The Fighter (2010)

It takes a very tough person to stand in the ring for more than a few rounds. Same goes for this movie. It is not for the weak-minded or faint of heart. But it is well worth the pain of watching horrible people ruin each others lives. Mark Wahlberg was the main character here and did a great job, but as in the fiction, his older brother played by Christian Bale, gets all the glory and won the Oscar. And their clueless, self-serving mother played by Melissa Leo also won. There is no lack of talent or great performances here, but one one can win. Amy Irving was also nominated for her role as the champ's love interest, but the wicked witch of Lowell won out. Based on real people and events, this movie is a mix of actual and mocked footage. Very well done. And, some of the people in the real story of the early 2000s play themselves. This adds a great feel to the movie. Watch this movie with someone who feels they have to choose between family and success.

Public Enemies

If you can ignore the factual and continuity problems with the movie, it is a great ride. If that sort of thing bugs you - reconsider.

Johnny Depp is excellent as the legendary, much "beloved", bank robber John Dillinger. During the Great Depression Dillinger was the terror of Midwest banks and police departments. When the predecessor of the FBI gets involved, J. Edgar Hoover, played smartly by Billy Crudup, turns up the heat with scientific and method. Christian Bale is the tormented Special Agent in charge of the Chicago office tasked with catching Dillinger.

Marion Cotillard and Branka Katic play the lovely women in Dillinger's life.

This highly fictionalized tale of cops and robbers in the 1930s is fast-moving and quite suspenseful. Though the characters are all based on real people the events are less than verifiable. Don't worry though, unless you are a good student of this period of time you won't notice.

Watch this movie with lots of popcorn and all the moxie you can muster.

The Dark Knight

If you have seen this you will know what I'm talking about. If you have not seen it I highly suggest you see it at least twice. The first time you watch just let the ride happen. You may be totally emotionally exhausted by the end of this 2.5 hour epic. The second time you watch it do so for the nuances. Relish the smart script. Savor the more than Oscar-worthy performance of the late Heath Ledger. Get into the sub-plots and subtle messages. It is easy to miss them the first time through because there is so much happening so fast you need to see it twice, at least, to take the full measure of this movie in.

This is hands down the best comic-based action thriller movie out thus far. And it sets the bar very high. This is what big budget movies are supposed to look and feel like. This movie would still be great without Batman. If, instead of Batman, you plug in a very tough, very smart, cop or vigilante, or even a very rich crime solver, it would still work. That is because the movie is not about Batman. The movie is about the criminals. This is so brilliant it has evaded most the watching public.

Don't get me wrong, Christian Bale does a brilliant job as the Caped Crusader. I shows a full range of emotions and is more human than some of the other guys have been. He is truly heroic.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman reprise their roles in support of Bruce Wayne. Each is a very welcome, smart, and funny addition to the story. Maggie Gyllenhaal is also back and the love interest, but with a huge interesting twist.

Other welcome faces include Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman.

But the true star of this movie; the one who carries the entire story on his shoulders with delicious flare is Ledger's Joker. Nothing like Nicholson's over-the-top masterwork of 20 years ago. This Joker is much more real, much creepier, much more sinister, and much more macabre. His character study is so perfectly psychotic one might wonder who he used for inspiration.

Watch this movie with someone who can help you keep up with what's going on.

Batman Begins

With all the recent fuss over comic heroes on the big screen, I figure it's time to remind ourselves that this phenomenon is not new. Only 3 years ago Director Christopher Nolan brought his vision of a legendary character's somewhat humble beginnings.

Nolan does not have a lengthy resume, but it is, nonetheless very impressive with offbeat stories for us to sink our imaginations into. Memento. Insomnia. The Prestige. He is also the director who will bring "The Dark Knight" later this year. This tells you how

Christian Bale (Reign of Fire, The Prestige, and 3:10 to Yuma) is perfect as an emerging Batman, a role he will reprise for us in The Dark Knight. He is dark, brooding, understated, and feels like he has always been Bruce Wayne.

Michael Caine, the hardest working man in Hollywood for the last 50 years, does great homage to uber-cool butlers everywhere in his role as the always steady Alfred. Do you know Alred's last name? True Batman fans will. Caine is also in the upcoming Batman movie.

And what a super cast of supporting bad guys, weirdos, and Gotham regulars. Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman, and Ken Watanabe. Take your pick. One or two alone would be worth the watch.

And what is a good Batman story without pretty girls? Katie Holmes fills that bill well enough.

If you enjoyed Tim Burton's versions of Batman, you should also enjoy this one. I know the Burton purists will boycott me for saying so, but this movie is every bit as entertaining as the previous. I grew up reading Batman comics, and watching the old campy black-and-white series on TV. This movie was very satisfying to me personally.

Watch this movie with your childhood firmly attached.

3:10 To Yuma

I know Russell Crowe can do drama with action (Gladiator and Cinderella Man). I know he can do drama without action (Beautiful Mind). I know he can do comedy (A Good Year). But, I was not sure he could do a Western. I'm still not sure. Too much of his Maximus character was obvious in 3:10 To Yuma. That quiet, smirking, supremely confident leader from Gladiator showed up again to lead a group of miscreants who rob trains and stage coaches full of money.

Christian Bale (Reign of Fire, Batman Begins, and The Prestige) does a wonderful job playing a handicapped Civil War vet who is trying to make a go at ranching in 1870's Arizona. He has his reasons for everything which unfold and the story progresses. In the process he actually gains the respect of the bad guy (Crowe) he is trying to bring to justice as a hired mercenary.

My highest regards go to the supporting cast here. WOW. Peter Fonda (personally I think this is the best thing he has ever done) has the most recognizable name, but there are plenty of others who are absolutely perfect in their roles. Alan "Tandy Cakes?"Tudyk (Knight's Tale) is so much fun as a Veterinarian who tries to doctor-up a posse tossed together to go after Crowe's character.

There were a couple of plot flaws however. For instance, in one scene, the bad guys are chasing a stage coach as it approaches the safety of an army fort. The stage drivers are shot, and the passenger is burned alive inside the stage, but the army never comes out of the fort to challenge them or chase them away. All this happens within sight of the forts gates, and seemed very odd to me.

Another minor problem I had with this movie is the gun fight towards the end. A very small Arizona railroad town with a very loud fast-moving gun fight going on, and yet people are still out wandering around town, selling fruits and veggies? I don't think so.

But, all my petty negatives aside, this is a good story, well told.

Watch it with someone who is good at guessing other peoples's motives.