The Departed, or Why Martin Scorsese is still a master storyteller

So this movie is not for everyone. I have to start with that. If you don't like violent movies, if you don't like crime dramas, or if you simply don't like taut thrillers, don't watch this movie. Go watch something else like The Lion King, it was just re-released in 3D (don't get me started on 3D, stupid Disney). For those of you who do like taut thrillers with deep characters and dramatic plot twists around every corner, see this movie. You don't even need to read my review if you like those things, you will like this movie. If you are more like, well some are good and some not so much, than read on and see what you think.

Let me just get one other thing out of the way before I get into the real meat of this review. I am a HUGE fan of Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo DiCaprio. For me, these 4 can do no wrong, except for The Pledge (sorry Jack, but that ending just killed it for me) and The Aviator (Marty just kind of threw up all over that one). But all movie actors and directors have a few stinkers, even distinguished ones such as these. So you may want to take this review with a small grain of salt, I am going to do my best to make it semi objective, but that will be very hard for me with all 4 of these great actors in it. Now, onto the review!

So the movie has 3 main characters and a host of supporting characters bringing up the rear. The three main characters are Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the Irish mob boss, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a too smart 20-something from a bad south Boston neighborhood who has family in Costello's gang, and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), an up and comer from the same neighborhood as Billy that Costello took a shine to when he was very young. Each character is morally ambiguous and you are never fully sure if Billy or Colin is the protagonist of our story. Each character has their one main supporting character that is in the movie throughout. Billy's is Queenan, played wonderfully by Martin Sheen, Colin's is Ellerby, played excellently by Alec Baldwin, and Costello's is Mr. French, played terrifyingly and greatly by Ray Winstone. The other supporting characters are all very important to furthering the story, but I won't get into much in the review so I don't make this an overly long one. These are the main characters, and the ones we really need to know to be able to understand the movie.

The movie starts out with a few shots of Boston through the ages with a voice over by Costello saying, "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. Years ago we had the church. That was only a way of saying - we had each other. The Knights of Columbus were real head-breakers; true guineas. They took over their piece of the city. Twenty years after an Irishman couldn't get a fucking job, we had the presidency. May he rest in peace. That's what the niggers don't realize. If I got one thing against the black chappies, it's this - no one gives it to you. You have to take it." This is essentially what the movie is about in its rawest essence, this along with the theme of loyalty and morality. We go on to see Colin in a store meeting Costello for the first time face to face. Costello offers a kindness to Colin and than offers him a way to make a little money since his parents died recently. This leads into a quick flash forward to Billy going through the police academy, while Colin does the same. When Billy graduates he has no one there for him, and when Colin graduates he is greeted by Costello with a gift for graduating and is told now the real work begins. We are meant to understand that Costello wants Colin to be an informant for Costello on the going-ons at the police department with regard to him and his crew. We see their different experiences going through it and than we see the difference in how they are treated and how they see the world as they are brought into Queenans office for the first time. Colin is told his is just a formality since he will be working directly under Ellerby as a task force to take down Costello. He is treated cordially, and than goes on to flirt with a secretary and show how he is just one of the guys. Than Billy goes in and has a very different experience. He is told that he must be in there just for a feeling of guilt from the way his family has been and that there is no way he will be a cop in another few year. They mention how he is more suited to be something like a rocket scientist with a brain like his. They also mention that his family wasn't something to be proud of on his fathers side. They offer him a deal, he goes to jail briefly and comes out to be a full time informant on Costello. Billy takes this deal and now the movie hits its stride. It is now from here a fully taut and at times humorous crime drama/thriller. The movie goes on in a fairly predictable, but never boring way, always with a fast and interesting pace. You can see from the beginning how the movie will play out to a certain degree. But remember, this is a Martin Scorsese film, and that the how isn't always as important as the why. Also, as in all Scorsese films, always expect the unexpected. There are a few scenes that I guarantee will catch you off guard and perhaps change your way of thinking about how the movie will play out. Just when you think you can see what will happen next, something else happens, and it changes your entire outlook on the movie.

