My Favorite Movies

Before 1990, Martin Scorsese had already released not one, but two absolute masterpieces in the form of 'Taxi Driver' (1976) and 'Raging Bull' (1980) respectively. Very few directors have created even one film that can match the greatness of either of these films such is how remarkable Scorsese's achievement is. However Mr. Scorsese wasn't done. In 1990 he returned to the world of gangsters he had previously visited in 'Mean Streets' and released yet another superb, brilliant, astounding, amazing and down right awesome masterpiece called 'GoodFellas'. While 'Mean Streets' touched upon the way gangsters work, 'GoodFellas' gives the closest, in-depth, in-your-face, look in the world of the mafia in America than any other movie ever. The film opens with goodfellas, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Tommy DeVito (Jow Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) opening the boot of their car to find the bloody body of a "made-man" they tried to "wack" is still alive, so they finish the job with a few stabs of the knife and a few shots of the pistol. Henry closes the boot door and his voice-over narrates "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster". This opening is a perfect way to set up the movie. It throws the viewer straight into the world of gangsters with intensity and violence. This is the tone of the entire film and Scorsese never hold's up. The performances are realistic and believable. Everyone is so good. Liotta in the lead role of Henry is fascinating as he takes us along a ride, showing us his life of royalty, getting whatever he wants by way of violence. This is how gangsters live, there is no sugar-coating. Robert De Niro as Jimmy gives a cool, yet cold and intimidating performance. Once the police are on his tail, his paranoia is quite scary. Only De Niro could pull it off so perfectly. But the film's best performance comes from Joe Pesci as the unpredictable, violent psychopathic Tommy. He can change mood at the weirdest times. Laughing and joking around with friends, Henry calls him a funny guy...big mistake. 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging Bull' showed us what Scorsese was capable of; telling dark, fascinating character-studies with great technique. But 'GoodFellas' surpasses even those masterpieces. It's a film that is usually labelled one of the greatest gangster films of all time. But it's more than a gangster film. It's a film where technique takes a simple story and erupts into an amazing movie-going experience, and a work of art. Scorsese uses all his powers; whip-pans, crash zooms, slow motion, jump cuts, time-lapse, freeze frames, narration and an awesome soundtrack. If there ever was such a thing as the single greatest movie ever, my choice is 'GoodFellas'.

The best sequel ever made. Part I was about a man's inner struggle and change, how he attains power. In Part II he is a ruthless leader who rules with an iron fist. Pacino's portrayal as the tortured Michael is the best acting performance ever, while De Niro as young Vito is also compelling. Coppola's artistic direction excels that of Part I as he is able to weave two stories together in comparison with one-another. The film has a dark and sinister feel which is grimmer than Part I. It's a masterpiece.

'The Godfather' is consistently ranked highly among the greatest films of all time. It's a film which has the highest of reputations. With its most iconic cinematic moments, it seems as though 'The Godfather' has been around forever. If you watch the movie again, you will realise there is no surprise as to how this great film achieved such a high status. The story is about Michael Corleone, the young man who returns from World War II as an upstanding all-American hero. He is the son of Mafia overlord Vito Corleone. Michael insists he is nothing like his father, and shuns the life of crime. But as fate would have it, once the life of his father is threatened, Michael avenges his father and takes his inevitable place as head of the crime family. This classic tale, written by Mario Puzo, is elegantly told by director Francis Ford Coppola in a somewhat Shakespearean, operatic fashion. The concept is simplistic but the story sufficiently layered. It's a story not so much about the mafia as it is about family. Family is one of the most intriguing things in this world, and by using the Mafia, both Puzo and Coppola dissect what it means to be a family. Michael loves his family but he initially despises the field of crime they are involved in. He tries to distance himself from this crime, but he cannot fight his fate and his inevitable placing in his family. There is a lot more to the script that I can mention here but this is the basic outline. Nino Rota's haunting score drives Coppola's notion of despair and fate. It is one of the greatest and most recogniseable film scores of all cinema. When it kicks in during the opening moments of the film, you are immediately inside the cold tragic world of the Corleones. And that's what this film is, a tragedy. Maybe not so much 'Part I', but 'Part I' and 'Part II' as a whole is a tragic story of love betrayal and fallen redemption. Credit must also be given to the amazing cast. James Caan as hot-headed brother, Sonny, is a portrait of misunderstood angst. Robert Duvall as step-brother Tom Hagen is a man of unconditional loyalty. Talia Shire is a young woman of beaten down abuse and Diane Keaton is the confused lost love that can never be, while John Cazale is the simpleton who is destined for a bigger role in 'Part II'. All give career-best performances. However, the two who stand out are Al Pacino as the tortured soul, Michael Corleone, the war-hero who fails at fighting his destiny, and Marlon Brando as the once-great Mafia warlord who has past his peak. Both Pacino and Brando give beyond brilliant performances whic has rarely been equalled in the history of cinema. Pacino further develops this character in 'Part II'. In that movie he undoubtedly gives the best performance of a million life times. The two films go hand-in-hand, and some may even consider them to be one film split in two volumes, with 'Part III' the epilogue. Whichever way you view 'The Godfather' trilogy, it's a masterpiece of the highest form. Any critic who gives it a rating under 5 stars knows nothing about movies. Widely viewed as one of the greatest films of all time, and rightly so.

