Update

Hi all. Sorry to have been MIA for the last few months... I've been very busy getting a couple of projects off the ground! Stay tuned for more film reviews in the near future, and also an exciting new format for Two Cent Cinema!

THE FOUNTAIN

THE FOUNTAIN: A couple, played by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, try to cope with the pain of losing a loved one. Weisz, who has a malignant tumor and only a limited amount of time left to live, writes a story about a Conquistador who finds the fountain of youth for his queen. Meanwhile, Jackman obsesses over finding his wife's cure to the point where it consumes him...

THE FOUNTAIN is a convoluted, contrived mess of a film that just doesn't come together in the end, and takes itself way too seriously. It's visually stunning, but you can pretty much get all you need out of this movie from watching the trailer. Some of the ideas this film raises are intriguing, but they are not well thought out or executed. If you're a fan of Aronofsky, it might be worth renting on DVD... otherwise, I'd recommend against it.

Click here after you see THE FOUNTAIN for a discussion!

CASINO ROYALE

CASINO ROYALE: Legendary super-spy James Bond (played for the first time by Daniel Craig) gets his humble (and by humble I mean incredibly ego-centric) beginnings in this prequel to the 007 series. On his first mission, Bond must beat a terrorist's money-man (Mads Mikkelsen) at a high stakes game of poker.

This is one of the best James Bond films made to date. It’s a very different kind of Bond... A hard, cold, realistic one. There are no crazy gadgets this time around… just guns and cell phones. Daniel Craig is fantastic as 007, and of all the guys to play this role, he is probably the most believable as an actual spy. Eva Green is also the best Bond girl to come along in quite some time… aside from being a beautiful face, her character feels full, emotional, and complex. CASINO ROYALE also features some great action sequences, which are handled with a kind of brutality and grittiness that's new to the Bond series.

Whether you're a fan of 007, or just looking to see a good action movie... this one is definitely worth catching in theaters!

Click here after you see CASINO ROYALE for a discussion!

STRANGER THAN FICTION

STRANGER THAN FICTION: IRS tax-collector Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) leads a boring, monotonous life until he realizes that he is the main character in a fictional novel. He seeks the assistance of a college professor (Dustin Hoffman) to help him find his author (Emma Thompson) before she kills him off...

STRANGER THAN FICTION is full of surprises. It marks a real departure for Will Ferrell, who doesn't play a loud, over the top, SNL caricature in this film. Instead, Ferrell tries his hand at a somewhat more earnest and serious role; one in which he’s practically the straight man. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Maggie Gyllenhaal really provide the color in this film, and all give great performances. STRANGER THAN FICTION is not as layered or self-referential as ADAPTATION (2002), and there isn’t as much bizarre fantasy stuff going on as one would expect from a movie about a man living in a fictitious world… but it’s still worth checking out!

Click here after you see STRANGER THAN FICTION for a discussion!

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

BORAT: Borat Sagdiyev, an ignorant, backwards character from Kazakhstan travels wide-eyed across the US to film a documentary and track down his true love... Pamela Anderson. Based on Sacha Baron Cohen's character from Da Ali G Show.

In the words of Borat, this movie is "very niiiice!" It's wrong in sooo many ways... and yet it's one of the only comedies I've ever seen in which I laughed the ENTIRE way through! Now, keep in mind that this film is not going to be for everyone... Sacha Baron Cohen is completely inappropriate, crass, and sets out to make fun of just about everyone he encounters. But the genius thing about this movie is that, in the midst of being juvenile and inappropriate, Borat exposes a seriously ugly side of our country that most of us aren't used to seeing. He pushes cultural stereotypes so far across the line that they become absurd!

Go see it!

Click here after you see BORAT for a discussion!

THE PRESTIGE

THE PRESTIGE: Two nineteenth century magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) compete in a bitter rivalry that spirals out of control, and leads them into a dark world of sabotage, revenge, and obsession....

Overall, THE PRESTIGE is a really good movie. It’s got a cool concept, great performances all around the board, and is generally very well crafted. But there are some big plot holes and confusing points that keep this film from achieving "masterpiece" status among Christopher Nolan's other works, such as MEMENTO and BATMAN BEGINS. THE PRESTIGE is more on par with INSOMNIA... It's good, but not great.

Click here after you see THE PRESTIGE for a discussion!

THE DEPARTED

THE DEPARTED: Bostonian crimelord, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), sends a spy (Matt Damon) to infiltrate the State Police department. In the meantime, the Police have sent Costello a spy of their own, a tough "Southie" by the name of Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio). Both sides desperately try to flush each other's rat before it's too late...

What better way to start this site with a bang than THE DEPARTED! This film is absolutely fantastic. It's raw, brutal, and relentless... all trademarks of Martin Scorsese at his best. Great performances by DiCaprio and Damon, whose vulnerability and frantic desperation heighten the tension of the film and make it work as well as it does. Nicholson is great as always, but Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin really steal the show with their supporting roles. It's two and a half hours long, but doesn't feel that way, as you get sucked right into the riveting cat and mouse (or I should say "rat") games between Nicholson, DiCaprio, and Damon. There is a lot of graphic violence, so I wouldn't necessarily take young kids, but otherwise it's definitely worth seeing in theaters!

Click here after you see THE DEPARTED for a discussion!