The top 10 best movies of all time in my world...

Not only the very definition of the perfect horror movie, but to my mind, a landmark for many reasons, most noteably the staggeringly realistic effects crafted by the genius that is Rob Bottin. Tight storyline, believable and likeable characters, tension in bucketloads, edgy musical score, this movie just has everything. It's not a secret why this film consistently gets placed in the top 3 all time horror movies lists. It's because it is a classic.

This movie is overlooked by many, and sadly missed the mainstream audience. I myself was introduced to it when at university, and I think that's what it is largely viewed as, a "student movie". That's a shame, because it is one of those movies that can make you laugh, cry and think all in the space of 90 odd minutes. Noteable for its many, many quotable lines, and Richard E Grant's larger than life performance, the film has a depth and a beauty that transcends the woefully simple and inadequate label of "comedy".

I think this was the first 18 rated movie I ever saw, and it still fills me with excitement when I watch it now after all these years, although not for the same reason. Back then, I was overawed, scared and charged by the action. Now, I'm still charged by the action (no film could possibly match it for that), but it has such an energy to it, and everything just works. Characters that we don't even know much about become important to us, their interractions suggest that they have known each other for ages, and when the cat and mouse starts, you are genuinely climbing the walls, hoping your new found heroes get the hell out of there. If there was ever a movie I would like to see on the big screen, and oh mama in 3D, it would be this one!

The embodiment of the term "cult classic". How can anyone not love this movie? Awesome music? Check. Stunning car chases? Check. Loads of cameo appearances? Check. Wall to wall comedy moments? Check. Belushi and Ackroyd bringing their absolute A game? Check. I will never, ever get tired of watching this movie, it is just sheer unadulterated entertainment.

OK, technically I'm heaping Episodes V (Empire) and VI (Jedi) into this as well, because as a whole, it's more of an experience. I was lucky enough to be around when they first came out, and share in the utter obssession that these movies started. Nothing like this had ever been seen before in cinemas, and I think that, coupled with the characters and "lived in" sets are what set these movies apart from the woeful "prequels". To say these movies were the benchmark for many, many movies to come is an understatement.

The last movie to absolutely blow my mind, and what I like to call a "head scratcher". I love this kind of movie, where you spend most of it thinking "what the hell??" Then it all seems to fit at the end. Not just that though, the ending of this movie, let's say the last 30-45 minutes or so, are so fantastically crafted that I had to remind myself to breathe I was so engrossed and immersed. Add to that possibly the most mesmerising and gorgeous musical score I've heard on a movie in a long time, and you have an utter gem. Such a shame so many people can't get through the first hour of exposition, citing it as "boring". Incorrect.

Another "head scratcher", this movie just completely captured my imagination when I first saw it. Like its subject matter (time travel), the movie itself is something of a paradox, and that is the beauty of it, and also sadly the reason a lot of people don't seem to like it. Ask anyone to tell you what Donnie Darko is about and they will roll their eyes and puff out their cheeks, because you see, you can't explain exactly what it's about without sitting down for half an hour with diagrams. Stunning, quirky, nostalgic, haunting, and ultimately rewarding in the final 5 minutes. I can't praise this movie enough, it's magnificent.

C'monnnnnnnn, who doesn't love The Goonies? Anyone with their hand up now is lying. If you're of a certain age (and even if you're not. I have friends who have introduced it to their kids and they love it too), The Goonies will hold a special place in your heart. It captures what it meant to be a kid in the 80's, and then took it to the level we all wished we could go to ourselves. Yes, me and my friends all went on adventures as kids, and yes all of us wished that we might unwittingly stumble on something exciting and dangerous and thrilling, and that's why The Goonies works so well. They say never work with children, well, the cast is mostly kids in this movie and the interraction is perfect. They couldn't have chosen a better cast. Even the bad guys strike a perfect balance. Bad, without being too bad, if you catch my drift. That's what this movie is all about, pitching everything perfectly, and creating a masterpiece. If you have children and they haven't seen this movie, you are doing them a disservice.

Seems like everyone I talk to loves this movie, and rightly so. It appeals to so many different audiences. It's got action, it's got revenge, it's got the supernatural, it's got violence. But it's also got love, it's got loss, it's got purity and a real warmth that you wouldn't expect to find in a movie like this. The late Brandon Lee puts in a real shift here, superbly believable performance as someone who has lost everything that is important to him, and will literally come back from the dead to right the wrong. Massively watchable movie, because you are just rooting for the hero so much. Classic scenario of cheering for the good guys and booing at the bad guys, even if the good guy does happen to be a ruthless vigilante killing machine. Nice switch!

This movie really does give voice to a lot of things that people want to say, but are afraid to in this day and age. It's the little guy biting back against beaurocratic society, and it's done so well that you relate to Douglas' character at the same time that you witness his descent into madness. Robert Duvall is brilliant in the cliched "Cop on last day before retirement" role, and spins said cliche on its head at the end. Fantastically conflicting movie, summed up at the end by the line, "...I'm the bad guy?"