Martin Scorsese's boxing bio-pic, 'Raging Bull', is about a man's sexual insecurity and jealousy. It follows boxer Jake LaMotta, his rise to becoming the middle-weight champion of the world, and his subsequent downfall by self-destruction as consequence from his problematic personal life. LaMotta's intense jealousy for his young wife, Vicky, is a result of his sexual paranoia and insecurity. He suspects almost everyone of cheating with his wife, including local mobsters, rival boxers, and even his own manager/brother, Joey. There is no real justifiable evidence that Vicky is cheating with anybody, but Jake is paranoid and even the most innocent of gestures seem like proof of her guilt. In the ring, the fight scenes are brutal and violent, as LaMotta releases the rage he's built up from his personal life and punishes his rival boxers as if it's his inner demons he's fighting. At one point, LaMotta cracks and accuses Joey of sleeping with Vickie, and attacks both of them. Soon after he fights Sugar Ray Robinson to defend his title, but almost voluntarily leans on the rops, like Jesus on the cross, and takes a beating from Robinson, as if taking punishment from his sins. This scene is pure cinematic art, and one of the greatest moments in the history of cinema. Both Scorsese and editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, present a harrowing, visceral portrait of a man who is consumed by guilt after he himself destroyed his own life. Robert De Niro, as LaMotta, gives one of the best performances ever and deservedly bagged an Oscar. He learned how to box for the role, got fit, then gained 40 pounds for the older, fatter LaMotta scenes. But it's his transitions of subtle suspicions to raging outbursts that terrify audiences as he presents a man who is at war with himself. Joe Pesci as brother Joey, and Cathy Moriarty as wife Vicky are also brilliant. This is film with total collaboration between actors, cinematographer (shooting in beautiful black and white) editor (some of the best editing ever) and of course director. Martin Scorsese's most personal film is pure genius. This is one of the greatest movies of all time.

