1. GARLAND GREENE (CON AIR). Played by Steve Buscemi in Con Air, Garland Greene is a convicted serial killer serving consecutive life sentences for 30 murders. He states that real insanity is working at an office for 50 hours a week until retiring and ending up in a retirement village hoping to die before one can …
1. DEMOLITION MAN (1993). A police officer is brought out of a cryogenic freeze in prison to hunt down an extremely violent archenemy who is loose in a nonviolent utopian society. Quite literally, this is a film that I have seen, and can watch, over and over again. There is something about Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone going head to head that … Continue reading
1. THE BROOD (1979; CANADA). A man attempts to uncover an unorthodox psychologist’s therapy practices on his institutionalised wife, while a series of violent attacks committed by a brood of mutant kids coincides with the man’s investigation. Having discovered The Brood when on a ‘watch everything David Cronenberg’ mission, I must say… I was not disappointed. It was twisted, brutal, warped, … Continue reading
1. BROTHERHOOD (2004). An epic drama about the fate of two brothers forced to fight in the Korean War. Tae Guk Gi, AKA Brotherhood, is proof once again that the Korean film industry is one of the most thriving in the modern cinematic era. A very simple concept makes for one hell of a war … Continue reading
1. MYSTIC RIVER (2003). With a childhood incident that overshadowed their lives, three Bostonian men are brought back together by circumstance after one of the men loses a daughter. The more I watch Mystic River, the more I am convinced that Clint Eastwood has harnessed some of the best acting to ever come out of … Continue reading
1. FALLING DOWN / JOEL SCHUMACHER (1993). An unemployed defence worker fed up with the various flaws he observes in society begins to violently and psychotically lash out against them, wreaking havoc in the process. First and foremost, Michael Douglas… take a bow! Just when you think his performances don’t come much better than Gordon … Continue reading
1. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007). Mayhem, violence and the relentlessness of a ruthless killer ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande. I’ve never read Cormac McCarthy’s eponymous novel and, therefore, do not know whether Javier Bardem’s Anton … Continue reading
1. BRIGHT EYES. A Nebraskan indie-rock band founded by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst. The band consists of Oberst, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott and multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, as well as a rotating line-up of collaborators primarily drawn from Omaha’s indie music scene. Notable songs: Take it Easy; June on the West Coast; From a Balance Beam. 2. OKKERVIL RIVER. An indie-rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band … Continue reading
1. THE DEER HUNTER (1978). An in-depth look at the way The Vietnam War affects the lives of a closely knit group of friends in a small industrial town in the USA. Straight off the bat, this, in my opinion, is one of the most incredible films ever made. Don’t be fooled by the image; … Continue reading
1. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003). An original mix of reality and fiction illuminates the life of comic book anti-hero Harvey Pekar. Having gone through a phase of watching all the Paul Giamatti films I could find, I stumbled across American Splendor without really knowing much about the film and without really having a passion for comic … Continue reading
1. DARK CITY (1998). Dark City centres around a man struggling with the memories of his past, some of which include a wife he cannot remember, in a hellish world with no sun and run by unknown beings with telekinetic powers. Their mission is to seek the souls of humans. This is a film I … Continue reading
1. SEVEN SAMURAI (1954). A poor, helpless village under attack by bandits asks for the services of seven unemployed yet brutal samurai to help them defend themselves. Being rather unfamiliar with Akira Kurosawa, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Oh how I was foolish. Arguably the most famous Asian film of all time, this is … Continue reading
1. ZODIAC (2007). A cartoonist (Robert Graysmith) working for the San Francisco Chronicle becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer. Following Graysmith’s book very carefully and not holding back on any of the gruesome details, David Fincher, yet again, proves why he is the current master of the suspense-thriller genre. 2. … Continue reading
1. BLACK BOOK (2006; THE NETHERLANDS). In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer, working for the Dutch resistance as a spy, infiltrates the regional Gestapo HQ, seducing a commander of the SD along the way. Being only familiar with Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi work of the 80s and 90s (as well as … Continue reading
Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jeunet is a self-taught French film director whose propensity towards a world of whimsy and fantasy makes him one of the most playfully original directors working today. Starting a career as a director of TV commercials and music videos, Jeunet soon delved into cinema after striking up a widely successful partnership with a … Continue reading
1. THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN (1999-2002). Based in a fictional village called Royston Vasey, we follow a rather surreal, interweaving story that chronicles the mundane lives of such diverse, bizarre characters as: a transsexual taxi driver, a high-maintenance restart officer, a couple that never stop arguing, a frightening carnival owner who kidnaps women into marriage, … Continue reading
