Just Imagine (1930)
Oct 9, 2003Future New York Musical-Comedy
This was one of the first US films to depict the future. It is essentially Metropolis having been remade as a Broadway musical with an emphasis on comedy
20th Century Fox
Dante’s Inferno (1935)
Oct 13, 2001Vision of Hell
Dante Aligheri's famous poem is dragged down to a tatty morality play with Spencer Tracy as a carnival barker running an Inferno exhibit. The film is worth watching for its stunning hallucinatory vision of Hell
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
Feb 27, 2002Sherlock Holmes Film/Ghostly Dog Mystery
The first in a series of Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone, who became the definitive Holmes for many years, and a reasonable adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle novel
The Gorilla (1939)
Jul 15, 2011Old Dark House Comedy-Thriller
The Old Dark House film hit a peak in the late 1930s. This was a comedy variant featuring the entirely forgotten comedy act The Ritz Brothers stumbling around an old mansion
The Blue Bird (1940)
Oct 27, 2000Fairy-Tale
With the success of The Wizard of Oz, 20th Century sought to capture the same by casting Shirley Temple in this appallingly schmaltzy fairytale about two children on a quest for the Blue Bird of Happiness
The Undying Monster (1942)
Mar 24, 2022Werewolf Film
One of the first few werewolf films ever made, this takes place at a big old mansion and is a murder mystery whodunnit about who might be the werewolf
Dr Renault’s Secret (1942)
Sep 21, 2013Mad Scientist/Ape Man
A film from the heyday of the mad scientist film in which George Zucco turns an ape into a human being. Zucco is on marvellously demented form as the title doctor
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Jan 25, 2003Womaniser Tells His Life Story to The Devil
An entry in the 1940s light fantasy films in which compulsive womaniser Don Ameche arrives in the afterlife where he tells his life story to The Devil
The Lodger (1944)
May 8, 2001Jack the Ripper Thriller
Sound remake of the silent Alfred Hitchcock film, starring big man Laird Cregar as the new lodger that a family believe might be Jack the Ripper. Cregar gives a wonderfully melodramatic performance
Hangover Square (1945)
Apr 17, 2001Mad Composer
Big man Laird Cregar gained a sudden fame as the killer in The Lodger and was quickly repackaged as another psychopathic killer in this vehicle where he plays a mentally disturbed composer
Shock (1946)
Jan 17, 2010Film Noir Psycho-Thriller
Early Vincent Price film with he as a sinister psychiatrist terrorising a woman who witnessed him murdering his wife
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Feb 5, 2003Fake Clairvoyant/Predestination
Classic film starring Tyrone Power as an ambitious carnival barker who has success with a mind-reader act. Filled with great film noir atmosphere and a doomed sense of fate at play
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
May 22, 2001Santa in Court
Classic Christmas film with Edmund Gwenn as a man who is placed on trial after he insists he is the real Santa Claus
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)
Apr 12, 2003Ghost-Mortal Friendship
One of the most beautiful of all 1940s light fantasy films about the sweet and tender relationship between widow Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison as the ghost of the sea captain in the house she moves into
The Luck of the Irish (1948)
Mar 3, 2001Leprechaun
This was the first Hollywood film about leprechauns, although quite a different work than those that followed. American Tyrone Power encounters a leprechaun on a trip to Ireland
It Happens Every Spring (1949)
Aug 2, 2010Eccentric Scientist Becomes a Baseball Star
A comedy in which Ray Milland is cast as a chemistry professor who becomes a baseball star after inventing a wood-repelling chemical
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Jul 2, 2000Alien Visitor
A classic of the 1950s Golden Age of SF, featuring Michael Rennie as an alien visitor film who comes to make a warning about the need to make peace. This stands at the start of the Atomic Age with a stark urgency
Monkey Business (1952)
Jul 22, 2015Formula That Causes People to Revert to Adolescence Comedy
The only film that Marilyn Monroe will be written about for on this site. A classic screwball comedy about the accidental discovery of a formula that causes all who take it to revert to adolescence. Much madcap malarkey ensues but it does get very silly
Carousel (1956)
Sep 7, 2001Musical/Man's Redemption in the Afterlife
A Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that has gained a classic status. On the other hand, it doesn't resonate so well today in its story about the redemption of a wife-beater.
The Fly (1958)
Mar 9, 2002Teleporter Accident/Human-Fly Mixup
A teleporter accident causes a scientist to swap head and arm with a fly. This requires you to suspend believability but is otherwise one of the classic monster movies of the era. Several sequels and a remake followed.
The Alligator People (1959)
Feb 9, 2001Alligator-Human Hybrids
B movie with Beverly Garland venturing into the swamps in search of her missing husband to find a scientist has transformed him into an alligator hybrid
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Apr 12, 2003Underground Adventures/Jules Verne Adaptation
The success of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea created a spate of Jules Verne's adaptation. Here Verne's tale of explorers in an underground realm has been turned into an absurdly colourful adventure
The Wizard of Baghdad (1960)
May 31, 2001Arabian Nights Comedy
A majorly unfunny variant on the Arabian Nights comedy featuring Dick Shawn as a demoted genie. The Thief of Bagdad as shabby flying carpet burlesque
Batman (1966)
Aug 14, 2001Campy Comic-Book Superhero
A film spinoff from the popular 1960s Batman tv show starring Adam West. At half-an-hour twice a week, the series was an enjoyable piece of surrealistic zaniness but its appeals seem stretched at feature-length
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Dec 16, 2000Submarine Journey Through the Human Body
An all-time favourite based on the notion of a journey through the human body via a miniaturised submarine, an idea that comes with a sublime poetry despite the sometimes dodgy effects and plot holes
Our Man Flint (1966)
Feb 4, 2003Spy Film Spoof
One of the more amusing of the numerous James Bond copies of the 1960s featuring James Coburn as agent Derek Flint, this plants tongue in cheek and cheerfully spoofs the whole spy fad
Modesty Blaise (1966)
May 1, 2006Female Super Thief/Comic Book Adaptation
Modesty Blaise was a classic British comic-book about a smart female thief. On screen, it is turned into a copy of the James Bond films that goes for excruciatingly over-the-top camp excess
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Dec 16, 2001Doctor That Can Speak to Animals/Musical
This gets the nonsensical absurdity of the original Doctor Dolittle stories far more than the Eddie Murphy version. On the other hand, this was the era of Mary Poppins and this is made as a lumbering musical
Bedazzled (1967)
Jun 4, 2000Pact with the Devil/Black Comedy
British comedy made with an acerbic bite featuring Dudley Moore as a hapless loser who makes a pact with Peter Cook's Devil to win the love of his life but has the wording of each wish contorted around on him
The Boston Strangler (1968)
Jun 28, 2002True-Life Serial Killer
A high-profile studio film based on the real-life Boston Strangler murders. This is liberal with the facts but Tony Curtis giving one of his best performances as Albert DeSalvo
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Apr 17, 2001Planet of Talking Apes
The film that started it all. This takes what could have been a jokey premise and delivers it in bold, exciting stokes. What elevates the film is Rod Serling’s script. filled with embittered soliloquies that become a biting commentary on the human condition, before the film reaches one of the great cinematic twist endings
The Chairman (1969)
Jun 8, 2001Spy Thriller/Journey to Communist China
Big-budgeted spy thriller with Gregory Peck as a scientist who poses as a defector to Communist China. This never enervates much as a thriller but its recreations of Communist China are amazing
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Jun 12, 2000Planet of the Apes Sequel/Telepathic Mutants
The second and most underrated of the Planet of the Apes films. For a time it repeats the original but gains considerable imagination and a striking satiric bite with the introduction of the mutants
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
Jan 25, 2003Bodyswap/Occultism
A clear attempt to copy Rosemary's Baby made with extraordinary stylishnessas Jacqueline Bisset believes husband Alan Alda's body has been stolen by a dead man
When Michael Calls (1972)
Feb 8, 2022Phone Calls from a Dead Child
TV movie that comes with a great opening hook – a family receive phone calls from a brother who died 15 years earlier
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
