I love watching a good movie (and the odd poor one) and probably get through four or five a week if I can. My particular favourites are the ones I can watch over and over, but that's not to say that the ones I don't aren't particularly good. The Back to the Future series for example is pretty enjoyable, as is Spinal Tap, La Haine, Platoon and Gone With the Wind but I don't especially want to watch them more than once or twice. My favourite re-watchable film is probably The Breakfast Club but I guess there I'm showing my age a bit. Some supposedly good films don't strike home for whatever reason such as Wag the Dog and City Hall. I don't know why but they just don't hit the spot. I'm not going to go into great detail about the movies. You can read about technical aspects of film-making elsewhere on the net but I do aim to give you an insight into the movies I appreciate and why. Here's a little about some of my top twenty (work in progress).

Affectionately called Crouching Bastard, Hidden Bastard by my mate Lambert, this is a superb movie in many ways and one I will undoubtedly watch over and over for years to come. Starring Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi (right), the movie is set in China in the 19th Century, and is a tale of love and honour amongst warriors, as are a multitude of Chinese films. However, this, as European foreign language movies for decades had managed to do, became accessible to English speaking audiences, bringing a newfound respect for their film industry. The female roles in particular are incredibly strong and Ang Lee appears to have brought the best out of all the cast and screenplay. Zhang Ziyi I believe had no prior martial arts training, making her actions in the movie all the more impressive.

Throughout the film, there a bursts of outrageous martial arts which provide more than enough excitement, but interspersed are moments of real gentleness, with the almost unspoken love between Li Mu Bai (Fat) and Lien (Yeoh). The sub-plot of Jen's (Ziyi) lost love provide some wonderful panoramic shots and comedy, and although the movie isn't really meant to be a comedy, there are some great comic moments to look out for. Recommended to anyone who doesn't mind subtitles. Don't bother with the English Language version; the subtlety is lost. (My Rating 8.5/10)

Yes, another foreign film but they do tend to produce some terrific, touching films. This one stars Audrey Tautou as Amelie Poulain, a young woman looking for love and using her free time to help others find it too. Set in modern day France, it has the usual French quirkiness and charm but something extra. Amelie appears quite vulnerable but I think she's more gumption than she lets on. Her mischeivous antics toward the vegetable stall holder are really enjoyable, even the tried and tested doorhandle gag. The script is endlessly inventive and binds everything together with attentive detail. There are some great quotes there as well. When Amelie is thinking of what would have happened if she'd been famous and had died, the newsreel went "At 23, Amelie Poulain let her young, tired body merge with the ebb and flow of universal woe" and another great line from the coffee shop where she worked went "Love's a great beautician" which is succinct and quite true. I also noticed the quote "See you next Wednesday" thrown in, one of John Landis' oft used lines but that could have been a coincidence. Altogether, the action hums along nicely until the conclusion which is well worth the wait. Highly recommended. (My Rating 8.5/10)

Of course, I don't only watch foreign movies, but my favourites do also include the beautifully shot Jean De Florette and Manons Des Sources which brought Emmanuelle Beart to our attention.

If ever a film deserved the honour of being a classic then this is it. What is, on the face of it a joyous Christmas movie about family values and love for your fellow man, is actually quite a gritty affair with incredible low points for James Stewart's George who, through the help of an unlikely angel learns what the important things in life are. Keep a Kleenex handy as you watch it and if you ain't smiling by the end, you're truly heartless. (My Rating 9.5/10)

Okay so I slipped in one of John Hughes' films but if ever a film was made that I can watch over and over then this wins every time. Bringing a group of great young actors together with an impressive script, fiery dialogue and stylish musical interludes was inspired. Judd Nelson takes the honours with his interpretation of the outcast but despite Ally Sheedy getting little airtime, she also stands out as the quirky, messed up loner. It all shows that though people can be very different to one another, they also share many things. (My Rating 8/10)

