Movies

Best in Show
The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

This Is Spinal Tap
"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.

Withnail & I
Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Simon Pegg
Actor
I saw Withnail and I in 1987 on VHS as one of those movies – as it was for many people – which was a recommendation, because nobody saw it when it came out. It’s come to be what it is entirely by recommendation and word of mouth. I saw it at a party and it was just a revelation; it was such a funny, fantastic performance piece.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
After an encounter with UFOs, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

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movies
Favorite Horror Movies

Simon Pegg
Actor

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.

Dawn of the Dead
A group of survivors take refuge in a shopping mall after the world is taken over by aggressive, flesh-eating zombies.

Evil Dead
A secluded cabin. An ancient curse. An unrelenting evil. The original producers reunite to present a genuinely terrifying re-imagining of their original horror masterpiece. Five young friends have found the mysterious and fiercely powerful Book of the Dead. Unable to resist its temptation, they release a violent demon on a bloodthirsty quest to possess them all. Who will be left to fight for their survival and defeat this unearthly force of murderous carnage?

Star Wars
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.

Simon Pegg
Actor
Star Wars was everything a little kid sort of required from fantasy. It was a very classic story: it had all the great archetypes which was Lucas’ thing and that’s always what he wanted to do, create that sort of Campbellian classic tale but wrapped up in these extraordinary visual effects which had never been seen before. It was the first real idea of film as spectacle.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie, and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

Simon Pegg
Actor
I remember going to see it and it really made me cry. I was wearing one of those parkas and I put my hood up to hide the tears; it made it look like I was wearing a snorkel. I started crying towards the end and I remember putting my hood up because I was embarrassed about showing emotion [laughs]. But I absolutely loved it.

Raising Arizona
The Coen Brothers tell the story of an absurd yet likable family with an unproductive couple as the focal point. The couple has gotten themselves into some trouble while kidnapping a baby and give Hollywood one of the most memorable chase scenes to date.

Simon Pegg
Actor
That was the film that really cemented my understanding of comedic cinema. I realised it wasn’t just the script that was funny and it wasn't just the performances, it was also the way the Coen brothers used the camera and how they choreographed their set pieces and their comedy generally; they were saying so much from behind the camera.