Milk (2008) - ★★★★½

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer: Dustin Lance Black
Stars: Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, Victor Garber

Milk is one of the most important films ever made. This is a film I believe every gay and lesbian youth should see. It's brutal in its depiction of homophobia in the 1970s, it's unflinchingly honest in the way it represents the homosexual community at the time, and it is filled with powerful moments and speeches that support the LGBT community. Sean Penn won an Oscar for playing Harvey Milk, the first openly gay US politician. I believe it is his greatest performance, and one of the best Oscar winning performances of all time. This film may even change the minds of the naive, misinformed, or unsure anti-gay crowd. Milk shows the world a small, but utterly significant chapter of US history. It was an extremely emotional cinematic experience for me.

The Past (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Writer: Asghar Farhadi, Massoumeh Lahidji
Stars: Berenice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Jeanne Jestin, Sabrina Ouazani

I can breathe a sigh of relief, for Asghar Farhadi has produced one of the best films of 2013. In a year plagued with a lack of display for the human condition, The Past is like a beautiful storm that sweeps through and revitalises the genre that we call ‘drama.’ There will no doubt be comparisons made between this film and Farhadi’s acclaimed masterpiece, A Separation. While I wouldn’t call The Past a masterpiece, it’s still one of the best movies I’ve seen in years. Farhadi distinguishes his films from others through the usage of stunning realism, emotional performances, and complicated stories. There’s no shortage of complicated drama in The Past. It takes you on a long, thoughtful, beautiful cinematic experience. 

World War Z (2013) - ★★

Director: Marc Forster
Writers: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof (Screenplay), Max Brooks (Novel)
Stars: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Peter Capaldi, Danielle Kertesz, Fana Mokoena, James Badge Dale

World War Z is one of the worst zombie films I've ever seen. Don't be fooled by the poster, the action isn't all THAT epic. It's a generic, unintelligent, disappointing addition to the zombie-movie genre. I hated the choppy cinematography, I hated the phoney 'loving family' angle, I hated the completely unrealistic coincidences, and I hated the way it took bits and pieces from other zombie movies and made them less interesting. The performances, the story, the special effects, and the action were just underwhelming to me. I wanted more depth, more reason... something different from every other zombie film. The only difference you'll find here is that there are more zombies, less scares, and a very unsatisfying experience.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - ★★★★

Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Writers: Peter Hedges
Stars: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Darlene Cates, Mary Steenburgen, Laura Harrington, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Kevin Tighe, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover

I loved What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Watching the lives of these people unfold was both humbling and entertaining. It contains what is arguably Leonardo DiCaprio's greatest performance to date. More importantly, it's just a magnificently crafted film. The cinematography and music tells a story in itself and adds an extra layer of understanding to the characters. At times I felt they could have toned down the cheesiness of certain scenes, and other times I felt overcome with emotion. My special shout out goes to Darlene Cates who played Mama Grape. Her performance, her character, and Leonardo DiCaprio truly raise the film to greatness.

A Letter to Momo (2011) - ★★★★½

Director: Hiroyuki Okiura
Writer: Hiroyuki Okiura

A Letter to Momo is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Anyone who has lost someone close to them should see this film. “We’re not alone.” I adore this story, and everything it represents. Its message shows that there's more to this world than meets the eye... and it couldn't have been delivered in a more unique and visually beautiful way. It has the spiritual and sentimental elements of Studio Ghibli films, but the style and realism of Satoshi Kon's works. Hiroyuki Okiura apparently spent seven years producing and making this film, which we can see in each meticulous, wonderful scene. I was mostly intrigued at the start, entertained through the middle, and quietly emotional at the end. This film really takes you on a journey through the usage of real and supernatural relationships.

Top 11: Most Beautiful Movie Themes

These are the most beautiful movie themes I've ever had the privilege of hearing. I firmly believe that a great score is the difference between a good movie and a great one. Here are 11 of those scores that touch my heart, and make me feel the most profound emotions.

Boardwalk Empire: Season One (2010) - ★★★★½

Directors: Martin Scorsese, Timothy Van Patten, Jeremy Podeswa, Alan Taylor, Allen Coulter, Brian Kirk, Brad Anderson, Simon Cellan Jones
Writers: Terence Winter (Creator/Writer), Meg Jackson, Nelson Johnson (Book)
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Pitt, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aleksa Palladino, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Paz de la Huerta, Gretchen Mol, Michael K. Williams, Paul Sparks, Dabney Coleman, Jack Huston

Boardwalk Empire is quite simply, one of the greatest TV shows of all time. It's filled with masterful performances, colourful scenes, picturesque cinematography, unforgettable events, and a downright thrilling story. If the Academy Awards gave out Oscars for TV shows, then this would certainly earn awards for Best Series, Cinematography, Actor, Supporting Actress, and Supporting Actor. It's just that magnificent.

Jackie Brown (1997) - ★★★★

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Elmore Leonard (Novel), Quentin Tarantino (Screenplay)
Stars: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda

Jackie Brown is one funky, sassy, entertaining film! It has such an old-school 1970s feel to it. I just adored the soundtrack, cinematography, dialogue, and performances by Pam Grier and Robert Forster. This definitely has a Tarantino-esque feel to it, but in my opinion, it's the most unique film he has ever made when compared to his body of work. One thing I respect about Tarantino's film-making is that you can tell he puts so much thought and planning into each scene. This is what makes his movies consistently entertaining the whole way through. However, with Jackie Brown, I personally felt that there were too many scenes, and that some of the scenes were too long. The storyline is simple, too simple for a 154 minute runtime. Despite this, I found it to be a very entertaining movie.

Dark Water 'Honogurai mizu no soko kara' (2002) - ★★★★★

Director: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Ken'Ichi Suzuki, Yoshihiro Nakamura
Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa

I found Dark Water to be one of the most tragic, beautiful, most well-made horror films I've ever seen. Sure, it has some horrifying moments and brilliant suspense building techniques. What makes it stick in my mind, and makes me so damn emotional, is the story... the answer to the mystery of the film... the resolution to end the haunting. It contains two of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a horror film by Hitomi Kuroki and the young Rio Kanno. They felt like real people, which made the story feel real, which made me connect to them as human beings. Don't get me wrong, this film is damn scary. It takes a while to build up to the climax, but the climax is so damn exceptional that I can forgive the pace. I adore horror films that journey further than their genre, and add an extra layer of depth in the story. That ending for me... the whole story... was beautiful.

Sebastiane (1976) - ★★★★

Director: Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman
Writers: Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman
Stars: Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Neil Kennedy

Sebastiane submersed me in a piece of history that is seldom explored. Set in an Italian desert outpost in 303AD, we view the lives of a group of soldiers that are isolated from the world. With no women, no real form of entertainment, and all the time in the world, they become very close and engage in homo-erotic acts. In the heart of the story is Sebastiane, a Christian man who has a strange sadomasochistic relationship with the captain of the group. While it all seems like “sex sex sex!” I found it to be much more than that. It’s an entertaining, enlightening, and entirely believable period drama that revolves around the world of homosexuals, bisexuals, and sexually frustrated straight men. Matthew Lotti of Cinematic Threads called it "More or less a Playgirl calendar with a period theme." I could not disagree with him more.