Bella Tres Chic: What's On My Happy List?

My Up to Date Favorite Movie/TV Series List!
{updated 7/9/18}

I'm a tad bit obsessed with movies.
{I even keep a list of my all time favorite movie lines/scenes. AND a list of movies never to watch again cuz they are too darn sad.}
A couple of years ago I made a list of my top 30'ish favorite movies. But it just keeps growing......

So I'm not gonna put a number limit this time, but just list all my fav's in all their glory. First and foremost I adore my period piece films.. adore them! I'll list those at the end, but for these NON Austen-esque movies...no matter how many times I've seen them....they make me giggle, shed a tear, or overall just make my heart smile. *On a side note it comes as no surprise to me when I realized that the majority have some European tie!... whether its London, Paris, Italy or Greece...etc..
{Kinda have a thing for Europe}

So... in no particular order {although these first FOUR could easily be in my top 5} here are my movie favorites....

Three Men and a Little Lady..What a crock! Love Tom Selleck in this movie. First saw it when I was a Freshman at BYU {it's an oldie} and have loved it ever since. Seen it too many times to count, but never gets old to me.

In What A Girl Wants...Henry, {Colin Firth!-another top 5'er} while running for Prime Minister of England, finds out he has a teenage daughter. Cutest show ever!

A 1954 remake. Sabrina Fairchild {Julia Ormond..she plays the part so well} finds herself in Paris! This happens to be my favorite Harrison Ford movie, although "Regarding Henry" and "The Fugitive" from the early 90's are also really good.

First Knight...This one tugs at my heart. big time. This is also one of my Emma's very favorites.

The Count of Monte Cristo....Some vengeance, justice and forgiveness with a French flair. Good guy wins in the end.

The Man in the Iron Mask....Drama with a tich of French History. Love.

I'm quite a fan of Hugh Grant on screen. Hugh Grant easily makes my top five list of favorite actors. He's in at least three of my very favorites.... Did you hear about the Morgans? and Notting Hill. AND he also plays Edward in Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". {In one version of it anyway.} Mr. Matthew Crawley {gah!} from Downton Abby plays Edward in the latest A & E version. But that is a whole other story.

My favorite wedding films... My Best Friend's Wedding, Father of the Bride and My Big Fat Greek Wedding...

Some other old 1990 fav's..

Only You... Damon Bradley! So endearing...

I fell in love...While You Were Sleeping!

A Meg Ryan oldie, but goodie...You've Got Mail!

Another Meg Ryan fav... Kate & Leopold...Not into Time Travel?
You will be when you see this.

Something's Gotta Give! {Never been a big fan of Jack Nicholson, but gee I like this movie...Diane Keaton is one of my favorite lady actresses.}

Shall We Dance? {one of my fav movie scenes is in this movie. Richard Gere in a tux coming up the escalator to give his wife a rose. gah!}

Dan in Real Life?

Root'in for Dan...poor guy.

Leap Year is beyond charming! Just so you know "It's not a load of poo!" haha

Monte Carlo with girlfriends...sounds delightful! It is.

Something Borrowed... a girl fight'in for her man. ;)

Letters to Juliet just a sweet story of finding long lost love...

Hello Lorenzo! You know I'm over 40 when I think the old Italian man with gray hair is hot ;)

Mama Mia!.... My Favorite musical. {Brie LOVES it too.}
Gotta love the ABBA music.

{and Pierce is in it! Some argue he can't sing. Who cares!}

Another favorite musical....Sound of Music. No matter how many times I've seen it..it draws me in. Love that time period in History. Love the music {of course}... and Christopher Plummer ain't bad look'in either.
Some of my kids would put Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Newsies and Phantom on this list as their favorite musicals.

Pillow Talk....Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Hello! One of the greatest on screen couples in cinematic history.

High Society!

Frank! Bing! AND Grace! Stellar 1950's cast.

Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball and Henry Ford. What a classic! Wish there were more movies like this.

Flipped! Coming of age {portrayed in the 1960's} romantic comedy.

Just stink'in innocent and cute!

K...so Cary Grant is just plain yummy! {He's the ultimate screen actor for me. With Pierce Brosnan in a very close second and Kevin Costner vying for third..haha} So of course I have to include one of his movies. Hard choice, but Charade is probably my favorite Cary Grant movie. It's in Paris. With Audrey Hepburn. A romance, comedy, mystery. Doesn't get much better than this, if you are in the mood for a 60's classic.

My favorite Christmas movies...Elf and Home Alone...Seriously how many times have I seen these over the years? Gazillion. Christmas with the Kranks has also become a must watch each Christmas season.

And then.... there is The Holiday...you just can't watch it only at Christmas time, it's too good.

Oh, and we can't forget...... Serendipity!

It's also a fuzzy feel-good one

to watch at Christmas time too!

Cinderella is my Disney favorite. I think. Being a Disney fan it's hard to choose. Tangled and Aristocats are way up there too.

My favorite Cinderella spin off... Ever After!

Parent Trap.....Just stink'in cute! So is the old 1961 version.

Nanny McPhee...Collin Firth and Emma Thompson! Need I say more? One of the sweetest endings ever. {Emma Thompson is one of my all time favorite actresses.}

Mrs. Doubtfire... a father will do anything for his kids ;)

Want to reminisce about High School? watch Prom. Cracks me up!

and this delightful show To All the Boys I've Loved Before...

