The Dark Knight
- Quite possibly the best Batman film ever made.
The performances by Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Caine, are some of the best performances I've seen in a long time.
Ledger's Joker was superb. A total package of terrifying to look at, and deranged criminal, this role showed Ledger's acting abilities were really starting to come through, he had grown as an actor since his first big screen American film debut in the comedy 10 Things I Hate About You
(1999). He had taken many roles that were challenging and unexpected, but always gave his all. This role as Joker put him over the top, and it is a terrible loss to the industry and fans around the world, to have lost such a gifted young actor on Jan. 22, 2008.

I have loved the Batman series for quite a long time, seen all the various Batman movies over the years, and these last 2, Batman Begins
and The Dark Knight, are definitely stand out films, dark and violent, the way we always knew Batman really was, not that day-glo crap of the 1990's.
1-5, I give it a 5.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- An animated telling of part of the Star Wars saga, put out by Lucas Films. We are all big Star wars fans, so it was only natural for us to watch this one. The teens really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the animation.
I found myself a bit bored by this, I prefer my Star Wars films to be live action I guess.
1-5, I give it a , the teens give it a 5.

Monster
- Charlize Theron does an amazing job portraying female serial killer Aileen "Lee" Wuornos. Both Theron and Christina Ricci, (plays the part of Lee's lesbian lover turned against her) did incredible jobs in their respective roles.
It is no wonder that Theron won and Oscar for her role. I was in awe of her physical transformation into the serial killer who killed 7 men, mostly truck drivers while she was prostituting, and the second woman executed in Florida since they reinstated the death penalty, and was executed on October 9th, 2002.
1-5, I give it a 5.

Wall-E
- This is a Disney/Pixar animated film, and it's damn good.
The teens and I totally enjoyed the story, the animation, and how the future of mankind (Disney/Pixar's opinion) looks if we continue on in the way we are going polluting and destroying the only planet we have.
1-5, I give it a 5.

Heathers
- Stars Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, in this super dark comedy about high school cliques.
It's a classic, 20 years old now, and still a total laugh riot to watch.
1-5, I give it a 5.

Journey to the Center of the Earth
- This is like the millionth remake of the classic Jules Verne story, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't great either.
It was meh.
1-5, I give it a 3.

Stuck
- Stars Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea, he as a down on his luck guy, and she as a partying it up nurse looking to get promoted at her job. They cross paths one night while he's walking and she's driving home drunk. They literally crash into each other, and he gets stuck in her windshield.
What happens next is completely crazy, but based on a true story from start to finish.
You're left wondering who the real driver of the car was, and how desperate they really were to not get caught for drunk driving and hitting a man.
1-5, I give it a 5.

We watch a lot of movies here, all kinds, but some of our favorite genres are of the mobster/hitman/violent and dark humor kind.
Most of these kinds of movies take place in Las Vegas, but the one we watched tonight, took place in Belgium.
In Bruges to be exact.
That's the title of the movie too.

In Bruges stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes.
Ken (Gleeson) and Ray (Farrell), are 2 hitmen who have been told to go to Bruges and lay low by their mob boss Harry (Fiennes) after a mishap with their last target, a priest.
When Ray shot the priest, a stray bullet struck and killed a little boy.
Trying to avoid the 2 men from getting caught, he sends them off to Bruges while awaiting any news stories or police investigation into the death of the little boy.

Now you're probably thinking, Kat, how can any of that be darkly humorous? A little boy was killed, and so was a priest!
Well you're right, none of that part of the movie is funny, and Ray does feel tremendous guilt over what he's done, but the dark comedy comes in during the conversations that Ken and Ray have with each other and with other people they meet in Bruges.
Ken loves it there, Ray thinks it's a total shit-hole, but they have drinks at the pub, they see a movie being filmed with a midget (Jordan Prentice) who also becomes Ray's friend, and Ray also finds a love interest in a beautiful blond drug dealer (Clémence Poésy).
There's a bit of drinking, a bit of drugging, a man is struck blind by a blank bullet fired at close range, and just some truly off the wall things are said and done which make it funny.

It also has some very serious and touching moments, the ending is quite dramatic, makes you feel and care for all of the main characters, and gives you some good insight to who each of our main characters are.
Harry (mob boss) had a reason for sending Ken and Ray to Bruges, and it wasn't just to lay low.
Harry feels that no one can kill a child and get away with it, states if he ever killed a child, even by accident as Ray had done, he would shoot himself on the spot without hesitation.
Bruges is like a fairy tale place to him, he wanted to send Ray to a sort of fairy tale place before he died for the killing of the child, a place of happiness before dying.
Bruges is a hell on earth for Ray, a hell which he wants to get out of desperately if he lives through the 2 weeks they have been ordered to stay there, and the end leaves all of them in Bruges facing their lives choices.

This is not an easy movie to watch if violence on screen is not your thing, but I found the film really enjoyable, funny in some parts, teary in others, and it left me feeling that each of our 3 main characters were all in Bruges for more than the initial reason, but to face themselves and to better themselves in some way.