"The Town" further cements Affleck as a good director (4.25/5)

I’ll admit that I used to be a huge Ben Affleck hater. It wasn’t because he made the film abortion known as “Gigli“, although I’m sure it’s driven people to insanity. No, it was because he just seemed to be riding Matt Damon’s coat tails and his god given looks. More specifically, instead of going for challenging roles like his “Good Will Hunting” counterpart, Affleck went from one heart throb role to another. In some respects he was the precursor to Matthew McConaughey, but my opinion of Affleck changed once I saw his directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone”. Who I once saw as a talent less hack, had suddenly captured my attention with this gritty crime tale. Granted, Affleck had yet to entrance me with his acting ability, but his vision behind the camera, as well as his ability to build a scene, gave me a new perspective on his career. Suddenly, there was some semblance of talent within my view, and I started to feel that I was a little too hard on Affleck. Well, now that I’ve seen his newest foray behind the camera, “The Town”, I know I was completely dead wrong. In “The Town” , Affleck not only captures the rapturous drama found in his debut film, but he gives  the best performance of his career.

"Les Diaboliques" is a classic thriller (5/5)

There’s something to say for a film that’s been around for 55 years that still packs a dramatic punch. Now, I’m not going to pretend to be a film connoisseur in regards to films that pre-date 1960. Yet, I often find that the older the film is, the less it grasps me. This can be for numerous reasons, but it’s often because the film’s techniques are stale or a few years past their prime. But, when I find a film that is fresh today as it was upon its release, I completely fall in love with it. There is nothing better than finding a film buried within the past that captures my imagination and attention. Such a gem is the French film “Les Diaboliques“, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. At the time of its release, the film was rather progressive. It features two female protagonists who seem to be preparing themselves for an all out war on the male gender as they plot and scheme the demise of a lover. Accompanying this rather feminist approach is an extremely crafty and unflinching supernatural murder story that is often sadistic.

"Inception" is another example of Nolan flexing his muscle (5/5)

It’s interesting to see how Christopher Nolan’s career has been continuously evolving. Even though his first film was “The Following”, it was “Memento” that put him on the map and announced his stake in the film world. “Memento” was the type of film that cleverly played with the narrative structure while placing it against the backdrop of a crime noir. Needlessly to say, Nolan’s gritty style and his meticulous script caught the eye of Hollywood and from that point on, he’s been crafting films in spite of convention. In addition to this, Nolan’s films, while still independent at heart, have been swelling in size and scope. This is most notable when comparing Nolan’s first breakout hit in “Memento” to “The Dark Knight”. With “The Dark Knight”, Nolan stripped down the schemata of a comic book film and made a  film that was more on par with a crime saga than one that was about a man running around in a pair of tights. Through “The Dark Knight”, one can get a sense that Nolan was on top of his game as he was welding two elements that seemed mutually exclusive: artistic expression and big studio clout.