The Fifth Element (1997)
First we shall start off with a recent favorite of mine. I learned about this little charm of a sci-fi film from one of my best friends, who would always try to get me into it. I never really got how cool this movie was for the longest time, as only have been shown some action sequences and Chris Tucker (who to me is a turn off in most movies), I just never got it. But one day, I just happened to catch the entire film on TV - and I was hooked for life. Featuring my favorite action man Bruce Willis, one of the hottest women to ever grace the screen Mila Jovovich and costumes by fashion design Jean Paul Gaultier, it's the closest one will get to an art house Sci-Fi film. My favorite scene in the film is when Willis is watching the infamous Opera Diva perform, while Mila's character faces off the enemy in a fantastic edited action sequence. Highly recommend this one.

(I didn't even put a bow on this one. Look at how epic that hat is!?)
Hook (1991)
Said to be one the few films that Spielberg hates being associated with, it's actually my favorite film of his that he ever made. As a huge Peter Pan fan, I think this is one of the few to have gotten the look of Neverland perfectly. This is also the film in which I became highly interested in both Robin Williams and Peter Pan for the first time. Granted, many happen to think this movie is cheesy or a bit dated, but I still think it holds up perfectly. It has one of the best scores to ever be recorded, and transforms actors who I never expected to do action films at all (Props to both Williams and Hoffman as Hook for this!) I think the best part of this movie is the neat little details and odd cameos that you have to pay attention to to understand, like Glen Close as the pirate who is dropped off the ship when Peter arrives in Neverland or all the objects inside Wendy's house and how they relate to the story. When a filmmaker can add details such as this, it's a true sight to see.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
I'm always truly impressed by the work of Billy Wilder. His films never have a specific story style really, and you can never really spot a Wilder film - they're all unique. But the most different and special of all his films is always one of my favorites. This film tells the story of Norma, a fading silent movie actress and Joe, a down and out screenwriter. The two meet in a string of odd events, eventually leading to Joe becoming the obsession of Norma's affections. From what starts as the usual 40's/50's style film becomes a bizarre portrait of Hollywood's bad side that was obviously way ahead of its time and can be in competition with films of Darren Aronofsky. Similar to Hook, this film pays a fitting yet creepy tribute to the silent film era, with many of the actors in the film having been from that actual time and being involved in similar events to the characters themselves. Sometimes campy, but extremely moving, Sunset Boulevard is a masterpiece.

The Hunchback of Norte Dame (1996)
I'm a huge fan of Disney, it's probably my favorite thing in the whole world - next to a few other fandoms. It's hard for me to pin-point all my absolute favorite things when it comes to Disney as a whole, but the one thing I'm sure is my favorite is this movie. It's even hard to call it a "Disney movie" because it almost has no connection to the usual cores of such a style. Sure, it's a softer approach to Hugo's story, yet for a film from the House of Mouse, it's very complex. Showcasing my favorite villain and villain song of all time, Frollo is one of those odd instances where a man as simple as a minister can easily become the creepiest thing I've seen on film. Maybe it's because he doesn't have magical powers or anything fantasy about him, that his realistic nature makes him actually possible in real life, which is what makes me terrifying. This also showcases my favorite piece of instrumental music ever (click here to see/listen). Go and be amazed.

And finally.....
Back to the Future Trilogy (1985)
Yes indeed, this is my favorite movie in the entire world. I'll be honest that I wasn't into this film much as a kid, but I really got into it during Middle school. Maybe it's because of my outcast or individual feeling that I had because of where I live, or because I wish I could indeed be as cool as Marty, but Back to the Future clicked for me in a way no other film could try. Now to address the sequels, these films are so good that I don't think you should ever address them as separate movies as all these films need to be watched together in their complete trilogy order and enjoyed as one film. Hence why I didn't just pick the first movie or any of the others on the list - the whole trilogy needs to be watched without pause. But, if you don't have about 6 hours to kill, go see the first film at least! You'll be wishing you had more time for the others (puns).

So there you have it - a list of my favorite movies of all time. So, do you like an of these films? What are some of your favorites? Comment down belong and lets discuss!