Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (8.5/10)

This 2005 crime-comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan caught me completely off guard. Part of the fun is that you never really know what's going on, and Downey spends the whole movie narrating with all-over-the-place commentary that keeps you laughing even when the plot gets tangled. His chemistry with Kilmer is a highlight, and the two play off each other perfectly. It feels like a better version of what Ryan Reynolds is trying to do in today's action comedies, except RDJ did it first, and in his own unique way. I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. If you like your crime stories with a sharp, self-aware sense of humor, it's well worth tracking down."Two-bit crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) stumbles into an audition for a mystery film while on the run from the cops. Winning the part, he lands in Hollywood, where he's flung into a tangled, murderous conspiracy with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), and hard-boiled private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer). This deadpan, affectionate parody of film noir tropes is named for film critic Pauline Kael's influential 1968 collection of film reviews and essays."