My Favorite Movies

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest film ever made. every time I watch it (and I've watched it quite a few times) I find something new, new meaning, new metaphors. Kubrick made very few films but with him the phrase 'Quality over quantity' rings very true. Brilliant.

Probably the most underrated, overlooked and misunderstood film of all time. Don't let the awful American poster put you off either, because this is without a doubt the most beautiful film made in the last 25 years. Its subject matter, pace and Dogma style puts many people off, and to be fair it not everybodies cup of tea, but give it a chance. The last scene, in my opinion, is the best ever in the history of Cinema, a bold statement I know by I stand by it! Brilliant!

One of the greatest films ever made, Herzog's behind the camera and Kinski in front, it was always going to be good but this film has influenced a whole parade of fantastic films but has never been matched in greatness. The quintessential tale of power, greed and madness. My crap little review doesn't do it justice.

Superman is by far the best Superhero movie of all time. Sure the new Batman films are excellent but they're not a touch on Donner's classic. Reeve is the quintessential Superman, even though he the 3rd (or is it 4th?) person to play him. I just can't express how much I adore this film, it has been my favourite since childhood and I must have watched it over 100 times. I love everything about it and can find no faults with it. Brilliant!

This is a subtle satire that needs repeat viewing, not because its complicated to follow but because there are lots of little, sometimes hidden, splashes of symbolism and hidden meaning. It doesn't however, need to be watched more than once to be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated for what it is, one of the most beautiful films ever made. The cast is fantastic but its Sellers who really steals the show in his greatest, and unfortunately, his last performance. Absolutely brilliant.

My favourite Mike Leigh film by a mile. David Thewlis's performance in Naked is easily one of the greatest in the history of cinema, definitely in the top 10 of all time. The script is astonishing, its dark humour is both funny but uncomfortable and the characters are hateful but likable at the same time. A really underrated, overlooked classic. Highly recommended and in my top 5 favourite films of all time.

A beautiful heart warming story of life, death and peace. Kurosawa is undoubtedly the greatest director ever and Shimura's Mr. Watanabe is probably my most favourite cinema character of all time. This is one of the greatest films ever made!

Violence and beauty go hand in hand in kitano's masterpiece! Brilliant!

A great film with superb acting from all the cast that deserved it's huge success!

Sofia Coppola is a great director in her own right and it annoys me when people say she only got as far as she did because of her father/family. People complain about the plot and script, and although winning best screenplay for a film that depends mostly on ad-libbing is a bit suspicious, she thoroughly deserved the success she had. The ending with the 'whisper' is such a wonderful bit of cinema, its such a shame people can't see it for what it is, what was said doesn't matter, its the reaction that makes it so powerful. Brilliant stuff!

I scream, we scream, we all scream for ice cream! This is by far the funniest prison break film ever. The three leads are on impeccably good form and, I know I've said it before, but Jarmusch is the coolest filmmaker alive. I can't think of a more suitable word that could describe him as well.

Everything about this film is perfect. The acting, the direction, the lighting, the soundtrack.... I don't care which version either, they're all brilliant!

They said it could never be adapted into film and they were wrong. Gilliam, Del Toro and Depp on top of their game. Brilliant.

One of the greatest films ever made in my opinion and definitely Gilliam's best work.

An amazing film! Possibly one of the best films of the last 30 years, and easily in the top 5 best films of the 90's. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro are a match made in heaven. Dominique Pinon is also one of the most overlooked actors working today. Brilliant.

An absolutely beautiful film, perfect in every way.

I was absolutely blown away by this film. Being a huge fan of Cronos, I'd hoped Guillermo del Toro would return more to his roots in direction. Don't get me wrong, I love Hellboy, its just that this is what he does best. Brilliant, possibly the best film so far this decade/Millennium.

I didn't know this was a musical before I watched it and so when the Dogma style of filming was interrupted suddenly with a song I was both shocked and exhilarated. Lars von Trier got kicked out of his own gang in true style with this one (Well, technically he did with Breaking the Waves, but this one was the final straw). The cast is unlikely but brilliant, the songs are wonderful and the story is typically bleak and beautiful, what Von Trier does best. Another misunderstood and underrated masterpiece.

Stripped down to its raw essentials, Dogville is Dogma at its finest. Surprisingly it still feels like cinema as apposed to theatre. Its probably the most original film of the last decade, and again, totally overlooked and misunderstood. People complain there is something lacking in this film, they're right, it lacks all the unnecessary guff that people have come to expect from lazy cinema and it is better for it. Excellent film, excellent cast, a truly brilliant film.

Probably the best 'Alternative' love story ever made. Harold and Maude are two brilliant characters played by the also and always brilliant Cort & Gordon. The various 'suicides' had me in stitches. Hal Ashby is a very overlooked director, the fact he never won an award is criminal. This is one of my favourite films of all time.

You could say The Last Detail is a gritty and realistic version of On the Town, it has its similarities apart from the singing, dancing and the fact that its funny. Ashby gets the balance just right in this sad but hilarious drama. The cast is on top form and personally I don't think Quaid has ever been better. Brilliant.

Jodorowsky's often misunderstood 'Western' is a surreal masterpiece riddled with religious symbolism and bizarre mythology. There is so much in here, so many influences, it?s easy to make comparisons but the best way I can put it is that it?s like a Sergio Leone directed Monty Python sketch, written by a south American version of Henry Miller who has based the story on an old testament parable, exploitation style! There is of course, no need for that orgy ever to happen, as we have been blessed with the eyes, mind and most importantly, the cojones of Jodorowsky, the master of the midnight movies! If you are great, El Topo is a great picture. If you are limited, El Topo is limited! I'm great ;o)

This film is just as good as the Deer Hunter and Apocalypse now as far as Vietnam films are concerned. The acting is first rate, as is Ashby's direction, as always. The world would be a better place if more people had watched this film, i cant understand how forgotten its become!

This is Anderson at his best. It was easily the best 'indie comedy' of the late 90's and it really established both Anderson and Schwartzman and it also gave Bill Murray's carrier a kick up the arse too. It surprises me how many people seem to have missed this gem of a film. Brilliant.

Touching, original, hilarious, sad, bizarre but above all brilliant. It's Anderson's biggest and boldest film to date but all the risks paid off. Brilliant.

Wes Anderson just keeps getting better and better. Beautifully shot and with superb sets and locations, this is another original film about family relationships and personal discovery, its what Anderson does best. Brody, Schwartzman and Wilson are all equally brilliant. Its a must see!

This is the Coen brothers finest film in my opinion, its certainly my favourite. Its been a huge influence on modern cinema, and Ive seen it been ripped off countless times! As close to perfect film making as you can get! Brilliant.

The story is beautifully simple, but its the characters and the actors performances that make this film so brilliant. It's easily McDormand's best to date. The best thing about this film is that when it came out cinema was going through a bit of a stale patch but when Fargo came out, they really raised the game and between 96 and 99, so many instant classic were produced. I really do think the Coen brothers are due credit for that, although they themselves are still on top of their game and untouchable.

Only the Coen brothers (and Bridges of coarse) could make an unemployed, scruffy, old hippie type of 'dude', the coolest film character of all time, whom every man on this planet aspires to be like. Another great comedy from the Brother Coen, possibly their funniest and definitely their coolest! Brilliant!

I remember at the time, the decision to cast Clooney seemed an odd one as there were plenty of Coen regulars who seemed quite suited to the part. How wrong, Clooney steals the show in what I believe is his best work to date. Based loosely on Homer's odyssey, O' Brother is an instant classic that I never tire of watching.

A brilliant follow up film, I personally have to watch them both back to back and consider them the same film, although I do prefer the original. Terrance Stamp as Zod is brilliant. I always wondered what the Richard Donner cut would have been like though.....

Come on guys, It was the 80's, films did this kind of thing then. It's a silly film and not as good as the first two but as far as I'm concerned its got Reeve, Pryor and Vaughn in it so it must be great and I love it!

Hana-bi is Kitano's most personal work to date. It seems like all his feelings, that he'd bottled up for so long, were suddenly triggered and then released after his near death motorcycle accident. In his autobiography it says that after he committed suicide (Beat, his alter-ego) he felt real but at the same time uncertain of his future, mainly due to a lack of confidence. It must be hard, being the most famous man in Japan, producing No 1 TV shows, Comedy, best selling books etc to huge success, but when he directs films (his real passion) he is disregarded and misunderstood. His films have had a much larger impact in the western world, why? I'm not sure but this certainly isn't a typical Asian film, its not a typical western film, its truly original and a real raw insight into the man and his emotions. Hard hitting but truly beautiful, Hana-bi is something special, a metamorphosis of a genius.

Kitano puts the violence to one side for a change and focuses on the good in all people. Kikujiro is beautiful 'Road movie' with all the typical kitano signatures (Games on the Beach etc) and humour. Towards the end you can't help but feel that maybe Beat hasn't been laid to rest after all. A hilarious and touching comedy of the highest calibre.

Takeshi Kitano's take on the classic Japanese story of Zatoichi, The Blind Swordsman. A risky move seeing as the series has a massive loyal following around the globe. Luckily the risk paid off as it was an international success and fans of the franchise embarrassed it. Shintarô Katsu will always be Zatoichi but he can rest in peace in the knowledge that the character remains unspoilt and still kicking ass! The end sequence is fantastic!

A fantastic Heist film noir by the late great Kubrick. The dialogue is brilliant and the characters and acting superb. As always, Kubrick's direction is perfect. It's been a huge influence since its realise and has often been ripped off but never bettered. Brilliant.
PS. Hands off Tarantino you tea leaf!!

This has to be one of the funniest films of all time. Beautifully lit, brilliantly written and hilariously portrayed. The performances from Sellers, Pickens and C. Scott are particularly good. It's a comedy masterpiece!

A film of 2 halves, it shows the real, ugly and stupid side of war. Kubrick made the last great war film, everything after this is just special effects. Brilliant!

Thwart with production issues from the very beginning, its a wonder that The Fountain was ever made at all. For all its trials and tribulations though, it was so worth the weight, the Fountain is an absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest love stories ever produced. My one and only fault with it is Weisz but that's just because I'm not much of a fan of hers, this is the best film in years.

Without a doubt, the best gangster film ever made!

Although I love Goodfellas, Raging Bull and all of Scorsese's great films, After Hours has to be my favourite of his. A man get trapped on the wrong side of town and can't get home, a very simple premise but a brilliant starting point for what is a real bizarre cult film full of twists and hilarity. Highly recommended!

It's funny how well this film worked so well after the departure of Brando but that's where both De Niro and Pacino stepped up in a film that really made their careers. Even though the pair never have a scene together, its almost like their in competition. This is a far superior film than Godfather Part 1 but for me, It will always be the late great John Cazale who makes part 2 so damn good.

This is one of Sidney Lumet best. Pacino and Cazale are brilliant together and no one plays the desperate but understanding cop like Durning. A fantastic film. ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!

Vincent Gallo at his very best, this is his masterpiece. His acting and direction are uniquely brilliant as our the excellent cameos and performances throughout. Unfortunately this film still resides in the cult status wilderness, which is very unfair.

Ten years after making the groundbreaking Night of the living Dead, Romero follows it up with, not so much a sequel, more of a continuation of a theme, with Dawn of the Dead. It is hands down the best Zombie movie ever and is also in the top 10 best horror films ever made. Hell, it's one of the best films ever made full stop!!

One of the best horror films ever made, tons better than the original! Full of unlikely characters and old school special effects that have yet to be bettered. The head/spider scene and the tied to a bench scene are two of the best in the genres. 'You gotta be fucking kidding' - Love it!

This is by far Carpenters scariest film. The Thing had gore, The Fog had chills and Halloween pretty much invented the slasher but its Prince of Darkness with its atmospheric portrayal of inescapable and impending doom of the most evil kind that makes Carpenter one of the masters of horror. Very overlooked!

King of the video nasties, Evil Dead is horror at its finest!

It's rare that a sequel exceeds its predecessor, especially in horror films, but that's exactly what Evil Dead 2 has done! Bruce Campbell at his best!

With out a doubt Bruce Campbell's best film. It's probably Sam Raimi's best too! (But only just in front of Crimewave). It's very quotable, very funny and loads of fun. Definitely in my top 10 favourite films of all time!

