#25 - This Is England

Being an Anglo man myself, I can't help feeling a sense of pride when a British film gets the credit it deserves. The film was widely acclaimed and displays incredible bravery in filmmaking, touching on issues of race that are always a risk in today's world.

The film is brutal, realistic and portrays a harsh but fair view of Thatcherite England during the early 1980s - it was a dark time for us with the Falkland war and the economic crises of the decade. The characters are fantastically modeled and crafted to such an end that you can walk down any street in the UK and probably meet these guys 4 or 5 times before you even got to Pound-land. Politically the film is controversial, tracking the course nationalism in the UK and the rise of right-wing parties (e.g. BNP), it has certain similarities with American History X in that respect as Neo-Nazi's (skinheads) start to terrorize and rule the British Underworld. The soundtrack is great and so well placed, its ska and reggae influence compliment the beginnings of the Skinhead movement and help to truly establish the time period and cultural spheres.

My Favourite Bit = The hard and gritty scene whereby the little guy throws a punch and the violent skinhead, woah, it's pretty incredible stuff.

#26 - See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Okay one of the funniest films ever.

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor are just hilarious.

The concept is fantastic - who'd have thought that someone could make a movie about a blind guy and a deaf guy and actually make it funny. well, they did it, and by George it's just great.

From the moment it begins I just can't stop laughing, its just so very clever and features some of the slickest screenplay writing ever written - even Kevin Spacey's ridiculous bad guy persona is just comedy gold. But as always, I like the film for its dark places it is in fact quite ahead of its time when analyzing the content.

My Favourite Bit = When Wilder and Pryor have to guide each other through a car chase... a classic movie moment.

#27 - Platoon

It's just so f**king hardcore. Period.

It's hard as nails, the most realistic and profound representation of war; brutal.

Firstly the cast is incredible, in fact, the film was so good many of the cast went on to have rather lucrative careers Post-Platoon, to name a few: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, John C. McGinley, & Willem Defoe.

The film is just simply epic, it installed an interest in the Vietnam conflict and in war movies in general, not for the gore or fighting, but for their revealing of the nature of men, what we would do in a certain situation - in essence separating the good from the bad. As people we often only relise our true selves when put under pressure, Platoon is a prime example of this as the characters are forced into situations that are controversial and press upon each of their personal morals. I love the balance of artistry and storytelling, and the impeccable attempt to recreate the horror of Vietnam.

My Favourite Bit = When Charlie Sheen finally shoots the sergeant. It's a moment that epitomizes the whole film... men being driven to such a measure that they end up committing the very thing they are fighting against.

#28 - American Beauty

Well, this had to be in here somewhere...

It has everything I love in a movie: Deranged lead character, witty dialogue, stunning visuals, overriding dark themes, and Kevin Spacey.

It is a fantastic and twisted look at suburban America, in some respects it exposes sheltered truths and that is in essence what the film is about, the domestic being split opened and left to reveal its true self. We live in our little 'worlds' and sort of assume that we experience unique and embarrassing problems - yet as American Beauty classically illustrates, we all experience mad, twisted and dark events within our domestic lives that ruin relationships and can sometimes end in the loss of a life or loved one (sorry for the spoiler).

My Favourite Bit = When Chester's wife goes through the drive-thru with the Real estate king, only to be confronted by Chester and the dialogue that ensues is just priceless.

#29 - Brokeback Mountain

Okay, I think that many guys actually love this movie but will be hard pressed to actually admit it.

Putting the content aside for now, it's a superbly shot film that just oozes aesthetic prowess. The presence of the cast is so powerful and relatable. The melodrama story is a classic Hollywood tearjerker but adds a soft touch that is rarely seen in cinema, the soundtrack is great and is one of my favourite soundtrack scores!

The content is quite obviously very controversial and is some ways this controversy is what brought the film to forefront of the our screens that year, it helped propel the film to such high standards and wide acclaim. Without such a ground-breaking concept 'Brokeback' may have been lost, or at least not as widely appreciated. It is nonetheless incredible.

My Favourite Bit = When Ennis kicks the crap out of those guys at the firework show, brilliant, and all captured in an epic low angle shot! You all know the one I'm talking about.