Favorite/Best Films of the 21st Century So Far

After looking over the NY Times’s list of the 25 Best Films of the 21^st Century to date, I starting think about what films would be on my list. It is tough. On one hand you have all your favorite movies, some are more objectively good and some are certainly not; and on the other hand, you have films that are great but not necessarily films you seek out to watch. I decided on a compromise. These are the films that I think are the best – but with my biases/loves built in, let run wild. I also included my favorite documentaries at the end. Ranking all these films is impossible (I narrowed it down to 103; 13 documentaries and 90 features). So, this list is organized by year for the features, followed by documentaries and finally my personal 25 favorites.

2000

American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron

2001

Amelie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Black Hawk Down, directed by Ridley Scott

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson

No Man’s Land, directed by Danis Tanovic

The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson

2002

The Hours, directed by Stephen Daldry

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson

The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski

2003

The Barbarian Invasions, directed by Denys Arcand

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson

Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola

Open Range, directed by Kevin Costner

2004

2046, directed by Kar Wai Wong

A Very Long Engagement, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Downfall, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George

House of Flying Daggers, directed by Yimou Zhang

The Life of Aquatic with Steve Zissou, directed by Wes Anderson

Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood

Sideways, directed by Alexander Payne

Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, directed by Je-gyu Kang

2005

Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan

The Beat that My Heart Skipped, directed by Jacques Audiard

Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg

Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright

Serenity, directed by Joss Whedon

The Squid and the Whale, directed by Noah Baumbach

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, directed by Marc Rothemund

2006

Black Book, directed by Paul Verhoeven

Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Mission: Impossible III, directed by J.J. Abrams

Once, directed by John Carney

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, directed by Gore Verbinski

The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan

The Road to Guantanamo, directed by Michael Winterbottom

2007

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, directed by Andrew Dominik

Atonement, directed by Joe Wright

The Darjeeling Limited, directed by Wes Anderson

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directed by David Yates

No Country for Old Men, directed by the Coen Brothers

There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

The Visitor, directed by Tom McCarthy

2008

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, directed by David Fincher

The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan

Forgetting Sarah Marshall, directed by Nicholas Stoller

Hunger, directed by Steve McQueen

Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen

WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton

2009

Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino

Up, directed by Pete Docter

2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, directed by David Yates

Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan

Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek

The Social Network, directed by David Fincher

True Grit, directed by the Coen Brothers

2011

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, directed by David Yates

Incendies, directed by Denis Villeneuve

Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams

2012

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon

The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan

Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee

The Master, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathryn Bigelow

2013

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen

Her, directed by Spike Jonze

Short Term 12, directed by Destin Cretton

The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorcese

2014

The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent

Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher

The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson

The Imitation Game, directed by Morten Tyldum

Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon

Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg

Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley

Carol, directed by Todd Haynes

Inside Out, directed by Peter Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen

The Revenant, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve

2016

Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve

Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson

Hunt for the Wilderpeople, directed by Taika Waititi

Manchester by the Sea, directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese

Documentaries

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons front the Life of Robert S. McNamara, directed by Errol Morris

Super Size Me, directed by Morgan Spurlock

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, directed by Alex Gibney

Why We Fight, directed by Eugene Jarecki

Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh

Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson

Magic & BirdL A Courtship of Rivals, directed by Ezra Edelman

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki

The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton

Citizenfour, directed by Laura Poitras

13^th, directed by Ava DuVernay

O.J.: Made in America, directed by Ezra Edelman

Five Came Back, directed by Laurent Bouzereau

My Personal Favorite 25

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Lost in Translation

Inception

Inglourious Basterds

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the whole saga really)

Pride & Prejudice

Amelie

Spider-Man 2

Interstellar

The Prestige

Serenity

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

No Country for Old Men

The Lord of the Rings

Hunger

Zero Dark Thirty

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The Darjeeling Limited

Atonement

The Royal Tenenbaums

There Will Be Blood

American Psycho

Gone Girl

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

My Personal Favorite 25 (Redux)