About a teenage girl in high school

who's love letters get sent to her former 5 crushes!

Some other teenage favorites...

She's the Man! So dang funny.

{My Emmsie loves the similarities to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.}

The first Diary of a Whimpy Kid {"I'm not poop'in til high school'!... hilarious}

The Man From Snowy River....An old 1980's teenage favorite of mine...

Of course there has to be a Bond on the list. Didn't think Pierce could ever be replaced in that role, but Daniel Craig did it! He's just a different kind of Bond. He's a tough A.. if you know what I mean. I quickly fell for Casino Royale. Skyfall and Spectre are right up there too.

My favorite church video The Best Two Years...so touching {in a cheesy way}...
"I too know that Joseph Smith was a pamphlet"...hilarious.

100 foot Journey...

French countryside and food. {Indian food at that} It's a win win.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Three of the best actresses on the planet are in this show... Judy Dench, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton.. They make India look like a place I'd actually like to visit. Also, the character Sonny is hilarious!

The Intern!
Enjoyed this movie SO MUCH. Loved Robert Deniro's character. So wise.

I'm a sucker for anything based on a true story..these three hit the mark for me..

Bridge of Spies

During the Cold War James B. Donovan {Tom Hank's character} defends a Russian Spy.

Excellent acting.

Women in Gold!

{has WWII history to boot}

and
McFarland USA!
Very heartwarming.

*************
Now on to the REALLY good stuff! ;)
I'm a freak for Masterpiece Classic.
Hearing this clip on a Sunday night makes my heart smile}...and then there is Ralph Lauren. Ralph! Every time his commercials come on during Masterpiece break... Kyleigh and I would just ooh and aahh.. love his style, his fashions...

So to my Jane Austen obsessions...some of them are Masterpiece, some are not, but I LOVE LOVE both these versions of Sense & Sensibility.
{probably my favorite film of all time}
I just think there are many relationship/love/life lessons to be taken from this movie. Good stuff!

I like the 2 hour version of Pride & Prejudice better, but they are both lovely.

Awe...the Bennett sisters

raising 5 daughters...feel'in the connection there ;)

One of the reasons my daughter is named Emma. This movie right here.

Enjoy both versions, but lean towards the original.

Captain Wentworth, one of my favorite men of Austen,

and Anne Elliot is one of my favorite Austen heroines, in Persuasion.

I heart both these versions.

Also...Anything Austen-esque like Becoming Jane, Jane Austen Regrets, Austenland... I add to the 'Love of Austen' list.

I know this isn't Austen, but it has an Austen feel to it. It's lovely.

Favorite TV SERIES
{I update this frequently...haha}

These first FOUR listed I've loved just as much or even more so than Downton...and that is saying A LOT!
So... this Australian Drama A Place to Call Home is my most recent period drama fixation. {2015} It's about a mysterious woman who has returned to Australia in hopes of starting a new life after the harsh realities of World War II... with Love, Loss and Social Change of the 1950's mixed in. It's excellent. The 3rd season is airing now in Australia. It's not on Netflix yet. BUT darn it should be. I've been viewing it on YouTube. Gosh Dang! I love it!

I've mentioned this Spanish drama Grand Hotel before...You have to read the subtitles to understand whats go'in on...unless you understand Castilian Spanish, but it is so worth it. It's set in early 1900 Spain. Plot set around mysterious happenings among the hotel owners and servants. Intrigue, plot twists, murder and romance. It's like Downton and Clue rolled into one. So flipp'in good!

This is another Spanish Period Drama set in 1950's Spain that I absolutely ADORE. It revolves around the love story of the heir of
Velvet, {a prestigious fashion store}, and seamstress who works there.
And so much more!
The characters in this show are superb actors/actresses.
Freak'in love this show!
One of my favorite screen couples and shows. period.

{as of summer 2018 there is a SEQUEL to Velvet called Velvet Collection! 🙌}

Um...hello! {Summer 2018} The Spaniards know how to do period dramas.

I am quite the fan.

This period drama Morocco takes place during the 1920's Rif-War.

I was instantly taken with it. There is only one season on Netflix.

I so hope there will be more.

Another intriguing Spanish Drama...

The Time In Between

A dressmaker for the socialite wives of Nazi German officers

during WWII...is spying for the British.

So.... if British, Spanish, Australian isn't enough for you try this Korean Series. lol

Never in a million years did I think I'd watch a Korean TV show.
But I have a couple of neighbors that have enjoyed some Korean shows on Netflix...
THIS IS MY LOVE is one of them.
Holy Cow.
Totally captivated me.
Story line is very sentimental,
{probably why I enjoyed it so much, cuz I'm definitely sentimental!}
BUT the sweetest love story ever, and surprisingly very clean in today's standards.
I LOOOOVVED!
Like I can't wait for Kyleigh to be able to watch it with me

when she returns from her mission.
It's just one season, 16 episodes. So its the perfect length.
What's weirding me out is that Kyleigh might actually be able to understand what they are saying without reading the English subtitles. I have to admit that listening to the Asian language can drive me a tich bonkers at times, but on the other hand, I realized I have a new found appreciation for the Koreans after watching this series. Maybe part of the fascination with this show is knowing Kyleigh {and part of my heart} is over in Korea, but gosh, I really enjoyed it!

This one needs no explanation. haha