The best in movies...so far

1. In Bruges: Writer/Director Martin McDonagh came up with the idea for this film while he was traveling through the town of Bruges in Belgium. Half of him loved the culture of Bruges while the other half was "bored to tears" by the architecture. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play Ken and Ray, hit men hiding out after a job gone horribly wrong. Gleeson and Farrell are as entertaining a pair of hit men on screen since Vincent and Jules discussed French cheeseburgers in Pulp Fiction. Ralph Fiennes plays a psychotic crime boss who adds a sinister twist to the film.

But this is Gleeson's career performance as the interesting, sincere and articulate hit man. McDonagh is a renowned playwright known for using excessive violence in his plays. He saves almost all of the violence for the end of the film in the graphic climax. In Bruges provides a unique trip through the town as we meet many different personalities which makes this the most genuine and enjoyable film of the year so far.

2. Reprise: It is rare that a film captures the thought processes of the young and the restless so well but this dazzling Norwegian film nails it. The story centers on two young writers, Philip and Erik, who are looking to get their manuscripts published.

Every scene in Reprise is subject to revisions, flashbacks, flash forwards and voiceover commentary. First time writer and director, Joachim Trier, announces his arrival to the film industry with this refreshingly original movie and brings exuberance to the film that is truly enjoyable to watch. Reprise has a smart and meaningful script that will compel audiences to reflect on themselves at that age.



3. The Dark Knight: Long gone are the Adam West and Tim Burton versions of Batman. Christopher Nolan has created a new, darker version of Batman for a new generation. The Dark Knight was one of the most highly anticipated films of the year and it did not disappoint. A follow-up to the 2005 success Batman Begins, this film is sensational, sinister, foreboding in atmosphere and certainly not for kids under twelve years old.

Thanks especially to a remarkable performance by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, this is one of the most beautifully crafted entertainments of the year. The dizzying depiction of Gotham City nearing total anarchy it presents isn't like any other Batman film put on screen. Christian Bale does a decent job as Bruce Wayne and Batman, which is enough for this film. What makes all Batman movies unique is that the most interesting characters in them are the villains. Ledger provides an unnerving and chilling portrayal of the Joker that deserves an Oscar nomination. Not surprisingly, this film smashed box office records like Michael Phelps smashed Olympic records.



4. Encounters at the End of the World: Over the course of making more than fifty films and documentaries, Werner Herzog has done everything from drag a steamboat over the top of a mountain in the Amazon jungle to eating his own shoe to even being shot, so it should come as no surprise that he has now traveled to Antarctica to make his latest documentary. In most of his movies, Herzog portrays characters that are searching for something; in Fitzcarraldo for impossible solutions and in Little Dieter Needs to Fly to overcome the past. Encounters is about people who are looking for something at the "end of the world." Herzog also includes fantastic footage of the landscape, above and below the ice. This movie is probably not for everyone but it will spark the interest of the adventurer in you.



5. The Bank Job: Roger Donaldson's fast paced, action packed heist thriller provided the most fun at the movies I've had in a long time. Based on the true story of the biggest bank robbery in British history, Bank Job provides a fictional account of the robbery and why no arrests were ever made and no money was ever recovered. Jason Statham seamlessly slips into the role of Terry Leather, a car dealer turned bank robber who looks as if he can win a bar fight without spilling his drink.

The robbery itself does not occupy much screen time as the events surrounding it are the main focal point of the movie. Bank Job should appeal to anyone who wants to have an old-fashioned good time at the movies.