Sure, this one makes everyone's top ten movie lists, but for good reason. Orson Welles' first movie, and still one of the greatest films ever made. It's technical brilliance stands the test of time, and despite what some critics say, it all serves the story and the characters. If you've never seen it make a point to, and don't let anyone tell you how it ends.

Welles was never this good again.

From Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. Most people list his other great sprawling epic of a film The 7 Samurai, which has been the basis of several Hollywood versions from The Magnificent 7 to A Bugs Life.

But for me this one is better. It's short and sharp, very funny and just a joy to watch. Also remade as A Fistful of Dollars and more recently as The Last Man Standing

David Lean's epic and the starmaking vehicle for Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif. Sprawling and vast, but utterly compelling. The cinematography is magnificent and the score, of course, majestic.

The making of the film is an epic in itself, taking two full years of production. Get the DVD for some great extra features.

Joel and Ethan Cohen direct, write and produce. Almost eveything they do is brilliant from their very first movie Blood Simple.

This one though is my favourite of theirs. Starring Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter, it is outrageous, heartwarming (without being cloying) and displays their masterful film-making style brilliantly.

This is the 1986 musical version directed by Muppet-man Frank Oz, and starring Rick Moranis and the delectable Ellen Green, reprising her role from the broadway production. Based on the Roger Corman quickie from 1960 this takes a good idea that deserved better and turns it into something great.

The songs are simply brilliant (from the team that went on to write for Disney with Aladdin and Little Mermaid). Skid Row brings me to tears every time and Feed Me and Big Green Mother from Outer Space are other stand outs. The 'puppetry' of Audrey 2 makes the creature utterly believeable, and Steve Martin as the Dentist has got to be seen to be believed.

The ending is dissapointing though. On stage the plant wins, but here they give us a happy ending, and cut the final song. Dissapointingly the DVD does not include the end-sequence that was cut where the plants take over the world. (the song is on tyhe soundtrack album though and there some stills of the sequence on the cover)

Directed by Richard Rush and starring Peter O'Toole and Steve Railsback. A brilliant script about the making of a film with O'Toole as the meglomaniacal director. Complex and multi-layered, funny and with some great action. The music is also a great plus.

I get something new from this one every time I see it. A great one to study if you want to learn about screenwriting. Also get the Special Edition DVD if you can which includes a fabulously detailed featurette by Rush about the process of getting the film made.

Arnie at his monosylabic best, and Director James Cameron before he went all wet with Titanic. The special effects - cutting edge at the time - still hold up because they serve the story so well; and for an action film the plot is better than most. The boy played by Edward Furlong is a pain, but Linda Hamilton outbutches Sigourney Weaver from Alien holding her own against the Cyborg threat.

Almost everything Stanley Kubrick did was a masterpience - even Eyes Wide Shut which managed to make a stupid premise compelling. Most people would go with 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is also a brilliant film, but it has dated somewhat.

For me this one stands out as the ultimate Social Satire on MAD politics. Peter Sellers is at his best in three roles (including the title) and George C Scott was never better. It's funny, it's dark, and it makes you really think.

Directed by John Huston (his first) and starring Humphrey Bogart, with Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. Many would choose Casablanca over this, but for me this one is more about Bogart's character (Sam Spade) and less about unrequited love. It's very funny, Bogart is in total control, and the plot bounces from pillar to post to marvellous denouement.

Catch also The Big Sleep. Same character, similar convoluted plot, and Lauren Bacall in top form.

Werner Herzog directing Klaus Kinski. The volatile partnership and this film shows them at their best. Following the doomed expedition of a group of spanish conquistadors, the film-makers shooting on location in the Amazon region clearly went though all the hardship the characters do.

Magnificent scenery. Raw, compelling, hypnotic. A study of madness from one of the best 'unbalanced' actors ever to grace the screen. Make sure you see the German sub-titled version.

This is number 11 on the list but a new entry. My favourite film of 2004. Written by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich), and directed by Michel Gondry (One my all time favourite music video directors. The story is both incredibly simple - a love story - and mind-bogglingly complex. It is pointless trying to describe it. Just watch it.

Gondry does a masterful job of making this convoluted plot clear and compelling, and it is the most human and touching of Kaufman's work to date. Jim Carrey is great in a very differeent role for him. The entire cast is great.

It is also a great lesson in guerilla fim-making, where many of the 'special effects' are often done entirely in-camera or with simple but clever techniques that don't require massive CGI.

West Side Story
Pulp Fiction
Almost anything with Jackie Chan
Aliens
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Wild One
Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein (The 1930's Karloff versions)
Long Good Friday
Spinal Tap (Turn the volume up to 11)
Bringing Up Baby (One of the original Screwball comedies)
The Great Race (Too long, But Jack Lemmon is hilarious!)
Noises Off (Theatrical farce at it's best)
Collateral (The Micheal Mann - Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx film of 2004)

Either this one or Quadrophenia. Tommy is their landmark album but for my money these are much more mature and musically better concieved albums, with some of the best songs The Who ever did.

What!? You have never heard of the Residents? This is a group from the US who started out back in early seventies or so and they're still going strong. Not much is actually known about them as they keep their identities ultra-secret. Their music an aquired taste - very wierd, bizarre, avant-guard rock. Hard to explain.

This album - according to the packaging - was recorded with the intent it never be released. The ultimate obscurity (hence the title) . As a result it is, I think, their most personal album, and very touching in amongst all the wierdness. Of course the record Company (Ralph) did end up releasing it. Track it down if you dare.

Funhouse / Raw Power
- Iggy and the Stooges

OK, so this is two albums, but both are landmark pre-punk recording from Iggy Pop with his old band the Stooges. Both are flawed masterpieces though. Funhouse is great until you get to the Freeform Jazz inspired last track which is just indulgent, and Raw Power has a few duds (including the title track in my opinion), but the rest of the songs are pure classics. David Bowie mixed Raw Power (rough as guts too), heralding later collaborations on The Idiot and Lust For Life when Iggy went solo.

There has been a re-release of Raw Power, re-mixed by Iggy himself. This however doesn't improve things much. It tries to stay true to the original, acknowledging it's flaws but which have become part of its character, and I think Iggy has lost too much high frequency hearing over the years because it is so toppy. But at least there is a bit more bass than in the original.

Yeah I know another double-up. David Bowie again was at the mixing console for Transformer. One of my favourite all time songs is here - Perfect Day, and lots of other gems.

Transformer was Lou's breakthrough album and of course had the hit Walk on the Wild Side. Berlin was the followup and was a much darker and sombre affair, but still brilliant. Since then Reed has been patchily great but never this good again.

20,000 Watts RSL
-Midnight Oil

This is a compilation. And apart from the first track, their current single at the time of release which is a dud, every track is just brilliant. Goes to show what a great band the Oils were (they are geting past their prime now). And there are so many other good songs they have that simply got left off.

Another compilation, but a great collection from this now defunct band. Showing enourmous range with in-your-face songs like Epic to ballads like Easy.

These two albums really do belong together anyway. I love Bjork, even though some of here more recent stuff has been like experiments gone wrong, at least she's experimenting, and when it works it's great - as is, Vespertine - which is another great favourite.

These first two albums though are more accessible, quirky, atmospheric but full of great tunes and songs. And that Voice!

What a tragic loss Jeff Buckley was. This album is just sublime. Every song an emotional epic. When he hits his stride in the title track it brings you to tears.

I' ll toss these two together as well, as these seem to fit so well. Never liked Genesis much, but once Gabriel went solo I've loved just about everything he's done. A true innovator.

These albums are a little more commercial than some of his others perhaps, but they still play around with a lot of ideas.What makes them great though is the production values (Producer Dave Bottrill. They sound clean and dynamic and beautifully balanced. A good pair to studty for production techniqhes. The video clips for songs from these albums were also briliiant. Clearly a very creative period.