Within the NY Times rules of One Film per Director

The Dark Knight

Lost in Translation

Inglourious Basterds

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Pride & Prejudice

Amelie

Spider-Man 2

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Serenity

No Country for Old Men

Hunger

Zero Dark Thirty

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The Darjeeling Limited

There Will Be Blood

American Psycho

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Life of Pi

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Arrival

Downfall

Her

Sequels, Reboots and Remakes – Movies Spotlight – June 2015

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sequel/Reboot/Remake

We all know that Hollywood is overrun with sequels, reboots and remakes. Just look at the films we are most excited to see this year: Avengers: Age of Ultron (sequel), Mad Max: Fury Road (sequel/reboot), Jurassic World (sequel/reboot), Terminator: Genisys (sequel/reboot), Ant-Man (sequel of sorts), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (sequel) Fantastic Four (reboot), Spectre (James Bond sequel), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (sequel), Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (sequel). Why all the sequels and reboots? Plainly, if a Hollywood studio is going to spend a bunch of money on a film, they would like it to be as secure a bet as possible, so why not bet on established properties. Original blockbusters are often based on successful books, comics, video games, television series, or something that came prior. There are very few truly original blockbusters. And when Hollywood does give us a good one, like Disney’s Tomorrowland, which came out in May to mixed reviews and mild box office returns (not reaching its audience – I genuinely think it is great film), no one goes to see it. Or worse, Jupiter Ascending, an original blockbuster from the Wachowskis that bombed in every way. This only increases the likeliness of Hollywood to stay away from original ideas, as there is much more risk.

So, we are likely stuck in a world of constant sequels and rehashes of the same established characters, stories and properties.

At first, I was annoyed by the very idea of someone making a new film based on an old film or character that I loved. A good example is Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther. Steve Martin is a very funny comedian and a good actor, but why would he ever want to attempt Inspector Clouseau – a losing proposition at best? A character made famous in the 1960s by Peter Sellers (probably film’s greatest comedic actor to this day). Martin could never approach what Sellers brought to the character, all this new film could do is soil the reputation of the character (is what I initially thought).

This is an overreaction. At worst, the new Pink Panther films scar younger viewers, preventing them from seeing the Peter Sellers’ films (but let us be honest, they were not going to watch them anyway). At best, the new viewers would love the character of Inspector Clouseau and seek him out in other films, finding their way to Sellers’ genius. Also, do not forget that the Clouseau character has been played by other actors before Martin took over in 2006 (Alan Arkin in the 60s and Roger Moore in the 80s, as well as Roberti Benigni, in spirit, in 1993’s Son of the Pink Panther). Martin was in no way tarnishing a character that was not already grinded up and spit out in many other subpar forms.

I came to understand that remaking or reboot a beloved character/series/film really has no effect on the original (or the version I love most). If I do not like the new vision for the character then I still have the original, and if the actors and filmmakers bring something new or different to the story/character then all the better. I take more of a wait and see approach now than one that finds me immediately upset before seeing how the new film even turns out (and if it does turn out to be terrible, I do not have to see it or even acknowledge its existence – like the Star Wars Prequels or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I just live my life as if they do not exist). I will always have the version I love.

Now on to sequels. So many sequels. They crowd our summers and holiday seasons. Yet, many of them are films I love. I love The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I love the Harry Potter film series. I love Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. I love Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. I love what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become during Phase II (especially Joss Whedon’s brilliant Avengers films) and cannot wait for Phase III. Of course I love these big adventure/action/fantasy films. I grew up on Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Ghostbusters. When these big films are done well, they capture all that film can be.

So why is there such a stigma? Well, I think it is twofold. First, and chiefly, for each sequel, reboot or remake there is money not going to an original idea film, blockbuster or otherwise, which has led many of our great auteurs today to work solely in indie film (for better or worse). Secondly, many of these tent pole blockbuster sequels, reboot and remakes are just not good. For every great film like The Dark Knight, there many more films like Catwoman or Batman and Robin. Or forgetting the downright terrible, most of these blockbusters are just the same old thing, nothing special and bland. Even Jurassic World, which just opened to the biggest box office weekend ever, is painfully banal and uninteresting. It is entertainment for the moment but not good enough to be lasting (like Jurassic Park).

We are just tired of the endless parade of these boring action films that try to thrill us by being massive, but offer little in the important areas of character and emotional resonance. They may grab us in the moment, but they fail to stay with us, inspire us or capture our imaginations.

How does this change? The answer is easy. If we do not give our money to these films, Hollywood will stop making them; but as Jurassic World proves, audiences are just fine with thrills over substance. Thus, I say take a similar approach to blockbuster sequels as you do with reboots and remakes. Revel in the films that are great and ignore and move past the ones that are marginal or bad.

Because honestly, who is not passionately eager to see the new James Bond film, the new Star Wars, the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film (Captain America: Civil War), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros.’s new Harry Potter prequel series), Disney’s live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, Pixar’s Finding Dory, the conclusion of The Hunger Games series, or the third iteration of Spider-Man (now a part of the MCU)? I know I cannot wait to see all of these.

Ranking All Superhero Movies – Movies Spotlight – March 2015

Empire Magazine put out a feature article called The Greatest Superhero Movies of All Time, which got me thinking – how many superhero movies have I seen? The answer is ninety-five. Here is my ranking from worst to best (broken down into five tiers).

Tier 1: Painfully Bad

These are the superhero films to never see… ever.

95.)        Catwoman (2004), directed by Pitof

94.)        Batman & Robin (1997), directed by Joel Schumacher

93.)        Steel (1997), directed by Kenneth Johnson

92.)        Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), directed by Sidney J. Furie

91.)        Supergirl, (1984), directed by Jeannot Szwarc

90.)        Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor

89.)        Captain America (1990), directed by Albert Pyun

88.)        Elektra (2005), directed by Rob Bowman

87.)        The Phantom (1996), directed by Simon Wincer

86.)        Ghost Rider (2007), directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Tier 2: Really, Really Bad

These films are also just bad, but diehard fans may find some redeeming qualities.

85.)        My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), directed by Ivan Reitman

84.)        Zoom (2006), directed by Peter Hewitt

83.)        The Shadow (1994), directed by Russell Mulcahy

82.)        The Meteor Man (1993), directed by Robert Townsend

81.)        Blade: Trinity (2004), directed by David S. Goyer

80.)        Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), directed by Bryan Spicer

79.)        Blankman (1993), directed by Mike Binder

78.)        Superman III (1983), directed by Richard Lester

77.)        Sky High (2005), directed by Mike Mitchell

76.)        Spawn (1997), directed by Mark A.Z. Dippe

75.)        The Toxic Avenger (1984), directed by Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman

74.)        The Specials (2000), directed by Craig Mazin

73.)        Daredevil (2003), directed by Mark Steven Johnson

72.)        The Spirit (2008), directed by Frank Miller

71.)        Jonah Hex (2010), directed by Jimmy Hayward

70.)        The Punisher (1989), directed by Mark Goldblatt

69.)        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), directed by Jonathan Liebesman

68.)        Mystery Men (1999), directed by Kinka Usher

67.)        Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), directed by Tim Story

66.)        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), directed by Michael Pressman

65.)        X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), directed by Gavin Hood

64.)        Hulk (2003), directed by Ang Lee

Tier 3: Fun and Entertaining, but Nothing Special

These are the superhero films you kind of like (maybe even secretly love), but they are just not that great.

63.)        X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), directed by Brett Ratner

62.)        Batman Forever (1995), directed by Joel Schumacher

61.)        Green Lantern (2011), directed by Martin Campbell

60.)        The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), directed by Marc Webb

59.)        Fantastic Four (2005), directed by Tim Story

58.)        Hancock (2008), directed by Peter Berg

57.)        The Crow (1994), directed by Alex Proyas

56.)        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), directed by Stuart Gillard

55.)        Tank Girl (1995), directed by Rachel Talalay

54.)        The Punisher (2004), directed by Jonathan Hensleigh

53.)        Zebraman (2004), directed by Takashi Miike

52.)        Batman: The Movie (1966), directed by Leslie H. Martinson

51.)        Orgazmo (1997), directed by Trey Parker

50.)        Superman Returns (2006), directed by Bryan Singer

49.)        The Green Hornet (2011), directed by Michel Gondry

48.)        Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), directed by Guillermo del Toro

47.)        TMNT (2007), directed by Kevin Munroe

46.)        Iron Man 2 (2010), directed by Jon Favreau

45.)        The Incredible Hulk (2008), directed by Louis Leterrier

44.)        Spider-Man 3 (2007), directed by Sam Raimi

43.)        Blade II (2002), directed by Guillermo del Toro

42.)        Punisher: War Zone (2008), directed by Lexi Alexander

41.)        Push (2009), directed by Paul McGuigan

40.)        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (1990), directed by Steve Barron

