Listmania!
No theme or gimmick, these are simply my favourite films
Almost Famous Untitled: The Bootleg Cut [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)Almost Famous Untitled: The Bootleg Cut [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Buy used from: £4.98
The perfect movie for anyone who ever fell in love; with a person, a band, a song... The "Untitled" cut makes the journey last a little bit longer, and I savour every minute of it. It's all happening.
American Splendor [2004]American Splendor [2004]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £1.40
A wonderful film even if you've never read the comics, which I hadn't when I first saw it. Starring Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar, and narrated by the real Harvey Pekar... far out!
Annie Hall [1977]Annie Hall [1977]
Buy new: £3.29 / Used from: £2.97
Much like Almost Famous, you feel closer to this film each time you watch it. It's a truly special piece of storytelling by Woody Allen, funny and sad - or as I like to call it, melancomic.
The Apartment [1960]The Apartment [1960]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.78
Another melancomic masterpiece, this time by Billy Wilder. I watched this film twice in the space of a week once, and loved it both times.
Arsenic And Old Lace [1944]Arsenic And Old Lace [1944]
Buy new: £4.38 / Used from: £4.75
I loved Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon, so when I heard he was in an all-out comedy I was delighted. Turns out it's the ultimate screwball comedy! By the end of it, my lungs hurt from laughing.
The Big Sleep [1946]The Big Sleep [1946]
Buy new: £5.75 / Used from: £2.50
This film noir is sexy as hell, very witty (as you'd expect from a Raymond Chandler story) and confusing to boot. Bogart's not very tall (though he tries to be), but he had matchless wit and charisma.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (5-Disc Ultimate Collectors' Edition Tin) [1982]Blade Runner: The Final Cut (5-Disc Ultimate Collectors' Edition Tin) [1982]
Buy new: £17.48 / Used from: £7.66
I used to be a bit of a sci-fi nerd, and now I'm a bit of a film noir nerd. I love this on both counts. The new tin boxset gives you everything you could ever need from it too.
Coffee And Cigarettes [2003]Coffee And Cigarettes [2003]
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £5.00
A series of short films that link together by common themes and somehow paint an intangible picture for you. I particularly love the scene with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop.
The Graduate [1967]The Graduate [1967]
Buy new: £3.89 / Used from: £13.10
The film that made Dustin Hoffman famous, and rightly so. Pretty much a perfect comedy. And Anne Bancroft was somewhat alluring...
In A Lonely Place [1950]In A Lonely Place [1950]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £3.49
One of the saddest noirs I've ever seen. Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame make a wonderful pairing, they could match each other for wit and charm for sure.
The Killers [1946]The Killers [1946]
Buy new: £5.97
The first ten minutes are word-for-word from a Hemingway short story, and then a visually striking and tragic tale of a good guy led astray is built around it.
Little Miss Sunshine [2006]Little Miss Sunshine [2006]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £1.95
More melancomedy. Alan Arkin's grandfather character is hilarious, and the scene where Dwayne discovers his colour-blindness makes me shiver every time.
Farewell My Lovely [1944]Farewell My Lovely [1944]
Buy new: £5.97
A very different intepretation of Philip Marlowe to Bogart's in the Big Sleep. Great noir stylization, plenty of witty dialogue and a naturally ridiculous Raymond Chandler plot.
Odd Couple [1967]Odd Couple [1967]
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The classic pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The script is nigh-on perfect, and delivered with comic precision. It's either very new cheese or very old meat...
Play It Again Sam [1972]Play It Again Sam [1972]
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.98
Written and acted, but not directed, by Woody Allen at not necessarily his best but his outright funniest. Being a fan of Bogart too, this is pitched right at me.
Rear Window [1954]Rear Window [1954]
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Hitchcock delivers tension and humour in spades, and somehow manages to avoid the feeling of claustrophobia for a film shot almost entirely from one room. Shame there's one rather phony effects shot.
Spirited Away [2003]Spirited Away [2003]
Buy new: £5.94 / Used from: £5.93
My favourite of Miyazaki's magical films. It does inexplicable things to me, especially the beautiful image of a train travelling across the sea.
To Kill A Mockingbird (2 Disc Special Edition)To Kill A Mockingbird (2 Disc Special Edition)
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £5.60
It's rare for a film to make me weep uncontrollably, but this one does it repeatedly throughout. A beautiful distillation of the essence of the book, and my absolute favourite film.