The Deer Hunter (1978) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep
Director : Michael Cimino
Running Time : 179 mins

Following a wedding celebration, a trio of factory workers go off to fight in the Vietnam War. Their experiences there in a prisoner of war camp result in some drastic changes in their personalities, most notably in Nick (Walken) who, so scarred by how his life has changed him, stays on in Vietnam where he takes part in some back alley games of Russian Roulette.

Despite a very slow opening sequence and some dubious historical facts, this isn’t a bad movie, with some good acting and some pivotal cinematic moments. It’s a little over hyped, mainly because of the time at which it was made, but over the years I really think it’s lost some of its edge. Still, it’s got some interesting ideas and some great stark contrasts between the wedding party and Vietnam.

Mallrats (1995) 8/10

Starring : Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 91 mins

Brodie Bruce (Lee) and TS Quint (London) are dumped by their girlfriends, so decide to go to the local mall to try to get over it. While there they discover that not only is Brodie's now ex-girlfriend Rene (Doherty) seeing another guy - one with questionable sexual preferences - but that Stan "The Man" Lee is doing a very rare comic book signing! Now the two are torn between trying to get their grilfriends back and meeting their all-time hero.

With a significantly larger budget, Kevin Smith managed to make a pretty good looking teen-movie, with faces that were far more familiar to American audiences than those in Clerks. Still, despite having a bigger budget and looking much more slick, the script isn't quite as crisp as Clerks, though Jason Lee is absolutely brilliant as Brodie.

Back To The Future Part II (1989) 8/10

Starring : Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F Wilson, Elisabeth Shue
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 108 mins

Having only just returned from 1955, Marty McFly (Fox) is whisked into the future by Doc Brown (Lloyd), who has information about a disaster that is going to befall Marty’s future children. This issue is soon solved, but when Marty returns to 1985 he finds his world has been altered and has to travel back to 1955 to rectify the changes that have occurred.

Despite not being as good as the original, and a few niggly plot points which I won’t go into here, this is still a damn fine sequel with all the energy of the original. Fox and Lloyd repeat their performances as if it’s only been a few days, rather than four years, since they last played Marty and the Doc, and once again Thomas F Wilson puts in a stirling effort as the irrepressible Biff Tannen.

Poltergeist (1982) 9/10

Starring : Craig T Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robbins, Heather O’Rourke
Director : Tobe Hooper
Running Time : 115 mins

Young couple Steve (Nelson) and Diane Freeling (Williams) find their house to be haunted, although at first things seem okay as the ghosts are just being playful, but when their young daughter Carol Ann (O’Rourke) is kidnapped by the ghosts, the parents decide to call in professional help to deal with the hauntings.

A truly classic horror film, and penned by Steven Spielberg, this movie is still as scary today as it’s always been. The effects might not look as good after 25 years, but there’s still the deep sense of foreboding throughout the film, hinting at what is yet to come, mixed with an unnatural calm that keeps you waiting for something spooky to happen.

Taxi Driver (1976) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel
Director : Martin Scorsese
Running Time : 109 mins

Travis Bickle (De Niro) works as a cabbie in New York, using the night shifts as a means to cure his insomnia which has come as a result of his time in Vietnam, and he soon finds himself loathing the types of people who ride in his cab at night. As his relationship with Betsy (Shepherd), a campaign worker for a state senator, falls apart, Bickle decides to make a name for himself by assassinating the senator in a vague attempt to start cleaning up the town, and also attempts to rescue a young prostitute (Foster).

The only word to suitably describe this movie is interesting. Although De Niro gives a memorable performance, as does Keitel’s hair, there isn’t anything particularly outstanding about this movie. It does feel as if it’s been over hyped over the years, and this just builds the movie up into something it’s not; it’s good, but it’s nothing that special.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) 8/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker
Director : Tim Burton
Running Time : 107 mins

An Avon lady, Peg Bogs (Wiest), discovers a young man named Edward (Depp), who was built by an Inventor (Vincent Price) who died before he was complete. Now left with scissors for hands, Edward finds himself entering the outside world to live with Peg, and discovers a knack for hair styling and exterior design, whilst falling in love with Peg’s daughter Kim (Ryder).