And so the journey comes to an end in this third and final film in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. And what a finish it is! As Sauron continues with his final conquest of Middle-Earth, Gandalf, Theoden and Aragorn rally their forces to defend Gondor. Meanwhile Frodo, Sam and Gollum finally arrive at Mordor seeking to destroy the ring. Like the previous volumes, 'The Return of the King' is filmmaking of the highest order. The directing from Peter Jackson, the acting from the entire cast, the beautiful music from Howard Shore, the cinematography, set design, costume design, Special and visual effects, and of course the story, are beyond brilliant. But that's what I said about the previous LOTR films. And to be fair, the LOTR trilogy can be viewed as one solid movie, broken up in three volumes. But I daresay that 'The Return of the King' is the best of the three. It is grander in scale, raising the bar for all action/blockbuster films higher than Sauron's eye tower! I mentioned that the battle at the end of 'The Two Towers' is the greatest battle ever put on the big screen, but the battle at Minas-Tirinth in this film is almost as good. But there is a lot more action than just one battle like in 'The Two Towers'. The film is packed with action sequences. This is not only a landmark action/blockbuster movie, but one of the greatest of all films. The climax in Mount Doom is the most thrilled I've felt while watching a movie. The opening scene which is a flashback of Smeagol getting corrupted by the ring to the scenes of Gondor bowing down to the four hobbits, these are examples of how this film is not only thrilling, but deeply emotional, 'The Return of the King' has it all. Because of this, this final instalment is my favourite in the trilogy, and also because it is the final instalment. It is greatly satisfying to see how the story wraps up, how all the loose ends are tied, after so much attention was put into the previous films. A great end to a great trilogy. Not only is it one of the greatest films, this is also one of my favourite films of all time, I get emotional just thinking about it.

1995 was the year animated films were changed forever. 1995 was the year children's films were changed forever. 1995 was the year entertainment was changed forever. 1995 was the year 'Toy Story' was released, and it changed my life forever. Before 1995, animated films were made using that traditional, hand-drawn 2D style, the first being 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' back in 1937. I wasn't around when that movie was released, but I can only imagine the impact it had on everyone that saw it upon its debut. I imagine it was something like the first time I saw 'Toy Story'. I was only seven, nearly eight years old at the time, but I remember it clearly. I was so used to seeing the traditional 2D style animations, my favourite being 'Aladdin' (1992), but when I saw 'Toy Story' it was mouth-to-the-floor stuff. Everything looked so realistic, made with such detail it was unlike anything I had seen before. Yes, the animation was spectacular, but the movie wouldn't have worked had it not been for its story and characters. The story involves toys who appear inanimate whenever humans are around, but once the humans leave, the toys are actually alive. Their purpose is to be there for their child owner, Andy for when he plays with them. But when Andy isn't around they interact amongst themselves like a small community. Andy's favourite toy is a cowboy doll named Woody, (voiced by Tom Hanks), and as the favourite toy, Woody is the leader of the rest of the toys. However, one day Andy gets a new toy, the coolest toy of all. A space ranger named Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen). Woody is jealous that Buzz has become Andy's new favourite toy and after a string of strange circumstances, the two get lost and must worked together to find their way back to their owner. It presents some great ideas about the lives toys can lead, such as when a child loses a toy it's hard on the child, but imagine how hard it must be for the toy. And the villain in this film is a child, named Sid, who takes pleasure in exploding toys. Imagine how traumatising it must be for toys to witness this and do nothing. And how about Buzz Lightyear? He doesn't know he is a toy but thinks he is a real space ranger. That was a stroke of genius by the creators. The film has a Simpsons-esque flavour, in that it appeals to those of all ages. It is action-packed, with cute characters with slapstick humour that the kids will love. But there is also an abundance of adult-oriented jokes and references that is there specifically for the older audience. It's also refreshing to watch an animated movie which doesn't involve characters bursting into song, which allowed for more plot and characters. The characters are the real centre of 'Toy Story'. Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm the piggy bank, Slinky Dog and Rex, are all great characters which lend their own unique personalities to the story, all provided by the vocal talents of household comedians. Hanks and Allen are especially good. In the subsequent years, 3D computer animation has taken over the traditional 2D animation. And while there have been some great computer animated movies (Antz, Shrek), especially those from Pixar (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles etc), and two of the greatest sequels of all time (Toy Story 2 & 3), a lot of the computer animated movies are wearing thin (Hoodwinked, Happily Never After). Toy Story, the original, will forever remain fresh. My favourite movie as a child, is still one of my favourite movies ever.

