CAST
EMILE HIRSCH, MARCIA GAY HARDEN, HAL HOLBROOK, WILLIAM HURT, CATHERINE KEENER, JENA MALONE, KRISTEN STEWART, VINCE VAUGHN

DIRECTED BY
SEAN PENN

Into the Wild is an uplifting and enriching cautionary tale about one man's spiritual adventure on the road and in the wilderness.

Based on the true story, a truly exceptional Emile Hirsch stars as Christopher McCandless, a young man who - in an attempt to rid himself of the bureaucracy and materialism of modern society – embarked on a quest to live in the harsh serenity of the Alaskan wilderness.

A passion project for writer/director Sean Penn, the Oscar winning actor brilliantly adapts Jon Krakauer's book to the big screen while not falling into the trap of portraying McCandless as a messiah or glamorizing his vagabond lifestyle, creating an astonishing piece of cinema in the process.

CAST
ROBERT DE NIRO, CATHY MORIARTY, JOE PESCI, FRANK VINCENT

DIRECTED BY
MARTIN SCORSESE

A comeback movie of sorts for famed director Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull re-established the now iconic filmmaker as a director of importance and unwatchable style.

The film tells the true story of middle weight boxing champion Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro), whose brutal reputation within the ring is matched by that outside, with La Motta one of the scariest and unpredictable figures to populate Scorsese’s world of hard men.

Shot in black and white, Scorsese effectively portrays the brutality of La Motta’s life with a beautiful artistry and emotional powerful that has rarely been matched.

De Niro’s dedication to his performance as La Motta is a thing of legend, as are the end results in what has to be the most physically prepared and emotionally draining performance committed to the big screen.   

CAST
MARTIN SHEEN, SAM BOTTOMS, MARLON BRANDO, ROBERT DUVALL, LAWRENCE FISHBURNE, FREDERIC FORREST, DENNIS HOPPER

DIRECTED BY
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

It takes balls to say that your film is war personified. Yet that is exactly what director Francis Ford Coppola boldly stated, laying claim that his Apocalypse Now is not about the Vietnam war, but is the Vietnam war. 

Granted, the production was a battlefield in its own right, with Coppola fighting against a less than co-operative Philippines government, mother nature, and the destructive personalities of actors Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando.

But Apocalypse Now is much more than a bunch of actors playing war in the jungle to the drum of a director at breaking point: it is madness made writ set amongst the backdrop of Vietnam, with Sheen’s Captain Willard assigned to assassinate Brando’s Col. Kurtz with “extreme prejudice”, his journey up river to Kurtz’s Cambodian compound unleashing the horror of war.     

CAST
LIAM NEESON, RALPH FIENNES, BEN KINGSLEY, EMBRTH DAVIDTZ, CAROLINE GOODALL

DIRECTED BY
STEVEN SPIELBERG

In the history of cinema, perhaps no other image struck a chord as devastatingly simple as a young girl with a red coat, set upon a black and white backdrop, running amongst the madness which was the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto. 

It is one of many moments in Schindler’s List that still makes it a film of immensely powerful significance, and cemented Steven Spielberg’s reputation as one of the best filmmakers of all time and a voice for the 6 million Jews who died during WWII.

Yet perhaps most important of all, Schindler’s List brought forth the actions of one Oskar Schindler, a brave soul who used the very same ingenuity and drive with which he made a profit from the war, to become a saviour to almost 1200 Jews marked for death, leading credence to the Talmudic quotation, "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire."

CAST
LEONARDO DI CAPRIO, MATT DAMON, JACK NICHOLSON, VERA FARMIGA, MARTIN SHEEN, MARK WHALBERG

DIRECTED BY 
MARTIN SCORSESE

Urban film making at its best, The Departed is a brutally violent, beautifully crafted, and incredibly well acted piece of film making that will leave you reeling.

Directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, this remake of Infernal Affairs comes off the better film due Scorsese’s deft hand at the gangster genre, the career defining performances from every member of its stellar cast, and a fine screenplay by William Monahan, who astutely adapted the original films Hong Kong setting to the mean streets of Boston, while building upon its themes of betrayal and redemption.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are excellent as cops on opposites sides of law, yet it is Jack Nicholson who steals the show as Frank Costello, the sadistic mob boss whose un-PC, unpredictable nature the perfect treat for Nicholson to sink his teeth into, which he does with much ferocity turning in one of his best performances in the process.

