Letterboxd — Your life in film

The Dark Knight has all ready set numerous box office records and has been pretty much universally praised as not only a great super hero movie but one of best films of the year. In my opinion it is the best film of the year and here are a few reasons why. (Don't worry if you haven't seen the film yet this e-mail is 100% spoiler free.)

Some have pointed to the death of Heath Ledger and the fact that…

Does the world need another adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"? Probably not. After all there all ready exists a Swedish language miniseries that was trimmed for theatrical release that made over $100 million worldwide and featured a searing performance by Noomi Rapace. But Americans hate subtitles so an English language version was inevitable. Luckily the task was given to director David Fincher. While the material is not fresh, thanks to the phenomenal performances and…

Darren Aronofsky's trippy, hallucinatory, sexual and psychological opus moves to its own intense rhythm. It defies expectation and busts convention while embracing Douglas Sirk levels of melodrama. Working from a deceptively simple script written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, Aronofsky continues to dives into the world of the human psyche. Whether he's dealing with genius ("Pi"), drug abuse ("Requiem for a Dream") or aging dreams of athletic glory long gone ("The Wrestler") Aronofsky concentrates on character allowing…

Blade Runner's influence on modern cinema is incalculable. The look, a mix of futuristic tech and classic noir, has become a touchstone for most science fiction productions. Ridley Scott's attention to detail has never been more apparent than it is here. Even things you would never in a million years would see in the frame were made up and included, just to give an extra level of reality to the piece.

On a technical level, the craft is impeccable. The…

Terrence Malick's latest opus "The Tree of Life" has split movie going audiences into two camps. The walkouts who have little patience for the type of arty, obscure film-making on display and the excessively appreciative acolyte who thrill to have a reprise from the summer mindless blockbuster. The story is simplicity itself, something that is perhaps obscured for some by the nonlinear approach. what appears to be its alien approach: Architect Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn) experiences the anniversary of his…

Director Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is an uncommon movie going event. A intelligent, complicated film that requires attention and patience from the audience. It's the kind of movie we're always hearing they don't make anymore, until they do. And here it is. The story is pretty standard stuff; a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of British intelligence, and must be flushed out. "There's a rotten apple," the agency head, known only as…

Hitchcock broke innumerable rules with his first entry in the horror genre. The film's lead abruptly changes from Leigh to Perkins, with early scenes of a foolish rich braggart and a suspicious policeman proving to be red herrings. The film opens with an unmarried couple in a sleazy motel room (very risque in 1960) and was the first film to show a flushing toilet. Touches of Hitchcock's black humor are spread throughout the film. There's also the shop customer who…

At it's heart, director Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" is an old-fashioned buddy movie. The Duke of York, second son to King George V, is not expected to become king, and thankfully so, because he is afflicted with a stammer. On the other hand is Lionel Logue, an Australian immigrant and speech therapist, an eccentric who loves Shakespeare and has odd ideas about how to cure his patients. The film bears all the trappings of a typical, Oscar-bait, Masterpiece Theater-type…

Stylish, stylized, amoral, and brutally violent, Sergio Leone's final chapter of his Man With No Name Trilogy "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is a stunning, intoxicating masterpiece. Leone's depictions of a world full of rough, selfish individuals devoid of morality fascinate the viewer with its visual appeal. Leone shifts form extremely tight shots of his characters' eyes and harsh or terrified faces to sweeping, awe inspiring images of vast, barren landscapes. The actions of the characters moving through…

Filmmaker Danny Boyle is a risk taker. Some have worked ("Trainspotting," "Millions"), others have failed ("A Life Less Ordinary," "The Beach"), but he's remained a captivating, intrepid presence on the movie scene. "127 Hours" is perhaps his most astonishing work to date, bringing to the screen the staggeringly nightmarish true story of Aron Ralston, who found himself literally between a rock and a hard place as he fought for his life in the wilds of Utah for just over five…

It has taken Mark Wahlberg five years to bring the underdog story of welterweight boxer Micky Ward to the screen in "The Fighter" and it was worth the wait. Originally set to star Wahlberg and Matt Damon under the direction of Darren Aronofsky until budget concerns derailed the production. So Damon was forced to drop out due to other film obligations and replaced by Brad Pitt. Pitt and Aronofsky leave the project when the budget is slashed in half. Wahlberg…