The First Nut is the Deepest - Film Version

Statistically, your first of anything is often fondly remembered even when it isn't the best of everything. With that in mind, which film by a favourite director would you give to someone who had yet to see anything created by that director? Would you choose your personal favourite, or the one best representative of the director’s style? Would you throw your friend in at the deep end, or ease them in gently? That’s my challenge. I'm using my current Favourites List from In a Nutshell and picking one film from each auteur that I’d give to a newbie in the hope of winning them over:

-Akira Kurosawa: Yojimbo (1961)
-Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960)
-Chris Marker: La Jetée (1962)
-Darren Aronofsky: Requiem for a Dream (2000)
-David Cronenberg: Videodrome (1983)
-David Lynch: Blue Velvet (1986)
-John Carpenter: The Thing (1982)
-Stanley Kubrick: Full Metal Jacket (1987)
-Takeshi Kitano: Hana-bi (1997)
-Tsui Hark: Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

The Dennis Potter Collection

Potter (1935-94) was one of the few dramatists that managed to work within the BBC system but at the same time work around it, creating stories that were both a personal reflection of his own worldview and thematically far-reaching. His methods may have been alienating to some folks, but discerning viewers could relate to the flaws in his fictionalised protagonists, most of whom were more real than the kind of 'real lives' presented in Auntie's regular output. The channel was lucky to have such a unique talent.

Television plays and Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Brimstone and Treacle (1976)
02. Blade on the Feather (1980)
03. Rain on the Roof (1980)
04. Cream in My Coffee (1980)
05. Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
06. Dreamchild (1985)
07. Track 29 (1988)
08. Midnight Movie (1994)

TV miniseries on Nut Box:
01. Blackeyes (1989)
02. Lipstick on Your Collar (1993)
03. Karaoke (1996)
04. Cold Lazarus (1996)

The Alan Moore Collection

Alan Moore is a writer, magician, amateur historian, and proprietor of a beard that some say once covered the fishy genitalia of the mighty Cthulhu. He rose to prominence working for 2000 AD, and afterwards climbed steadily toward the enviable position he holds now: an opinionated, difficult author who does what he likes and takes as long he likes to do it. More power to him.
Hollywood has tried to capitalise on his success, but to date every film that’s been based on or adapted from Moore’s work has more often than not upset fans of his books. The bottom line is they simply weren't meant to be films, so they either had to change much to succeed or lose something crucial during the transition from one medium to another.

Books on Nut Ink:
01. Alan Moore Books and Comics.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. From Hell (2001)
02. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
03. Constantine (2005)
04. V for Vendetta (2005)
05. The Mindscape of Alan Moore (2005)
06. Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut (2009)
07. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Video Games on Nut Load:
03. Constantine (2005)

Music on Nut Suite:
01. Alan Moore audio.

The Wonder Woman Collection

We don’t currently have enough Wonder Woman material to warrant this post, but seeing as how Batman and Superman both got one it seems only fair that the lady from Themyscira gets one too, and all things being equal I'm allowed to draw attention to her lame disguise: a pair of glasses. She and Clark must've attended the same course on subterfuge. Both got an F.

Comics and annuals on Nut Ink:

01. Wonder Woman.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Wonder Woman (1974)
02. Wonder Woman (2009)
03. Wonder Woman (2017)

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Justice League (2001-04)

The Superman Collection

Think of him however you want, as the man of steel or as the alien who wears underpants over his pants, but Superman is a force to be reckoned with in more ways than one. Initially, he seems overpowered, you know he’s always going to win with his super strength and game-changing ability to fly, but in the hands of a good writer the hero can be brought to his knees by emotion, which is something that even Kryptonian skin can’t protect against.

Comic books and annuals on Nut Ink:
01. Superman.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. He's so super that he has his own label. Includes both live action and DC animated movies. Click HERE.

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Justice League (2001-04)

The Batman Collection

Batman's my favourite hero for the same reason he's many other people's favourite: he has no super powers, so he has no unfair advantage, unless you consider inherited wealth to be one. His filmic adventures over the years have been pretty varied. He's been comical, camp, serious, and more recently moody and broody. Personally, I think the best of the animated adventures trounce the best of the live action films. You may disagree. Luckily, there are enough variations on a theme to keep almost everyone happy.

