Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The Cameo: Quentin Tarantino writes himself into the opening scene as Mr. Brown, waxing lyrical about Like A Virgin and its preoccupation with the male member.
Why It’s Cool: Whether or not you’re a fan of Tarantino’s acting, its undoubtedly an entertaining scene.
Land Of The Dead (2005)
The Cameo: Edgar Wright (and Simon Pegg) dons some zombie makeup for George Romero’s undead fest, featuring as a tourist attraction with whom people can have their photos taken.
Why It’s Cool: Because you just know that for both Wright and Pegg, appearing as zombies in a Romero film would be a dream come true.
Goldmember (2002)
The Cameo: Steven Spielberg is revealed to be the director of the Austin Powers movie shown in the film’s first reel, asking the real Powers how he likes the opening credits.
Why It’s Cool: Spielberg’s reveal comes just when you think the A-list cameos have all been used up. Surprise!
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Cameo: Sam Raimi was second-unit director on this Coen brothers flick and can be spotted in silhouette as one of a pair of brainstormers coming up with the name for the Hula Hoop.
Why It’s Cool: Their rejected suggestions are awesome. The Daddy-O, anyone?
Hostel 2 #1 (2007)
The Cameo: Eli Roth’s severed head can be spotted impaled on a spike. Splat!
Why It’s Cool: Having doled out such cruel treatment to the members of his cast, its nice to see that Roth isn’t above being the subject of some ultraviolence himself.
Desperado (1995)
The Cameo: Quentin Tarantino shows up as a drinker with a filthy joke to share with his fellow barflies.
Why It’s Cool: If you’re a fan of QT, you get to savour some of his trademark verbiage. And if you’re not, he gets gunned down shortly after the punchline.
The Hangover (2009)
The Cameo: Another Todd Phillips special, as the director is spotted getting down and dirty in a Las Vegas elevator.
Why It’s Cool: Once again, Phillips’ outfit really sells it. Tracksuit, ‘tache and sunglasses… lovely combo.
Quiz Show (1994)
The Cameo: Martin Scorsese pops up as a greasy TV bigshot who wriggles and writhes his way out of Dick Goodwin’s line of enquiry.
Why It’s Cool: Scorsese is impeccably oily here as he tells the younger man just how things work in the world of TV.
Millers Crossing (1990)
The Cameo: Sam Raimi makes a cameo for his old pals the Coens, appearing as the snickering cop who ends up sparking one hell of a gunfight.
Why It’s Cool: He might only be on screen for a brief moment, but Raimi manages to make his character come off as supremely unlikeable in a matter of seconds. Impressive.
Lifeboat (1944)
The Cameo: A clever Hitchcock cameo in which the director appears as the “after” image in a weight-loss advert. Not too sure about that product…
Why It’s Cool: Thinking outside the box allows Hitch to crowbar his cameo in without disrupting the narrative.