The phrase 'Edge of your seat' is usually more commonly used to describe a thriller or suspense movie, not usually a documentary. Not the case here, the intense build up to the final conclusion is immense, its almost unbearable. This makes for one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Highly recommended!

One of the funniest, definitely the unlikeliest and certainly one of my favourite comedy pairings ever. This is Wilder and Pryor's best film together that has me in tears every time I watch it. The scene where they first enter prison is comedy perfection! Brilliant!

Besson's debut of a silent post-apocalyptic earth is probably still his finest film to date. The black and white cinematography is sublime. Some of the compositions, with the strong contrasts, are the best in cinematic history. This is an amazing film, and I don't use that word too often!

Nikita is a brilliant film. It's Besson's first real action film and a hint of what was to come, particularly in his projects as writer/producer. Unfortunately, none of his later works have matched Nikita in its brilliance. This is classic Besson.

Memories of Murder of a real edge of your seat thriller, directed by one of my favourite Asian directors, Joon-ho Bong. The fact it's based on a true story makes it all the more shocking. It's worth watching for Kang-ho Song's performance alone, he is easily one of the best actors working today.

I really love this film, it?s a childhood favourite of mine and it?s still scary too!

One of the best films of the 90's, I totally fell in love with Franka Potente after this. I remember the hype when it was first released, I still hear people incorrectly state that it's a 10 hour long art film that just shows a woman continually running. Idiots. This is a great film and one of my favourites.

Benoit Poeloorde's performance is terrifying, his unpredictability makes for very tense viewing. This is a dark comedy, filmed as a documentary (with a Dogma feel about it), in striking B/W contrast, with the cast eventually becoming part of the story. It's very clever, very sick, quite funny and absolutely brilliant! That's why The Blair Witch Project ripped it off! Recommended for those of you without heart conditions!

Classic comedy. Curtis and Lemmon together are brilliant and this is their best. Billy Wilder is also an overlooked and unappreciated comedy director too. Brilliant! One of the best comedies of all time!

David Fincher?s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk?s cult best seller has changed modern cinema forever. Not only has it raised the bar in editing and cinematography but it?s also stuck it?s two fingers up at lazy producers and the concept of the Blockbuster action movie. A movie has always got to make a profit, but it should never be the main drive behind a production. Fightclub opened up a lot of eyes in the industry as to what could be achieved. It?s also one of few productions that defied the critics by filming an ?Un-filmable book?, and to its credit, many young and gifted film-makers have followed suit and underground/Cult literature is finding its way into cinemas. Fincher had never really received the credit that was due him, even after the success of Seven. Now I think it?s safe to say he is in the top ten of best directors working today. Fightclub is a modern classic and an important, seminal masterpiece.

Fincher has made the best ever serial killer movie with Seven. I believe he might have even killed off the genres as Seven is a hard film to better, in fact the only great serial killer movie that?s been made since was directed by Fincher (Zodiac). The best thing about this film is that, even though the first time is the best time, you can still enjoy it on repeat viewing. Brilliant!

The Deer Hunter isn't just the greatest war film ever made, it's one of the greatest films ever made. Absolutely everything in this movie is perfect, from the powerful performances to the beautiful music. A masterpiece!

Written by The Coen Brothers, directed by Sam Raimi with a fantastic cast (particularly Bruce Campbell) = One of the best films ever made! A real cult classic that doesn't have the recognition it deserves!

This was my first Miyazaki/Ghibli experience and it blow me away! Who needs all the Finding Nemo type computer graphics when all you really need is a good story. Not that the animation is bad you understand, it?s beautiful in its simplicity but also striking in its detail. A masterpiece!

Buster Keaton's The General is one of the greatest films ever made!

The on screen relationship between Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould is classic. This is a very funny film, one of Altman's best!

Classic sci-fi. I love the Planet of the Apes films, they're an integral part of modern cinema and they've got Monkeys in them!!! Brilliant!

I like this film just as much as the first, if not a little more! McDowall and Hunter are brilliant, I honestly believe McDowall should have been nominated for the Oscar but an actor in a Monkey suit would never be considered Oscar material. Shame. Anyway, this is a brilliant film!

Forbidden Planet is by far the most intelligent sci-fi movie made and its impact on modern cinema is vast. It's like the Citizen Cain of sci-fi movies. I always wanted a Robbie Robot growing up.

Without a doubt my favourite Python Film and, in my opinion, the funniest film of all time! 'Camelot, tis a silly place'.

This is one of the most beautiful and touching films ever made. It takes true talent to combine both great comedy and terrible tragedy. Roberto Benigni is brilliant as Guido and as the film?s director. I loved how he accepted his award for best film at the Oscars, it makes me laugh just thinking about it. Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant!

You are, and always will be, the best Star Trek film ever. Live long and prosper Star Trek 2!

Astonishing, depressing, bleak, disturbing, Mind blowing, Breathtaking, an absolute masterpiece! What more could you ask for from one of the world?s best directors?

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. 'You made me look a right cunt'!
Best British film in years! Brilliant!

Richard Pryor in unfamiliar territory in a very serious role but brilliantly executed. Blue Collar is both Gritty and kick ass, a great slice of late 70?s life and an overlooked American classic!

A really touching film, Keisha Castle-Hughes should have won the Oscar in what was one of the greatest performances ever! The speech scene is just awesome cinema!

An American classic, Voight and Hoffman are brilliant. This must have one of the best (and saddest) endings ever, and the soundtrack is just as good! brilliant!

This is such a sad and beautiful film, it makes me cry like a girl every time I watch it. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are just brilliant together. Brilliant!

Watch a Muppet film and instantly feel on top of the world! This is a bit of magic from my childhood that I never tire of watching. I love the Muppets!

The Muppets come to London! Whoo Hoo, this might be my favourite of the Muppet films but only by a tiny bit. I love the Muppets!

My favourite B-movie/ UFO film of the 50's! Cold-war paranoia and western propaganda, sure, but just enjoy it for what it is, a really creepy Sci-fi classic!

Ken Loach is one of the best directors in the world and Peter Mullan is one of the best actors in the world. This was always going to be great. An overlooked classic.

I said a hip hop, hip hip hop and body pop down to your video shop (and rent this movie!). I bet they don't have it in though

The beginning scene when Kyle MacLachlan finds an ear was a real eye opener to me. At that point I?d never seen anything like it, I certainly hadn?t seen a David Lyinch film before, so Blue Velvet really did feed my passion for cinema. For that I shall always be grateful. What a fucked up film though eh!

The best British film in years and probably in my top 20 favourite of all time! "What you looking at"......."You ya CUNT"!

Beautifully filmed and with wonderful performances by Newman, C. Scott and Laurie. Classic American Cinema that's hard to beat!

An intelligent sci-fi classic and the first of its kind. With its stylish split screens and haunting soundtrack, this Robert Wise/ Michael Crichton collaboration has been the inspiration for a great many resent films and was a turning point in modern cinema! Brilliant!

Fantastic film! Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier & Roy Scheider are brilliant. I was hooked from beginning to end! Classic!

A stunning film, one of my favourites of all time. People seem to have problems with the 'Secret' and badmouth it thanks to it being profusely spoofed by inferior comedies looking for a cheap laugh. If you have yet to see it, please watch it soon and without bias, it?s an absolute classic.

Beautiful and faultless! Cinema at its very best!

A great first film for Roth, its powerful and honest! Much better than Made in England!

Fantastic film, maybe the best film of 2006. One of the best films of the millennium so far even! A future classic that come highly recommended, a modern western, superior but similar to No country for old Men. Brilliant!

A classic comedy with the greatest cast ever put together! A real favourite of mine, I must have watched it over 100 times and every time I?m in fits of laughter! They don?t make them like this anymore. It?s in the top 5 comedies of all time!

The last American hero who knows that speed is freedom for the soul! Existential exploitation at it?s very best.

A beautiful film that I used to watch with my Grandmother. George Stevens?s timeless classic is cinema at its best, with a brilliant performances from an excellent cast. Brilliant!

It?s like the Sound of Music with Zombies, murders, a volcano and general madness. It?s fantastic, Takeshi Miike is a genius!

David Bowie, Tom Conti and Beat Takeshi put in three amazing performances in this very underrated POW classic! Brilliant! Beautiful soundtrack too!

It?s a classic, it?s one of the best buddy/cop movies ever, the formula has often been copied but has never been bettered. Arkin and Caan are brilliant together. Release it on DVD damn it!!

I love this film. It's stupid yes but its so funny!

One of the best British films ever made. Scum is the daddy!

The best musical ever made. Topol's Tevye is probably the most lovable film character ever and this is one of my favourite films of all time!

A fantastic film, one of my all time favourites growing up! It?s hilarious, brilliantly acted and is dreadfully overlooked.

One of the best films ever made, Ken Loach at his best!

I could watch this DVD over and over again and I don't even like some of the songs. Its brilliant!

Amazing film making. I really wish Cunningham would make a feature!

An astonishing insight into a troubled human being who sought and found comfort living with wild bears before being killed by one. Watching Treadwell's videos and knowing what eventually happens to him can make for uncomfortable viewing but with Werner Herzog's realistic and unbiased approach and choice of real footage makes this one of the most amazing and incredible documentaries I?ve ever seen!

I love Gould's Marlowe, this is probably the coolest he's ever been! Sterling Hayden & Mark Rydell also do great in supporting roles in what is one of my favourite films ever!

Beautifully shot, with non-actors and a simple story. This is Neorealism at its best, a movement that today's cinema needs to remember!
The relationship between father and son and the sheer desperation in this film really capture the essence of how tough times were back in post-war Italy. One of the greatest films ever made!

The ultimate anti-hero, Cool Hand Luke said a lot about the 60's and still stands up today. Fight the system, the system will probably win but at least you didn't bend over and take it!

The best buddy film ever made. It?s got everything you could ever want in a film, I could watch this film over and over again and never get tired of it! Classic!

One of the greatest films ever made. Historically one of the trickiest films to shoot, it?s amazing it ever got made! Thank fuck it did though, you know a film is good when after 3 hours you still want more! Credit due to Warner Herzog though, it was his idea and his film was harder to make and is ultimately better, but this is still one of the best films ever made!

Absurd but beautiful. Wonderfully directed by Schlondorff and an amazing turn from a young David Bennent. It?s a tough one to explain so I recommend you watch it!

One of the coolest films ever made, I love it!

Melancholic yes and the story will not be to everyone?s taste but Uzak is a visual treat, it is the most beautifully shot film I have ever seen!

The diving bell and the butterfly is one of my favourite books so I was really concerned when I heard that they were making it into a film. My concerns soon disappeared within the first few minutes, the brilliant use of first person camera really set the scene and tone and gave an insight to what it was like, albeit visually but that was Schnabel has done. It?s not really a book that can be adapted in the classic way, this film needed much more care and that?s exactly what it received. An extraordinary book, visualised into an extraordinary film. This film has jumped straight into my top 10 favourite films of all time. Read the book first though!!

Jean-Luc Godard said Au Hasard Balthazar was "the world in an hour and a half" and he was right. Through watching the life of a donkey we witness all the good and the bad things that make us human. Love, Cruelty, regret, despair and hope. I know the film is about saintliness and many people find it spiritual but the realism for me is enough for me to be uplifted and heartbroken by this film every time i watch it, which i make sure is quite regularly!

Classic! The granddaddy of mean, lone cop films. It?s very quotable too and has been ripped off too many times. Siegels direction is also very cool, the pan-out from the stadium is one of my favourite scenes ever.

Male paranoia can be a bit of a nightmare at times. Lynch's visual realisation of his own version of male paranoia through this surreal journey is cinema at its best. Only Lynch could make such a colourful film as this in black and white!

Beautiful film about a young boy looking for his father and the woman who helps him. Brilliantly acted by Fernanda Montenegro & Vinìcius de Oliveira and beautifully shot by Salles. I cried a little bit at the end!

There are three people who created cinema in my mind and Eisenstein is one of them. This is a classic story of revolution that has been copied many times but never really bettered. A must for all lovers of the movies, every frame of this film could be hung in a gallery as a work of art in its own right!

