2001: A Space Odyssey – (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
"The number one movie on my list is 2001: a space odyssey. Like many of us who grew up in that time, I was pretty young when I saw it and was just stunned. I think it was the first time that I realised that film was an artform and not just excitement and dazzle. It was an opportunity to make a real artistic statement. It took me several years to try to comprehend Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's vision and try to interpret it. And I'm still trying to interpret it! But what a magnificent movie in terms of composition and use of music and visual effects and editing. Kubrick's use of lighting; his use of different lenses and camera movement; his stylish composition; the production design... It has the greatest cut of all time in it! All movies bow before it in my mind. I wanted to put Barry Lyndon on this list but there wasn't room for it! I wanted to put Dr Strangelove on the list but there wasn't room for it! Yeah, his moves are technical and some would say they're a bit distant, but Kubrick is The Great One."