May 22, 2001Planet of the Apes Sequel
The fourth of the original Planet of the Apes films, this cuts back on the humour and makes a stark parable for the Civil Rights movement with the apes rebelling against humanity in a revolution
The Other (1972)
May 1, 2001Diabolical Twin
Classic horror film about good and evil twins that creates a good deal of sinister effect and arrives at a much imitated twist
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Mar 26, 2000Planet of the Apes Sequel
The fifth and final of the original Planet of the Apes films. After four well worthwhile entries up to this point, a tired air infects this production as it assembles the elements in a haphazard clutter
The Laughing Policeman (1973)
Sep 4, 2001Detective Thriller/Serial Killer
A gritty US-made adaptation of a Swedish thriller with Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern as detectives investigating a machine-gun murder spree aboard a bus
The Green Hornet (1974)
Jun 14, 2010Masked Superhero
The Green Hornet was a tv series based on the radio and serial masked hero. Following Bruce Lee's ascent to superstardom, three episodes of the series were re-edited as a feature film
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Jun 2, 2002Gender-Bender Rock Musical/Frankenstein Spoof
The No 1 cult film of all time, more a phenomenon than a film, a demented glitter rock homage to mad science cinema and 50s sf films run through with celebration of a gender-bender joie de vivre
Race with the Devil (1975)
Feb 2, 2003Backroads Pursuit by Satanists
This has been conceived as a 1970s car chase film mashed up with the 1970s fad for Satanism and occult where two couples in an RV inadvertently witness a devil worship ceremony and are pursued
Star Wars (1977)
Dec 16, 2000Space Opera
The single most influential science-fiction film of all time, one that created a massive industry of sequels and spinoffs, not to mention copycats, and changed the way that people thought of science-fiction
Damnation Alley (1977)
Jan 4, 2001Post-Apocalyptic Trek
Disastrous adaptation of the Roger Zelazny novel where the story of a Hell's Angel on a trek across the post-apocalyptic wasteland is recast with a G.I. and a girl and kid along for the journey, plus the addition of giant mutant cockroaches
Magic (1978)
Dec 13, 2002Malevolent Ventriloquist's Dummy
Muchly under-appreciated film with Anthony Hopkins as a performer dominated by his ventriloquist’s dummy. Great direction from Richard Attenborough, fantastic script and performances
Damien: Omen II (1978)
Jul 11, 2001Teenage Anti-Christ/The Omen Sequel
The first of the sequels to The Omen, this follows Damien through his teenage years as he comes into his powers. Mostly though, the film seems to exist to stage more bizarre novelty death scenes
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Oct 8, 2005Star Wars Variety Show
The tv special that George Lucas would have all copies destroyed, a work of legendary badness - a Star Wars Thanksgiving special featuring most of the original cast and a series of variety performances that are mind-boggling in their ineptitude, not to mention complete and utter fumbling of everything that Star Wars was
Alien (1979)
May 2, 1999Alien Nasty on a Spaceship
One of the most influential films on this site, producing a host of sequels and making the careers of all involved. At heart, a simple monster on a spaceship film, it is made into a classic through Ridley Scott's relentless suspense and H.R. Giger's design work
Quintet (1979)
Jul 4, 2003Frozen Future/Enigmatic Game
The great Robert Altman's most frustrating film set around an enigmatic dice game in a frozen future
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Apr 4, 2001Space Opera
George Lucas’s first sequel to Star Wars and a work that holds up every bit as well as its predecessor, in many places betters it. The story darkens the mythos and introduces new characters, while the special effects sequences are the peak of the series
Shock Treatment (1981)
Feb 18, 2010Rocky Horror Sequel
A not uninteresting sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this has widely divided reactions among fans
The Final Conflict (1981)
Aug 9, 2000The Anti-Christ/The Omen Sequel
The third and by general consensus the weakest of The Omen films. It fails to deliver its promise of depicting the Armageddon but Sam Neill gives a performance of magnificently dark charisma as the grown-up Damien
