My Favorite Movies

Charles Laughton's first and, following a panning by critics, last movie as director.
Shame! This is not only visually stunning but Laughton manages to draw out one of the best performances in Robert Mitchum's career. It is quite clear that, had he continued, Laughton would have carved his name as a truly great director.
Initially The Night of the Hunter has a film noir quality, but rapidly descends into a dark and twisted fairy tale as the two protagonists are pursued down river by their psychotic evil stepfather.
My only criticism is that it does fall into some unnecessary and often pious sentimentality towards the end. That said the rest of the journey makes up for this. A little masterpiece.
Nail biting stuff!

Not only was this the best British movie in years, but also probably best Zombie movies ever made! Even Mr Romero concurs.
Featuring some of the creme of British comic talent today, it just seems to get funnier and funnier every time I watch it! It just goes to prove you don't need Hugh Grant to make a successful Brit com, film makers take note!!

Tim Burton's first feature and one of his best. It's sharply funny and just plain silly. It's a shame Ruben's couldn't keep his hands out of his trousers, otherwise I think he would be up there with the best. Packed with cameos and hilarious set pieces this is quite simply fun with a capital F.
Burton seems to have lost his way in recent years - time for a bit of a retrospective Tim.

If Tim Burton has a masterpiece, this would be it. Shot in the style of a B-Movie, with great performances across the board. Sarah Jessica Parker gives one the best portrayals of bad acting I think I've ever seen - hilarious.
However, the real show stealer is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. You never doubt for one moment that he is not the man. For once a truly deserved Oscar.
I've seen a number of Ed Wood's films and they really are that bad, but what really shines is the unerring self belief of one of movie history's most untalented talents.

This is not a gay movie!
For all those who are put off by men in frocks, don't be. Where 'Too Wong Foo' failed this movie succeeds with honors.
What you have is essentially an offbeat road move, full of bizarre situations an hilarious one liners.
All the leads are outstanding and Bill Hunter's ping pong ball popping Thai bride in so funny it is best to ensure you are properly toileted before viewing. Chuck in a touch of pathos, some stunning scenery and a few well deserved digs at homophobic prejudice and you have one film I never tire of. Love it!!!!!!

In a world where crops don't grow and all our livestock has died, what do we eat - each other! A simple premise to what I consider a damn near perfect movie. Great story, terrific performances, beautiful to look at and pant-wettingly funny.
It's a pity that Jeunet and Caro seem to have stopped making films together. Followed up by the mesmerising 'City of Lost Children' it seemed there was no stopping them; but all good things must come to an end it would seem. At least Jean-Pierre Jeunet has continued to produce some peerless cinema (Alien Resurrection aside) on his own.
This is black humour at it's finest; so if you're put off by subtitles you're missing out big time.

Equally as good as Spinal Tap" but with dogs instead of guitars. If you like this give "Waiting for Guffman" a go too.

Stylish but not pretentious, sweet but not mawkish. Leaves me with a warm feeling deep inside just thinking about it.

Arguably the best of all the current glut of Asian horror films. It has spawned no less than six remakes and sequels. I recently found out that it is in-fact a remake itself.
All this aside Ringu definitely stands up to all the hype. Initially this seems a fairly run of the mill urban legend based story, falling into some rather cliched dialogue, however, it quickly becomes apparent this is not the case. An unsettling undercurrent begins to emerge which builds a nail biting climax.
I'm trying to stay clear of any plot details as this movie is best viewed cold. When I first saw Ringu I knew nothing about it and found myself firmly glued to the edge of my seat. For all of those who have seen it's American remake prior to the Japanese version my sympathy is with you. Not that "The Ring" is totally without merit; but it is bogged down with unnecessary special effects and convoluted explanations. No, here we have a much simpler telling of what is essentially a classic ghost story. I have heard this described as new wave horror; I disagree. The reason I think Asian horror has been so successful is it's back to basics approach - story and atmosphere which pave the way for some genuine chills.
Unmissable.