This is a charming little tale, inspired in parts by both Pinocchio and Frankenstein, and makes the rather creepy-looking, leather-clad, knife-wielding Depp into a heart warming character that everyone can love. Burton’s manages to do something truly unique with this movie, and it’s good to see that much of his later works have held the same level of uniqueness.

Midnight Run (1988) 8/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
Director : Martin Brest
Running Time : 122 mins

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) has his work cut out for him when he is hired to capture bail jumper and former Mafia accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Grodin) and bring him back to LA from New York. When he finds Mardukas, Walsh realises that this assignment may not be as easy as it first seemed when he discovers that the mob are trying to kill Mardukas.

Martin Brest does it again when he manages to direct a movie that is the perfect mix of drama and light heartedness. I don’t think De Niro had done any real comedy before this (other than The King Of Comedy), so it is quite surprising in retrospect to see him teamed up with Charles Grodin, but this movie, even today, is still refreshingly inventive and somewhat timeless in it’s natural charm.

Clerks (1994) 8/10

Starring : Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 90 mins

Dante Hicks (O’Halloran) finds himself forced into working on his day off at the local convenience store where he finds himself faced with every annoying customer you could imagine, as well as the prospect of choosing between his current girlfriend Veronica Ghigliotti) and his ex-girlfriend Caitlin (Spoonhauer).

This is one of my all time favourite independent movies. The jokes are intelligent and come thick and fast, and there’s a lot to identify with. Granted, the acting is a little on the shaky side, and some of the visual jokes are hard to make out because of how bright the black and white film is, but that doesn’t in any way detract from the overall good humour that can be found in this little gem.

The Nutty Professor (1963) 9/10

Starring : Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman
Director : Jerry Lewis
Running Time : 103 mins

Professor Julius Kelp (Lewis) decides to create a magical potion which can turn him from a nerdish wallflower into a confident ladies man, but once he’s transformed into his alter ego, Buddy Love, he finds that the effects begin to wear after faster and faster each time he uses the potion.

This is possibly Jerry Lewis’s most famous character, and deservedly so. Lewis gets to play both the clumsy nerd we know and love as well as the charismatic lead man in this slapstick comedy. Murphy’s remake was admirable, but the original will always be just the notch better simply because the change to Lewis’s professor is both physical and mental.

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) 9/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys Davies
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 122 mins

Indiana Jones (Ford) travels in search of his missing father, who has vanished without a trance whilst in search of the fabled Holy Grail, but once he finds his father Henry (Connery) it becomes a veritable race against time to locate the Holy Grail before the Nazi’s find it and use it to make their entire Arian race immortal in their struggle to take over the world.

This was an extremely enjoyable movie, which gave us some much needed insite into the past of Indiana Jones. We get to meet his dad, and also get to see Indy as a young boy, which explains his fear of snakes and also how he came by his famous hat. Plus, of course, this returns to the Nazis from the original movie, and makes for a marginal improvement on Temple Of Doom.

Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) 8/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland, Pam Grier, George Carlin
Director : Peter Hewitt
Running Time : 90 mins

The evil Chuck De Nomolos (Ackland) travels back in time from a utopian future to destroy Bill S Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) in order to create a future more to his liking. Having built two evil robot twins of our heroes, they set about murdering Bill and Ted and taking their place in order to lose at the pivotal Battle of the Bands, but the ghosts of Bill and Ted refuse to let a little thing like death stand in their way.

As far as sequels go, this pretty much took the concept from the original movie, took it to the next level and threw a big budget at it. This is just as good as the original movie, but in a different enough way to warrant it it’s own stand alone appreciation. Many people didn’t like this movie, but I thought it’s energy and love of all things fun and silly gave it the edge it needed to be really good.

Ghostbusters II (1989) 8/10

Starring : Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol
Director : Ivan Reitman
Running Time : 104 mins

The Ghostbusters have been forced into retirement since they saved New York five years earlier, but strange goings on around town, involving pink ooze and a painting of Viggo the Carpathian encourage them to reform and investigate what might be the end of the world as we know it.

