Many deem Christopher Nolan’s (Interstellar, Oppenheimer) The Dark Knight the best comic book movie ever. Those and others consider Nolan’s three Batman films the quintessential superhero trilogy. The Dark Knight is the franchise’s standout, successfully eclipsing the superhero genre and delivering an eerie tale of good versus evil that requires many chief characters to make layered, moral decisions at a moment’s notice. In particular, The Joker (Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain, Monster’s Ball), the film’s villain, continually requires its protagonists to choose between what is best for them and society’s greater good. Fans of superhero movies and those who traditionally have little to no interest in that genre can equally appreciate The Dark Knight.
Category Archives: Drama
61* (2001)
HBO (now Max) has been producing its own feature-length films since 1982, averaging 10-15 releases each year. Most of these films have little to no marketing behind them, nor are they distributed by a major studio or star A-list actors. With very few exceptions, these films go mostly unseen. However, there have been exceptions. These include The Normal Heart, Bad Education, Live from Baghdad, and Behind The Candelabra. Perhaps HBO’s most celebrated and widely received original movie is the Billy Crystal-directed (Forget Paris, Mr. Saturday Night) 61*, chronicling the 1961 single-season home run chase between New York Yankees teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
Challengers (2024)
I have a spot in my heart for intense sports movies. I also enjoy films that effectively incorporate flashbacks to flesh out the story and its characters. Luca Guadagnino’s (Bones and All, Call Me by Your Name) Challengers incorporated both themes into his sexual, taught, tension-filled drama, using professional tennis as its backdrop.
Civil War (2024)
Tell me you’re making a political movie without telling me you’re making a political war movie without telling me you’re making a political war movie. Civil War, Alex Garland’s (Annihilation, Ex Machina) newest film in which The United States has become even more divided and intense than at the time of its 2024 release, serves as an ominous narrative about the potential future of our country. While it’s sure to be divisive, Garland is purposeful in not picking a side while being vague about the two sides. Outside of Dune 2, Civil War is the film that received the most buzz after the first four months of the year. Rightfully so.
A Good Person (2023)
More often than not, I enjoy movies, television shows, books, and music dealing with addiction. When a show, a song, an autobiography, etc., effectively chronicles the compulsive and desperate realities of substance abuse, I will give it my undivided attention. When a character adeptly captures the euphoria of being drunk, high, or stoned, followed by the bleak and inpatient hopelessness that awaits when that high wears off, I am reminded of how prevalent, powerful, and relentless addiction is. Two critically limited series (Dopesick – 2022 and Painkiller – 2023) brought pharmaceutical pill addiction to the forefront in ways that film or television hadn’t before. The ability to tell an addiction story over 8-10 one-hour-long episodes allows a director more opportunity to delve into the depths of the disease while allowing for deep character examinations. That is not to say that a film that centers around addiction can’t be captivating. Numerous examples have shown this. Unfortunately, Zach Braff’s (Garden State, Wish I Was Here) well-intentioned A Good Person was not one of them.