The Departed

The Departed: Martin Scorsese returns to the gangster movie genre with style. He brings with him a cast that only includes the names DiCaprio, Damen, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Baldwin and Sheen…….he’s not messing around. The movie is actually a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. We have two cops working undercover -infiltrating both aspects of the Irish mob scene in Boston. One cop was raised by the mob since he was a young kid and worked his way into the police force, basically working undercover for mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson). The other undercover cop is working for the police force and is part of Frank Costello’s mob. Suspicion arises on both sides that there is a rat in the house….but finding out who it is, is not that easy. As for the cast mentioned above = OUTSTANDING! All the actors stepped up to the plate for this movie. I can’t say enough about the acting – I wish all movies could have this high of caliber. The writing has to be mentioned next – I have not seen a movie with this crisp of screenplay since………....... Goodfellas – “A real F*cking shame” it’s been that long. The story gets you involved early and keeps you there the whole time. Tense moments throughout the entire film will keep you glued to the screen. The violence that takes place seems so naturally placed….never forced just for shock value – that is the sign of a good gangster movie. The only aspect keeping this movie from a perfect rating is the core of the story…..it seems way more is going on than should be for what is at stake. On the whole, The Departed is a stellar film (top 10 of the year) that will only get better after a few spins in the DVD player!
* * * and ½ stars or Grade: A-

If this movie had parents they would be: Infernal Affairs & Goodfellas - a lay up

With a run time of 149 minutes
This film is rated R

Stranger Than Fiction (opens Nov 10th)

Stranger Than Fiction: Will Ferrell makes the transition from comedy to ……heartfelt dramedy in Marc Foster’s new movie. The story is very imaginative – Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a lonely tax auditor who one day starts to hear a voice of a narrator, who is actually narrating his life. He is the only one who can hear her and everything the narrator says is right on. The comedy scenes here are played perfectly by Ferrell. The film jumps to more of a drama when the narrator hints at what is about to happen to Harold Crick’s life. This leads Harold to seek out a literary theorist, played by Dustin Hoffman. Also in the mix is a love interest that Harold is in the middle of auditing – Plus we are introduced to the Narrator of Harold Crick's life (Emma Thompson) who is actually a living author writing a book whose main character is named……..Harold Crick. Shake all this together and you pour out one hell of an entertaining movie. The film works on all levels, from well written comedy to bizarre comedy to plain silly comedy – it is all there. We also see Ferrell move up to a new level in some of the more dramatic scenes in the film, which might be hard for some fans of Will Ferrell’s Anchorman type movies to understand. I could feel people wanted to laugh at everything Ferrell does even when it is not appropriate – (also known as the Jim Carrey Factor). This film will not only make you laugh, but it will tug at your heart and will also make you think – Bravo
* * * and ½

If this movie had parents they would be: Adaptation and 12 Monkeys

With a running time of 113 minutes
This film is rated R

The Lake House - (On DVD as of this review)

The Lake House: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock team up for the first time since Speed…..the result = Who Cares? The premise for the movie is what made me give this a spin. Reeves’ plays Alex, an architect living in the year 2004. Bullock plays Kate, a doctor who is living in the year 2006. She just moved out of the lake house and left a letter for the next tenant (very common I’m sure), supernaturally the letter goes to Alex in the year 2004 who is currently living in the same lake house. Does he just throw the letter out and never think of it again like most guys would do…..of course not – he writes a very thoughtful letter back(very common I’m sure). Again supernaturally it goes to Kate in 2006. They become the best pen pals ever – falling in love in fact. Even though they are 2 years apart Kate can remember where she was on certain days in the year 2004 and so Alex actually comes into contact with the 2004 Kate, who is unaware of the 2006 Kate who is writing these letters (has not happened to her yet, but has for him). Whenever you have a time travel / supernatural premise you are opening a huge can of worms. I mean why wasn’t Kate in 2006 giving Alex in 2004 sports scores of games about to happen in 2004 - duh? Seriously – there are always flaws with the time travel premise and the Lake house has plenty of them. The other major flaw the movie has is Keanu Reeves; I mean who is the genius that says “Lets cast Keanu in a role where he is not wearing a black trench coat and does not say "whoa" – people will think he is a real actor”. Even though the movie was full of flaws I still give it credit on the creativity side – in the right hands this movie could have been outstanding.
* *
If this movie had parents they would be: Frequency & Back to the Future 2

With a run time of 105 minutes
This film is rated PG

Brick - (On DVD as of this review)

Brick: Film noir meets high school movie in this HIGHLY creative motion picture. Written and directed by new comer Rian Johnson comes a movie that has really never been done before. The story revolves around Brendan, a high school student who is trying to solve the mystery of who killed his ex-girlfriend and why. The reality the characters are living in is what sets this movie apart from the norm. It is a corrupt reality filled with crime, fighting, drug dealers, and murders….yet the kids are preppy high school students who live at home with their parents. The mix of the 2 genres is done perfectly – it is not over the top humorous like a Wes Anderson film, but has subtle humor while keeping it a realistic mystery at the same time. The challenging aspect for most viewers will be the dialogue. The characters speak fast, in slang, and use words and names that they never point blank explain……you have to give it time and pay attention to follow along. Midway through you will find that you understand it all and you will be immersed in the story. The cinematography and music is outstanding – truly lets the audience believe in this strange reality. The acting by lead Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock form the Sun) is right on, balancing both aspects of the film flawlessly. I love seeing such imagination lit up on the screen, if you give this film a chance….you will enjoy!!!!
* * * and ½

If this movie had parents they would be: L.A. Confidential & Beverly Hills 90210

With a running time of 110 minutes
This film is rated R