Since I so royally dissed Empire and its reader t'other day for their downright dispicable "500 Greatest Movies Of All Time" poll, I thought it might be a suitable time to finally get around to posting a little list of my own. Yes, as part of a sometimes series which I shall simply call 'Lists' for ease of use, I present to you my top 10 favourite films, so I may in turn be royally dissed.

Please note this list if "favourites" and NOT "greatest" and as such is not a claim by myself to be the most incredible standout pieces of cinema the world has ever seen. These are all films which, for reasons both known and unknown, are very dear to me.

And so, in no particular order bar No.1, I present to you Fi's Fave Films!...

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (David Lynch, 1992)

This is my all-time favourite film, by my all-time favourite director. In fact, it also contains my all-time favourite film line - "We've got a phone here,'s got a little ring." It is, of course, the prequel to 1990's highly-regarded and groundbreaking television series, Twin Peaks, and details the life of protagonist Laura Palmer in the dark days leading up to her death.

My love for this film is twofold: I believe it to be an excellent film in itself, and I also have a deep and personal affection for it. Sadly underrated, critics and viewers alike were turned off by its frank and harrowing content. Expecting the idiosyncrasies of small town life as was beloved by the fans, Lynch instead opted to present a raw and unaffected portrayal of a young girl in absolute turmoil. Despite (or maybe because of) its difficult and upsetting nature, I was in love. I was pretty young when the series screened here in the UK (I remember the radio in my mum's car telling of this U.S. series to come which promised to be a surreal Peyton Place) and came in a little late to it, but it was my first taste of Lynch and I was utterly enamoured. Upon speaking to a boy I knew, I was promtly lent a pirated copy of Fire Walk With Me, and this only served to cement this love ("When this kind of fire starts, it is very hard to put out.") I was having somewhat of a hard time and sought solace in this film, pretty much playing it on a loop. So, suffice to say, I have not only an adoration of it cinematically, but  a very personal and deeply held affection. This is, and will always be, my favourite film... Oh, and I never gave back that pirated VHS (shame on me!)

Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989)

It's several years ago now since I first watched this film and, as it immediately endeared itself to me, I have seen it very many times since. The first time was really out of curiosity for what was held by Cult movie lovers as one of the most surreal and obscure films out there. I expected to be bowled over by a general sense of wtf, to marvel at its weirdness and nothing more, but what actually happened was I witnessed one of the most beautiful and complete films I have ever seen. The film follows a character named Fenix who, from witnessing a rather vicious bout of parent-on-parent abuse, battles a highly fractured psyche. “You’re about to witness the ultimate miracle; the transformation of death into life," says Fenix himself, and low it is delivered unto us. Santa Sangre is exquisitely shot, laden with psychoanalitic symbolism and bursting with a vibrance of life rarely commited to celluloid.

Parenthood (Ron Howard, 1989)

It does pain me somewhat to include a Ron Howard film on here as I've still not got over the bitter disappoinment that was staying up all night with my wine and munchies to watch the 2002 Oscar's, thinking Lynch was a shoe-in for Best Director for Mulholland Drive only for Howard to cruelly snatch it for A Beautiful Mind. Pah! Well, bitterness or no, I cannot deny that Parenthood is indeed one of my most favouritest films. This familial comedy extraordinaire sees Steve Martin trying to hold it together as the all-round family man amidst a heavy dose of dysfunction. Aside from a great cast (Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Martha Plimpton, etc) I do find it very funny (Jason Robards line to his long-suffering wife on why he thinks they've got as power cut- "your mouth used up all the power" - is one highlight for me) and is one of the rare occassions when a film makes me feel like the world's ok. All together now, "If you're slidin' into first and you're feelin' somethin' burst, diarrhoea, diarrhoea..."

Happy Gilmore (Dennis Dugan, 1996)

It is strange even to me that someone such as myself who's not too big on comedies (I prefer to revel in the misery, I find it so much more emotive,) has two such generic films within her top 10. Previous to watching this film, I never thought I'd take so well to a golfing comedy. A golfing comedy?! Neither did I know that what troublesome folk needed was a cup of shut the hell up. Ah, tis both my fave Ben Stiller role and my fave Adam Sandler role. The story of one reluctant golf player who needs to raise cash, this film really works on the glorious character that is Happy; a highly volatile, naughty and rebellious soul who's prone to profanity-laced, violent outbursts and loves his granny dearly. A very funny film, by all accounts, and one which delivers such point-blank humour as "you eat pieces of shit for breakfast?!" Some great casting on show here and potentially an interesting point to note that director Dennis Dugan also had a role in that other fave comedy of mine, Parenthood. "Jackass!"

