by Robbie Jones

Being paraded as one half of Hollywood’s favourite couple can make it easy to forget that Brad Pitt is an incredibly talented actor. Perhaps one of the best known names in show business (And one of the most attractive, according to the ladies), Pitt has been making great films for years, and almost always delivers great performances. Well, it looks like that could be happening again as today sees the release of Fury, a WW2 film with Pitt in the lead role. It’s getting great reviews so far, but what are the other essential films from Pitt’s career?

Honourable mentions: Plenty of good films to check out from this man’s career, such as Ocean’s Eleven, Moneyball, Snatch, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Interview with the Vampire, Sleepers, Thelma and Louise, Burn After Reading, Killing Them Softly, True Romance and 12 Years a Slave, of which the latter two would definitely be Essentials were it not for the fact that he only plays a small role in both of them.

by Robbie Jones 

There are some celebrities whose names just immediately come to mind when you think of the word “awesome”. Neil Patrick Harris, for example, or Jennifer Lawrence. But in recent years, no name has come up alongside that word more often than Robert Downey, Jr., whose personality onscreen and off has lead him to be one of the most well-loved actors in Hollywood. He’s taking a break from franchise films this weekend and starring inThe Judge, where he plays a lawyer who must put his differences with his father (Robert Duvall) aside to defend in him in court after returning home for his mother’s funeral. The film is garnering decent reviews (You can check out Gloria’s review here), which a lot of people have been glad to hear, but what are the other essentials in RDJ’s career?

Honourable mentions: I haven’t seen these flicks myself, but fans would likely want mentions for films like The Soloist, Natural Born Killers, Weird Science, Bowfinger, Good Night, and Good Luck and A Scanner Darkly, all of which I’ve taken on good word to be pretty great. But let’s skip out on The Shaggy Dog, yeah?

by Hayley Charlesworth 

The greatest man to ever wear fishnet stockings, Tim Curry is the undisputed star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which continues to be beacon of all things wonderfully filthy after all these decades. In celebration of the man, the voice, and the corset, we take a look back at some of his greatest hits: from making an enemy of Macauley Culkin to terrorising children as a clown. Along the way, expect to find a lot of singing.

by Robbie Jones 

David Fincher is my favourite director of all time. He is an auteur, and delivers excellence almost 100% of the time (Okay, so Alien 3 and The Game aren’t great, but you know.. Shut up). It would seem this streak of excellence continues with his film Gone Girl, based on Gillian Flynn’s novel, starring Ben Affleck as his wife (Rosamund Pike) goes missing, and is soon accused of her murder. You can check outJo’s review of Gone Girl on the site now, but if you haven’t already, it’s time you saw these cracking films from Fincher’s filmography.

by Robbie Jones

Ben Affleck: the man who saved his career. After years of giving terrible performances in terrible movies, he finally showed the world what he was made of and proved he was a fantastic director. Now, he’s back on track, and next year will be playing the Caped Crusader in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but right now, he’s accused of murdering his wife in David Fincher’s Gone Girl. To celebrate, let’s take a look at his best films. (Yes, he does have good films).

Honourable Mentions: Quite a few good films that didn’t quite make the cut, such as his Oscar winning Argo (not the most deserving of the award that year though), Dazed and Confused, Shakespeare in Love, the director’s cut of Daredevil and of course, the phenomenal Gone Baby Gone, which he doesn’t star in but it was his directorial debut that he hasn’t quite improved on yet. Oh, and I haven’t seen it myself, but apparently he was the bomb in Phantoms yo.