Wild Style – 1983 – Charlie Ahearn

I’m tentative when it comes to cult classics because they can be more disappointing than New Year’s celebrations. Wild Style is however, enjoyable; the acting is awful, but it has the effect of buttressing the street cred of the ramshackle street artists and the music alone makes it worth watching, JJ

Shake Hands with the Devil – 2007 – Roger Spottiswoode

Forget about Hotel Rwanda and Shooting Dogs. This documentary about the Rwandan killing fields, one of the most appalling chapters in modern history, contains some very disturbing images. If one’s ever shed tears over some stupid Bollywood movie, they should be ashamed of themselves. Omid Nikfarjam

Gomorra – 2008 – Matteo Garrone

Gomorra is both a revelatory mafia movie and a far remove from the effusive Hollywood Sicilian jobs. Set mostly in the sprawling maze of Scampia, a Neapolitan suburb, the movie is based on the tell-all book of the same name. It’s a raw, violent and unflinching portrayal of one of the most ruthless gangs on earth. JJ

Sophie’s Choice -1982 – Alan J. Pakula

If there was one scene in a movie that would encourage me to watch it over and over, it’s the scene whereby Sophie’s forced to make her most difficult choice – sad and painful, but extremely watchable. You’ve never seen Meryl Streep, who won an Oscar for her lead role, so beautifully perfect. Omid Nikfarjam

Mother of Tears – 2007 – Dario Argento

The third installment of the Three Mothers trilogy by Dario Argento, the true stepfather of Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and the rest of the gornography gang, is spectacularly bad. And I mean bad in every way; acting, story, dialogue. You must, like me, have this crazy thing for horrors to watch this to the end! Omid Nikfarjam

Happiness – 1998 – Todd Solondz

If anything Solondz portrays the pursuit of happiness as a poisoned chalice. The themes are often grimacing and make for difficult viewing; pedophilia, sexual gratification, anomie. Some memorable individual performances and scenes but Solondz shies away from tackling the fall out and disappointments of trying to capture something as elusive as happiness. JJ