My 5 favourite... Gary Oldman good guys

Although better known for playing the villain, he's played nice guys too. Thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight some of those roles. Here are my 5 favourites;
  
• Sirius Black (Harry Potter series) Harry Potter's godfather who spent many years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Is able transform into a big black dog. Brave and loyal, he also looks quite dapper in a smart suit.

• Jim Gordon (Christopher Nolan's Batman films) One of the few good policemen left in Gotham who haven't been corrupted, he is an ally to Batman in his fight against the criminals in the city. He is promoted to Police Commissioner in The Dark Knight after he assists in capturing the Joker.

• Rosencrantz (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) One of the minor characters from the play Hamlet who is the focus of this film's events. Oldman shows off a great talent for comedy and a masterful command of the very wordy script. 

• Ben Chase (Criminal Law) A lawyer who defends a man (Kevin Bacon) accused of murder and gets him let off, only to discover that he was guilty. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues, with the lawyer trying to put things right and stop the killer before he can strike again. One of Gary's earliest films. 

• O.W. Grant (Interstate 60) A kind of genie who grants one wish per person. It's a great performance and a quirky, memorable character. He rides a bicycle, wears a bowtie and smokes a pipe in the shape of a monkey's head. A little-known but enjoyable film, and Gary steals the show.

So those are my favourites, who are yours? Drop me a comment.

My 5 favourite... Gary Oldman bad guys

He's best known for the evil characters he has played. Gary Oldman sure is the master of portraying crazy and memorable villains. Here are my 5 favourites;
  
• Norman Stansfield (Leon) Loves classical music and hates it when his suit gets ruined. Pill-popping Stan is quiet and calculating one minute and exploding with rage the next. Unpredictable and unstable, he may be an evil, murdering, corrupt cop but he is a joy to watch.

• Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (The Fifth Element) A ruthless businessman who loves destruction. Zorg's mission is to retrieve the 4 elemental stones for the Great Evil, affectionately referred to as 'Mr. Shadow'. His interesting and colourful outfit, weird hairstyle and Southern accent make him an unforgettable character.

• Drexl Spivey (True Romance) A crazy pimp and drug-dealer with dreadlocks and a scarred face who talks like he wants to be a gangster. Although it's only a cameo in the movie, Oldman really makes the most of his part and delivers some hilarious lines.

•  Ivan Korshunov (Air Force One) A Russian hi-jacker who bites off more than he can chew when he tries to mess with the President of the United States (action hero Harrison Ford). He believes in the cause he is fighting for and is willing to give up everything, a dangerous man to be up against.

• Dracula/ Vlad (Bram Stoker's Dracula) I prefer to think of him as the hero of the film, although being a bloodthirsty undead monster does place him in the bad guy category. Gary's brilliant performance as the doomed vampire makes this film worth watching and makes up for Keanu Reeves' awful English accent.

 So those are my favourites, who are yours? Drop me a comment.

My 5 favourite... Irish actors

From Jedi Knight to Batman villain, Hogwarts Professor to Satan, Irish actors have had many diverse roles in Hollywood. Here are my 5 favourites;
  
• Brendan Gleeson (IMDb page) Made his breakthrough in Braveheart with Mel Gibson. Has appeared in a number of historical films such as Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and Gangs of New York. Joined the cast of the Harry Potter film series as 'Mad-Eye' Moody and appeared opposite fellow Irishman Colin Farrell in In Bruges.

• Cillian Murphy (IMDb page) Blue-eyed actor with a strong screen presence, Murphy has made his name working with two of Hollywood's hottest directors. He made a great first impression in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later... and joined him again for Sunshine. He also starred as the evil Dr. Crane in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and briefly in The Dark Knight, before starring in Nolan's highly rated Inception.

• Gabriel Byrne (IMDb page) Has had varied roles in a number of popular films including Miller's Crossing, Little Women and most famously, Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects. Paradoxically, he starred as both a priest (Stigmata) and Satan (End of Days) in the same year.

• Stephen Rea (IMDb page) Best known for his collaborations with director Neil Jordan. So far, the pair have worked together on nine films, Angel, The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy, In Dreams, The End of the Affair and Breakfast on Pluto. Also starred in the cult rock film Still Crazy and popular graphic novel adaptation V for Vendetta.

• Liam Neeson (IMDb page) Has starred in a large number of well-known Hollywood films including Schindler's List, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Love Actually, Batman Begins. He has taken on some iconic roles including the voice of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia films, Greek God Zeus in Clash of the Titans and Hannibal Smith in The A-Team.

So those are my favourites, who are yours? Drop me a comment.

My 5 favourite... Movie t-shirt websites

So, it's the festive season, and one of my favourite gifts to receive is definitely a movie-inspired t-shirt. There are some great ones about at the moment and I seem to be building up quite a collection. Here are my 5 favourite websites that sell awesome movie t-shirts;
 

• Last Exit To Nowhere (http://www.lastexittonowhere.com/) This website creates "unique T-shirts that pay homage to the most memorable places, companies and corporations in cinema history." My current favourite is this Weyland-Yutani design, which goes very nicely with my new Alien Anthology on blu-ray.

• Dark Bunny Tees (http://www.darkbunnytees.com/index.html) This guy does some amazing limited edition movie t-shirts. His mission is "to find something in my favourite movies that I could put my own spin on." I'm really looking forward to this Inception design, due out in January.

• Wake Up Time To Die (http://www.wakeuptimetodie.co.uk/index.asp) These guys win the best name competition with a Blade Runner quote. Their t-shirts are "based on fictional companies, corporations, places, people, and events, all from some of your favourite movies of days gone by." I absolutely love this Die Hard-inspired t-shirt.

 

• 8ball (http://www.8ball.co.uk/) This website has a vast array of music, tv and movie-related merchandise. You'll be spoilt for choice! I really like this Off-World Colonies t-shirt inspired by Blade Runner.

• Nerdoh (http://www.nerdoh.co.uk/) Nerdoh boasts a great range of movie t-shirts and "creeps into the fictional realms of movie corporations, places and subtle references only the avid fan will know." This Zombieland t-shirt with the list of rules printed on the back is my favourite of theirs at the moment.

So those are my 5 favourite. There are many more to browse too, just do a google search of some of your favourite movies and chances are there'll be an awesome t-shirt relating to them.

What are your favourites? Have you discovered any cool t-shirt designs you'd like to share? Drop me a comment.