The Five Best Movies about Adult Films

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Top Ten Documentaries of 2012

People assume that most films are crafted in a filmmaker’s mind, taking a script, translating it to screen and entertaining audiences the world round in that order; however, the documentary provides an honest insight into a subject that has actually occurred in our world, not the world created by the filmmaker.

Searching for Sugar Man, which hits DVD and Blu-ray on 27 December, shows that documentaries can be just as mysterious as crime thrillers; re-counting the story of a 70s rock icon who has long-since faded into oblivion, the film is just one of a many documentaries this year that have dabbled with the element of mystery and played with the conventional formula - making 2012 a pioneering year for the documentary. Here is a list marking the best of the bunch.

Searching for Sugar Man

A mysterious, informative and riveting documentary about two South Africans who embark on a quest to discover the truth behind their one-time hero, Sixto Rodriguez. Whether a music lover or a documentary fan, Searching for Sugar Man works better if you don’t do a Google search beforehand. You will reap the rewards of this amazing documentary from Malik Bendjelloul.

The Imposter

Like many of this year’s documentaries, The Imposter is best seen not knowing too much about what you are viewing. A Texan boy is found in Spain three years after he went missing, but it soon becomes clear that is all not as straightforward - Bart Layton’s documentary spectacularly confounds all expectation when it is flipped on its head not even 15 minutes in. Your eyes won’t leave the screen for its 100-minute running time.

The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles has been touted the best doc of the year by many, pitting on-screen the livelihood of a billionaire couple who begin construction on a mansion inspired by a palace in the French region of Versailles. As they fall victim to the economic crisis in the following few years, it is mesmerizing to witness how these people deal with the fallout of their actions.read review

5 Broken Cameras

A Palestinian farmer provides resistance against the Israeli army in a handheld-footage documentary that has no tricks or gimmicks up its sleeve, but provides emotion in its unflinching manner. The village in which the farmer resides in provide a snapshot of areas in Israel that are resisting the violence and war that surrounds them.

Room 237

Rodney Ascher has had praise heaped upon his documentary which analyses theories of Stanley Kubrick’s classic The Shining – as formulated by five obsessives. With the film split down theory-by-theory, the film ranges from the zany to the zanier as you witness professionals spouting dialogue about Kubrick’s impossible framing and his involvement in faking the moon landing. If you’re a fan of the Stephen King adaptation, there is no doubt you will lap this cult up.

Central Park Five

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park – only for a serial rapist confessing to the crime many years later. The film questions the American legal system in an astonishing way, tackling the subject of racial injustice; something that has pulled directors Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon into their own legal battle. Captivating.

The House I Live In

Eugene Jarecki, the brother of Capturing the Friedmans director Andrew, crafted this insightful critique of America’s trouble with drugs as he tracks the individuals working within the judicial system - and the ones behind bars who are dragged unwittingly into the war. Like a cousin of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, the documentary shows how this system could potentially worsen matters, with the fight to clamp down on drugs spiralling out of control with every new day.

This Is Not a Film

When Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was placed under house arrest for allegedly conspiracising against national security, he took to filming the events he was subjected to using an iPhone and a digital camera; top marks for bravery. With these devices used in a completely non-gimmicky way, This Is Not a Film is an, erm, extraordinary film. Smuggled out of Iran (allegedly in a cake) and backed by top Hollywood directors, this is a must-see.

Chasing Ice

Critical-acclaim has been received for Chasing Ice - mainly due to the fact that it follows National Geographic photographer James Balog’s attempt to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers by deploying time cameras around the Arctic; deserves to be seen for this mean feat alone. Read Review

West of Memphis

Famously produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, director Amy Berg’s documentary about the ‘West Memphis Three’s’ wrongful conviction for killing three boys not only informs the audience of these events, but aims to go beyond the duty of filmmaking to secure their release. Brave filmmaking that proves even more gripping than you first think – this documentary will make you feel lots of emotions.

Searching For Sugar Man is on DVD and Blu-ray 2012. Stay tuned for review, fancy winning the film on DVD? You can enter the competition here

HEISTS: THE MOVIE GENRE

A crew of people, a prominent target and a strategic plan- all aspects needed to qualify as a heist. Putting these aspects on screen has created some of the most memorable films in the heist genre. Headhunters is released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 13th, and as we look forward to watching its new take in the heist formula - and its different, dark and often comical nature- we’ve been inspired to look at other unforgettable movie robberies.

