Welcome to the Syndicate: It's hard for me to think about any aspect of feature film in less than 15 minutes, let alone a list of top 15 films. And for me it's more about context which takes me even longer to reflect on. In any case, these are the top 15 films that have stayed with me and a brief on why they're compelling. Thanks Sebastien, it was a good exercise, and we share some common films on our lists! RAN- Epic Shakespearean Japanese Sengokujidai (Warring States) tragedy. HARD BOILED - John Wu put HK action soap operas on the map and defined over a decade of two fisted gun toting. AKIRA- The Godzilla for the nuclear age and he's not a Kaiju but a boy. PRINCESS MONONOKE - The defining fairy tale of man's relationship with the Earth and each other. THE BIG LEBOWSKI - Idiots Guide to Chandler Hard Boiled fiction. THE GODFATHER PART II - The American Family defined by its immigrant roots. THE MATRIX - One of the only successful attempts to recreate the dynamics of Japanese Anime into a live-action film. ALIENS - The defining SciFi film for me - practical effects that still hold up, strong female lead with believable/admirable sensibilities, and it's the modern zombie survival movie (before all the current ubiquitous zombie garbage). MULHOLLAND DR - I've never seen a film with such deep, sultry, shadows like in this film. SE7EN - Visually arresting cinematography that stylistically redefined Neo Noir to this day. THERE WILL BE BLOOD - The quintessential film about the American ambition that forged the Land. THE DARK KNIGHT - This is really the only super-hero movie you need to see. I SAW THE DEVIL - It's not necessarily the best K-thriller but it's a potent reduction of all that is brutal, carnal, visceral, and painful about the rest. THE RING - Take a simple urban legend and reverse engineer it into a thematic and visual over-kill and you have what makes for the best of horror. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - The ultimate bromance movie... and best movie about hope if you really watch it spoiler free. I guess if I ever wanted to see another persons top 15 list of films, it'd be from the usual suspects Hiram Chan, David Chien, Jeff Mizushima and then Gun Woman / 女体銃 director Kurando Mitsutake - and you guys can do it in the nude as an option.