Firstly, you're amazed by the alien ship that appears, curious about the contingency plan, and then completely blown away by the explosions and special effects. This is American patriotism at its very best, yet you forget all of that with the amount of action, comedy and typical plotlines. Ok, so the acting wasn't THAT great, but you can watch this film a hundred times and never get bored. There one liners always crack you up, and once again, America is always the one that saves the day!

A simple plot - aliens threaten the world's (more so America's) existence and someone (America) has to do something about it. With a cast led by Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and (at the time) an aspiring Will Smith, that were all very good to watch, not forgetting the rather nice looking Vivica A. Fox as Smith's fiancé I can't really put a flaw in this film since it was great fun to see. God bless America!

Done in true US Military style, 'Independence Day' is an entertaining, patriotic watch - one big dose of eye candy which can be seen again and again.

Quentin Tarantino's first movie is so good that it should be almost impossible to make a better (or to some, on par) movie after it. Of course we know he did that with 'Pulp Fiction' but here Tarantino already shows us how great he is. 'Reservoir Dogs' is a violent movie with some scenes, one in particular, that could be too much for you. If you can stand the violence you should not miss this one.

Six gangsters, who know each other only by there codename, have to steal some diamonds. They are set up and the police is expecting them. Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) escapes with Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) who is shot already. They arrive in the warehouse where they were supposed to go. Not much later Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) and Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) arrive as well. Who is the traitor? Is it one of them, or may be the missing Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker) or Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), the boss Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) or his son Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn)?

The direction from Tarantino is extremely sharp, Michael Madsen is pure evil and Buscemi, Keitel and especially Roth give fine performances as well. Another great thing is the soundtrack from The George Baker Selection with Little Green Bag to Harry Nilsson with Coconut. A great first movie from a great director. And ask yourself this, do you tip?

A film that genuinely gets better with repeated viewings, Se7en is a dark, depressing and disturbing tale which simply refuses to give the audience any grain of comfort. Brad Pitt proves for perhaps the first time in his career (forget his over-rated antics in Twelve Monkeys) that he is an edgy, dangerous actor with a good eye for an atypical role. Morgan Freeman consolidates his reputation as a consummate performer, playing the methodical, patient foil to Pitt's volatile man of action.

However, Se7en isn't just a straightforward thriller about the hunt for a serial killer. On that level it works brilliantly, but it goes beyond that. Imagine how disquieting it is to find that you share a common viewpoint with a character who has done so many sickening things. I don't ever recall seeing a film which provoked such a reaction in me. But then, twisting conventions and reversing cliches is exactly what Se7en aims to do - even the final credits roll upwards rather than downwards.

A real twisted, thought provoking, psychiatric thriller yet I cannot help being entertained by this movie. Both Brad Pitt and Ed Norton play their parts beautifully along with a comical, interesting script and some rather interesting facts and ideas.

In every sense, 'Fight Club' excels. It's visually stunning, the cast is superb, the screenplay, directing, Fincher's fingertip touch of adapting the book, the novel itself; it's all a masterpiece and a brilliant observation of todays society and the struggles of defining yourself as a man. Fight club works in every way; as a clever, entertaining movie - as an important forum of discussion - as a remarkable music video etc etc.

The first time I saw it, I felt weird, unsure of the movie's quality. It took me a few times to fully realize the meaning of this film, and when I did, I immediately bought it on DVD. Fight Club makes you think, and above all, makes you direct your thinking in ways you haven't previously thought.

With a mind blowing conclusion, this film cannot get any better, but remember - you do not talk about Fight Club!

Set in an Italian neighborhood of the Bronx in the 60's, "A Bronx Tale" is a coming of age flick about a boy (Francis Capra/Lillo Brancato) who becomes a protege of the urbane boss of the hood Sonny (Chazz Palminteri) after refusing to rat him out to the cops for a shooting. From there the boy gets some serious lessons in life in the hood under the wary and watchful eye of his hard working bus driver father (De Nero).

Being De Nero's directorial debut, this film is a by-the-numbers production with a slew of stereotypical mob type caricatures and histrionics which echo of Palminteri's stage play which offers some solid light dramatic entertainment. Not too be taken seriously, "A Bronx Tale" will be a worthwhile watch for those into wise guy flicks with some heart.

