CAST
GENE KELLY, DAVID O’CONNOR, DEBBIE REYNOLDS, CYD CHARISSE, JEAN HAGEN, MILLARD MITCHELL

DIRECTED BY
STANLEY DONEN, GENE KELLY

A delightful tapestry of colour, song and romance, Singin’ in the Rain stands as one of the great (if not greatest) musicals with good reason.

Set in 1920s Hollywood, the film focuses on three performers (Gene Kelly, David O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds) as they learn that their film studio will transition from silent films to “talkies”.

The superhuman Kelly is simply on fire here as both performer and director of the films extravagant dance sequences.

CAST
WILLIAM HOLDEN, GLORIA SWANSON, FRED CLARK, NANCY OLSON, ERICH VON STROHEIM

DIRECTED BY
WILLIAM WILDER

Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. is a film that is both a sterling tribute to the legends of Hollywood’s silent era, and a damnation of the power brokers behind the silver screen who kicked their elder stars to the curb, only to be forgotten in time.     

The film stars William Holden as struggling Hollywood screen writer Joe Gilles, who falls in with faded star of the silent era and suicidal shut in Norma Desmond (played by real life silent screen star Gloria Swanson).

Swanson’s performance as a sad figure wrapped in a villainous cocoon and a demented frame of mind is especially outstanding, in this masterful film-noir from one of Hollywood’s great filmmakers.

CAST
MICHAEL CATON, STEPHEN CURRY, SOPHIE LEE, ANNE TENNEY, TIRIEL MORA, ERIC BANA, CHARLES ‘BUD’ TINGWELL

DIRECTED BY
ROB SITCH

The debut film from the Working Dog Productions team (among them writer and director Rob Sitch) marked not only the arrival of Australia’s best comedic film, but also created a shift in Aussie lingo with its many catch phrases (“Tell ‘em their dreaming”, “Love the serenity”) thrown about with many a chuckle.

The Castle tells the story of Daryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton), a proud family man who takes on the government when they forcefully try to take his home situated right next to Melbourne airport.

With a cracking script, brilliant performances and its beautifully portrayed message about the lengths a man will go to protect his home and the family within, The Castle is heartfelt and extremely funny.  

CAST
BRAD PITT, STEPHEN BISHOP, JONAH HILL, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, CHRIS PRATT, ROBIN WRIGHT

DIRECTED BY
BENNETT MILLER

The baseball movie has become a fixture in America cinema. Field of Dreamshad a spiritual spin. Bull Durham brought sex to the occasion. A League of Their Own took on gender politics. Moneyball delved behind the scenes in its portrayal of how Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Bean (Brad Pitt) transformed the game by taking innovation over tradition in his use of analytics to build a winning ball team.

That a film about the mathematics of a sport which barely registers outside of the U.S. can be so engrossing is something of a miracle, yet that is what happens when a great (not to mention underrated) director like Bennett Miller is handed a script by power duo Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian.

With Brad Pitt out front hitting a home run in each scene with a naturalistic performance, it is of no wonder why Moneyball is such a winner.

CAST
JOEL EDGERTON, TOM HARDY, KEVIN DUNN, FRANK GRILLO, JENNIFER MORRISON, NICK NOLTE

DIRECTED BY
GAVIN O’CONNOR

In the pantheon of macho films that can make men cry like babies, Warrior ranks high.

While the film was promoted as a blue collar MMA fight picture, Warrior is in fact so much more. Directed by Gavin O’Connor (one of the best un-sung filmmakers working today), the film starred Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy and Brendan and Tommy Conlon, estranged brothers whose one connection is there mutual disdain for their alcoholic father (Nick Nolte).

Although the knock-down, drag out slugfests in the cage are thrilling, the real battles are found outside the ring where this broken family find a way to mend their wounds through courage, forgiveness and love. The excellent performances from Edgerton, Hardy and especially Nolte, to go along with O’Connor’s excellent direction makes Warrior special blend of blood, will, and tears work so well.

CAST
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, MARION COTILLARD, TOM HARDY, JOSEPH GODON LEVITT, CILLIAN MURPHY, ELLEN PAGE, KEN WATTANABE

DIRECTED BY
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

Christopher Nolan’s Inception is an intellectually stimulating, visually enthralling blockbuster, of which Nolan has refined and perfected of his stellar career (thus far).

While the films groundbreaking, mind bending visuals are a thing to wonder, the strength of Inception lies in the emotional core in its story of a thief and widowed father Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who continues to deal with the grief of losing his wife (Marion Cotillard) while yearning to reunite with his children.

Nolan’s ability to blend the epic with the intimate is perfectly exemplified in Inception, a one of a kind cinematic experience which demands repeated viewings to absorb its impressive scope.  

CAST
GABRIEL BYRNE, STEPHEN BALDWIN, BENICIO DEL TORO, CHAZZ PALMINTERI, KEVIN POLLAK, PETE POSTLETHWAITE, KEVIN SPACEY

DIRECTED BY
BRYAN SINGER

A taut thriller wrapped in a mystery and delivered with exceptional storytelling flair, The Usual Suspects still stands as one of the best of its genre.

When five criminals are randomly brought together, little do they know that their fates have been written by an unknown figure hiding in the shadows, leading to what has to be one of the best plot twists in film history.

Director Bryan Singer does an excellent job in pulling the strings of his audience, resulting in a film that’s as expert in its manipulations as it is enthrallingly entertaining.  

CAST
ELLEN BURSTYN, JENNIFER CONNELLY, JARED LETO, DAMON WAYANS

DIRECTED BY
DARREN ARONOFSKY

A dark and disturbing anti-drug movie, Requiem for a Dream delves into the deep dark pit of drug addiction in its portrayal of four lost souls haunted by their selective poison.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky with an unflinching emotional grittiness and undeniable visual power, Requiem for a Dream features career defining performances by Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and especially Ellen Burstyn who delivers a gut wrenching and heart breaking turn that solidifies her status as one of the best to grace the screen.

The films portrayal of the destruction of mind, body and spirit (with its last 20 minutes especially sure to induce nightmares) will be too intense for some, but there is no denying the raw power and breathtaking craft which Aronofsky delivers.

CAST
CHARLTON HESTON, STEPHEN BOYD, HUGH GRIFFITH, HAYA HARAREET, JACK HAWKINS, CATHY O’DONNELL, MARTHA SCOTT

DIRECTED BY
WILLIAM WYLER

Ben-Hur is the ultimate representation of the great, big, classic Hollywood extravaganza movie.

It is also a powerful story of Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston in all of his hammy glory), a prince of Jerusalem who after being falsely imprisoned by Roman commander Messala (Stephen Boyd), escapes his unjust confines and seeks revenge.

Director William Wyler brilliantly captures the incredible size and craftsmanship on display in this most epic of films, while Charlton Heston stamps his claim as a movie star for the ages.   

CAST
TAHIR RAHIM, NIELS ARESTRUP, ADEL BENCHERIF, REDA KATEB, HICHEM YACOUBI

DIRECTED BY
JACQUES AUDIARD

A French language crime drama that is suitably ferocious in its depiction of violence and arresting in its character development, A Prophet is as captivating and confronting a film of its ilk that you will find.

An excellent Tahir Rahim stars as Malik, a 19-year-old French Muslim who uses his intelligence and penchant for violence to slowly ascend from isolated prisoner to mafia kingpin.

Opting for brutal realism and character development rather than Scarface-esque theatrics, director/co-writer Jacques Audiard mixes genre thrills with social realist drama to make for an arresting sure-to-be gangster classic.