Ladyhawke (1985)
Apr 7, 2001Mediaeval Fantasy/Lovers Under Animal Transformation Curse
A beautifully made Richard Donner mediaeval fantasy with two lovers suffering a curse that transforms them into animals only able to touch in person for a second at dusk and dawn
Legend (1985)
Apr 27, 2003Adult Fairytale
Hugely underrated Ridley Scott film that was a box-office flop. Scott attempts to reconstruct the fairytale as something dark and primal and creates moments that are superlative cinema
Cocoon (1985)
Apr 26, 2001Alien Visitors/Rejuvenated Geriatrics
Ron Howard film clearly inspired by the success of E.T.. This story about seniors being rejuvenated after swimming in a pool that has an alien pod in it received critical kudos during its day but the film operates as a simplistic and naive wish-fulfillment fantasy
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
May 7, 2003Chinese Supernatural/Martial Arts Fantasy
John Carpenter film that was marketed as a Raiders of the Lost Ark copy but is more Carpenter trying to emulate Hong Kong’s Wu Xia cinema, which was largely unknown in the West at the time. All with highly enjoyable conic results.
The Fly (1986)
Sep 23, 2003Teleporter Accident/Human-Fly Mixup
David Cronenberg remakes the 1958 film, transforming its improbable scenario into a fascinating study of biological transformation with Jeff Goldblum genetically mutating into a fly hybrid. Kafka's Metamorphosis with a lot more slime.
Aliens (1986)
Jun 1, 1999Alien Sequel
James Cameron's follow-up to Alien is one of the few sequels that matches its predecessor. Adding a troupe of Marines, Cameron creates a powerhouse of a film that sustains itself with seat-edge tension throughout
Saigon (1988)
Dec 14, 2008Vietnam War Psycho-Thriller
Vietnam War film where the setting makes a unique and surprisingly effective backdrop for a modern film noir psycho-thriller
The Abyss (1989)
Aug 5, 2000Alien Encounter Underwater
James Cameron had mixed success with this alien contact film. Much of the show is designed to highlight Cameron’s interest in diving and the effects on display are spectacular but the film peters out at a peculiarly abrupt non-ending
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Jul 5, 2002Alienated Artificial Boy
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp in one of their best collaborations. Burton creates this sweet oddball fable that is a take on Frankenstein where the monster becomes an alienated youth with scissors for hands
Sleeping With the Enemy (1991)
Mar 21, 2018Abusive Husband Psycho-Thriller
Julia Roberts plays a wife fleeing from an abusive and psychopathic husband (a darkly urbane Patrick Bergin in a quite demoniac performance) in this psycho-thriller that was a considerable hit in its day. Slick and beautifully photographed, this sustains a commendable head of tension
Love Potion No 9 (1992)
Dec 2, 2021Scientists Devise Love Potion Comedy
A comedy based on the hit song starring a then unknown Sandra Bullock as a nerd scientist who synthesizes a Gypsy love potion that causes anyone she gives it to to fall in love with her
Ghost in the Machine (1993)
Feb 1, 2000Serial Killer in Cyberspace
Made in the aftermath of The Lawnmower Man, this utterly ridiculous film has a serial killer uploaded to the internet. Written by people who know nothing about computers and filled with absurdly over-the-top effects
Freaked (1993)
Dec 4, 1999Mutants and Mad Scientist Gonzo Comedy
Wonderfully nonsensical film directed by Alex Winter of Bill and Ted fame about the lives of a group of mutant freaks. Amazing makeup effects, a bizarre sense of humour and several well-known actors spoofing themselves
The Good Son (1993)
Apr 8, 2001Psycho Child
A variant on the evil child psycho-thriller, this seems set up specifically to allow Macaulay Culkin, the obnoxious cute kid from Home Alone, to trash his wholesome image
The Pagemaster (1994)
Aug 31, 2004Adventures in the Land of Fiction
Amiable if lightweight film where a live-action Macaulay Culkin gets animated and has a series of adventures in a Land of Fiction where he must pass through various classic stories
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Dec 4, 2003Santa in Court
A John Hughes written remake of the classic Christmas film where a man (Richard Attenborough) claiming to be Santa ends up tried in court.
Broken Arrow (1995)
Aug 25, 2002Action/Nuclear Hijacking
John Woo's second Hollywood film, an action film about nuclear hijacking. Woo's unique stylistics promptly get buried under the machinery of big-budget action filmmaking
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Dec 20, 2009Alien Sequel
The fourth of the Alien films. French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet comes on board and delivers a comic-bookish run through of a Joss Whedon script that overspills with too many ideas
Volcano (1997)
Sep 5, 2004Disaster Movie/Volcano Erupts in L.A.
A disaster movie made early into the CGI era based around the ludicrous notion of an active volcano suddenly appearing in Los Angeles
There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Sep 19, 2000Stalker Black Comedy
The Farrelly Brothers have become known for their crude and rude humour but this stalker comedy is one they hit with all barrels firing and has become regarded as a modern comedy classuc
Dr Dolittle (1998)
Apr 16, 1999Doctor That Can Speak to Animals
Complete and utter bastardisation of Hugh Lofting's charming Doctor Dolittle stories, which are turned into a modern comedy with Eddie Murphy and talking animals doing lots of pee and poop jokes
EverAfter (1998)
Jul 14, 1999Deconstructed Cinderella
Witty and very charming retelling of Cinderella that strips out all of the fantasy elements and substitutes a pseudo-historical realism. The cast positively shine.
Entrapment (1999)
May 6, 1999Millennial Caper Thriller
Caper thriller with the gimmick of being set on the turning of the millennium, this is otherwise an empty-headed exercise where slick marketing triumphs over credible scripting over even connection between the leads
Bedazzled (2000)
Oct 20, 2000Pact with the Devil Comedy
US remake of the British comedy where Brendan Fraser is a schmuck who sells his soul to The Devil who twists the wording of each wish. The bite of the original is lacking
Titan A.E. (2000)
Jun 18, 2000Animation/Space Opera
Very nicely made space opera from animator Don Bluth, operating from a Joss Whedon script, that unfortunately proved a big box-office flop
X-Men (2000)
Jul 14, 2000Comic-Book Superheroes
Bryan Singer’s dynamic and exciting adaptation of the Marvel Comic title fairly much kicked off the massive fad for Marvel superheroes in the 00s/10s. This was also the film that mad Hugh Jackman into an international superstar.
Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
Dec 17, 2000Gonzo Stoner Film
A bizarrely surreal, anything goes comedy as two bros set out to find their car after a night partying. This feels like Repo Man as though directed by the Farrelly Brothers after they had inhaled a few bongs
Black Knight (2001)
Nov 25, 2001Modern Man in Mediaeval Times Comedy
An uncredited adaptation of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court with Martin Lawrence as a hip modern African-American man thrown back to Mediaeval times
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Jun 27, 2001Planet of Talking Apes
Tim Burton's much disliked remake. Certainly, the ape makeups are superb. While Burton touches many points with the original, he has dropped the biting satire in favour of adventure, while the ending left everyone scratching their heads
Monkeybone (2001)
Feb 23, 2001Cartoonist in the Afterlife
Henry Selick's first venture into live-action in which Brendan Fraser becomes trapped in a bizarre afterlife while a mischievous monkey steals his body
Minority Report (2002)
Jul 15, 2002Future Precognitive Police Force
Steven Spielberg takes on Philip K. Dick in a much grittier film than he usually makes. In the strong and intelligent script, Tom Cruise is an officer on a police force that predicts crime before it happens only to then be hunted by his own side
Like Mike (2002)
Apr 29, 2014Kid Finds Magic Basketball Sneakers
Utterly insipid family film about an orphan kid who is given a magical set of sneakers that turn him into a basketball star who is "like Mike [Jordan]." Little more than a glorified commercial for the NBA
X2 (2003)
May 5, 2003Comic-Book Superheroes
Bryan Singer's immediate sequel to X-Men, this ups the number of new mutant characters, although only sporadically manages to kick in with the spectacular superheroic action sequences the first film had
