To mark one year of Cult Projections I have taken inspiration from the poll BFI’s Sight & Sound magazine conducts every decade. However, rather than selecting what one considers are the ten “greatest” movies ever made, I’ve asked my guests to compile their twelve favourites movies of all time. There’s a huge difference, of course.
I selected twelve director friends and acquaintances, twelve film critic and tutor colleagues, and, for good measure, six actor friends and acquaintances. Thirty lists in total, and twelve favourites in each, not the usual ten.
Each person was asked to clarify how his or her list was compiled. Most are in no particular order, a clutch are ranked from #1 to #12, and whilst some are purely fancies of the moment (loathe to be definitive), others have had their favourites locked in for years because they watch them over and over again.
Some of the interesting results: Ridley Scott features the most frequently with just two of his movies (Blade Runner, Alien). Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Casino) comes in at second place, and Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Dr. Strangelove) and the Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, No Country for Old Men) share third place - with the Coens’ enjoying most comprehensive listing.
The other most popular directors were Sergio Leone, Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, David Lynch, Tobe Hooper, Michel Gondry, and Peter Jackson. The most popular decade was the 70s (why am I not surprised?)
Curiously, only one Quentin Tarantino-directed movie gets a mention, and just five female directors made the cut.
If anything these lists will provoke renewed interest in some cult/classics, remind you of some you have yet to see, and perhaps spark fascination with a few you've never heard of. So to get in amongst it, here’s my own list, which has remained more or less unchanged for more than fifteen years.
In order.
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
8½ (1963, Federico Fellini)
Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola)
Withnail and I (1986, Bruce Robinson)
Down By Law (1986, Jim Jarmusch)
Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
Cul-de-Sac (1965, Roman Polanski)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
Fallen Angels (1995, Wong Kar-Wai)
Blood Simple. (1984, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Come and See (1985, Elem Klimov)
Monsters (2010, Gareth Edwards)
THE DIRECTORS
Jason Bognacki
Bognacki is an L.A. filmmaker, musician, photographer, and designer, whose evolving “Live Cinematic” music+film project Loma Lynda, was the first feature of its kind at the Sundance Film Festival. Followed by “Loma Lynda: Episode II”, and the featurette The Red Door (2008), which won numerous awards on the festival circuit, and garnered him a cult following. He’s currently finishing Another, a giallo-esque feature.
“This is a mix of current and past favourite genre films.”
In no particular order.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, Sergio Leone)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970, Jean-Pierre Melville)
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970, Dario Argento)
Scorpion Prisoner 701 (1972, Shunya Ito)
Torso (1973, Sergio Martino)
Obsession (1976, Brian De Palma)
The Brood (1979, David Cronenberg)
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)
The Devil’s Rejects (2005, Rob Zombie)
Headhunters (2011, Morten Tyldum)
Kill List (2011, Ben Wheatley)
Dean Bertram
Bertram is the co-founder and director of Australia’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival and Fantastic Planet Film Festival. He rants on politics, culture, and film regularly in The Spectator, Australia, and has a PhD in American History from the University of Sydney. Currently in America, developing a feature.
“It’s a painful labour to whittle down one’s favourite films into a top twelve list. Are these twelve of my favourite films? Absolutely. Did I struggle over the selection? Of course. What films do I revisit again and again (or have revisited again and again) was the question that guided the formation of this list. They are all films that I know like old friends. I never tire of watching them. Each one feels like a part of me.”
In no particular order.
Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, Frank Capra)
The revenant (2009, Kerry Prior)
Bottle rocket (1996, Wes Anderson)
Dawn of the dead (1978, George Romero)
Halloween (1978, John carpenter)
True romance (1993, Tony scott)
Red Dawn (1984, john milius)
American movie (1999, Chris smith)
Withnail and I (1986, Bruce robinson)
Phantasm (1979, Don coscarelli)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
David Blyth
Blyth, from New Zealand, has been directing films and documentaries for over thirty years, with ten feature credits including Angel Mine (1978), Death Warmed Up (1984), Red Blooded American Girl (1990), Grampire (AKA My Grandpa is a Vampire, 1992), and Wound (2010). His latest feature, Ghost Bride, a supernatural horror with a Chinese-New Zealand cast, is due for release later this year.
In no particular order.
