"12 Angry Men" 1957 - 5 / 5
An undisputed masterpiece. This is how to adapt a stage play properly.
"Near Dark" 1987 - 4 / 5
Kathryn Bigelow cut her teeth on "The Loveless", then showed us she knew how to make a goddamn movie with "Near Dark". It's a broody horror that cares more about atmosphere than gore. It's a creepy, funny tale that has a deserved cult following.
"Martyrs" 2008 - 2.5 / 5
This is a disturbing, bloody and shocking film. I'd love it except that I wasn't able to feel any interest in the main characters. By the time the plot is fully revealed, I was pretty bored.
"Days of Heaven" 1978 - 4 / 5
Shortly after starting shooting, Terrence Malick threw out the script and had the actors improvise to get the feel for the characters and story. It took him 2 years to edit the movie, because he had trouble piecing together his own film into a coherent story.
And you sure can tell. This is a difficult movie to get through (for me at least). The visuals are stunning and as always, the atmosphere Malick creates is beautiful. But the acting and dialogue, especially the narration, feel stilted and unnatural. It almost ruins the "real life" aspect that Malick is so great at showing in film.