Comic books and annuals on Nut Ink:
01. Batman.

Films on In a Nutshell (inc animated):
01. Batman.

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Batman Beyond: Complete Series (1999-2001)
02. Justice League (2001-04)

Video Games on Nut Load:
01. Batman: Arkham City (2011)

The Halloween Collection

Links to all of the commercially available Halloween films can be found below. Never let it be said that we don't indulge people who like silent, stabby, unstoppable, inhuman, knife-wielding maniacs. (Shatner mask not supplied.) Links will take you to the relevant post:

Original Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Halloween (1978)
02. Halloween II (1981)
03. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
04. Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
05. Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
06. Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
07. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
08. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Reboot Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Halloween (2007)
02. Halloween II (2009)

Documentary on In a Nutshell:
01. Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest (2003)

The HAMMER Karnstein Trilogy

Most of Hammer's vampire films are part of one unified whole wherein Count Dracula is the progenitor of all vampiric evil. The plucky Van Helsing, or his descendant, is the Count's human nemesis, a scholar with some action hero skills and an unshakable resolve. But the Karnstein Trilogy was different. It had its own lore (e.g. the vampires aren't afraid of sunlight) that separated it from the bigger picture. It's a trilogy in the loosest sense and, depending on who you speak to, might even have four films.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. The Vampire Lovers (1970)
02. Lust for a Vampire (1971)
03. Twins of Evil (1971)
04. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Books on Nut Ink:
00. Twins of Evil was novelised by horror author Shaun Hutson in 2011. I own it but haven't read it yet. I wanted to mention it in case any of you who would like to know of its existence didn't already know. Now you do.

The Doctor Who Collection

It's bigger on the inside.

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. The Sarah Jane Adventures
02. Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest (2007)
03. Doctor Who: Dreamland (2009)

Books on Nut Ink:
01. Doctor Who Books

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Doctor Who and the Daleks (1965)
02. Doctor Who: Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966)
03. K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981)
04. Doctor Who (1996)
05. Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)
06. An Adventure in Space and Time (2013)

The Edgar Allan Poe Collection

American-born author and poet Edgar Allan Poe was a master of the short story. His calculated, complex structures and recurring thematic obsession with the macabre can be off-putting to some readers but a glittering draw to others. While each of us teeter on the edge of sanity, Poe appears to have stared directly into the face of its opposite and reported on his findings. There was both method in his madness and madness in his method.

The Roger Corman Films on In a Nutshell:
01. The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
02. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
03. The Premature Burial (1962)
04. Tales of Terror (1962)
05. The Raven (1963)
06. The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
07. The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)

Other Films on In a Nutshell:
01. The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
02. The Haunted Palace (1963)
03. Spirits of the Dead (1968)
04. The Oblong Box (1969)
05. An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970)
06. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
07. The Mansion of Madness (1973)
08. The Black Cat (1981)
09. Two Evil Eyes (1990)
10. The Pit and the Pendulum (1991)
11. The Pit and the Pendulum (2009)
12. The Raven (2012)
13. Extraordinary Tales (2013)

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Masters of Horror: Series 2: Vol 1 - The Black Cat (2006)

Music on Nut Suite:
02. Music/Audio Based on or Inspired by Poe

The Star Trek Collection

"Space, the final frontier..." and what it signifies is meaningful to people the world over regardless of race, gender, age or class. The message at the heart of Trek breaks through societal barriers and speaks to the individual. It connects them to other individuals and the unity that Roddenberry envisioned exists for a short time. Besides that, the show gave us some classic science fiction reworked and some new ideas as food for thought. It wasn’t always great, in fact there were times it was just plain awful, but over the years it’s become so multifaceted that you can pick and choose what works for you.

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Star Trek: The Original Series
01. Star Trek: The Next Generation
01. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
01. Star Trek: Voyager
01. Star Trek: Enterprise

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. All the official films to date can be found HERE

Books on Nut Ink:
01. Star Trek Novels and Comic Books