Now this wouldn't be a Scorsese film if there wasn't excellent sound and camera work. The camera itself is almost a character. Pulling in when you don't expect it to, with angles that you wouldn't normally expect from a movie like this. The movie, despite its obviously high budget, always seems to make you feel gritty in a way, and reminds you that this is a director who used to film in the streets of New York City with a single camera that barely could capture the people on film. You never lose the feel that you are there thanks to the camera, and you never forget who you should be paying attention to. The sound is equally fitting with a few actual songs that set the moods properly, including an incredible version of Comfortably Numb with Van Morrison doing the lead vocals with Pink Floyd that simply needs to be heard if you like Pink Floyd at all. The ambient noises of the city keep you in the right mindset when you are watching Billy, and the lack of them reminds you of the life Colin leads in contrast. The overall score is excellent and sets the mood for each and every scene, and the scenes where there is just the actors talking and the ambient noises of the city around them creates moods that you would never expect.

All in all this movie is a must see for anyone who likes a good crime drama or just a really great story with both thriller and dramatic elements. Just keep in mind that, again, it is a Martin Scorsese movie, so the violence and language is not even close to being kid friendly, and if you can't handle those two things in a movie, don't watch this one. There is enough swearing to make a 1920s cathouse madam blush. If you don't mind those two things, than you are going to enjoy this film immensely. I bought it when it initially came out on DVD, and if you know me, you know that is a big deal. I don't buy movies often, I just usually watch them and than return them to that little red envelope service we all know and love. This movie I saw in the theaters when it came out, and than bought as soon as it was available on DVD. I loved it that much, and still do. If you like Scorsese, Nicholson, and/or crime dramas, don't miss out on this one. You won't be sorry. You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.

Star Wars 1 - 6 ON BLU- RAY?!

So as some of you might know, I am a Star Wars fan. I love all sci fi, but this one always has held a big place in my heart. From my dad showing me the original 3 (still the best ones by far), to seeing them re-released in theaters with my best friend Matt, to than seeing the new 3 with said friend and my dad (he saw 2 out of the 3 with Matt and I in theaters), these movies have been something that have been held dear to me. Not because they are great movies, which most of them still are, and not because I love science fiction films, which I do, but because I can look back on these and they remind me of something when I was younger depending on the movie you pick. So now these movies are out on blu ray thanks to Lucas Films. I have read the reviews, seen snipits of them in Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and I have to say I am actually pretty happy about these movies.

This won't be a real review of these discs, since I have yet to see all of any of them at home or anywhere else. I don't want anyone to think it is a real review and take anything I say as more than conjecture or assumption based on what I have seen or read. So to start with Lucas did some more tinkering, the bastard. He changed a couple of things, and even added one or two. They are his movies, and he has done this before, so it isn't a huge surprise. From what I have read there are only one or two things that are really stupid and should have been left alone. I won't go into detail on them, because all the changes, including those, are minor. If you can deal with the re-releases that came out in 2004, than you won't really mind these ones. He changed nothing in the new 3 however from everything I read about these releases. The extras though are amazing. We now have deleted scenes for every movie, mostly new, commentaries, and interviews on each movie. There are 5 documentaries on the movies, 2 of which are new to video, and were only shown on the discovery channel, which means they are new to about 90% of the population entirely (lets face it, most people don't watch the discovery channel for anything but Mythbusters and now Penn and Tellers new show). The others are from when the original movies were released, and have appeared on previous DVD or VHS releases, including one that is all about the creatures and how they compare next to the previous movie creatures and monsters from 1983 and back. Each one is a little gem on its own, well worth the purchase alone. We also get some great interviews with some of the people involved in these movies other than George Lucas, which are sure to be far more interesting than listening to him talk about how amazing he is.

