New Zealand Invasion and Defence

Disclaimer: if you get offended by this blog post or feel that it somehow puts NZ down in anyway, I apologise. This is a hypothetical analysis of how the current standing of the NZDF is viewed in my opinion. If you disagree with me on any point, then please feel free to make a comment. But please refrain from making silly remarks which have nothing to contribute to the subject.

I would like to think it would never happen, but if it did, just how would New Zealand fend off a potential invasion from a well armed aggressor?

Lets say that sometime in the future these islands of only 4 million people came under surprise attack by the armed forces of a nation with its eyes on NZ's vast natural resources just how would our gallant forces respond?

Air Attack.

I suppose any surprise attack would initially come from the Air, on 2 of our major cities, Auckland and Wellington. Auckland would be the most sensible target given the size of the city and the strategic location of the harbour in the pacific and Wellington would be surely attacked for its role as seat of Government, communications and organisational HQ.

The New Zealand Army does have the Mistral VLLAD (Very Low Level Air Defence) a modern air defence missile effective up to 3000 metres altitude but as far as high altitude air defence goes NZ remains vulnerable, with no effective weaponry to combat such an attack.

The Royal New Zealand Navy Frigates HMNZS Te Mana and Te Kaha are armed with the Sea Sparrow missile. This is the only weapon capable of intercepting threats from high altitudes in NZ and given enough warning, these ships could potentially knock out at least a few enemy aircraft and missiles if the ships were ready for it and in the correct location.

Sea Attack.

Assuming a fleet of enemy vessels wanted to attack our major ports, then we would surely see them coming via the P3-K Orion and general shipping communications. An Orion can carry under wing Air to Surface weaponry such as the Harpoon missile although there is no information regarding NZ's capability in this area.

NZ's small fleet of Sea Sprite Helicopters could embark on a defensive position within the Hauraki Gulf armed with the Maverick Air to Surface missile and this could potentially destroy or severely damage enemy vessels given the opportunity should the enemy not deny them the ability to fly.

Land Attack

Once the enemy lands in New Zealand, the NZ Army and the NZSAS would likely launch a limited guerilla style campaign against the enemy. New Zealand has no efective conventional battlefield ability such as tank and artillery, if such equipment were deployed, it could be effectively neutralised by high altitude enemy aircraft.

Overall

Its not looking good and as much as Kiwis like to make fun of Australia, they would undoubtedly be the first ones we would call in the event of any attack.

Muzzerino.

Conventional Invasions are highly unlikely, but NZ does have enemies. For example, the NZSAS have just been sent back to Afghanistan and lets face it, they are not there to just bake cookies.

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• Tsunami the first test of HMNZS Canterbury >

First Acting Performance : The Result

Well, after a couple of mixed up lines and a great deal of fun intermixed with some moments of sheer terror, the whole thing came off without a hitch and the audience loved it!

The first two scenes for me were the hardest, the anticipation of when the curtains would open to reveal us to the audience was difficult to bear. My colleagues however helped me a great deal and we managed to calm each other down a bit.

When the curtains opened we launched into it and the lines started to flow, although I could feel a little bit of shakiness in my own, I think I managed to say them without sounding like a complete idiot. There were moments however when even though I knew exactly what the next line was, I got some kind of "mental block".

Suddenly I would completely forget what the next line was and a pang of terror would rise up from my chest like a volcano, only to be extinguished almost immediately when the line would come back to me a moment later.... ( this was not good for my nerves )

Overall the whole experience was amazing, terrifying but amazing and although I was desperately looking forward to the whole thing being over and done with, when it finally was, it felt a little sad. There was backslapping and congrats all round, a couple of glasses of wine then that was it.

All over.

When's the next one?

First Acting Performance

Well, tonight it a big one for me, its the first time I will have acted in front of an audience since I was in a Primary school play when I was about 10 years old. (20 years ago!)

I know my lines well and I reckon it will be cool, but still bloody scary !!

The play is called "Two weeks with the Queen" and it tells the story of an Australian boy called Colin Mudford who is sent to live with his Uncle and Aunt in London after Colin's younger brother Luke is diagnosed with Cancer.

Colin believes that while in London he can get the Queen to loan him her best Doctor who can surely cure Luke's Cancer so he decides to break into Buckingham Palace.

Its a great story with a nice mix of serious and comedic tones throughout it.

I am playing the role of the Australian Dad, the English Uncle an American Tourist a Posh English Businessman and a Scottish (male) Nurse.

Instead of breaking a leg I shall follow my own little piece of wisdom

"remember yer bloody lines!"

NZ First Cleared : ACT Guilty ! Ha ha ha ha !!

Poetic Justice....

Rodney, in Scotland we have a saying "Nae Luck Pal"

From TVNZ...

The Electoral Commission has found New Zealand First's party secretary did not break the law over incorrect returns last year, but that the Act Party did.

Act had repeatedly attacked NZ First over its alleged failure to declare cash and donations, and its leader Rodney Hide laid a police complaint relating to the 2007 return.

The commission on Thursday night released its decision saying while New Zealand First did not declare donations in 2005, 2006 and 2007 it was not asking for a prosecution.

"No offence committed by the Party Secretary (Anne Martin) in respect of the 2007 annual return," it said.

