Movie Roundup

Despite the fact that recently our lives have been full of yardwork, traveling, and weddings, Megan and I have had a little time to kick back a catch a few movies. Now, if it were up to me, I would have seen a lot more movies this season, but unfortunately our lives and how we live them are governed by things like money and time. That said, Megan and I tend to be much more particular these days about what we see at the cineplex, so it's been a while since we've seen any stinkers. In the past, for example, we might have taken a chance on M. Night Shyamalan's Lady In The Water, which because of utterly horrendous reviews got relegated to rental status. And even though there are movies that we really want to see that slip through the cracks, everything we end up seeing proves to be worthwhile.

So what have we seen recently? Well, let's start with The Departed. The Departed is Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama. It's premise intrigued me ever since I heard of it in it's original Hong Kong incarnation Infernal Affairs, which is taking the idea of an undercover cop infiltrating the mob and flipping it. Which is to say, you still get Leonardo DiCaprio getting Donnie Brasco on Jack Nicholson's crime family, but you also get Matt Damon going undercover for Nicholson into Martin Sheen's police operation. It's a genius idea that provides for unbelievable tension throughout the film. The direction by Scorsese is top-notch as always, and he proves once again that when it comes to crime drama, he's tough to beat. Not only that, but as fans of Scorsese's work know, he gives the actors room to do their thing. And they do not disappoint. Matt Damon is great in his turn as he makes his despicable character sympathetic, which is good since half of the movie centers on him. DiCaprio is astounding as well, giving his best performance since What's Eating Gilbert Grape? as a cop in over his head who's constantly on the verge of a complete breakdown. Scorsese, if you recall, had DiCaprio go undercover into a gang once before in Gangs of New York with mixed results. This time, DiCaprio knocks it out of the park. Scorsese gets solid performances out of the rest of cast as well, including Sheen as DiCaprio's surrogate father, Alec Baldwin as a pretty hilarious FBI agent, Vera Farmiga as a conflicted police shrink, and a surprising Mark Wahlberg as smartass cop. The best trick Scorsese pulled off though, is definitely reigning in Nicholson. After watching the trailers I was a little worried that we'd get Jack being a little too, well, Jack. There are still a couple of scenes where he starts to go off the rails, but Scorsese never lets him ruin the moment, or for that matter, the movie. If you're looking for a bit of light escapism during this holiday season I'd look elsewhere, though, because this movie is pretty heavy. But if you're in the mood for a terrific, character-driven ensemble piece that keeps you bolted to your seat, you won't find a better pick this season.

And if you like your movies dark, I'd also highly recommend The Prestige. I don't know how many of you saw the trailers for this movie, but I really think they could have done a better job of marketing it. The trailers make it look almost like a horror movie, but it's not. It is, however, horrifying in it's own way, depicting the lengths people will go for recognition, envy, and revenge. Did I mention it's brilliant? Seriously, this movie brings the goods. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as it's directed by Christopher Nolan, who has yet to direct a bad film. The movie is based on a book of the same name by Christopher Priest and the story centers on two rival stage magicians played terrifically by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale (or Wolverine and Batman, if you prefer) who become caught in a game of one-upmanship that turns deadly. I've read a couple of reviews for the film that were fairly negative, because they found the two rivals unlikable. I can see where they're coming from, but I felt that both character's motivations were compelling and interesting. Jackman and Bale were able to infuse them with more than enough humanity and sympathy, with Bale, especially, giving another in a string of rock-solid performances. The supporting cast, which features Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and Piper Perabo, are all great as well. As I said, the characters are compelling and definitely keep you invested in the film, but the real reason to see it is Nolan's deft direction. He conducts the movie like a magician pulling off a great trick, complete with a bit of slight of hand and misdirection. The result is pure magic. And like all great tricks, you'll want to see this one again.

For somewhat lighter fair, I'd recommend Stranger Than Fiction. I say somewhat lighter, since although this movie is a comedy that stars Will Ferrell, it's not exactly what I would call "light" as it deals with impending death. The movie stars Will Farrell as a IRS agent who discovers that his life is not of his own making, rather he is a character whose life is being written by an author played by the great Emma Thompson. At first Ferrell is moderately concerned when he starts hearing Thompson's voice narrating his inner thoughts and actions, but becomes scared for his life when he learns that he is about to be killed off. Ferrell enlists the help of an English professor to help him figure out not only who's writing his story, but what type of story it is. Along the way, Ferrell decides to become more of the person he always wanted to be and even falls in love with a baker played by Maggie Gyllenhaal who he's auditing. The movie is pretty meta, but it's easy to follow and it's a pretty genius idea that plays to the paranoid schizophrenic in all of us. Plus, it's sweet without ever being saccharine and, on top of all of that, it's pretty darn funny. Just don't go expecting to see Ferrell hamming it up Ron Burgundy-style; he's dialed down here and gives an earnest and warm performance. So, if you're looking for a romantic comedy that's actually a good movie, this one's for you.

Our final stop on the movie roundup is for those of us that like our movies shaken, not stirred. I'm talking, of course, of the latest James Bond flick, Casino Royale. A lot has been made of this movie being a reboot for the James Bond franchise, much in the way Batman Begins was for the Batman franchise. With Casino Royale, we not only get a new Bond as played by Daniel Craig, but a Bond who is new to being a Double 0 agent. It's a move made, along with de-gadgeting Bond, to make him more fallible, and in turn, more believable. And it works like a charm. Now, I grew up watching Bond movies, and loved them all as a kid. As I grew up, and they continued making the movies, I found myself feeling less and less attraction to them. I wanted to like them, but the last one I actually saw in the theatre was Tomorrow Never Dies (which sucked), and the last one I actually enjoyed was Goldeneye (which, to be honest, wasn't that great of a movie). Casino Royale has me back on board. Not only is it the best Bond movie ever made (with the possible exception of Goldfinger), it's the first to actually be what can be considered a good movie (with the possible exception of Goldfinger). And a lot of the credit has to got Craig. Daniel Craig is magnificent as Bond. First off, his Bond, despite still being suave and debonair, is the first one to be imposing in a way that you know just by looking at him that he could kill you. With his bare hands if need be. Can you say that about any other Bond? Does anyone believe than Roger Moore could handle himself in a fist fight? Second, his Bond is a broken man. For the first time you get a glimpse of how messed up you'd have to be to actually be James Bond and to do what he does. That's not to say that movie doesn't have it's problems, it does, but overall it's pretty much everything you like about James Bond movies with pretty much none of the stuff you hate about James Bond movies. The took a major step in the right direction here, and as long as the keep going, I'll keep buying tickets.

Well, that's all on the movie front for now. Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to catch a couple more flicks this season as there are quite a few that I'm dying to see. Until then, I guess I'll actually have to come up with something meaningful to write about...