The real stars of these releases are the wonderful video and audio. Lucas Films out did themselves for this release. The video has no artifacts, dust particles from original prints, or any signs of age. Even the original 3 prints were flawlessly, and from what I have read and seen myself, transferred and made to look BETTER than the new 3. This part of the transfers was obviously a labor of love. The new 3 movies look great as well, but they can't hold a candle to the original trilogy. The sound is phenomenal and was transferred in flawless audio DTS 6.1 sound. To those of you who aren't audiophiles this means that even with just your standard 2 speaker setup you are going to have to try not to hear every single piece of dialogue, and every single pin drop. If a bantha pees, you'll hear the water hitting the sands on Tatooine (if you don't get this joke there is a chance you aren't a big enough Star Wars fan, so go watch them again... I'll wait). So what you are essentially getting is the exact experience you would get if you watched these 6 movies in the movie theater, but better. By better I don't just mean no sticky floors, no stale popcorn smell, no overpriced sodas, I mean that the sound and video should be such that they are better transfers than what you have ever or could have ever seen in the movie theater before now. Well that isn't entirely true, the sound actually may be equal to that, sound is one of those things that you lose something going from the theater to your home on anything except blu ray even if you are talking about the sound you heard back when these movies first came out in the mid to late 1970s.

So all in all, what I am saying is the Force is with this release. Don't be put off by the tinkering of Lucas. Yes, he is a megalomaniac who needs to leave well enough alone, and should have his hands removed so he can't ever mess with any of our wonderful childhood/early adulthood movies again. However, in this release we are finally getting what we all had hoped we could get when VHS came out, or even when those 2004 DVD releases came out, the real theater experience in our homes. This release will make you remember all the great things about Star Wars that you have forgotten, and all the things about the movies that you didn't even know you had the first time you saw them. So in the words of the great Alec Guiness "May the force be with you.. always."

Tron Legacy

All right, first things first, if you don't like the original Tron at all, don't read this post, don't see this movie, and honestly, you might want to rethink your opinions on sci-fi film. If you do like the original Tron, than definitely continue reading this if you're unsure if you should see Tron Legacy. Right away I just want to say that I think this movie will eventually be considered a classic of films today, and show what you can do with our current special FX technologies, just like the original.

This movie received mixed reviews from critics and movie goers alike. It seemed to almost split people down the middle. I think this is partly due to the fact that a lot of the people who enjoyed the original Tron are at the youngest now almost in their 30s. This movie was not for the critics though, and was for the fans plain and simple. You can tell from the costumes to the FX to the script that the people who were involved in this film were making a labor of love, and not a film for everyone. I know that they would have liked the movie to have made a mint, but it wasn't ever going to in the theaters I don't believe. But enough about my opinions, on to the actual movie.

First of all the story. The movie has a pretty simple story, it starts out with Flynn, the same age as when the first movie ended, telling his son Sam a story about the grid, and giving him a brief summary of what we saw in the original movie. Than next we find out Flynn has disappeared, and Sam is left an orphan to be raised by his grandparents. We than go on to find out that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that Sam is just as smart as his dad and is just as mischievous. He plays a yearly prank on ENCOM, the company Flynn took over at the end of the first movie, and he is now in his early 20s. This years was to release their operation system, think Microsoft Windows, for free onto the internet. Than we go on to see that Sam ends up inside the grid, and that his father has been there for all this time. He was trapped by his own program that he has created to run things in his absence. Things go on and get more complicated. Weaving in and out of philosophy and science as we go deeper into the grid and see more about what has happened in the last 10 years or so. I don't want to give anything away, but the story does have a resolution, and a satisfactory ending. It is a Disney movie afterall.

Now the real star of the movie, the special effects. First of all, obviously if you are reading this you won't be seeing the movie in 3D, and you really did miss out. I saw it in 3D in the theater, and I hate 3D generally, but in the theater this made me a believer in what can be done in 3D now. The movies FX in the beginning of the movie are basic, nothing special really. But once Sam is on the grid we see what the designers, director, and cinematographers really did with this movie, and why it was worth waiting for. It is like going from radio to TV, from black and white to color, from standard definition to high definition 1080p. It is night and day. It even has an amazing and very theatrical entrance once we are viewing the grid. There are light bike battles, the tanks, flying vehicles, and disc battles. Not to mention just the standard costumes on everyone fit so well with the overall atmosphere.