"New Zealand First is required to file amended returns and accompanying auditor's reports for the 2005 and 2006 years."

"The determination is in respect of the actions of the Party Secretary for New Zealand First only, as considered under Part 6 of the Electoral Act."

It did not release full findings, to avoid prejudicing the police investigation.

The party got an $80,000 donation from its Spencer Trust in 2007. It was the only year the commission could act on as the period for prosecutions expired on the other years.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) this month cleared NZ First after investigating two donations to the party. It found the money was used for the purpose the donors - Sir Robert Jones and the Vela family - intended.

NZ First leader Winston Peters was stood down from his foreign affairs and other portfolios while the SFO inquiry was carried out, and Prime Minister Helen Clark took over.

The police investigation is ongoing and the Auditor-General is looking into party affairs.

In an ironic twist, the Act Party was found by the commission to have failed to clear use of office space when it should have.

The commission says Act got free office space from Sir Robert for a number of years until 2005, at a value of approximately $20,000 per annum.

It was a party donation and was not included in Act's annual returns of donations for the relevant years, the decision said.

The commission has ordered Act to file amended party returns for the years it received free office space when its value was greater than $10,000 annually.

Act leader Rodney Hide says he is surprised by the findings.

Hide says he's not embarrassed and the ruling is no big deal, and is easy to fix. He says all they have to do is fill out a new form declaring the donation.

Hide says one of Act's MPs years ago secured the space for their parliamentary office and was told them they didn't need to declare it.

Nia Glassie

If ever I was to support the Death Penalty it would be for this.

Nia Glassie was a 3 year old girl who was tortured to death by her family.

(from NZ Herald) A child witness saw Nia Glassie "slam dunked on the ground", choked and put in a hot tumble dryer until her head bleed, the trial into the three-year-old's death heard today.

---

People in New Zealand are angry about this, especially since this is not the first time it has happened, indeed there seems to be a very high rate of child murder in New Zealand compared to international averages. Maori in particular seem over-represented in these statistics.

The Death Penalty is an emotional response to crime by the state, yet the state should not be emotional, it should be objective.

Can the Death Penalty be issued in a dispassionate way? I think the death penalty in its very nature is an passionate response.

My emotional response as I write this would be to kill the bastards that did this to little 3 year old Nia Glassie.

If the Judge and Jury and the legal system itself were to be emotional in its judgements upon criminals, I would argue that some crimes (depending on the circumstances and context) would resonate more emotionally with some people and not so much with others resulting in an imbalance where sentences may be handed out unevenly.

At the end of the day, it is an imperfect legal system where this crime may be thrown in the "murder" basket when it is in fact, so much more than just "murder".

Muzzerino.

Kiwi Crude Oil is Sweet As...

The Canadians have struck oil in New Zealand

Apparently Canadian company Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd says it has found at least 12.6 billion barrels worth of black gold off NZ's East Coast.

Trans-Orient chief executive Garth Johnson said that the onshore East Coast Basin "is highly prospective for a fractured oil shale play".

Whoo Hoo!

Does this mean that New Zealand's economy will be boosted and our wages will go up ?

I hope so, given New Zealand's geographic location and the massive amount of Ocean around us that no other country tries to claim, I figure it can be a good bet that New Zealand may well find itself in a rich position one day. Maybe that day is coming?

Muzzerino

Obama : Too Good To Be True ?

Is it too good to be true?

After 8 long years of George W Bush, the worlds most powerful nation state will have a new President in a few weeks.

Obama is miles ahead, he seems more popular than ever, he is an amazing orator and even his rival John McCain admires him. All in all he looks like the fresh new face that America needs to repair some of the damage done by the Bush administration.

Is this all to good to be true I wonder? After seeing American voters such as the woman in the McCain camp who called Obama an "Arab" and other republicans who said "we don't vote for baby killers" it makes me wonder if Obama will ever actually reach the White House given the massive amount of Americans who seem, dare I say it "a bit simple minded and racist".

The problem with a simple minded racist is, they can vote and they can own a gun.

I am not American, I comment only on what I see in the media, but from what I have seen Obama seems like the perfect candidate for US President.

I would not be surprised if some shocking event occurs in the next few weeks (god forbid) to stop Obama from succeeding in this election. I think you know what I mean....

Muzzerino.

Obama 08 >>

New World Self Checkouts

New Zealand's New World supermarkets have a new toy. Self Checkouts.
Looks like a great idea, you scan items yourself, pack them yourself, then pay and leave.

Unfortunately I have discovered a bit of a flaw in this system at my local supermarket.

At my local Devonport branch they have 4 self-checkouts, but the other day I turned up and only 2 were working. The other 2 checkouts had the "Checkout Closed" sign up.

Now forgive me here but I thought the whole point in this system was that no staff were required, except to supervise. I figured it would be quicker for the customer to get through the self checkouts.

There I was standing in a queue behind about 2 people at the self checkouts while the other 2 self checkouts were "closed".

How can they be"closed"? were the robots out having a cigarette break or at the toilet? perhaps the staff in the supermarket have an insatiable perverted desire to simply put the "checkout Closed" sign up at any opportunity, even on the self checkouts in some bizarre fetish to annoy customers?

I don't know. All I do know is that the only advantage to this system was for it to be quicker, yet that advantage has been neutralised when they close the "self checkouts" because of....well I don't know why, just because.

