history-light's - Favourites List

Five friends travelling through rural Texas stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. The group soon find themselves picked off, one by one, by a masked madman with a chain saw.

Silent movies are giving way to talking pictures - and a hoofer-turned-matinee idol (Gene Kelly) is caught in that bumpy transition, as are his buddy (Donald O'Connor), prospective ladylove (Debbie Reynolds) and shrewish costar (Jean Hagen).

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A good man intent on making the world a better place, Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is continually shocked and saddened by the spiteful and confrontational inhabitants of his small country town. One day his life is threatened during confession.

He shrugs off the altercation and continues to perform his pastoral duties, trying as best he can to help his parishioners. Soon, however, the sinister and troubling undercurrents he has tried to ignore start to make their presence felt more keenly, and as the forces of darkness close in around him he begins to wonder if he will have the courage to face his own personal Calvary.

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Casablanca: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if your name is on the Nazis' most-wanted list. A top that list is Czech Resistance leader VIctor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one...

especially Victor's wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. So when Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's safe transport out of the country, the bitter Rick must decide what's more important - his own happiness or the countless lives that hang in the balance.

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Detective Frank Bullit's new assignment seems routine: protecting a star witness for an important trial. But before the night is out, the witness lies dying and the cool, no-nonsense Bullitt (Steve McQueen) won't rest until the shooters - and the kingpin pulling their string - are nailed.

From the opening shot to closing shootout, Bullitt crackles with authenticity: on-location San Francisco filming, crisp dialogue and to-the-letter police, hospital and morgue procedures. An Oscar winner for Best Film Editing (1968), this razor-edged thriller features on of cinema history's most memorable car chases.

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An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility.

Based on a true story of friendship between handicapped millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), "Untouchable" depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humour between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common.

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Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind in flesh-devouring zombies despite being scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears.

As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

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Brad Pitt and Edward Norton deliver knockout performances in this stunningly original, darkly comic film from David Fincher, the director of Seven. Norton stars as Jack, a chronic insomniac desperate to escape his excruciatingly boring life.

That's when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charismatic soap salesman with a twisted philosophy. Tyler believes self-improvement is for the weak - it's self-destruction that really makes life worth living. Before long, Jack and Tyler are beating each other to a pulp in a bar parking lot, a cathartic slugfest that delivers the ultimate high. To introduce other men to the simple joys of physical violence, Jack and Tyler form a secret Fight Club that becomes wildly successful. But there's a shocking surprise waiting for Jack that will change everything...

This Is Spinal Tap is Rob Reiner's directorial debut that is often named as one of the funniest films ever made. A fly-on-the-wall look at the comeback tour of the world's loudest heavy metal band.

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Holden's (Ben Affleck) been looking for the perfect woman - funny, bright and attractive. When he finally meets Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), the woman of his dreams...

she has someone a little different in mind - another woman! But together, Holden and Alyssa share the kind of relationship they've been looking for all along and soon they discover that the confusing ups and downs of love, sex and friendship in the '90s have never been so complicated or so funny.

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Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.

With the help of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous known for killing her main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.

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Some people collect stamps, cigar bands or teacups. Jonathan saves memories of family: photos, cards, false teeth, handfuls of dirt - all sealed in individual bags and mounted on a wall. Now Jonathan seeks a more elusive memory.

He'll journey to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis in 1942.

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All eyes are on Burbank - Truman Burbank, that is. And you'll want to join the masses in taking a fresh new look at this marvel of a movie from director Peter Weir. Truman (Jim Carrey) is about to discover just how abnormal his seemingly "normal" life is.

What he doesn't realize - just yet - is that his whole life is a reality TV show, televised and broadcast for the world to see!

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Bill Murray is at his wisecracking best in this riotous romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp on the worst day of his life! Teamed with a relentlessly cheery producer (Annie MacDowell) and a smart-aleck cameraman, TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. On his way out of town, Phil is caught in a giant blizzard - which he himself actually failed to predict - and finds himself stuck in a small town hell. Just when things couldn't get worse... they do! Phil wakes the next morning to find that it's Groundhog Day all over again... and again... and again.

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The story of Bob and Charlotte, two Americans in Tokyo. Bob (Bill Murray) is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is a young wife tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband.

Through their respective insomnias, the two cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar and strike up a surprisingly intimate friendship. As the unlikely pair venture through Tokyo together, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, they ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities.