CAST
RUSSELL CROWE, GUY PEARCE, KIM BASSINGER, JIM CROMWELL, DANNY DE VITO, KEVIN SPACEY, DAVID STRAITHARIN

DIRECTED BY
CURTIS HANSON

Set in the “ring-a-ding” days of swinging 1950s Hollywood, L.A. Confidential is a superb adaptation of James Elroy’s pulp novel, with stellar production and costume design bringing to life this police story where corruption is found in every corner.

Its story focuses on three different cops (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey) who get more than they bargained for when a murder investigation leads them into the seedy depths of Hollywood’s elite.

Brilliantly directed by Curtis Hanson, photographed by Dante Spinoti, filled with career defining performances from its esteemed cast, and featuring a twist so unsuspecting it will literally make your draw drop, L.A. Confidential is a period piece conspiracy thriller that will have many of their toes.

CAST
CRAIG T. NELSON, HOLLY HUNTER, JASON LEE, SAMUEL L.JACKSON, ELIZABETH PENA

DIRECTED BY
BRAD BIRD

One of the greatest animated movie ever made, The Incredibles delivered as both superhero adventure and family dramedy, all wrapped up in breathtaking animation and filled with fun, excitement and characters worth rooting for.

Written and directed by animation king Brad Bird, the film focuses on a family of outlawed superheroes who spring into action (finding themselves in the process) after a demented fanatic/super villain (Jason Lee) unleashes destruction upon the world.

The visual prowess displayed in the film is the best Pixar have yet to deliver. Each and every one of its characters well crafted, written, and superbly given voice by a talented cast led by Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, respectfully. Plus, where else could you find a 6 month old baby morph into a fireball?  

CAST
AL PACINO, TONY ROBERTS, BARABRA EDE YOUNG, JACK KEHOE, CORNELIA SHARPE

DIRECTED BY
SIDNEY LUMET

If there is a single theme that resides high in the work of director Sidney Lumet, it is that of righteous morality in the face of oppression. The true life story of Frank Serpico is a fine example of just that.

Al Pacino stars in a brilliant, mesmerising turn as Serpico, a New York City cop who deflected the trappings of a corrupt system until he was forced to testify against his fellow officers.

From the closed in walls of various police precincts to the streets of Greenwich Village, the ever observant Lumet captures the New York City backdrop which Serpico called home. Yet more important is Lumet’s dedication to presenting the many layers of this most unique of individuals with a bold, heartfelt clarity, making Serpico a biopic that strives for realism instead of airbrushed escapism.

CAST
JESSICA CHASTAIN, KYLE CHANDLER, JASON CLARKE, JOEL EDGERTON, JENNIFER EHLE, JAMES GANDOLFINI, CHRIS PRATT, EDGAR RAMIREZ, MARK STRONG

DIRECTED BY
KATHRYN BIGELOW

Coming off their Oscar success for The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal created one of the best espionage movies (while courting controversy) in Zero Dark Thirty, the true life account of the greatest manhunt in modern history that also plays catalyst to a gripping tale of obsession both dark and dangerous.

Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA agent intensely focused on one task: find Osama Bin Laden.Chastain plays the role with stone-cold intensity, yet adds many shades of grey to a character whose black & white goal to kill the “world’s most dangerous man” is one filled with many complex emotions.       

Bigelow and Boal and Bigelow successfully take 12 years of information (including a conclusion that everyone knows) and packaged it into a coherent, intimate and intense movie, where the stakes are always high, danger is found at every turn, a hunch can lead to a breakthrough and misinformation can lead to wasted years of chasing ghosts.

CAST
JACK NICHOLSON, SHELLEY DUVALL, DANNY LLOYD, SCATMAN CROTHERS

DIRECTED BY
STANLEY KUBRICK

When Stanley Kubrick turned his perfectionist gaze to horror with his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, he created one of the horror genres best movies.

Where other haunted house movies feature a creaky old shack or cobwebbed mansion, The Shining is set in an isolated hotel where novelist Jack Toress (Jack Nicholson) and his family play caretaker during the winter season. Yet it doesn’t take long for the evil spirits within to make themselves known and one “Here’s Johnny!” later, Jack is hunting his family with an axe.

Kubrick created a horror movie that was psychologically, atmospherically and violently shocking, where rivers of blood run down hallways and spooky British children appear at the end of corridors with nasty intentions. King famously decried Kubrick’s vision of his story, yet the “master of horror” turned out to be the ultimate fool with The Shining still packing a wallop some 32 years on.

