10. Run Lola Run (1998)

Lola's boyfriend Manni calls. Through a series of mishaps, he accidentally left a big bag of cash he owes to nefarious sources on a train. Lola has 20 minutes to raise alternate cash and meet Manni or else.... Can she help? Like... NOW! Sometimes the simplest stories are the most engaging and this German film starring Franka Potente (later seen in the Bourne movies) follows the title character as she frantically tears through town in an attempt to make things right. Full of white-knuckle action but with a rare female lead.

9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Beyond the dazzling physiques of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is a nifty thriller paired with sharp commentary on the inevitable tribulations of married life. Plus, watching this film now - knowing the pair actually fell in love on the set - adds a whole other layer of intrigue. Can you spot the moment when acting became real life? One way to find out...

8. The Truman Show (1998)

Today, in the age of reality TV, the plot of The Truman Show seems eerily prescient - in the film, Jim Carrey plays an average guy whose entire life is a TV show... only he doesn't know it. Cameras are hidden everywhere in his hermetically sealed world, and everyone in his orbit is actually an actor. Even Carrey detractors can't help but be swayed by his performance which perfectly captures first the purity, then the rage of an innocent betrayed by those he trusts most.


7. Michael Clayton (2007)

Shifty lawyers, negligent companies, blackmail, assassinations and other disreputable goings-on are rarely bad on film and Michael Clayton - which boast all of that and more - is no exception. Leads George Clooney and Tilda Swinton both play against type - him as a serious, sober lawyer-slash-fixer with a gambling problem, she a buttoned-down legal eagle with negligible scruples - and the bait-and-switch plot keeps you guessing to the end. Not great for your cuticles, which are bound to take a chewing, but a riveting rental choice.

6. Rear Window (1954)

This classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense tale has James Stewart as a photographer laid up in his New York apartment with a broken leg. To kill time, he observes the comings and goings of his neighbors, eventually spying something that convinces him a murder has been committed. But how to prove it without endangering his own life or those in his circle? Hitchcock's film nails the itchy claustrophobia of the photographer's situation while showing how perception and reality can differ. Or not.

   
5. Fargo (1996)

Joel and Ethan Cohen's exceptionally black comedy about kidnapping, murder and the hugely pregnant policewoman hot on the trail is almost scandalous in its snickering treatment of its characters, a group of down-home North Dakotans with vowels as flat as the endless snowy plains surrounding them. But Fargo always feels more crafty than cruel, and fantastically arch performances by Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and a tic-plagued Steve Buscemi underscore the wink-nudge appeal of this must-see film.


 4. Match Point (2005)

Woody Allen's ultra-suspenseful drama about love, betrayal and the serendipity of fate establishes London as Allen's nouveau town of choice and Scarlett Johansson as his muse. But the film belongs to Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the devious former tennis pro who discovers that being lucky offers way better odds in life than being good. With an ending you don't see coming and strong performances all round, this is a win-win for men and women.


3. Field of Dreams (1989)

Kevin Costner's Bull Durham gets more ink but Field of Dreams has its own inimitable charm thanks to terrific performances, stunning scenery and a plot with a touch of magic. Costner is Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, an otherwise salt-of-the-earth guy who embarks on a seemingly crazy mission (aided by voices) to construct a baseball diamond in his field so that the Chicago White Sox circa 1919 will have somewhere to play when they spontaneously materialize. A resonant tale of belief in the face of skepticism.


2. Adaptation (2002)

With a plot that defies easy description (it's a fictional movie about an actual book adapted by an actual screenwriter hiding in plain sight as a character in the film), an almost unrecognizable Nicolas Cage playing twins, and Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper as real-life characters chasing orchids (orchids!), Adaptation is a mind trip yet absolutely gripping. Also hilarious. Credit screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who also spun heads with Being John Malkovich, for making something really weird really entertaining.


1. Sideways (2004)

A smash on release and deservedly so, this fantastic film has it all: thigh-slapping comedy, sharp social satire, insanely great dialog, a road trip, men behaving badly and the women who love them, all set against the spectacular beauty of California wine country. What begins as a pre-wedding getaway for Miles and groom Jack turns into a life-altering experience, offering viewers a hilarious snapshot of midlife crisis in full swing. That the film actually impacted the sales of pinot noir in 2004 speaks to its power of persuasion.