So much has been written about Pulp Fiction that everyone should by know the general plot. After Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino had to produce something visually stunning and with enough snappy dialogue to appease his new fans and this delivered big time. The movie is cool on a rope and has great performances by Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta as the two hitmen. Bruce Willis also delivers probably his finest performance as Butch. The cutting back and forth between stories works a treat and is better on second or third viewing once everything slips into place. A must see for anyone and rightfully deserving its place at the top end of many critics' Top 100 list. (My Rating 9.5/10)

I heard all about the cult following of this movie and had never heard of Kevin Smith. I rented it, not knowing it was B&W and when the opening scene appeared I thought I might be in for a disappointing evening. No such worries as Clerks kicks in as soon as Randall opens his mouth. Slightly anarchic, always sharp and with enough observational humour to keep most stand-ups busy for months, Kevin Smith crafted a gem for his first movie. Shot on a shoestring at the convenience store he worked at, he manages to make you care about every slacker in the film, especially Dante's long-suffering girlfriend. Great fun and even better on repeated viewing. (My Rating 8/10)

This is my joint-favourite Audrey Hepburn movie along with Tiffany's. It not only gained her an Oscar for best actress; it established her as an A-List actress in her own right. Set in a beautifully shot Rome, it co-stars Gregory Peck as a handsome American journalist who takes advantage of a situation he could never have dreamed of. Audrey plays Princess Ann, who, after sitting through endless dinners and royal engagements, decides to take off into the night for an adventure. However, due to some sleeping tablets she had been given, she quickly falls asleep on a bench and is found by Peck who has little option but to let her stay at his place. What follows is a certain amount of fun-packed adventure in Rome as Peck and photographer friend Eddie Albert treat the Princess (who they pretend they don't know is the Princess) to the little things in life she's misses out on. Luckily for Ann, Peck is an honourable man who only takes the charade so far. Thrilling in places, charming and fun in others, it thoroughly deserves the praise it gets and Audrey never looked better. (My Rating - 9.5/10)

I thought Natalie Portman was terrific in Beautiful Girls as the precocious but down-to-Earth 13 year-old neighbour of Tim Hutton but she's even better here given more of a part to play. The title character is a hitman, superb at his job but conscientious and moralistic to a degree. He keeps himself to himself, dedicates himself to personal fitness and sharpness and has little time for others until he meets Matilda (Portman). Her parents and siblings are gunned down by bent cops (lead brilliantly by Gary Oldman) and takes refuge with Leon who becomes a kind of surrogate father. She is eager to learn his trade and he inevitably shows her the ropes, warning her that an assassins life is not an easy one. The bulk of the movie is about their relationship and Matilda's ideas for revenge against the corruption that killed her family. The movie has had accusations of paedophilia thrown at it for Matilda's relationship with Leon but that's bullshit. She loves Leon and he loves Matilda but there's never any suggestion that he would take it any further. Like with all the best movies, it's best watched in one sitting. (My Rating - 9/10)

Prior to watching this movie I'd never heard of Kevin Spacey or Benicio Del Toro and had never really been a fan of Gabriel Byrne but this movie changed all that. A clever script about a mysterious European assassin offered plenty of intrigue and opportunity for great performances, especially by Brit Pete Postlethwaite. Spacey is totally convincing as Verbal Kint who even at the end, you're not sure who he really is or what parts of the tale he's told are true. It could all easily have gone so wrong but for the excellent direction by Bryan Singer. He never let the story get stale and instead, offered some wonderful visuals to help keep the viewer interested. (My Rating - 7.5/10)

Now I knew who Kevin Spacey was, this was a much anticipated movie which grabbed my attention immediately. Everyone without exception gives a superb performance but Annette Bening and Wes Bentley stole the honours for me. I expected Spacey to carry the movie but was surprised at Bening who showed real emotion as the frustrated saleswoman/bored wife. Wes Bentley was incredibly understated and Mena Suvari vacuous enough for you to believe in them. There's a lot going on under the skin here and first-time director Sam Mendes makes the transition from stage to screen with real authority. Each of Spacey's family get equal airtime as their stories interweave, leading up to the crushing finale. It's a tale of a family trapped under its own weight and feeling the need to release itself from the restraints normal American family life and values places on them. Despite knowing Spacey's ultimate fate right from the opening five minutes, the movie never lets up its hold on you. I love the scene in the gymnasium which sold the movie to many people.