CAST
AMY ADAMS, CHRISTIAN BALE, BRADLEY COOPER, LOUIS C.K., ROBERT DE NIRO, JENNFIER LAWRENCE, JEREMY RENNER

DIRECTED BY
DAVID O.RUSSELL

Since re-emerging from movie exile, filmmaker David O. Russell delivered one exceptional film after another. American Hustle continued that trend, presenting O. Russell’s deft handle on character and exceptional skill at bringing the best out of his A-list cast in this 1970s set story based loosely on the Abscam investigation that rocked a nation.

It’s the inner circle within the sprawling scandal – the grifters (Christian Bale, Amy Adams), the FBI Agent (Bradley Cooper), the unstable wife (Jennifer Lawrence) and the politician (Jeremy Renner) – that Russell focuses on, and each actor from this esteemed troupe deliver energetic, provocative and mesmerising performances that are more than worthy of the praise bestowed.

Unfairly seen by too many as a mere Scorsese clone, American Hustle is instead a spirited throwback to the “New Hollywood” era where the director was king and characters were portrayed with an intensity that made legends.

CAST
ORSON WELLES, WILLIAM ALLAND, DOROTHY COMINGORE, JOSEPH COTTON, GEORGE COULOURIS, EVERETT SLOANE, RUTH WARRICK

DIRECTED BY
ORSON WELLES

Regularly cited as one of the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane saw Orson Welles create his masterpiece at the age of 27 and piss off half of Hollywood while doing so.

Welles stars as Charles Foster Kane, a media magnate who alienates his family and friends as he strives for total power. Welles landed in hot water when supposed inspiration- real life magnate William Randolph Hearst- took exception to Welles’ depiction of his life, leading to a fiery confrontation where Citizen Kane nearly didn’t make it to cinemas.

While it was unfairly shafted at the time (due to studio bigwigs and the press backing Hearst), Citizen Kane has gone on to become a highly regarded and influential film that is deeply heartfelt, thought provoking, and points a spotlight on how men of power manipulate the free press for their own gain.

CAST
CHRISTIAN BALE, MICHAEL CAINE, MARION COTILLARD, TOM HARDY, ANNE HATHAWAY, JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT, GARY OLDMAN

DIRECTED BY
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

Featuring director Christopher Nolan at his visual and ideological best, The Dark Knight Rises successfully caps an end to Nolan’s ground breaking Batman series with a tale of good vs. evil set in a world plunged into darkness.

Set 8 years after The Dark Knight, the film opens on a Gotham City that has rid itself of its crime element and of the vigilante Batman, with a physically and spiritually wounded Bruce Wayne secluded in his mansion. When mysterious terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) puts into action a plan to destroy Gotham City, Batman rises from the shadows to fight this new scourge.

Clocking in at 2 hours and 44 minutes, there is a lot to consume in The Dark Knight Rises, but the quality of its content is of such high value that every minute is worth digesting, with Nolan proving himself a filmmaker able to merge ideas with spectacle.

CAST
ADRIEN BRODY, FRANK FINLAY, EMILIA FOX, THOMAS KRETSCHMANN, MAUREEN LIPMAN

DIRECTED BY
ROMAN POLANSKI

Many have said that The Pianist trumps Schindler’s List as the film about the Holocaust, and with good reason.

Based on Wladyslaw Szpilman’s true life tale of survival against impossible odds, along with director Roman Polanski’s experiences as a youth in Polish city of Krakow (his mother died in Aushwitz), The Pianist stars Adrien Brody as Szpilman, a Polish piano prodigy who evaded capture by the Nazi’s by hiding in the ruins of Warsaw.

One of Polanski’s best works, The Pianist excels as both a stirring war time drama and technical achievement, with Pawel Edelman’s photography and Allan Starski’s art direction transporting the viewer to an unimaginable event in human history, Adrien Brody’s Oscar winning turn as Szpilman the human face amongst the monstrosity.   

CAST
JACK NICHOLSON, FAYE DUNAWAY, JOHN HUSTON, DIANE LADD

DIRECTED BY
ROMAN POLANSKI

Roman Polanski’s neo-noir mystery Chinatown still remains one of his best films, with many thanks to Robert Towne’s screenplay fool of rich, complex characters and well-paced suspense.

The film stars Jack Nicholson as private eye Jake Gittes. Hired by the seductive Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husbands alleged adultery, Gittes is instead drawn into darker territory where deceit, corruption, and even murder take place.

Nicholson is excellent in one of his signature performances, possessing an old school charm that can give way to a wild rebellion at any time. Great too is Dunaway who portrays her extremely complex character with a cool elegance. Yet the real star here is Polanski, who with Chinatown has made a film of stylish cool that cloaks a sinister darkness.