cato's - Favourites List

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August 1962: the latest attempt on the life of French President Charles de Gaulle by the far right paramilitary organisation, the OAS, ends in chaos, with its architect-in-chief dead at the hands of a firing squad.

Demoralised and on the verge of bankruptcy, the OAS leaders meet in secret to plan their next move. In a last desperate attempt to eliminate de Gaulle, they opt to employ the services of a hired assassin from outside the fold. Enter the Jackal (Edward Fox): charismatic, calculating, cold as ice. As the Jackal closes in on his target, a race against the clock ensues to identify and put a stop to a killer whose identity, whereabouts and modus operandi are completely unknown.

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Stationed in England during World War II, Buzz Rickson (Steve McQueen) is the bravest Air Force pilot in his squadron - and the most reckless. His maniacal quest for thrills takes him to the brink of destruction during the B-17 bombing raids on Germany.

But while Buzz's daredevil heroics win the grudging respect of his crew, his rebellious attitude alienates everyone, except his co-pilot, Ed Bolland (Robert Wagner). Ultimately, Buzz destroys even this relationship by pursuing Ed's girlfriend, Daphne (Shirley Anne Field).

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From director Christopher Nolan, a unique and intriguing thriller that begins with the ultimate act of revenge and backtracks through time to reveal the shocking and provocative reasons behind it.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) remembers everything up to the night his wife was brutally raped and murdered. But since that tragedy, he has suffered from short-term memory loss and cannot recall any event, the places he has just visited or anyone he has met just minutes before. Determined to find out why his wife was killed, the only way he can store evidence is on scraps of paper, by taking Polaroid photos and tattooing vital clues on his body. Throughout his investigation, he appears to have the help of both bartender Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who may have her own secret agenda and police officer Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) whose friendship is always suspect. As Shelby's fractured memory tries to piece together a chilling jigsaw of deceit and betrayal in reverse, breathtaking twists and surprising turns rapidly occur in the most challenging, original and critically acclaimed thriller in years.

The Oscar-Winning film "Selma" tells the gripping and moving story of the pivotal moment in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s epic civil rights struggle. The historic protest march that he led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 was a triumphant demonstration of the power of the people.

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This political thriller has its origins in an actual event - the disappearance of a young American writer and filmmaker, Charles Horman (John Shea), during a South American military coup.

Jack Lemmon stars as Charles' father, Ed Horman, a prominent New York businessman, who comes to the aid of Charles' wife, Beth (Sissy Spacek), in her desperate search for her missing husband. They are led in circles, up blind alleys and are confronted with lies and false hopes from both U.S. and foreign officials. But they frantically trudge on together, overcoming their past differences. Until the painful, shattering conclusion.

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A city-educated student returns to his home-town and his cantankerous father's Mississippi river boat, where he's an embarrassment to dad. But they bond together to ward off the owner of a rival boat, whose daughter Keaton falls for.

When his father is arrested, Willie decides to get him out of Jail.

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A brutal civil war has erupted in England with the Houses of Lancaster and York battling for control of the throne.

Amid the turmoil, the despotic Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Ian McKellen) plots his own route to power, deviously scheming a murderous agenda that will lead to his installation as dictator monarch. Steeped in fascist iconography, the film openly draws from the aesthetic of the Third Reich, a stylistic choice that emphasizes the pure evil at the heart of Richard's agenda.

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Regarded by many as the world's finest director, and renowned for his exact, formalist style, Yasujiro Ozu made his first film in 1927 and went on to direct 55 films before his death in 1963.

It was only during his final years, however, that his genius as a film-maker was recognised in the West alongside such contemporaries as Bunuel, Bergman and fellow countryman Kurosawa. Early Summer (1951) further explores Noriko's relationship with her family, and examines her role as a modern woman in a traditional society.

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Soon after the huge success of 'Magnificent Obsession', Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson again teamed up with director Douglas Sirk for this heartwarming story of an attractive, wealthy New England widow who defies social constraints when she falls in love for a much younger man.

When Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) falls in love with her sexy gardener, Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson), she becomes the target of small town gossip, while at the time incurring the wrath of her own children Kay (Gloria Talbott) and Ned (William Reynolds). The children and the town want Cary to lead a more conventional lifestyle than that offered by Ron. They would prefer that she spend the rest of her life in front of her new TV set, wed to Harvey (Conrad Nagel), a highly respected, wealthy - and boring - bachelor. Will she choose love or "respectability"?

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Diane Keaton stars as Carol Lipton, a bored Manhattan housewife who becomes convinced that her next-door neighbour has committed a murder. When her sceptical husband Larry (Woody Allen) rejects the idea, Carol turns to a flirtatious friend (Alan Alda) to help her search for clues.

And as their enthusiasm for the case grows, so does their interest in each other. Spurred on by jealousy - and by a seductive writer (Anjelica Huston) who's also excited by the mystery - Larry reluctantly joins the chase, only to learn that much more than his marriage is at stake. A comic romp bursting with wry one-liners and inspired sight gags.

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Douglas's magnificent, award-winning Trilogy My Childhood (1972), My Ain Folk (1973) and My Way Home (1978) is the product of an assured, formidable artistic vision. These are some of the most compelling films about childhood ever made.

Presented here in a High-Definition restoration, the Trilogy follows Jamie (played with heart-breaking conviction by Stephen Archibald) as he grows up in a poverty-stricken mining village in post-war Scotland. This is cinematic poetry: Although shot in bleak monochrome and featuring minimal dialogue, the warmth and unexpected humour mean the Trilogy brims with clear-eyed humanity, and affection for an ultimately triumphant young boy.

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Set in England in 1952, 'Shadowlands' is the tender and deeply moving true story of the love affair between C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) and Joy Gresham (Debra Winger). C.S.

Lewis, a highly acclaimed writer lived a quiet and ordered life as a professor of English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford. This solitude is shattered by the arrival of the outgoing American divorcee, Joy Gresham who walks into his life with her young son Douglas (Joseph Mazzello). A deep friendship begins which turns into love when Joy is admitted into hospital with advanced bone cancer. Faced with the possibility of her death, Lewis allows himself for the first time in his life to be open to the joy of love even if it entails vulnerability and the pain of loss.

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Inspired by a true story, Henri Young (Kevin Bacon) is a 1930s convict who has been sent to prison for stealing five dollars. When caught trying to escape, Henri is placed in solitary confinement for several years, emerging as a tortured mad man with a tormented and persecuted soul.

In a deluded rage he murders an inmate but when faced with execution he and his lawyer (Christian Slater) must convince the jury that his horrific treatment is to blame, as they attempt to bring down the whole of Alcatraz.

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His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there. 1788 - King George IIl (Nigel Hawthorne) is almost 30 years into his reign and is once again preparing for the Opening of Parliament.

Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) skillfully divides her role as both devoted wife and mother to their 15 children. Yet, despite the apparent veneer of respectability, something is going sadly awry within the walls of Windsor Castle. The King's behaviour is becoming increasingly irrational, he is babbling ceaselessly, spewing obscenities and attacking the Queen's Mistress of Robes, Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe). Has the King of England gone...mad? As the King's condition deteriorates, his son, the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett) sets out to have his father declared unfit in order that he should be proclaimed Regent. The Queen is denied access to her husband and the King consequently becomes an isolated figure at the mercy of his own inept physicians. Not until he is persuaded to engage a new doctor, Dr Willis (Ian Holm) does the King show any signs of improvement. Yet the King's only true salvation relies on the support of the most potent of medicines - the Queen herself.

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In one of Agnes Varda's more provocative films she presents us with the dilemma faced by husband and father Francois (Jean-Claude Crouot) who finds himself falling in love with an attractive postal worker.

What follows is a detailed study of adult fidelity and happiness, which will ultimately end with major repercussions for all parties involved.