One of the best scripts of my top 20, Groundhog will be Bill Murray's defining film, even above Ghostbusters for his portrayal of a world-weary weatherman, sent to cover Groundhog Day in what he's come to learn over the years is a crap little town called Punxsatawney. He's shallow, selfish and has little time for his co-workers until he meets Andi MacDowell. She thinks he's amusing but certainly not her kind of man. Once in Punxsatawney, he wraps his report up quick-time and tries to leave the town, only for a freak snow blizzard to prevent his escape, forcing him and his crew to spend the night there. What follows is a marvellous series of events whereby Murray is stuck in the town indefinitely, only each day when he wakes up, it's exactly the same day as before. At first it's disturbing, then opportunist, then depressing, causing Murray to find new and inventive ways to kill himself, knowing he'll only awake the next morning. Only When he finally grows to see the town and its people as something positive, does he begin his process of self-discovery. Andi MacDowell is really cute here and Murray acts his socks off. I like it mainly for it's small town values, it's feel-good charm and the script which is hard to find any fault with at all.

This is an awesome movie. Set in the heartland of America's agricultural vastness, David Lynch manages to make an extremely slow road movie really interesting and emotional. Starting off with a superb performance by Sissy Spacek, the story of the journey is as straightforward as the title suggests. There are no weird absurdities or surreal landscapes which usually populate Lynch's movies. Instead, there is a beautifully shot America, well conceived characterisations and perfect pacing by a director who knows what he's doing. He milks the audience for every ounce of emotional strength they have but leaves enough distance between each point for you to recover in time for the next. I loved the brief moment when the camera pans away from Alvin and into the sky for a few moments. When it lowers you expect to see him in the distance but he's moved just a handful of yards. This sums up his painfully slow journey in a nutshell - terrific. I have to say that even though Harry Dean Stanton, one of the film industries strongest assets, manages to produce in just a couple of minutes, a lifetime of acting knowledge simply by sitting there and looking tired, old and inwardly happy. Best seen in one sitting and with no interruptions. You've got to admire Richard Farnsworth. A former stuntman who had moved into acting late on, he came out of semi-retirement to play Alvin Straight, his final role. He had been diagnosed with having terminal cancer and took himself out with a single gunshot. He will be judged on this performance which almost gained him an Oscar, only for him to lose out to Russell Crowe in Gladiator. (My Rating - 9/10)

A perennial favourite this one. Despite being over sixty years old, the blight of old movies - becoming dated, doesn't seem to apply here. Ingrid Bergman looks amazing, Humphrey Bogart dominates every scene he appears in and the supporting cast which includes Claude Rains, Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre all turn in assured performances. Set during World War II, you never see anything of the war, just the consequences of people fleeing Europe for the relative safety of America, via Casablanca in Morocco where Bogart (as Rick) owns a bar. Populated by refugees, German soldiers, policemen and socialites, there is a great divertisy amongst the characters and the script includes plenty of intrigue to keep you interested. There are plenty of quotes which are familiar to this day, particularly from the final scene with Bogart, Henreid and Bergman at the airport. Rick is a diplomat, keeping the Germans happy whilst not averse to helping the opposition. Claude Raines as the police chief is also a diplomat, sucking up to the Germans whilst allowing Rick a modicum of freedom. There is always a tenseness throughout that everything could come crashing around Rick's ears and it's almost a relief when the final scene's done with. Woody Allen's Play It Again Sam later plays homage to the movie and Bogart in particular as Allen's character tries but fails to live up to the on-screen charisma Bogart appeared to generate.

Some notable exceptions from my top 20 include the fabulous Casablanca, Goodfellas, Godfather, Timescape and Annie Hall, all of which I love but simply don't have the space for here. Click on the right hand link to read all about each movie on the IMDb website.