I discovered Dreamtheater in 2004 and they are my favourite band at the moment. I love everything they have done pretty much. They are Progressive Metal and all are virtuoso instrumentalists (and I include here their singer James LaBrie). This is their most recent album, and includes an absolute classic instrumenta - Stream Of Consciousness. They wear their influences on their sleeve and you can clearly hear at times Yes, ELP, Zappa, Jethro Tull, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Metallica and even Tool.

Also check out Scenes from A Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, and Awake, plus their Live at Budokan DVD. But check out their entire catalogue if you like it loud and melodic. Every album is different and a gem.

Songs For Swinging Lovers - Frank Sinatra
Graceland - Paul Simon
Ziggy Startdust / Station to Station / Heroes - David Bowie
Revolver / Sgt. Peppers - Beatles
Drag - kd Lang
Almost all of Frank Zappa
Under One Roof - Hunters & Collectors
Live At the Sydney Opera House - Sammy Davis Jnr (!)
Nevermind - Nirvana
The Doors / Strange Days - The Doors
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart
Heart-attack and Vine - Tom Waits
Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes
Innovisions / Fullfilliness... / Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
Horses - Patti Smith
Muscle of Love / Alice Goes to Hell - Alice Cooper
Dummy - Portishead
Protection - Massive Attack
Play - Moby
Kid A - Radiohead
Vespertine - Bjork
Internationalist - Powderfinger
CatGut Your Tongue - FourPlay
Hope - Klaatu

Simple, understated, and disconcertingly intimate. A gem.

The original of this song (from the 60's) and still the best by far (forget Banarama and other bad covers). Gothic pop at its most infectious

Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

Produced by the master of the Wall of Sound - Phil Spector. it features two magnificent voices soaring through one of the greatest torch pop songs ever.

Weapon of Choice -
Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook)

A recent favourite. This is just such a clever song that makes you want to dance - as it does for Christopher Walken in the video for the song (brilliant!).

To my mind the definite Rock & Roll song. It's simple, raw, and shows Elvis at his best - light-hearted yet gutsy.

I might also say 'Shiver' from Nick's early days with The Boys Next Door/Birthday Party.Of his more recent stuff though this song stands out for me. A love song with a vengeance.

Before sampling and innovative video clips this song was a surprise hit for performance artists Laurie Anderson. Most people would have seen it as a novelty back in the eighties, but it is a real precursor people like Massive Attack, Radiohead, Bjork, and Portishead. It manages to be intellectual without being pretentious. Way ahead of its time.

As I said above of album of the same name, an epic ballad that soars into the stratosphere. When he holds that long note towards the end it goes right up your spine.

Brilliantly simple song, and an astonishing video clip of a hobo wandering, seemingly drunk, through a traffic tunnel. Cars are dodging and honking him, and a few even hit him with terrifying realism - till that final one that goes to mow him down - and loses.

Great concept - simple and compelling.

I forget the Director's name, but I think he also did that brilliant clip for Square Pusher - Come on My Selector. He has a real knack for visualising the sound. Come to Daddy is one of the scariest and most terrifying clips made to date. And the visuals just fit so well with the anarchic music and sounds without being too 'mickey mouse'. Brillliantly conceived.

Stinkfist -
Tool

Awesome song. Awsome band. This was the first (I think) of their series of live-action/stop-frame animation clips using deformed human characters and utterly wierd situations. Whoever the guy is directing these he has a very twisted, Cronenberg-ish imagination. Later ones weren't quite as good, though the clip for Schism was also very wierd and compelling.

Another brilliantly simple concept, getting Christopher Walken as a weary businessman to suddenly break into dance throughout and empty building foyer. Can't say I blame him, the song is just so danceable, and in this abridged 3-minute version it ends all too soon. While Walken does manage most of the moves himself, astute viewers may notice moments where a dance double was obviously used.

The Beautiful People -
Marylin Manson

The second of Marilyn's great gothic nightmare's (the first being Sweet Dreams). The song again is so simple musically but works so well. The clip is over the top and outrageous, and also very scary.