In spite of the fact that Reitman’s movies are extremely formulaic, it’s a formula that works every time. The cast are a lot older, but they still play the characters with an enthusiasm that was present in the original. This is a worthy sequel, filled with great special effects and likeable characters that have truly stood the test of time.

The Jerk (1979) 7/10

Starring : Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King
Director : Carl Reiner
Running Time : 94 mins

Navin R Johnson (Martin) has spent most of his life living with his poor black family, until one day he decides to head into the city to make his fortune. When there he stumbles upon a brilliantly simple invention which will revolutionise the glasses industry, but it isn’t long before he finds himself exploited by society as everyone tries to take his money from him.

This is a great example of Steve Martin’s talent, and it’s just a shame he’s begun to slow down as he gets older. This is probably quite an over rated movie, it’s not the best comedy ever written, but it is still a nice silly movie which is just as fresh today as it was almost 30 years ago.

Freeway (1996) 8/10

Starring : Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, Wolfgang Bodison, Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Brooke Shields
Director : Matthew Bright
Running Time : 96 mins

Vanessa Lutz (Witherspoon) goes off in search of her grandmother in an attempt to avoid getting put into foster care after her mother (Plummer) is arrested for soliciting. On her way she is picked up by a man named Bob Wolverton (Sutherland), who turns out to be a renowned serial killer who tries to murder her. In self defense she shoots him in the face, then finds herself being charged for attempted murder.

This modern day adaptation of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale is actually very entertaining. A young Reese Witherspoon shows just how talented an actress she will become in the lead role, while Sutherland moves from being genuinely frightening to being laugh out loud funny. Definitely one to check out.

Weird Science (1985) 8/10

Starring : Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Illan Mitchell-Smith, Bill Paxton
Director : John Hughes
Running Time : 90 mins

Two high school geeks, Gary (Hall) and Wyatt (Mitchell-Smith), have no luck with women decide to make one of their own using their home computers, but no sooner have they created Lisa (LeBrock) than she starts trying to orchestrate dangerous and awkward situations for them so that they have to act like men rather than boys in front of their peers.

This movie is great fun, and definitely John Hughes silliest yet most likeable movies. The everyman characters of Gary and Wyatt are both likeable and comical, making this one of the finest examples of 80s teen comedies that I can think of.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 7/10

Starring : Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan
Director : Gil Junger
Running Time : 93 mins

Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) is mortified that her father won’t let her start dating until her sister Kat (Stiles) does the same. When she informs her potential beau Joey (Keegan) of her predicament, he begs new kid Patrick Verona (Ledger) to start dating Kat so that he can take Bianca to the upcoming homecoming dance – the problem is, Kat has a nasty habit of putting guys off with her superior attitude.

Basically this takes the Shakespeare play The Taming Of The Shrew and sets it in a modern high school, with some of the usual teen comedy moments thrown in for good measure. This is one of Heath Ledger’s earliest starring roles, and it’s sad to see that he died this week, but thankfully he’s left behind a short-lived but pretty varied legacy which came to an end with the upcoming Batman instalment, in which he plays the Joker.

Mannequin (1987) 8/10

Starring : Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Estelle Getty, James Spader, G W Bailey
Director : Michael Gottlieb
Running Time : 96 mins

Jonathan Switcher (McCarthy) is an artist who has taken a temporary job in a factory that builds mannequins, but as a perfectionist he’s only made one in all his time there, and he’s fallen in love with it. So, when it becomes possessed by the spirit of a long dead Egyptian called Emmy (Cattrall), Switcher finds himself involved in a very peculiar romance, especially as everyone else sees the dummy as a dummy.

Although the plot is a little silly, this is still a very enjoyable 80s classic. The music alone makes it a cheesy memory which rekindles the youth of all 80s children just by watching it. It’s very difficult not to like this movie, as it’s so energetic and upbeat, so if you haven’t seen it check it out.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) 8/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 113 mins

Indiana Jones (Ford) finds himself in India with a lounge singer named Willie (Capshaw) and a little boy who calls himself Short Round (Quan). The village they arrive in has been plagued with disaster as all the children have been kidnapped and taken to work in a mysterious temple, under the control of the maniacal madman Mola Ram (Puri).

