GARY'S CLASSIC COMPARISONS

Welcome to the fourth in a series of Classic Comparisions features. This month we take a look at the selection from one of our Site Assistants, Gary. To access comparisons for any of the films, just click on the cover art.

	1. THE THING Some of my favourite horror films come from the '70s and '80s, and The Thing is one of the all-time greats. The special effects are incredible - amazing to see it now and remember they were all achieved without the aid of computers. Also a fantastic DVD with some first-rate extras, especially the top-notch commentary from director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell.		2. SPIRITED AWAY Any one of Hayao Miyazaki's films could have made my list, but choosing which one proved difficult as they are all so good. In the end it came down to a choice between Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, but Spirited just got the nod as my favourite for its superior storytelling. Looks stunning and features a wonderful Joe Hisaishi score, as well as great performances from the Japanese voice cast.		3. TWIN PEAKS The first season of Twin Peaks represents some of the best television ever made as David Lynch and Mark Frost introduce us to the weird and wonderful town and its even stranger inhabitants (Dr Jacoby, I'm looking at you!). Sadly the show declined in quality after the Laura Palmer murder was resolved and it was cancelled after just 29 episodes. Interesting fact: I used to post Twin Peaks trivia quizes on alt.tv.twin-peaks!
	4. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Never having seen the original (well, not fully) I can't compare old vs new. However, this re-imagining of the original is absolutely superb with well-drawn characters and strong storylines. The cast is also excellent with great performances all round - in particular Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell who share some fantastic scenes as Commander Adama and President Roslin respectively. Roll on Season 3!		5. LOST HIGHWAY A work of genius, though I tend to say that of all David Lynch's films, Lost Highway is often overlooked by fans which is unfortunate because it's one of his best. The story and universe it takes place in is typically Lynchian and the sound design is absolutely superb. I've watched it twice since getting the DVD and it leaves me blown away and mystified at the same time.		6. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION My favourite anime of all time, Evangelion has a great story, is superbly animated and scored and features an ending that still has fans talking about it 10 years after it first aired (the alternate-ending movie, End of Evangelion, is also excellent). Everything I've seen since (with the exception of Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) pales in comparison - it really is that good.
	7. SERENITY The brilliant TV series Firefly was cancelled before its time, but thankfully Serenity, the big screen spin-off, turned out to be one of the best science-fiction movies in recent memory (yes, better than the Star Wars prequels - and that's coming from a SW fan). Intelligently written, highly entertaining and well acted by the ensemble cast. The DVD also features a great commentary from director Joss Whedon.		8. STAR WARS TRILOGY Star Wars was a huge part of my life growing up, whether it was re-enacting the lightsaber duels on the school playground or searching toy shops for that elusive Princess Leia figure. Until recently the only versions available on DVD were the SEs, but thankfully Lucas has seen sense and has decided to release the original theatrical versions as well. But in either form this simply had to be included. Oh, and I finally got the Leia figure some 15 years later!		9. HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS It was a difficult decision over which Takashi Miike film to include as he's made some great films in a variety of genres, but Katakuris made the list because it's such a joy to watch. It may be a remake (of Korean film The Quiet Family) but it's done in such a highly creative way it's hard not to like it. Drama, comedy, musical numbers (complete with zombies) and some completely off the wall characters all combine to make Katakuris great entertainment.
	10. THE KILLER Another great director (John Woo) and another difficult choice. I went for The Killer because it has all the trademark Woo action sequences but it also has drama and emotional depth that Woo has found difficult to replicate in his Hollywood movies. Danny Lee is great as the maverick cop, but Chow Yun-fat as the hitman has rarely been better.		11. ZOMBI 2 I'm a big fan of Italian horror films from the late '70s and early '80s, and several of director Lucio Fulci's rank among my favourites. Zombi 2, in particular, is a real favourite of mine, thanks in large part to the great effects, cool synth score and dubbing courtesy of the legendary Nick Alexander. Interesting fact: Zombi 2 was the first R1 DVD I imported after buying my first DVD player back in 1999.		12. MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS I was determined not to have too much TV in my selection, but I just couldn't leave out Monty Python, my favourite comedy series. Too young (honest!) to have seen the original broadcasts, I discovered Python at school and spent many hours recreating scenes from the script book with my mates, even though none of us had seen the scenes in question. Maybe if I'd spent more time studying and less time on dead parrots I wouldn't have had to resit my maths GSCE!
	13. THE DESCENT Neil Marshall has made two cracking horror films, but The Descent makes the list ahead of Dog Soldiers as it had a greater effect on me - as it will on most people who are claustrophobic. It's a simple enough story but it's well played out with some big scares. A real jump-in-your-seat horror movie, and I haven't seen one of those in ages.		14. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER One of the greatest television shows ever made, with strong writing, well developed characters, emotional depth and creator Joss Whedon's trademark witty dialogue throughout. The first season may have been a bit patchy, but the second was excellent and the show really started to come into its own in the third. Watching it again recently it was a joy to see the characters develop over the seven seasons.		15. DEEP RED Giallo at its very best, David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi are perfect in their roles. Although many consider Suspiria to be his masterpiece, I don't think Dario Argento has made a better film than this. As soon as you think you've figured it out, there's a final, ingenious twist that I never saw coming. Oh, it also has a fantastic score by Goblin.
	16. GROSSE POINTE BLANK I just love this film and never get tired of watching it. John Cusack is great (as are the supporting cast) but Dan Aykroyd steals the show as the rival hitman trying to recruit Cusack's character into his new organisation. It's a shame there isn't a decent DVD release out there as this classic deserves the SE treatment as much as anything. Ten years, man!		17. THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES Three of the greatest adventure movies ever made, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade have great nostalgic value for me as I have fond memories of watching each one while growing up. Took ages to arrive on DVD, but definitely worth the wait as the transfers look great and the bonus DVD features some nice extras. Now where's Indy IV?		18. MR VAMPIRE This was the film that first introduced me to Hong Kong cinema. Aside from the fact it was in a language that was completely alien to me, the action set pieces were simply amazing as Chin Siu-ho and the late, great Lam Ching-ying leapt acrobatically about the set like nothing I'd ever seen before. After that I was hooked and I've been a fan of Hong Kong cinema ever since.
	19. DOLLS One of the reasons I love this Takeshi Kitano film so much is that it's a real departure from his earlier works - it's colourful, artistic and has a slower pace to it that works perfectly given the subject matter. It also shows that, following Hana-bi, Kitano continues to develop as a filmmaker, so much so that you're not sure what he's going to do next.		20. RING TRILOGY The rise in popularity of Asian horror films in the West over the past few years owes a lot to Hideo Nakata's Ring and this boxset features a solid presentation of all three films (plus the unrelated Sleeping Bride). There have been countless imitations since (and a vastly inferior American remake), but Ring remains one of the best horrors I've ever seen.

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