Tonytanzio

"Dogville" is a sprawling tale of a woman on the run. Nicole Kidman who gives a strikingly reserved performance is Grace, a girl with a secret on the run from gangsters. She seeks refuge in a small Colorado town called "Dogville." Many of the townspeople fail to welcome her with open arms. For her to stay, she had to work tirelessly for most of the townspeople. Grace's one protagonist is Thomas Edison Jr, (played with sensitivity by the talented Paul Bettany). Thomas serves as an solid bridge between Grace and the rest of "Dogville," as he looks out for her and the needs of town simultaneously. This union proves to be unstable, resulting in an emergence of harsh situations. "Dogville" is an overlong film that may not be for all tastes. Running at an exhausting 2 hrs 57 min, which includes a snail's pace prologue, this story could have been told in no more than 2 hrs 15 min. However, the film's goal was to give a detailed analysis on every facet of the story. It did achieve this on occasion, however during other times the flow of the story became muddled. There were however some good points. Lars Von Trier's direction was very organized, considering the amount of characters. The cinematography is striking. And the sets or lack there of establishes the town setting very well as a well-adapted stage play. However, unless you have an appreciation or a divine love for the theater, the overall presentation of "Dogville" could easily be painfully dull for some. While "Dogville" does have its fair share of flaws, it is an interesting display of work that is not seen too often.

"Good Night and Good Luck," is a landmark film about the constant intertwining of the media and politics. The movie greatly depicts the early, pioneering days of television, while fears of red Communism haunted the nation. The film focuses on Edward R. Murrow's CBS newscasts surrounding Senator Joseph Mc Carthy's crusade against Communism. Director & co-writer, George Clooney brilliantly and accurately display all of these elements from start to finish. Some of the finest living actors today have been assembled for this masterpiece. It was great to see Robert Downey Jr (who was excellent), back in business again. There was also great acting delivered by Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, & Clooney himself. Another notable, and a potentially comeback performance was from Frank Langella, as Edward R. Murrow's boss. However, the aspect of "Good Night & Good Luck," which deserves the most honor, is David Strathairn. As great as he was in every role he ever had, David Strathairn blew all of those previous roles miles away. He has completely out done himself. Stratharin is flawless. Every mannerism, vocal pitch, facial expression, you name it is perfect. Even the way he holds his cigarette is noteworthy. "Good night..." may not be a movie for all tastes, but this film should be marveled for going where only a few films have gone before. There are plenty of indications that this film will have a good night come Oscar time.

Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle. An angry, insomnia-stricken taxi driver who is fed up with the way New York City has become. He decides to act upon his anger when we crosses paths with a teenage prostitute, and decides to rescue her from her bleak lifestyle.

The ever resilient Martin Scorsese did a masterful job directing this film from a dark, and brilliant script by Paul Schrader. The most powerful thing about "Taxi Driver," is that it has the impeccable ability to enter Travis Bickle's psyche while interacting with his inner demons. Robert De Niro is flawless in a performance that arguably established him as one of the all-time most gifted actors. Jodie Foster (Iris) at age 12 gave the mature performance of a 40-year old, in her harsh, real depiction of a teenage prostitute. There are other fine supporting performances from Peter Boyle, Cybill Sheppard, Albert Brooks, and Harvey Keitel as Iris's pimp. Finally there is one other facet of "Taxi Driver" that is as essential to the film as its characters. This is the score. Bernard Hermann, wrote a hauntingly unforgettable soundtrack that would be his final masterpiece. Once you hear his music, it will never escape your imagination. If you never saw "Taxi Driver," you don't know what you are missing. This film will take you on the ride of a lifetime.