Nicholson deservedly bagged the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of novelist Melvin Udall, a guy who manages to embody pretty much every loathesome charactistic known to man. Melvin seems to hate everybody, but most of all he hates himself. Plagued by manic depression and compulsive behaviour disorders, Melvin rarely leaves his apartment except to visit his favourite eaterie, where he insults all who cross his path. Only his long-suffering favourite waitress seems to be the only person in the find out more...

A rather over-sentimentalised romantic drama about the wife of a war-hero who falls in love with a paraplegic 'Nam vet. The drama is underplayed, and cliched in places, and Jane Fonda, despite a sterling attempt, comes across as just a bit too saintly. The ending adds credibilty though. find out more...

A 17th Century poet and philosopher, aesthetically challenged by way of a gargantuan hooter, nobly puts his own feelings on hold to help his friend woo the woman that he himself is in love with. Wrongly believing that we ladies are fickle enough to be swayed by devastatingly good looks, Cyrano hides his nasum under a bushel and lets the intellectually and emotionally inferior mate take the credit for his silver tongue. Michael Gordon's adaptation of the classic French novel won Jose Ferrer an Os find out more...

Donat is perfectly cast as the lovable teacher, in this classic British drama, reminiscing about his career and personal life over the decades, his rise from lowly Latin master to headmaster of a public school and the joys and tragedies which moulded his transformation. The film won a staggering seven Academy Awards. Hugely enjoyable. find out more...

Winner of 8 Oscars, this is the story of a misfit who challenges the power of the tough New York Longshoremen's Union. Steiger plays his brother, caught between divided loyalties, and Eve Marie Saint plays the woman he falls in love with. Highly recommended viewing despite its political premises. NB the special pleading on behalf of informers, deriving presumably from the fact that Kazan and Schulberg named names during the McCarthy witch-hunts. find out more...

A compassionate love story tracing the relationship between a burnt-out Country & Western star and the young widow he meets in a Texas motel. His career at an all time low and his previous relationship haunting, he hides at the bottom of a bottle but through her love and inspiration he learns to give thanks for tender, if small, mercies. Won Best Actor (Robert Duvall) and Best Screenplay (Horton Foote) at the 1982 Academy Awards. find out more...

The John Huston classic about the prim missionary lady forced to team up with a drunken ne'er-do-well for a dangerous journey when the war comes to their remote bit of Africa. Their trying odyssey downriver, of course, gradually sees the two incompatibles falling in love, with the as always detached Bogart finally discovering commitment and attacking a German gunboat. find out more...

Fast Eddie Falcon is back, older and if not wiser then certainly more cynical. Eddie has dispensed with the pool cue and has instead found himself a promising, if uneven, young protege called Vince. The two men form a fruitful though volatile relationship hustling the joints just the same way Eddie once hustled them himself, but his problem is trying to disentangle Vince from his headstrong, business savvy girlfriend. The Color of Money is a sharp, tense drama with fine performances from all con find out more...

Visually spectacular and well photographed screen version of the hugely successful musical set in Thailand, or Siam as it was known back then... With Kerr, dubbed by Marni Nixon for the songs, as the prim widowed teacher gradually falling for the King's charms. This won four Oscars and includes witty lyrics and a lush score. find out more...

A wonderfully witty story of a society wedding that seems doomed to failure. Hepburn is superb as the sassy Tracy, fighting off the advances of sarcastic ex-hubby, Grant, and the unwelcome attention of Stewart, the tabloid hack. As the wedding approaches, who will she marry? Deliciously funny! find out more...