The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy ...

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy ...

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

It's borderline tragic that one of American television's finest shows of recent times comes to an end with season five of The Wire. Long-praised for its astonishing mix of character, grit and outstandingly scripted drama, the upside is that the show sure goes out with some style. As with every season of The Wire, there's an underlying theme running alongside the exploration of ...

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Dominic West

The Coen brothers make their finest thriller since Fargo with a restrained adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. Not that there aren't moments of intense violence, but No Country for Old Men is their quietest, most existential film yet. In this modern-day Western, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam veteran who needs a break. One morning while hunting antelope, he spies several ...

Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly MacDonald, Stephen Root
Directed By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Even if you missed the first three seasons (the character guides and thorough episode recaps on HBO's website are recommended), and with only one season left, it's not too late to get in under The Wire. In fact, season 4 is an accessible introduction for those who know The Wire only by its street cred as arguably the very best show on television. For them especially, this season will ...

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Dominic West, Michael K. Williams, Sonja Sohn

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Christian Bale
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Manufacturer: Contender Entertainment Group
Starring: Peter Firth, Rupert Penry-Jones, Hermione Norris, Raza Jaffrey, Hugh Simon

Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK

The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy ...

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Manufacturer: ITV DVD
Starring: David Suchet, Elizabeth Berrington, Richard Dillane, Katie Leung, Natasha Little