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Blast From the Past: Ranking My Top Five Favorite Movies of All Time

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

There have been so many amazing movies that have been made throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and I am here to put you on some of my favorites. These movies are in my opinion timeless and exemplify just how beautiful a movie can be made.

1. Interstellar

Interstellar is a timeless movie that literally bends the concept of space and time. Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, and Michael Caine, it tells the story of a post-apocalyptic earth as a result of dust covering the planet. A team of astronauts is tasked with the mission of finding a new habitable planet, having to survive space and time travel, while keeping their humanity. The graphics alone in this movie are incredible and it stands testament to show just how impressive filmmaking has become.

2. Saving Private Ryan

This movie is directed by Steven Spielberg and is one of the best war movies I have ever watched. It takes a raw and unfiltered approach to World War 2, documenting the retrieval of a soldier, Private Ryan, and the perilous journey a squad of soldiers must go through to find him. The harsh reality of war is brought into the limelight with this movie, and I will say that it is very moving, allowing no room for desensitization and instead capturing the point of view of a soldier in the middle of the battlefield.

3. a walk to remember

This is your typical 2000s romantic Nicholas Sparks movie starring Mandy Moore and Shane West. It is a beautiful, yet incredibly heartbreaking movie that I have watched so many times I’ve lost count. The story is that of a bad boy falling in love with a bookish girl, how their love transpires, and glimpses into their own personal lives. As far as cliché romance movies go, this is one of my favorites. A comfort movie first and a teenage romance movie second, it is definitely worth a watch.

4. WHIPLASH

A musically themed movie, it focuses on a college drummer whose only goal is to be the best there is. Upon being selected into a higher-difficulty class, he soon realizes, the professor who runs the class is not what he expected. Starring Miles Teller and J.K Simmons, this movie focuses on toxic competition and athletes’ and performers’ obsession with being perfect even when it is dangerous. It is a well-directed movie detailing the destructive path performers can go down if they are constantly tormented in their discipline.

5. THE PRESTIGE

If you like magic and mind-bending movies, then The Prestige is the movie for you. Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and Michael Caine, it is about two magicians who have a long and complicated history and are now rivals feuding with each other at every turn. When one of the magicians develops a new trick concerning teleportation, the other magician tries everything in his power to discover the premise of the trick. This is a classic Christopher Nolan movie, filled with insane plot twists, and a deeply conceptual overall outline. This movie is highly underrated, and I really recommended it to people who love psychological movies.

These are some of my favorite movies of all time, and I hope you like them just as much! I hope you got some good recommendations for your movie nights! Happy movie-watching!

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Nandini Kritam

U Mass Amherst '25

Nandini is a junior Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, who loves writing, listening to music, photography, and drawing. She loves finding niche topics and writing about the world and her experiences!