Guest olumnist: Gianna's Top 100 Films Every Film Buff Should See Pt. 6

Here you go - I'm still at 7 for 10!

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Ju-on(2002, Dir: Takashi Shimizu, Wr: Takashi Shimizu)-One of the scariest flicks I’ve seen in the last decade or so; a sublimely creepy ghost story that gets its chills from sound effects and lighting. Awesome!

King of Comedy (1982, Dir: Martin Scorsese, Wr: Paul D. Zimmerman)-Scorsese’s excellent examination of our culture’s obsessession with fame. Robert DeNiro’s performance as Rupert Pupkin is humorous, touching and deeply disturbing.

Kiss Me Kate (1953 Dir: George Sidney, Wr: Dorothy Kingsely)-Another one of the interesting uses of 3D in the 50’s. A great musical in it’s own right, it also features a fantastic dance sequence with Bob Fosse and Carol Haney that explodes off the screen.

Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1985, Dir: Hector Babenco, Wr: Leonard Schrader)-An evocative film of an unlikely friendship between two radically different men. Tour-de-Force performances by two fantastic actors.

Longtime Companion (1990, Dir: Norman Rene, Wr: Craig Lucas)-One of the first films to examine the first decade of the AIDS crisis, it follows the lives of several gay couples from the early outbreaks through to the early 90’s.

Manhunter (1986, Dir: Michael Mann, Wr: Michael Mann)-Before Silence of the Lambs, there was Manhunter, Michael Mann’s much overlooked adaptation of Red Dragon. Gritty and low-budget, Brian Cox delivers a more understated and restrained Hannibal Lector.

Marat/Sade (1967, Dir: Peter Brook, Wr: Adrian Mitchell & Geoffrey Skelton)-An almost literal screen translation of Brook’s fantastic stage production; it has an unusual quality of being highly theatrical and amazingly filmic at the same time.

Metropolis (1927, Dir: Fritz Lang, Wr: Thea von Harbou)-For me Metropolis remains one of the most amazing accomplishments of early cinema. The art direction, effects and acting are quite accomplished and stunning. Bridgette Helms’s portrayal of the robot is one of the most disturbing and creepy performances caught on film.

Metropolitain (1990, Dir: Whit Stillman, Wr: Whit Stillman)-This mid 90’s gem about about over-privileged New Yorkers in the winter deb season is completely charming. Stillman’s strongest film, it features some of the most well-thought out characters put to screen.

Mildred Pierce (1945, Dir: Michael Curtiz, Wr: Randal MacDougall)-It’s a little sad that for most people the mention of Joan Crawford brings up images of Faye Dunaway’s over-the-top portrayal of her, for she really was an accomplished actress. Mildred Pierce is soapy and melodramatic, but Crawford’s portrayal of the mother-who-will-do-anything-for-her-daughter is a relatively anchored and understated performance for its time.