Katie Smith-Wong

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Singin' in the Rain

An explosive and infectiously joyful celebration of colour, dance and music while the cinema of the Roaring Twenties prepares to jump head-first into the world of sound. Not only does Gene Kelly proves that he is the ultimate triple threat (singing, dancing and acting) but he took on directorial and choreography duties - and it shows, through some of the most memorable yet intricate dance scenes ever created.

In the Mood for Love

Despite its incredible seductive visuals, the genius behind Wong Kar-Wai's drama is the nuances, visual parallels, and subtle yet enticing chemistry of its legendary leads.

Parasite

Although it looks like a conventional social satire, Bong Joon-Ho litters enough layers and subtle visual cues that weave a web of intrigue that invites the audiences into the messed-up worlds of its characters but never lets them leave.

Jusqu'à la garde

The winner of Best Film at the 44th César Awards, Custody is a chilling and compelling psychological drama that is driven by Denis Ménochet’s powerhouse performance. Exploring spousal separation, the use of children as weapons, and domestic violence, director Xavier Legrand encapsulates these dark factors to lift this drama to create a memorably terrifying ordeal.

The Godfather

It draws audiences in from Bonasera’s pained monologue about his disillusions of the American Dream and Don Vito Corleone’s quiet yet intimidating authority. Coppola moulds a complex narrative that not only asks the audiences to embrace their flaws but accept how life’s complications can lead them astray.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

A stunning visual feast that celebrates women in martial arts but catapulted wuxia into Western cinemas. Combined with Yuen Woo-Ping’s balletic choreography and Peter Pau’s cinematography, Ang Lee and the cast (including then-newcomer Zhang Ziyi) elevates this traditional genre to breathtaking effect to create a celebration of Asian cinema.

Arrival

Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi drama is more than just about the threat of alien invasion as it boldly asks the question of why they are here, rather than immediately pose a catastrophic threat and fall into a longstanding and stagnant genre trope. The use of language is so simple yet so brilliantly utilised

Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai sets a standard that has led to many remakes over the last 60-odd years. Although plenty of incredible samurai films have been made in recent years such as Takashi Miike's 13 Assasins, none of them would have existed without Kurosawa's classic film, whose intricacy, ferocity and poignancy enable it to define a genre.