Warner Bros have launched Movies That Matter - a website that collects together those WB DVD titles that are special in some distinct way. Each of the films featured within MTM has either won awards, won critical acclaim, sold millions or been a standout in its genre – it’s basically a collection of the best titles WB has released and looks to open classic films up to collectors and new movie fans alike. Here at The Fan Carpet we have reviewed 5 of our favorite titles and we are offering you the chance to win your own copy on DVD!

Visit the site www.warnermtm.co.uk for more film titles and information.

Unforgiven (1992)

Nowadays, when you read “Directed by and Starring” on the cover of a DVD it’s a recipe for disaster – actors as a rule really don’t make very good directors.  Thankfully, this certainly isn’t the case in ‘Unforgiven’.  Clint ‘the coolest man in Hollywood’ Eastwood directs and takes the lead role in this old school gritty Western, playing retired gunslinger William Munny, lured out for one last adventure by the promise of a hefty reward.

This really is an old school film – shot where men were men and women were….well I won’t go there but if you see the film you’ll know what I mean.  Clint Eastwood really does look like he belonged back in the era of Sheriffs and gunslingers, giving a truly gritty performance.  Clint’s nemesis in the film is Little Bill, played by Gene Hackman, a local Sheriff who’s gotten too big for his boots.

We follow Clint as he travels with the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) and Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to claim a $1,000 bounty on the heads of two men who attacked a local lady of the night.

In front of our eyes, this tired of gunslinger turns from a worn out bum to a death dealing quick draw artist.  Throughout the film we are led to believe that stories of these vigilantes are blown out of all proportion.  That is until Clint kills 5 men at once – in his case the stories are true.

You wouldn’t get away with making a film like this today, and it’s a shame.  Back then films couldn’t rely on fancy special effects and they had to have substance or they would just fall flat on their face.  The problem is, we’re so used to these special effects that even films with substance can appear a little bit limp, and at times I was a little disappointed with the visuals in the film.

That said, it was an enjoyable romp, and certainly does nothing to distract from Eastwood’s title as the king of cool.

One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest (1997)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is for me Jack Nicholson's best performance of his career - and we if we look at Nicholson's phenomenal career, that is certainly saying something. Nicholson's turn as R.P.McMurphy is one of the all time great cinematic performances. There are so many different elements to his character it is amazing that Nicholson actually manages to pull it off. He is funny, edgy, angry, dry and almost any other personality description you can think of. His entrance to the film when he kisses the guard on the cheek remains for me one of the great film entrances, and always has me laughing!

However, the supporting cast should not be forgotten. Fletcher, DeVito, Lloyd, Dourif, Redfield and first time actor Will Samspon all give great performances as the supporting cast - blending insanity, confusion and friendship into the film very well! But this is Nicholson's film, and he steals the show!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is not just a good film for fun and entertainment; for people watching it for its funny script and great Nicholson performance, but it's also a great film as it contains numerous clever conventions and tricks that really help you zone in on the situation and ultimately, put you there in the film with everyone else... It's one of those films that is funny, engaging, entertaining and is actually a very smart film considering what I think it does regarding all the characters. This twinned with the character of Nurse Ratched (Fletcher) who I stress isn't so much as evil as she is doing her job, still looms every now and again threatening privileges. I am not surprised this film won so many Oscar's – a great and very memorable film.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

This marvellous film is so much a part of my childhood that it's difficult to look at it too objectively. But the more I watch it as an adult, the more impressed I am by the sheer quality of the sets, the special effects and the make-up. As a child you take it for granted, but to think all this was done in 1939.

In these early musicals filmed on a sound stage it isn't hard to spot where the sound stage ends. Some have seen that as a flaw but I think it adds to the dreamlike quality of the film. The matte paintings behind the sets add to the storybook quality. The fact that we're in a dream makes it okay that the special effects look a little hasty. That was the genius of the screenplay, that and to establish the Oz characters as characters that Dorothy meets in Kansas. In our dreams we often see people and events that have recently occurred in our lives, but this is the first time I've ever seen it expressed in a film. In particular is the notion that Professor Marvel keeps showing up as various characters in the dream.

