I was in a bookstore the other day and leafed through a journal of sorts for recording all of your favorite things: season, food, restaurants, places you have been, movie and TV shows. I got to thinking that I have never enumerated my very favorite movies or TV shows. I would consider myself a fairly robust consumer of movies so that one was easy. I had to keep it to Top 10 ONLY or this could have gone on entirely too long. TV shows I am much more selective about and it was easy to come up with only 10. Here then are my favorites of all time, top 10 movies and top 10 TV shows, in no particular order within graphics of five each:

My all time favorite movie forever til the end of the world is The English Patient. I loved it as soon as I saw it during a trip to NYC, bawling my eyes out in the theater and continuing as I stumbled among tourists flowing through Times Square. I was undone. I have viewed it easily a dozen times and continue to be undone every time I see it. I realized I was in love with Sam when I saw it and thankfully, he 1) was in love with me too and 2) equally loved and loves the movie as much as I do. There is something about the music, the environment, the mystique of northern Africa, the time in history, the EPIC nature of it – all of it – that gets me at a cellular level. Also, both Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas are gorgeous in it.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception is easily second on my list of all time favorites (even though I said I wasn’t going to go in order…). I watch this a few times a year every year and learn something new or appreciate it anew each time. It is smart and complicated and deeply emotional and I love it. And the top spinning at the end? Sam and I have watched that many, many times. How does it really end????

Fight Club is brilliant. Brad Pitt is at his yummiest, it is dark and twisty and horribly funny and so tricky to watch. I also fell in love with Helena Bonham Carter in this; it’s my very favorite film of hers. I keep wanting to introduce my kids to it but it is so inappropriate I’m not sure when the time is right… Years ago I told my parents to watch it and I’m not kidding, they were horrified! Hahahahahaha!

Broadcast News has been a favorite of mine nearly since it came out many years ago. It is smart and funny and painful (oooph that ending..) and I have worshiped Holly Hunter forever. If you haven’t seen it, please do. It was made in the late 1980’s and with the exception of technology used in the movie, it totally holds up.

I’m not sure what it is about Arrival but it got me pretty good. The twist at the end is beautiful, the interaction between Amy Adams and the alien crafts is SO beautiful and the music seriously strikes me to my core. I don’t know what it is…but it really gets me.

Is there a happier, more feel-good movie than Elf? Is there a more joyful Christmas movie? I say nay! Elf is our unabashed family favorite Christmas movie and we watch it several times during the season. Will Ferrell is a genius and honestly, I love everything about every minute of it.

I loved Tropic Thunder so much I went to see it a second time in the theater by myself! I was the only woman in the audience and laughed harder than anyone else in there. Good Lord this movie is horribly funny and grossly inappropriate and delightful in every terrible way. I love it I love it I love it. I have to watch it every year.

Wes Anderson is another favorite director of mine, but Darjeeling Limited is my number one favorite of his films. The joy of travel, the gorgeous colors and spirit of India, a screwed up family that loves the guts out of each other and one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever. The spirit of travel and desire to just be in the moment and see the world is a glorious message. If you haven’t seen this gem you are really missing out. Set aside the time and see it.

I discovered Empire of the Sun in college and fell in love with the story, cinematography and the movie soundtrack. This was back before Christian Bale was well known (he is a young teen in the movie) and even then you can tell he is going to be absolutely brilliant. It has been at least a decade since I’ve seen it but it holds a special place in my heart. I think I need to go and see it again…

Interstellar might be my third favorite movie of all time. I watch it once or twice a year and learn something new every time. This is a common theme in Nolan films; you are always learning something each time you watch one of his films. Interstellar has my favorite themes of space, time travel, and spirituality all wrapped into one epic tale spanning decades. The acting is impeccable. The soundtrack is gorgeous. What I love the very most are the threads of spirituality intertwined with science; faith is quantifiable and time as we know it is so much more vast and godly than we realize. Best movie.

Time for the TV portion of this post. My all time favorite show is BBC’s Sherlock. Have you seen it? If you haven’t stop what you’re doing and do the right thing: watch it immediately. It is the smartest show ever written, exemplary acting and the production quality is through the roof. BEST show on TV. I wish the creators would give us a 5th season but it doesn’t look like it will happen. Sam and I have re watched the entire series multiple times to get our Sherlock fix.

I discovered Orphan Black several years after it actually began and had the privilege of binging it over the course of a month or two. Whew. It’s intense and a little mind bending and smart. Tatiana Maslany should have won and Emmy award every single season for playing no less than eight (???) characters over the course of the show brilliantly. So many of these episodes felt like witnessing acting masterclasses. Definitely worth the watch.

I wish the Newsroom went more than three seasons. I WISH. Aaron Sorkin writing, the fabulous Emily Moritmer (whom I adore) and Allison Pill, so many other actors who are incredible in it, compelling story lines. It had it all. And was fairly relatable. Ahhhhh so good.

I watched every single episode of Lost from the very first episode! JJ Abrams is a genius at what he does and Lost is no exception. I even played the computer game that went with it (I think it was offered in between maybe Seasons five and six and was called The Lost Experience?). I am also one of those rare people that really loved how the series ended, right down to that last episode. Loved it. Hated that it was over, but loved the resolution. And I was pretty terrified of Jacob :).

House of Cards is deliciously evil, smart and pretty dark. I grew up outside of Washington, D.C. and used to work for the Judiciary Committee on the Senate side (under Orrin Hatch) and SO much of what I saw growing up and at work is accurately portrayed in House of Cards. Also, I know that Kevin Spacey made some really poor decisions in his personal life but OH MY GOSH he is amazing in this. Absolutely amazing and deserves all of the accolades he received for his performances over six seasons. Also, I’m a big fan of Patricia Clarkson and Mahershala Ali who are both perfection in this.

I’ve been telling people for a few years now that the very best show on Netflix is Moneyheist (known by its original name in Spain as La Casa de Papel). BRILLIANT. Bank robbery (sort of for the greater good), international intrigue, a large beautifully realized cast of characters and all in Spanish (with English subtitles). If you watch this DO NOT change over to English language dubbing; you will miss the beating heart of the show which is spoken Spanish. Instead watch it in its original language with English subtitles. You’re welcome.

There is no better comedy for the ages than Seinfeld. It still holds up today! I remember Sam and I were new to NYC and the finale was broadcast in Times Square. We watched it from our apartment and lamented that after nine seasons it was really over. I always loved Elaine and Kramer best. This show about nothing has ended up on my Top 10 of all time.

There is so much stellar parenting and LIFE advice in Friday Night Lights. Also, someday when I grow up I want to be just like Tammy Taylor (and Connie Britton). Honestly, so many life lessons can be found in the five seasons of this show; it’s a college class on how to live your life, treat people and parent children. Boom!

Finally there is Halt and Catch Fire. Sam told me about it after watching a few episodes and I was hooked. It generally takes place in the 70’s and early 80’s and is based on the race to create the first personal computer. Being a kid of the 70’s and 80’s, this appealed to me but it was the acting and story lines that kept me watching. Lee Pace is FANTASTIC. It also introduces us to Mackenzie Davis who is such a bright light it is hard to focus on anything else. SO GOOD.

This exercise of remembering and marking what have been/are my favorite movies and TV shows has been so enjoyable. I’ve remembered what I liked about them and more importantly, how they changed my heart or mind or both. Even if you don’t do a post like this one, maybe write down some shows that have had an impact on you; your kids will probably love to read it someday.