Quick Change (1990)
Bill Murray shows how dangerous a clown can be in one of the top heist movies ever. He stars as Grimm, a grumpy New Yorker who plots a heist on a bank with the help of two accomplices. Although the heist goes smoothly, stealing the money is only part of the job. When the three robbers attempt to make their escape from New York City, things start to spiral in a very bad direction for them.
Point Break (1991)
One of the most important things in making a heist successful is having a captivating leader. Patrick Swayze stars as Bodhi, who seems just an ordinary surfer, when really he’s the leader of the Ex-Presidents gang-- a crew of felons who rob banks wearing Nixon, Reagan and Carter masks.  Keanu Reeves stars as a rookie FBI Agent who goes undercover to catch the robbers, but as he gets drawn in by Bodhi’s charismatic personality, he has to make the decision of a life time.

Heat (1995)
With one of the greatest shootout scenes in film, Heat sets the bar for robbery, shootout and escape scenes in the heist genre. Robert De Niro stars as a successful thief, who is considering leaving the business for good after one last heist, while Al Pacino stars as a compulsive cop who desperately wants to lock De Niro up before he does. De Niro and Pacino both know a heist is being conspired, as each man keeps a close watch on the other.
Entrapment (1999)
Sean Connery stars as an international art thief, while Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as an insurance investigator sent to question him about stealing a Rembrandt painting from an office. She persuades him with a plan to steal a Chinese mask from a heavily secured palace. After they successfully steal the mask, Connery accuses her of plotting to turn him in-- until she informs him of yet another heist for the duo to plot.
Heist (2001)
Gene Hackman stars as Joe Moore, a renowned jewel thief whose life and career become endangered when he's caught on security cameras. He finds out that his fence, Bergman, breaks his word on the money he's owed and his wife may be cheating on him with the fence's nephew. As Moore and his crew are left broke, betrayed and blackmailed, they are forced to do Bergman's last big heist for the payday of a lifetime.
 Oceans 11 (2001)
Using some of the best looking stars, a bit of humour and a well-thought out plan, perfectly exemplifies the modern heist genre.   George Clooney stars as Danny Ocean; an ex-con who gets out of jail and instantly puts together an ultimate crew of ten men. As each of the members specializes in something different, they strategically plan a heist on a casino that's run by an oblivious CEO dating Ocean’s ex-wife.
The Italian Job (2003)
In Venice, Italy, Mark Wahlberg stars as a team leader of expert thieves as they pull off a daring heist and steal 35 million dollars worth of gold from underneath the noses of the Italian Police and the Mafia. One of the thieves betrays his team and takes the gold for himself. A year later, in Los Angeles, the crew create a smart and scheming heist to get back the gold and get their revenge on the traitor.
Inside Man (2006)
Dressed in painter outfits, Dalton Russell’s crew enters a bank and within seconds, they put the bank under a strategically planned heist as they disable the surveillance cameras and take everyone hostage. The NYPD detectives arrive on the scene to contact Russell and ensure the safety of the hostages.  However, things don’t go as planned as Russell’s perfect bank robbery leaves the hostages and authorities dumbfounded.
The Bank Job (2008)
Inspired by the infamous 1971 London bank robbery, the plot twists keep an intriguing edge throughout the film.  As a struggling car dealer with a wife and kids to take care of, Terry Leather is constantly worrying about money. When Martine, a model from his old neighbourhood, tells him of a flawless heist plan, he takes the risky chance of a life time and robs the bank. What Terry doesn’t realise is that Martine has an ulterior motive-- one that is much bigger than anything he or his crew could imagine.
The Town (2010)
This film brings some of most thrilling robbery scenes in film history. While sometimes dressing up in the infamous nun costumes- Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner star as two childhood friends who pull off armed heists for a dangerous mobster. When Affleck’s character starts to build a relationship with one of his robbery victims, things begin to get complicated for the crew as they set out to execute the ultimate robbery.
Inception (2010)
Built like a classic heist film- the crew, the plot and the execution- but having it all happen inside the subconscious mind adds an entirely different twist to the genre. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, an expert in raiding the minds of his targets while they sleep to steal their secrets. When he is assigned to plant a thought instead of steal one, the difficult heist skyrockets to a whole new level. Headhunters (2011)
Roger Brown seemingly has it all; until the discovery that his life is based on a lie. He is a well-known headhunter with a pretty wife, gigantic mansion and everything else he could ever want.  However, his biggest secret revolves around maintaining this lavish lifestyle-- as an art thief. And when his finances hit rock bottom, he attempts to pull off his biggest art heist yet; which transpires chilling secrets, backstabbing and murder.
Find out how Roger gets on in Headhunters, on Blu-ray and DVD August 13th.