My top 30 films - No.20

20. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - "Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France…"

"You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino." Did Quentin Tarantino pay attention during history lessons? This film definitely isn't the one to watch if you are doing a school project about World War 2. I remember when I was 14, I had to do a project about life in the trenches during World War 1 and I just watched Blackadder Goes Forth. At least I made my teacher smile.

It starts in 1941, when a teenage Jewish girl called Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses her family getting slaughtered at the hands of Colonel Hans Landa (Christolph Waltz) of the SS. Three years later, she is operating a cinema in Paris and has changed her name to Emmanuelle Mimieux. She meets Private Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl (Good Bye, Lenin!), a decorated war hero who has a propaganda film made of his exploits. He takes interest in her and convinces Joseph Goebbels to show the premiere of the film, Stolz der Nation (Nation's Pride), at her cinema. Realising that the majority of the German High Command will be attending the premiere, Shosanna plots to burn down the cinema. Meanwhile, a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known as the "Basterds", led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt (Fight Club)) have landed behind enemy lines and are on a mission to spread fear throughout the Nazis. To quote Lieutenant Aldo Raine when confronting a group of Nazi survivors after one attack, 'you probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'. Other methods of intimidation include scalping victims and carving swastikas on their foreheads. They later learn about the premiere and team up with the British, who themselves plan to kill all the members of the German High Command. The name of this mission - Operation Kino. However, they discover something about the premiere which they don't expect at all and I won't reveal this.

I'll be honest in saying that Inglorious Basterds is more historically inaccurate than Pearl Harbour, which was plain awful (mainly because it was directed by Michael Bay who is a crime against humanity) and that Marie Antoinette film with Kirsten Dunst directed by Sofia Coppola, which had an aeroplane flying in the middle of it. And you know what? I don't care. It reminds us how good a director Quentin Tarantino can be, even if many would regard him now as a "fanboy". It reminds us that even though he made the rubbish that were Kill Bill and Death Proof, he has made some of the most memorable films of all time, by which I mean Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction (no disrespect to Jackie Brown). Inglourious Basterds is said to have been written in 1998, but Tarantino couldn't think of an ending. So it took a long time to be made, but it makes up some of his previous mistakes.

Many say that Quentin Tarantino is very good at dialogue set pieces, as from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and there are several moments which stand out to me. This includes the opening scene where the audience knows that there are people hiding in the shack and that Hans Landa might know that, but he just plays along with it. It is delaying the inevitable. Another memorable scene for me is the one in the tavern where we are introduced to Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) and they end up playing "Guess who?" Many have called it a mini Reservoir Dogs and Tarantino is alleged to have said that it's his proudest moment as a director. I can see comparisons between this and the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs. Another way to tell that it's a Tarantino film is the chapters structure/format that it has, similar to Pulp Fiction. There are also cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel, who have featured in previous Tarantino films. Once again, like other Tarantino works, the soundtrack is not originally composed, but features a wide variety of music, from classic scores already used in films by Nick Perito and Ennio Morricone to the rock sounds of Billy Preston and David Bowie.

However, the best thing about this film is one particular actor and his portrayal of Hans Landa - Christoph Waltz. In this film, he is both mental and brilliant. One scene, he is ordering soldiers to kill somebody; in the next he is ordering strudel and cream. This is the first time he has been brought to the world's attention and it was worthy of the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Apparently, Michael Fassbender, who plays Lt. Archie Hicox in the film, auditioned for the role of Hans Landa. Unfortunately for him it wasn't to be, but when he plays Magneto in X-Men: First Class it does show what he could potentially have given as Landa.
On the other hand, whereas some people have said that it's Tarantino's best piece since Pulp Fiction, Daniel Mendelsohn said that "Tarantino indulges this taste for vengeful violence by—well, by turning Jews into Nazis" and David Denby of The New Yorker said "it's too silly to be enjoyed, even as a joke"; he went on to call Tarantino "an embarrassment". I will admit it's not everybody's cup of tea and even though it's a Jewish revenge movie, there isn't that much Jewish content, compared to something like Schindler's List or Defiance. I don't like the fact that Tarantino keeps saying "it's my Xth film" for every release. Whether he likes it or not, he did direct part of Four Rooms, which was a "disappointment", and Kill Bill was two films. The reason being - people paid twice. He has also produced some stinkers, mainly the Hostel series. So if I was to give him advice I would say, "Quentin, remember what you have done that has been successful. I know you like to pay homage to everything from your youth, but try writing something original."

My top 30 films - No.21

21. The Graduate (1967) - "This is Benjamin. He's a little worried about his future."

When this film was released, people called it "daring" and "scandalous". It was revolutionary; no one had ever made a film like this before. These kind of films would be common nowadays. Basically, it's all about sex.

Before, I said that Control was Sam Riley's breakthrough performance. The Graduate was the same for Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer, Rain Man and Midnight Cowboy). He plays Benjamin Braddock, who at the beginning of the film has just graduated from college, but doesn't have any ideas of what to do next. He ends up giving a lift home to friend of the family, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft (The Elephant Man)), but she asks him to come inside. You want to know what happens next? I'll just say this - "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me... Aren't you?" Mrs. Robinson decides she wants to have an affair with Benjamin and they spend a lot of their time together in hotel rooms at night. However, his parents are concerned about the fact all he does all day is laze about in the pool. They and Mr. Robinson arrange a date between Benjamin and Elaine Robinson (Katherine Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Stepford Wives)), much to Mrs. Robinson's distaste.

