Jumbo Records' favourite guilty pleasure films

Aidan's choice: Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India'

This one was a cherished VHS during my late nineties and early noughties childhood. A Bollywood musical-sport cross over set in India in 1893, Lagaan sees a cohort of British coloniser-soldiers challenge the oppressed villagers to a game of cricket. If the villagers win, ‘lagaan’, the unprecedented land tax imposed by the British tyrannical leader Captain Russell will be repealed. Safe to say the soldiers get what’s coming to them.

Matt's choice: George A. Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead'

A film I’ve watched way over 30 times, a film I’ve obsessed over since I first rented it as an ‘under the counter’ VHS ‘video nasty’ when I was 14 it has marked out my life in several ways. Firstly, the music, a mix of Italo Prog-Horror Funk by cult band GOBLIN and music library cuts, this fuelled an avid interest in soundtracks and how they were used in film and television. Secondly, the idea of how to survive in a future dystopia sort of leaned heavily into some sort of rip-roaring adventure gene I must have gained from a childhood of reading 2000ad comics and watching TV shows like Day Of The Triffids or films like Doctor Who ‘Invasion Earth’. Thirdly the whole riff about consumerism and isolationism that runs throughout the film I somehow got, especially living through Thatcher and the miner’s strike in the Barnsley village when I first watched it made it feel as if it was ‘on my side’. Fourthly, the Zombies…I was obsessed with all things Zombie, I clawed through books, comics and other films trying to get my fix of the undead…

Martha's choice: Nora Ephron's 'You've Got Mail'

I’m a firm believer that you should never feel guilty about something you love and that brings you joy. However, my love for You’ve Got Mail does bring some mixed feelings. As an independent record shop and independent cinema employee, I feel bad for buying into the romance of a couple featuring an evil big corporate business owner trying to crush the lovely local bookshop of dreams. I think the genius of Nora Ephron’s writing is to blame, it’s impossible not to fall for her romantic comedies. Her book Heartburn is one of my absolute favourites and proof that nothing is impossible for Ephron as she transforms one of her most tragic life experiences and biggest heartbreaks into one of the funniest and most moving books I’ve read. You’ve Got Mail is based on my favourite Christmas film The Shop Around the Corner but has the benefit of featuring far less Christmas, meaning I can watch it all year. Its cosy autumnal hues paint New York beautifully and make it the ultimate comfort movie. It also has a brilliant soundtrack featuring Harry Nilsson, Carole King, The Cranberries and Louis Armstrong.

Empire Records is showing at HPPH on Tue 08 Apr at 18:00 and Wed 16 Apr at 11:00. You can book tickets here. 

Almost Famous is showing at HPPH on Wed 23 Apr at 18:00. You can book tickets here.

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