Famous more for it's exploding head sequence, this is actually a really effective conspiracy thriller. Okay, this is low budget stuff and Stephen Lack has all the acting ability of a flat-pack wardrobe. However Patrick McGoohan and Michael Ironside more than make up for this and a solid engaging plot line build wonderfully to a truly explosive climax.
Don't judge this by today's slick production values and special effects, just sit back and enjoy a bloody good story.

A dysfunctional, death obsessed twenty something and an eighty year old free-spirit - perfect ingredients for a love story, eh? Sounds gross, but this is probably one of the most life affirming movies I have ever seen.
Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort are superb in the title roles, but for my money the real scene stealer is Vivien Pickles as Harold's overbearing mother. The humour is wicked and occasionally downright cruel. Harold's fake suicide attempts are side splitting. Ultimately it is the unusual and touching relationship between the two protagonists the gives this movie real heart and a very rare five stars from me!

I have rapidly become a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki since watching Spirited Away. Beautiful animation with great attention to detail.

For me what really sets this apart from other such fables, children transported into magical realms, is the genuine sense of loss Chihiro seems to experience, not just for her parents (transformed into pigs) but for her former life which she had, as most children do, taken for granted. This is depth rarely touched upon in children's animation, the emphasis mainly on the adventure.

Even my cynical brother admits to enjoying it. Praise indeed!

I do have a real penchant for Super-hero flicks, and this is probably about as good as they get.
As a kid I was more of an X-men fan, but in the movie stakes Spidey rules!

It may be a bit sappy of me, but this is one classy movie. It reminds me of being a child too, filling me with a real nostalgia for the Seventies.
Tremendous performances and sensitive direction make this an absolute gem. I think what really makes this movie though, is a positively mesmerising performance by Jenny Agutter.
A classic I doubt I will ever tire of watching.

I could watch this bitter sweet rom com from the pen of Jonathan "Gimme, Gimme" Harvey over and over, and I have. There are some great one liners, engaging characters and a superb sound track from Mamma Cass. What really makes this movie for me is Linda Henry as Jamie's tough yet sympathetic mother.
This is a sweet tale of first love with a smattering of social realism just for luck.
A must for anyone whoever went through the trauma of coming out and just a bloody good British film for everyone else.

Forget the musical, the original just gets better and better with each viewing. John Waters is a master of the grotesque and this movie, although slightly more watered down and polished than his earlier outings,(presumably to be more palatable for a wider audience) is no exception. It prods at some serious issues but avoids falling into the trap of self appreciatory preaching, which can not be said for it's 2007 progeny.

Ask me why I love this movie so much and I'm not sure I have an answer. I just do.
I mean, the effects are rubbery, the performances are inconsistent and the script (which at times makes you want to jam sharp objects in your eardrums) is patchy. On top of this there is some terrible overdubbing of American accents, presumably due to some misguided post production decision to relocate the action from UK to USA.
Maybe it's Clare Higgins' venomous stepmother or the stomach churning masochistic makeup of the Cenobites or maybe it's sheer originality. What ever the reason, this film works so I don't know why I'm bothering to dissect it.
Enjoy!

Baz Luhrman's finest film to date. Nowhere near as fussy as his subsequent outings yet still packed with style and originality. Not only does this work as a grotesque satire of all those Boy meets Girl dance movies where the ugly duckling (and boy is she ugly) suddenly finds her white plumage but it also works as one of those movies in it's own right. Under most circumstances this would jar horribly. But what we have here is perfect symbiosis. A feast for the senses!

So many movies owe so much to this film, not least the X-men and Matrix trilogies.
It's extreme fight direction, stylish cinematography, slick costume design and pounding techno soundtrack give Blade a sharp originality that spawned - for better or worse - a whole new generation of dark comic book style movies.
One thing I truly love is that this movie does not take itself too seriously, yet doesn't end up parodying itself either, a mistake made in both of it's sequels.
This is fast, bloody and violent. A great night's viewing for boys everywhere!

Best CGI animated film ever! The story and characters stand up in their own right in this James Bondesque super hero flick. Brad Bird does it again. Can't wait to see Ratatouille!