Dustin Hoffman is brilliant in this movie. Benjamin starts in his own little world and is oblivious to everyone in the opening scenes. He wants to be by himself, but when he is with Mrs. Robinson he is unfamiliar territory, due to his lack of relationship experience. There is an unforced awkwardness to several of Benjamin's mannerisms which is appealing. Apparently director Mike Nichols told Hoffman to "play the part without acting". If it is true that Jack Nicholson was considered for the role, think how everything would be different now. Personally, I cannot see Dustin Hoffman in The Shining or One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Anne Bancroft is very good at portraying Mrs. Robinson; you can see that she has reached the end of the road with her marriage and she has turned to alcohol and wanting an affair with someone. Katherine Ross is essentially the nice girl the audience wants Benjamin to fall for, yet she doesn't know that he has had an affair with her mother.

The best thing about this film, by miles, is the music. It is basically the greatest hits of Simon & Garfunkel, minus Bridge Over Troubled Water because that was released in the 70s. Mrs. Robinson was written for this movie and Simon & Garfunkel were already loved by millions for works such as Scarborough Fair/Canticle and The Sound of Silence. They used their popularity was a selling point to the film. If a modern day band tried that, the movie would be rubbish.

This film is a classic, yet like many it was overlooked by the Academy Awards, who were in favour of In the Heat of the Night. However, Mike Nichols did win Best Director and the American Film Institute ranked this as the #17 Greatest Movie of All Time in 2007. The image at the top is perhaps one of the greatest images in cinema history; it's iconic. This film appeals to everyone. Ultimately we have all or will all be in the same situation as Benjamin. You've graduated and you have no idea what to do with your future. Do you want a career in "Plastics"?

My top 30 films - No.22

22. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) - "The creators of JAWS and STAR WARS now bring you the ultimate hero in the ultimate adventure."

Before they made this film, Steven Spielberg (E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jaws) said that he always wanted to direct a James Bond film, but George Lucas (Star Wars and American Graffiti) said that he had an idea "better than James Bond". Spielberg loved the plot, calling it "a James Bond film without the hardware", but he didn't like one thing - the main character's name, which was Indiana Smith. So Lucas decided to change it to Indiana Jones.

This is the first of the Indiana Jones films, with Harrison Ford (Star Wars and Blade Runner) as the famous archaeologist. It's set in 1936, a time when the Nazis were all around the world searching for historical artifacts, which would help them in their quest for power. Two U.S. army officials tell Indy that the Nazis are looking for his former mentor Abner Ravenwood and he deduces that they are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which would make the Nazis invincible, and they want him to get ahold of it before them. Indy travels to Nepal to meet up with Abner's daughter Marion (Karen Allen (Animal House)), only to find out that Abner is dead, and together they meet up with Indy's friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies (Lord Of The Rings trilogy) in Cairo. However, Marion gets kidnapped by the Nazis and Indy encounters his rival archaeologist Belloq (Paul Freeman (The Long Good Friday and Hot Fuzz)), who is working with them. They have already found the site, but to Indy's advantage they are digging in the wrong place. So he must find the Ark and get it away from them.

Let's face it, Indiana Jones is one of the greatest characters in movie history. You say Indiana Jones to somebody and they will think of the fedora, the jacket and the whip. He is so recognisable. Plus, it is perhaps Harrison Ford's greatest performance. Spielberg was the one who originally suggested Ford, but Lucas didn't want him to become his "Bobby De Niro" (reference to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro). Indiana Jones was going to be played by Tom Selleck, but he pulled out due to other commitments (Magnum P.I.). Therefore, they went for Ford, especially after his performance as Han Solo in Lucas' The Empire Strikes Back.

This film is almost for many of its numerous set pieces and stunts. The most famous has to be the boulder scene. I now expect every archaeology related film to feature a boulder sequence, so they owe that to this film. Another famous stunt in the film is when Indy is clinging onto the front of a lorry and he then crawls under it to appear on the other side, all this whilst it's moving. That was a stunt that stuntman Terry Leonard tried previously in The Legend of the Lone Ranger that went wrong. I particularly like the fact that when he's at the front of the lorry, Indy is clinging onto the Mercedes badge and it just bends off. There are so many to choose from and that is what makes this film memorable.

Something else that is lasts a lifetime is the iconic theme music. Like the majority of Spielberg's movies, it is conducted by John Williams. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their show on BBC Radio 5 Live, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode broadcast a live show from Salford, with a variety of film scores performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The rules were only one piece per composer, but for John Williams they decided to let the listeners choose between either Raiders Of The Lost Ark or Jaws. Raiders Of The Lost Ark got 67.5% of the votes.

All the scenes of the dig site just outside Cairo, in fact all the Egypt scenes were actually filmed in Tunisia. That area was familiar to the majority of the crew, who had previously worked on Star Wars, as Tunisia was where they shot the scenes on Tatooine. Other pieces were filmed in San Francisco, La Rochelle, Elstree Studios and Hawaii. An interesting piece of trivia, there is a submarine that features in this film and it is the same one used for the film Das Boot.

I would like to dedicate this to the actor/wrestler Pat Roach, a.k.a Bomber in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Apart from Harrison Ford, Pat Roach is the only person to appear in all three films of the original trilogy. In this film, he plays a Sherpa and a plane mechanic, both of whom Indy has brawls with; in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom he played a Thuggee and in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade he briefly appeared as a Gestapo officer. He also appeared in Never Say Never Again, Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange. Unfortunately, he died in July 2004, but his memory will always live on.

This is obviously the best film of the franchise, but they have all been successful in my opinion (apart from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a much darker and serious film to this, in the same way that The Empire Strikes Back was. There are also many comic elements to these films, including the following:

Is Indiana Jones a greater personality than James Bond, like they originally intended. Too close to call, but the Indiana Jones films are better. Plus, he has made archaeology cool.