Nine Inch Nails -
The Perfect Drug

Great song, and another gothic horror nightmare of a clip. (You may note I have a thing for this sort of style. Goes back to my thing with Frankenstein. Can't abide the gorefest horro flics though - give me atmosphere and menace and less of the rampant violence)

I love most of Massive Attacks clips - all very interesting and polished. This one offers more of a story with a twist in the tail than the others and breaks out of the music for some live action and dialog in parts. Another of theirs I particulalrly like, simply for its visual cleverness is Protection, which works really well with the song.

Boys Keep Swigning -
David Bowie

It looks pretty dated now, and Bowie has done so many other great clips like the epic Blue Jean short film, and more recent ones like Little Wonder. But when I first saw this I was young and impressionable and blown away by it. Mainly because I was genuinely surprised by the ending. Astute viewers may not be now and all it seems a bit camp, but at the time it was knockout stuff.

Another older one, and another single static shot clip. Here Elvis sits in a photo booth lameting his lonliness, oblivious to the parade of people who lean in and kiss him and express their love for him. Poingnant, heartbreaking, and so simple. Loved it way back when, and it still works for me today.

Iggy Pop - I'm Bored - performed live on Countdown. A seminal moment in Australian rock culture - though I'm sure Iggy doesn't remember any of it he was so off his face.
Sepultura - Ratamahatta
Malcolm McLaren - Deep In Vogue. Vogueing before Madonna homogenised it.
AC/DC - Jailbreak
Moloko - Fun for me
Disposable Heroes Of Hiphopracy - Television, The Drug Of A Nation
Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Kylie Minogue - Confide In Me
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
Eminem featuring Dr. DRE - Guilty Conscience
The Sex Pistols -Anarchy In The UK
Moby - Bodyrock - The Auditions
Spinal Tap - The Majesty Of Rock

The underbelly of New York and America in general is his territory, and when he explores this he is visual master. Other moments (like New York, New York he just wasn't right for). And of course it is the films with DeNiro that stand out - Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino. All great. Watch and learn

Japan's national treasure. Especially for films like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Kagemusha, and even his non-Samurai flics.

Joel & Ethan Cohen

One of my top films - Raising Arizona - but also films like Hudsucker Proxy, Blood Simple, Fargo, Barton Fink, and most recently Brother Where Art Thou? Even at their most indulgent they still make a better film than almost anyone on Hollywood.

For Godfather 1 & II, and Apocolypse Now alone he has a place in Cinema history, and while focusing on growing wine nowadays he has an impressive list of credits. Including The Conversation, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and lesser known classics like Tucker, Rumblefish and The Outsiders.

Steven Soderberg

A recent favourite thanks to films like Traffic and Erin Brokovith, but most impressively, The Limey.

He hasn't got the track record of the others in this list, but to date, everything he has done has been stunning and definitely original. And he's Australian! Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge. This most recent movie has some simply brilliant moments. It is flawed though - with moments like the 'Your Song' sequence, but this is made up for with the 'Roxanne" tango sequence. One of the best musical tablueas I've seen in a movie musical.

Although after Citizen Kane he was never to really direct a complete movie again from start to finish, there are moments of spectacular brilliance (and awful indulgence) throughout the rest of his career. Check out Magnificent Ambersons, The Stranger, and Touch of Evil.

One of the true masters. Practically everything he made was compelling and thought-provoking. While his approach was often impersonal and intellectual, I like that sometimes - better than a good idea and story being ruined by over-emotionalism (as Spielberg is often guilty of).

From early Dickins classics like Oliver Twist and Hobson's Choice made in England, to the epics of Lawrence, Zhivago and River Kwai. These alone make him one the greatest directors of the last century. He manages to make a moment really work on all fronts, and some of his transitions from one scene to the next are a study in how to maintain the flow and juxtapose characters and situations in an epic story.

John Woo
Ang Lee
Robert Altman
Terry Gilliam
Alfred Hitchcock
Ron Howard
John Huston
Elia Kazan
Sergio Leone
David Lynch
Dr. George Miller
Mike Nichols
Ridley Scott
Steven Speilberg
Quentin Tarantino
John Waters
Billy Wilder