Maybe the hamsters inside the Self Checkouts were tired.

The Iranians are Ready to Fight

According to news reports from Irans "Presstv" agency, the Iranian forces are ready to repond to any attack by Israeli forces.

Aerial drills by the IRIAF have been conducted with their F4, F5 and F14, Sukhoi 24 and Saegeh fighters jets. Interceptor aircraft and bombers of the Islamic Republic Air Force also participated in the first two days of the aerial drill.

The Iranian maneuver, one of many conducted in the past few months, comes amid growing speculations about a possible Israeli attack against the country.

Posturing indeed. If an attack comes, it appears that Iran will now allow it to succeed easily.

Cheers to : The Auckland Link Bus

This is the first post in what I hope will become a series of "cheers to" articles of stuff that I really like.

When I say stuff I really do mean "stuff", it can be anything at all... I already have some more lined up in my head but here is number 1.

Cheers to the Auckland Link Bus

I don't often ride the bus since I love my car, but recently I took a wee trip on this one, its such a relaxing way to get around Auckland, only $1.60 flat fare and the bus has flat panel screens with a plethora of useful information.

The Link Bus goes around a loop in the central city, taking you past all of Auckland's major attractions such as Parnell, Newmarket, Karangahape Road, Ponsonby, Victoria Park and the Central city. The Bus has priority at traffic lights and there is a bus every 10-15 minutes.

The on board screens tell you about what the next stop is, what attractions are there and it even gives you the latest headlines, weather and on-board bus cameras so you can see whats outside from different angles. It also has an in built GPS so you can see exactly where the bus is on the map.

The link bus is awesome!

Cheers to : The Auckland Link Bus.

www.linkbus.co.nz

The Median is there for a Reason !

Dont you just hate it when your entire lane comes to a screeching halt because some arse has left his or her car overhanging the median while turning right? (or left in North America)

There you are, driving along the road when some complete clown moves about two thirds of their car into the median but leave the rest in the lane, blocking it.

For gods sake, use the median! it is there for a reason, merging, turning or even a safe half way point when turning into the far lane on a busy road.

Argggggh!

Muzzerino :-P

Tennents Lager Ad : Caledonia

I think this ad would make any Expat Scot want to pack their bags and head home....



This is a classic advertisement for Tennents lager. Its all about homecoming to Scotland, with the amazing song titled "Caledonia" Written by Dougie MacLean and sung by Frankie Miller.

Lyrics.

I don't know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I've been afraid
That I might drift away
So I've been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I came from
And that's the reason why I seem
So far away today
Oh, but let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
And now I'm going home

Israeli Skunk Spray

Israel have unveiled a new type of crowd control.

Skunk Spray.

This new "weapon" is fired from a water cannon type platform and will soak the target in an absolutely gut wrenching putrid smell.

Non-toxic and harmless apparently you can even drink the fluid and it will cause you no harm, although reporters who have caught even a whiff of the smell say that it immediately makes you want to vomit.

Although the Israeli / Palestinian conflic is nothing to admire, surely you cannot help but be impressed by such a device which allegedly will disperse a crowd in an instant with no physical harm done to the target.

One reporter said that 6 weeks after a Skunk spray, he could still smell the foul stench in the area it was used. Amazing!

It comes as no surprise that other governments around the world have expressed keen interest in purchasing the non-lethal weapon for crowd control.

Muzerino

Further Reading on this topic...

• Sky News>
• AlJazeera>
• BBC News>
  

Medal Theives Should Be Charged With Treason

The Waiouru Army Museum Medal Theives Have Been Caught !

According to the NZ Herald...

Two men have been arrested and charged with the theft of 96 medals from the Waiouru Army Museum.

A 39-year-old from Te Atatu Peninsula and a 37-year-old from Waimauku will appear in the Auckland District Court this afternoon and police will be opposing bail.

Both face burglary charges and the 37-year-old faces an additional 42 fraud charges not related to the medals theft.

Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Bensemann said the investigation was complex and sensitive but he would not divulge details of what led to the arrests today.

"The significance of the theft of the medals to the families of the soldiers, and New Zealand as a nation, has never been far from our minds," he said.

"The return of the medals undamaged in February was wonderful news but these arrests are what the Operation Valour team have worked so hard to bring about.

"He said no further arrests were likely but further charges against the men could be made.Mr Bensemann said the matter was now before the courts and no further arrests were anticipated but further charges could result.

"Both persons have been of interest to the investigation since January," he said."The timing was right but there was no significant breakthrough."He would not answer questions about what was captured on the CCTV footage from the museum or whether the cameras were working.

The collection of 96 medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, was stolen from the museum in the early hours of December 2 last year."This is something that outraged the nation. This was something that needed to be solved for the New Zealand public," Mr Bensemann said.The medals were returned in February after police paid part of a $300,000 reward for their recovery, with part of the money reportedly going to the thieves.

Mr Bensemann said if police found that the two arrested men had received part of the reward then they would seek to recover the money. Lawyer Chris Comeskey brokered the deal that saw the medals returned. Mr Bensemann said police have arranged an appointment with Mr Comeskey."We intend to speak to him in due course," Mr Bensemann said. He said another lawyer was being spoken to in relation to the investigation but he would not comment further on who that might be or why police were speaking to them.