Excellent monster movie! Much better than Cloverfield or any other Hollywood blockbuster come to think of it. Great acting, direction, character attention, SFX and a brilliantly written with an unpredictable story, make this a joy to watch. If Godzilla was a metaphor for the atom bomb and Cloverfield was a metaphor for 911, than this one is definitely, albeit subtly, a metaphor for the disaster that is waiting to happen due to pollution and our governments slow reaction to do anything about it (Joon-ho Bong also seems to have a problem with Police big time, his films seem to be laden with his obvious anger at the Korean Government too). Joon-ho Bong is becoming one of my favourite directors only after seeing two of his films, I do however, really hope they keep this film as it is and don't do a sequel!

Absolutely fantastic! Sci-fi vampires, zombies, murderous (and naked) woman destroying human kind in this, very British fantasy extravaganza! Great effects, great (Bad) acting, this is the last great B-movie! Sure its borrowed some ideas but just watch it and see how many films have ripped it off. I love it!

Fellini's classic autobiography/poke in the eye of the film business is brilliant. A real must for people who are passionate about their films! The mix of dream sequences, irrelevant script and outstanding choreography amount to one of the greatest films in cinema history.

Another great film I have loved since childhood! I was very lucky a few years ago to meet the granddaughter of Violette Szabo and I had a fantastic conversation with her about this story. Should be compulsory viewing!!!

I've loved this film since childhood. If I wasn't at work right now i would probably start singing one of the songs! Danny Kaye at his best!

A fantastic compilation of silent cinema. Absolutely amazing film making and really funny too!

A beautiful film by Wim Wenders, Harry Dean Stanton is fantastic! This is great film making, a true classic!

Simple, beautiful and thought provoking. One of the best short films ever made!

Hilarious! My anus is bleeding, ha ha ha!

Lemmon, Curtis & Wood. Love it, a childhood favourite and a very underrated comedy classic!

This is a fantastic film! Herzog keeps his promise to Dieter and films a feature length masterpiece of his story. The style of filming is typical Herzog brilliance, he is aided by a really dedicated and talented cast but its Zahn who steals the show with a career best. This film is highly recommended and a new personal favourite!!

A Classic Val Lewton production directed by the master of shadows, Jacques Tourneur. The first of too few collaborations, this film probably being their best. Although I walked with a Zombie is my favourite, Cat people is technical superior and it?s the film that invented the 'Jump'. The Swimming pool scene and the bus scene are classic originals that have been ripped off ever since. This is a wonderful film not to be missed and the chances are that your favourite films wouldn't have existed without it!

You can ignore the title which is very misleading. It is the sequel to Cat People but it?s a totally different kind of film. This time round its directed by Robert Wise but still produced by Lewton. It?s a wonderful fantasy film that I recommend viewing around Christmas time. It will make you feel all warm inside and will make a change from watching The Great Escape & It?s a wonderful life :o)

A fantastic film! Easily the best I?ve seen in a long time. Everything about this film is sublime, its perfect! The ending has to be in my top 10 best of all time. Highly recommended!

This is Malick at his best. Often copied (True Romance) but never matched. This is an American classic, not to be missed!

One of my favourite horror films. Very original and very frightening, this one will stay with you for a while after watching. Mother nature kicks ass!

A strange but wonderful film with one of the greatest endings in cinema history. It?s a buddy movie for people with a dark sense of humour!

A fantastic documentary by the master of cinema, Werner Herzog. It?s an honest, unbelievable and amazing story told by Dieter himself. A must see film alongside Rescue Dawn, it?s just brilliant!

A really jolly good film that makes me feel proud to be British! David Niven heads a great cast in this odd but fantastic classic that has been fondly borrowed from and blatantly ripped off ever since!

As far as I'm concerned, Herzog helped cinema evolve from its relatively stale existence at that time and paved the way for so many directors and producers who didn't realise what they could do. He broke down boundaries and revolutionised cinema but you hear anyone give him the credit he deserves for the same reason you will never find a t-shirt with his face on it! I love this film, I wish I'd made it!

This is the best example of how independent films with minimal budgets can still be great works of art. OK, so the lack of budget really shows but it takes nothing away from the story or the fantastic acting. Whitaker plays one of my favourite characters in film and he's supported by a whole host of great performers and also a couple of blink and you'll miss them cameo's. Find this film and watch it! It should be a classic by now and an independent film makers first port of call when they suffer from a lack of confidence. I love this film!!

Aside from the fact the character of Wall-E is a cross between ET & Johnny 5 and a lot has been 'borrowed from 2001- A space Odyssey, I can't fault this wonderful piece of cinema! A future classic and rightly so.

A fantastic film!!! Another classic from the master of cinema, Kurosawa paved the way for so many film makers. It really annoyed me watching the introduction by Lucas. He makes out that this is an OK film, his forth favourite Kurosawa film. Pah! if it weren't for this film, or should i say, if it weren't for him ripping off this film, he wouldn't have a career! It beats the hell out of Star Wars!!! Fujiwara & Chiaki play the brilliant bumbling duo who's performances inspired R2-D2 and C3PO and Mifune and Shimura's performances show exactly why Kurosawa chose them for most of his films. A wonderful film!

Simple but beautiful animation telling a truly original and heart wrenching story of one girls struggle. A Fantastic and important film, please go see it!!

A Herzog classic. A wonderfully thought provoking true story of Kaspar Hauser played brilliantly by Bruno. S. The script is to die for, great, great cinema!

Probably the coolest film ever made. Gazzara transfixes the audience and Cassavetes makes directing look easy. Its slow in places but it?s so smooth and stylish you will wish it was longer!

What a refreshing surprise! This is one of the only films I've seen where the label 'Dark Comedy' is actually really fitting. I really liked it, in fact, it?s now got to be one of my favourite films! The only thing preventing this from being a 5 star film is that Ralph Fiennes is too much like Ben Kingsley's character in Sexy Beast.

A wonderful film. It?s not the dog that steals the show though as you might expect, its Juan Villegas who is instantly lovable. He really steals the show as the lonely man down on his luck trying to do good. With great direction from Carlos Sorrin, this is a beautiful film not to be missed. See this before the inevitable inferior Hollywood remake!

Hail to the king baby, Campbell IS the king! Love it. RIP Ossie Davis

A fantastic film with amazing animation. This could have been an interesting documentary but instead, Folman had the insight and the originality to produce what is one of the truly brilliant contemporary films of the last few years. Highly recommended!

An amazing achievement and an amazing story, and that's just what happened behind the camera. This is not my favourite Herzog film, in fact, I'm more interested in the making of the film than the film itself, but that said, it?s still one of the greatest films ever made!

A bleak but beautiful film by Herzog. Bruno S is quite mesmerising to watch, it?s amazing that he put himself through really considering that the film is mostly autobiographical! I think Ian Curtis missed the point really (He watched this film just before he hung himself), there is a lot of good to take from this film. Bruno S. is actually a good example of how things can turn out for the best. Anyone else notice the nods to Herzog?s previous films? Great film but if your unfamiliar with Herzog?s work I wouldn't recommend watching this one first!

Dziga Vertov invented cinema with this one film. He knew the potential way before anyone else, even Eisenstein was a couple of years behind. The pair of them defined cinema and to be honest, few film since have matched Man with a Movie Camera as far as originality, importance and joyfulness goes. I love this film, I could watch it over and over again. The BFI DVD realise has 3 fantastic soundtracks to choose from too, so if you're going to buy it, buy that version, its glorious!

Possibly the last great children's 2D animation made. This film is fantastic! It?s not weighed down with the usual clichés found in kids films, there's no unnecessary action scenes and even though its message is strong, it?s never preachy. The book by Ted Hughes is probably my favourite childhood read and although the film doesn't stick to the story, I feel they got enough right to make it a perfect adaptation. This is a very special film and one of my new favourites!

A beautiful film about love, friendship, sacrifice and cinema! It's pretty much perfect as films go and I could watch it again and again - the true test of a films worth!

I absolutely adore this film. Little Rodrigo Noya does a great job and was overlooked at various award ceremonies! It?s a crime this film isn't better known as it easily one of the best in the last ten, maybe even twenty years! Absolutely brilliant!

Two extremely good actors producing two extremely good performances. This is a fantastic story of envy, friendship and regret. Its brilliant!

Lynne Ramsay is a brilliant director and Samantha Morton is fantastic. Not for everyone but this is one of the best films of the 2000's so far!

This film is terribly misunderstood. It's actually a culture piece focusing on contrasts within different societies. It also contradicts itself somewhat as we see the 'Sensationalists/Exploiters' being punished for their acts, albeit within a sensationalist/Exploitation film. It's the voice of reason and understanding that survives and actually befriends the cannibals in the end which is a remarkably likeable end to a horrific and shocking film. In my opinion, Cannibal Holocaust is probably the best horror film ever made. It's truly unique, utterly terrifying (without being ridiculous) and rather intelligent. Recommended for those with strong stomachs!

This is possibly the most beautifully directed film I've ever seen. The black and white photography is sublime, the performances are amazing, especially from Bibi Andersson who's performance is incomparable. The conclusion of this film was highly original of its time and has been Imitated many times since, some good, some excellent but none are quite as hauntingly beautiful as Persona. An absolute masterpiece and a must see!!

Regarded by most as Ozu's most sentimental work, it?s often dismissed and overlooked. It is as heart warming as it is heartbreaking, but it?s certainly not as gratuitous as say a Frank Capra film, is far more subtle. Filmed at a time when Japan was still feeling the effect of the war and was getting back on its feet. People had become anxious and frightened but also, as Ozu suggests, selfish and unthoughtful. It could have been mistaken for Japanese propaganda, as the west was being introduced to Asian cinema around this time but for those of you who know Ozu?s work, you?ll know that this was never the case, this was for the people of Japan, a much needed lesson in unity and also a timeless story of hope, kindness and doing what?s right. I know I?ve made it sound like an excruciatingly soppy film, it isn?t, it still has plenty of humour and intelligence for it not to be too potent. It?s actually a rather special film and hugely underrated. I can?t recommend it enough, it?s an absolute classic!

A masterpiece and one of the best films of the 70's (and ever). The direction, performances and story are all perfect and the script is hilariously subtle and quite relevant to today's sociality. Perfect film making, definitely in my top 100, probably in my top 25! Howard Beale is also one of the best film characters ever written!

Such an influential film, Jack Arnold at his best and a truly wonderful sci-fi classic. The last scene is so haunting and totally unexpected and the special effects are special, beats CGI any day!

A real classic of American cinema, The night of the Hunter is as beautiful as it is menacing and still to this day has some of the best visual scenes and compositions ever recorded. Brilliant!

Questioning faith and pondering the certainty of death, Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece is hauntingly beautiful, poignant and one of the greatest films ever made.

One of the greatest films ever made. Charles Chaplin got it so right with this film, it's a timeless classic and an important film historically. I can't recommend it enough, it just has to be seen. Make it a priority film fans!

Up is now my second favourite, just a touch behind Wall-E. It's beautiful, touching, original and just wonderful, the first cartoon to make me cry since Watership down! I hate crying in public but Up is so very worth it!

One of the greatest films ever made. It's not my favourite Kurosawa film though! It annoys me that this film still hasn't received the credit it deserves, it really is a pivotal moment in the history of cinema. This is film at it's very best!

This is nothing short of genius. Kurosawa does Shakespeare better than anyone else ever has. The last scene is just awesome cinema!

Classic Bergman, reflecting on regret, loneliness and one's mortality. It's beautifully filmed, perfectly paced, wonderfully scripted and is one of the greatest 'Road trip' movies ever!

An affectionate tribute to a fellow director unfortunately regarded as the worst in the business. The cast deliver excellent performances, especially the leads, Depp and Landau, in what is Burton's best and most unappreciated film of his career.

Classic 70's giallo from Argento, in what I feel is possibly his best film. Brilliant

Apart from the predictable ending (or was it?) this is one of Argento's best. It's certainly one of his more commercial films, although it was banned for a long time but I think that helped with its notoriety in the end. I love it and I can't get enough of its classic giallo style. He did it beautifully in the 70's and continued brilliantly in the 80's, challenging censorship and making fucking good cinema. Recommended!

