TOP 100 FILMS 2016: IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: TOP 10 INDICATED IN RED: 

About Schmidt (Alexander Payne 2003)

Alien (Ridley Scott 1979)

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar 1999) (6)

All The President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula 1976)

Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu 2000)

Apocalypse Now (Frances Ford Coppola 1979)

Attenberg (Athina Rachel Tsangari 2010)

Badlands (Terrance Malick 1973)

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku 2000)

Beetlejuice (Tim Burton 1988)

The Big City (Satyajit Ray 1963)

Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky 2010)

Blancanieves (Pablo Berger 2012)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch 1986)

Bubba Ho-Tep (Don Coscarelli 2002)

Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders 1999)

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene 1920) 

Carol (Todd Haynes 2015)

Chinatown (Roman Polanski 1974) (4)

Christiane F. (Ulrich Edel 1981)

Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore 1988)

City of God (Fernando Meirelles 2002)

A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick 1971)

Confessions (Tetsuya Nakashima 2010)

The Conversation (Frances Ford Coppola 1974)

Danger: Diabolik (Mario Bava 1968)

The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan 2012)

Dead Man’s Shoes (Shane Meadows 2004)

Deep Red (Dario Argento 1975)

The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino 1978)

Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick 1964) (2)

Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker 1967)

The Double (Richard Ayoade 2013)

Enter The Dragon (Robert Clouse 1973)

Enter The Void (Gasper Noe 2009)

Eraserhead (David Lynch 1977)

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry 2004)

The Exorcist (William Friedkin 1973)

52 Tuesdays (Sophie Hyde 2013)

Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson 1970)

Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach 2012)

Garden State (Zach Braff 2004) (9)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Niels Arden Oplev 2009)

The Godfather (Frances Ford Coppola 1972)

The Godfather Part II (Frances Ford Coppola 1974)

Goodbye First Love (Mia Hansen-Love 2011)

Gregory’s Girl (Bill Forsyth 1981)

Hard to be a God (Aleksey German 2013)

Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby 1971)

Harvey (Henry Koster 1950)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (John McNaughton 1986)

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski 2013) (5)

Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010)

Julien Donkey-Boy (Harmony Korine 1999)

The Killing (Stanley Kubrick 1956)

Killing Zoe (Roger Avary 1993)

Kind Hearts & Coronets (Robert Hamer 1949)

The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick 1955)

Leon (Luc Besson 1994) (10)

Lost Highway (David Lynch 1997)

Love Exposure (Sion Sono 2008)

Marathon Man (John Schlesinger 1976)

Mars Attacks (Tim Burton 1996)

Matador (Pedro Almodovar 1986)

Mullholland Drive (David Lynch 2001)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick 1993)

Odd Man Out (Carol Reed 1947)

Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook 2003)

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan 2011)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman 1975) (1)

The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni 1975)

Paths Of Glory (Stanley Kubrick 1957)

Peeping Tom (Michael Powell 1960)

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock 1954)

A Room With A View (James Ivory 1985)

Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski 1968)

Searching For Sugarman (Malik Bendjelloul 2012)

The Shining (Stanley Kubrick 1980)

The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodovar 2011)

Star Wars (George Lucas 1977)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner 1980) (8)

The Sting (George Roy Hill 1973)

Stoker (Park Chan-Wook 2013)

The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone (Shane Meadows 2013)

Submarine (Richard Ayoade 2010)

Susperia (Dario Argento 1977)

Tabu (Miguel Gomes 2012)

Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar 2002) (3)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper 1974)

The Third Man (Carol Reed 1949) (7)

They Live (John Carpenter 1988)

Tomboy (Celine Sciamma 2011)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick 1968)

What Have I Done To Deserve This? (Pedro Almodovar 1984)

Where The Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze 2009)

The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy 1973)

Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson 1987)

V For Vendetta (James Teigue 2005)

Volver (Pedro Almodovar 2006)

Zodiac (David Fincher 2007)

Film Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2D) (12A) (U.S.A. 2015) (Director: J.J. Abrams), VUE (OMNI), Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 30.12.2015, 19:10

This is excellent fluff. The pacing, visuals and story telling are all fine. The film is slightly too referential to the 'Classic Trilogy' and the actor playing the main baddie doesn't quite fit right. These are minor quibbles. It was lovely to see that, in a way unlike ever before, the new central hero to the Star Wars world is a woman. When she took control of a lightsaber and began behaving as a badass, it got to me. It was certainly far better than I had any right to expect it to be and slips by easily.

Rating: 10/10.    

Film Review: Carol (15) (U.K./U.S.A./France 2015) (Director: Todd Haynes), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 12.12.2015, 18:10

This is a film I was initially very sceptical about as do not generally like Cate Blanchett or her work and the only previous film I've seen of Todd Haynes, 2007's 'I'm Not There' I found to be a horrifying experience in the worst possible sense. I went to see this as it was getting so much positive buzz and the subject matter should be within my ballpark of interests. 

