Box Office: 2008

Once upon a time, Batman Begins was my all time favorite Batman movie. Not anymore... Enter The Dark Knight----PHENOMENAL!!!

It is rare that a much hyped film lives up to or surpasses that hype. TDK more than equals all the hype presented months leading up to its release. With much anticipation and high expectations, this film delivered all I wanted and more.

Plot details are best left for viewing, but if you truly listen to the dialogue in TDK, you will understand that from a comic book genre film, a masterpiece has arisen. Christopher Nolan has perfected the art of putting the comic book on screen. Jonathan Nolan has written a script which knows no boundaries.

Christian Bale is Batman. Bale captures Batman/Bruce Wayne in a way no actor before him ever could. Oldham, Morgan, and Caine reprise their respective roles from Batman Begins and add great flavor to the film. Eckhart shines as Harvey Dent and Gyllenhall is a nice replacement as Rachel Dawes. The chemistry between all the actors help Nolan create a world which works beautifully.

Heath Ledger- the Joker...WOW ... mere words cannot describe what Ledger brought to this character. The level to which Ledger took the Joker is almost incomprehensible. No comparison to those who have played the role before as it would be like comparing apples to oranges. Ledger owns the Joker, and most likely no one will ever take that ownership away. Anyone would be foolish to even attempt. Ledger's performance alone is enough reason for anyone to see this film. Will he receive an Oscar nod? He should for this is one of the most brilliant roles ever portrayed on screen.

The plot, the acting, the directing, and the cinematography are blended seamlessly in TDK. The film is easily the best film of 2008 to date. The action and drama, the darkness of the film itself all make this much, much more than a comic book adaptation. This is the must see film of the decade.

Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has written and directed a brilliant film. Kudos to Mr. McDonagh for his most unique story. The mood and contrast between the lead characters (superbly portrayed by Farrell and Gleeson) worked on so many levels, and you can't walk away from this film without caring for them. The humor, the sensitivity, and the moral complexity of this film weave together to make an almost perfect drama/comedy. The Bruges setting is shot fabulously for the storyline. This first film from Martin McDonagh is impressive in the extreme. In Bruges may truly be my favorite black comedy of all time.

Iron Man lives up to its hype! The movie ROCKS! Robert Downey Jr. was perfectly cast as Tony Stark. The supporting cast fit their respective roles like a glove. The script is intelligent, the special effects are just enough, the character building works well, the direction is good (great cameo by Favreau), the action/fight scenes leave you wanting more and one can only hope a sequel will be forthcoming. Though I'm not a comic book fan, I'd have to say Iron Man rivals Batman Begins as the best comic book movie to date. The only thing (outside the crappy screen & sound of our local cinema) I found lacking was the score. Batman Begins does have a better score than Iron Man. The best thing about this film is that you don't have to be a fan of Iron Man comics to totally enjoy it.

A heist gone wrong and based on a true story.... The Bank Job delivers one of the best heist movies in recent years. Well written and directed, the film flows smoothly even with all its sub-plots. The acting is top notch, even if like myself you are not familiar with all the brilliant UK actors. Jason Statham shows he can bring much more than just action to a film. This very entertaining film is a nice suspense/thriller viewing.

While I can't speak for the historical accuracy of this film, I can say it was quite enjoyable and led me to research the monarchy from the Tudor period. Whether it was due to viewing this film on Blu-ray or not, I found the color palette beautiful and pleasing. The cinematography and costuming were eye catching. I haven't read the book, but I found the film enthralling, intense, and satisfying. Eric Bana surprised me as Heny VIII and I was impressed with his portrayal. Portman and Johansson were stunning. Well worth a watch if you enjoy period films.

The classic 80's have returned! Rambo is a modern 80's action film. It's gory and thinly plotted. Who cares! It's Rambo and he's the ultimate killing machine. The movie does carry a message, you might just have to look closely to see it. The war scenes are horrific and terrifyingly realistic. A must see for any action fan.

By now almost everyone has read the reviews of Vantage Point- some good, many bad.... Thumbs up from me because I enjoyed the different points of view of the same occurrence. Though the film might not be realistic enough for most, the drama and action were well executed, and the acting was terrific. The twists of the film made me say WOW a few times.

A fast paced, well written film which fits the acting style of Keanu Reeves very well. Whitaker and Evans are superb in their respective roles. If you're looking for an action packed film with a plot, Street Kings will entertain.

Witty, cute and very entertaining.... Clooney and Zelweger make this film work. Minus a few slow spots this film could have been brilliant. The chemistry between Clooney and Zelweger far outweigh the football story... An enjoyable film well worth the viewing time.

10, 000 BC is good entertainment. It is not an historic epic. Richard Emmerich gives us beautiful scenery and some outstanding CGI. The Sabertooth tiger, the Mammmoths, the Terror birds, the Pyrmids- were each exceptionally stunning in their own right. Though the story lacks in many ways, it still delivers the idea of sacrifice, friendship and love. From all the negative reviews my expectations for this film were very low. This may have played in the film's favor, for instead of being disappointed for expecting too much, I was completely entertained. That's not a bad thing for a film to do....

A new age fable/fairy tale which takes a reverse spin on Beauty and the Beast.... Penelope has flaws and without the cast would fall way short of obtaining a slightly above average ranking from me. With that in mind, this film is cute. It is heartwarming and humorous. Originality, cinematography, Christina Ricci and James McAvoy make this one a winner in my book.

Can't quite put my finger on what is missing from Untraceable, but there is something that holds this film back from being great. The storyline is very believable to me. Killings being broadcast via the internet does not take a huge leap in belief with todays technology. The FBI being involved and stymied doesn't take a long stretch in believability either. The cast is good, the story plausible, the killings are disturbing and graphic... The plot is disquietingly too realistic and I shudder to think how quickly something of this nature could happen. All in all, I liked the film, but I just would love to know what is missing that keeps it from being great.

Well written and nicely shot, 21 is an interesting if not totally accurate accounting of the MIT kids who won millions in Vegas playing black jack. That the story was 'Hollywoodized' for more bang is obvious. Overall 21 entertains and the acting is good. Definitely worth a rental fee.

A B movie wanna be... This film would have worked had M Night stayed with the B movie premise and not tried to be more. Wahlberg and Deschagel work the screen like B movie pros. Too bad the director took a leap into deeper frontiers....

The animation of Kung Fu Panda sells this film. The storyline is entertaining enough, nothing to write home about. The message of the film is 'believing in oneself'. Cute and funny....

An average comedy which is very well scripted and acted.... Not as funny as the TV show, but the film is very entertaining. Steve Carell is perfect as Agent 86 and Anne Hathaway more than holds her own as Agent 99. Dwayne Johnson is just added fun.

An average suspense/thriller revolving around terror that leaves one slightly disappointed at the end. Although the film states in opening- 'inspired by true events', one cannot find any info on Kristen McKay and James Hoyt, the couple whose lives The Strangers invade. Inspired is being used in a very large way. The film held me in suspense until the end. The end just seemed anti-climatic after the terror build-up throughout. The terror in this film is one finding themselves thinking, could this happen to me?

Aside from some bad Texas accents by a few of the actors, Stop-Loss is well written and nicely directed. This is not another anti-war film, but instead the story focuses on the soldier. Although there are a few political undertones, the film revolves around the soldier in a positive way. Most impressive is the time and effort put into researching the stop-loss issue by co-writer Mark Richard and writer/director Kimberly Peirce, and the excellent way the results were transferred to film.