The twenty greatest films of all time, according to me

These are in no order. I shall attempt to sum up my love for each of these films in just one sentence:

STAR WARS/THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK/RETURN OF THE JEDI (George Lucas, 1977; Irvin Kershner, 1980; Richard Marquand, 1983) (as one film)

No words to say...these films were the films that sparked my interest in cinema.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003) (as one film)

In attempting to turn a novel deemed unfilmable even by the man who wrote it into a movie - and there would be a carpark sitting where New Line Cinema's studios are now if this had failed - Peter Jackson took cinema into the twenty-first century.

PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

It revived one career, catapulted three others, and blasted a massive hole in conservative '90s cinema.

SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg, 1993)

Everyone with eyes needs to see this movie - not just because it documents an historical issue that must never be either repeated or forgotten, but because it's a perfect example of the the kind of magic people can conjure up when armed only with a movie camera.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont, 1994)

For my money the most inspirational movie of all time.

FORREST GUMP (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)

As a disaffected kid who got bullied throughout his entire school career, this film taught me everything I needed to know about life.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (Peter Weir, 1989)

What can I say, I discovered it at the perfect time and it resonated with me.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (Milos Forman, 1975)

This movie has more layers than a machine has cogs.

BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

A whistful, timeless comedy adventure from the king of genre-fusion, Bob Zemeckis.

BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott, 1982)

An intoxicating fusion of cyberpunk and future neo-noir that only gets better with age.

RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

This is the closest Marty has ever come to making a cinematic exact replica of the Mona Lisa.

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme, 1991)

One of the most ideal examples of what happens when gifted actors work with a great director on great material.

THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

The best horror film of all time.

KILL BILL (Quentin Tarantino, 2003-2004) (as one film)

My favourite director letting his imagination run wild on a martial arts action epic...my dream is complete!

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg, 1981)

There really is nothing like escapism, and Spielberg, Lucas and Ford are the Three Wise Men of escapist fun.

ON THE WATERFRONT (Elia Kazan, 1954)

It coulda had phoniness, it coulda had shallowness, it coulda been a bomb... instead of a timeless masterpiece, which is what it is, let's face it.

E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg, 1982)

An eternally moving and uplifting testament to the power of friendship, peace and tolerance.

THE LION KING (Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, 1994)

A great deal of this one's importance to me is purely sentimental, as it was the first film I ever saw (as far as I can remember, that is) but my awareness of its incredible thematic richness has only increased as I've gotten older - it's the most profoundly moving, yet joyful animanted film there's ever been.

TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

Undoubtedly the most unflinching and accurate cinematic depiction of urban malaise and isolation ever commited to celluloid.

THE MATRIX (Larry & Andy Wachowski, 1999)

It's cyberpunk for the post-grunge generation, and whether you love it or not it's one of the most parodied movies in history - that has to amount to something.