The slasher film is a sub-genre of Horror movies which originated with the 1975 John Carpenter film 'Halloween', which established the formula and elements that make a slasher. There was soon a trend of slasher films. Some, like 'Friday the 13th', seemed like a complete rip-off of 'Halloween', but in 1984 director Wes Craven came up with a slasher that not only followed the formula and rules established by 'Halloween', but gave it an original, supernatural concept. The story is about a child-murderer, named Freddy Krueger, who was burned to death by the parents of Elm Street, only to return from the grave to haunt the teenagers of the parents that killed him. When a teenager has a nightmare of Freddy, if he kills them in their dream, they are killed in reality. This is a clever idea from Craven. He intercuts between dream and reality. We see a teenager being chased in their dream by Freddy in his now infamous boiler room, and cut to reality we're the teenager is screaming in their bed. What happens in the dream happens for real, a concept that fascinated me when I first watched this film. Most of the characters in this film fall short of interesting, but there are a few that stand out. Heather Langenkamp as Nancy, the film's heroine, is simply perfect. I don't mean perfect as in she deserves an Oscar, or anything like that, but she is perfect in the role she is given. The slasher heroine has since been stereotyped as being an annoying, dumb, fake-breasted bimbo that screams at almost anything. Jaime Lee Curtis in 'Halloween' was an exception. She was smart, level headed and ultimately likeable. Langenkamp as Nancy is even better. Her down-to-earth natural good looks give the perfect appearance for Nancy. Her big wavy hair and blue eyes is exactly what that character should look like. Her actual performance is better than any other slasher heroine, ever. You WANT her to survive, you CARE about her. Johnny Depp makes his film debut as Nancy's boyfriend, Glenn. Again, he isn't the stereotype we've come to expect from this sort of role. He isn't a wooden actor, he's Johnny Depp, and he can act. But the best character, the main attraction, the film's greatest success, is Freddy, played by Robert Englund. Like any slasher film, there needs to be a villain. 'Halloween' had Michael Myers, who was an excellent villain. He had no emotion, showed no remorse, couldn't be reasoned with etc. He was an unstoppable killing machine. The 'Friday the 13th' series had Jason Voorhees, who was basically a copy of Myers. Freddy however is an original creation. He's a lot more interesting than the aforementioned villains. For starters, his appearance is not of a knife wielding masked maniac. Freddy wears a red and green sweater, a fedora hat, and of course, on his right hand, a glove with knives attached to each finger, and has a terribly burned face. Craven had gathered several basic fears to concoct Freddy's memorable appearance. Also, unlike Michael and Jason, Freddy actually speaks, albeit not much in this film. There have been several sequels, and with each instalment Freddy is less scary but, more funny using wisecracks and jokes. But in this original, Freddy is terrifying. He is absent for long periods of the film, and so it's the idea of Freddy which makes him scarier. When he is on screen, he is demonic. Another thing that makes 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' more appealing compared to other slashers are the murders. Seeing as Freddy kills his victims in their dreams he is able to bend the rules of reality. One teenager is dragged up the bedroom wall and across the ceiling by an invisible Freddy, another is eaten by his bed and gallons of bloods spew upwards from the mattress. I cannot illustrate enough how much this film means to me. It's a great film. Yes, it's full of flaws. There are tremendous amounts of goofs and mistakes, bad acting from support cast, and inconceivable plot holes. But it's a great film. It's original, entertaining and launched one of the most famous cinematic characters of all time. There is a moment, during Nancy's first dream sequence when she falls asleep in class and follows Tina's bloodied body bag down to the boiler room. This is cold, gritty horror cinema. In the boiler room Nancy is chased by Freddy and comes to a dead end. As Freddy draws near there is a close-up on Nancy. She screams "It's only a dream!" This image, for me, best illustrates 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', and Langenkamp's performance. As she tries to reassure herself that Freddy can't hurt her, it's all there in her voice and in her eyes that she knows it's for real. She is terrified. With the concrete wall and burning pipes surrounding her, it's a dark and cold image that stuck with me long after viewing. This is one of my top 10 favourite films of all time.

Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' is a masterpiece and is one of the greatest character-studies in cinema. Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, who is the most disturbing yet fascinating of Scorsese-characters. Bickle is a lonely, insomniac, sociopath who yearns to connect with other people. It is this loneliness that drives the movie. Bickle attempts to befriend a beautiful woman named Betsy, played by Cybill Shepherd which fails when he takes her on a date to a porno theatre. Travis does not understand how that is inappropriate, nor does he understand how to establish a relationship. Due to his growing alienation, Travis begins to lose his mind, and he takes his anger in a violent direction. He is disgusted with the state in which the world he lives in is. He drives around New York and sees a hell. He sees junkies, drug dealers, hookers and pimps. He encounters a young prostitute named Iris, played by Jodie Foster. He is entranced with Iris's situation. She is a young naïve girl who ran away from home and was taken in by a sleazy pimp named Sport (Harvey Keitel). This further grows his anger and he sets his sights on assassinating political candidate Senator Palentine. When that fails he sets out on rescuing Iris himself by wiping out Sport, and his co-pimps. 'Taxi Driver' is a political movie in which one man who is viewed as a nobody can no longer stand the hellish state of his world and takes it upon himself to save just one girl. He knows the politicians are pretenders and will not change the world for the better, so because of his mental state due to his lonliness, he becomes "the real rain that washes the scum off the streets". The film has a massive and intense build up which leads to the horrible yet brilliantly executed massacre De Niro's performance is amazing. He is Travis Bickle. No other actor could do the role justice as De Niro shows he is the ultimate method actor and becomes his role. Consider the iconic scene of Travis trying out his guns in front of the mirror; "Here is a man who would not take it anymore. Here is a man who stood up."

James Cameron became the king of action sequels when he created 'Aliens' and then 'T2'. T2 excels the original Terminator in almost every way; Linda Hamilton's beefed-up heroine, Arnie's good-guy fatherly figure status, the far more intelligent plot is perfectly constructed and of course the magnificent special effects and action sequences. Robert Patrick as the T-1000 almost steals the show from Arnie. The way he self-heals is jaw dropping.

'Batman Begins' set the foundation. It was creating the basis of a franchise and was building to something big. While 'Batman Begins' was noirish, 'The Dark Knight' is a crime-epic of massive proportions. Its predecessor had to start off slow and show the development of Batman, this however throws the viewer straight into the action with one of the best opening scenes I've seen in a long time. There is no real beginning and end, the film is constant, a middle of what will hopefully be a long and great franchise. The film is so well written, filled with suspense, with the plot so sufficiently complex surrounding and linking the stories of Harvey Dent (Eckhart) and Batman (Bale). While Bruce Wayne's story was the basis of the first film, Dent's is the backbone of this sequel, everything that happens refers back to him. Both Bale and Eckhart portray their characters superbly and expertly. And although everyone in the cast are excellent, the undisputed star is Heath Ledger's Joker, in his final completed performance. He plays the Joker perfectly, giving an accurate portrayal of an insane murderous prankster who's just having fun. The Joker has always been considered one of the greatest villains in pop-culture, partly because of the comic-books and Jack Nicholson's version in 1989, but Ledger embodies the evilness to a tremendous degree. There is no back-story for the Joker in this film, he just arrives and is a constant menace throughout the film. This adds to the terror, it makes him more mysterious. Darth Vader was always more scarier before the 'Star Wars' prequels gave him a back-story. The Joker has always been Batman's greatest foe in the comics, and Nolan gives Ledger a great character to work with by writing an excellent plot where The Joker is underestimated by everyone in the film. He is clever, scheming and everything he does is planned (even though he tells Dent that he is a 'doer' not a 'planner'). He reminds me of John Doe in the thriller 'Seven'. He is a crafty fiend who's motive is purely for the fun of it. Ledger is almost unrecogniseable, he mastered the Joker's voice perfectly. 'The Dark Knight' shall remain as one of the greatest sequels of all time. Between this and 'Batman Begins' Nolan shows up all other comic-book/superhero movies. None come close to this franchise, forget Spider-Man or Iron man, they are pathetic in comparison.

Batman's reputation is restored thanks to Christopher Nolan's understanding of the character. The film's success lies in its exploration of Bruce Wayne's past, giving plausible reason as to why he dresses as a bat when fighting crime.

QT cleverly intertwines three stories to create one classic movie. It is able to tribute and pay homage to former classics and remain deliciously original at the same time.

'Back to the Future' has an imaginative and fun concept: In 1985 Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) goes back in time and accidently seperates his parents from falling in love thus preventing his own birth. He has to get them back together, return to 1985, and save his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) from getting shot. The plot is a head scratcher but director Robert Zemeckis does an amazing job in playing off the paradoxes and ironies. The script is very clever with plenty of surprises and great set-pieces; such as the skateboard chase or the Johnny B Goode rendition. Everybody has got to love this movie. It's a comedy, an actioner, an adventure, a sci-fi, a time travel love story. It has everything in it. It's also a triumph in character. Fox as Marty is the ultimate likeable smart-aleky hero, Lloydd is spot-on as the eccentric mad scientist Doc Brown, Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson, as Marty's parents, are impressive as they manage to convince as teenagers, as failed parents and, ultimately, affluent yuppies. And then there's Thomas F Wilson as Biff, the school bully that makes Marty's quest to get his parents to fall in love very difficult. He is a brilliant baddie that excells as both evil villain and buffoon. 'Back to the Future' a solid trilogy that completes itself over the course of three movies, and while the Part two is great also, for me the first is my favourite and the best. It's the epitome of fun at the movies.

It's a well constructed thriller that blends humour with intensity. Its story of murder and greed may seem dark but it's counterbalanced by its funny, heartwarming lead character.

The story about a cop tracking down a crook might sound cliche, but 'Heat' is so much more than that. It's about the similarities between two men on opposite sides of the law, how dedicated they are at what they do, how their work means more to them than their women, how remarkably professional and how good they are at their jobs. They form a mutual and genuine respect for one another, and who could be more perfect at playing these characters than Al Pacino and Robert De Niro?

Michael Mann's cinematography is just as
important to the film. He shoots silhouettes that symbolise isolation. He uses loud cracking gun-shots in the street shoot-out to create realism. That scene, the shoot-out, is one of the best executed action scenes ever. Watch Val Kilmer reload his weapon with preciseness. Or how even cops, and not just crooks, get shot while there is a gun battle.

This film is about choices. There is no black and white/right and wrong, just the decisions you make and the consequences that come from it. At times you cheer for De Niro's character rather than Pacino's. That is how Heat is.

A comedy that is difficult to understand because of its insane plot. The Coens wanted to tribute Ray Chandler with a labyrinth-like story that doesn't really go anywhere. Jeff Bridges is perfect as the stoner who just wants his rug back.

Stanley Kubrick's direction gives this film a style which is uniquely Kubrick. Malcolm McDowell's performance is a tour-de-force as he plays a deliquent who is brainwashed by the government.

Quentin Tarantino's debut film has stood the test of time and can rightly be recognised as a great movie. Los Angeles gangster, Joe Cabot, and his son "Nice Guy" Eddie gather six strangers, using aliases Mr. Blonde, Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue, to pull off a jewel heist. These are the Reservoir Dogs. After the heist goes wrong, the Dogs soon believe there is a "rat' amongst them and that the heist was a police set-up. But who amongst them is the "rat"? This simple plot sets up for a perfect vehicle for Tarantino. Using only a few locations and a minimum use of props and costumes, QT is able to cram a range of ingredients into only 99 minutes. This is a good example where sometimes less is more. The dialogue is irreverent yet entertaining, which has since become a regular trait in Tarantino films. In the opening sequence where we see the Dogs gathered around a diner table, they discuss what may seem like random conversations about tipping waitresses and what is the true lyrical meaning of Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. However, subtlety, QT is revealing everything we need to know about the gangsters. For example, Mr. Pink's rant about not tipping gives genuine insight into his weaselly psyche. Mr. Blonde jokingly suggests shooting Mr. White, which is an indication of his psychotic murderous nature. So the dialogue is not only for entertainment value. Another Tarantino trait that features here is that the film is not shown chronologically. He messes with the structure, jumping to the getaway from the crime scene, to the planning of the heist, to the present where the Dogs come to grips with the botched heist. We never see the actual heist. The cast, featuring some of the most underrated character actors are flawless. Harvey Keitel (Mr. White) is fierce and sets the standard for the other castmembers. Steve Buscemi is at his paranoid weaselly best as Mr. Pink, who demands that the other Dogs act "professional" and suspects anyone could be the rat. Michael Madsen is the psychotic monsterous Mr. Blonde. He creates one of the all time memorable movie villains thanks to one scene in which he tortures a cop while dancing to Steeler's Wheel's 'Stuck in the Middle With You'. 'Reservoir Dogs' really succeeds because of the character construction, the brilliant writing and directing talents of Tarantino, and the amazing acting skills of its cast.

A fantastic change to the first film. It's less horror movie and more action blockbuster, but in a good way. Fantastic visual effects way too good for its time with great acting from Weaver. The film is of epic length and the aliens look nastier. James Cameron has exceeded Ridley Scott's film immensely like he did with his own Terminator with T2-Judgment Day.

This is one of the most uniquely fascinating films I've seen. The plot-structure is incredible, the special effects are mindblowing, and the story is almost incomprehensible. The themes explored are of life and humanity. Stanley Kubrickhas here created an absolute masterpiece and leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions. A brilliant psychedelic sci-fi odyssey.

(Great music too).

This T-Rex makes Jaws look like a goldfish. A movie that will remain as one of the most imaginative and most visually impressive films of the '90s. It's exhilarating and jaw-dropping. I saw this film when I was in kindergarten and it scared me, but it was my favourite movie. This is the best dinosaur movie ever.

One of the funniest movies ever is a spoof on the classic Bond films. Mike Myers creates two hilarious characters that are both a mirror of the 1960s and of the typical Bond characters.

The randomness of the whole plot and its events make it one hilarious movie. Will Ferrell has never been and never will be this funny again. The sexist attitudes and the combinations of masculinity and sissy-boy cowardiness is played out brilliantly.

An exhilarating, exciting, fun action/adventure that blends the action with humour. The Lucas/Spielberg classic is a must see for anyone who loves movies. The sequels are great too! Ford has never suited a role better than Indy.

'Ghostbusters' is a classic from the 1980s which became one of the most memorable films in my childhood. The film revolves around three scientists whom, after getting fired from a university, establish their own business as paranormal exterminators or, rather, ghostbusters. Business skyrockets, but they soon realise an unspeakable evil is being summoned which may cause the end of the world. It is up to them to destroy it. What makes 'Ghostbusters' so memorable is its brilliant cast (including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver) its high-concept plot, hilarious comedy, wicked special effects, and a catchy theme song.

Mathew Broderick's signature role will always teach generations of teenagers the steps on how to skip school...and how to enjoy life.

Soon after 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Platoon', Stanley Kubrick took on the Vietnam-War-Movie with his own style, creating 'Full Metal Jacket'. The film is structured with two acts. The fist act is brilliant, set in a boot/training camp preparing young men to become soldiers for the army. The second act then sees the soldiers battling in Vietnam. The story and its themes are about how the army change young men into killing machines, taking away their humanity. Kubrick sends the message with some hard hitting set-pieces and disturbing visuals. The acting was also brilliant, but the three main performances were from Mathew Modine as the sarcastic lead 'Joker'. The other two were R. Lee Ermy's hilarious abusive drill sergeant Hartman whose vulgar shoutings motivate and torment the soldiers, and Vincent D'Onofrio as the chubby oafish Pyle who loses his humanity. His portrayal, although a short one, is riveting and will last long in your mind.

Masterful slasher movie that originated the sub-genre. Its fantastic camera work, music score, and suburban setting all contribute to its suspense. Michael Myers, wearing a white ghostly mask and a jump-suit, is terrifying thanks to the idea of him that surrounds the movie.

A smart, cool thriller with a great cast and superb direction. The screenplay is mind-boggling and will have you guessing until the end revelation. One of the greatest twists in the history of cinema.