10 Reasons Why The Dark Knight is a Masterpiece

If you have not seen the movie GO SEE IT.

This movie knocked me out, it was fucking awesome.

10. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel. She erases Katie Holmes from Batman Begins and the character of Rachel finally feels like she belongs in this adult world. 

9. A solid supporting cast - Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman... even in the smaller roles like the prisoner guy in the ferry, the cops, the weasely accountant, the kickass bank manager, the gangsters, the mayor and his freaky eyeliner eyes... they do enough that they stand out. It feels like an actor's movie.

8. The awesome script. A fantastically, tightly written script that brings all the elements, themes and threads in this film and bring them all together. The use of the dogs, the sonar, the new armour, the meaning behind the title... it all builds.

7. The fucking Bat Pod. I actually laughed out loud when I saw how it works. Where does he get those wonderful toys???

6. Batman in Hong Kong. How cool was that???

5. Despite all the talk about the realism in the movie, there are audacious moments that just reminds you that it is a comicbook movie. Not winking at the audience but so graphically audacious that it made the comicbook geek in me squeel.

4. The dilemma on the ferry and particularly the resolution. Unbelievably dark stuff to put in a summer blockbuster movie. 

3. I believe in Harvey Dent. Even as he falls and fails, you keep wishing he would snap out of it...

2. The crime saga feel to the whole movie. This is the Godfather 2 of Superhero movies. In scope and feel, this has that depth and sense of real consequences that you don't normally see in escapist superhero films.

1. Heath Ledger disappearing in the role of the joker. The film's ace. Everything about the Joker in this movie was disturbing, funny, twisted and awe-inspiring. The Joker's magic trick. His endless contingency plans. Knives and lint. You remind me of my father... Heath Ledger deserves every accolade and the fact that he is no longer alive makes his role as the Joker all the more powerful and disturbing on film.

There are so many awesome things in this film that I almost forgot to mention Batman in this review of his film. Christian Bale was a calm centre of a big brooding storm and it is still his movie but now his universe has expanded and we can see how one man with a mask and an ideal makes so much impact on the world around him.

10 Things I enjoyed about WANTED

The new movie staring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie.

10. The crazy, visceral, anarchic energy of the movie. There's just this boyish spirit of glee at all the pretty violence in this film and it's infectious.

9. That it is an adaptation of a comic book - Mark Millar and J.G. Jones' comicbook of the same name. There is more to comicbooks than Spiderman, Superman and the rest of the superheroes. 

8. Angelina Jolie. She does so much with so little - she suggests so much back story and history with her character and sells it.

7. Morgan Freeman. Love that he messes around with his image as the benevolent father figure and fucks up our expectations. "Shoot this motherfucker!"

6. The plot twist. I genuinely did not see that coming.

5. A totally gross and unexpected use of rats. HA!

4. The office meltdown/empowerment scene. Keyboards are mightier than the pen!

3. Terence Stamp! WTF? How did he get into this film??

2. The ending. Nice capper on the whole ridiculousness of this film and surprisingly rings true to the original ending of the comicbook. 

1. James McAvoy. Angelina may have been the draw for most audiences but James carried this film like a mutherfucker. He remains likeable even when blowing people up and the growth from nerd to hardass was completely believeable because this guy can actually ACT. Nice.