39.)        Hellboy (2004), directed by Guillermo del Toro

38.)        Darkman (1990), directed by Sam Raimi

37.)        Defendor (2009), directed by Peter Stebbings

36.)        The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), directed by Mark Webb

35.)        Megamind (2010), directed by Tom McGrath

34.)        Kick-Ass 2 (2013), directed by Jeff Wadlow

33.)        Constantine (2005), directed by Francis Lawrence

32.)        The Wolverine (2013), directed by James Mangold

31.)        Superman II (1980), directed by Richard Donner & Richard Lester

30.)        The Rocketeer (1991), directed Joe Johnston

29.)        Unbreakable (2000), directed by M. Night Shyamalan

28.)        Batman Returns (1992), directed by Tim Burton

27.)        Big Hero 6 (2014), directed by Don Hall & Chris Williams

Tier 2: Very Good Superhero Films

These are the superhero films you love.

26.)        X-Men (2000), directed by Bryan Singer

25.)        Thor (2011), directed by Kenneth Branagh

24.)        Blade (1998), directed by Stephen Norrington

23.)        Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), directed by Joe Johnston

22.)        Man of Steel (2013), directed by Zack Snyder

21.)        Kick-Ass (2010), directed by Matthew Vaughn

20.)        X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), directed by Bryan Singer

19.)        Thor: The Dark World (2013), directed by Alan Taylor

18.)        X-Men 2 (2003), directed by Bryan Singer

17.)        Watchmen (2009), directed by Zack Snyder

16.)        Batman (1989), directed by Tim Burton

15.)        Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner

14.)        Iron Man (2008), directed by Jon Favreau

13.)        Chronicle (2012), directed by Josh Trank

12.)        X-Men: First Class (2011), directed by Matthew Vaughn

11.)        Spider-Man (2002), directed by Sam Raimi

10.)        Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

With Phase II of their MCU, Marvel has taken their films to a new level of quality, fun and entertainment. Marvel also positioned their solo-hero films to fit character specific genres (Iron Man 3’s 80s/90s style action movie, Thor: The Dark World’s adventure fantasy feel and Guardians of the Galaxy’s space opera vibe). Captain America: The Winter Soldier wonderfully works as an action spy/thriller, feeling just gritty enough while still holding onto the MCU’s overall lighter tone.

9.)           Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), directed by Eric Radomski & Bruce Timm

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the feature film incarnation of Batman: The Animated Series. It is just brilliant, bring fans what is probably the best versions of Batman, the Joker and a Batman movie (until Christopher Nolan made his Dark Knight Trilogy).

8.)           Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), directed by James Gunn

First there was Star Wars; next there was Firefly; now there is Guardians of the Galaxy. The film is just plain fun, mixing great sci-fi elements with awesome action, funny writing, maybe the year’s best soundtrack, and a stellar group of characters (and our latest Han Solo/Malcolm Reynold in Star Lord).

7.)           The Incredibes (2004), directed by Brad Bird

Brad Bird’s first Pixar film showcases a family of superheroes in a world of superheroes, but the genius of the film is that he takes these extraordinary characters and makes them first exist in the mundane tediousness of normal, everyday life.

6.)           Iron Man 3 (2013), directed by Shane Black

 Shan Black is known for writing some of Hollywood’s best action films in the 80s and 90s (most famously Lethal Weapon). With Iron Man 3, he gives the Tony Stark adventure the same vibe, while also giving Robert Downey Jr. some of his best dialog to date (recapturing the magic of their Kiss Kiss Bang Bang collaboration).

Tier 1: Simply the Best

These are the films that changed the rules, making superhero films the massive critical and commercial successes they are today.

5.)           The Avengers (2012), directed by Joss Whedon

The first half to two-thirds of The Avengers is a little rocky, but once things finally kick off in New York the film is nothing but pure gleeful joy.

4.)           Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan

Origin stories are the hardest to tell, as so much story is devoted to the how and why. Christopher Nolan, however, set the new standard with Batman Begins, one that has not yet been eclipsed.

3.)           The Dark Knight Rises (2012), directed by Christopher Nolan

Epic is a simple and short way to describe the last chapter of the Dark Knight Trilogy. Nolan’s film feels massive in scale, but everything is rooted in character and emotion.

2.)           Spider-Man 2 (2004), directed by Sam Raimi

Spider-Man 2 is the perfect mix of Sam Raimi’s campy style and great storytelling, creating the best comic book feeling superhero film. It is infinitely watchable, and always enjoyable.

1.)         1.)           The Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan

            Brilliantly capturing the essence of Michael Mann, Nolan creates a superhero film that completely transcends the genre (forcing the Oscars to change their rules so they do not look like fool again after they snubbed it in 2009), rewriting the rules of what a superhero film could aspire to be. It is a magnificent piece of entertainment and art (and let us not forget Heath Ledger’s chilling portrayal of the Joker – it is breathtaking).

Christian Bale – Movies Spotlight – July 2012

Christian Bale, 38, is one of the most prolific and talented actors working today. He is probably best known for his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy. This month he stars in the last chapter of the trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises. The film also stars Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard (making up one of the best casts of the year). It tells the story of Batman’s return to Gotham to save the city from the grip of the terrorist Bane. The Dark Knight Rises has the potential to be the summer’s biggest and best film (make sure to see it in IMAX).

Early Career:

Bale got his start in 1986 taking a supporting role in the TV movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. A year later, his first breakthrough came when Steven Spielberg cast him as the lead in Empire of the Sun – the story of a young English boy who struggles to survive when the Japanese occupy China during WWII. Bale’s performance won him recognition from many critics. He next took a small supporting role in Kenneth Branagh’s excellent Shakespeare adaptation Henry V. Bale next started to take on more family oriented films starting with the 1990 TV movie Treasure Island – playing the lead Jim Hawkins. He followed that with the Disney live-action musical Newsies in 1992. Working again with Disney, Bale took a supporting voice-role in Pocahontas (funny enough, ten years later he would again star in a Pocahontas related narrative). In 1998, Bale decided to return to more provocative material taking one of the three principal roles in Todd Haynes’s glam rock drama Velvet Goldmine – which chronicles (using pseudonyms) the careers of David Bowie and Iggy Pop during the 1970s. Bale plays a reporter investigating the intertwining careers of Brian Slade and Curt Wild (Bowie and Iggy Pop respectively).

American Psycho – Breakthrough:

Bale’s big breakthrough came in 2000 with American Psycho, but it almost did not happen. Lionsgate wanted Leonardo DiCaprio, but writer-director Mary Harron wanted Bale. Lionsgate made an offer to DiCaprio and he accepted and Harron left the project. Oliver Stone signed on to directed, but the project fell apart when DiCaprio left to make The Beach and Stone’s budget got out of hand. Thus, Lionsgate rehired Harron and Bale was again cast as Patrick Bateman. However, Lionsgate wanted Harron to cast two known stars in supporting roles, and so she obliged with Willem Dafoe and Reese Witherspoon. Bateman is brilliantly played by Bale, capturing the sadness and madness wonderfully – he reportedly based his performance on Tom Cruise, seeing him on the Late Show with David Letterman and thinking that he looked dead behind the eyes. Bale had always been a fantastic character and method actor, but American Psycho made him a leading man in Hollywood and showcased his ability to become characters (something he would continually showcase over the next decade). Bale coming off the success of American Psycho made a number of mediocre Hollywood and independent films: Shaft, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Laurel Canyon, and Reign of Fire. His next critically acclaimed hit came with Kurt Wimmer’s highly stylized action sci-fi drama Equilibrium (a must-see for fans of The Matrix-like action films). Bale then completely altered his body to take the lead in Brad Anderson’s The Machinist about an industrial worker who has not slept in a year and doubts his own sanity. It is a profound performance. Bale also voiced Howl in the English dub of Howl’s Moving Castle in 2004.

Batman – Stardom:

