Film 'buff' or film 'bluff'?

And the bad news is, you've been rumbled.

Next time you start waxing lyrical about the socially groundbreaking importance of Citizen Kane and how the movie changed your outlook on life and the universe, be warned - your mates might give you the third degree about the film to check if you're telling porkies.

So-called film "bluffers" are apparently most likely to lie this year about seeing Schindler's List, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and The Da Vinci Code.

The first three might seem quite obvious blockbusters for blaggers to boast about, but The Da Vinci Code? It didn't exactly set the world or the box office on fire, and certainly didn't do Dan Brown's controversial novel the justice it deserved.

I'm in a fortunate position, having seen the majority of the accepted classics in the name of work. But I must admit that I do harbour a few secrets about our family DVD collection, and choose very carefully who I tell them to.

Not everyone needs to know that we've got a copy of Steel Magnolias in our film library, do they?

The fact that people lie about what films they've seen says a lot about our culture today, and indicates that we give people who know their films a certain sort of kudos in our social interactions.

The likes of Schindler's List, Apocalypse Now and The Godfather are such a part of our culture that even someone who hasn't seen them can get away with talking about them vaguely. You know what Schindler's List is about and that it was directed by Spielberg.

You might know Apocalypse Now involves some surfing, that it's set during the Vietnam War and that Francis Ford Coppola directed it, and the same goes for the line 'I made him an offer he couldn't refuse' in The Godfather - everyone knows where that's from.

But sooner or later, you can be sure you'll be exposed for telling porkies.

The good news is, among this week's releases, there's nothing worth bluffing about. But if you do want to try it on, here's the essential info.

And Fracture is a courtroom thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as a devious businessman who shoots his wife after discovering she was having an affair, then tries to snare the other man in her life and make the legal system look like an ass.

You'll only get rumbled as a bluffer if someone asks you how it ends . . . and that would be telling.

Anyway, according to the latest research, the films people are most likely to throw into a conversation to make them seem smarter or more cool (which I can happily say I really have seen) are The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, and Casino Royale.

And the ones most people like, but won't admit to, are The Sound of Music, Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Love Actually and Harry Potter.

We've got at least two of those in our DVD library too.

Go on, admit to it . . it's amazing how liberating it can be!!

Carl Jones is the Shropshire Star's film reviewer. Have your say on Carl's blog below.