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Sep 2, 2003Teamup of Characters from Victorian Fiction/Graphic Novel Adaptation
The much hated adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novels. It is undeniable fun watching the crossover between various fictional Victorian characters, while the production design is amazing
Fantastic Four (2005)
Jul 8, 2005Comic-Book Superheroes
One of the big hits among the spate of Marvel Comics adaptations in the 2000s. This has a very mixed reputation but brings the comic-book team to life in a reasonable effort
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
May 22, 2005Space Opera
The last of George Lucas's Star Wars prequel trilogy and the last opportunity for him to get it right, which he generally does. The effects are expert but are not allowed to dominate as much as they did previously and the focus has come back onto the story and Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader
Elektra (2005)
Jan 31, 2005Comic-Book Assassin Superheroine
A spinoff from the film version of Daredevil, this gives the comic-book character of the super-assassin Elektra her own film. This does not have a very good rap but comes with some solid action scenes
Night at the Museum (2006)
Feb 11, 2007Museum Exhibits Come to Life
Popular family hit with Ben Stiller as a night watchman at New York’s Museum of Natural History who discovers that the exhibits come to life at night. More a cute idea than a full film, there is some fun to the characters and effects
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Jun 21, 2006Comic-Book Superheroes
Brett Ratner inherits the X-Men franchise from Bryan Singer for the third film in the series and promptly killed it off (after this point everything became prequels featuring Young X-Men). Ratner's handling of the superheroic action lacks Singer's exhilaration or any affinity for the characters
The Omen (2006)
Jun 21, 2006The Biblical End of the World/The Anti-Christ
The classic 1976 Anti-Christ film is given the remake treatment. The production look slick but quickly disappears into forgettability
The Sandlot: Heading Home (2007)
Jun 25, 2009Baseball Star Returns to His Childhood
The third in a popular series of films about a Little League baseball team, this involves a time travel element
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Jun 25, 2007Comic-Book Superheroes
The 2005 Fantastic Four was an amiable entry among the Marvel Comics adaptations of the 2000s. This sequel substitutes lowbrow comedy and renders the great character of the Silver Surfer as a CGI cartoon
The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2007)
Feb 1, 2009Epic Fantasy Adventure
Adaptation of Susan Cooper's popular fantasy series handled by people who have no interest in the material and badly rewrite/mangle it in order try to turn it into a Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings knockoff
Death Sentence (2007)
Nov 23, 2008Vigilante Film
Although the character names have been changed, this is based on the book sequel to Death Wish. Saw director James Wan goes for broke on the grim vigilantism and turns in an immensely satisfying work
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Jul 31, 2007The Simpsons Film Spinoff
Film spinoff from the long-running animated tv series. The familiar gags are there but show feels awkward extruded out to a full-length plot. You keep feeling the film should have been more than it is.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Aug 17, 2007Action Film/Socially Catastrophic Hack Attack
The fourth of the Die Hard films and the only one that enters into genre territory with Bruce Willis now fighting a catastrophic hack attack that disables the entire US
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Dec 14, 2008Alien Visitor
An interesting if uneven remake of the 1950s SF classic from Scott Derrickson that smartly updates the story from the Atomic Age to a post-9/11 era where it now delivers a modern environmental warning
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Apr 29, 2009Comic-Book Superhero
After the disaster of X-Men: The Last Stand, the decision was made to give a whole film over to the series’s most popular character, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and to go with a prequel that told his origin story. Largely a film that exists as a series of superheroic action scenes