I'm delighted to report, having just seen it, that I too regard this to be one of the finest love story's I've ever seen in film. The acting of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara is sublime and the film is simply perfect in every possible way. I am delighted that I put my scepticism to the side and went to see this masterpiece. Bravo!

Rating: 10/10. 

Film Review: The Lobster (15) (Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands 2015) (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos) (English and French with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Monday 30.11.2015, 20:30

This is an incredibly absurd work of art, though not as absurd or as good as his previous film 'Alps' (2011), which is almost impossible to distil down to an essence which could adequately convey the complexity and breadth of the piece. Having said this, I laughed from the first scene (I think I was the only one to laugh at the first scene in a packed cinema) and remained engaged throughout. 

This is a surreal film that is based upon the idea that everyone has to be in a couple. If a person's relationship disintegrates for whatever reason, they have to go to a hotel where they have a set period of time to find a new 'mate'. If unsuccessful, they are turned into an animal of their choosing. The lead character played by Colin Farrell, chooses to become a Lobster, hence the title. 

I have to agree with what I have heard various critics say about it loosing it's focus once the action shifts from the hotel to the escapees in the forest. Though it is only in this part where it also becomes clear that the film is also about how most people misunderstand what empathy is. 

Although not perfect, it is great that films like this exist. Although I have more time for 'Alps', I feel it would be a lot easier to introduce people to the director's work via 'The Lobster', which is more accessible. 

Rating: 09/10.         

Live Performance Review: Dynamo: Magician Impossible - Seeing is Believing, Sunday 29.11.2015 20:00, The Playhouse, Edinburgh

Regrettably, to a large extent, the only way I can write about this performance is by referencing how it compares to the only other magician/illusionist I've seen perform, the Master, Mr. Derren Brown. 

It was a shorter performance by some considerable margin. It was far less intense in pace and due to this I felt it was easier not to concentrate as much. The illusions, I would also say to on the whole be a less impressive. If you have seen all of his television programmes, there was nothing new. 

The illusion that started the 2nd half did not feel to be particularly well carried off, being a case where I could tell what the illusion was before it's climax. 

There were some impressive parts, though I also feel there was far too much referencing back to his childhood, again nothing new having seen his programmes. I have to keep in mind that this was his first live tour and the only comparison I have is a hyper intelligent slick performer who had already done several tours before I saw him for my first time of four. It looks as though the Master may be retiring from touring, though I don't feel excited enough by Dynamo to have him replace his superior. Despite the negative comments, I did enjoy myself though did leave feeling slightly short-changed. 

Rating: 07/10.        

Live Performance Review: Dave Gorman Get's Straight to the Point, Sunday 22.11.2015 20:00, The Alhambra, Dunfermline

This is the fifth time I have seen Mr. Gorman, king of the geeks, perform since 2006 and I have still never been disappointed. I probably would not have gone, due to the travel involved, if it weren't for the fact that I have a friend who was keen to see him.

There was support from a Nick Doody, who was a lot better than an audience has any right to expect from a support act. 

Mr Gorman himself did close to two hours all of which was very enjoyable and geeky. I would say this was not quite as good as the previous tour, though that relates to the material being presented not the delivery. We were treated to two 'Found Poems', just as he did on the last tour and it was lovely to hear him get such a jubilantly joyful response from packed crowd in this more provincial venue than I am used to. 

It was lovely to hear that Mr. Gorman is now a dad. It was even better to hear his response to the audience's cheers, saying along the lines of 'Don't applaud the fact that my cock works, we are not American'.

I had thought of giving this a top rating, though this did not feel quite right. It was a fantastically engaging eve. 

Rating: 9.5/10.    

Film Review: Love 3D (18) (France/Belgium 2015) (Director: Gasper Noe) (English and French with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen One, Edinburgh, Wednesday 18.11.2015, 20:30

I went to see this film solely upon the strength of the director's previous film, 2009's 'Enter The Void', one of my all time favourite films and if you have not seen this masterpiece, I cannot recommend this more highly. 

I was aware of the sexually explicit nature of this film, though this neither intrigued or put me off. 

This is monumentally dull film. Every element was tedious. The dialogue was numskullish in the extreme. The three central characters are completely unengaging, with the most central character being a misogynistic prick who spends the film very self-indulgently hankering after a past lover while being unable to appreciate what he has or his own agency in creating his circumstances. All of this echoes what I have subsequently heard some film critics say of the film.

Gasper Noe has commented that he sees the film as being sentimental, which suggests to me that he struggles to understand  how his produce may be received by normal viewers. I really have no time for what I understand to be Gasper's first two films, 'I Stand Alone' (1998) & 'Irreversible' (2002), and now having seen  his latest dirge I can only conclude that 'Enter The Void' was a fluke. I don't know after this whether I will allow him any more chances with new product. I cannot rate or recommend this film in any way.