The Departed

**** Stars

“Cops or Criminals. When you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?”

Martin Scorsese is a masterful storyteller who creates what he does best: a masterpiece that adds further strength to his walking stature among other film directors. If an Oscar is once again taken away from Scorsese, there is no justice in the world.

Based loosely on the 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the story commences with a deliciously evil monologue from Frank Costello, (a brilliant Jack Nicholson, who has created a new character that will become legendary) an Irish mob boss who spends his days running the city, earning loads of cash, and destroying every life imaginable. He meets a young boy Colin Sullivan, who is convinced by Frank to later on his life join the Massachusetts State Police force and provide him with information and the first hand in every scenario he is in. Sullivan (Matt Damon at his best) is a man who will only save himself. He is the rat.

Soon after Sullivan joins the force, Bill Costigan (a perfectly cast Leonardo Dicaprio) a troubled young man who wants to do something meaningful with his life, is shot down from the academy. But instead, he is placed undercover to infiltrate Costello’s unit in which only two cops know of this: Captain Queenan (a classic Martin Sheen) and Sergeant Dignam (Mark Wahlberg in the best performance of his career). So the stage is set.

Dicaprio: Good Cop.
Damon: Bad Cop.
Nicholson: Mob Boss.
Scorsese: Director.
The Cast: Dynamite.
Execution: Breathtaking.

For a running time of over two and a half hours, The Departed is a fast paced, dazzling piece of work. Its violence, deceit, and tragedy will leave you staggered. Even with some minor flaws involving some underwritten characters, Scorsese’s brilliant mind is an example of our highest accomplishments in modern cinema. This is one of his best crime drama, ranking right with his classic Goodfellas.

Oscar or Scorsese. When you’re facing The Departed, What’s the difference?

The Illusionist

**** Stars

"Everything you have seen here has been an illusion..."

This is why I love the movies.

Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti unite for a dazzling story in this elegant and well-provoked concept behind the world of magic.

Director Neil Burger's screen adaptation of Steven Millhauser's short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist' stars Edward Norton, in a dynamite role as Eisenheim, a magician in early 1900's Vienna. In his childhood, he fell in love with a young girl, Sophie (Jessica Biel at her best) who is of higher class. Now, when she becomes engaged to a Crown Prince, Eisenheim uses his powers to win her back and undermine the stability of the royal house of Vienna. Chief Inspector Uhl (A perfect Paul Giamatti) investigates Eisenheim's acts of magic and begins to unravel many of his tricks. He is considered almost of a sorcerer to the people. He has a power that can wheel the public into believing the unbelievable.

Forget and forgive the questions of his abilities. Let the story grab you and take you in. If you let it, you be entertained beyond most movies you'll see this year. The Illusionist is a wonderfully old-fashioned tale, filled with juice that was worth the squeeze. It is pure magic.

Jackass: Number Two

*** Stars

The boys are back. Jackass: Number Two is a ridiculous concept. Nonetheless, brilliant. From anal beer bong to terrorist gags, this sequel to the 2002 hit is flot out hilarious if you have the strength to stomach it. It's hard to review a film like this. It's just 92 minutes of grotesque, controversial, and disturbing pranks. I can't recommend this to all viewers. This is a movie for people who enjoy this humor. Do not bring your parents. Do not bring your grandparents. Bring your buddies and get ready to laugh until it hurts.

The Last Kiss

***1/2 Stars

"We all make choices. What's your's?"

The Last Kiss is a painfully honest look at how years of love and sacrifice can be destroyed by 30 seconds of lies and deception. Writer Paul Haggis, who gave us "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby" explores another important issue about life...relationships.

Michael, (Garden State and Scrub's Zach Braff) a 29 year old architect is struggling to adapt to adulthood. His best friends are still close, his career is blossoming, and his girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) is one of kind. She becomes pregnant and soon the two will live hapily ever after...right?

Scared and confused, Michael begins to question whether or not his life is what he wants it to be. He meets this girl Kim (Rachel Bilson), a young college girl who is instantly attracted to Michael. He begins to question whether or not he is ready to grow up. In this case, growing up for Michael will not be easy.

Life is what you make of it. The choice you make at one moment can alter your future. The Last Kiss is a perfect instrument of that. It shows, that in a realistic world, that not all relationships are perfect. Sometimes you have to forgive and forget.

So what's your next best choice? Seeing The Last Kiss.

Little Miss Sunshine

***1/2 Stars

There is nothing better when a movie equals the quality of its title, especially when the movie is called Little Miss Sunshine. It is a true cinematic delight powered by an all star cast.

