If you haven’t seen these films yet, then these reviews and trailers should get your adrenaline rushing to check them out!

And if you have seen them, then not only do you know how great they are but you just may want to watch them again!

The Prestige

How far will you go to prove that you are the best?  Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are two magicians driven by an inner need to succeed.  Both men experience joy and pain with the craft, along with the pleasures and pain thrust upon their loved ones by the passion that consumes them.  When an accident causes Robert to rethink his friendship with Alfred, the partnership turns into a rivalry of epic proportions.  Also starring Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and Rebecca Hall, The Prestige is pure movie magic.

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker takes place during The Iraq War in 2004 and focusing on the daily interactions and missions of a bomb squad disposal team.  Released in 2008 and starring Jeremy Renner as a courageous soldier with a reckless attitude, The Hurt Locker touches on the many subtle problems of war including mental instability and trust amongst teammates.  Also featuring Anthony Mackie and Guy Pearce, The Hurt Locker takes an artful and intriguing look into the psyche of man during the modern-day heat of war.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Love is forever.  Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) once thought so but their relationship has crumbled over time.  The couple part ways and try to live separate lives.  Clementine undergoes a procedure that erases the memory of them being together.  Frustrated and wanting revenge, Joel tracks down the man who performed Clementine’s memory wipe, Dr. Mierswiak (Tom Wilkinson) and takes the same route as his ex-girlfriend to get rid of his memory of her.  As Joel walks through his own memory of having Clementine in his life he realizes that he still loves her and decides to halt the process but the Dr. Mierswiak refuses to oblige.  Forced to take matters into his own hands, Joel must find a way to keep love alive.

Requiem for a Dream

In Requiem for a Dream, the lives of four people with admirable aspirations intersect as their dreams spiral down into chaos.  Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) lives in Brooklyn, New York, as does his mother Sara (Ellen Burnstyn).  His girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and best friend (Marlon Wayans) have a plan to escape the hardships of their daily lives, but their plan is sidetracked when the drugs they use as a hobby become the prime objective.  Requiem for a Dream captures the pain caused from drug addiction in powerful fashion, gripping the viewer and never letting go, even after the credits roll.

Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood.  Man.  Legend.  Icon.  Gran Torino tells a tale of change, courage and redemption.  Clint stars as Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran who recently lost his wife.  As the world around him changes faster as he realizes his own ticking clock, Walt refuses to let go of the past and his prejudices.  One night, a young, timid Hmong by the name of Thao (Bee Vang) attempts to still Walt’s prize possession, his 1972 Gran Torino, setting off of sequence of events that leaves the audience pondering life and existence itself.  In Gran Torino, Clint once again shoots straight from the hip and hits the bullseye with ease.

V for Vendetta

“Remember, remember, the 5th of November.”  These are the haunting words spoken by V (Hugo Weaving) in James McTeigue’s political action thriller.  V, a man drenched in mystery, is a freedom fighter who wears a memorable mask and goes on a one-man rampage to take down a totalitarian society set in Britain in the year 2038.  When he saves a young woman by the name of Evey (Natalie Portman) from the grips of authority because she breaks a nightly curfew, their lives become intertwined, leading them both on a collision course against the leader of Britain, a tyrannical man named Adam Sutler (John Hurt).  As Finch (Stephen Rea) searches for V before the vigilante completes his quest, the lives of the V and Evey are forever changed.  V for Vendetta will linger with you long after the credits roll.

The Green Mile

Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) leads a crew of prison guards, keeping them in check with wise decisions and good humor.  But Death Row is not the place for living out one’s life, and John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) finds himself incarcerated and found guilty of rape and murder.  John, a mild-mannered giant of a man, claims he’s innocence.  He also has a secret; he has magical powers.  As Percy (Doug Hutchinson), a cruel prison guard taunts John, Paul begins to believe that there is something to the inmate’s story.  The Green Mile, based on a novel by Stephen King, tells the tale of redemption and faith, awakening a hope inside us all.

Seven

May the one without sin cast the first stone.
There’s a serial killer on the loose and only veteran detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and his rookie partner David Mills (Brad Pitt) are capable enough to catch the killer before another victim is found.  Following the seven deadly sins of Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, and Pride, Seven is one of the best psychological films ever made.  Directed by David Fincher, this film takes twists and turns that will leave any viewer astonished.

Joker

Many of us can enjoy being “laughed with” but not many of us can enjoy being “laughed at”.
The Joker takes us on a journey through one man’s battles with himself and the world that overlooks him.  Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) battles his loneliness and depression in a society that continues to devolve into a world of people bent on ignoring the chaos, malevolence, and negativity it helped spawn.  Although he suffers with dejection and sadness, he still hopes to make his life better, including forming a romantic relationship with his next-door neighbor Sophie (Zazie Beetz).  He even dreams of becoming a stand-up comic and finds himself inspired by talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro).  Unfortunately, a series of events threatens his attempt of finding success, love, and peace.  This vision of the popular Batman villain was directed by Todd Phillips and is simply captivating.  It is certainly worth suspending one’s belief in a film’s material being an exactly like its original source.