10. Marwencol (Jeff Malmberg, 2010)
In 2000, New York artist Mark Hogancamp was set upon by five men outside his neighbourhood bar. They beat him so badly that he fell into a coma for nine days. When he awoke, his memory had been erased and so he had to relearn basic skills such as walking, talking and even eating. His artistic career was as good as over, as he now lacked the manual dexterity to even hold a paintbrush. As a final blow, his medical insurance wouldnt cover the duration of his therapy, and so he resorted to making his own. Two years after the attack, Hogancamp began to build 1/6th scale dioramas with Barbie and GI Joe dolls, who inhabited a fictional Belgian town called Marwencol (named after three of his characters, Mark, Wendy and Colleen) during World War II. He then uses these dolls to restage the attack, as well as various retellings (many of which involve him being rescued by two aggressive women). As his hands become less shaky, he adds more detail to the diorama; the detachable weapons, the Nazi uniforms, the bar interiors. Then he includes dolls that represent people from real life; his friends, his mother and himself. Its like A Beautiful Mind mixed with Synecdoche, New York. Finally Hogancamp photographs these models, gaining the interest of a Manhattan gallery. But is one mans therapy another mans art?
9. Magic Trip (Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney, 2011)
In 1964, American author Ken Kesey, fresh off the success of his One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, rounded up a ragtag collection of counterculture icons (known as the Merry Pranksters) and began a week-long cross-country road trip in and out of consciousness. Their vessel was a converted schoolbus christened "Further", painted in nauseating kaleidoscopic colours, and their fuel went by the name of LSD. On board were Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, along with a selection of acolytes, groupies and oddballs with such names as Stark Naked and Mal Function. Its The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test brought to life before your very eyes! Ellwood and Gibney have painstakingly restored the original film, pieced it together with both contemporary and vintage interviews and sent it on its Merry way. The whirring Super-8 quality not only places you on the bus, rattling along like a medicine cabinet on wheels, but throws you headfirst into the ensuing mayhem. An impromptu instrumental in a forest, a stop-off at Timothy Learys, rubbing shoulders with the Grateful Deadall with a running commentary from Cassady, whos gobbling handfuls of Speed to stay awake at the wheel. A wonderfully weird film that makes you nostalgic for a time youve only read about. All thats missing is Sgt Pepper.
8. Catfish (Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, 2010)
Twenty-something New Yorker Nev Schulman is an amateur photographer whose online pictures catch the attention of an eight-year-old budding artist called Abby. Abby emails Nev her interpretations of his work, he gives positive feedback and lo, a creative friendship is formed. This friendship extends to Abbys mother, Angela, and more specifically, Abbys older sister, Megan. Through a torrent of passionate texts, calls and Facebook messages, Nev and Megan begin a long-distance relationship. And so when Abby invites Nev to an exhibition of her work in her home town of Michigan, this seems like the perfect opportunity for everyone to meet At this point, the audience are already a tad uneasy with the premise (why are two men filming their brother/friends correspondence with a little girl?), but Catfish keeps us hooked to the very end. Its a thriller disguised as a documentary, although at times it veers towards becoming the first "Facebook horror film" - which some may argue that, in many ways, it is. But is it real? Well, when you consider that Joost and Schulman directed the last two Paranormal Activity films and Nev now hosts a Catfish spin-off series for MTV, you see a tech-savvy trio who can spin a good tale.
7. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (Mark Hartley, 2008)
Perhaps the only guide you'll ever need to Australia's New Wave cinema, Not Quite Hollywood is a whistle-stop tour of the genre even its own country ignored. In 1970, the newly-introduced classification system marked an influx of "R-rated" westerns, sex comedies, horror, road and action movies, each low in budget but high in schlock. In the war of the video nasties, it became clear that US efforts were being matched - if not outplayed - Down Under. Some titles you've heard, some you haven't. Some titles you've seen, some you shouldn't. For every Mad Max, there's The Howling III: The Marsupials. But don't rule out all Aussie horror: Patrick, a coma-victim gifted with psychokinesis, and Razorback, the story of a bloodthirsty giant boar rampaging across the Outback, are both surprisingly watchable. The tone is brisk and bawdy, consisting solely of quick-fire film clips and snippets from an incredible range of talking heads. While Barry Humphries is oddly proud of his "seminal" gross-out comedy Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Jamie Lee Curtis recalls her confusion at being cast alongside Stacy Keach in hitch-hiker horror Road Games - and Dennis Hopper's memories of shooting Mad Dog Morgan are a blur of constant insobriety. All interviewed share the same incredulity at having endured the Australian filmmaking experience...with some having survived more literally than others. Turkey Shoot (also known as Escape 2000 or Blood Camp Thatcher), is a 1982 dystopian prison-set thriller made infamous for its alleged use of real ammunition. But perhaps the most surprising champion of Ozploitation is none other than Quentin Tarantino, who, in typically effusive style, claims that the way the Aussies filmed a car chase ''just makes you want to j**k off . Nothing if not appreciative, I suppose.