In 2005, Bale became a bona fide star with the release of Batman Begins. Along with Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Alfonso Cuaron’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Batman Begins cemented that a new generation of auteur filmmakers had taken over and were making genre films that were not just box office successes but also among the best films of their respective years. Bale and director Nolan also brought a new much more serious and grounded approach to the character completely changing the expectations of what a Batman film could and should be. In short, they changed the game. With the success of Batman (both box office and especially critically), Bale had his pick of projects – and he made some great films starting with David Ayer’s cop drama Harsh Times. Next he starred in (his second Pocahontas narrative) The New World, written and directed by Terrence Malick. It is an absolutely beautiful and powerful film. Continuing his string of working with great directors and giving brilliant performances, Bale starred in Werner Herzog’s Vietnam prisoner of war drama Rescue Dawn. He again needed to alter is body to become his character. Working again with Nolan in 2006, Bale starred in The Prestige – a wonderful film about rival magicians. In 2007, Bale starred in the action western (remake) 3:10 to Yuma and Todd Haynes’s Bob Dylan biography I’m Not There. Then, in 2008, he returned to the Batman franchise and director Nolan for The Dark Knight – a genre film so good that the Oscars changed their rules (from five Best Picture nominees to ten) after the embarrassment of not nominating it (the best film of the year). Along with being probably the most critically acclaimed comic-book film, it also played to the third best US box office of all-time (now fourth, as The Avengers has surged to number two). Finishing up the decade, Bale starred as John Connor in Terminator Salvation and Melvin Purvis (the FBI agent who lead the team that killed John Dillinger) in Michael Mann’s fantastic (and highly underrated) Public Enemies.

The Fighter – Elite Actor:

Bale has shown his ability to completely and utterly inhabit his characters, usually staying in character throughout the duration of filming. He even did all his press for Batman Begins with the American accent that he had developed for the film (he is Welch). In 2010, Bale finally got his recognition winning an Oscar for his work in David O. Russell’s The Fighter. As with many of his performances, Bale the man is unrecognizable leaving only Dicky Eklund the character. Earlier this year, Bale starred in the Chinese film The Flowers of War, directed by (China’s Steven Spielberg) Yimou Zhang. Praised in China, the film was not as heralded in the States.

Upcoming Projects:

Following The Dark Knight Rises, Bale has three films with scheduled 2013 releases. Up first, he stars with Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, and Sam Shepard in Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace – a revenge thriller about an ex-con who tries to blend into his new surroundings (in the form of a small Indiana town), but is haunted by a figure from his past. After that, Bale has two films with Terrence Malick. The first, still untitled, is about two intersecting love triangles ripe with obsession and betrayal set against the music scene in Austin, Texas. Boasting a great cast, it co-stars Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Haley Bennett, and maybe Wes Bentley. The second, which also stars Portman, Blanchett and Bentley in addition to Bale, called Knight of Cups is about a man in search of love and truth (like all Malick films). It also co-stars Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Isabel Lucas, Imogen Poots, and Justin Wheelon. This is just a guess, but I think these films are probably related and share the same characters. I am really looking forward to these two Malick films, and Bale’s work in them.

Career Highlights:

1)      Empire of the Sun (1987) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

2)      Henry V (1989) – supporting (DVD)

3)      Velvet Goldmine (1998) – supporting (Blu-ray, DVD)

4)      American Psycho (2000)* – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

5)      Equilibrium (2002) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD)

6)      The Machinist (2004) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

7)      Batman Begins (2005)* – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

8)      Harsh Times (2005) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD)

9)      The New World (2005)* – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

10)   Rescue Dawn (2006) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

11)   The Prestige (2006)* – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

12)   3:10 to Yuma (2007) – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

13)   The Dark Knight (2008)* – lead (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

14)   Public Enemies (2009) – supporting (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

15)   The Fighter (2010) – supporting (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

*Editor’s picks

Movie of the Week – The Dark Knight

This week’s movie is The Dark Knight (2008).

The action adventure drama is the second in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy (bookended by Batman Begins and The Dark KnightRises). It tells the story of Batman’s attempt to take down Gotham’s mob by confiscating all their money with the help of Jim Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent. The mob turns to the Joker, a criminal who only cares about upsetting the order of things, to strike back against Batman and company. Produced, directed and co-written by Nolan, the film is a masterpiece of genre filmmaking (commonly heralded as the best superhero movie of all-time). Plus, Nolan has a fantastic group working with him: composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, cinematographer Wally Pfister, editor Lee Smith, production designer Nathan Crowley, producer Emma Thomas, and co-writer Jonathan Nolan. The cast is brilliant as well. Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne, with Heath Ledger (giving possibly the greatest performance of the decade as the Joker), Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Eric Roberts, Nestor Carbonell, Cillian Murphy, Ritchie Coster, Anthony Michael Hall, and Michael Jai White in support. The Dark Knight (along with Batman Begins) is a must-see of fans of superhero and comic-book films, and I would contend it is also a must for cinema fans in general as it is certainly a standout piece from the last decade. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming