9. Bladerunner 1982

I originally went to see this film because I loved Harrison Ford in the Raiders series of films. I went to a movie theatre in town, god knows which one, and there was all these posters and cut outs on the walls advertising Bladerunner. Must see. Little did I know how much I would come to love the film. Even the first time I saw it I guess I was expecting too much and I felt a little underwhelmed. But I kept thinking about it and a few weeks later I was back again. A few years later I had the video and I seemed to watch it any time someone came around. And I bought the soundtrack. The Vangelis version wasn't released but that didn't bother me. I wanted that soundtrack. I'd listen to it before I went to sleep at night ( or early morning). Of course now I have 3 versions of the movie but I still go back to the original.
Evrything about this movie is fantastic. The futuristic backdrop which is wet and dirty. The japanese style punks that walk the streets. Daryl Hannah spraying on her makeup. The buildings. The floating advertising. And the detective story transplanted from some 30s Noir film. The only thing that troubles me is those stupid shorts that Rutgaer Haeur wears in the final moments. Like something you'd wear at the gym not on some android killer. still a brilliant movie and I'm tepmted to go and watch it right now. It's raining outside. It's late. why not?

8. Monty Python and The Holy Grail 1975

We were talking about Monty Python the other night at dinner and we put on You Tube and looked at a couple of Python sketches. Then we got to the killer rabbit in Holy Grail and I remembered just how much I loved thhis movie when it came out. And for years after. Me and my mates went down to the Trak cinema in Toorak, which was our usual haunt for cinemas. We laughed from the moment it started until the final seconds. But even more fun was the years or maybe even decades after when you would get together with another Python fan and speak Pythonese.  I just laugh thinking about it. So I showed the film to my kids and they got it so well. The absurd humour just works on every level.
I'm sure there are so many people walking around with their sense of humour fully moulded by watching these shows and films from the seventies. Really, they were the best comedy ever.
What was even more exciting was the coming of video. I swear we wore out the tapes. The ones from the video shop were always slightly dodgy from so many plays.
Just as amazing is the quality of the film. I never once thought of it as a low budget movie. It looks great.

7. Zulu 1964

I've seen this film many many times and never got sick of it. The first time was in the 1975. My Uncle Jack took me and my cousin to see this film in some theatre in Blackpool. I just loved it. After that I would wait until it came on television. Which was fairly regular. Sunday afternoons was the time for these epics. Later we would have late night TV and it might come on in the depths of morning. Then along came video and then the game changed. But I'd still hang out to see it on the big screen though. Africa was just made for widescreen.
Of course this was Michael Caine's first big film. And though he hasn't got the voice he would use in later films he still has the charisma.
But really it's just a Boy's Own adventure like the comics and annuals I used to get for Christmas in my youth. How a small bunch of Englishmen (and Welsh) beat a massive army. Dressed in cool bright red uniforms.