The medals are due to go back on display at the Waiouru Army Museum and a returning ceremony will take place next Tuesday.

End of NZ Herald Story >

I hope that these thieves will not be treated lightly by the Police, in fact I think they should be charged with Treason against the country and spend a long long time in prison.

Will an Innocent Man be Executed ?

I cannot believe that the, hang on actually I CAN believe that the US State of Georgia is going ahead with the Execution of an probable innocent man. I guess that's just how they "roll" in the USA.

The Death Penalty is Evil.

The decades-long, law-and-order-fueled trend toward restricting appellate avenues in criminal cases may be reaching its gruesome but inevitable conclusion in the case of Troy Davis, a death row inmate who apparently will be executed soon despite a series of post-trial revelations about his lack of culpability that ought to shock the conscience of even the most ardent supports of capital punishment.

Troy Davis, who is black, was charged, tried and convicted in Georgia for murdering a white police officer.

He was sentenced to death in 1991.

• There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime.
• There was no DNA.
  
• There was no murder weapon found on him.
  
• Since his trial, seven of the nine main prosecution eyewitnesses against him have recanted their trial testimony.
  
• Some of these witnesses claim police coercion or harsh interrogation tactics caused them to be untruthful at trial.

Davis, who is black, was charged, tried and convicted in Georgia for murdering a white police officer. He was sentenced to death in 1991. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. There was no DNA. There was no murder weapon found on him. Since his trial, seven of the nine main prosecution eyewitnesses against him have recanted their trial testimony. Some of these witnesses claim police coercion or harsh interrogation tactics caused them to be untruthful at trial. More...

The Death Penalty is Evil.
A letter from Troy Davis to you.

"If you save a life, you save the world entire"

in this case, I think the opposite of the Death Penalty.

"if you end one innocent life then you end the world entire"

Muzzerino

Homer votes for President McCain !

McBain for President.

The Wispa is back !!

After a consumer campaign on social networking sites, the Wispa bar is back!

I don't normally post about a companies product but I have to admit, Cadbury's Wispa is awesome!

Cannot get in it New Zealand, but it seems as though you could not get it anywhere else either, until now.

Fluffy Chocolatey Wispa's rule!

Scotland - A Shamless Plug

I thought I'd drop a wee plug for Scotland in this post since living in New Zealand I often have to convince people that we dont just sit around in cold houses drinking beer while it rains outside.

I think these Visit Scotland ads are just the ticket for the doubters...

Highlands


Surfing, Boat Rides, Hill Walking, Concerts...

A Perfect Day


Kayaking, Landing a Plane on the Beach, Crabs, Driving, Beaches and Sunsets...

Adventure


Windsurfing, Abseiling, Mountain Biking, Snowboarding, Paragliding, Surfing...

Edinburgh


Check out VisitScotland.com >>

British Supercarriers to be built in Scotland

The largest Aircraft Carriers outside of the USA will be built in Scotland.

This has been on the cards for a while now but a recent contract signing has brought the deal another step closer to reality.

With a total price tag of 4 Billion pounds, the two Royal Navy carriers to be named HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be in service within 6 to 8 years and weighing in at 65,000 Tonnes, they will be the largest vessels ever built for the Royal Navy.

These ships form the largest components of a massive modernisation of the UK's armed forces and the Royal Navy in particular with other equipment such as...

• 6 x Type 45 Daring-Class Destroyers to enter service by 2014
  
• 2 x Albion class Landing Platform Docks (LPD) commissioned 2003 and 2004
• 3 x River-Class offshore patrol ships
  
• F-35 Lightning II to replace the Harrier
• Wave-Class and Bay-Class Auxiliary ships

In addition to the surface ships the Royal Navy will also acquire a class of brand new "Astute" class of attack submarines.

In Scotland the massive Supercarriers hulls will be partly built on on the Clyde and then moved to be assembled in Rosyth.

Each carrier will have two propellers driven by an electric motor, making them the largest warships in the world to use electric rather than mechanical drive technology.

Rear Admiral Bob Love said: "This latest propulsion technology will significantly improve fuel efficiency enabling uninterrupted long distance deployments and reducing running costs."

With all this construction, it is great news for the ship builders of the UK and especially in Scotland. These deals will secure the jobs of many workers for years to come.

I for one cannot wait to see these behemoths in the water, lets just hope that the UK government don't cancel or scale back the order given whats happening in the Financial crisis.

Muzzerino

Big Mac still Intact afer 12 years !!!

I heard about this on the radio a while back, but I have been looking to find the story online. I am not sure if this is the same story I heard or if it is a similar one but here ya go...

This is the story of a Hamburger from 1996!

I teach a workshop titled Healthy Choices for Children. It's a class for parents seeking solutions to how to improve the way they eat. It's about the alternative food market, organics, and the top ten food additives to avoid and why, menu planning and more. It's a 3 session fabulously informative interactive class.

Below is my absolutely favorite prop. People are always astounded when I share this.
I have used this as show and tell for a very long time.



This is a hamburger from McDonalds that I purchased in 1996.

That was 12 years ago.

• Note that it looks exactly like it did the very day I bought it.
• The flecks on the burger are crumbs from the bun.
• The burger is starting to crumble a bit.
• It has the oddest smell.The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 - to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn's idea.

This is the retro welch's grape juice plastic container I have always kept it in. People always ask me - what did you do to preserve it ?

Nothing - it preserved itself.

Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here.

Not one ounce of food value. Or at least value for why we are eating in the first place.




The burger on the right, off the paper is a 2008 burger. I had to buy it to get the groovy paper and bag.

The meat is a tad darker, the bun a little less golden but in 12 years it will look exactly like that too.

Do you find this horrifying?

McDonalds fills an empty space in your belly. It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food.

It is not a treat.

I marvel at how McDonalds has infiltrated our entire world. A hamburger here tastes exactly the same in China or some around the world place.

It's cloned.

Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Do me a favor and share this.

Can I afford a House in Auckland, New Zealand ?

With all this stuff happening in global finances, does this mean I will finally be able to afford a house in Auckland?

House prices in New Zealand are still ridiculously high, given the low quality of the buildings. I could sooner afford a house in Edinburgh with central heating and double glazing than buy a house in Auckland with no heating, insulation and with the high chance of it being a "leaky home" I am very cautious.

Wages here in NZ are lower than most places, yet house prices are as high as anywhere!

Me and the missus are looking at moving to Nova Scotia in the next few years where you can get a fully detached 3 bedroom house with all the bells and whistles for around $300,000 NZD, maybe less!

Still, I'd prefer not to rent until then, so I am going to wait a while longer to see if those house prices crash.

New Zealand Average Price in NZD = $405,235
United States Average Price in NZD = $369,839
United Kingdom Average Price in NZD = $347,992
Australia Average Price in NZD = $623,107

Check here for an interesting comparison of UK, USA and NZ house prices. I think you will be surprised and possibly depressed at the same time.


Muzzerino

Top 500 Movies of all time

According to Empire, these are the following 500 Greatest movies of all time.

But whats so great about "Star Wars Episode V?"

1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
4. Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
5. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
6. GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
8. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)
9. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
10. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
11. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
12. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
13. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
14. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
15. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
17. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
19. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
21. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
23. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)
25. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)
26. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
27. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
28. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
29. Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)
30. Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
31. Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood)
32. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
33. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)
35. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)
36. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)
37. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
38. Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)
39. The Matrix (Andy & Larry Wachowski, 1999)
40. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
41. The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959)
42. Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949)
43. The Big Lebowski (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1998)
44. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
45. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
46. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
47. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
49. Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1987)
50. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

51. 8 ½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
52. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
53. Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
54. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002)
55. La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
56. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
57. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)
58. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
59. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
60. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985)
61. The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995)
62. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
63. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
64. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003)
65. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)

66. Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)
67. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
68. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
69. Three Colours Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
70. Stand by Me (Rob Reiner, 1986)
71. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
72. 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
73. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
74. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948)
75. A Matter of Life and Death (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1946)
76. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
77. Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
78. Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
79. The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick, 1998)
80. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
81. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
82. The Great Escape (John Sturges, 1963)
83. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
84. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
85. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
86. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
87. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
88. Ferris Bueller’s Day off (John Hughes, 1986)
89. Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
90. When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989)
91. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983)
92. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)
93. Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)
94. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
95. Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
96. American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999)
97. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
98. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
99. Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995)
100. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)

101. Raising Arizona (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1987)
102. The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961)
103. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
104. The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939)
105. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)
106. A Man for All Seasons (Fred Zinnemann, 1966)
107. An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
108. The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi, 1978)
109. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
110. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
111. Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)
112. I Am Cuba (Alexander Payne, 1964)
113. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
114. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
115. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
116. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
117. Miller’s Crossing (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1990)
118. Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
119. The Wages of Fear (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)
120. The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)
121. Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950)
122. The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)
123. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
124. The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
125. A Bout de souffle (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
126. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)
127. The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973)
128. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
129. Harvey (Henry Koster, 1950)
130. The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston, 1975)
131. The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann, 1992)
132. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
133. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
134. Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
135. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
136. Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)
137. Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
138. Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967)
139. Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981)
140. As Good as It Gets (James L. Brooks, 1997)
141. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (David Hand, 1937)
142. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
143. Cyrano De Bergerac (Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1991)
144. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
145. Sophie’s Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982)
146. Shampoo (Hal Ashby, 1975)
147. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
148. Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969)
149. The Red Shoes (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1948)
150. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)

151. Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
152. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
153. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
154. Betty Blue (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986)
155. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)
156. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
157. True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)
158. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
159. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
160. Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979)
161. The Year of Living Dangerously (Peter Weir, 1982)
162. A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984)
163. The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
164. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
165. Partie de campagne (Jean Renoir, 1936)
166. Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
167. Don’t Look Now (Nic Roeg, 1973)
168. Tootsie (Sydney Pollack, 1982)
169. Viridiana (Luis Buñuel, 1961)
170. La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)
171. Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)
172. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
173. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
174. Superman the Movie (Richard Donner, 1978)
175. Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
176. A Canterbury Tale (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1944)
177. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, 2002)
178. Hellzapoppin’ (H.C. Potter, 1941)
179. Toy Story 2 (John Lasseter, 1999)
180. To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)
181. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Russ Meyer, 1970)
182. Performance (Donald Cammell, Nic Roeg, 1970)
183. Le Samourai (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)
184. Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971)
185. Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
186. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)
187. The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958)
188. School of Rock (Richard Linklater, 2003)
189. Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984)
190. Big (Penny Marshall, 1988)
191. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
192. Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
193. Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994)
194. Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
195. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
196. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1999)
197. Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991)
198. Fargo (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1996)
199. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
200. Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)

201. JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
202. The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
203. Life of Brian (Terry Jones, 1979)
204. The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935)
205. The Addiction (Abel Ferrara, 1995)
206. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
207. The Misfits (John Huston, 1961)
208. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
209. Local Hero (Billy Forsyth, 1983)
210. Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
211. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
212. M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
213. Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, 2000)
214. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969)
215. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
216. Sunday Bloody Sunday (John Schlesinger, 1971)
217. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)
218. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953)
219. The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
220. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
221. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
222. Mother and Son (Aleksandr Sokurov, 1997)
223. Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
224. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988)
225. Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)
226. Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996)
227. Léon (Luc Besson, 1994)
228. No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)
229. Festen (Thomas Vinterberg, 1998)
230. Howl’s Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
231. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
232. Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
233. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984)
234. The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass, 2007)
235. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)
236. Black Narcissus (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1947)
237. Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, 1991)
238. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
239. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
240. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
241. Brighton Rock (John Boulting, 1947)
242. King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)
243. Heimat (Edgar Reitz, 1984)
244. Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993)
245. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004)
246. The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
247. All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, 1979)
248. Pandora’s Box (Georg Wilhelm Pabst, 1929)
249. My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)
250. Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927)

251. Darling (John Schlesinger, 1965)
252. The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1980)
253. First Blood (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
254. The Verdict (Sidney Lumet, 1982)
255. Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch, 1939)
256. Le Quai des brumes (Marcel Carné, 1938)
257. The Black Cat (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1934)
258. The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980)
259. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
260. Field of Dreams (Phil Alden Robisnon, 1989)
261. Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953)
262. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999)
263. Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981)
264. American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)
265. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
266. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
267. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
268. The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938)
269. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
270. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005)
271. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985)
272. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Dario Argento, 1970)
273. The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941)
274. Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, 2005)
275. My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
276. Layer Cake (Matthew Vaughn, 2004)
277. On the Town (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1949)
278. Carlito’s Way (Brian De Palma, 1993)
279. National Lampoon’s Animal House (John Landis, 1978)
280. Mad Max 2 (George Miller, 1982)
281. Interview with the Vampire (Neil Jordan, 1994)
282. The Godfather Part III (Francis Ford Coppola, 1990)
283. Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985)
284. Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983)
285. Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)
286. L’avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
287. Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
288. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988)
289. John Carpenter’s The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
290. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
291. Rocco and His Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1960)
292. Le belle et la bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946)
293. La maman et la putain (Jean Eustache, 1973)
294. The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956)
295. The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987)
296. All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
297. It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)
298. Le cercle rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970)
299. The Palm Beach Story (Preston Sturges, 1942)
300. Sawdust and Tinsel (Ingmar Bergman, 1953)

301. Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975)
302. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
303. Together (Lukas Moodyson, 2000)
304. Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
305. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006)
306. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989)
307. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
308. The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
309. Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)
310. Gremlins (Joe Dante, 1984)
311. American History X (Tony Kaye, 1998)
312. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
313. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
314. Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
315. Sense and Sensibility (Ang Lee, 1995)
316. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)
317. Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
318. Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)
319. The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, 1994)
320. Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995)
321. Funny Face (Stanley Donen, 1957)
322. Aladdin (Ron Clements, John Musker, 1992)
323. The Last Seduction (John Dahl, 1994)
324. Lone Star (John Sayles, 1996)
325. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
326. Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
327. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
328. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
329. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
330. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005)
331. The Green Mile (Frank Darabont, 1999)
332. The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
333. Grease (Randal Kleiser, 1978)
334. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
335. The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
336. Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
337. 300 (Zack Snyder, 2006)
338. Jules et Jim (François Truffaut, 1962)
339. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
340. High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
341. The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975)
342. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
343. Monsters, Inc. (Pete Docter, 2001)
344. The Last Waltz (Martin Scorsese, 1978)
345. Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, 1987)
346. Leave Her to Heaven (John M. Stahl, 1945)
347. All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)
348. Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966)
349. Arthur (Steve Gordon, 1981)
350. Planet of the Apes (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968)

351. Zulu (Cy Endfield, 1964)
352. Unfaithfully Yours (Preston Sturges, 1948)
353. Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker, 1976)
354. Un chien andalou (Luis Buñuel, 1929)
355. Sunshine (Danny Boyle, 2007)
356. Napoléon (Abel Gance, 1927)
357. The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)
358. Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002)
359. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
360. The Return (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003)
361. Clerks (Kevin Smith, 1994)
362. The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980)
363. Good Morning, Vietnam (Barry Levinson, 1987)
364. Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994)
365. The Bourne Identity (Doug Liman, 2002)
366. Predator (John McTiernan, 1987)
367. Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972)
368. Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, 1980)
369. The Breakfast Club (John Hughes, 1985)
370. Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
371. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)
372. Army of Darkness (Sam Raimi, 1992)
373. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
374. Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)
375. Four Weddings and a Funeral (Mike Newell, 1994)
376. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
377. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
378. The Goonies (Richard Donner, 1985)
379. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
380. Children of Men (Alfondo Cuarón, 2006)
381. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, 1975)
382. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
383. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005)
384. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
385. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
386. The Great Silence (Sergio Corbucci, 1968)
387. Rain Man (Barry Levinson, 1988)
388. The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996)
389. Election (Alexander Payne, 1999)
390. 2 Days in Paris (Julie Delpy, 2007)
391. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
392. Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
393. Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)
394. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)
395. Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995)
396. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
397. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
398. Killer of Sheep (Charless Burnett, 1977)
399. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
400. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)

401. Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)
402. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006)
403. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
404. RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
405. Dirty Dancing (Emile Ardolino, 1987)
406. Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
407. The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967)
408. Zelig (Woody Allen, 1983)
409. Men in Black (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)
410. A Hard Day’s Night (Richard Lester, 1964)
411. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
412. Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1989)
413. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)
414. The Double Life of Véronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991)
415. Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)
416. Bad Taste (Peter Jackson, 1987)
417. Lords of Dogtown (Catherine Hardwicke, 2005)
418. V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005)
419. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
420. Jerry Maguire (Cameron Crowe, 1996)
421. Lethal Weapon (Richard Donner, 1987)
422. A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956)
423. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
424. To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks, 1944)
425. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson, 2000)
426. Enduring Love (Roger Michell, 2004)
427. Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei, 1948)
428. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974)
429. Danger: Diabolik (Mario Bava, 1968)
430. Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
431. Electra Glide in Blue (James William Guercio, 1973)
432. X-Men 2 (Bryan Singer, 2003)
433. Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
434. The Cat Concerto (William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, 1947)
435. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)
436. Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1991)
437. Spider-Man (Sam Raimi, 2002)
438. The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987)
439. Grosse Pointe Blank (George Armitage, 1997)
440. Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
441. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999)
442. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
443. Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975)
444. Hairspray (John Waters, 1988)
445. Dumb and Dumber (Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 1994)
446. High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000)
447. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002)
448. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
449. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999)
450. King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005)

451. Speed (Jan De Bont, 1994)
452. Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan, 2000)
453. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg, 2008)
454. The Bourne Supremacy (Paul Greengrass, 2004)
455. Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986)
456. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)
457. Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)
458. Batman (Tim Burton, 1989)
459. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
460. Crash (Paul Haggis, 2004)
461. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
462. Dead Man’s Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)
463. Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)
464. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954)
465. 12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
466. Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000)
467. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
468. The Crow (Alex Proyas, 1994)
469. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)
470. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)
471. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuarón, 2004)
472. Le Doulos (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1962)
473. Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)
474. Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973)
475. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Gore Verbinski, 2006)
476. Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989)
477. Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955)
478. Flesh (Paul Morrissey, 1968)
479. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Norman Z. McLeod, 1947)
480. The Son’s Room (Nanni Moretti, 2001)
481. Topsy-Turvy (Mike Leigh, 1999)
482. Scream (Wes Craven, 1996)
483. The Big Red One (Samuel Fuller, 1980)
484. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, 2006)
485. The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
486. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Blake Edwards, 1961)
487. Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007)
488. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
489. Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)
490. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton, 2007)
491. Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
492. Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)
493. In the Company of Men (Neil LaBute, 1997)
494. Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
495. Jailhouse Rock (Richard Thorpe, 1957)
496. Superman Returns (Bryan Singer, 2006)
497. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
498. Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989)
499. Saw (James Wan, 2004)
500. Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001)

Winston Peters Cleared.

Finally, I am glad this shambles has finally come to an end
(for the most part)

No Fraud was commited.

Now finally can the Media and certain witch-hunting politicians get back on with some "real" work and lets see NZ First's position be boosted by this farce.

From the NZ Herald...

Winston Peters will not be reinstated as Minister of Foreign Affairs despite his party being cleared of fraud by the Serious Fraud Office.

The SFO finished its investigation yesterday, but raised questions about a new cash gift Mr Peters should have declared and gave information it uncovered to the police, the Auditor-General and the Electoral Commission.

The Prime Minister said though she was pleased New Zealand First had been cleared of fraud, matters relating to its donations controversy were still with other authorities.

She would continue as acting minister for Mr Peters' portfolios.

"We are all seeking a fresh mandate at the general election," Helen Clark said.

Mr Peters refused to answer directly when asked if he believed he should be reinstated, saying he wanted to get on with the campaign.

He has been suspended as a minister since the SFO said on August 28 that it was beginning an investigation.

He was told the office's decision as he was about to make an election campaign speech to 30 elderly people at the Accadia Manor rest home estate in Tauranga.

Mr Peters announced it immediately to them, saying: "The SFO has absolutely done its chips. They've got nothing."

The clearance came on the eve of the campaign launches for Labour and National and as two polls showed the gap between the two parties closing, raising the possibility of NZ First again being the king-maker.

Mr Peters said it was "very good timing", then attacked National leader John Key, who ruled NZ First out as a coalition partner just before the SFO began its investigation.

www.nzfirst.org.nz - winstonpeters.com

Dear American, Socialism is NOT a Bad Word

Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth into a small section of society who control capital, and creates an unequal society.

All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.

To me, the greatest reason why I would ever become a Socialist is health care.

100% Free health care. (tax funded of course)

Maybe I am crazy but as far as I am concrned, health care is a Right, not a Privilege which only a certain percentage of society should have access to.

