Films
Pulp Fiction
I watched this about ten years ago and it completely blew me away. Tarantino’s storytelling — the non-linear structure, the way scenes fold back into each other — was unlike anything I’d seen before.
Two scenes stand out most. The first is Butch’s escape after being captured by Zed — the moment he breaks free, comes back to save Marcellus rather than just running, and that unforgettable choice of weapon. Pure cinema.
The second is the dance scene — Vincent and Mia at Jack Rabbit Slim’s, that twist contest set to “You Never Can Tell.” Effortlessly cool, and the kind of scene that sticks with you for years.
Shows
Breaking Bad
I first heard about this show years ago, back when I was working as a community physiotherapist. One of my patients couldn’t stop talking about it — he gave me the tagline: a secondary school chemistry teacher, diagnosed with lung cancer, who decides to put his chemistry knowledge to use cooking methamphetamine rather than just chasing money for treatment. I remember being genuinely stunned by that premise, but I never got round to watching it at the time.
Then one day I stumbled on it on Netflix. I was off work with a chest infection, and it hooked me from episode one — I ended up watching the entire first season in one go. What struck me most was the storytelling and the pacing; every episode ends in a way that makes it impossible not to start the next one.
Bryan Cranston’s transformation from Walter White into Heisenberg was extraordinary to watch unfold.
Gus Fring as the antagonist was brilliant — not evil in an over-the-top way, but unnervingly calm and controlled, which somehow made him more unsettling. His composure throughout the show is one of the things that has stayed with me most.
Another scene that really stands out is the one where the cousins arrive to kill Hank but hold back at the last moment.
More shows to come.
Honourable Mentions
A lot of people know Pulp Fiction and Breaking Bad — so before moving on, a couple of honourable mentions for the ones that deserve far more attention than they get.
Nightcrawler
I watched this recently and it completely blew me away. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance is outstanding — it’s rare to see a film where the morally bankrupt character wins, but he does, and somehow he wins your sympathy along with it. Unsettling, brilliant acting.
Tumbbad
A Hindi horror film, and genuinely one of the best I’ve seen from India — a country where I’ve rarely come across a horror film I’d call good. I was blown away the first time I watched it. It’s still very underrated and doesn’t get the attention it deserves. More people need to know about this one.
The Full List — by Language
| 🇬🇧 English | Year | IMDb |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking Bad — TV series | 2008 | 9.5 |
| The Shawshank Redemption | 1994 | 9.3 |
| Pulp Fiction | 1994 | 8.8 |
| GoodFellas | 1990 | 8.7 |
| The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 | 8.6 |
| The Prestige | 2006 | 8.5 |
| The Shining | 1980 | 8.4 |
| Memento | 2000 | 8.4 |
| The Truman Show | 1998 | 8.2 |
| No Country for Old Men | 2007 | 8.2 |
| Se7en | 1995 | 8.6 |
| Fight Club | 1999 | 8.8 |
| The Usual Suspects | 1995 | 8.5 |
| The Departed | 2006 | 8.5 |
| Inception | 2010 | 8.8 |
| Zodiac | 2007 | 7.7 |
| Reservoir Dogs | 1992 | 8.3 |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley | 1999 | 7.4 |
| Prisoners | 2013 | 8.2 |
| Gone Girl | 2014 | 8.1 |
| Nightcrawler | 2014 | 7.8 |
| Shutter Island | 2010 | 8.2 |
| Get Out | 2017 | 7.8 |
| Fargo | 1996 | 8.1 |
| Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | 1998 | 8.1 |
| The Green Mile | 1999 | 8.6 |
| Inside Man | 2006 | 7.6 |
| Misery | 1990 | 7.8 |
| Taken | 2008 | 7.7 |
| The Hangover | 2009 | 7.7 |
| Identity | 2003 | 7.3 |
| You’re Next | 2011 | 6.6 |
| Knives Out | 2019 | 7.9 |
| Coherence | 2013 | 7.2 |
| Nocturnal Animals | 2016 | 7.4 |
| The Last Stop in Yuma County | 2023 | 6.9 |
| Arrival | 2016 | 7.9 |
| Oldboy (2013 American remake) | 2013 | 5.8 |
| Black Mirror — TV series | 2011 | 8.7 |
| Game Night | 2018 | 6.9 |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | 1975 | 8.6 |
| 🇪🇸 Spanish | Year | IMDb |
|---|---|---|
| Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) — TV series | 2017 | 8.2 |
| Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes) | 2014 | 8.1 |
| The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos) | 2009 | 8.2 |
| The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo) | 2016 | 7.7 |
| 🇰🇷 Korean | Year | IMDb |
|---|---|---|
| Parasite | 2019 | 8.5 |
| Oldboy | 2003 | 8.1 |
| The Wailing | 2016 | 7.4 |
| 🇮🇳 Hindi | Year | IMDb |
|---|---|---|
| Tumbbad | 2018 | 8.2 |
| Mother India | 1957 | 7.8 |
| Andhadhun | 2018 | 8.2 |
| Khosla Ka Ghosla! | 2006 | 8.3 |
| 3 Idiots | 2009 | 8.4 |
| Omkara | 2006 | 8.1 |
| Angoor | 1982 | 8.3 |
| Love Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD) | 2010 | 7.1 |
| 🇩🇰 Danish | Year | IMDb |
|---|---|---|
| The Hunt (Jagten) | 2012 | 8.3 |
Nitin Sharma | Questioning Everything 