Creepshow (George Romero, 1982)

Penned by the fingers of one titan of terror, Stephen King, and filmed by those of another, George Romero, Creepshow is a delicious work of some serious generic pedigree. It was actually the considerably less decent Creepshow 2 that I watched first and, whilst it was a pretty forgetable affair, the line "Thanks for the ride, lady" always stuck with me and fueled me to seek out its superior predecessor. This comic-based anthology pretty much encapsulates, with its dark humour, wildly fantastical tales of the terrible and sense of forboding fun, why I love the horror genre. Once again, there's a great cast on show here, with notable pleasure going to seeing Leslie Nielsen playing somewhat of an anti-Drebin as a very nasty piece of work indeed. My favourite scene, though, would have to be the horribly surreal shot in the head for Adrienne Barbeau's awful character met with resounding applaus. "Where's my cake, Bedelia!"

Clash Of The Titans (Desmond Davis, 1981) 

This film endeared itself to me by way of being a regular childhood favourite. Alongside Jason And The Argonauts, it was an oft-watched Sunday fave at my gradparents, though Clash did just pip Argonauts as my most beloved. Though it is a Desmond Davis film, it will always be known to us as a work of stop-motion genius, Ray Harryhausen. It is a mythical tale following the adventures on Perseus, played by another Harry, this time cheesy old Harry Hamlin. I've always been one for ancient myths and, what with the always-incredible creature effects by Harryhausen, this has all the trappings of a top 10 fave. It's interesting, to me at least, to see that with all the goddamn CGI that infests modern cinema, stop-motion retains a certain timeless quality, feels more skilled, earthy and 'real' and is surely more terrifying than anything digitally knocked up. Medusa's weirdly thick blood still haunts me to this day, yikes!

Jacob's Ladder (Adrian Lyne, 1990)

I'll always remember the radio ads for Jacob's Ladder, and how I yearned to see this film which promised to be a suitably psychological head fuck. I was way underage to see the film at the cinema, but caught it some years later where it was a case of love at first sight. After Fire Walk With Me, this is probably the film I've seen the most times. What struck me about this tale of a Vietnam vet plagued by demonic visons wasn't so much the head fuck angle as the very human condition of loss, paranoia and the desperate need to hold on. Tim Robbins is outstanding as the humble Jacob Singer, and it's always super to see Danny Aiello pop up, this time as Singer's cherubic chiropractor, Louis. One of my greatest tear-jerkers, and a film which contains some of my favourite movie dialogue:

Jacob: You know you look like an angel Louis? Like an overgrown cherub. Anyone ever tell you that?

Louis: Yeah, you. Everytime you see me.

Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991)

I am rather partial to the Coen brothers, even though they do sometimes stray from the path of goodness which we know and love them for. I know most people prefer Fargo and The Big Lebowski, but Barton Fink is my most beloved of theirs, with The Hudsucker Proxy* and The Man Who Wasn't There following closely behind. The very great John Turturro plays the titular Fink, an author with writers block who becomes embroiled with the machinations of 40's Hollywood and the mysterious Charlie Meadows (John Goodman.) As with all good Coen films, the glory of Barton Fink is the creation of a world which is a little off-key. The hallway on fire is one of my all-time fave movie scenes and Meadows' line to Fink - "Because you don't listen!" - is both a fantastic line and as good a reason as any I ever heard for causing trouble. "You're a sick fuck, Fink."

*As a point of interest (or not, I dunno) you may like to note that my pet rat, Moses, is named after Bill Cobbs' character Moses The Clock Man from The Hudsucker Proxy.

The Medusa Touch (Jack Gold, 1978)

Another childhood favourite, The Medusa Touch, was another regular on the small screen all those years ago, and a film which indellibly impressed upon me the terror that would be Richard Burton invested with powers of the mind. Burton plays John Morlar, a novelist who believes he has disaster-causing telekinetic powers, but is he delusional or indeed the cause of rampant brain-related destruction? In a film which is probably best summed-up by its French title of Le Grande Menace, I suppose what I loved about this film was one man's ability to create such almightily unstoppable levels of utter doom. With Burton's mighty performance and that 70's tone of impending disaster, The Medusa Touch was a film I took to my heart, hoping I, too, would grow up to be invested with powers of mighty mental destruction. Sadly, that wasn't to be. Nevermind.

The Bear (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1988)

From the director of 2004's tiger-based shenanigans, Two Brothers, comes this earlier and, I believe, superior film. The Bear or L'Ours is the story of one orphaned bear cub and his exploits with the adult male who tentatively takes on the paternal role. Back in the days of VHS Post Office rentals, I'd seen the title many times as my brother and I would, without fail, laugh hilariously ever time we saw it. Why? Because it was in the 'Family' section and the sticker was unfortunatley placed over the 'B', rendering the title The Family Ear. And oh how we laughed! Anyway, several years later, courtesy of a friend, I finally saw the film and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who, like me, likes their animals to act like animals and not Americans. This film is remarkable for total lack of narration and human dialogue, bar what is necessitous from the few hunters included to enable the basic story. It watches like a nature documentary that evolves from a very simple storyline and as such is truly stunning because of it. The scene where the bear cub trips out on mushrooms is one of the most beautifully handled and magical pieces of cinema I have ever seen. A must-see for nature documentary fans who like the emphasis on the 'natural.'

Well, folks, there it is - my top 10 favourite films. Neither particularly populist, nor particularly obscure. It just kind of 'is'.