Enter the void (2009, Gaspar noe)
Lacombe, Lucien (1974, Louis Malle)
Lost highway (1997, David Lynch)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, Luis Bunuel)
India Song (1975, Marguerite Duras)
A Snake of June (2002, Shinya Tsukamoto)
Juliet of the Spirits (1965, Federico Fellini)
El topo (1970, Alejandro Jodorowsky)
The tenant (1976, Roman Polanski
Fallen angels (1995, Wong Kar-Wai)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, Werner Herzog)
Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall his past lives (2010, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Adrián García Bogliano
Bogliano is a Spaniard who divides his time between Mexico and Argentina, with a cult following, and numerous horror and thriller features under his belt, including 36 Steps (2006), I’ll Never Die Alone (2007), Cold Sweat (2010), Penumbra (2011), Here Comes the Devil (2013), and his latest Late Phases.
“There are so many films I love, but these are the most influential to me right now.”
In order.
Dust Devil (1992, Richard Stanley)
The texas chain saw massacre (1974, Tobe hooper)
Obsession (1976, Brian de palma)
Abwarts (1984, Carl Schenkel)
Onibaba (1964, Kaneto Shindo)
Looker (1981, Michael Crichton)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992, James Foley)
The big chill (1983, Lawrence Kasdan)
Do the right thing (1989, Spike Lee)
Tokyo Fist (1995, Shinya Tsukamoto)
Arrivederci Amore ciao (2006, Michele soavi)
Alison’s birthday (1981, Ian coughlan)
Taika Waititi
Waititi is a Kiwi, and according to him his career highlights include ten years to the week of shooting Two Cars, One Night (2004) on b&w 25mm film, he got to shoot a Two Cars inspired psa for NZTA on b&w 35mm film with the same DOP. It was even on the same camera and was the last 35mm job processed in New Zealand. He also shot a Superbowl ad. He’s worked with Donald Trump who is everything you’d imagine. And fucking tall. Shooting his feature Boy (2010) in his hometown and getting his family and community involved. And actually finishing the movie was a highlight.
In no particular order.
The graduate (1968, Mike Nichols)
Badlands (1973, Terrence Malick)
Stalker (1979, Andrei tarkovsky)
Spirit of the Beehive (1973, Victor Erice)
Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg)
Aliens (1986, James Cameron)
Ghostbusters (1984, Ivan Reitman)
In the Mood for love (2000, Wong kar-wai)
Akira (1988, Katsuhiro Ohtomo)
Punch-drunk love (2002, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Up (2009, Paul Docter & Peter Anderson)
Ursula Dabrowsky
Dabrowsky is an independent horror writer/director, originally from Montreal, Canada, but is now based in Adelaide, South Australia. She completed Family Demons in 2009, the first part of her “demon” trilogy. The sophomore effort, Inner Demon, is currently in post and due for release later this year. She’s currently developing Demonheart, and is also working on an online horror game called Demon House.
“My faves so far, this century. That was bloody hard to do! I have so many!!!”
In order.
Martyrs (2008, Pascal Laugier)
High Tension (2003, Alexandre Aja)
Inside (2007, Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury)
Them (2006, David Moreau & Xavier Palud)
Eden Lake (2008, James Watkins)
The Devil’s Rejects (2005, Rob Zombie)
Wolf Creek (2005, Greg Mclean)
Buried (2010, Rodrigo Cortés)
The Silent House (2010, Gustavo Hernandez)
Ju-on (2002, Takashi Shimizu)
The Descent (2005, Neil Marshall)
Enter the Void (2009, Gaspar Noe)
Steven Kastrissios
Kastrissios began filmmaking in Queensland, Australia, in his early teens. Over the next decade he worked towards his first feature film by way of directing several award-winning short films, music videos, and a variety of other productions. At age 24 he wrote, produced, directed, and edited the award-winning revenge feature The Horseman (2008), and has since been developing a slate of genre.
In order.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980, George Lucas)
Dances with Wolves (1990, Kevin Costner)
Braveheart (1990, Mel Gibson)
Heat (1995, Michael Mann)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
Jaws (1975, Steven Speilberg)
The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick)
Aliens (1986, James Cameron)
Ghostbusters (1984, Ivan Reitman)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson)
JFK (1991, Oliver Stone)
Predator (1987, John McTeirnan)
Jennifer Lynch
Lynch has several features to her name, most notably Boxing Helena (1993), Surveillance (2008), and Chained (2012). In 1990 she wrote the best-selling Twin Peaks tie-in book The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, and in 2008 she made history at the New York City Horror Film Festival as the first female to win the Best Director award in the festival’s history. Oh, and her father is David.