This last part is a part I think is so over looked so often by people that it isn't even funny. So many movies these days ignore it, and it is criminal. The soundtrack to this movie is simply amazing. If you have ever seen Thief and heard the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, you will be reminded of that simply because of how it so perfectly goes with every scene and every mood. This movies soundtrack is done entirely by a band called Daft Punk, and they deserve any sort of accolades they can get for this film. It adds so much to an already very atmospheric film. When we first see the grid with Sam, we feel like we are being pulled into a brand new world not just because of the visuals, but also because the music makes us feel as though something amazing is happening. When Sam has his first disc battles, we feel the tension in the air, and the fear he must be feeling because the music creates that feeling and atmosphere for us so well. Certainly a soundtrack not to be missed.

Finally, this film overall is simply something not to be missed. If you enjoyed the original film, than you will most likely enjoy this movie. If you have never seen the original, now is a perfect time to see it. Disney has released a DVD/Blu-Ray boxset of both movies now with a ton of extras on both movies. But if you just want to rent, Redbox, Netflix, and Blockbuster all have both movies to rent. Do your eyes, and ears a favor and see this movie. You will not be sorry, it even has enough substance to keep you interested when the shock and awe of the visuals and soundtrack have worn out. END OF LINE

Long Time No Post

So it has been a while since I last posted dear readers, and for this I apologize. I know there aren't many who read this, but for those who do here is another one of my posts right after this one. Things in my life have been slightly hectic, and hopefully as they start to slow down now they I will have more time for blogging. So hope you enjoy my next few posts.

Heat or one of the best modern crime dramas ever

This movie is an older movie that came out in 1995. It features some of the finest actors of any day. A few of these being little names like Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer. Ya know, no one that well known. In case the internet has failed me and it didn't come through, that was sarcasm. This movie is full of big name A-list and B-list actors. Almost everyone in this movie had, or has a pretty decent acting career. Than there is the excellent score that sets every mood exactly the way it should be. The directing, and the director of photography should be applauded for making something that looks and sounds incredible. But I'm just delving into the technical aspects there and that isn't what this is meant to be about.

First of all I want to preface this by saying this movie is one of those that anyone who has 3 hours of their life to kill on a movie, they could do much worse than to watch Heat. The story is pretty simplistic. It is about a crew (lead by a stone cold Robert DeNiro) that takes down major scores, that's a group of criminals who are big deal thieves. This crew catches the eye of a big deal cop (Al Pacino) who works taking down guys like them. He and his team start to work on trying to take down DeNiro and his crew. Pacino is on the downslope of a marriage because he really is married to his job. DeNiro is working on his "one last job" to be able to finally leave with a woman he's just met. His crew is full of their own issues that add to the overall story, not take away from it unlike most movies like this that try and create more character out of their side stories. Now one of the reasons Michael Mann got so much attention to this movie was because he did something no one else ever had. He got DeNiro and Pacino sharing the screen for the first time ever and having a conversation between one another. This scene sums of the themes of the film perfectly. It is some of the most powerful dialogue in cinema that simply states DeNiro is his crimes, and Pacino is his hunt to catch criminals.

This movie is FULL of action and huge tension filled scenes. It is constantly either building towards a big scene, or is in the middle of one. Anyone who likes well made, character filled action movies will enjoy this movie. I guarantee it.

You keep reading them, I'll keep writing them.

Five Easy Pieces

This film that I am going to be talking about is a bit older than a lot of the ones I normally would discuss. Now I don't talk about older movies normally because I feel like most people would have already seen them, not because I don't like them. This one is considered by many to be a classic, but I feel like over the years has been overshadowed by a lot of the other much more popular movies by its lead actor. The movie I am talking about is Five Easy Pieces (1970), and the lead actor is Jack Nicholson. Now most people will say The Shining (1980) is their favorite Nicholson film. Others will say One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Still others might say Chinatown (1974). In my case it is this film. Five Easy Pieces is one of those movies you will watch and be amazed at the depth of the emotions and the acting that Nicholson pours into his character. It had a number of awards poured onto it at the time, and a number of critics gave it high ratings. However, I think that at this point after all the movies Nicholson has done, and the type of movies he has done it becomes ignored.

