Week in Reviews 6/1/08 - 6/7-08

The Departed (2006) Best Picture Winner*
Directed by Martin Scorsesse
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, & Jack Nicholson

This was a re-watch and was even better than I had remembered it. The acting is phenomenal across the board. Nicholson and Wahlberg really stand out. The cinematography and score are best Scorsesse has done in my opinion. Filled with parallels and paradoxes, the story is complex and enthralling. Everything about this film is great.

Acting: 9.5
Effects: 9
Plot: 9.5
Entertainment: 9

Cumulative: 9

The Great Debaters (2007)
Directed by Denzel Washington
Starring Denzel Washington & Forrest Whitaker

Remember the Titans without the football. We've seen all of this before. The performances are fine and the end is emotional and uplifting, but it certainly doesn't break any new ground. Don't get me wrong, the film was good, but I had higher expectations.



Acting: 8
Effects: 7
Plot: 7.5
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 7

Cleaner (2007)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Samuel L Jackson & Ed Harris

Another case of a "thriller" too smart for it's own good. It tries to be stylistic with it's cinematography, but it doesn't add anything to the movie. Sam Jackson is tolerable and the movie does just enough to keep your interest, but not much more. At 89 minutes, it's not painful.



Acting: 7
Effects: 5
Plot: 7
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 6

Rambo (2008)
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Starring Sylvester Stallone

An absolute blood bath. A cartoonish looking Stallone takes on the evil army of Burma to save a group of missionaries. The acting is poor and the plot is predictable. That being said, I liked it. It stayed true to the original trilogy while upping the violence / gore factor exponentially. The action sequences were pretty incredible. If you liked "First Blood," you'll probably really like Rambo. The reason this movie get's a pass for predictability and poor acting is because that was it's intent. Stallone wasn't trying to make Apocalypse Now.


Acting: 4
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 6
Entertainment: 7

Cumulative: 6

Grace is Gone (2007)
Directed by James Strouse
Starring John Cusack

This is a much warmer and more subtle commentary on Iraq. John Cusack is surprisingly good as the grieving husband / father. It's not all politics...which actually has a greater impact than movies that slap you in face with it (Lions for Lambs).



Acting: 8
Effects: 6.5
Plot: 7
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 7

American Graffiti (1973)
Directed by George Lucas
Starring Ron Howard & Richard Dreyfuss

There is no way George Lucas is responsible for this film. It has to be the best teen comedy ever made. It doesn't have to resort to masterbation jokes to get laughs. It points to an incredibly nostalgic time of innocence in American History before Kennedy was shot & the war in Vietnam divided our nation.


Acting: 8
Effects: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Entertainment: 8

Cumulative: 8

Untraceable (2008)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Starring Diane Lane & Billy Burke

Had David Fincher or Jonathan Demme been given this premise to work with, we may have ended up with a classic. However, Hoblit's hodge podge falls flat. Hanks and Lane are miscast as FBI agents, but are completely unbelievable. The script attempts to trump feasability with bogus tech jargon that sound about as natural as Chinese coming from Lane.


Acting: 4.5
Effects: 5.5
Plot: 4
Entertainment: 4

Cumulative: 4.5

Whale Rider (2003)
Directed by Niki Caro
Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes

This is really a beautiful and inspirational movie. Castle-Hughes' performance is really astounding given her age. It's a story of tradition and lore versus modern relationships.




Acting: 8
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 8
Entertainment: 7.5

Cumulative: 7.5

Being There (1979)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Starring Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers gives a truly great performance. This film is light, but clever in the way it manages to deliver some scathing satire in regards to American media and politics.




Acting: 9
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 8.5
Entertainment: 8

Cumulative: 8