The Dark Knight (2008)

9.5/10

The Dark Knight, the latest installment of the new style of Batman films is amazing, I have always loved the darkness of Batman, but found the installments that were released in the 90's to be too cartoonish, they really failed to capture the extreme drive that drove Bruce Wayne to become the anti-hero that he is. The Dark Knight, takes a real look at the world we live in right now, the terrorist themes, the idea that you can't deal with extremists without running the risk of becoming an extremist yourself. Health Ledger is incredible as the Joker, he portays the character's instability and genius brilliantly, and provides the perfect opponant to Christian bales Batman.
If you like your films dark, with a good dose of political critique and exceptional acting, then you will love "The Dark Knight"

The Plot:

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) continues to eliminate crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The Dark Knight wants to finally get rid of organized crime for good and be free of their corruption. Batman soon finds that a new psychopathic mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) has taken over organized crime. After the fall of Carmine Falcone, the remaining crime bosses try to pick up the pieces. However, the Joker is killing them off one by one. The Joker's plan is to terrify the citizens and throw the city into chaos, and then kill Batman. Batman takes the fight with the Joker personal, which makes him confront his own beliefs. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal that Batman has encountered, and he will need all his strength and vigilance to defeat him.

Cast:

	Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
	Heath Ledger	...	The Joker
	Aaron Eckhart	...	Dist. Atty. Harvey Dent / Two-Face
	Michael Caine	...	Alfred
	Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Rachel Dawes
	Gary Oldman	...	Gordon
	Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
	Monique Curnen	...	Det. Ramirez (as Monique Gabriela Curnen)
	Ron Dean	...	Detective Wuertz
	Cillian Murphy	...	Scarecrow
	Chin Han	...	Lau
	Nestor Carbonell	...	Mayor Anthony Garcia
	Eric Roberts	...	Salvatore Maroni
	Ritchie Coster	...	The Chechen
	Anthony Michael Hall	...	Mike Engel

Trailer:



The Movie:

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

8/10

What great western! I mean the film had a few flaws for sure, but all in all it was a true western, the story of men, real men. Unlike many westerns this film is a character piece with just that little extra depth, I thought it stepped away from stereo types with the main two characters Ben Wade ( Russell Crowe) the bad assed cold blooded train robber and Dan Evans (Christian Bale) a man willing to give his life for his families prosperity and also to gain the respect of his son. The way they broke the stereo typing in my opinion was to look at the times and lifestyle these men were faced with, using that to help define how they became the men the are. It was this delve into character that separates “ 3:10 to Yuma ” from so many other westerns following a similar story line.
Had it not been for the characterization however, this film would have fallen short in my book, some of the encounters with the gang were too well timed in the story and the gang itself had a real 2 dimensional feel to them.
The end sequence of this film was classic western down the line, out gunned good guy doing what he has to do, by his word and his honor.
If you like Westerns then check the “ 3:10 to Yuma ” out for sure!

The Plot:

Rancher Dan Evans heads into Bisbee to clear up issues concerning the sake of his land when he witnesses the closing events of a stagecoach robbery led by famed outlaw Ben Wade. Shortly thereafter, Wade is captured by the law in Bisbee and Evans finds himself one of the escorts who will take Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train in Contention for the reward of $200. Evans's effort to take Wade to the station is in part an effort to save his land but also part of an inner battle to determine whether he can be more than just a naive rancher in the eyes of his impetuous and gunslinging son William Evans. The transport to Contention is hazardous and filled with ambushes by Indians, pursuits by Wade's vengeful gang and Wade's own conniving and surreptitious demeanor that makes the ride all the more intense.

Cast:

Russell Crowe...Ben Wade

Christian Bale...Dan Evans

Logan Lerman...William Evans

Dallas Roberts...Grayson Butterfield

Ben Foster...Charlie Prince

Peter Fonda...Byron McElroy

Vinessa Shaw...Emmy Nelson

Alan Tudyk...Doc Potter

Luce Rains...Marshal Weathers

Gretchen Mol...Alice Evans

Lennie Loftin...Glen Hollander

Rio Alexander...Campos

Johnny Whitworth...Tommy Darden

Shawn Howell...Jackson (as Shawn D. Howell)

Pat Ricotti...Jorgensen

Trailer



The Movie: