3. Ghostbusters - 1984
It's surprising where inspiration comes from. In this case, it comes from Bill Murray. As a child, Ghostbusters pretty much ruled everything I did. I had everything, the car, the proton packs and the Rick Moranis glasses (they however were just a coincidence you understand). I even had the Ghostbusters bedding, I still do actually, it's my go-to device for wooing women. It's never worked but perseverance is where it's at. Ghostbusters captured my imagination in such a way that I would start being incredibly sarcastic to everybody, just like my hero Pete Venkman, it started to actually dictate my social interaction with other children. Plus I think I asked the question 'Who you gonna call?' so many times the answer became more likely to be 'An ambulance'. Even today, my sense of humour is due in no small part to the sarcasm of Bill Murray in the film, coupled with the puppyish charm of Dan Akroyd and the academic titan that is Harold Ramis (some experiences may vary). Sadly however, I can never claim to be as cool as Ernie Hudson. When I try and grow that moustache, I get avoided. The point is, Ghostbusters not only taught me that I deserved an imagination, it taught me how to use it. Every Christmas I put this film on, and every Christmas when I've had a touch too much of eggnog and start dribbling, I start to fantasise about Janine. True story.