CAST
KIRK DOUGLAS, TIMOTHY CAREY, GEORGE MACREADY, RALPH MEEKER, ADOLPHE MENJOU

DIRECTED BY
STANLEY KUBRICK

One of the most powerful and memorable war films ever made, Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is not so much an indictment of war and the military, but more of a critical look at the abuses of justice by those who hold the power of authority.  

Set in France, 1916, the film tells the true life story of three French soldiers placed on trial for cowardice, and the commanding officer (Kirk Douglas) assigned to defend them against impossible odds. As well as featuring a number of heavy moral and ethical themes, the film also displays a rich eye for detail with its impressive set design and authentic looking costumes. 

Although it is one of his much earlier works, Stanley Kubrick displays masterful direction as shown in a number of key scenes, most notably a fluid tracking shot in the French trenches. Its simple yet heartbreaking conclusion leaves an undeniable sense of mourning for the events that has preceded it, and will linger in the souls of those who have watched this remarkable film.

CAST
DUSTIN HOFFMAN, ROBERT REDFORD, JASON ROBARDS, JACK WARDEN, HAL HOLBROOK

DIRECTED BY
ALAN J. PAKULA

Chronicling the unearthing of the Watergate scandal which would lead to the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, All the President’s Men is a thinking man’s conspiracy thriller that is not weighed down by the mass of its information, and will keep many glued to the screen as to what revelation will be revealed in this pursuit for the truth by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman).

Tense in tone and mesmerising in structure, director Alan J. Pakula includes every deadline, dead end, and death threat these two ambitious reporters encounter without jeopardising the thrills and mystery that makes All the President’s Men such a suspenseful watch, as a conspiracy that leads all the way to the White House is revealed and a president is stood down.

CAST
MARK HAMILL, HARRISON FORD, CARRIE FISCHER, BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, JAMES EARL JONES

DIRECTED BY
IRVIN KERSHNER

This excellent follow up to Star Wars is an altogether darker film, yet still filled with the fun sci-fi adventure and classic riffs on the eternal confrontation between good and evil that made the first film such an engrossing watch.

Plot wise this Irvin Kershner directed sequel follows young Jedi prodigy Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he is taught the ways of The Force by master Jedi Yoda (his debut!). Meanwhile Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and crew are hounded by the merciless Darth Vader.

That the film ends on such a shocking downer does not take away The Empire Strikes Back standing as one of the most celebrated and loved adventure stories of all time, nor does the irony that perhaps the best Star Wars movie was not directed by George Lucas.

CAST
JESSICA CHASTAIN, HUNER McCRACKEN, SEAN PITT, BRAD PITT

DIRECTED BY
TERRENCE MALICK

Has there ever bee as complex, polarising, and confident a film as The Tree of Life? Director Terrence Malick is not one to create straight forward movies, and in his limited yet bountiful filmography of complex works The Tree of Life is his masterpiece.

Both grand and intimate, Malick’s exploration into the relationship between man, God, and nature is one of assured conviction in both its ideas and its imagery. Whether it is the scenes of a family eating dinner or the creation of the universe unfolding before our eyes, there is not one frame or hushed narration that doesn’t belong.

Performances also impress with Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain giving soulful turns as the parents of a young Texan family, who take centre stage in Malick’s theologically rich submergence into the divinity of nature, and the nature of the divine. Simply stunning.

CAST
MARK HAMMIL, HARRISON FORD, CARRIE FISCHER, ANTHONY DANIELS, JAMES EARL JONES

DIRECTED BY
GEORGE LUCAS

The film that took blockbuster filmmaking to heights never thought, Star Wars couples brilliantly filmmaking craftsmanship with an exciting story of good versus evil in the far reaches of space.

The brainchild of one George Lucas, Star Wars tells the story of a rebel alliance doing battle against an evil empire, led by the sinister Darth Vader. Joining the battle is farmhand Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammil) and his brave warrior mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).

Iconic characters, masterful set and production design, innovative special effects, and a story for the ages all combine to make not only a film, but a pop culture movement that still holds a strong power.