The king of Giallo, Dario Argento at his best. Pure genius and glorious 70's cinema.

It has been a while since a film has touched me as much as Testament of Orpheus has. I was absolutely blown away by its beauty and Jean Cocteau wry honesty, it's so capitulating and enduring, I can say without a doubt that this has shot straight to the top of my list of favourite films of all time. I urge you all to watch it when you can, it's quite simply breathtakingly beautiful.

I might be alone on this, but I prefer Autumn Sonata to Persona, Seventh Seal and maybe even Wild Strawberries. Wild Strawberries remains my favourite of Bergman's best but I believe Autumn Sonata is the better produced film, purely due to it's awesome script and the impeccable performances from Ullman and especially Bergman. Her performance, when put in perspective (she was dying of Cancer) is just amazing. I'm not ashamed to say that this film made me cry a little. Pure brilliance!

The first film in Aki Kaurismäki's 'Underdog' trilogy is a brilliant example of how bounteous minimalist cinema can be. The story is simple, funny and touching without ever being over the top. This is cinema in its purest form, no nonsense, just a joy to watch. I'm absolutely gutted to find out that my new favourite actor died 14 years ago! :o(

Absolutely heartbreaking, The Match Factory Girl is an absolute masterpiece and a fine final instalment in Aki Kaurismäki's outstanding 'Underdog' trilogy. Kati Outinen's performance is wonderful, my only criticism is that it was far too short!

Hunger is probably, from a technical perspective at least, a perfect film. Luckily the story, acting and script are up to the same awesome standards. This is a modern masterpiece, a future classic and an astonishing debut. Fassbender and Cunningham's dialogue scene is up there with the best, Grahams silent performance was impressive and McQueens uncompromising pace, beautiful composition and general unconformity make him a director to look out for. This is a must see film!

I?ve finally watched, what has probably been the most hyped about film by my friends, ever! The good news is that my friends were right, The Nightmare Before Christmas is brilliant! Last of the great fairytales, a combination of Tim Burton?s wonderful imagination and Henry Selick?s patience and artistry. This is a wonderful original animation, already a classic and something very special indeed. New favourite too!

I saw this film totally by mistake, thinking it was something entirely different. Just as well, because I would have missed out on one of the sweetest films I?ve ever seen! Brilliant!

Louis Malle's debut marked the start of new wave cinema in France. Lift to the Scaffold is Hitchcock meets Godard, soaked in pure unadulterated cool. A classic thriller and an important historical film. Brilliant!

Darren Aronofsky is a brilliant director. Considering they had something like 26 locations in 26 days, you got to hand it to him. He's already proved himself great from one end of directing (Pi) to the other (The Fountain) so I'm not surprised I was taken with The Wrestler. That would be an understatement though, I regard The Wrestler as a modern masterpiece, it's up there with Raging Bull in my opinion, life, the universe and everything, played out and explained through the life and death of a wrestler. I can't help but think of Barton Fink's 'Wrestling picture' when watching this. Loved it, I totally understand peoples questioning of Aronofsky's direction in this, sure it's a bit rough around the edges but I really think that helps set the scene in many ways. Mickey Rourke was brilliantly cast as was the very lovely Marisa Tomei. I disagree that the film was slowly paced, I thought it flowed quite gracefully, riddled with such beautiful subtle moments of human behaviour, it was never ever boring. Clint Mansell is also another particular hero of mine, love his scores (but please do a few more PWEI gig dude) More please Mr. Aronofsky!

Wendy and Lucy is a beautiful film. Subtle, minimalist, slow-paced, - my kind of film! The ending is heartbreaking, It's almost too sad for it to be a happy ending but that is exactly what it is. Without being preachy, Wendy and Lucy reminds us that times are tough and sometimes we have to make tough decisions and huge sacrifices but by regaining a sense of integrity and raising up above conviction, everything can be alright in the end. Kelly Reichardt has succeeded in turning the mundane into an uplifting and heart-warming tale, that captures what being human is all about, beautifully at that.

An outstanding achievement of its time, this beautiful yet simple portrait of a Swimming Champion is believed to be the first ever film to use underwater photography. It's both stylish and charming and is a great reminder of a bygone age of productive film making. I love it!

Visually, Il conformista has to be one of the most beautiful films ever made, each frame is like a renascence painting and it's easy to see its influence on modern cinema. Luckily the rest is as good. Stuffed to the rafters with symbolism, this film really does need repeat viewing but never becomes tiresome in doing so. Sex, sexuality, politics, violence, it's all here in raw glory, an attack on fascism as powerful as Salo, just a little more easy to watch. Highly recommended!

The image of Lillian Gish pushing up the corners of her mouth and forcing a smile is such a powerful and heartbreaking piece of cinema. Broken Blossoms is heartbreaking, bleak, depressing and truly beautiful, a real masterpiece and a must see classic!

A bawdy classic musical that inspired...just about every musical since! It's beautifully shot (no surprise considering the production), beautifully acted by some of the best talent of the day and it has a killer script. It's glamorous, hilarious and just downright delicious.

While Caine's performance is famously brilliant, it's often Gilbert's greatness that is unsung. Alfie is a gem of it's time, a modern classic and the best of British. Very few are as moving, especially ones in which the narration comes direct from the main character who looks at the audience, a brave and brilliantly achieved idea. If you love film and have yet to this, you really should make it a priority, I can't believe I left it so long!

The creation of the romantic comedy as we know it, Capra's classic is now the format it seems for every Rom-com made ever since. Don't watch them though, watch this instead, the first, the best. There is a theory going around that there are actually only 7 story-lines in cinema, Kurosawa invented 6 of them, Capra made the 7th! It's such a shame that this film has been rated by just over 7,000 people while the remake has over 600,000 hits!

Every Ghibli film I see turns into my favourite but I think it's safe to say that this is the winner, it's flawless, it's beautiful.

The brain-dead seem to have missed the point with Moon. What, a space-mission sci-fi with no explosions, space-ship chases or evil bug-eyed aliens? It's a real shame that a film that tackles fundamental questions like the existence of God, the human soul and highlights the frailty of man, the good and the bad of creation and the flaws of the human race can be simply passed off as 'Too long and too boring'. In my opinion Moon is a perfect film, brilliantly conceived and realised. Sam Rockwell's performance is awesome and Duncan Jones's direction is outstanding, especially considering it's his debut. He could have easily cashed in on his real identity and I'm glad he didn't, he's a genius in his own right, much like his father. Both he and Rockwell have been unforgiving overlooked for their work here but I'm sure time will put it right and it will be regarded as the classic it really is. Oh, and can we all please put an end to the lazy 2001 comparisons, they're not really that similar!

Destined to be misunderstood it seems, Lourdes - a film about a young woman in a wheelchair, paralysed with MS embarking on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the holy retreat in the southwest of France that many believe to be a place of miracle healing after a visitation of Mary to a local many years ago - to be a film about religion (Christianity), faith, the existence of God and the possibility of miracles. It's not though, that's just a narrative to uphold what the film is really about, people (although obviously faith is explored but in the context of the human condition rather than as in religious/catholic faith). Every human emotional trait is explored, and quite wonderfully so. It's subtle and accurate but never preachy, pompous or pretentious. It is also my favourite film of the year/decade so far. Jessica Hausner is a director I'm definitely going to be looking out for and Sylvie Testud is a wonderful actress who I'm equally on oar of. I could write so much more but I'm not going to, do yourself a favour and just go see it asap!

My favourite of the Hepworth shorts, this time directed by Fitzhamon. Rescued by Rover is the pre-cursor to Lassie, Skippy, Flipper and any other animal rescue film you can think of - but in my opinion, probably the best in it's purest form. Brilliant!

One of the most famous films of the silent era and indeed the first western. Over a hundred years later and it's still exciting, the last shot of the bandit shooting at the screen is still powerful and timelessly brilliant.

Many would suggest that Amarcord is now a little dated, maybe it is but what a time. This film is hilarious and riddled with classic funny scenes that you've just got to love. Fellini's childhood, warts and all, are remembered here, all fondly, no matter what regret or want to forget exist. It is a magical window into the life of a colourful village set in the 1930's, with all walks of life, emotion and personal issues covered. The scenes on Fascism are piratically poignant and all though it can seem a little 'Carry on' at times, there is nothing I can say I dislike about it, quite the opposite in fact.

An astonishing debut from Von Trier. There are a few obvious influences here but nothing compered to the amount of films and directors who have obviously been influenced by it. I believe The Element of Crime truly changed cinema and was way ahead of it's time (Jeunet's Delicatessen came out seven years later), amazing since few people seem to have seen it. A true masterpiece from the savour of European cinema.

Probably Triers most accessible film and probably his most epic. Visually moving, the mixing B/W and colour noir style shots at key moments but with perfect subtlety is masterful. The cast is also superb, it's absolutely faultless and a perfect end to the E trilogy. It's a real shame the American trilogy didn't quite happen!

Based on the brilliant book by Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Would Be King was Huston last great adventure film (Not actual last, just last great) and undoubtedly one of the last great adventure films of an era. It's all jolly good fun, very British but also quite dark, I mean, what an ending!! It inculpates Kipling's style perfectly, and Connery, Plummer but particularly Caine are all brilliant, as is Jaffrey in a smaller role. A classic buddy movie too!

Lars von Trier has made the ultimate horror movie. Now, think about the word horror. Are your biggest fears really of a guy in a mask running after you with an axe? Well mine ain't, mine are of loss, and that is what this film is about, I believe the title is a part dig (at the trend of aforementioned horror films) and part sarcasm. The main characters are on the brink of completely loosing everything that matters to them, what could be worse than loosing a child, partner and even your own mind. Throw in sex for uncomfortable taboo sake, not forgetting a bit of castration for good measure (again, it's about loss!), surreal but breathtaking imagery and what you are left with is something truly original and very beautiful but often discomforting and disturbing (It is Lars von Trier after all!). 'Film should be a pebble in your shoe', and if a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing properly. Please don't dismiss this film, sure Lars von Trier's work isn't to everyones taste but look at his films and see that he is very competent and very able and never arrogant or pretentious!

Maybe the word masterpiece is overused these days but for this film, it's for lack of a better word. I regard Kaufman as prolific a writer as William S. Burroughs, Anthony Burgess and even George Orwell if a funny kind of way but now he's a film director too, and I can only say about bloody time! He's obviously got the talent, this has got to be one of the best and most surprising debuts since Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter, a classic that only became so, long after it's release, something I suspect may happen here (did anyone actually see The Shawshank Redemption at the cinema?). I digress, Synecdoche, New York is a wonderful paranoid-life-journey-extravaganza of fear, angst, regret and despair (with a little bit of ambition in there for good measure). All the interesting aspects of life basically. Anyone can put a cute little rabbit in a film and make everyone happy, and if that's your cup of tea, then there is plenty out there to go round. Why do people regard this film as pretentious? Just put your hands up and say you don't understand it, there's nothing pretentious about that. It's so cram packed with symbolism it's impossible to catch everything in just one watch, I personally am looking forward to seeing it again, more than once even! When cinema is this good it deserves a second look. I can only compare it to being like a cross between Eraserhead (paranoia) and Fellini's 8 1/2 but directed by the son of Ingmar Bergman & Jean Renoir (with Luis Buñuel) and that only begins to describe it. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the most talented actors working today and in my opinion, and Kaufman has cast the best female line-up ever in one film. Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michelle Williams and Emily Watson are my favourite actresses and all of them give great performances. This film has jumped straight to the top of my favourite films list, it's probably now in my top 10 of all time! I can't recommend it enough.

Apart from the horrible poster and the fact it was marketed a little too much for an American audience, Miss Potter is a fantastic film! I'm not a fan of Renée Zellweger and she certainly wouldn't have been my first choice but she does a great job. I only watched this film because it was on TV, I had the same misconceptions as it seems many other people on flixster/imdb/facebook have had, which I think is the reason it's not a highly regarded film, people just haven't given it a chance. I have read reviews that suggest the story is just another 'love story' cliche, that it is too boring a story to adapt into film and that it's just another period drama. None of it is true. I'm not sure what people have against sweet, simple and gentle films, I guess some people just need their action, explosions and violence. In all serious though, it goes to show how lazy viewers have got these days. It's easy to mock and make fun of a film like Miss Potter, like I've said, it's done itself no favours as far as marketing goes, but this is a truly wonderful film. The hard-core Potter fans are a strange bunch and would have you believe that the animation distracted and even cheapened the film but i think it did quite the opposite. If it was up to them we would be living without electricity but i digress, Miss Potter is a wonderful film with real charm and a certain magic that is missing in most contemporary films. Don't judge a film by it's poster!!!

Anvil is like a cross between Spinal Tap and The Wrestler but in real life. It's funny, it's sad, it's uplifting and it's probably the most inspiring documentary I've ever seen and one of the best films of the last few years. It's absolutely brilliant and I thoroughly loved it!

The image of Dita Parlo in a long white dress walking on the deck of a ship at night is one of the most strikingly beautiful ever committed to celluloid. It is her portrayal of an innocent and inexperienced girl and Michel Simon's drunk, well travelled sailor that make this film a joy to watch. It's amazing what Jean Vigo actually achieved at such a young age but it's also amazing what he got away with! Nearly 30 years later, directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini and Vilgot Sjöman were getting fined, banned and even arrested with imprisonment for a fraction of some of the 'Scenes of Female sexual desire' that are displayed here. Beautiful cinema.

Arguably one of the most impressive debuts of all time, Pier Paolo Pasolini had something to say and didn't mind taking risks saying it (he was dually arrested after filming). A tough background made him into an interesting character with interesting stories to tell, never scared to stand against political regime or religious doctrine. Here we have one of his finest films, certainly one of the finest films of the era. A blend of political and social commentary of post war capitalism and how it left many people behind. Beautifully shot in a neo-realistic, almost brutal fashion, new wave ain't got nothing on this! Why this film isn't uttered under the same breath or regarded as highly as films such as The Bicycle Thieves or Taxi Driver is beyond me, it's barely a cult classic yet other inferior imitations are embraced and celebrated. If you haven't yet seen it, you know what to do!

An exciting but far from historically accurate War film in the vein of The Dirty Dozen and of course the Exploitation film from which it got its name. I've had issues with Quentin Tarantino for some time now, a film fan who assembles other peoples ideas, makes a cake out of them and claims credit for himself. Here he proves me wrong. Sure some of his ideas have been inspired from elsewhere but this is truly a film, made by a film fan, for other film fans that is both original and outstanding. Wouldn't it have been great if this was historically accurate? A sure sign of a great War film, as most of them inherit an artistic licence when it comes to History, at least with Inglorious Basterds they don't even try to be accurate and go all out into the realms of fantasy. There are so many standout scenes to cherish here and the script is brilliant, ten times better than the drivel that was so highly praised in Pulp Fiction. The finest Quentin Tarantino film so far and the most entertaining war film in years. The only thing i don't like is the stupid spelling of the word Basterd! Apart from that, this is something very special and I can't recommend it enough.

Battle Beyond the Stars, you could say, is the final part in the Seven trilogy. Based on the Seven Samurai, which was later remade into The magnificent Seven, it seems fitting to bring the story into the future somewhat. It's not nearly as good as the two previous films but it's certainly spectacular. The seven are basically a bizarre and brilliant mix of aliens battling against one big nasty alien. Brilliant! Sure, it's a little dated but I?m extremely fond of it. It's a Roger Corman classic for fuck sake! I'd watch this over Star Wars any day (and as a child, I did!)

If all children watched the Muppets the world would be a better place. This is a great compilation of bit's from the TV show with extras thrown in. Alas, VHS only.

This is another great compilation of bit's from the TV show with a particularly good Pigs in Space sketch. More Muppets please indeed!

Nuts in May is classic Mike Leigh. The interaction between characters, the fantastic performances and the irrelevant script are all just magical. It's been said that non-English people will struggle to understand this film which I think is a little unfair. Cinema is more globally available these days what with the Internet and DVDs etc, myself and many film fans around the world enjoy and understand films from other countries and cultures across the globe, so please don't over look this little gem. It's not to be overlooked for being a TV movie either as some of Leigh's best work was done at the BBC! Treat yourself, watch and enjoy!

A faultless masterpiece, Hayao Miyazaki at his very best (how many times have I said that now?) This is animation at it's most beautiful and storytelling at it's most magical.

Walter R. Booth flew the flag for Britain in this wonderful spacial effects film. 104 years on and I'm still not sure how it was done. Magical cinema at it's very best and a treat to watch.

Pure slap-stick genius. An excellent predecessor to Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd and just as good!

An intelligent exercise in contrast. Night & day, 2D and 3D, old and new are all compared as is prejudice and fair of the unknown and misunderstanding. A brilliantly conceived idea, totally original and probably the best thing Pixar have ever done. Exquisite and genius!

Killer of Sheep is raw but quite beautiful. Reminiscent of the French New wave, it reminded me of The 400 Blows, particularly during the scenes of the kids messing around near the train tracks. I've heard loads of speculative ideas about the sub-text, my favourite one being that the Black man skinning the White sheep represents race revenge and technically makes it a revenge flick. I've also heard the idea that the title is a metaphor and that the poor black man is the sheep. All nonsense. The magic of this film is its linear narrative, it weaves in an out peoples life's without a story but in doing so tells thousands of storeys. Rarely has realism been better realised, it's handheld, black and white finish is perfect and shouldn't be passed off as amateur just because it was a student film. Charles Burnett is rightly regarded as a master film-maker of his generation, American cinema at its best! It's a shame the detail here on flixster are not very accurate, is this a film database or a just a DVD database?!

An awesome portrait of depression shown through the lives of three women in three different areas, all connected by one book. It's not an idea you'd think would work if you saw it written down but thanks to the excellent script, beautiful (and theatrical) direction and powerful performances, it works brilliantly. I'm cross with myself for not reading the book first but it still stands so well as a film. I can find little fault with it, maybe the music was a little over done at times and I wouldn't have said Nicole Kidmans performance was better than any of the other actors but I digress, to say this film really impressed me would be an understatement, It's just brilliant!

I know how good Kitano is as a director and nor am I shocked by his more sensitive side, it is present in even his more violent films but for some reason I was still surprised and completely awestruck by this films beauty. There is nothing I dislike about it! A new favourite film!

This one seems to have split opinion big time, a real love it or hate it film - although I do feel many have missed the point. I believe it to be a good adaption of the book (which I have read many times) which was always open to interpretation, I mean, a film version of the book as it is would be either really short or really boring! I think Jonze's style was perfect for the film version, he really understands Sendak's writing but also adds his own ideas to the mix, tapping into the mindset of a wild child and actually a very normal child. When you analyse the book, it's not really that imaginative or 'out there', it's quite simple and that was always it's charm and Jonze understands this. Disney fans need not apply, but branding it depressing and dark is a little lazy, it's very sensitive in exploring what is an amazing time in a persons life but also a very difficult one, again handled brilliantly by Jonze. I have to admit I was very impressed by this, I think it's wonderful, one of those few films that come around once and a while that really inspire. Brilliant!

An excellent 'mini-biopic' if you will, of a British punk legend. I'm a big Ian Dury fan, if you don't know who he is, google him this instant! Better still, go see this film, it would be rude of us Brits not to share him with the rest of the world! Mat Whitecross has executed the concept beautifully, never pussy-footing around the grimy truths of the cherished idol and taking notes from Dury's real life son gives it a certain authenticity that many alike films lack. Serkis puts in a really impressive performance too, probably his best to date, handling Dury's handicaps tastefully without exaggeration. Brilliant film!

Psycho is not just the best example of how to make a horror/thriller (or indeed any film), it is the perfect example of masterdom. Hitchcock had already practically invented a genres but with Psycho he broke even more boundaries, he set a benchmark, he practically invented modern cinema. A truly great film.

La Strada tells the age old story of the frailty of innocents, 'The Road' can be a long and tough journey. It is a beautiful film, I love 8 1/2 and regard it as Fellini's best but I would always watch this one over the other every time. Fellini can take half of the credit though in my mind as it is Giulietta Masina who really makes La Strada the masterpiece that it is, she's worth 1000 Marilyn Monroe's in my opinion (even though she has a face like an Artichoke!)

Easily my favourite Hitchcock film. I love the pace of the film, the way the viewer becomes the voyeur as much as the main character, played by the ever brilliant James Stewart, It's almost interactive! Never does the story seem unrealistic or nonsensical, the premise is so simple yet you are constantly on the edge of your seat. A master class of film making, often mimicked but never matched.

Lost highway is probably my favourite David Lynch film, it's not necessarily his best but it's the one I can happily get lost in the most often. It's suspenseful, quirky and effortlessly cool, I think you either love or hate Lynch's style, personally, I love. I love the Richard Pryor cameo too but what ever happened to Balthazar Getty? He was quite good!

A really touching film about homelessness! This has to be one of the most overlooked films of all time.

Jarmusch once said "The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events". Watch Night on Earth to understand exactly what he means by that. A great cast in a great collection of short films, brilliant, the best of American independent cinema.

Sure Lifeboat is a propaganda film but when you consider it was made in 1944 it is also at times quite balanced. To say it is bordering on xenophobic or even racist is a bit silly, there isn't anything wrong with anti-Nazism and to me, in the final scene, it actually shows the vulnerability of young Germans who followed orders and were convinced they were doing right. The premise is fantastic though, Willy the German is great villain and the every character plays his or her part brilliantly. There is so much more to this film than it to just simply be labelled a propaganda film, for me, it's probably one of Hitchcock's best, certainly one of my favourites of his.

George Roy Hill is an underrated director, I really must catch up with more of his films. The Sting is brilliant, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance kid team up again in the best Heist film ever. Ocean's 11 isn't even close to capturing the charisma of The Sting, Newman and Redford are brilliant together and the only down-point of this film is that you know they didn't make another together. An American classic.

For me, Gods of the Plague is the logical successor of great films like Jean-Luc Godard's À bout de souffle and François Truffaut's Les quatre cents coups, it's just that not many people have seen it. It encapsulates the greatness of independent cinema and is the epitome of cool. One of my favourite Fassbinder's by a mile and hugely underrated.

Sunset Boulevard is cinema at its best. Everything about this film is glorious, from the acting, the directing, the script, to the set design to the make-up, everything here reeks of class and elegance. I also don't believe any other film has been narrated as well, and as for Norma Desmond, she is with out a doubt one of cinemas greatest creations. Just brilliant and still brilliant after over 60 years.

Is D W Griffith sexist? No he's not! Reading the many misconceptions on here and on imdb is quite astonishing. Way Down East is a beautiful story of Anna, a young girl who has been wronged and seeks a means of escape. I'm not sure if it was intended as a women's rights statement, I think it was a story that suggested, like many of his other films, that before you understand, you must first listen. Everyone needs help from time to time and for anyone to suggest it is sexist due to the 'Damsel in distress' situation towards the end could say the same about thousands of films made since. They would also be overlooking one of the most impressive bits of cinema of all time, the breaking ice scene is unforgettable and truly brilliant! One of my favourites of all time - by far my favourite by Griffith.

Late Spring is by far my favourite of Ozu's Noriko trilogy, although they are all brilliant. The films captures a certain acceptance that post war Japan was going through in the late 40's early 50's, a change in traditions but not necessarily a change in values. Ozu doesn't preach though, it is what it is - and what it is is a masterpiece made by one of the greatest directors of all time. Setsuko Hara is beautiful and plays Noriko perfectly, she says so much with just a slight change of expression, it's easy to see why Ozu cast her so often. A perfect film.

Only Ozu could make such an uplifting and heartwarming film and include the line 'Isn't life disappointing?' as it's conclusion (said with a smile though I might add). It's never condemning or preachy, it is what it is, a window into the past that should be cherished.

First off, the writing is brilliant - making it one of my favourite Hitchcock's. The opening scene with Ray Milland and Anthony Dawson discussing murder is just brilliant. Surely this film inspired Colombo? It even has the line 'Just one more thing'. What's with Tennis players though, I guess Hitch was a fan. Another brilliant Hitchcock thriller.

I really didn't think he'd top Dogville but I think Lars von Trier has here with Manderlay. The sound-stage concept still feels fresh and the change of actors almost adds to the next chapter of the American trilogy (At least what was meant to be a trilogy, it's a terrible shame another film will now not be made). Everything about this film is first rate, I'm astonished by this film's low rating on flixster. I guess if you hold a mirror up to the world, the world doesn't always like what it sees.

No one quite plays drunk as well as Harold Lloyd does in High and Dizzy. The ledge scene was obviously where he got the idea for Safety Last and will make anyone with vertigo feel quite dizzy. The timing as ever, is spot on and remains key to it's overall success. One of my very favourites of his.

Black Swan is astonishing. It's been a while since a film has taken my breath away quite like it has, although I don't know why I was surprised, I've been a huge fan of Darren Aronofsky since Pi. His depiction of the world of Ballet is spot on, I've lived with a couple of Ballerinas and the discipline, focus and obsession with it is quite frightening at times. I haven't liked Portman as much since Leon - I've not yet seen most of this years award nominees but I doubt any of them will be as subversive, disturbing or as down-right flawless as this film. Still, awards don't matter, this is undeniably a future classic and an awesome piece of cinema. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

Harvie Krumpet is my new hero. No matter what life throws at him he decided to carry on and get naked. There is a message here for all walks of life, Harvie Krumpet says so much without uttering a single word. This is a little film to be watched by all and to be forever treasured. Brilliant x infinity!

It is rare that a film is both heart warming and heart breaking at the same time, never as true here with Mary & Max. Adam Elliot has excelled himself after the success of Harvey Krumpet - a hard act to follow - and has cemented himself as one of my favourite writer/directors of all time (with only two films so far). This is a tale to be cherished, although your enjoyment is based on your outlook on life, are you a half full or half empty person, can you see the silver lining to every cloud, can you see truth beyond the fog of uncertainty? If not, Mary & Max can show you the way, just give them that chance. A new favourite of mine and Adam Elliot is definitely a name to look out for.

This film is both touching and hilarious. Addy and Creed-Miles are brilliant as the two main leads and they're helped by a great supporting cast. Why Julian Farino has not made any other films is beyond me, he really found an original edge in this film that I've not seen in any other film, certainly not in a low budget British film of resent years. The late 90's saw a huge flock of crap British films (Thanks to film four, destroying the British Film Industry), why this one has gone unnoticed is beyond me! Order your R1 DVD today!

It seems Jeff Bridges is not only a great actor but a great singer too! His performance in Crazy Heart is brilliant, he thoroughly deserved the recognition he got. The film itself though was a little overlooked I feel, I thought the pace, script and overall ambiance of the film captured the mood of country music rather well. I personally found it a joy to watch, it's definitely my kind of film and the music is ace too!

Wow. Maybe more fashion designers should think about directing films as this is a stunning debut from Tom Ford. Not that I'm that bothered about awards- but how was his directional achievement so overlooked here? He should have at least been nominated, I've not seen such a stylish a film like this for a very long time. To be honest, for me A Single Man is faultless, I'm not the biggest Nicholas Hoult fan I have to say but this film is perfect and a new favourite of mine. Highly recommended, as cinema goes, this is pure luxury.

I'm sorry but what is so 'typical' of Banksy playing tricks? He's not really a trickster is he, he is playful and inventive in his art work and keeps his identity a secret because what he does is illegal and he doesn't want to be arrested. Sneaking his work into galleries was a logical progression of street art but he's not exactly the next Jeremy Beadle, or Chris Morris for that matter! (Get googling my none British friends). Sure he has made a statement here, like he does with all his work, but I don't think any of it is particularly unbelievable. Thierry Guetta is one of many Frankenstein street artists out there, he's not exactly alone. Galleries are full of pretenders these days, many of them are getting recognition, not to mention rich - as are the galleries. Guetta presented the perfect opportunity in showing this, thanks to his tapes and his documented spiral into an egotistical funfair. Look at how he originally made money, buying old clothes cheap and then selling them for thousands of dollars by labelling them 'Vintage'. There is something very Warhol about him, he would see that as a complement, when if fact Warhol did something that was new and innovative but could only be done once. Guetta is a charlatan, a pretender and an egomaniac, a lovable one but still a fraud. These things happen, here it is on film. Banksy can't exactly choose who likes his work, I remember a couple of years ago, I was outside Waterloo station in London and a group of WI ladies came up to me and asked me where the nearest banksy was, I was a little taken aback and a little upset, as I'm a fan of his work. I got over it fairly quickly, it doesn't bother me at all that he makes lots of money and has work in galleries, at least he is the real deal. Anyway, this film is really good, enjoy it for what it is though and stop looking for something that just isn't there, contrary to popular belief, intelligence and deviancy don't always have to go hand in hand!

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp isn't just my favourite Powell & Pressburger film, it has shot right to the top section of my favourite films of all time. It's amazing to think that this was actually shot during the blitz in 1943. No wonder Mr. Churchill wasn't impressed but I think the main message of what it is to be British was totally misunderstood as being unpatriotic at the time. I would love to know what people who watched it at the time thought of it, when many of the films of the time were, understandably, laden with propaganda. A truly brilliant film, with brilliant performances and one of the best written scripts in the history of cinema. I can't recommend it enough, it is an absolute joy!

Even if you haven't seen it, you know the story by now. Kurosawa's influence and love of Westerns is obvious but this love letter to the cowboy film is something else. Funny how in turn it was ripped off and made into a Western but that's what is so great about cinema. Toshiro Mifune is brilliant as Sunjuro, just watch this film to see why he and Kurosawa are regarded as two of the best in the history of cinema. The word masterpiece is overused but here it is only for lack of a better word.

My favourite Fassbinder film so far by a mile! It takes a good script and great actors to make a film that is essentially shot in just one room feel exciting. Fassbinder really arrives with this film, so to do his regular actresses. Margit Carstensen is beautifully loathsome as Petra von Kant and Hanna Schygulla plays innocent but poisonous masterfully. Funnily enough though, it is Irm Hermann who doesn't utter a single word throughout the whole film that really steals the show as the silent and mistreated house-maid. The last scene is brutal and brilliant and totally captures what I love about Fassbinder's films. Melodrama doesn't get much better than this! Highly recommended!

This is a great documentary! It?s got drama, comedy, corruption! It?s a classic tale of good vs. evil. It?s like starwars but with geeks and nerds. Steve Wiebe is great hero character but Billy Mitchell has to be one of the greatest villains in cinematic history! He's like the wicked witch of the west, surrounded by his flying monkeys. This is an ace film, you should watch it this evening! :o)

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is very personal film for writer/director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It is the mixture of a lot of ideas and broken memories that he has acquired over the years and after the success of his previous films I guess he thought the time was right, whether people like it or not. Many people don't seem to like. I'm not one of those people, for me it has shot to the top of my favourite films of all time list. Not many films have astonished me as much as this has. From the outset, Uncle Boonmee challenges your perceptions and haunts your soul. It may seem like it's a very free film, maybe even improvisational at times but it's not, it's very structured. It is constructed of several contrasting reels that each have their own agendas. It goes from documentary style, to sitcom, to classic Hollywood, to fantasy without the audience really knowing what has hit them. It's part day-dream, part folk-tale and part philosophical commentary (is time linear?) but it is never pretentious or boring. I dismiss the idea that people have been hypnotised into thinking there is something profound here and have therefore heaped it with undeserved accolades. Credit given where credit is due. Yes it is self-indulgent to a point but it is also a work of art, an often over used statement but a very true depiction of this film. Original, thought-provoking and a real breath of fresh air, not for everyone but then again who gives a damn about everyone, certainly not me. I do hope the majority of you will enjoy it as much as I did though, it is certainly an experience to behold!

I was going to state that this is a melodrama of epic proportions but thinking about it its really not a melodrama at all. It is epic though and not just because it's 3 hours long, but because it fits all aspects of life into such a short amount of time so delicately you could be forgiven for not realising how much you've actually witnessed. Nearly every aspect of life is covered, it's never preachy or convoluted or contrived though, the attention to detail is very through too, it's a brilliantly observed slice of life. The conclusion made by the little boy through his photographs is cinema gold and sums up the film perfectly. This is a real joy to watch, make sure you're not interrupted for 3 three hours and indulge yourself, you won't regret it!

To Kill a Mocking Bird is an American classic and one of the greatest books of modern literature. The fact they managed to adapt it into one of the greatest films ever made is pretty impressive. It's not exactly the same as the book but it is all the better for all the changes. The actors bring the characters to life brilliantly, Duvall is great in his small but powerful role, the two children are great (it's a shame they didn't go on to act more) and of course, Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch is one of the greatest screen characters of all time. Robert Mulligan's beautifully lit Black and White film is a joy to watch too, it's almost dream-like which works perfectly considering it is technically all from the memory of the narrator. Pretty much the perfect film.

One of my favourite films of all time, Ken Annakin's comedy classic has one of the best casts ever and includes one of my favourite end sequences of all time. Brilliant!

Life in a day is Koyaanisqatsi for the YouTube generation. The main difference between Life in a day and the qatsi trilogy though is that Life in a day is more groundbreaking. All the footage featured took place in one day, so everything you see is more or less taking place simultaneously around the world. That is an awesome concept. The other thing that holds Life in a day higher than the qatsi trilogy and other films of its ilk, is that it is more human. There is human involvement, this is where the YouTube element comes in and is probably the best way I have seen the Internet used in a very long time. Life in a day is funny, touching, infuriating at times, tragic and real. It also feels unifying and quite humbling at times. It deserves to be seen on the big screen too, as some of the footage is quite amazing. This isn't just a groundbreaking film though, this is an important historical document that I believe will be talked about for years to come. I know I'll be watching it again, maybe at decade-long intervals and maybe one day my children and then my grandchildren will watch it in the class-room. I kid you not, it's that important and that inspirational. Joe Walker should give himself a big pat on the back for the monumental task of editing tens of thousands of hours of footage into just 90 mins, he kept out all the show offs and unfunny entries too thankfully, the only thing I was really worried about. An amazing film, highly recommended!!!

Wow, I've given a few 5 star ratings recently but I would give this film more if I could. Chico & Rita is a classic love story, beautifully animated and featuring some fantastic Cuban music. It is both heart-wrenching and heartwarming and I can't believe how overlooked it is. Flixster friends, do yourself a favour and see this film, my silly little review will never do it justice. Dignified but not Disneyfied, very passionate and quite sensual too, move over Jessica Rabbit, Rita's in town!

I found Monsters to be quite an original film all things considered but as much as I don't like to, I can't help but compare it to Cloverfield. In my rather lazy review of Cloverfield I facetiously commented that I liked it but would have liked it better if Lars Von Trier had directed it and as if by magic... Ok, so Gareth Edwards isn't at Von Trier status just yet, he comes from SFX for starters but I digress, this is a brilliant debut. Godzilla represented Japan's fear of the atomic bomb, District 9 was about apartheid, Cloverfield, supposedly, represents the fear of terrorism in the western world post 9/11 (although personally I think it is just an excuse to make a monster movie), every monster film out proclaims to be about representing peoples fears of what ever is scariest that decade but Monsters seems to be the exception. You can read so much into it though, at first I thought it was about American paranoia, fear of the unknown and the fact that when you try to keep things out, you only barricade yourself in. Like I said, you can read a lot into it and after watching the making of, I'm not so sure any of that was the intention. Besides, he's British and seems more interested in the emotional affect of the scenario, its really a simple love story, another reason why we don't actually see an invasion as such but join the story when the monsters have already settled. I think the most impressive thing about this film, apart from the fantastic and quite beautiful last scene, is that it cost next to nothing to make and was shot with a crew of 8 or so people including cast. That is impressive. Spielberg made Jaws, Gareth Edwards made Monsters, this is the future of film making or at least, I really hope it is.

It's fair to say that I've been quite a harsh critic of Alejandro González Iñárritu's films, I'm far from being his biggest fan so I wasn't really interested in watching another but my other half is a big Javier Bardem fan, so we sat down to watch Biutiful. It turned out to be a very aptly named film and one of the best I've seen in recent years. I can't quite believe it myself but all the things that have bugged me about his films over the years have all been replaced with pure brilliant film making. Gone has the dodgy editing, contrived story and unconvincing performances but probably more importantly, so has Guillermo Arriaga. Don't get me wrong, I like his work but Alejandro González Iñárritu never quite managed to do his stories justice. It turns out that Alejandro González Iñárritu is just as good a writer anyway, so it's nice that the first of his films that I really enjoyed was written by him. The acting is brilliant, Javier Bardem is always good and this must be a contender as being one of his greatest performances. The story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, there's no schmaltz here though, the film feels very real, very brutal but all the better for it. I was captivated from the start to be honest, the film really hits it's peak two thirds in but was consistently entertaining. I think it deserves masterpiece status to be honest, as I haven't been this captivated since Breaking the Waves and that is in my top 5 favourite films of all time. Highly recommended!

Blue Valentine is pretty mundane when you think about it, there is nothing extraordinary about it, it is very real and very raw. It is extremely heart-wrenching at times not to mention emotionally draining to the point of exhaustion, the conclusion is devastating and and it will probably make you want to cry. I have to say it is one of the best films I've seen in quite a while. It is genuine and honest but it's not all bad news, the scene in the doorway where Ryan Gosling sings and Michelle Williams dances is truly wonderful and has shot right up to the top section of my 'favourite scenes of all time' list. The two actors do such a brilliant job, I couldn't see any other two actors pulling off what they did to be honest. The fireworks were a good metaphor at the end, I really hope that this isn't just a firework from Derek Cianfrance though. Highly recommended!

My only criticism of Wings of Desire is that it has people playing themselves. It's a pet hate of mine but I'm really not too bothered as I love Peter Falk and I'm a big Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds & Crime and the city solution fan. I also love Berlin and so I think I was always going to love this film, although, I certainly don't always love Wim Wenders films. For me, he is either great or terrible, this is great though - probably my favourite of his although it is neck and neck with Paris, Texas. Every element of this film is sublime, the script, the imagery - I loved the way it was splashed with colour as the main character got closer to his dream of reality and feeling. This is some an awesome film and so beautifully filmed - a love letter to love almost!

Richard Attenborough's Gandhi begins with the statement; 'No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the record and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man'.

With that in mind, this is still one of the most honest and faithful biopics of one amazing individual. The Attenborough's are a passionate bunch, I think many aspects of what was going on in India under British rule at the time was not mentioned due to the fact that this film is more about the man, rather than the world at that time. That said, it doesn't shy away from the brutality and its, or rather, Gandhi's message is still loud and clear. The world would be doing itself a favour in revisiting the story of Gandhi, especially in these climates. A wonderful film about a wonderful man.

Bad Boy Buddy is like Being There without the beauty and The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser but with depravity - It's certainly more Josef Fritzl than Forrest Gump. Though, for all its depravity, disgustingly brutal, awkward and uncomfortable viewing, Bad Boy Buddy is absolutely brilliant. Never has a better argument against corruption been made and nothing is safe - Religion, education, government, fashion - It is all held responsible for societies problems - Buddy actually represents us all, everything is turned on its head but he is actually just like the rest of us. This leads to more uncomfortable viewing in a way but it is quick, witty, raw and has a fantastic Exploitation (or Ozploitation) style, making it a cult classic but also a very debatable film. The ending is quite touching too I thought, so it's worth reminding yourself, manure may stink but it does aid the growth of the rose. I thought it was a great film.

Who knew Moss (Richard Ayoade) was such a brilliant director! He was a big part of the creative force behind The Boosh though for many a year, the style is different but is still impressive and just as creative. This film is very much a love letter to French new wave really, its influence is a who's who of great directors and movies. I vaguely remember Ayoade saying in an interview that Submarine was largely influenced by his favourite film, Louis Malle's Zazie dans le Metro but it's easy to spot Truffaut's 400 Blows among many other classics. The well established actors such as Considine and Hawkins are on great form but the two young actors, Craig Roberts and Tasmin Paige are the real reasons to watch. They both steal each scene away from each other, not in a competitive way but with such a natural and exciting playfulness. Both should have a long and successful career as should Ayoade, maybe his career should consist of 2 parts acting 1 part directing? either way, he needs to direct some more because this is a great film, one of my favourites of the year so far.

One of the few examples of when a sequel is better than the first. Mad Max 2 is the ultimate post-apocalyptic/Exploitation/Ozploitation film. It's got everything you could ever desire from the genres and so much more, I'm probably the last person to have seen it but it's ranked as one of my favourite films of all time now - my kind of film!

One day in September is gripping, intense and astonishing. I thought I knew all there was to know about the '72 Munich Olympics disaster but I hadn't realised just how chaotic and dumbfounding it really was. This documentary tells you everything you need to know, with a thorough collection of TV clips, photos and interviews with people who were there, including an exclusive with the last surviving terrorist. See this if you enjoyed Bus 174, it works as a great companion piece to the also very excellent Munich. Documentaries don't get much better.

Whimsical, old fashioned and extremely likable. The film doesn't seem dated but some of the acting does, James Stewart is wonderful as Elwood P. Dowd, one of cinema's best loved characters but the supporting casts performances can grate a little. That though is my only criticism. The story is brilliant and James Stewart is at his best, a real slice of cinematic magic.

Rebecca is so many films rolled into one, it's a romance, a thriller, a horror but most importantly, it's a winner. You don't need to take it from me how beautiful Hitchcock's directing is, especially his older black and white films. The acting is fantastic, Florence Bates steals most of the early scenes but this is very much Joan Fontaine's film, she is glorious and I completely fell in love with her after this. I would say it was one of Hitchcock's best films but then I would put at least 9 others in the same category. I absolutely adored it.

I remember reading an interview with Mike Leigh about Topsy-Turvy. He had been quite successful universally with Secrets & Lies and found himself in a position that he had enough money and support to indulge himself in a life-long dream of making a film about Gilbert and Sullivan. Indulge he does. The budget is quite obviously bigger than he's used to and the feel of this film isn't quite what you'd expect from the director but saying that, it's as good. The indulgence doesn't just end with the director, this is a joy from beginning to end, the performances are brilliant and the script is hilarious. I can't recommend this enough, even to people who may not care for Leigh's usual film style. It is a crime that it wasn't nominated for more than it was and didn't win what it was nominated for (apart from 2 Oscars for make-up and costume design).

Devastatingly brutal but heartwarming and even a little uplifting. For a debut that's a pretty impressive contrast to achieve but achieve it he does, quite brilliantly too. Paddy Considine is an actor I really rate but now he's a director to look out for, although it is his writing that is most impressive here. Peter Mullan is another man you can trust, both in front and behind the camera as it happens, he's brilliant here in the lead role. I've always liked Olivia Colman too, I'm really glad she's moved from TV comedy to serious acting, she's clearly more than capable. Best director, best actor and best actress at the sundance film festival this year, do you need me to recommended it to you? Although, don't expect to laugh/smile or be comfortable during the best part. Believe me though, it's worth every minute of discomfort. Don't expect any dinosaurs either, my other half nearly didn't come to see it with me because she didn't like Jurassic Park!

For me, Dark Habits is Pedro Almodóvar's first great film and still stands as one of his best. It's wickedly funny from the outset and just gets funnier and funnier, I think even the staunchest catholics would find it hard not to smirk at at least one joke. Almodóvar is Spanish though, and being brought up in Calzada de Calatrava his upbringing was about as Catholic as it gets, so he very knowingly parades the lives of Nuns but he also does so with just enough affection so as not to be too offended by it. The film is never nasty in any way, not do i think is it anti-catholic/anti-religious/blasphemous etc. Dark Habits is also noted as being his first commercially produced film. He has distanced himself from the film lately stating that he felt it isn't the film it should have been due to these commercial obligations. Makes you wonder what the original was like then when producers in a deeply Catholic country allow Nuns to be shown indulging in drug taking and masochism but yeah, Viva Espania!

Regarded as being one of Bergman's weaker films, personally, I couldn't disagree more. The Serpent's Egg is more than the sum of its parts and will stay with you. It looks good and has a fantastic cast, the script is sound and story, so on and so forth. The darkly magic intensity and undercurrent of looming horror and pending doom is quite extraordinary. David Carradine is perfect as the protagonist, it's odd to think that the role was initially offered to Dustin Hoffman. It's hard to put my finger on what the ghost in this film is but I can only explain it by suggesting that if Hitchcockian is in the dictionary then why isn't Bergmanian? Make your own mind up about this one but just make sure you see it!

Heartbeats is seductively subtle both in its humour and in its drama. I didn't 'lol' but I did titter and smile through-out, which is better I think. Monia Chokri and Xavier Dolan are brilliant as best friends in competition, never auguring but saying a thousand words with a few glances and gestures. It's also seductive visually, not just because everyone is disgustingly beautiful but because Xavier Dolan has such a talent at such a young age, it's clear to see he was born to do this. Sure his influences may be obvious but there is no mistaking his understanding of what works and his own ideas. The last 10 minutes is brilliant brilliant brilliant cinema, very chic, very sophisticated and very charming. I absolutely loved it. Xavier Dolan is a film maker to watch out for!

We Need to Talk About Kevin is an awesome film. I so glad Lynne Ramsay is back and why she wasn't given The Lovely Bones is beyond me but I digress, she is back and doing what she does best. We Need to Talk About Kevin is essentially a very modern horror film, certainly a parents worst nightmare. The three young actors playing Kevin are terrifyingly brilliant, I'm not sure I'd let my young child star in this role but thank goodness some people did. Tilda Swinton is perfectly cast and gives another fantastic performance. The film provokes and teases the audience throughout, yet never do you feel disjointed or uninvited to the story, the opposite in fact, the more were repulsed and appalled by what we are seeing, the more we're reeled in and the harder the impact of the devastating conclusion. It's amazing how such a very natural conclusion can shock so much. That is down to the great writing, acting and directing. Definitely in the running for best film of the year!

A fantastic character piece by Federico Fellini, could this be one of the most overlooked films of all time? For me, this is definitely one of his funnier films, Freddie Jones steals the show as the quirky, often surreal narrator who goes from character to character as

Orlando the journalist aboard a ship full of colourful mourners attending the funeral at sea of one of the worlds greatest Opera singers. Even the premise screams brilliant comedy and it certainly doesn't disappoint, the ending being particularly memorable and absolutely brilliant.

Read the synopsis for this film. Sound good to you? Of course it does, and it is! Religion vs. Marxism, told by a clown and a young boy. I was going to say how very passolini it is but actually, I don't think he's ever been as funny. It's a typically sly satire as you'd expect but it's got a whole lot of heart, Toto was perfect casting. It's got a talking Marxist crow in it!!!

Although My Dog Tulip will appeal to Dog lovers for obvious reasons, it will probably appeal more to fans of J.R. Ackerley. I haven't yet read the book but I have read 'We think the world of you' and it now seems obvious that Evie the German shepherd from that story was based on the real life Tulip, which excited my quite a bit as it is one of my favourite books. My Dog Tulip is a warts and all story about dogs; dogs bark, they jump up at you, they poo and do other such uncivilised things. They do not skateboard or wear baseball hats! Everything about this animated adaptation is perfect, I wouldn't change a thing and it is now quite firmly in my favourite films of all time.

In my opinion, Norman Wisdom is up there with Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd when it comes to physical comedy but unlike the three greats, he also had a great singing voice and could switch to serious acting in a heartbeat. He is often compared, and is sometimes known as, the British version of Jerry Lewis. Now I love Jerry Lewis but he's got nothing on Norman - Norman Wisdom is a one off, you may like both but they are very different in my mind. In fact I would say Norman Wisdom would be the angel on the left compared to WC Fields devil on the right when it comes to slapstick. The best thing about Norman Wisdom's prat-falls is that he laughs them off, it's very much a signature move and for me has always been the thing that has set him above the rest. Lee Evans owes a lot to him! One good turn is funny and moving and when it's funny, it's really funny. It's got Thora Hird in it too as a bonus! Timeless classic - One of the few films I'll still be watching as an old man!

Throughout my childhood in our house, whenever someone did something wrong, my father would shout 'MR GRIMSDALE!!!!'. It's very of its time, very Norman Wisdom, very British and above all, very funny. The world lost a great comedian this year, Rest in Peace Norman Wisdom and thanks for all the laughs. If you don't know who Norman Wisdom is - this is a good place to start!

