During the recent heatwave, my better half randomly stumbled upon the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and their enthusiasm was so infectious that we ended up binge-reading it together over the weekend. Naturally, we both immediately felt like watching the film adaptation right after.

First, a word of warning: anyone hoping for a gripping courtroom drama along the lines of Witness for the Prosecution or Anatomy of a Murder will likely be bitterly disappointed. Just like in the book, the…

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

This movie is just amazing. It captures the flair of a film noir so perfectly - even though much of the movie takes place in glaring sunlight. And because it's a Polanski movie, it's also important to remember that a movie is always a total work of art: the cinematography and the music are really great. The costumes and set design just blew me away: so much attention to detail to make the movie look…