The Hoover's, a dysfunctional, low-income family embarks on the most important trip of their life. They are determined to get their young daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the finals of a beauty pageant. They use their big yellow Volks Wagon bus to get there.

Along side Olive is her father Richard, (Greg Kinnear) a failed motivational speaker who tries to sell his idea of a nine step program to success. "There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers." Her Uncle Frank (a brilliant Steve Carell) is a gay scholar who has just attempted suicide. Her grandfather (Alan Arkin) is a drug addict who helps coach her for the pageant. Her brother (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he turns eighteen and joins the military. Her mother (Toni Collette) is a loving, yet chaotic house wife who tries her best to keep the family together. Together, they fight, laugh, cry, and discover who they really are in this quest for the Little Miss Sunshine.

The movie is perfectly cast. Every character is confused and frustrated with one another. But what's important is that they all have their heart in the right place. It reminds us that even a little beauty pageant in California can bring out the best in one another. Little Miss Sunshine is a real winner.

Hollywoodland

*** Stars

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's....Ben Affleck?"

Yes, it's true. The actor has been given the part to reboot his career. Affleck is the definitive George Reeves, one of television's biggest victims. Felled by a single gunshot wound, George Reeves (TV's Superman) leaves behind a fiancée, a grieving mother, tons of fans, and a hell of an investigation. Louis Simo (a solid performance by Adrien Brody), a private investigator, is hired to investigate Reeve's murder. This movie examines three scenarios. Who killed Superman? The fiance left in the dust, The man who's wife is sleeping with him, or did Reeves's just decide to end the suffering of failure? The investigation was never solved.

Hollywoodland is a conventional, mild, and entertaining history piece. But its purpose is for its knockout performance by Ben Affleck. He's at the top of their game.

Beerfest

*** Stars

Broken Lizard is a subliminal nightmare and a gift from beer drinking heaven.

Snakes on a Plane

Rating: **1/2 Stars

This campy and outrageous horror/slasher/comedy/B-Movie flick is a ridiculous and far fetched piece of junk. Yet, it is preposterously entertaining.

So here’s the deal. A young man witnesses a brutal mob murder by the notorious Chen Leong. The investigation falls to FBI agent Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) to escort his charge safely from Hawaii to Los Angeles to testify. But as an act of aggression, Leong discovers a way to stop him from testifying. Enter: Snakes on a Plane.

He smuggles hundreds of poisonous snakes onto the commercial aircraft in a crate timed to release its deadly cargo halfway over the Pacific. Flynn, along with a frightened flight crew and passengers, must then band together in a desperate attempt to survive. The rest you will have to see to believe.

Viewers beware: Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) will occur after the viewing of this movie.

Pulse

Rating: 0 Stars

Every now and then, a movie comes along where the Hollywood production agencies call “Garbage, leftovers, or crap.” Pulse, directed by Jim Sonzero, completely fulfills all of those qualities to create the worst movie of the year, and beyond.

The plot (if any) is totally amok. There is no story, no convincible actors, and no scares. A group of teenagers discover a connection to a world beyond our own through wireless connection. The dead quickly start to storm the earth and suck the life out of each and every soul. If only real computers moved that fast. If only our cell phones had unlimited amounts of service. If only this movie was never made…

World Trade Center

"Another example of heroic love is the American hero. "
-Mortimer Adler

**** Stars

Five years after the tragedy of September the 11th, America seems to have slowly forgotten what truly happened that day. Sometimes, the people of this world need to be reminded of its failures...and its courage. Director Oliver Stone creates a gentle, heartbreaking, and heroic story of two men who risked all they had to save others...and themselves.

We all know the details of what happened that day. Two planes hit the towers and both collapsed. Many of the officers actually had little idea of what had truly happened to the towers. Many thought only one tower was hit. The smoke was so bad they could not see the other building. Confusion circulated many officials as the frantically tried to get into the buildings to start the rescue mission.

John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) were two Port Authority police officers who were called to the scene of the World Trade Center attacks. Both entered the North Tower with other members of their rescue team. Sadly, they were the only ones from the group pulled out alive.

While trapped in the rubble, McLoughlin and Jimeno experienced a lifetime of pain and memories. Flashbacks were brought back into the minds of the men as the desperately try to keep one another awake and alive. Jimeno comes close to death and claimed to see Jesus Christ holding a bottle of water. Other visions of their lives and love ones are seen that apparently help prevent their death. John's wife Donna (Mario Bello) and Will's wife Allison (Maggie Gyllenhaal) sat and watch from home as the waited painfully the fate of their husbands. Thankfully, both returned home safely. Sadly, 2,976 did not.

Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena are two very gifted actors. They care so deeply about these characters, that you are lost into the story. They both give sincere and award worthy performances. Oliver Stone directs them with simplistic complexity; meaning that the story is a simple tale of courage and survival, but the visions they see are never understandable. From Platoon to JFK, Stone seems to have no problem questioning the truth. But in this case, he re-creates it. World Trade Center is Stone’s most respectful and high-spirited film ever. Even though it has several Hollywood clichés, Stone's message is clear. America has forgotten the emotions of September the 11th. It shows us that no matter what happens to us, our flag will always be raised. Leaving the theater, I silently looked down at my water bottle and realized how much we have taken for granted.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

*** Stars
Will Ferrell is a gift from comedy heaven. In this film, he plays Ricky Bobby, another self absorbed hero to the public who wants only what's best for himself. This time he is the leading man of Nascar. The movie has a great cast. Its quick wit and explosive laughs are just as funny as Anchorman; a ridiculous ride that will make you laugh until it hurts.

John Tucker Must Die

** Stars For those men dragged to John Tucker Must Die, it's not as bad as you feared. Still, that's no excuse.

Miami Vice

**1/2 Stars

Miami Vice is 30 minutes too long.

Clerks II

***1/2 Stars

This is the funniest film so far this year and one of Kevin Smith's best.

It should be in full contention for Best Animated Feature next Oscar night. And it may.
NEW MOVIE OUT THIS WEEK

NEW MOVIE OUT THIS WEEK

Lady in the Water

** Stars

It had to end sometime.

Since M. Night Shyamalan's first hit with The Sixth Sense back in 1999, he has consistently produced more films that were just as worthy (Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village). Sadly, seven years later, Shyamalan has crafted his first failure.

Shyamalan is however one of a limited group filmmakers who can create such masterful imagination on screen. The concept is pure brilliance. Unfortunately, the execution here is disappointing.

Now I'm only saying this because maybe I expected more from him because I'm such a huge fan. Maybe Shyamalan just wanted to make a simple bedtime story. And if that's the case and you take it that way, you might like this movie.

The story takes place at The Cove, an apartment complex in the middle of Pennsylvania (the entire film is shot here) where Cleveland Heep, the building manager, rescues a mysterious young woman named Story. She is a narf, which from I've heard is a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Cleveland and his fellow tenants start to realize that they are also characters in this bedtime story. For some reason, Story has this majestic power that will help one clear its mind and allow him or herself to discover their purpose. According to Story, "All humans have a purpose." And so does this film. It just doesn't show it.

The movie barely stays afloat because of Paul Giamatti, who is never worse than excellent. He is one of America's best actors. I hope that Shyamalan will get back in the winners circle with his next film.

An Inconvenient Truth

***1/2 Stars

What happens when you abuse the simple luxuries in life? What happens when the life you know vanishes into thin air?

Al Gore gives a stunning and haunting presentation on Global Warming. From countries all over the world, he has tried to send a disturbing message towards all nations. If we do not change the way we are living, the world could start to fall apart, literally, as short as fifty years from now.

Gore discusses several different issues that are affecting Global Warming. Automobiles, population, the oil industry, electricity, even mosquitoes all play a part in this crisis. There is so much information to obtain in this film that seeing it at least twice is crucial. It is not a movie, nor a documentary. It is a lecture that gives us the information to live beyond our generation.

It may not be action packed or loaded with FX, but it delivers more terror than most films in years. Gore explains that this is not a politically issue, rather than a moral issue. This is a crucial fact towards this film. Gore does occasionally crack a joke about his loss of the Presidential Election in 2000. But mostly, he gives us a piece of nature that is beyond astonishing. So take initiative and start to slowly change the way you live. The first thing to do is to rush to the theater as soon as possible to see An Inconvenient Truth, one of the most important films of our time.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

*** Stars

Dead Man's Chest hits the big screens as the best movie so far this summer. Johnny Depp gives another award worthy performance as Jack Sparrow, the infamous captain of the Black Pearl. This is an exciting, suspenseful, and hilarious sequel that tops its great predecessor.

Jack discovers he owes a blood debt to the legendary Davey Jones, Captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. With time running out, Jack must find a way out of his debt or else be doomed to eternal damnation and servitude in the afterlife. Making matters worse, Jack's problems manage to interfere with the wedding plans of a certain Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), who are forced to join Jack on yet another one of his misadventures.

Johnny Depp rocks the screen like no other actor has this year. His hilarious wit and bold charisma equals his Academy Award nomination performance in the original, with some great supporting performances by Bill Nighy as Davy Jones and Stellan Skarsgar as Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will's father. The movie is long but nonetheless a wonderful spectacle. Let's hope Pirates 3 will prevail into another swashbuckling adventure.

NEW MOVIE OUT THIS WEEK