Midnight Cowboy (1969) - John Schlesinger

A classic film, the only X rated one to win an Oscar; that is it's legend, but it should be known for more than that. Dustin Hoffman shines and steals the show, but John Voight is brilliant as well, and the chemistry between the two is excellent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorsese

Everyone's favourite Ray Liotta film. Even if it is Ray Liotta's film, Joe Pesci steals the show as the lovable psychopath Tommy 'How'm I funny?' DeVito, even bagging him an Oscar for his work. Purely a brilliant film, and the ending is superb; it really makes you question how you feel about the protagonist, who Ray Liotta does play down to a tee. Scorsese has done it again.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Boys Don't Cry (1999) - Kimberly Peirce

I was not expecting it to be this dark. I think it broke my Hilary Swank virginity. I had never seen a film with her in it, until this one. It was a very good film, truly deserving its one Oscar for Swank's performance, which was mesmerising. Absolutely stunning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Argo (2012) - Ben Affleck

I may have done this before, but it's still a brilliant film, and still so very, very tense. I also won a couple of quid betting on it winning the Best Picture Oscar.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mama (2013) - Andrés Muschietti

Oh my word, this was scarier than I expected. It seems like it should have been released to DVD though, with it seeming a little too much like Insidious (2010) - James Wan, but because of the attention Jessica Chastain has got from her Oscar nomination, they (as in the PEOPLE) released it to cinemas to make a bit more money.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Flight (2012) - Robert Zemeckis

Robert Zemeckis is brilliant; every credit to his name deserves to be an awards winner, but there are only a couple that get there. Flight is much of the same kind of thing. You know it won't win an Oscar, but that doesn't mean it isn't up there with the best of the year. Denzel Washington shines out, and every little touch seems perfectly written.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Milos Forman

This is one of those films that everyone says you should watch, it won loads of Oscars (the five main ones) and you'll think it can never live up to the hype. Well, it does.
Last time I saw this film I was about ten years old, and I loved it then. Rewatching has given me a greater understanding of the evil humanity behind Nurse Ratched (which picked up an Oscar for Louise Fletcher), and also helped me to spot certain actors that would go on to bigger and better things, Christopher Lloyd being a prime example.
Also, Danny DeVito is hardly recognisable as Martini, which just goes to show what a powerful actor he truly is. From directing and starring in Matilda (1996) to being the voice of The Lorax (2012) - Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda, DeVito is a man of many talents, and Martini is probably the one character that manages to outshine the rest of the major inhabitants of the institution.
Obviously, I have to mention the legendary Jack Nicholson, but must say I personally believe he is typecast as this zany, mad character a lot of the time. He still pulls it off, but it does get a bit same-y. This film is probably the finest of his career, and I know a lot of people say it's Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) that put him on the Hollywood's biggest list, but this film, for me, is the epitome of a truly great movie.