In no particular order.
Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg)
Sunset Blvd. (1950, Billy Wilder)
Read window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, Stanley Kubrick)
Santa Sangre (1986, Alejandro Jodorowsky)
Sightseers (2012, Ben Wheatley)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968, Roman Polanski)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
Fargo (1996, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Adaptation. (2002, Spike Jonze)
Kerry Prior
Prior is an American special effects whizz turned director who worked on the Silver Sphere for Phantasm II (1988), but is best known for writing and directing the cult classic black comedy horror The Revenant (2011). Currently he is working on a top-secret project the details of which cannot be revealed, entitled Super Alphakill 666.
“I can’t really narrow it down to twelve favourite movies, I just can’t, so here are twenty. [Ed: Sorry, buddy] And if you asked me next week this might change.
In no particular order.
Sunset Blvd. (1950, Billy Wilder)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966, Sergio Leone)
The tenant (1976, Roman Polanski)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977, George Lucas)
Citizen Kane (1940, Orson Welles)
RoboCop (1987, Paul Verhoeven)
The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola)
American Graffiti (1973, George Lucas)
Unforgiven (1992, Clint Eastwood)
No Country for Old Men (2007, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Doug Turner
Turner is a writer/director hailing from the UK, but has called Sydney, Australia, home for the past thirteen years. He won the coveted Best Comedy award at the (yet unheard of) Chichester Film Festival for a little 2004 short, and decided to delve into a feature film. Five ardous years later a satirical slasher I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer (1008) was released on DVD worldwide after some festival success. He’s currently in production on a 3D found footage “choose your own adventure creature feature.”
“Faves in the history of ever.”
In no particular order.
This is Spinal Tap (1984, Rob Reiner)
Friday the 13th Part III (3D) (1982, Steve Miner)
The Blair Witch Project (1999, Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez)
Turkey Shoot (1982, Brian Trenchard-Smith)
Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
Cube (1997, Vincenzo Natali)
Primer (2004, Shane Carruth)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968, Ken Hughes)
Salem’s Lot (1979, Tobe Hooper)
Theatre of Blood (1973, Douglas Hickox)
Lifeforce (1985, Tobe Hooper)
Jovanka Vuckavic
Vuckavic was a visual effects artist for five years, then spent six years as editor of respected Canadian horror in art and culture publication Rue Morgue. She is now devoted to making movies, with three award-winning shorts – The Captured Bird (2012), Self Portrait (2012), and The Guest (2013) – under her tattooed wing, and an upcoming documentary.
“Today’s list.”
In no particular order.
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
The Thing (1982, John Caprenter)
The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton)
The innocents (1961, Jack Clayton)
Hour of the Wolf (1967, Ingmar Bergman)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981, George Miller)
Deathdream (1974, Bob Clark)
The Entity (1982, Sydney J. Furie)
Session 9 (2001, Brad Anderson)
The Exorcist III (1990, William Peter Blatty)
The ‘Burbs (1989, Joe Dante)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman)
Richard Wolstencraft
Wolstencraft is the founder and director of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. He has several features to his name, including Bloodlust (1992), The Beautiful and Damned (2010), and the documentary The Last Days of Joe Blow (2013). The Second Coming, his next feature, is … coming.
“I am not a fan of lists and twelve leaves out so many, yet here is mine. A list of say one hundred might fit everyone and the breadth of my taste in [Ed: I feel your pain, but there are no exceptions!]”
In a rough order.
Barry Lyndon (1975, Stanley Kubrick)
If… (1968, Lindsay Anderson)
The Devils (1971, Ken Russell)
Blue Velvet (1986, David Lynch)
Fitzcarraldo (1973, Werner Herzog)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968, Roman Polanski)
Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola)
The Deer Hunter (1978, Michael Cimino)
Casino (1995, Martin Scorsese)
Manhunter (1986, Michael Mann)
To Live and die in L.A. (1985, William Friedkin)
Harold and Maude (1971, Hal Ashby)
THE CRITICS AND TUTORS
Tone Egan
Egan is primarily a film and script editor, and frequently an in-demand teacher of screenwriting and editing, but he’s done the lot across all formats of the Australian film and television industry, and he has the battle scars and wild tales to prove it.
