Ace in the Hole - MatthewHunt

chief Henry Fonda's manhunt for serial sex-killer-weakling Albert De Salvo (Tony Curtis
working overtime to demolish his pretty-boy image) as he terrorised Boston in the early
1960s.
Le Boucher
(Claude Chabrol, 1970)
Exquisitely understated murder mystery about a butcher courting a beautiful but reticent
schoolteacher who begins to suspect him of the vicious serial killings of local women. A
master of slow-burning suspense, Chabrol paints an unforgettable portrait of small-town life
and its unspoken dark secrets.
Bowling for Columbine
(Michael Moore, 2002)
Moore at his mightiest, contesting that great American absurdity: why the country's citizens
continue to fetishise guns when events such as the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres
keep happening. His methods may sometimes be questionable, but the results are there:
NRA president Charlton Heston holed up in his mansion, offering up desperate excuses for a
paranoid culture.
Boyz n the Hood
(John Singleton, 1991)
John Singleton was just 23 when he directed this powerful coming-of-age story set in South
Central LA. Though the message about personal responsibility is laudable, it's the
atmospheric textures of the ghetto-screaming sirens, hovering choppers, the threat of
violence hanging in the air like smog-that make the movie sing.
The Brady Bunch Movie
(Betty Thomas, 1995)
Fun and watchable scaling-up of the cheesy TV show that found its way by unashamedly
mocking its source. Seemingly unchanged since the Dayglo 1970s, the Brady clan have to
fend for themselves on the mean streets of the mid-90s; the clash of cultures is handled with
genuine humour.
Branded to Kill
(Seijun Suzuki, 1967)
It's always entertaining to see a genre director breaking all the rules. Japanese wildcard
Suzuki practically destroyed his career with this jazzy, eccentric hitman movie, but it was
worth it. Butterflies, rice fetishes and ingenious assassination techniques are all in the mix as
a sulky "number 3 killer" shoots his way to the top.
Braveheart
(Mel Gibson, 1995)
Mel Gibson may have mangled history in his own unique and self-serving way but his urgent,
thrilling semi biopic of 14th-century Scots warrior William Wallace romped to Oscar success
on the back of its sheer adrenaline energy. Gibson, in a starring role, captures the full-throttle
attitude of its hero and distils the gung-ho headiness of Wallace's myth.
Brazil
(Terry Gilliam, 1985)
While Gilliam's well-publicised struggle to get his vision released was unpleasant, it's quite
appropriate to the subject matter of the film. In a possible future where entropy is blamed on
terrorism, one small cog dreams of freedom. And yes, it does have a happy ending - but on its
own ruthless terms.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
(Blake Edwards, 1961)
Truman Capote's story of a free spirit adrift in New York was written with Marilyn Monroe in
mind, but it's impossible now to imagine anyone but Audrey Hepburn in the role of Holly