Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (1972), [Link removed - login to see] (1974)

Creator: Mario Puzo

Performer: Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro

Defining moment: Forging his destiny with the murder of neighbourhood padrone Don Fanucci.

Fascinating fact: Orson Welles claimed he would have “sold his soul” to play Vito, but was never even considered - still, an interesting thought.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (2001)

Creator: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Performer: Flora Guiet, Audrey Tautou

Defining moment: Upon Amélie finding the photo album of lost postcards, the narrator gives the perfect summation of Amélieness: “Any normal girl would call the number, meet him, return the album and see if her dream is viable. It’s called a reality check. The last thing Amélie wants.”

Fascinating fact: There is a species of South American frog — Cochranella amelie — named after the impish Parisian.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] trilogy (1984-1994)

Creator: Daniel Petrie Jr.

Performer: Eddie Murphy

Defining moment: His incredulous but knowing squeal, "Getthefuckouttahere!" to snippy gallery flunky Serge when he's told the price of the works of art.

Fascinating fact: The role was originally written for Sylvester Stallone, who rewrote much of the script, had it rejected, and later recycled some of the ideas for 1986's Cobra.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (1986)

Creator: John Carpenter, W. D. Richter

Performer: Kurt Russell

Defining moment: Ol' Jack Burton bursts into a room, shoots his gun in the air... and gets knocked out by falling masonry. Thus proving that he's a perfect piss-take of the shoot first, ask questions later American hero.

Fascinating fact: The movie initially began life as a Western, set in the 1880s. Russell's John Wayne drawl would have been even more appropriate.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] series (1984–)

Creator: James Cameron

Performer: Linda Hamilton, Emilia Clarke

Defining moment: In T2, doing chin-ups in the hospital. Once a timid nobody, now a fearsome warrior with the fate of mankind in her hands.

Fascinating fact: The T-1000's doppelgänger of Connor in T2 was played by her identical twin sister, Leslie.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (1994), [Link removed - login to see] (1995)

Creator: Jack Bernstein, Tom Shadyac, Jim Carrey

Performer: Jim Carrey

Defining moment: Plenty of improv and rubber-faced japery, but for pure physical comedy the slo-mo acting out of a football play in the mental institution - and then rewinding - can't be topped.

Fascinating fact: Ace Ventura made a brief (animated) appearance in the cartoon series of The Mask, when Stanley Ipkiss loses his dog.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (2012)

Creator: Quentin Tarantino

Performer: Christoph Waltz

Defining moment: For showcasing his joy in the part and his dexterity with Tarantino's dialogue, Waltz recounting the origins of the name of Broomhilda - Django's wife. "It's a German legend, there's always going to be a mountain in there somewhere."

Fascinating fact: Tarantino created the part for Waltz, who stayed with him while he wrote and read the pages literally warm from the printer.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] and [Link removed - login to see] trilogies (2001-2014)

Creator: J. R. R. Tolkien

Performer: Ian Holm, Martin Freeman

Defining moment: As he's about to quit the quest in An Unexpected Journey, Freeman's Bilbo realises the dwarves want their home back as much as he needs to get home. Somehow this drives him further on for adventures.

Fascinating fact: John Le Mesurier - best known for playing Sgt. Wilson in Dad's Army — played Bilbo in the BBC's 1981 radio serial.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (1982)

Creator: Melissa Mathison

Performer: Pat Welsh (voice)

Defining moment: When Elliott cuts his finger, E. T. uses his glowing digit to reveal his power to heal. It is not simply a demonstration of alien powers, but an expression of E. T.'s empathy and mgrowing bond with Elliott.

Fascinating fact: The squashy sound of E.T.'s walk was created by foley artist John Roesch stuffing a T-shirt full of jelly and squishing it.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]

Appearance: The [Link removed - login to see] series (2000–)

Creator: Len Wein, John Romita Sr.

Performer: Hugh Jackman, Troye Sivan

Defining moment: His ferocious response when the Xavier School For Gifted Youngsters is attacked in X2. The claws come out... Wolverine really doesn't like you threatening his friends.

Fascinating fact: Jackman took daily icecold showers while playing Wolverine in order to achieve the requisite grumpiness.

[Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see] [Link removed - login to see]