137. Fatal Attraction
Earning 5 Oscar nominations and $600m around the globe, the success (and controversy) of Fatal Attraction should be squarely laid at the feet of its producers.
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136. American Sniper
Clint Eastwood’s latest film has earned 6 Oscar nominations and is breaking box-office records. But does it deserve all the controversy it is generating?
135. Whiplash
With 5 Oscar nominations, Damien Chazelle’s dynamic debut is about jazz, right? Think again. Think it is about an abusive teacher? Think again.
134. Foxcatcher
The publicity will tell you that Foxcatcher is about wrestling. But like all great directors, Bennett Miller uses his subject as a metaphor for something else.
133. Birdman
Alejandro Iñárritu’s brilliant new film pretends to be about an actor trying to escape his comic-book alter ego. But really it’s about our need to escape our own egos.
132. Mildred Pierce
Joan Crawford’s portrayal of martyred mother Mildred Pierce is the stuff of legend. It not only won her an Oscar but provided her with a career defining role.
131. Titanic
Nature sank the luxury liner, but as his $200m production spiralled out of control it was James Cameron who proved himself to be unsinkable.
130. House of Cards
If you want to change television, stop people watching it. That is just one of the many tricks behind this great adaptation of Michael Dobbs’s best-selling novels.
129. Trainspotting
Released in 1996, Trainspotting was accused of promoting drug abuse. But really, it was a much needed shot in the arm for British cinema.
128. Paris, Texas
Although Wim Wenders’ picture won the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, a lot of American critics thought little of it. Has time proven them wrong?
127. Mike Nichols
Without question, Mike Nichols was one of America’s most feted entertainers. But how did he manage to break new ground and tell such compelling stories?
126. Raging Bull
In a career featuring several masterpieces, Raging Bull is considered Martin Scorsese’s greatest achievement. But what did he achieve in making it?
125. Out of Sight
Out of Sight is about second chances and it helped the three main players; Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez to relaunch their careers.
124. Frozen
Just how do Disney keep making such enormous hits? The elements of Frozen give away a very big clue: films for women about women supporting women.
123. The Terminator
Because The Terminator is not about a cyborg but a resilient woman, James Cameron’s landmark film presented him as a unique feminist.
122. Under The Skin
It took Jonathan Glazer over ten years to bring Under the Skin to the screen, but with that long gestation he might just have delivered the film of the decade.
121. Gone Girl
Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling thriller, David Fincher’s film keeps its most surprising twist until the final shot. And it’s not what you think.
120. The Fabulous Baker Boys
It’s called The Fabulous Baker Boys, but it was Michelle Pfeiffer’s Oscar nominated performance that earned the film its adjective.
119. Annie Hall
You can divide Hollywood rom-coms into two eras; before and after Annie Hall. The film also marked the arrival of one of America’s most individual artists.
118. Witness
Just how long does it take to write an Oscar-winning screenplay? In the case of Witness, it was 13 years. But how many drafts did it take and how many writers?
117. Good Will Hunting
Written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to launch their acting careers, the studio wanted Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
116. Fight Club
When it was released, Fight Club was rubbished by critics and rejected by audiences. Now it’s regarded as a masterpiece. So what changed people’s minds?
115. Doctor Zhivago
David Lean’s film of Boris Pasternack’s Nobel Prize Winning Novel whittled the sprawling epic down to a simple love story. Was it successful?
114. Robin Williams
Robin Williams was a force of nature the likes of which cinema had never seen. But what drove him to those incredible heights and then to the ultimate depth?
