I grew up in a household of Westerns - John Wayne, especially - and Action films. My mother was a huge Jackie Chan fan. Occasionally, we'd get some Fantasy & Science Fiction movies in on the mix. Fact is, though, I gravitated towards the Romances & Romantic Comedies when we needed something to A) make dad cry, B) make mom be sarcastic, or C) make me laugh hysterically...
I truly resembled a hyena during anything the least bit romantic and I entirely blame my sardonic nature and general distrust of men - so what if I was 9 years old when this trait became apparent?
My mother introduced me to Star Wars - the original 3 and not the rebooted prequels and sequels. I did, however, get introduced to those when they came out. I was unimpressed and still can't get hyped about them. I'll stick to Han & Leia with their "I love you" - "I know" over the new nonsense any day of the year.
Star Trek, however, has never failed to pull me in. Jean-Luc will always be better than Kirk, but Spock is the best Vulcan to exist. Period. My favorite captain, however, will always be Janeway - don't judge me. She's fabulous. Deal with it. My favorite character, though, will always be Q. Although, no lie, Chakotay will always be my first crush. (Striker just annoys the hell out of me in the same way Kirk did... keep in mind I'm talking about the TV series and not the films, but Spock is fabulous in everything.)
When it comes to the Star Trek movies, I like the originals just as much as the reboots with the timeline rewrite. How often do you manage to hear that from a Trekkie?
Still, Tolkien was a master in creativity. His books are brilliant, but I still manage to enjoy the LOTR trilogy onscreen as much as on paper. I even enjoyed their changes and additions to The Hobbit (which I actually read first in the series as intended unlike my friends).
I also read & watched the Chronicles of Narnia. No complaints.
However, I was largely influenced by John Wayne, Jackie Chan, Gerard Butler, Lucy Lawless, Geena Davis, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst, Bruce Willis, Drew Barrymoore, Rachel Weisz, Brendan Fraser, and Karen Cliche when I was younger.
I still re-watch their films, but also some television series I watched with my sister. A special thank you to my Aunt Diana for introducing us to Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis, telling my mom that Terry Pratchett's Discworld made it to TV Movies, and fueling our love of Buffy.
Nowadays, I still love everyone previously mentioned but I also fell for Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Farrell, Kristen Bell, and far more whose names I can't spell (sorry Asia/Russia/France/Italy). Although, I've definitely lost respect for Kevin Sorbo.
This is where I differ from my parents; I love foreign films and dramas. I have zero issues with keeping everything in their original language so long as there are English Subtitles. In fact, I actually prefer subtitles to dubbing. I truly can't stand listening to a dubbed film.
My favorite is a Russian movie translated as "I AM DRAGON" - it's truly my favorite fantasy and romance. My other favorite (yes, they're equal) is La Belle et la Bette. The Italian miniseries, if I'm being specific.
A lot of talented actors portrayed Mr. Darcy as written by Jane Austen, but my favorite one is Laurence Olivier. Although, my favorite in a modern adaptation is Colin Firth. Obviously. (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is in its own category, to be clear.)
How have your tastes and appetites changed when it comes to the Media?
