Movie Review: THE DEPARTED (2006)
The Departed (2006) – **** There are many people who didn’t like the Martin Scorsese epics Gangs of New York and The Aviator. I’m not one of those people. Scorsese, with those films and his documentaries, has proven he still is the greatest director working today. He’s an auteur and for anyone who doesn’t believe that, Scorsese gives you The Departed. It’s too early to determine where The Departed will sit in the history of film, but there is going to be a place for it. Some are calling it a return to form, but The Departed breaks new ground for the filmmaker who has been accused of going soft. He turned a popular international crime film into a work of art that he can call his own. With an uber-quotable screenplay by William Monahan, Scorsese proves he’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve. Bill...
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Movie Review: THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (2006)
The Last King of Scotland (2006) — ***1/2 Until I watched The Last King of Scotland, I didn’t believe that cinema’s rekindled love affair with Africa was hitting the right notes. The Interpreter, Blood Diamond and even Hotel Rwanda all made the mistake of making a statement and not a film. The Last King of Scotland never gets caught up in the politics of the situation on a macro level like its predecessors. Instead we are forced to look at the state of affairs through the eyes of one man whose lone turning of a blind eye commands more attention than any film pointing its finger at the world. Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) is the one man I’m speaking of. After graduating from medical school in 1971, Garrigan passes up a quick transition into life as a family physician to become a village doctor in...
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Movie Review: ALL THE KING’S MEN (2006)
All the King’s Men (2006) – *1/2 I’m not one to think that all remakes are a bad idea. In fact, remaking the Best Picture winning film All the King’s Men was something that, if done with an eye for epic political drama, could have succeeded. Steve Zaillian’s adaptation of the novel All the King’s Men is not the film it could have been. It’s not even the film it should have been. It’s not a remake, per say, but rather a different (at times too timely) interpretation of the Robert Penn Warren novel. Instead of adding some much needed weight to the story, which is where the original needed improvement, the film feels like a hollowed out version of the first adaptation. Even a heavyweight ensemble can’t stop that. Willie Stark (Sean Penn) is the treasurer of a rural Louisiana county. Stark’s...
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Quickie: THE BLACK DAHLIA
The Black Dahlia (2006)–*1/2 Quickie Review Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) is a former boxed turned cop who befriends another boxing cop Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). The two get close after fighting for an LAPD publicity stunt. When the stunt goes in the LAPD’s favor, Bleichert gets a nice bonus check and joins Blanchard at homicide. There the headline grabbing partners take down some of L.A.’s top criminals The biggest headline, however, comes after a woman is found cut in half, disemboweled and desanguinated with her smile made to stretch from ear to ear. The case tears the pair apart and threatens Lee’s marriage with his wife Kay (Scarlett Johansson). As it destroys relationships, the case also leads to a bigger body count and an unlikely conclusion. If Brian De Palma does one thing with The Black Dahlia, it’s proving he’s...
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Movie Review: CLERKS II
Clerk II (2006)–*** Clerks II is not your usual sequel, which in most cases is just the continuation of a series based on market forces. This follow-up to Kevin Smith’s 1994 indie classic seems like a rational and natural progression of a story which never really seemed like it was going places in the first place. True Kevin Smith brings something new, slightly more mature to the characters of Dante and Randal, but the best part is these guys haven’t changed all that much even when confronted with adulthood. Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are both in their early thirties now. After their decade long employment at the Quick Stop Food Mart ends due to a sudden fire, the two find work at a fast food chain called Mooby’s (of Smith Askewniverse fame). Flipping burgers at 33 is...
Read MoreQuickie: YOU, ME AND DUPREE (2006)
You, Me and Dupree (2006)–*1/2 Quickie Review A recently married man looks to have a bright beginning with his wife, but his “loveable fuckup” of a best friend and his father-in-law aren’t making it easy. Not nearly as funny as it should have been, this “serious” comedy never gets people in the mood to laugh. Matt Dillon overplays his married man character, making a spiritless Owen Wilson seem less funny in the process. Michael Douglas, too, is distracting, with the A-Lister making his character seem more important than it really is. Only Kate Hudson looks at ease in this film, acting like the star she has yet to become. Directed by the Russo Brothers of Arrested...
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