“Some represent guilty pleasures, others I admire for various technical and creative achievements … Just films I can watch over and over.”
In no particular order.
The Taking of Pelham One Two three (1974, Joseph Sargent)
Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg)
Deep red (1975, Dario Argento)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean)
The Beyond (1981, Lucio Fulci)
The Killer (1989, John Woo)
Hard Boiled (1992, John Woo)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966, Sergio Leone)
M (1931, Fritz Lang)
Lifeforce (1985, Tobe Hooper)
Life of Brian (1979, Terry Jones)
Simon Foster
Foster is the Australian managing editor of Screen-Space, also a film reviewer and features contributor to SBS movies, and host of 92.5 ABC-FM’s Fishbowl Film Show.
“I’ve got fifty-plus films that drift in an dout of these lists, demanding that the twelve be in no order. Citizen Kane (1940), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) are landmarks in film history, but I’ve kept my dozen very personal … Martyrs took horror honours from The Fly (1986), Cat People (1942), The Thing (1982), The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and The Howling (1981).” [Ed: What, so Alien isn't a horror movie?!]
The Party (1968, Blake Edwards)
Die Hard (1988, John McTeirnan)
The Breakfast Club (1985, John Hughes)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg)
To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962, Robert Mulligan)
Martyrs (2008, Pascal Laugier)
All the President’s Men (1976, Alan J. Pakula)
Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
Reds (1981, Warren Beatty)
Tootsie (1982, Sydney Pollack)
Whale Rider (2002, Niki Caro)
Ghostbusters (1984, Ivan Reitman)
Michael Helms
Helms circles Australia and New Zealand visiting horror film sets for the likes of Fangoria and L’Ecran Fantastique. He is currently editing a second compilation of his cult zine Fatal Visions. He is looking to die as violently as possible in as many films as possible from here on in, and willing to wear prosthetics and doing his own stunts.
“The following list of films is not presented in any order because the most compelling films present disorder and chaos in a way that makes them endlessly attractive. Personally I need to eyeball all of these films on a regular basis, which makes them favourites. You should see them all too. The world and you will be better off because of it.”
Natural Born Killers (1994, Oliver Stone)
Blue Sunshine (1975, Jeff Liebermann)
The Legend of Hell House (1973, John Hough)
The Lost (2006, Chris Sivertson)
Ebola Syndrome (1996, Herman Yau)
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre (1995, Tun Fei Mou)
Visitor Q (2001, Takashi Miike)
Spider Baby, Or The Maddest Story Ever Told (1969, Jack Hill)
Stone (1974, Sandy Harbutt)
Faceless (1987, Jesus Franco)
Meet the Feebles (1989, Peter Jackson)
Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973, Bo Arne Vibenius)
Oscar Hillerstrøm
Hillerstrøm is the co-founder of Sydney’s Revolver magazine and Empire Australia. He is host of Popcorn Taxi, The Sci-Fi Show, and guest critic on ABC702. In short he is an encyclopedic cinephile compleat.
“Top 10s are a dime a dozen [Ed: Which is why I made it 12]. I wanted to provoke some viewing of awesome movies. These all left a mark. Tough to get it to twelve.”
In no particular order. [Ed: Chronological by coincidence?]
The Wages of Fear (1953, Henri-Georges Clouzot)
Rififi (1955, Jules Dassin)
The Sweet Smell of Success (1957, Alexander Mackendrick)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
Miller’s Crossing (1990, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Groundhog Day (1993, Harold Ramis)
Amores Perros (2000, Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu)
Downfall (2004, Oliver Hirschbiegel)
Into Great Silence (2005, Philip Groning)
Martyrs (2008, Pascal Laugier)
Incendies (2010, Denis Villenuve)
Adam Lovett
Lovett is certified movie nut. He was afflicted with cinephilia at age five after witnessing Star Wars (1977). He worked in a video store, as a cinema usher, and eventually descended into screenwriting hell. He studied journalism and currently pursues the wayward addiction of passionate film critique via his site Film Frak. He has an eclectic portfolio of film credits in the writing and producing capacities, including an upcoming definitive 90s indie rock documentary, Underground Inc. He resides in Boston.
