1. A History of Violence (dir. David Cronenberg) - Directed by horror mogul David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, the film digs deep into the depths of the human soul and its propensity for violence.
2. The Road to Perdition (dir. Sam Mendes) - Beautifully shot by American Beauty director Sam Mendes, the film features a dark turn by Tom Hanks and a wild, stunning performance by a greasy (and ugly) Jude Law.
3. American Splendor (dir. Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini) - Equal parts graphic novel movie and biopic, the film features a brilliant lead performance by Paul Giamatti as troubled comic writer Harvey Pekar.
4. Sin City (dir. Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller) - Bold and bloody, the film is co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and original graphic novel writer Frank Miller, with a particularly surreal segment guest-directed by Quentin Tarantino.
5. Batman Begins (dir. Christopher Nolan) - Based in equal part on Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween, Christopher Nolan's take on the caped crusader, complete with Christian Bale inhibiting the suit, revitalized the Batman genre and set the table for 2008's monumental The Dark Knight.
Ricci is a freshman studying journalism and a reporter for The Post.
3 Culture
Peter Ricci