The movie is about a family of upper-crust individuals who Nicholson is a part of and has completely separated himself from. Most of them are musically gifted, including Nicholson who is an extremely gifted pianist. He has, however, not only left his family behind, but also his wonderful gift with the piano. He seems to have done this almost as a part of leaving his family because it is part of what his father expected of him. He learns that his father is sick and has had a stroke leaving him unable to speak, and also that his current girlfriend is pregnant. So he packs up his car to go see his family who he has not seen in years. He brings along his girlfriend, despite his trying to leave her behind when he goes. He does this at the time not because he doesn't want to bring her, but more because he knows she will not fit in with his family at all. So he leaves his job on an oilfield to go to his family, he stops to see his sister during this, and in a very emotional scene plays the piano for the second time in the film. She tells him he shouldn't have left behind his gift, and that he should try and make up with their father as well since he is so sick. He blows her off and says he needs to go. All throughout the movie you see that he is angry with his family, with himself, and with the world at large. You aren't sure why until a very charged scene where he talks with his father in a one sided conversation since his father can't speak. This monologue completely encompasses what this film is truly about. There are several scenes in this movie that should not be missed, and this is one movie that people should do themselves a favor and watch if they have never seen it. Karen Black is also in this as Nicholsons girlfriend and she is quite good, although I don't know that she deserved the Oscar that she got for her performance. I think in a lot of ways she received it because it was so different of a part from her normal type as a scream queen.

So in the end all I want to say is see this movie with an open mind and put aside any feelings you have for or against Jack Nicholson and his performances in general. If you do you will see a movie that is both humorous at times and heart wrenching, even bleak. It is a powerful film by any standards and deserves to be remembered and seen. You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.

All Star Superman The Cartoon Movie

"Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple. Superman."

Now to start off with I want to highly recommend anyone who likes cartoon movies to go out and check out every single direct to video DC Universe cartoon movie that they have put out. Marvel may be winning in the theatrical live action releases right now, but they can't touch DC with the cartoon direct to video market. The titles that they have release all have either Batman, Superman, or both in them so far with one exception (that would be Superman/Shazam because of the short cartoons that they included with that that were far better than the main feature that featured The Spectre, Jonah Hex, and Green Arrow). All Star Superman is the icing on the cake for this argument. It is so excellent and so filled with wonderful story and solid voice acting that I wish I could go back and watch it again for the first time. It is based on the popular Eisner award winning Grant Morrison story. However, those that are coming to the table expecting everything that was in those comics will be greatly disappointed. So if you've read those comics, come to watch this with fresh eyes as best as you can. Those that haven't read it yet, please don't read it until after you see this.

Now as for the story it starts off as most Superman stories start off. Superman has to save the day for some scientists who have been sabotaged by Lex Luthor. What makes this time different is that not only is this a trap for Superman, but this time it works. Superman saves the scientists who are out in space from crashing into the sun. What happens as a result of this though is that Supermans cells get so charged with solar energy that he gains new powers, and greatly enhances his already existing powerful abilities. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Wrong. See what this also has done is that Supermans cells can't handle all this solar radiation. Kind of like a battery that has been overcharged. So now Superman finds out he's dying. This is how the story starts out. From there it goes on to show what he does with his last days, and how he wraps up all of his unfinished business so that he feels like he can die and leave the world safe. That is where the story gets really interesting. I don't want to give anything away, but he does clash with Luthor a few times, and he sees another one or two of his old enemies. He also finds a way to settle things with Lois. This story isn't your grandfathers Superman. It has a lot of depth, heart, and drama. The score to this is so good it makes you want to own the soundtrack. The voice acting, as I've said, is solid. They get people who know how to use their voices properly, and know how to act using just their voices. The animation is really good considering it isn't cell animation. It isn't Pixar kind of computer animation, but rather the new computer animation that is made to look somewhat similar to cell animation. Honestly, you have to watch this one to get why it is so good though. So do yourself a favor and turn off your brain and watch this. It doesn't need a lot of time, just one chance and that's all it ever needed. After you see the movie you'll understand why that was a little bit of a joke.