The Deer Hunter (1978)
The Vietnam War affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.
"What's not to like about this classic? Performances from early Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken make this poignant film un-missable in my book. Good use of a big budget."
The Mission (1986)
18th Century missionaries attempt to protect a remote tribe from pro-slavery Portugal.
"Jeremy Irons and DeNiro lead in this film about Jesuit missionaries in the Amazon. Beautifully shot and superb performances. The message of the film is timeless. It's incredible."
Mean Streets (1973)
Early Scorsese flick about two small-time hoods on the streets of Little Italy.
"I seem to be following Robert DeNiro like a bad smell. Pure coincidence(?). He and Harvey Keitel star in this tough New York street-level drama. Beautiful in its imperfection - it's raw, energised and pulls no punches. Amazing to see these two stars rising, as well of course as Martin Scorsese. It's amazing."
The Lives of Others (2006)
A secret police agent conducts surveillance on a young couple and finds himself absorbed in their lives.
"This film won the 2007 foreign language Oscar for good reason. It is staggeringly good. The story unfolds in the art scene in oppressed East Berlin back in the days of the wall and the Stasi. For me it's a complete film, a meaningful story, told simply and beautifully by top-shelf artists. If you haven't seen it, you should."
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Coen's cult comedy about mistaken identities, weed, missing rugs and lots of bowling.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!"
We asked Antony Starr - Jethro and Van in Outrageous Fortune - to recommend five of his favourite films...
"Watching films and going to the movies is, I believe, one of the best expenditures of time. It is fantastic. I’ve seen a lot of films in my time so it’s difficult to pick five and label them favourites. Flavours of film and film-making have changed dramatically over the years, making the selection even harder to call.
There are very few films I see that don't have something in them I like, at some level. More often than not, the films I don't like are re-makes (usually of classics) to which I usually find myself saying, "Why bother? Why not let people enjoy the original?"
For the most part, however, any film I see will have something in it I like - a particular performance, theme, idea, etc.
Sometimes there are films that come along and tick all the boxes for me. The list of these films in totality would be very long indeed but I've managed to whittle it down to five. Not easy. I could not put them in order of preference as they are all so different and as such I find them non-comparable in that way.
Hopefully you'll find some time to watch some or all of them, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did."
"Watching films and going to the movies is, I believe, one of the best expenditures of time. It is fantastic. I’ve seen a lot of films in my time so it’s difficult to pick five and label them favourites. Flavours of film and film-making have changed dramatically over the years, making the selection even harder to call.
There are very few films I see that don't have something in them I like, at some level. More often than not, the films I don't like are re-makes (usually of classics) to which I usually find myself saying, "Why bother? Why not let people enjoy the original?"
For the most part, however, any film I see will have something in it I like - a particular performance, theme, idea, etc.
Sometimes there are films that come along and tick all the boxes for me. The list of these films in totality would be very long indeed but I've managed to whittle it down to five. Not easy. I could not put them in order of preference as they are all so different and as such I find them non-comparable in that way.
Hopefully you'll find some time to watch some or all of them, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did."
Antony Starr plays the dual roles of twins Van and Jethro West on the fantastic Outrageous Fortune. The sixth season is currently screening on TV3. He also stars in After the Waterfall, currently playing at the New Zealand International Film Festival and due for general release on September 2.
