2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Next year the world will come to know Shane Black as the director of Iron Man 3. When that day comes you can snobbishly lower your glasses in the world's direction and tell them that you've known about Shane Black since he made Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with a pre-comeback Robert Downey Jr. Then you can go back to Instagram-ing or whatever hipster thing you're doing. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is told like a pulpy detective novel with narration from Robert Downey Jr. Here is another example of voice over done right. The voice over acknowledges this is a movie, frequently criticizes the movie's plot, and plays like a commentary by Downey Jr. of the movie you're watching. The twisty plot follows Downey Jr. as he gets partnered with Gay Perry (played by Val Kilmer in his second appearance on this list) and sucked into a murder mystery. The movie is the blackest of comedies, frequently flipping back and forth from darkly hilarious to just dark. The setting, Christmastime in LA (a staple of Black's), is perfect for the film, as are the performances from Downey Jr., Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan. The film is enjoyably twisty and turny, and plays like the best of the seedy detective novels it frequently hearkens to. Check it out so you can be better than the rest of the world.