3 months, 20 films, 13,000-odd words. Took me a while, but I got there in the end. And even though 12,000 of those words were probably drivel, it was a lot of fun and something of a challenge to put into words why exactly these particular 20 films struck a chord with me. There's some notable omissions - no sign of Martin Scorsese, for one - but in the end this was a very personal list that I think perfectly captures the kind of films I love, circa 2009.

Thanks to every...

I guess this entry really speaks for itself, and it might seem that The Fellowship of the Ring coming in at Number 1 is a no-brainer for a self-confessed fantasy lover like me. To be honest, though, while it always had a place in my Top 20, it wasn't until I actually started arranging my choices f...

The fact that this, along with Akira, is considered one of the most important anime feature films ever to come out of Japan is reason enough to make sure you see Ghost in the Shell. Though its use of CG in certain scenes is dated and the English dub has moments that will make you cringe, it's extremely rare...

Consider this an entry for Studio Ghibli's entire output. But, since I have to pick a single example from Hayao Miyazaki & Co.'s truly remarkable catalogue, it would have to be the explosion of imagination that is Spirited Away. It's one of those rare instances where the poster's tag line perfectly captures the ess...

Story, story, story. That's what keeps people coming back time and time again to The Godfather. While Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece has many technical elements in its favour, it all comes back to the engrossing saga playing out on screen.

Coppola's friction with Paramount Studios is well-documen...

I admire Darren Aronofsky as a filmmaker. I think he came out of the gate strongly with Pi and has so far continued in that fashion with Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler. Even so, The Fountain isn't quite as leftfield a direction for Aronofsky as it might at first seem. Pi, for instance, ...

Writer/director Andrew Niccol debuted in 1997 with this powerful science fiction film of genetic manipulation and discrimination in the near future. Yes, it's science fiction. You could even label it biopunk; but what makes Gattaca such a...

The SyFy Channel premiered the latest installment in the ongoing Stargate franchise two weeks ago with a feature length pilot. I loved it. Here's some thoughts:

Let's talk about the elephant in the room first. Stargate Universe is the offspring of Battlestar Galactica (BSG) and Star Trek: Voyager. It's impossible to deny...

Maybe this is a really obvious, noobie pick. It's the most recently-released film to make it onto my list, and the only direct sequel, but it had a really profound impact on me in terms of what a superhero movie could seriously achieve, and what a crime drama could be made to do. I didn't really know what to expect after ...

Prohibitive production costs and an inability to secure therights to The Lord of the Rings turned an early attempt by John Boorman at bringing Tolkien’s masterwork to the screen into another of the director’s dream projects. That project was 1981’s Excalibur, the most unashamedly romantic, mythic ...