Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Hot Fuzz (2007)Hot Fuzz (2007) 7.8/10 on IMDbReleased 14 Feb 2007Sandford is funny before you know what is going on, but the second visit is almost indecently well organised. Edgar Wright turns apparently incidental remarks, background faces and bits of village business into preparation for later pay-offs. Once the mystery stops demanding your attention, watch…0
  2. 2The Big Lebowski (1998)The Big Lebowski (1998) 8.1/10 on IMDbReleased 6 Mar 1998The tangled investigation is almost the wrong thing to concentrate on. Return for the pauses, Walter's misplaced certainty and the way phrases migrate between characters until the Dude starts sounding like the people who have irritated him. Knowing the detours makes the bowling-alley conversations…0
  3. 3Clueless (1995)Clueless (1995) 6.9/10 on IMDbReleased 19 Jul 1995Cher's narration is so breezily confident that the gap between what she believes and what the scene shows can slip past on a first viewing. Amy Heckerling packs the clothes, school politics and supporting reactions with comic information. Come back once the romance is familiar and enjoy how…0
  4. 4Shaun of the Dead (2004)Shaun of the Dead (2004) 7.8/10 on IMDbReleased 9 Apr 2004The repeated walk to the shop is the obvious invitation to look twice: familiar streets become funny because Shaun is watching them much less carefully than we are. Elsewhere, throwaway plans and everyday expressions acquire later meanings. The pleasure is seeing how tightly a scruffy pub-and-flat…0
  5. 5Groundhog Day (1993)Groundhog Day (1993) 8.0/10 on IMDbReleased 11 Feb 1993Repetition is the machinery of the story, but knowing where Phil ends up makes Bill Murray's tiny changes in emphasis more noticeable. The same greeting can register as irritation, manipulation or actual attention. Follow the townspeople too: what first looks like a parade of obstacles gradually…0
  6. 6Best in Show (2000)Best in Show (2000) 7.5/10 on IMDbReleased 29 Sept 2000The dogs are rather better adjusted than the people explaining them. Christopher Guest's mockumentary rewards returning to an interview after you understand its owner's anxieties, then watching the partner who is not speaking. The dog-show commentary adds another stream of beautifully misplaced…0
  7. 7Galaxy Quest (1999)Galaxy Quest (1999) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased 25 Dec 1999The first viewing can run on the affectionate collision between washed-up television actors and genuine space peril. Later ones reveal how neatly each performer's old role has trapped them, from the resentful alien sidekick to the terrified extra. Background responses and running complaints gain…0
  8. 8Office Space (1999)Office Space (1999) 7.6/10 on IMDbReleased 19 Feb 1999Familiarity makes the office rituals more absurd, not less recognisable. Watch the different ways people approach Peter's desk, repeat a request or defend a tiny patch of authority. Mike Judge allows the dead time around a conversation to become part of the gag. Returning after another week of work…0
  9. 9What We Do in the Shadows (2014)What We Do in the Shadows (2014) 7.6/10 on IMDbReleased 19 Jun 2014A vampire house share is a good joke; the fussy negotiations that keep it functioning are the reason to return. Look past the speaker in the mockumentary interviews and follow the resentments over cleaning, guests and going out. The practical problems of supernatural life stay small enough to feel…0
  10. 10The Nice Guys (2016)The Nice Guys (2016) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased 15 May 2016Ryan Gosling's delayed reactions are worth a second viewing on their own, particularly when Holland March has to work out how badly a simple task has gone. With the conspiracy familiar, the mismatched rhythms of Gosling and Russell Crowe become easier to savour. Shane Black also plants visual…0