TOP 150 MOVIES

The stakes don’t get any higher than when the fate of mankind lies in the balance. That is what’s presented in Children of Men, an engrossing sci-fi thriller that envisions a sterile world gone mad when faced with the reality of extinction.

Clive Owen stars as Theo, an everyman caught in an extreme situation when he must help a pregnant woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey) travel across a war-ravaged Britain to find safety. Yet there are many who want to get their hands on this expected bub, with government officials and activists all salivating the benefits of possessing the first baby born in decades.

Directed with filmmaking wizardry by Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men features a tense atmosphere punctuated by pitch perfect pacing, unapologetic political commentary, and strong religious overtones that elevate the sacredness of new life in a dying world. 

Set in the “ring-a-ding” days of swinging 1950s Hollywood, L.A. Confidential is a superb adaptation of James Elroy’s pulp novel, with stellar production and costume design bringing to life this police story where corruption is found in every corner.

L.A. Confidential  focuses on three different cops (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey) who get more than they bargained for when a murder investigation leads them into the seedy depths of Hollywood’s elite.

Brilliantly directed by Curtis Hanson, photographed by Dante Spinoti, filled with career defining performances from its esteemed cast, and featuring a twist so unsuspecting it will literally make your draw drop, L.A. Confidential is a period piece conspiracy thriller that will have many of their toes.

One of the greatest animated movies ever made, The Incredibles delivers as both superhero adventure and family dramedy all wrapped up in breathtaking animation and filled with fun, excitement and characters worth rooting for.

Written and directed by animation king Brad Bird (The Iron Giant), The Incredibles focuses on a family of outlawed superheroes who spring into action (finding themselves in the process) after a demented fanatic/super villain (Jason Lee) unleashes destruction upon the world.

The visual prowess displayed in the film is the best Pixar have yet to deliver. Every one of the characters in The Incredibles are well crafted, written, and superbly given voice by a talented cast led by Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, respectfully. Plus, where else could you find a 6-month-old baby morph into a fireball?  

If there is a single theme that resides high in the work of director Sidney Lumet, it is that of righteous morality in the face of oppression. The true-life story of Frank Serpico is a fine example of just that.

Al Pacino delivers a brilliant, mesmerising turn as Serpico, a New York City cop who deflected the trappings of a corrupt system until he was forced to testify against his fellow officers.

From the closed in walls of various police precincts to the streets of Greenwich Village, the ever-observant Lumet captures the New York City backdrop which Serpico called home. Yet more important is Lumet’s dedication to presenting the many layers of this most unique of individuals with a bold, heartfelt clarity, making Serpico a biopic that strives for realism instead of airbrushed escapism.

Coming off their Oscar success for The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal created one of the best espionage movies (while courting controversy) in Zero Dark Thirty, the true-life account of the greatest manhunt in modern history that also plays catalyst to a gripping tale of obsession both dark and dangerous.

Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA agent intensely focused on one task:  find Osama Bin Laden. Chastain plays the role with stone-cold intensity, yet adds many shades of grey to a character whose black and white goal to kill the “world’s most dangerous man” is one filled with many complex emotions.       

Bigelow and Boal successfully take 12 years of information (including a conclusion that everyone knows) and package it into a coherent, intimate and intense movie, where the stakes are always high, danger is found at every turn, a hunch can lead to a breakthrough and misinformation can lead to wasted years of chasing ghosts.

When Stanley Kubrick turned his perfectionist gaze to horror with his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, he created one of the genre’s best movies.

The Shining is set in the remote Overlook Hotel situated in the Rocky Mountains, where novelist Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his family play caretaker during the winter season. It doesn’t take long for the evil spirits within to make themselves known, as they feed off Jack’s increasingly frail state and drive him to murderous insanity.  

With The Shining, Kubrick created a horror movie that is psychologically shocking in its atmosphere and violence. It is a film that creeps and crawls under the skin and leaves a lasting impact after the credits roll. It is no wonder then that the film has taken a life of its own, inspiring several conspiracy theories and whacky interpretations decades after the film’s release.

A biopic of towering beauty and powerful emotion, A Hidden Life tells the story of martyred Austrian and Catholic Franz Jagerstatter through the unique lens of Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) whose poetic and spiritual touch gives life to a challenging, yet wholly compelling and relevant story.

A farmer from the Australian village of St. Radegund, Franz refused to swear allegiance to Hitler when Nazi Germany occupied Austria in 1939. The reaction from the Nazi’s was swift, with Franz imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed. Back in his once idyllic village, nationalist fever saw his once friendly farming community turn on Franz’s wife and children, who would become ostracized.

As it has been throughout Malick’s films, beautiful imagery of nature in all its living, breathing, vibrant glory features prominently in A Hidden Life, as Malick delivers one of his best and most focused efforts to date, a film of artistry and emotion, thought and complexity, and a vitally relevant purpose.

Since re-emerging from movie exile, filmmaker David O. Russell (The Fighter) has delivered one exceptional film after another. American Hustle continued that trend, presenting O. Russell’s deft handle on character and exceptional skill at bringing the best out of his A-list cast in this 1970s set story based loosely on the Abscam investigation that rocked a nation.

It’s the inner circle within the sprawling scandal – the grifters (Christian Bale, Amy Adams), the FBI Agent (Bradley Cooper), the unstable wife (Jennifer Lawrence) and the politician (Jeremy Renner) – that Russell focuses on, and each actor from this esteemed troupe deliver energetic, provocative and mesmerising performances that are more than worthy of the praise bestowed.

Unfairly seen by too many as a mere Scorsese clone, American Hustle is instead a spirited throwback to the “New Hollywood” era where the director was king and characters were portrayed with an intensity that made legends.

Boasting an emotional power to match its breathtakingly brutal violence, Logan is one of the best examples of the comic book movie filmmaking.

Set in a future where mutants have become a dying breed, short-fused survivor Logan (Hugh Jackman) tries to stay low-key by working as a limousine driver while taking care of embattled powerful telekinetic Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). When the unexpected arrival of lethal young mutant hybrid Laura (Dafne Keen) enters Logan’s life, a once physically and emotionally sheltered existence is left wide open to all kinds of trouble, as Logan and his “family” go on the run from a threat hellbent on their destruction.

Combining elements of road-trip and western genre conventions with a smattering of smack-in-the-face action scenes, Logan is a masterful example of genre filmmaking at its emotive and visceral best. Director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) has long been a filmmaker who has brushed with greatness, and he achieves just that with his pull no punches approach to one of the comic book world’s most enduring and beloved creations.

Regularly cited as one of the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane saw Orson Welles create his masterpiece at the age of 27 and piss off half of Hollywood while doing so.

Welles stars as Charles Foster Kane, a media magnate who alienates his family and friends as he strives for total power. Welles landed in hot water when supposed inspiration- real life magnate William Randolph Hearst- took exception to Welles’ depiction of his life, leading to a fiery confrontation where Citizen Kane nearly didn’t make it to cinemas.

While it was unfairly shafted at the time (due to studio bigwigs and the press backing Hearst), Citizen Kane has gone on to become a highly regarded and influential film that is deeply heartfelt, thought provoking, and points a spotlight on how men of power manipulate the free press for their own gain.