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I'm a real film fanatic, and almost every film I see holds some magnificent moment for me. Don't be fooled by the list below, I've seen Citizen Kane, I've seen The Seventh Seal. I've seen any number of obscure arthouse films. On the whole, they don't make my top list, and the reason is simple. For all the critical posturing and the proponents of auteur theory, cinema remains an almost industrial artform. Even the simplest, lowest-budget film has a team of dozens behind it and a commercial film that doesn't entertain... well, I struggle. I really do. So there may be a few unexpected chaps in the list below. My current top list of movies is, in no particular order:

1) Edward Scissorhands. A charming fairytale with human warmth at the centre of its grim trappings. The sweet story of how snow came to a small town somewhere not too far away, Edward Scissorhands offers fantastic central performances from Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, as well as a superb score from Danny Elfman and, most importantly, triumphantly twisted direction from Tim Burton. The film throws image after image at viewers, and every fresh viewing brings a new bit to love. How many times did it take me to notice the shot of Edward wandering around his new home, shot from a low angle to highlight the absurdity of juxtaposing a scissor-handed horror nightmare with a sweet suburban house.

Favourite moment: The bit where Winona Ryder's dancing in the snow and it all looks for a moment as though it might just end happily.

2) Pierrot Le Fou. A Jean-Luc Godard film responsible for at least some of the style and tone of Bonnie and Clyde. Godard regulars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina are captivating as they race across France on a car-stealing crime spree, relating the tale of the world's last romantic couple. Beautifully shot with lyrical dialogue and gut-bustingly funny, this is probably the best film that's ever been made. Its influence is everywhere today, from the Tarantino homage described below, to the running 'Allons-y, Alonso' gag in the relaunched version of Doctor Who. Look out for the non-sequitur of the man with the same tune stuck in his head for twenty years. This film singlehandedly inspired my passion for Film Studies. It's that good.

Favourite moment: Ferdinand drives under sweeping red and blue lamps, holding an eerie conversation with his former lover, Marianne Renoir. Referenced heavily in the Tarantino-directed sequence in Sin City.

3) Grosse Point Blank. John Cusack has never been

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