“Is observing the difference between “best” (objective as possible) and “favourite” (completely subjective) …”
In alphabetical order.
Apocalypto (2006, Mel Gibson)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
Boogie Nights (1997, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Cool Hand Luke (1967, Stuart Rosenberg)
Donnie Darko (2001, Richard Kelly)
Fight Club (1999, David Fincher)
Miller’s Crossing (1990, Joel & Ethan Coen)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, Milos Foman)
The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977, George Lucas)
The Wild Bunch (1969, Sam Peckinpah)
Stefan Popescu
Popescu is associate lecturer in Film & Digital Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, co-director of the Sydney Underground Film Festival, and a filmmaker. Having completed his PhD in 2007 he has written and directed three feature films – Rosebery 7470 (2007), Nude Study (2010), and Zombie Massacre 3 (2012). His latest, The Performance Artist, is in post-production.
In no particular order.
Decasia (1998, Bill Morrison)
The Big Lebowski (2002, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Happiness (1998, Todd Solondz)
Begotten (1990, E. Elias Merhige)
Sex and Zen (1991, Michael Mak)
The Wayward Cloud (2005, Ming-laing Tsai)
Irréversible (2002, Gaspar Now)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, Banksy)
Buffalo ’66 (1998, Vincent Gallo)
Bad Boy Bubby (1993, Rolf de Heer)
Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970, Werner Herzog)
Gummo (1997, Harmony Korine)
Brita McVeigh
McVeigh studied drama and film at university, then worked in various capacities within the New Zealand film industry, then in script development in New York City for many years before returning to NZ to create a unique and successful position as an acting and directing coach, and script editor.
In no particular order.
Five Easy pieces (1970, Bob Rafelson)
Festen (1998, Thomas Vinterberg)
Stalker (1979, Andrei Tarkovsky)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, Wes Anderson)
A Woman Under the Influence (1975, John Cassavetes)
Days of Heaven (1978, Terrence Malick)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, Milos Forman)
Badlands (1973, Terrence Malick)
Together (2000, Lukas Moodysson)
Tootsie (1982, Sydney Pollack)
Chungking Express (1994, Wong Kar-Wai)
Jack Sargeant
Englishman Sargeant is the author of numerous books on underground film, including Deathtripping: The Extreme Underground and Naked Lens: Beat Cinema. He contributes to various publications on numerous areas of culture, primarily focusing on eroticism, transgressive philosophies, and the human body, and he programmes Perth’s Revelation Film Festival, as well as advising and assisting on various underground film festivals, both in Australia and internationally.
“An ever-shifting list, that will not be the same tomorrow, let alone when people read this, but here are the twelve movies that mean the most to me today. My twelve visions that remain.”
Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
The Holy Mountain (1975, Alejandro Jodorowsky)
Fingered (1986, Richard Kern)
Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966, George Kuchar)
Puce Moment (1949, Kenneth Anger)
The Beast (1975, Walerian Borowczy)
Aguirre: Wrath of God (1972, Werner Herzog)
Hated: GG Alin & the Murder Junkies (1993, Todd Philips)
Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini)
What Is It? (2005, Crispin Glover)
Un Chein Andalou (1929, Luis Bunuel)
If… (1968, Lindsey Anderson)
Karel Segers
Segers is a licentiate in Germanic Philology from the University of Louvain. He wrote a short script at age 17: it was produced and ran many times on national TV in Belgium. Now he works in Sydney as a story consultant, writer and producer, with experience in international film and television rights acquisition, script development, and film production, and is a globally-traveled teacher, founder of The Story Department and logline.it, and ranks in the world’s top ten most influential people for screenwriting on Twitter.
“Braindump, really – these are the movies I would like to see again right now.”
In totally random order.
Tampopo (1985, Juzo Itami)
Touch of Evil (1958, restored version, Orson Welles)
Groundhog Day (1993, Harold Ramis)
The Last Picture Show (1971, Peter Bogdanovich)
The Parallax View (1974, Alan J. Pakula)
The Sugarland Express (1974, Steven Spielberg)
Bowfinger (1999, Frank Oz)
The 400 Blows (1959, Francois Truffaut)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943, Alfred Hitchcock)
Barton Fink (1991, Joel & Ethan Coen)
The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani)
Bullhead (2011, Michael R. Roskam)
Stephen Thrower
As a journalist Thrower has written three books, including Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci, and Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents, and recently completed a fourth, about the Spanish filmmaker Jess Franco, which is due for publication later this year. Thrower is also the co-founder of the experimental music group Cyclobe, alongside partner Ossian Brown. Sulphur-Tarot-Garden, the most recent album, comprises soundtrack music written to accompany three silent Super-8 films by the late Derek Jarman. Previously Thrower has worked with Coil, Skullflower and Matmos, and also records with David Knight in the kosmische group UnicaZürn.
In chronological order.
Last year at Marienbad (1961, Alain Resnais & Alain Robbe-Grillet)
Performance (1970, Nicolas Roeg & Donald Cammell)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, Tobe Hooper)
Female Trouble (1975, John Waters)
The passenger (1975, Michelangelo Antonioni)
Martin (1976, George Romero)
The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)
Dead Ringers (1988, David Cronenberg)
Dogville (2003, Lars Von Trier)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Michel Gondry)
Inland Empire (2006, David Lynch)
Graeme Tuckett
Tuckett is a regular film reviewer for Fairfax New Zealand, contributes to RNZ, has a regular music show on Wellington’s Radio Active, and writes for several magazines. He also works in the film industry as a dolly and crane grip, and has directed several documentaries on NZ artists and filmmakers. Currently he’s “fucking exhausted.”
In no particular order.
Once Upon a time in the West (1969, Sergio Leone)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012, Benh Zeitlin)
This Must be the Place (2011, Paolo Sorrentino)
Songs from the Second Floor (2000, Roy Andersson)
Children of Men (2005, Alfonso Cuaron)
The Killer (1989, John Woo)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975, Sidney Lumet)
The Deer Hunter (1978, Michael Cimino)
Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)
Kill Bill (Vol. 1 & 2) (2003/04, Quentin Tarantino)
A Prophet (2009, Jacques Audiard)
Yasmin Vought
Vought works as an entertainment producer at ninemsm’s MovieFIX. She grew up in the small Australian country town of Lithgow with a love for the silver screen born mostly out of boredom, and her mum’s epic film collection. She started reviewing movies during university in Sydney, mostly for the sake of the free cinema admission. She also writes features for Rotten Tomatoes, pens travel yearns, and loves interviewing A-listers.
In order.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner)
Edward Scissorhands (1990, Tim Burton)
Repulsion (1965, Roman Polanski)
Brazil (1985, Terry Gilliam)
A Clockwork Orange (1971, Stanley Kubrick)
Band of Outsiders (1964, Jean-Luc Goddard)
Amélie (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
The Fifth Element (1998, Luc Besson)
Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
The Science of Sleep (2006, Michel Gondry)
Metropolis (1926, Fritz Lang)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
THE ACTORS
Jed Brophy
Whilst at Otago University to become a PhysEd teacher Brophy took a Drama 101 paper and his career path was forever changed. He moved to Wellington in 1986 to attend the New Zealand Drama School, with the intention of teaching Drama and Physical Education, but got bitten by the acting bug and has made a living doing so ever since. He has worked on more than thirty features, and twice as many stage productions, most notably in several Peter Jackson movies; Braindead (1991) as Void, The Hobbit trilogy as Nori, and also King Kong (2005), Heavenly Creatures , and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011).
“My list is composed of movies that remain in my library and haunt me with images.”
In no particular order … except the first one.
Heavenly Creatures (1994, Peter Jackson)
The City of Lost Children (1995, Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Cool Hand Luke (1967, Stuart Rosenberg)
Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977, George Lucas)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969, Sergio Leone)
Bullitt (1968, Peter Yates)
La Femme Nikita (1990, Luc Besson)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson)
The Magnificent Seven (1960, John Sturges)
Vigil (1985, Vincent Ward)
Two Hands (1999, Gregor Jordan)
Irena A. Hoffman
Hoffman is a thriller/horror genre darling, a former Miss Romania, and can be seen starring opposite Christopher Lambert in the vampire drama Metamorphosis (2007), which she received the Best Actor award at the Estepona International Fantasy and Horror Film Festival in Spain, also as a hunchback student in the National Lampoon comedy Transylmania (2009), as a twisted children’s book writer in the arthouse cult psychological horror House of Flesh Mannequins (2009), and as guest on various TV shows, including Two and a Half Men and Dark Blue). She is currently filming a psychological thriller/horror modern adaptation of the story of Carmilla, in the role as the sultry burlesque dancer vampire love interest.
In random order.
Dances with Wolves (1990, Kevin Costner)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont)
Unfaithful (2002, Adrian Lyne)
Dog Soldiers (2002, Neil Marshall)
The Descent (2005, Neil Marshall)
Briar Patch (2003, Zev Berman)
Cool Hand Luke (1967, Stuart Rosenberg)
Interview with the Vampire (1994, Neil Jordan)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006, Tom Tykwer)
Legends of the Fall (1994, Edward Zwick)
Out of Africa (1985, Sydney Pollack)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966, Sergio Leone)
Linda Kennedy
Kennedy has been in the acting world for the last decade, working on feature films, commercial projects, and live theatre. Visited Australia when The Taking (2013), an arthouse horror film, premiered at Sydney’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival. She plans on keeping busy working on the craft and hustling for the next world premiere.
“Funny thing is, I’ve always considered myself to be a thriller junkie, but after I finished my list I realised it was comprised of mainly comedies that have had a strong impact on my current sense of goofy humour, hinting at my love for cannabis and sappy love comedies that stand the test of time (being able to watch them over and over again!) Each movie says a little something about me.”
Groundhog Day (1994, Harold Ramis)
You’ve Got Mail (1998, Nora Ephron)
Dinner for Schmucks (2010, Jay Roach)
The Hunger Games (2012, Gary Ross)
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985, Tim Burton)
The Big Lebowski (1998, Joel & Ethan Coen)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, Blake Edwards)
The Beach (2000, Danny Boyle)
Half-Baked (1998, Tamra Davis)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005, Tim Burton)
The Cable Guy (1996, Ben Stiller)
The Island (2005, Michael Bay)
Emma Lung
Lung went to Sydney’s Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, then completed dramatic studies at New York City’s Professional Performing Arts School. She has worked solidly in television and cinema for more than ten years, most notably Peaches (2004), 48 Shades (2006), The Jammed (2007), Triangle (2009), Crave (2012), and the current TV series Wonderland.
In no particular order.
A Separation (2011, Asghar Farhadi)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Michel Gondry)
Annie Hall (1977, Woody Allen)
The Goonies (1985, Richard Donner)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, Milos Forman)
Stand By Me (1986, Rob Reiner)
Amélie (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993, Woody Allen)
Being John Malkovich (1999, Spike Jonze)
Notting Hill (1999, Roger Michell)
Mood Indigo (2013, Michel Gondry)
Bridget Jones Diary (2001, Sharon Maguire)
Erik Thomson
Thomson’s soul lies in Scotland, his heart in New Zealand, but his body and mind is very much in Australia where he is one of the most respected actors across film, television, and theatre, most notably in the award-winning television series Packed to the Rafters, and All-Saints. Notable film work includes The Boys are Back (2009), The Black Balloon (2008), Accidents Happen (2009), and Somersault (2004) for which he won the AFI for Best Supporting Actor.
“A bit of an eclectic mix there, but that’s me … All good films, even Forrest Gump!!” [Ed: If you say so Erik]
In no particular order.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977, George Lucas)
The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
Lenny (1974, Bob Fosse)
Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)
Annie Hall (1977, Woody Allen)
Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991, Fax Behr, George Hickenlooper & Eleanor Coppola)
Avatar (2009, James Cameron)
Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
Forrest Gump (1994, Robert Zemeckis)
Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)
There Will be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Najarra Townsend
Townsend made her screen debut at the age of eleven, and has since gone on to appear in over sixty-five titles (shorts, features, and television). In the Sundance and Cannes-winning Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) the L.A. Weekly named her role in the Top 10 Great Small Performances for “frankness, innocence, snarky humour, vulnerablility, and girl-power defiance.” She has played the titular character in various indie movies, such as Tru Loved (2008), Marin Blue (2009), Betty I Am (2012), Good Mourning Lucille (2014). Contracted (2013) has garnered her plenty of attention in the indie horror scene.
“I hate having favourites. It makes me fell like I’m neglecting so many other amazing films. Every one of these films impacted my life in some way. And I could watch each and every one of the on repeat (which I pretty much already have) so that makes me feel like they deserve a place in my top twelve.”