A good actor is one who we forget is on the screen seeing the character rather than the performer. Johnny Depp seems to achieve this often in his career and once again we are treated to an outstanding performance in Donnie Brasco. Depp plays FBI Agent Joe Pistone who goes undercover to infiltrate a New York Mafia family. Hollywood has been there done that with this subject matter many times over but this film has a feel that is different than most of those over the top productions. Joe Pistone becomes his alter ego Donnie Brasco, blurring the line between his job and reality.

This is an intricate character study, not a film full of flying bullets and cheesy bravado. Depp and Al Pacino both give Oscar worthy efforts as you see the fondness develop between their characters over the course of the story making the inevitable ending that much tougher for Pistone to deal with.

This is a remarkable film about an exceptional story based on an eventful life. I'm surprised by the number of critics. Does this film try and glorify the drug dealer? No. Is George Jung a hero? No. Is the film's purpose to make him one? No. This is why I have problems with a majority of the critics of this excellent film. Why the criticism? The subject matter? The fact that it was based on a true story?

At any rate, back to the film, which is wonderfully shot backed up by great performances from Johnny Depp, Ray Liotta and Jordi Molla. The film is told from a narrative perspective by George Jung (Johnny Depp) tracing the spectacular rise and fall of the pioneering US cocaine distributor of the 1970's / 80's.

The film moves seamlessly from George's adolescence to adulthood through a number of locations and vividly captures the essence of that decadent era. The sets, costumes and music all work perfectly.

The audience takes an incredible journey, pulled into a world of drug smuggling / distributing, the illusion of 'easy money', ensuing greed and finally betrayal. While many are quick to point out the fact that this person was a "drug dealer" and ponder, "why feel sorry for him?", this misses the point. His story doesn't search for sympathy from the audience, although it is a sad one. It is an unapologetic look at an unapologetic life.

The greatest takeaway from his experience was that he realized too late what was truly important in his life. Simple things, not the money, not the cars, but "real" things as foreshadowed by his father's speech to him as a child. A point that is continually being underscored by his father's unconditional love (wonderfully played by Ray Liotta, a refreshing character change for him) and culminates in his own unconditional love for his daughter - although he is too late to recieve it.

Having been a huge garage fan back in the day of its popularity and also having bought their first compilation a year earlier, The Artful Dodger have once again mixed up a great collection of the UK's finest garage groups such as Robbie Craig, Lenny Fontana and the classic from B-15 Project.

Before the take-over by England's big record label heads who turned garage into pop music garbage, this album showed people the real sound of traditional UK garage music over two discs of consistantly addictive beats and exceptional MC'sing skills. The whole compilation is a highlight and will be looked upon as one of those that showed people what the real sound of garage is.

A work of art.

One of garage music's legends has struck well again with his second album. Although not an original sound like his previous work, 'Back To Mine' does not fail to satisfy. With the addictive sound of 'Tell Me', the atmospheric 'People That I Love' and the relaxing 'Sunshine', this album is far from the average rating.

A smart move from the London DJ as he includes something for everyone with genres ranging from soul, funk, dance and ambient, making this album easy to listen to, especially if you're in a rather relaxed mood, it can help you ease up, sit back and just go back to his.

The Usual Suspects, is, in my mind, one of the most fantastic pieces of film-making ever to grace our screens. That a group of people can come up with a piece of fiction that is so excellent in every way, from start to finish, is frightening. Who knows, maybe this film has no superior.

A lot is made of the film's ending. Not for a moment am I going to let slip what exactly that is. I would never deny another film lover the sheer sense of amazement that ran through my body when the film reached its climax. While not the film's only strong point; this is a masterpiece ALL the way through, the ending will blow you away.

The cast is, in a word, flawless. Kevin Spacey has, as far as I am concerned, never been better. He turns in a performance that is so moving and outstanding that he should have got three Oscars. But he is not alone. Byrne is fantastic, Del Toro adds continental flair, and Postlethwaite is disturbingly dark, yet calculated.

By all means watch this film, and observe its strong points, from Bryan Singer's masterful direction to the equally pleasing musical score. Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride and the best ending EVER in a film made anywhere in the world. I mean that. Just who is Kasier Soseh?