CAST
TOM CRUISE, BILLY CONNOLY, TONY GOLDWYN, KOYUKI, HIROYUKI SANADA, TIMOTHY SPALL, KEN WATTANABE

DIRECTED BY
EDWARD ZWICK

Director Edward Zwick has a knack for making a great war movie, and his best yet is The Last Samurai, a staggeringly crafted and exceptionally portrayed historical epic that still does not get enough love.

Set in 19th century Japan, the film stars a tremendous Tom Cruise as haunted civil war veteran Nathan Algren, who after being hired to train the new Imperial Japanese Army instead falls in with the rebelling samurai he was paid to kill, among them samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Wattanabe).

Cruise’s performance may just well be his most complete yet, with its coupling of action and drama combined with a quiet yet powerful soulfulness. Zwick in turn creates a thoughtful and spirited movie of sweeping visuals and undeniable charisma.

CAST
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, TOM HARDY, DOMHNALL GLEESON, FORREST GOODLUCK, WILL POULTER

DIRECTED BY
ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INNARITU

It was a large task for director Alejandro Gonzalez Innatiru to follow up his Oscar winning Birdman, yet he did just that with an even more technically impressive and overall better film in The Revenant.

Loosely based on the legend of frontiersman Hugh Glass, The Revenant stars DiCaprio as a fur trapper left for dead (the result of a bear mauling) after he witnesses the death of his son by the hand of criminal Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy, menacing).

Swearing revenge, he pursues Fitzgerald in this gritty story that sucks its audience into a world of snow, blood and grizzly vengeance, and astounds with its epic scope that makes 3D look like the chump change novelty that it is. Throughout it all DiCaprio delivers the performance of a lifetime in a grunting, grinding, spitting, all-in physical performance that is complemented by the portrayal of a soul wounded by hardship and tragedy.

CAST
BRAD PITT, JAMES GANDOLFINI, RICHARD JENKINS, RAY LIOTTA, SCOOT McNAIRY, BEN MEDOLSOHN

DIRECTED BY
ANDREW DOMINICK

A sure to be crime classic that is as thought provoking in its themes as it is visually and narratively absorbing, Killing Them Softly continues to establish director Andrew Dominick as a creative force to be reckoned with.

Brad Pitt stars as Jackie Cogan, a hitman brought in by the mob to investigate and dispense with the sad souls (Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, both excellent) who thought it wise to knock off a mob backed card game.

While the theme of gangsters and capitalism is hardly new (The Godfather and Scarface being prime examples), recent fiscal history adds weight to Killing Them Softly with the stakes high in an “industry” where crime still must pay even in a recession. Dominick makes it all work, and does so with unmistakable style.    

CAST
JASON CLARKE, ANDY SERKIS, TOBY KEBBELL, GARY OLDMAN, KERI RUSSELL, KODY SMIT-McPHEE

DIRECTED BY
MATT REEVES

There have been a number of significant chapters in the history of prominent visual effects cinema. In 2014 another was written with the arrival of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

While the films predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes was in itself a significant work, Dawn... took things to a whole new level in attaining that ever elusive perfection of blending the digital with the real, with those wickedly marvellous wizards from WETA outdoing previous efforts.

Yet any blockbuster can have stellar FX work; it's the emotion -heart filled, powerful, profound- that pulsates throughout Dawn... and makes it that much more special, with the continued evolution of genetically modified ape Ceaser (Andy Serkis, the Marlon Brando of stop motion acting) one that engrosses & thrills in his journey as the leader of an advanced species poised to rule the world.

Making it all work is director Matt Reeves, who excelled in creating a movie that is large in scale and deep in feeling. 

CAST
BILLY CRYSTAL, JOHN GOODMAN, STEVE BUSCEMI, JAMES COBURN, JENNIFER TILLY

DIRECTED BY
PETE DOCTER

One of Pixar’s greatest assets is their ability to assemble great voice talent to help bring their animated creations to life.