This lacks the Nazi intrigue of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and seems to be more aimed at children than adults. Still, it’s a fun packed rollercoaster of a movie, which in many ways paved the way for other classics such as the Goonies with it’s natural feel of being on a ride rather than watching a film.

Jaws (1975) 8/10

Starring : Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 119 mins

Following a series of shark attacks, Police Chief Martin Brody (Scheider) suggests that closing the beach on the small island of Amity would be a wise idea, but the local people need to keep the beach open to make money off their fourth of July celebrations, but as the death toll rises, the community are forced to call in professionals to capture and kill the deadly menace.

An all time classic which made the big budget horror a reality, this has stood the test of time as a truely scary movie. The shark never looked that realistic at the best of times, but that doesn't matter when you consider how well crafted this movie truly is. It's just a shame about the terrible sequels really which have done nothing but sully this movies name.

Escape From New York (1981) 8/10

Starring : Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau
Director : John Carpenter
Running Time : 95 mins

When a plane carrying the president (Pleasance) is shot down in New York, which is now a penal colony, the government call in Snake Plissken (Russell) to go in and attempt to rescue him from the gang who are holding him and a very important tape hostage. Plissken has 23 hours to get back with the president, or a controlled explosive will open up his arteries and kill him!

This is a very well orchestrated movie, without going over the top with ridiculous futuristic nonsense like so many other movies of it's ilk. The action is slow and limited, but that doesn't take out any of the suspense or the impact, plus it's always funny to see a movie that's set in the apparent future, this one being set in 1997!

Die Hard (1988) 10/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, De’voreaux White, William Atherton
Director : John McTiernan
Running Time : 126 mins

New York cop John McClane (Willis) finds himself trapped in his wife’s office building during their Christmas party when a group of terrorists lead by the sinister Hans Gruber (Rickman) hold the staff hostage in order to steal $600 million in bonds from the buildings safe, but McClane won’t just lie down and give up as he sets about trying to stop the terrorists before any of the innocent hostages get killed.

This is possibly one of the best action movies ever made, and has stood the test of time almost 20 years after it’s original release. Willis is fantastic as that rare breed of hero who can actually be injured, but still fights on, and Rickman is at his sneering best as Hans Gruber. A definite must see for anyone who enjoys all-action movies.

Once Were Warriors (1994) 8/10

Starring : Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Julian Arahanga, Taungaroa Emile, Cliff Curtis
Director : Lee Tamahori
Running Time : 99 mins

The Heke family have a lot of problems, many stemming from the father, Jake (Morrison), and his group of loutish friends who are a constant presence in the family home. It’s his wife Beth (Owen) who has to keep the family together, but as the eldest son gets involved with street gangs and the younger children are faced with their fathers violence against her, Beth realises that she may not be able to protect her children forever.

This is a very powerful depiction of the different ways in which domestic violence can impact upon and eventually destroy a family. The performances from the cast are strong throughout, and some of the action is cringe worthy to say the least. This is a good film, but definitely not for the faint hearted.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) 8/10

Starring : Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy
Director : Philip Kaufman
Running Time : 111 mins

Matthew Bennell (Sutherland) becomes suspicious of the unusual behaviour of some of his friends, but when he witnesses one of them being cocooned by a strange plant like creature, he realises that aliens are invading and replacing people with emotionless clones of their former selves, and now he doesn’t know who he can trust.

For a remake this was pretty good and in many ways surpasses the original, much in the same way as The Thing did four years later. It’s a shame that someone has decided to make yet another remake of this with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, as there is littleor no chance that it will be as atmospheric. There were a few odd moments which seemed unnecessary, but this is to be expected with Kaufman’s films, but overall this is a well structured and highly enjoyable film.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) 9/10

Starring : Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey
Director : John Hughes
Running Time : 99 mins

Ferris Bueller (Broderick) decides to take the day off school, and also forces his friends Cameron Frye (Ruck) and Sloane Peterson (Sara) to join him. When he convinces his parents that he is too sick to go to school his headteacher, Ed Rooney (Jones), knows that he’s up to no good so tries to catch him in the act of skipping school.

