My Favourite Movies: Scott Mann

Few films have entertained us this year quite like action thriller Final Score. So when we had the pleasure of meeting the film’s director, Scott Mann, we jumped at the chance to have him as the latest star to take part in ‘My Favourite Movies’ and explore the films that mean the most to him.

THE FIRST MOVIE YOU FELL FOR – “The first movie I fell in love with was probably Back To The Future, I think, the first one. I still love it to this day. I absolutely adore all three movies, but the first has a special place in my heart because I think I was totally the right age to be watching it. It was slightly too old for me, which is kinda the right age to be watching a movie, right? And not only did I fall in love with that film but I fell in love with filmmaking. I still watch it any time and I totally fall into it, I absolutely love it.”

THE MOVIE YOU NEVER GET TIRED OF WATCHING – “If I had to pick a favourite, favourite film that I’ve watched more times than any other movie, it would have be Terminator 2. When that came out, again I was probably slightly too young, maybe 13 or 14, I couldn’t go to the cinema to see it because I was too young, I remember that much. But then I got it on VHS and I remember watching it every single day for the whole six week summer holiday from school. Every morning, I would get up early, go downstairs and watch Terminator 2. Which is sad to admit, but also testament to how good it is, and I can still watch it now and love it. I studied that film because I loved it so much. I wanted to know how it connected with people, and it’s probably a lot deeper than what I thought at the time; it’s about humankind and it’s a human emotional story wrapped up in a genre blanket, but that movie, if you forced a gun to my head and told me to pick one that is my favourite ever, it would have to be that one. I love it.”

YOUR FAVOURITE SOUNDTRACK – “When I’m writing I tend to listen to a lot of Hans Zimmer stuff. I love him as a composer and a lot of his soundtracks are amazing. Probably, if I had to pick one of his, I would choose Inception. There’s a track called ‘Time‘, which I think is so emotive and nostalgic and really emotionally powerful. Whether you listen to it when you’re watching the movie or not, it’s heart-wrenching. The whole soundtrack is, but that track in particular is wonderful. Hans is just an incredible artist, and it’s great listening to his work over the years and the stuff he’s done. I’m a huge fan. I have it on a loop when I’m writing. I obviously write really fast when it gets to the fast exciting bit.”

YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE – “I would go back to when I was younger, watching Steven Seagal movies back in the day. As a kid, I loved them. And a bunch of Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. They’re silly action movies, but they were a wonderful experience. So those kind of movies would be my guilty pleasures. It’s weird when you’re asked that question, you kind of shift back to childhood times. I’ve found, growing up, I liked different kinds of films for different reasons, and I hope that we get more films that explore new and different stuff rather than the same old. We have got to a place where there’s too much of a similar thing, and I understand the economics of it, but I think it’s a shame that we don’t have more mid-range films coming out, and people having the chance to make more mid-range films that are about something other than superheroes. So I hope we get more of that. Sorry that was a long-winded way of saying ‘Van Damme’, basically.”

THE SCENE THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU CRY – “Toy Story 3 is the first. The moment when Buzz, Woody and the gang find themselves in the recycling / junk plant and are about to be killed. The way they all stop struggling and face death together, with love and courage. I felt this was an incredibly powerful way to explore such a difficult subject and it blew me away. The acceptance of the unavoidable and the way the film explored these themes throughout. I cry there and then at the end when they move on to find a new home. Such adult themes wrapped up in a wonderful children’s adventure.”

THE SCENE THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU CRY #2 – “Yes, then there’s Terms Of Endearment, when mum is dying and she asks for her son to come hug her but he refuses. That and many other parts of the movie pushed me to tears. What amazing characters and flawless performances. It’s an incredible film that holds up to this day. I have my wife, Sarah, to thank for this one as it’s her favourite movie of all time and it’s often playing in the house.”

THE SCENE THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU CRY #3 – “Finally, Robocop. The scene when Murphy goes back to his empty house and he has flashbacks to the life he has lost: his wife greeting him on his birthday, his son looking up to him. This really gives the film its human connection and I find incredibly moving, haunting and harrowing. The fact this loss is never really resolved is also why the movie works so well. Disappointingly they tried to touch on this in number two, but let’s not go there. For me, Robocop is one of the finest films out there because of the balance of this emotional undercurrent, the exploration of being human, all wrapped up in a bold, bloody popcorn adventure that can be enjoyed on so many levels. Even to this day, I don’t know any film out there that has managed to land its complex tone so perfectly.”

Discover more: MY FAVOURITE MOVIES