Every human being should have access to free and high quality health care without being asked for a Credit Card or Insurance Certificate, Surely even the most staunch Capitalist would agree that this "basic" human right should be met.

What amazes me about the American system of health care, is the large number of people who seem to have been brainwashed into accepting that any kind of 'free' system is bad because..

Free healthcare = socialism and socialism is a bad word.

Many people in the United States seem happy to pay for medical insurance cover and also seem to believe that it will provide in their darkest hour of need, the cover which it proclaims. I would have serious doubts over trusting a private company to pay for my medical bills, especially after watching the movie 'Sicko' where it was revealed that these companies actually employ people to deliberatly look for reasons to 'deny' your cover and often find one, no matter how small and insignificant that reason is.

I would much prefer to trust the government with my health care. Why? because I believe in democracy, I believe that for the most part, my government (in this case NZ and UK) can be trusted to look after the people. They do not seek profit and therefore are highly unlikely to deny my rights for medical care.

Does this make me A Socialist?

further reading >

• Thread on American Socialism
• Socialism shouldn't be considered a bad word
• NHS Support Federation
  

P.s. If you are against free health care and don't mind paying for cover, that's fine, but what about Police, Schools, Fire service? Should you get a bill from the Police when they arrest a criminal on your property? should you fork out a few thousand dollars for the fire dept who successfully extinguish your burning home?

Muzzerino.

Keep Our NHS Public!

Spam!

It spoils it for all those genuine advertisers out there. I noticed while clearing out my "bulk mail" box today that there were a few messages that were probably genuine, I.E. "not Spam" but I deleted them anyway because the first message I laid eyes on, was SPAM.

My natural instinct was, as soon as I saw ONE spam message, the following 50 would be deleted because of it. Normally I think this is something that I would do sub-consciously, but upon realising what I did, I thought it would be worthy of a post.

Muzzerino

Airbus A380 Over Auckland : Photos

**Qantas Airbus A380 Wallpaper**

I finally managed to get a look at the new Airbus A380 as Australian Airline Qantas flew their new toy over Auckland today. It was chilly up on Mt Vic which was covered in plane spotters like me.

I got talking to a few friendly folk up there including an New Zealand "Airbus captain" and we talked "Planes" for a while until the Airbus A380 arrived.

It was Aprrox 1010 when the plane arrived it was incredibly quiet and flew low enough for a good look.

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 over Auckland

Qantas Airbus A380 Wallpaper >>>

There was a bit of confusion among the spectators about how long the Airbus A380 would be showing off for and after its initial pass. it dissapeared up north. Myself and a few other plane spotters (all with Nikon cameras, lol) waited and waited for it to return, which it did at approx 10.50 where it flew directly over Mount Victoria again.

Overall it was well worth a look, the aircraft is big, slow and heavy looking although very very quiet.

Qantas Airbus A380 Wallpaper >>>

Muzzerino (The Plane spotter)

Dear American, this is NOT the Flag of England

No offence, but I just saw a news report from a major American news channel talking about the financial crisis and once again they referred to the UK as "England" with a nice big Union Jack graphic next to it.

Please please please, understand that England is merely a "Part" of the UK, albeit the biggest part, it is a "part" nonetheless.

I am sure if people decided to call the United States of America "Texas" or "Delaware" then a lot of Americans might feel a little annoyed about that.

Just to confirm....

This is the Flag of England

This is the Flag of England

and....

This is the Flag of the UK

This is the Flag of the UK

Below is an example of the make up of the Union Jack (UK Flag)

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make up the "UK"

Wales doesn't have a representation in the flag because they fall under the English flag due to the nature of their Union.

Thanks for listening to me moan.

Muzzerino

A380 Visit to Auckland Airport : Update :

Airbus A380 coming to Auckland Airport!

See the Latest photos From the Airbus Flight over Auckland >>>

The largest commercial aircraft in the world is scheduled to take off at 10.00am on Friday 10 October from Auckland Airport for a special promotional flight around Auckland City, returning at 11.15am and then departing again at 3pm for Sydney.

If you are keen to catch a glimpse of the giant A380 aircraft we suggest you make your way to one of Auckland's high vantage points, such as One Tree Hill, Bastion Point, North Head, Mt Eden or the Sky Tower where you may be able to see the aircraft in full flight.

The aircraft will be flying over the city after its 10.00am takeoff and, provided the weather is clear, you should get a great view from these spots. If you are keen to brave the traffic and make your way out to the airport, leave plenty of time so you don't miss out.

The A380 aircraft will be parked at the new pier at the Auckland international terminal which is not visible from any of the public viewing decks; however you will be able to see the aircraft take off at 10.00am.

Parking is restricted at the airport so we encourage you to take the bus or carpool with friends. If you live in Manukau or Papatoetoe take advantage of free travel on the 380 bus on the day!

To celebrate the Airbus arrival, the 380 "land bus" service between Manukau and the airport will be free from 8am until 1pm. See maxx.co.nz to plan your journey. For those travellers who are coming to the airport to catch a flight, please allow extra time to get to the airport as we are expecting traffic delays. Unfortunately we won't know the aircraft's flight path until the day before the flight, so check our website for more details closer to the time.

Media Release by Auckland Airport >>

See the Latest photos From the Airbus Flight over Auckland >>>