I love movies. I live and breath them, which led to my decision to pursue a minor in Film Studies. So, it got me thinking, what movies have impacted my life and define me as a person?

10. Breakfast Club

Maybe I am cliche, but you are lying if you say this movie hasn't impacted you in some way, shape, or form. It's a John Hughes classic about rising above how the world views you. This was my sister's favorite movie for a little while, so it was constantly played. Of course, I watched it and loved it. This movie opened me up to enjoying other '80s classics like "Ferris Bueler's Day Off." I also really love this movie because it teaches you that not everyone is who they seem to be, that you may not know what happens behind closed doors. And because of the famous track "Don't You Forget About Me", I may have also fallen in love '80s music.

9. Mean Girls

Do I really have to explain how much this movie means to me? Must I regale you with a long-winded explanation about why this movie is a must see for everyone? Must I really tell you that your hair looks sexy pushed back? Can you just ask people why they're white? Yes, yes, and no. But in all seriousness, this movie is incredibly funny and shockingly deep. Girl world is a vicious place, as Cady tells us. And it also teaches that there is more to life than just being pretty. And if there is one movie in the history of mankind that can unite girls across the nation, it is this movie. Also, on Wednesdays, we wear pink.

8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This movie was like a gateway drug into British humor. If there is one movie everybody should see at least once, it really should be this one. Everything in your life will begin to make so much sense. This movie transformed me into the Anglophile I am today. Even as I sit and write this, I am watching "Doctor Who". Coincidentally, this also led to my love of Arthurian Legend. It's scary how accurate the representation of medieval life was in this movie, though.

7. Robin Hood: Men in Tights

I love laughing. Six of the movies on this list are considered comedies, at least as far as genres are concerned. I have seen this movie so many times it is unreal. It's extremely quotable, for starters. It's almost sad how the parodies of myths are what get me interested in said myths. This was how I was introduced to story of Robin Hood. This particular version was a Mel Brooks parody of the Kevin Costner film. Yeah, it's a little cheesy, but it's a wonderful movie and I love it. I love to laugh and make others laugh.

6. Practical Magic

I am always attracted to stories with strong women, even more so to movies with Sandra Bullock as the strong female lead. I'm not sure how I was introduced to this movie, but I was watching it from a young age. It's about to two sisters from a family of witches doomed to never live life happily in love. This also a movie that I watch with my father because he loves it, too. This movie also appeals to my inner feminist, as well.

5. Breakfast at Tiffany's

Classy lady, classy movie. I love Audrey Hepburn. I love this movie. I wouldn't want to be Holly Golightly for a day, but I would love to live in the same world she does. I personally believe that this movie was ahead of its time in its view of a single woman. Much like how the story of "Beowulf" oozes masculinity, this movie oozes femininity. This is a movie that is really hard to explain. You either love it or you don't. This is also the movie that made me fall in love with Old Hollywood.

4. RENT

After I watched the film adaptation all the way through, I became obsessed. I watched it every day after school. Maybe it's not as good as the stage version, but this is still a joy to watch. It's even better to watch when you watch the behind the scenes of how the story was created. While it is based on Puccini's "La Boheme", Jonathan Larson drew from his own life as well. The story is set during later of years of the AIDS epidemic and focuses on the lives of eight friends in New York. I really love the message of love that this movie promotes. Really, it is quite beautiful. This movie was also a gateway to my obsession with musical theater. Being a band geek, I was bound to fall in love, but this movie just made it worse (or is it good?).

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I can almost hear the collective sighs of all my friends as I type this. It's almost obnoxious (or is it obsessive?) how much I watch/love this movie. But really, this movie has affected my life. I was never much of a comic reader beforehand. I had dabbled in some "Astonishing X-Men", read some indie comics, but I had never really cared that much. After I bought the DVD, having seen it theaters four times, I may have taken a nose dive into comic books. My wallet may not be happy, but I am. Oh, and Sebastian Stan is also in this. In all seriousness, this movie is really well made and well written.

2. Anastasia

I will forever and always love this movie. I know every word and every line. My sister would play it for me after school, and we watched it almost every day for weeks. For those of you who have never had the fortune of seeing this wonderful movie, carve some time out for you and Netflix. It has romance, strong female character, and wonderful music. Will I always watch this movie when I can? You betcha. This movie just brings out the inner grand duchess in me.

1. Star Wars: A New Hope

Ah. yes. The movie that defines me most as a person. Just like it changed cinema forever, it also changed my life. My mom saw it as a young kid and fell in love. She then passed it on to me before I had even started kindergarten. I knew who the characters were before I was seven, even if my recollection of the movies were spotty at best. I love science fiction and it probably has everything to do with my love for the "Star Wars" series. Because of it, I fell in love with the uber popular "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" video game series. Me and "Star Wars" are a love affair that will last for centuries.

And before I forget, HAN SHOT FIRST.

So tell me, what movies have shaped you as a person?