tjbb3113 Reviews

The Good Shepherd (2006)

Smoke and Mirrors with a Solid Ending

[7/10 · 27 December 2006]

"The Good Sheperd" is long and very detailed drama portraying the beginning of the CIA. Matt Damon plays Edward Wilson who is a privileged youth from a wealthy family. His father commits suicide when Edward is very young because he had betrayed his country, but before he ends his life he leaves a note for his family. Edward picks up the note and does not read it for most of the movie. As the movie goes on, Edward goes to college, joins a secret society, and finds love, but his life takes a bad turn when he impregnates Clover Russell, played by Angelina Joli, and is forced to give up his love at the time and marry Clover. In the midst of all this, Robert DeNiro and William Hurt are recruiting Damon to start an intelligence agency. As soon as he is wed, Edward receives his orders to go over seas. From this point, the film takes a serpentine approach with a lot of smoke and mirrors. Through all of this, Matt Damon becomes more and more cold and deceptive towards his family leading up to an ending that fits the movie to a "T". Robert DeNiro in his sophomore effort as a director creates a movie that drags in spots, but overall is a solid story about the start of the CIA.

Thank You for Smoking (2005)

Great Commical Dialogue about a Prevalent Issue

[8/10 · 27 December 2006]

"Thank You for Smoking" is a great comedy using dialog as its main weapon. Aaron Eckhart plays a spokesman for conglomerated tobacco named Nick Naylor. Known as the Sultan of Spin, Naylor navigates his way around the sensitive subjects of teen smoking and the effects of tobacco on human health by finding unique ways of spinning arguments so that he is always right. Throughout the movie you see him on the "Joan" show, eat food with his buddies from the Alcohol and Gun companies, and have an affair with a reporter who is only interested in screwing him (in a couple of different ways). The movie also illustrates Naylor's family situation. His son, Joey, idolizes his father and picks up many of his father's bantering skills. The last thirty minutes of this movie has a series of great scenes with a mix of irony and just desserts. This is one of the best and most creative comedies I've seen in years. The cast was perfect and the dialog was witty and well thought out.

The Departed (2006)

Best Mob Movie since the Godfather Trilogy

[9/10 · 27 December 2006]

"The Departed" is a scintillating crime drama that centers around Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. Matt Damon is a crooked cop who infiltrates the Boston Police Department. He finds out all the inside information for his mentor Jack Nicholson who plays Frank Costello, a crime boss. Leo plays cop with a rough passed who is selected by Martin Sheen to infiltrate the Boston crime syndicate. In the midst of all this, Matt Damon falls in love with a psychiatrist and they get married. They become somewhat alienated, and Leonardo and the woman have an affair. Matt Damon is spot on as usual in his best role since "Good Will Hunting". As a member of the audience, you grow to hate him as the movie goes on. On the other hand, Leo does just as well and gains the sympathy of the audience. Jack Nicholson, not to be overshadowed, gives another good performance as a big sleaze bag. The ending is so outrageous and original that the audience is left with their jaws dropped as the credits roll. "The Departed" may be the best film of the year, and maybe Martin Scorcese will finally win that Oscar that has been long overdue.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Terminator 2 better than the first?

[9/10 · 27 December 2006]

"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is an action packed science fiction masterpiece. The sequel to "Terminator" adds a new flavor that makes it arguably better than the first. Set 12 years into the future from the original, Arnold comes back through time for another titillating thrill ride, but this time Sarah Connor is a secondary target. Her son John Connor, the future savior of men, is a young man living with his foster parents after his mother was committed to a mental health facility. What makes "Judgment Day" different from the original is that there is a new more advanced model of the Terminator. The T-1000 is a liquid metal robot who can take the shape of anything he touches as long as it is relatively the same size. He can also form knives and stabbing weapons. This movie is another James Cameron classic, which keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire movie while displaying a very relevant theme: "The future's not set. There is no fate, but what we make for ourselves."