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I was once asked, if I had to choose 10 DVDs to take with me to a desert island, which ones would I take? Having put much thought into the subject I decided to try and list my top 10 films of all time...

10. 28 Days Later - One of my favourite action/horror films, and as a bonus a British production. Had a good spin on the zombie genre, suspence, action, alternative endings and the chance to see the M1 deserted for once

9.Crash - A controversial choice for Best Film Oscar it may have been, but I thought Crash was an extremely moving film, that I have seen several times on DVD.  It's not light entertainment, but I thought that the interweaving plotlines were well handled (unlike Syriana). As well as being well-written and having a powerful soundtrack, I thought that there were many good performances, particularly Michael Peña.

8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original 1974 version) - Tobe Hooper's original is a dark, disturbing film. Relatively little gore, but it still manages to terrify with suspense and psychological horror. The film seriously freaked me out, but it kept me gripped the whole way through. Hands down beats the 2003 remake.

7. The Usual Suspects - Based on the Japanese film 'Rashomon', The Usual Suspects is all about truth and confession. I was hooked throughout the film, and whilst I knew there was a major twist at the end, I had no idea what was coming. Great acting from all involved, particularly Kevin Spacey, and knowing the ending only makes you realise what a clever film it is.

6. The Lion King - There had to be some Disney in here, and The Lion King was the defining Disney film of my childhood. Whilst there were other contenders, it's hard to compete with The Lion King for storyline, music and timeless memories. Plus it's got James Earl Jones...

5. Mononoke-Hime (Princess Mononoke) - It would be quite possible to make a list of the top 10 Studio Ghibli films, but Mononoke-Hime is my favourite, narrowly edging out Tonari no Totoro. The first Ghibli film I ever saw, I was captivated by the animation and the story of nature against man, with the elements of Japanese fairy tales added in.

4. Alien - A difficult choice between Alien and Aliens, I settled for the original. A totally different film from the action film that is Aliens; Alien is a film on a small scale (there are only seven crewmembers on the ship), but it really drives home the sense of claustrophobia and terror as the crew are hunted by the alien. A classic horror science fiction film.

3. No Country For Old Men - Hands down my film of the year so far, and it's looking hard to beat. I thought that Javier Bardem was terrific in his role as the psycopathic killer Anton Chigur, and Tommy Lee Jones was excellent as the world weary sherrif. Having read the book by Cormac McCarthy helped when I saw the film for the second time; the questions about the changing state of society and determinism are executed well, as is the open ending.

2. Star Wars - When I watched A New Hope as a boy I is was captivated by the world that was shown in George Lucas' film. The original trilogy were my favourite films for a long time - the characters, the storytelling, the heroics, the sacrifice all appealed to me. I've lost count of the times that I've seen the original trilogy now. Needless to say, I was less than impressed by the new trilogy.

1. The Lord of the Rings - It would take something special to dislodge Star Wars from number one, but The Lord of the Rings managed it. When I heard my favourite book was being made into a film I was excited, but nervous about how they would treat Tolkein's great work. Of course, certain elements were changed or lost in the film, but the majority were not detrimental (omitting Tom Bombadil didn't cause me too much grief) to what were, in my opinion, three brilliant films. The Fellowship were all perfectly cast, the setting was amazing, as was Peter Jackson's direction. What better way could there be to spend a good nine hours?