Film & TV

From supernatural creatures that move when you look away to broadcasts that made viewers question whether what they were watching was real, television has produced some extraordinary nightmares. These seven episodes turn ordinary situations into sources of dread, using silence, psychological terror, disturbing revelations and the fear of the unknown.

London's buses are more than a way to get around. They've inspired hit films, comic songs, magical adventures, poetry and novels that capture the people and personalities of the capital. From a double-decker that becomes a holiday home to a bus that can bend the laws of physics, discover seven films, songs and stories that found something extraordinary in one of London's most familiar sights.

Seven locations around Dubrovnik that have appeared on screen.

RANKD Team Swansea edition.

Stoke-on-Trent’s cultural life stretches well beyond its famous pottery heritage. From the distinctive in-the-round productions of the New Vic to the grand stages of the Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall, the city offers a varied programme of live performance. Its museums and community arts venues add another dimension, showcasing local history, creativity and talent. These seven places reveal different sides of the Potteries’ cultural identity — from big touring productions to grassroots arts. Which deserves the top spot?

RANKD Team Derry edition.

Leeds was remarkably close to the birth of moving pictures, from Louis Le Prince's experiments to some of the earliest surviving film footage.

From mystery-solving Great Danes to spring-tailed toys and the world’s most lovable troublemakers, cartoon dogs have been stealing scenes and hearts for generations. Scooby-Doo brings the laughs, Snoopy brings the imagination, and Santa’s Little Helper proves that even a famously dysfunctional family needs a loyal dog. Add Disney classics, Pixar charm and a certain enormous red canine, and you have seven very different contenders for cartoon-dog greatness. But which one deserves the top spot?

Poblacion is a neighbourhood built for strong opinions. Between its bars, restaurants, late-night conversations and unpredictable streets, almost any discussion can become a debate about what deserves to be called the best. Film and television are no exceptions. This RANKD takes seven familiar questions and gives each a considered answer. What is the greatest Filipino film? Which movie captures Manila most convincingly? What should you watch after midnight, when the city feels like a different place? And which television series best reflects Poblacion's particular mixture of food, ambition, nightlife and chaos? The choices range from landmark Filipino cinema to international films that understand the peculiar energy of urban life. Some are masterpieces of social observation; others find their magic in chance encounters, supernatural folklore or ordinary conversations. These aren't necessarily the most popular answers. They're the ones with the strongest arguments behind them. Seven questions, seven recommendations, and plenty of reasons to disagree.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

From a century-old picture house on Upper Street to independent East London screens and the BFI’s film-lover haven on the South Bank, these are seven cinema experiences worth leaving the sofa for. This is about more than the film: think historic auditoriums, proper arthouse programming, sofa seats, big-screen spectacle and venues that turn an ordinary screening into a night out.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

RANKD Team Islington edition.

A new community RANKD.

Seven films whose music deserves to be remembered alongside the pictures. Some gave familiar songs a second life on screen; others built entire emotional worlds through original scores, unforgettable themes and performances made for the movies. From the songs that turn Guardians of the Galaxy into a space-age mixtape to the sweeping orchestral worlds of Star Wars and Interstellar, these soundtracks show how music can create a mood, define a character or make a scene impossible to forget. There’s pop, rock, musical theatre and symphonic drama here. The question isn’t just which soundtrack sounds best on its own, but which one makes its film better.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

Comedy is intensely subjective. Some films make you laugh until you cannot breathe; others become part of your vocabulary, and a rare few get funnier every time you watch them. This Top 7 spans outrageous American comedy, British absurdism, razor-sharp satire and perfectly constructed farce. From a disastrous Las Vegas bachelor party to King Arthur’s gloriously ridiculous quest for the Holy Grail, these films represent very different ways of making people laugh. Seven classics, seven distinctive comic voices — but which deserves the number one spot, and which essential comedy have we left out?

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

Seven films, seven very different reasons to love cinema. From the ruthless family power struggle of The Godfather to the hope and endurance of The Shawshank Redemption, the moral complexity of The Dark Knight, and the reality-bending worlds of Inception and Interstellar, these are films that leave something behind after the credits roll. Add the nonlinear storytelling of Pulp Fiction and the extraordinary journey of Forrest Gump, and you have a selection spanning crime, drama, action, science fiction and comedy-drama. This isn’t a definitive answer to the greatest-films debate. It’s a starting point for one: seven widely loved films that make a compelling case for what cinema can do.

A RANKD Team starter ranking.

A new community RANKD.