Over many years, Steve Wright has travelled across the British Isles in the search for crowd-pleasing wildlife events. His safari adventures have recently been published by Merlin Unwin, and his book Wild Enthusiasm is now available in local bookshops including the Bridge Bookshop and Manx Wildlife Trust. Before being a professional author, Steve guided Isle of Man wildlife tours and produced wildlife films. He not only enjoys making films but loves watching them too and here he shares his favourites.

1. Fargo

I’ve seen 18 Coen brothers’ movies and I can only think of one I didn’t enjoy (avoid Intolerable Cruelty!).

I highly rate all the others, in particular Raising Arizona, O Brother Where Art Thou? and No Country for Old Men.

However, Fargo pips them all with its subtle humour, great dialogue, interwoven plots... and a wood chipper.

2. Brazil

A surreal British comedy based upon a dystopian future society, which doesn’t seem too unrecognisable from present. There is a touch of Monty Python in the humour but the meaning of life depicted in this film is something completely darker.

3. Micmacs

There are many excellent French directors but my favourite is Jean Pierre Jeunut.

Micmacs is about a gang of well-meaning misfits, using convoluted plans and their special gifts to get justice. If you aren’t a fan of subtitles, then Jeunut’s quirky comedies might be perfect for you (they aren’t heavy on dialogue and much of the humour is visual and slapstick). 4. Rope

There are some great modern ‘whodunnit’ movies such as Knives Out, Gosford Park and The Hateful Eight but my favourites are the older B&W classics. There were two major suspects but Witness for the Prosecution came second, because of James Stewart’s performance in Rope, my favourite Hitchcock movie.

5. The Hobbit - Part 3 - Battle of the Five Armies

There’s nothing better than an action movie on a Saturday night. If I had to choose one film which stood out from the superheroes, dinosaurs and the Jedi’s it would be the final of the Hobbit trilogy. The epic extended version is a battle film with extra battle!

6. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday

Jacques Tati only made six feature films but they are all worth watching. In this beautiful comedy, accident prone Hulot creates mayhem in a small French seaside resort. The tennis match is hilarious.

7. 13 Assassins

Since watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, I’ve been a fan of martial arts movies. Akira Kurosawa has made some brilliant films, such as Ran, The Hidden Fortress and Seven Samurai, but for my list I’ve chosen a film by Takashi Miike, due to its frenzied and brutal finish. Miike has made several excellent films. I’d also recommend Blade of the Immortal and Hara-Kiri.

8. Capricorn 1

This was the first action movie to enthral me (but maybe I shouldn’t have been watching a man eating a raw snake at the age of nine). Later I would enjoy similar thrills from Jaws, Alien and The Warriors (again, I probably shouldn’t have seen those films until I was a bit older).

9. Barefoot in the Park

This charming comedy was loved by my mum, and whenever I watch it again it reminds me of her, particularly the scenes involving characters gasping for breath after climbing stairs to the top floor flat. ‘I feel like we’ve died and gone to heaven - only we’ve had to climb up.’

10. Let the Right One In

Successful foreign language films are often remade into inferior versions. I prefer this original Swedish horror but the American remake (Let Me In) is also good. Let the Right One In has a talented young cast and dark wintery scenery. The feeling of cold transfers through the screen and will cause you to shiver, in addition to jumping with fright.