"The Wizard of Oz" is a joy forever… Why does it still glow, while other films of the period grow dimmer every year? It is unquestionably due to more than the sum of its sterling cast, winning songs, and lovely special effects, although the absence of these virtues has turned more than one "musical fantasy" into failures… It may be that Dorothy steps from black-and-white Kansas into the bright colors of Munchkinland, she is taking everyone's first voyage of discovery… With the universality of the best fables, "The Wizard of Oz" has her learning about evil (the Wicked Witch), friendship (her companions on the road to Oz), and fallibility (the Wizard). And somehow children—and the child in all of us—like to see this voyage made repeatedly…

No matter how it is analysed, scrutinised, or satirised, the 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz is a top-notch example of how to turn a great story into a fabulous, milestone of a film.

The Lost Boys (1987)

If you like your horror films with bags of style, snappy one liners, classic sountrack, and over the top Vampires, this is for you! The Lost Boys is a real treat to the eye and will keep you pinned to your seat as the dramatic finale swoops ever nearer.

What ever will happen to the sweet if slightly dysfunctional mother and her two sons when they move to the weird town of "Santa Carla"? Meet some oh so cool vampires, and party all night? Only the younger son with his instinct still intact before puberty has taken over can see through the dense fog that swirls around the motorbike riding blood sucking gang.

Kiefer Sutherland bares his pointys a lot and obviously enjoyed hamming it up for this part. Dianne Weist is her usual adorable, accomplished scatty self. But for me its the class and mystery of Edward Herrmann that wins best character. Younger audiences will identify with the pre-teen "slayers" ideals, and laugh out loud at their observations.

There are excellent performances, lots of memorable "vamp" scenes, and a few tantalizing twists to round off this carousel of carnage. The opening credits to The Doors "People Are Strange" sets up the slick mood of the film perfectly.

The Jacket (2005)

Adrien Brody (The Pianist) plays a Gulf War veteran, placed in an asylum on his return home after being accused of murder. His doctor uses unconventional means to cure his madness, injecting him with experimental drugs and placing him in the morgue's body drawer, which causes him to have visions of his own death, giving him four days to find out what is real if he wants to save his own life.

The plot sounds intriguing but the execution wasn't very good. The film felt very much like Jacob's Ladder and between the two films, I have to admit, Jacob's Ladder is better. That doesn't mean that The Jacket is a bad film, it's just an average one that's missed an opportunity.

Adrien Brody, unsurprisingly, gives a pretty good performance. He keeps the film moving along nicely and he gives us a reason to watch the film. I usually like Keira Knightley except here she doesn't seem to be trying. Her performance is a little wooden and she can't keep up with Brody. At the time, they should have hired someone else who would equal Brody's strength and not just a young hollywood 'name'. Jennifer Jason Leigh had a small role but her performance is pretty good and it's nice to see her in another film.

This film is dark, twisted, and disturbing. It really makes you think, in a weird and wacky way. The cinematography is twisted, with flashes of pictures and lights popping out with the editing. If you're a fan of time travel films, this will satisfy you. If you're looking a film where you don't have to think, then stay away from this because there are some pretty sophisticated movements going on. With good performances, a well written script, and beautifully shot, this is one time travel film you should make sure you see.

LA Confidential (1997)

It’s hard to know how to approach a film already renowned as a classic. It’s not so much that there’s hype for it to live up to, because the hype has already been proven true. A few times I’ve seen films that fall into this bracket and been underwhelmed. Whether or not people see them through rose tinted glasses, or if I just don’t get it, a lot of the so called classics really don’t float my boat. It was with trepidation therefore that I loaded LA Confidential into my DVD player.

Turns out I needn’t have worried. This really is a classic film. Set in 1950’s Los Angeles, the film, narrated throughout by Danny DeVito, follows three entirely different officers from the LAPD, played by Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey and Guy Pearce. In what is simply a fantastic example of how to script a film, winding it’s way through a complex web of murder, bent cops, drugs and high class madams.

It’s easy to see why this film has made Warner Brother’s list. Despite being over 10 years old, it stands up on its own considerable merits – there is certainly no need for rose tinted glasses to be worn when reviewing this classic. It’s just an incredibly clever film. The characters are perfectly written, and you find yourself engaging with them in different ways, the script tugging at your emotions throughout, making you love, respect and despise in equal measure.

I think Warner Brothers have done us a favour by compiling this list. I’ve had a scan through and there are some crackers that are already on my personal list, and some on there that I really do want to see, and if they’re half as good as this one, it’ll be time well spent.