This is one of my all time favourite teen comedies, and marks the high point in the career of John Hughes. It’s such a simple idea, but is handles in Hughes’ inimitable way so as to keep the viewer entertained non stop throughout the movie. A definite must see for any child of the 80s, this all time classic should be included in the DVD collection of all 20/30 somethings.

The Thing (1982) 9/10

Starring : Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, TK Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart
Director : John Carpenter
Running Time : 103 mins

A group of American scientists in the Antarctic take in a stray dog that was being pursued a group of Norwegians in a helicopter, which crashes. But the dog isn’t a dog, it’s a shape-shifting alien which had destroyed the Norwegian base and now plans on killing every on the American base as well!

In my opinion this is one of the best science fiction horrors of all time, only surpassed by the Alien movies. The special effects are absolutely fantastic, and though it’s a pretty basic plot the effects more than make up for it. This is probably the highlight of John Carpenter’s career, and it’s a shame that nothing of his has really been as good since.

Mystery Men (1999) 8/10

Starring : Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Geoffrey Rush, Greg Kinnear, Eddie Izzard, Kel Mitchell, Wes Studi, Claire Forlani
Director : Kinka Usher
Running Time : 116 mins

In order to boost his popularity, Captain Amazing (Kinnear) organises for the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Rush) to be released from prison so that he can be given an actual challenge. Unfortunately, Casanova decides to capture Amazing, so a group of inept superheroes band together in order to save him.

This is one of the best comedy super hero movies ever made, without going too over the top with the humour, and was surprisingly based on a little known comic book. Despite featuring a lot of silly characters with silly powers, at no point does the film meander into slapstick for no good reason.

The Terminator (1984) 9/10

Starring : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen
Director : James Cameron
Running Time : 108 mins

A cyborg assassin called The Terminator (Schwarzenegger) is sent back through time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Hamilton), whose unborn son will lead the human race in a war with a race of machines. Sarah find herself running for her life with only the help of a man named Kyle Reese (Beihn), who has also travelled back to protect her.

This is an all-time classic, and made James Cameron a household name overnight. Having Arnie play a villain would sound unusual now, but he was only known for a few small parts at the time, and plays the emotionless killer to the hilt. Hamilton is brilliant as Sarah Connor, but Biehn is a little one-dimensional, and it’s little wonder that few directors other than Cameron will give him lead roles.

Aliens (1986) 10/10

Starring : Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton
Director : James Cameron
Running Time : 154 mins

Ellen Ripley (Weaver), the last survivor of the mining ship Nostromo, wakes up to find that decades have passed and that the planet that her crew discovered the xenomorphs on has now been colonised. Subsequently, all contact has been lost with the colony, and a troop of hardened marines is being sent in to investigate.

One of the best sci-fi movies ever, and a rarity as it’s as good as the original, this marked quite the turning point in the advent of real action horror! The film takes a long time to build up to the action, and really holds off showing the aliens themselves for quite a while, which only intensifies the overall feeling of dread throughout the movie.

Friday The 13th (1980) 6/10

Starring : Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Kevin Bacon
Director : Sean S Cunningham
Running Time : 93 mins

Quite innovative at the time, this is probably most famous for not actually featuring Jason Voorhies in any great capacity. Basically a group of horny camp workers cause the supposed death of a young boy and, many years later, someone starts kill of workers at the same camp. Pretty predictable for anyone who knows anything about Friday The 13th, but enjoyable all the same.

Grease (1978) 9/10

Starring : John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Director : Randal Kleiser
Running Time : 106 mins

Following a holiday romance, Danny Zuko (Travolta) thinks he’ll never see Sandy Olsson (Newton-John) again, but when she turns up as the new student at his high school he finds it difficult to keep up the façade of being a nice decent young man when he’s actual a bit of a greaser and a gang member.

This movie actually made musicals cool, and acceptable for both men and women! Travolta and Newton-John make a great team throughout, playing both the good kids and the bad to the hilt.

