Is Richard E. Grant's Withnail a "far superior" screen drunk to Jimmy Stewart in Harvey ? What are the Top Ten movies for making cigarettes look cool? Do good films ever win the Oscar? What is film's most tragic farewell, greatest opening-credit sequence, grisliest murder, loosest screen adaptation, most gratuitous use of sex and violence? How do you make a great movie without a movie camera? And why do Robert De Niro's characters behave so badly to women? Born of the cinéphile's well-known love of lists, penchant for argument, and obsession with minutiae, TEN BAD DATES WITH DE NIRO is a symposium and celebration of viewing pleasures, private passions, and cinematic lost causes. Contributors to this smart and provocative collection of out-of-the-box Top Tens include a fine cast of leading critics, filmmakers, and writers ranging from Steven Soderbergh and the Coen brothers to Andrew O'Hagan and D.B.C. Pierre. Includes:

* Ten Films to Avoid on Medication (or Within Reach of a Cutlery Drawer) by D.B.C. Pierre

* Ten Dodgiest Decisions of the Cannes Film Festival by Kieron Corless and Chris Darke

* Ten Great Films Which Defy Genre by David Hare

* Ten Films We'd Like to See Remade by the Coen brothers