Cue Monsters Inc. where the dynamic duo of Billy Crystal and John Goodman provide an abundance of wit and sensitivity to their roles of Mike and Sully, monstrous best friends turned guardians of a human child who could bring an end to their humans-free world.

Excellent animation, thrilling action set pieces and a truly menacing villain in Steve Buscemi’s reptilian Randall round out this most touching and hair-raising of animated flicks.

CAST
JIM CARREY, KATE WINSLET, KIRSTEN DUNST, MARK RUFFALO, TOM WILKINSON, ELIJAH WOOD

DIRECTED BY
MICHEL GONDRY

The combined talents of director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kauffman resulted in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a brilliant mindbender of a film that never loses focus of its central love story.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star as Joel and Clementine, a recently separated couple who undergo a ground breaking procedure that can erase unpleasant memories from their brain (in other words, one another).

Yet it’s only through this process of loss do the contentious couple realise their true feelings for one another, Kauffman and Gondry doing an excellent job in taking us into the mind and heart of a romance beautifully portrayed by Carey and Winslet.    

CAST
HUMPHREY BOGART, INGRID BERGMAN, PAUL HENREID, CLAUDE RAINS, CONRAD VEIDT

DIRECTED BY
MICHAEL CURTIZ

When it comes to the term “Hollywood romance”, the quintessential film that fits the bill is none other than Casablanca.

Directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz, this WWII set drama stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick, a cynical American expatriate whose steady life running a nightclub in Casablanca is turned on its head when his one true love (Ingrid Bergman) returns with many complications in tow.

Filled with memorable dialogue and legend making performances, Casablanca continues to stamp its authority as an iconic movie where its romance is genuinely felt, its thrills pitch perfect in its suspense, and its characters beautifully written and portrayed.   

CAST
BEN BURTT, JEFF GARLIN, ELISSA KNIGHT, SIGOURNEY WEAVER, FRED WILLARD

DIRECTED BY
ANDREW STANTON

Leave it to the masterminds at Pixar to have its two protagonists – a pair of robots who fall in love - to show the beauty, flaws, and potential for redemption in humanity.

As relevant as it is breathtaking, WALL-E slyly mixes social commentary in regards to issues of the environment with a touching love story between lonely lovelorn WALL-E and his EVE, who must battle many an obstacle in order to stay together.  

Sound effects wizard Ben Burtt has the title character brimming with life via an assortment of bells and whistles, melting many a heart with his tenacious and unflinching determination in the face of adversity.   

CAST
JESSICA ALBA, BENICIO DEL TORO, CLIVE OWEN, MICKEY ROURKE, BRUCE WILLIS

DIRECTED BY
FRANK MILLER, ROBERT RODRIGUEZ

Frank Miller’s iconic comic series Sin City is so stylishly and narratively dense, that it took two visionaries to bring it to life in Miller himself and top notch genre director Robert Rodriguez. The result is a spectacular piece of violent pop art, black and white with plenty of red crimson splatter for good measure.

Plot wise Sin City focuses on three different stories all set in the same rain soaked, neo-noir infused world of tortured anti-heroes, tough talking dames and sicko villains played by an ensemble cast including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba and a scene stealing Mickey Rourke as the tough as nails Marv.

With its release a new bar was raised in how a comic book movie should be made, especially one as violent, pulpy and dark as Sin City.  

CAST
JACK LEMMON, SHIRLEY MacLAINE, JACK KRUSCHEN, FRED MACMURRAY, NAOMI STEVENS

DIRECTED BY
BILLY WILDER

A perfect mix of comedy, drama, and romance, The Apartment showcases writer/director Billy Wilder at the peak of his creative talent.

A perfectly cast Jack Lemmon stars as insurance accountant C.C. Baxter, who in the hopes of landing a promotion loans out his apartment to his philandering boss (Fred MacMurray in an against type role), who needs a place to fool around with his mistress Fran Kubelick (played by Shirley MacLaine with infectious sass and naturalism).

Not your standard screwball romantic comedy, The Apartment contains a depth and humanity not found in any other films of its ilk.