Goodfellas (1990) 10/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Director : Martin Scorcese
Running Time : 140 mins

Henry Hill (Liotta) works for the mob, and everything in his life is pretty much perfect until his friends and business partners Tommy De Vito (Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (De Niro) brutally murder Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), a made man in the competing Gambino crime family. This offence could get them all killed by the Gambinos if discovered, so Henry, Tommy and Jimmy set about disposing of the body, which is only the beginning of their eventual downfall, culminating in their trafficking of drugs against the orders of their mob bosses.

This is probably the best gangster movie I’ve ever seen, in many ways I even think it surpasses the Godfather itself. Pesci is both funny and frightening as Tommy, and Liotta plays the almost carefree Henry very well. Definitely one that everybody should have seen by now, and if not then get out there and buy yourself a copy!

Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) 9/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Hal Landon Jr, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman
Director : Stephen Herek
Running Time : 86 mins

A time traveller named Rufus (Carlin) travels back in time to prevent Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) from failing their history exams and preventing the end of all future civilisation. So he gives them a time travelling phone booth, and they set about travelling through time to meet some of the historical figures they’re supposed to write their report on.

This movie was made on a relatively small budget, but still manages to last the test of time. It is full of silly one-liners and memorable moments, and the supporting cast of historical figures all play their parts magnificently. The very idea of two slackers being the foundation of future society is somehow both comforting and disturbing, but it is played quite well and makes for a charming little tale.

Bride Of Re-Animator (1989) 6/10

Starring : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiano Udenio, David Gale
Director : Brian Yuzna
Running Time : 97 mins

Dr Herbert West (Combs), who has discovered a way to re-animate dead tissue, now realises that he can create brand new living creatures from splicing spare parts together, and he plans on bringing the dead girlfriend of his colleague Dr Dan Cain (Abbott) back from the dead and giving her the perfect body!

Despite not being as good as the original, this was actually a lot more gory, with all sorts of gross-out weirdness happening throughout. The Frankenstein’s-monster bride was particularly nasty, especially her inevitable demise towards the end.

Rush Hour (1998) 8/10

Starring : Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Elizabeth Peña, Ken Leung, Tzi Ma
Director : Brett Ratner
Running Time : 94 mins

When Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) travels to the USA to try to find the kidnapped daughter of Consul Han (Ma), he is partnered with LA detective James Carter (Tucker) who is told his job is to keep Lee out of the way of the investigation. Unfortunately the two of them don’t like being kept out of the loop, and decide to carry on the investigation themselves.

This is probably one of Jackie Chan’s best English speaking movies, despite the fact that Chris Tucker’s voice is continually annoying throughout. There’s a decent contemporary plot to keep the viewer interested, and the on screen chemistry builds as the movie progresses.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) 9/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 111 mins

Renowned archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) is hired by the American Government to locate the Ark of the Covenant, which legend has it still contains the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, but it’s not just Indy that’s after the Ark, as he finds himself pursued throught Nepal and Cairo by Nazis!

Probably the best movie ever to involve George Lucas, this definitely stands the test of time over 25 years after its release. Ford is the perfect choice to play the swashbuckling hero, and the effects are amazing for their time. If you haven’t already seen this film, then don’t you think it’s about time you did?

The Evil Dead (1981) 8/10

Starring : Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, Sarah York
Director : Sam Raimi
Running Time : 83 mins

A group of young people travel up to a cabin in the woods, where they discover the Book Of The Dead, the Necronomicon. The cabin’s previous occupant, a professor of archaeology, has made a recording of the translation which raises the dead, and when the group play it back the Evil Dead are released once again, and the only way to kill someone once they become infected with a Deadite is to completely dismember their corpse!

This is the ultimate video nasty, and has stood the test of time, maybe not in terms of special effects, but definitely in terms of pure scare factor. Not many people can watch this without grimacing at least on one occasion, and that’s what makes this movie so special.