I recently rented the new BluRay release of Modern Times, "What's the point of that?" my girlfriend asked. I saw her point, a BluRay of an old silent black & white does seem like overkill but then we both were in awe of how beautifully well done the recent restoration has been. I remember watching it as a child but not well enough to write a review - now re-watching it I was taken back and taken aback, it really is something special. You don't need me to tell you who or how important Charlie Chaplin is but the cliched tags of 'Timeless classic' and 'Just as relevant today' are quite true. In short, it's brilliant and funny and pretty unbeatable.

Utterly mesmerising and hauntingly beautiful, Man of Flowers joins the long list of underrated/overlooked great Australian films. It's quite funny too. I admit, the only reason I watched it is because it starred Werner Herzog, who doesn't actually have any dialogue - but this is made up for the fact that Norman Kaye is just as captivating, both in his performance and in his voice. I was transfixed and thoroughly entertained throughout. Paul Cox is a director I'm going to seek out - how this film has been overlooked is a mystery to me!

Religulous is more comedy than documentary, it's almost as much of a documentary as Borat was but without the fake characters (excluding the guy who thinks he's Jesus). Anyway, I'm an Atheist, so guess what - I thought it was funny. Bill Maher, a comedian I wasn't familiar with, was preaching to the converted as far as I was concerned. Did he pray on easy targets? I suppose he did in a way, the people he interviewed were pretty much all ignorant and weren't even sure of the teachings, history or scriptures of the religions they were following. However, these weren't people minding their own business, these were people either making a living from religion or standing on soap boxes preaching about their religion making them more than fair game. Bill Maher doesn't respect other peoples beliefs! No, and why should he - I'm with him on that one. He asked good questions, intelligent questions but all the answers where ridiculous. Like him, I can no more respect an adult that believes in Santa than an adult who believes in God, virgin birth, taking snakes etc etc. To be fair, for all the anti -Christianisums going on here, it's the two interviewed priests that came off best with no joking around just intelligent and interesting conversation. It's actually the US senator that comes off worst and you can't say he was an easy target (or maybe you can). He has also been criticised for concentrating mainly on Christians but like he says in the film, it's pretty hard to infiltrate certain religions - especially when he looks so Jewish and certain religions are antisemitic. He still gives it a good go and the three big religions get a look in. Larry Charles is a clever guy too, a sneaky guy but someone who has mastered the art of satire quite well. The editing of the film is hilarious, I laughed throughout. Richard Dawkins represents us on an intellectual level but he's just not very funny, he also gets (understandably) worked up when actually giving the other side a little more than they deserve. Bill Maher on the other-hand says, you know what, you've been shoving this crap down our throats for long enough, religion should not be used by the higher power for control and in order for us to evolve as a race we need to grow up and stop looking for fairies. Everyone is fair game, we've heard your opinions again and again, now it's our turn. Now he could have done this the nice way or the nasty way and I can't say I saw anything nasty here. If you're offended, chances are you're religious. Didn't like it? Well now you know how we feel.

This film seems to have upset a lot of people. I'm not sure how it can be accused of being biased/unbalanced though. It is challenging what many believe as truth but it points out exactly what the reasoning's are behind every statement it makes, not that it actually makes that many statements, as it generally and quite fairly encourages the audience to research and make up it's own mind. Many will and many won't, but this is the first time I've ever seen a documentary that comes with a comprehensive companion guide. The truths can be harsh, reality often is though, to shy away from it is to neglect ourselves and our fellow man. This film was preaching to the converted as far as I was concerned but it did so better than Loose Change did regarding 9/11 and consolidated what I've read from the likes of Richard Dawkins etc pretty conclusively. For anything it misses out my only answer is that being a film, there is always going to be limited time, hence the companion guide. It does annoy me though the way people use the term Conspiracy Theory in a negative way. By definition, the plot by supposedly orchestrated by Osama bin Laden is a conspiracy theory, I challenge anyone to say the have absolute evidence to say he was responsible. I have a family member fighting in Afghanistan and I just wish he would have sat down and watched this film before signing up, maybe he wouldn't be over there risking his life unnecessarily. The fact of the matter is that he is over there because he's uneducated, he scared, he loves his country even though his government and media have lied to him but most of all because he has a heart of gold but that heart has been manipulated by others for their own gain and that just isn't fair. Maybe the world has gone beyond that point of reasoning or self-though, maybe the governments or the powers that be have already won, if you can get away with 9/11 maybe you can get away with anything, maybe the public just don't want to know but for me 9and hopefully others) the words of Howard Beale ring true 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore'. Seriously though, you believe everything the American Government and the world media tell you? Really? oh, and PS. Comparing this film to other 'conspiracy theorists' who talk of Alien landings and Elvis sightings are only showing their own ignorance. Wake up world or do you not believe, again to quote Howard Beale, your life has value? Question everything, question you president, question your prime minister, question you teachers, parents, governments, authors and friends, question me and get in touch, debate is what separates us from the animals! Also, before you accuse people who agree with and might have had their opinions changed by this film of being weak minded or gullible, we're not the ones who believe in Virgin Birth/Resurrection/The fact that 4 aeroplanes can be hijacked with nail scissors/Anything that W. Bush says/Everything the Media says/buildings that were never hit fall down anyway among many other issues. maybe if we were given believable answers (or any answers at all in some points) we'd be complacent and would go away. Anyway, rant over - at least give this film a try, for what it's worth I think it's spot on.

The Skin I Live In was not at all what I was expecting, it exceeded my expectations that were already pretty high. It's strange, it did and it didn't feel like a Pedro Almodóvar film. So I wasn't surprised when I realised it was based on Thierry Jonquet's novel Tarantula and I can see why he would want to bring the story to the big screen - I also don't think anyone else could have done so without it turning into something it isn't. This isn't about deviancy, torture or even sex really, this is about obsession and the lengths it can lead to and the madness that can come from it. The story is nothing but compelling throughout and I can't say I saw the twist coming at all, it certainly didn't matter that it comes halfway through either. It's one of the best thrillers I've ever seen, a future classic for sure and definitely one of Almodóvar's best. I'm a fan of his but his recent work blows his old stuff out the water, his evolution as a film maker has never been anything less than fascinating. One of the best films of 2011 by a mile.

Melancholia is probably the most depressing film of all time but then misery has never looked so good, needless to sat, this old miserable bastard loved it. It's pure Lars Von Trier. I'm already a fan, I'm one of the few that actually liked Antichrist too. I think Von Trier will always be misunderstood, even when he's poking fun he's taken too seriously. Melancholia is a study (or a meditation as some have put it) of depression and melancholy and the very thin line between the two. I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil it but anyone who knows and likes Von Trier need not worry if they're going to like it or not. I think it's fair to say you either love or hate rather than like or dislike this kind of film but on declaring this the most depressing film I've ever seen I will also point out that it is also one of the most beautiful, exciting, climactic (no one does endings like Von Trier) and engaging films I've ever seen. Von Trier has always been one of my favourite directors but adding this to his body of work he may just be the favourite. Love it.

Are you a Man or are you a Muppet or a Muppet like man or a Manly Muppet? The answer to this will effect your enjoyment of the film. I grew up on the Muppets and they represent something quite sacred to me - I'm not alone. This one is for the fans. For far too long I've seen my childhood favourites 'return' or become 're-imagined' for a new audience but this one was going to be the one that really counted. The relief that I felt after seeing this in the cinema, mixed with the nostalgic feelings it invoked almost made me want to cry like a baby. The great songs are back too, thanks to the genius idea of hiring Bret McKenzie
from The Flight of the Conchords fame. OK, let's put things into perspective though. Jim Henson died over 20 years ago and Frank Oz retired from Muppet duties over 10 years ago. The Muppets could have died 20 years ago or faded out 10 years ago but they didn't, Henson's legacy lived on - not always successfully it has to be said but you're never going to beat the first 3 films - that's a fact we're all just going to have to get over but you know what, Steve Whitmire has been doing a great job since 1990, he was trained by Henson and has kept the dream alive, along with the other great performers, notably Eric Jacobson and Dave Goelz who has been there since the beginning. The spirit of Jim Henson is very much alive but not just with the Muppet performers, but with the fans like Jason Segel who left any ego he may have had to one side, stepped up for the fans and made a film for us. The Muppets are back, they didn't really leave but they are back on form, Rolf the Dog and the electric Mayhem are back though after a bit of an absence in the last few films, Pepe is there but takes a modest side step - shame Rizzo was absent but apart from that, this Muppet fan couldn't be happier. That's not entirely true, I'd be happier if The Muppets weren't Disney owned - sell your plastic lunch boxes and pencil cases but make more films, use your investment and lets bring back the Muppet show, release Muppets tonight on DVD and get the kids into this - thus making the world a better place, and yes, I truly believe the Muppets make the world a better place. Damn it, I'm welling up again....

Welcome to Dongmakgol was a really pleasant surprise. A few of my more reliable flixster friends have got it in their favourite films list, so expectations were high - but were soon blown out of the water. Welcome to Dongmakgol is that rare type of film that pops up unexpectedly once in a while, one that will make you wonder just why more people don't make these kinds of film and why the hell didn't I hear about it when it came out. It's unique angle makes this a war film like no other but also perfectly highlights what damage is made through war and what really is worth fighting to protect. The similarities between madness and innocents is also wonderfully handled and will make you look at things a little differently for a couple of hours but the film will stay with you for much longer. Perfect storytelling and a wonderful film. Highly recommended.

"I want to be water-soluble so that when I go water ski-ing and fall off I will dissolve before the sharks can eat me" - Who I am and what I want is David Shrigley at his very best. Fans will love it and people who have never heard of him will probably buy his books afterwards but be warned, a certain sense of humour is needed as this isn't exactly what is referred to as 'Good taste'. It's Modern Toss's big bad and mentally unstable twin brother and it is also rather excellent. Watch it, watch it now. "I don't want to live with a herd of twats who are going to make me wear clothes and eat with a knife and fork."

This is any Cinefiles dream come true, Ken Russel adapting John Whiting adapting Aldous Huxley starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. Derek Jarman's set design is up there with 2001: A space Odyssey and Ben-Hur in my opinion. One of the greatest British films ever made.

There is no doubt in my mind that is a future classic. At last we have a film that defines an era and probably the next big actor/director relationship. Fassbender doesn't know how to act anyway but perfectly and Steve McQueen (no not that one) is proving himself to be the director to watch out for. His visuals are captivating and beautiful, he could make a dog turd look good he's that talented and he's obviously not shy when choosing his subject matter. This is my favourite film about addiction along with The Man with the Golden Arm and probably the best since Requiem for a Dream, but obviously not about the same type of addiction. When Carey Mulligan's character declares that 'We're not bad people, we just come from a bad place' it kind of sums up the whole film without going into unnecessary details, it's all about the performances and the direction and this film has that in spades. Compelling and provocative and utterly sublime. Film of the year for me so far!

Fifteen glorious 17min serials, I can only imagine how excited young boys of the 1940s would have been to go see each weekly instalment. The acting is crummy, the effects pretty bad, most of the action scenes are repeated again and again, the story makes no sense, the props are the same in every shot, you can see the reflection of the camera man, you can see the shadow of the boom stick, Superman looks directly into the camera when he changes, I could go on and on about the problems with this series but it would take a whole lot longer to tell you why I love it so much. Might be quicker to just watch it for yourselves. You can quite clearly see Richard Donner was a fan and where he got a lot of his ideas from. I'm so grateful that this is available on DVD and has been reproduced so well. The Spider Lady was quite the vixen, she could definitely be updated and brought back for the new films. A must for Super fans!

Drive oozes style, class and cool. It has all the ingredients of a classic thriller/neo noir, modern but with an 80s twist. There is definitely something for everyone and it looks so damn good. Nicolas Winding Refn is the director to look out for, Bronson was an ace film too and this is an great follow up. Ryan Gosling is fast becoming the actor of a generation too, he's living up to his reputation too, his performance seems effortless and is perfect. It's been branded by some as the best film of 2011, it's certainly up there as far as I'm concerned, it might be a three horse winner along with Black Swan and Blue Valentine.