1. A BOUT DE SOUFFLE (BREATHLESS) (1960). A young, meddlesome car thief kills a policeman and attempts to persuade a woman to flee to Italy with him. With its quick, witty dialogue and beautiful Paris landscape, Jean-Luc Godard’s magnum opus is, without a doubt, one of the most influential works of the French New Wave … Continue reading
1. BATTLE ROYALE (2000). In the future, the Japanese government have captured a class of ninth-grade students, forcing them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act, a piece of legislation aimed at cleaning up the country by alleviating misbehaving, uncontrollable children. With the tagline of the film being Could You Kill Your Best … Continue reading
1. GROUCHO MARX (1890-1977). He is well known as a master of quick wit and is widely considered one of the best comedians of the modern era. His rapid-fire, often impromptu delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many imitators and admirers. His distinctive appearance, carried over from his early career in vaudeville, included quirks such as an exaggerated stooped … Continue reading
1. JAMES DALTON / ROAD HOUSE (1989). A tough bouncer (“cooler”) trained in martial arts is hired to tame a dirty roadside bar. Played by: Patrick Swayze Famous quote: “Take the biggest guy in the world, shatter his knee and he’ll drop like a stone.” 2. MARION ‘COBRA’ COBRETTI / COBRA (1986). A merciless, tough-on-crime street … Continue reading
1. In 2003, who became the first fictional human being to be nominated for a real-life Academy Award (for Best Original Screenplay)? 2. How many movies has Matt Damon starred in where some part of his character’s name appears in the title of the film? 3. Can you name an actor or actress that has starred … Continue reading
1. MEMENTO (2000). A man that suffers from short-term memory loss uses tattoos, Polaroids and notes to hunt for the man he believes murdered his wife. Techniques used: Memento is presented as two different sequences of scenes: a series of colour sequences displayed in reverse order, and a series in B/W that are shown chronologically. The … Continue reading
1. KYUNG-CHUL / I SAW THE DEVIL Played by: Choi Min-sik (Oldboy); Character profile: Sexual deviant / Attacks are spontaneous / Uses whichever weapon is at his disposal; Quote: I don’t know what pain is. Fear? Don’t know that either. 2. BUFFALO BILL / SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Played by: Ted Levine (Shutter Island); Character profile: Kills females … Continue reading
1. DAVID FINCHER (1962–present). Known for his dark, stylish, psychological thrillers, Fincher has an incredible ability to blend harsh reality and beautiful colour on the big screen. Notable films: Seven; Fight Club; The Game; Zodiac; The Social Network. 2. ALFRED HITCHCOCK (1899–1980). Billed as England’s greatest film director, Hitchcock is the undisputed master of suspense. Notable … Continue reading
1. HOOP DREAMS (1994). A film following the lives of two African-American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional. Documentaries don’t come much better than this. Here we have a sincere, compelling look at the lives and ambition of two inner-city basketball hopefuls. 2. THE KING OF KONG … Continue reading
1. TWELVE MONKEYS (1995). In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet. Here we have proof again that Brad Pitt really is an exceptional character actor. As well as Terry Gilliam’s … Continue reading
1. FARGO (1996). Jerry Lundegaard’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling as well as the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson. For me, the Coen Brothers can be very hit or miss; bar a couple of gems (The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men), I believe them to … Continue reading
1. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008). Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire. And who said the Swedish film industry can’t rub shoulders with the rest of the world? I haven’t had much experience with Swedish films, … Continue reading
1. KING OF COMEDY (1983). Aspiring comic, Rupert Pupkin, wants to achieve success in showbusiness but resorts to stalking his comic idol, a late night talk show host who craves his own privacy, in order to achieve this success. This is proof that De Niro really can do anything – gangster, comedian, serial killer, Vietnam … Continue reading
1. ICHI THE KILLER (2001). As a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer named Kakihara searches for his missing boss, he stumbles across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of. Straight off the bat, if you have a weak stomach or are easily shocked, … Continue reading
1. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1992). A look into the inner workings of a downright desperate and gloomy real-estate office. There isn’t much more to say about this male-oriented film other than it being a true performance piece containing true legends of the industry. Based on the award-winning David Mamet play of the same name, this … Continue reading
1. THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006). In 1984, East Berlin, an agent of the Stasi (secret police), whilst conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. Before seeing this film, I had little knowledge of everyday life in East Germany during this period. This was a real … Continue reading
1. LADY VENGEANCE (2005). After 13 years of false imprisonment for the kidnap and murder of a 6-year-old boy, the beautiful yet ruthless Geum-ja Lee wreaks havoc on the man who was actually responsible for the boy’s death. This is the third installment in Chan-Wook Park’s vengeance trilogy and is my personal favourite. What’s not … Continue reading
Greatest Films 