Re-Animator (1985) 7/10

Starring : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Director : Stuart Gordon
Running Time : 86 mins

Whilst working in Austria, medical student Herbert West (Combs) has discovered a new scientific method of re-animating human flesh after it has died. When he moves to the US, he attempts to continue his research with the grudging help of his new house mate Dan Cain (Abbott), who agrees to help him sneak into the hospital morgue. Sadly, things go horribly wrong when one of the re-animated corpses accidentally kills one of their teachers.

A truly gory horror flick, this has recently become one of my favourite video nasties purely based on its ridiculous plotline and over-the-top violence. Not for those with weak stomachs, but if you can deal with all the blood and gore I’d definitely recommend giving it a go.

Alien (1979) 10/10

Starring : Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 116 mins

The crew of the Nostromo receive an SOS from a derelict planet and discover what appears to be an abandoned alien colony. When they go to investigate, crewman Kane (Hurt) is attacked by a strange creature which burns through his helmet and attaches itself to his face. The creature eventually falls off and dies, but it’s left something inside Kane, something very dangerous…

This movie is a timeless classic – almost thirty years on and it still looks scarier than some modern horrors. Basically this is the ultimate claustrophobic horror movie, taking concepts from the horrors of the fifties and translating them into space, combining genuine terror with paranoia.

Back To The Future (1985) 10/10

Starring : Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F Wilson, Claudia Wells
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 111 mins

Marty McFly (Fox) is invited to witness his friend Doc Brown (Lloyd) unveil his latest invention – a time machine in the form of a DeLorean car, but when terrorists gun the Doc down, Marty has to jumps into the Doc’s car in order to try and escape. The time circuits are accidentally activated, and Marty finds himself in 1955, trying to make sure that his parents get together, or he may never exist!

This is probably the strongest movie the entire 1980s has to offer. The plot has been painstakingly thought through so as to avoid any possible plot holes, unlike other movies of it’s ilk. Both Fox and Lloyd are brilliant as the main two characters, and the supporting cast are energetic and clearly enjoying themselves throughout.

Dark Star (1974) 7/10

Starring : Brian Narelle, Cal Kuniholm, Dre Pahich, Dan O’Bannon
Director : John Carpenter
Running Time : 83 mins

Four astronauts, charged with the duty of destroying unstable planets in potential colony star systems, find themselves faced with a runaway alien beachball with a mischievous side and a smart bomb that has decided that it is God.

Basically if it wasn’t for this movie there would have been no Alien movies! This showed Dan O’Bannon, writer of the original Alien movie, taking his first stab at making a truly suspenseful space movie. This, due to the low budget, is more of a tongue in cheek homage to 2001 : A Space Odyssey than the horror it would eventually become, but any true fan of the Alien saga should not be without this classic in their collection.

Misery (1990) 8/10

Starring : James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall
Director : Rob Reiner
Running Time : 104 mins

Famous novelist Paul Sheldon (Caan) is involved in a life threatening car crash, but thankfully he is rescued by local nurse Annie Wilkes (Bates). He soon discovers that Annie is his biggest fan and has read all of his novels featuring heroine Misery Chastaine. Things are bad enough as Annie keeps Paul medicated and won’t call a doctor or let him leave, but when she discovers his latest novel has killed Misery off, she becomes very upset and demands he write a new book bringing her back from the dead.

One of the best Stephen King adaptations, and in many ways better than the book, this movie is probably one of the best horror / thrillers of the 90’s without having to go too over the top.

Carry On Screaming (1966) 8/10

Starring : Harry H Corbett, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, Fenella Fielding, Angela Douglas
Director : Gerald Thomas
Running Time : 93 mins

Detective Sergeant Sidney Bung (Corbett) is called in to investigate a series of disappearances, all involving young girls. To his horror he discovers that the sinister Dr Watt (Williams) has been using a monster he created to kidnap women and then he transforms them into shop window mannequins! Unfortunately Bung finds himself distracted from the case by Dr Watt’s scary yet attractive sister, Valeria (Fielding).

Even though this doesn’t feature many of the more popular members of the team, such as Sid James and Barbara Windsor, this is possibly the strongest of the Carry On series with the most detailed plot. A lot of the movies that followed pretty much relied on a single central set piece and threw in the odd pun here and there.