My Favorite Movies

Outstanding. Direction, writing and acting are to an Oscar winning standard. It only one 1 though. It deserves more.

Get past the dark setting, and it's a directorial achievement; along with a great story and a couple of scenes that will make the jaw drop and the eyes water. Flat-out amazing.

One of the greatest cinematic experiences ever. The film is wall of emotions; constant images of love, humour, loneliness and companionship all woven together with beautiful visuals. The opening shots of Earth are almost haunting, while the final confrontation on the Axium had me crying tears of laughter and of pure joy. This beats not only Pixar's previous films, but almost every summer blockbuster of this year. A truly stunning film. A must see.

It feels like a tight debut feature but it's in fact Shane Meadows' fourth, and he didn't didn't reach a wider audience until This Is England. It says on the DVD that it evokes Get Carter, and I would go as far to say as that it's the 21st Century incarnation of the classic Brit-flick. The low budget elements sometimes sneak through (gun execution in the kitchen springs to mind). It almost comes into the same category as action getting outdated through time. There's nothing you can do about either, you just make the best of it as a film-maker and forgive it as a watcher. However I marked down Get Carter a little for this which may seem shallow and unfair. My argument is that, unfortunately, it damages the suspension of disbelief. Some of the stunts and even the stabbings look a bit clunky and it affects the belief that Caine is a professional hitman. Only a little of course as everything else Caine did in that film was superb, darkly comic and impressive. My point is in this film the low budget shortcomings affect your watching of it less. Considine has since risen (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum) and here puts in a brilliant and sharp performance. Meadows has also made a fantastic protagonist who is twisted, darkly comic and impressive. Toby Kebbell also puts in a beautifully understated performance and has since become Johnny Quid in Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla. For me the general shortcomings that crop up in both Carter and this are easily outweighed by the brilliance of each. The only difference is a I have nothing but admiration and appreciation for Get Carter. For it's modern incarnation, however, I have nothing but love.

Bold, off-the-cuff comedy; a tried and tested genre with a twist. Downey Jr. and Kilmer are great together, but for me it's Downey Jr.'s movie. His catchy, comedic and still heartfelt narration leads the narrative and compliments the on screen action. Shane Black, of Lethal Weapon fame, takes a pop at the LA lifestyle and the buddy cop movie with his solid direction and smart script. One of my favourites due to its clever story and brilliant performances.

The re-invention of the rock movie, with cinematography, mise-en-scene and of course the sound at the highest order. Soothing, relaxing and calming. Beautiful and sometimes emotional; Heima is not only an enjoyable and memorable experience, it paints a wonderful picture of the band Sigur Ros and their home country.

Goes back to classic Sci-Fi and makes a beautiful, simple and compelling film that goes back to basics. It's good storytelling, simple and effective film-making techniques, a stunning performance from Rockwell and Kevin Spacey's GERTY, aside from screaming HAL, is a complimentary sidekick. It is superb in its simplicity, and Duncan Jones has a bright future in film-making. If this is Sci-Fi on a budget, give us more please.

A brilliant dark comedy that is great to watch. Upon a re-watch I realised how beautifully multi-layered and dark it is. The story is bold for a comedy, whereas the performances from all the family members (especially Carell, Dano and Breslin) are simply astonishing. A beautiful and usually overlooked comedy. It's stunning.

Up is the best way to follow a film like Wall-E, where Pixar managed to make a family film that political and art house overtones that was amazing and emotional from start to finish. Most importantly it was a simple tale with comedy that makes laughs on different levels. Up is also a simple tale, but with a remarkable depth and development of character. The character of Carl is superb, and the opening ten minutes are that of sublime story-telling at its best. How the Disney/Pixar team manage to keep making films that hit on so many levels are remarkable. I would say more but there is so much here to talk about I would be here a while. Simply, story amazing, humour hilarious, the 3D is fantastic and less gimmicky, and the action sequences are also remarkable. The winning moment though. An emotional impact when Carl sits and re-reads a book of his wife's. Stunning.

A stunning debut from Martin McDonagh, where it's strength here is in the script and performances. The chemistry and performance of everyone (yes all of them) was brilliant. The script is well written and unique. The cinematography is beautiful. The whole film as a unit is great. Farrell, Gleeson and Fiennes tone changes from serious to dark comedy was inspired as is the story itself. McDonagh has a bright future in the film industry.

Deep, clever, action packed... great!

A stunning film that may have thrown people off through it's structural weakness in the second and third act, but on re-watch you realise that the it is the way it was meant to be done. Affleck does a stunning job directing and brother Casey gives a brilliant performance. Infact all of the performances are great, with a script of intense maturity, character development and compelling all the way through. When things come to the emotional crunch, it's uncomprimising and stunning. One of my favorites of all time. Astounding.

Visually mind-blowing, the sounds are emotive and hard-hitting, the cinematography has the feel of a foriegn film and catches the essence of India perfectly, and the performances are spotless from everyone. One of the best films ever made that combines cultures, real life social issues, a classic love story, and an original plot that rounds off nicely with one answer that just gives us all hope in life. With elements of City of God and Chungking Express present, Boyle makes a remarkable and original film that deserves all the awards it can get.

Hilarious!!!!!!!! Not a great review I know, but it's all you have to know. It is pure genius.

Stunning human drama that is made even more momentous by Herzog's direction and narration. The link between Treadwell and Herzog's old leading actor Klaus Kinski are ever present, as Treadwell's looks, rants and strong views mirror the late German actor's mannerisms. Herzog makes this film not only a retelling of Treadwell's life, but a beautiful testament to nature and the bear, a diary and analysis of a complex man (Treadwell) and a beautiful look at what separates being human and being an animal. Simply fantastic.

I had forgotten how much I loved this film. James Cameron's wonderful vision somehow makes the present look like a dystopian future where all is already lost. All of the performances are brilliant and the film touches upon deeper subjects than a normal action film would, mainly delving into the ideology of The Terminator. The effects for the T-1000 still look stunning, and the many iconic moments this film spawned still send a chill down the spine. Stunning.

Welcome to the big show. An event that will forever stick in my memory. Amazing.

Braff's debut film is amazing. Symbolic, beautiful, and funny; it's a charming little film that tells an endearing story which focuses on its characters (Braff especially). Similarities can be drawn between Braff's role in the earlier series of Scrubs and his character here, but is more understated and thoughtful than his alter TV ego. Heartfelt and charming from start to finish.

Gilliam creates a brilliant future world through stunning visuals and surreal performances. One of my favourites.

The sound design, select shots, montages and images can make this film beautifully haunting. In places can feel disjointed which is explained in the 'making of' as a snapshot of futuristic culture that is deliberately left unexplained. As a whole though, especially in comparison to Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil', it makes an interesting and unique take on the tried and tested Orwellian dystopian future. For it's haunting sound and imagery, brilliant ending and a wonderful supporting turn from Donald Pleasance this is one of my favourites.

Cool, smooth, brilliant! A sophisticated blockbuster remake that surpasses its original by miles. Shame about the sequel...

Clever, compelling, funny; simple as that.

Yes the shakey camera can be confusing or annoying at times, but this would always be a love or hate film. I love this. Good acting, full of mystery, jaw dropping to watch and great entertainment.