Superbly adapted and directed by Tim Robbins from the nonfiction book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, this spiritually enlightened drama is much more than a film simply about the death penalty. In examining the issue of capital punishment from a humanitarian perspective, the film urges thoughtful reflection on the justifications for legally ending a human life.

Although it features a fine supporting cast, the film maintains its sharp focus through flawless lead performances by Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon as the Catholic nun Prejean, and Sean Penn as the death-row killer she struggles to save. As the drama unfolds and Penn’s execution deadline grows near, “Dead Man Walking” is graced by compelling depths of theme and character, achieving an emotional impact that demands further reflection on the topic of capital punishment.

Politics aside, it’s hard not to be impressed by Tim Robbins’ brilliant work behind the camera.

In the middle of the Depression, Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) runs death row at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Into this dreary world walks a mammoth prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Duncan) who, very slowly, reveals a special gift that will change the men working and dying on the mile. As with King’s book, Director Frank Darabont takes plenty of time to show us Edgecomb’s world before delving into John Coffey’s mystery. Most believe Michael Clark Duncan deserved an Oscar for his role as an innocent man who is ready to die

Darabont’s superior storytelling abilities and his touch for perfect casting brings to life nearly every character and scene from the novel. He even improves the novel’s two endings, creating a more emotionally satisfying experience. The running time may try patience, but those who want a story, as opposed to quick-fix entertainment, will be rewarded by this finely tailored prison tale.

One of the greatest prison movies is “American History X.” Edward Norton pumped some serious iron for his role (gaining 30 pounds of muscle) to play a violent neo-Nazi in this riveting drama. Usually we think of Nazis as the scum of the earth, but Derek Vinyard went from skinhead to upstanding citizen after his stay in jail for the murder (curbstomping) of a black man. Only after he has lost everything can he begin to see the horrible path that he has beaten for his younger brother who is speedily chasing after him.

The scenes behind bars are both eye-opening and chilling. No punches are pulled by director Tony Kaye and writer David McKenna and if you’re thinking about pursuing a life of crime, watch this first.

Here is THE scene with the curb… warning – it’s not easy to watch.

The Oscar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy’s series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, “The Big Nowhere,” and “White Jazz”) – a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction. Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale, but unfortunately, her male costars are all so deserving that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes.

Pearce’s character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood ambition, a strait-laced “hero” (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical, and legal considerations. If he’s a good guy, it’s only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion.
Many of the events in the movie were based upon real events. These include the Bloody Christmas scene where drunken police officers brutally beat up Hispanic prisoners suspected of beating up two uniformed cops; the plot line of real-life gangster Mickey Cohen’s arrest touching off a gang war for control of the rackets; and the LAPD Goon Squad which would kidnap out-of-town gangsters, beat them up and threaten to kill them if they ever tried to come back to set up their operations.
“Don’t pull that good cop, bad cop crap.”

This is a great suspense-thriller with key actors doing what they do best. Kurt Russel and Madeline Stowe draw you in as a regular couple in suburbia whose fortune turns toward the very desparate. After a terrifying encounter with a robber, Officer Davis seems to be coming to the rescue – not quite the case.

Liotta acts and is painted in a way that will make your skin crawl as he backs Kurt further and further into a corner. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys classic dirty cop suspense films of the early 90’s.

“The Departed,” and the character of Francis “Frank” Costello (Jack Nicholson), is loosely based on the story of Whitey Bulger, a Boston Southie considered by Law Enforcement to be one of the last Irish mobsters. Bulger often gave information to John Connolly, an FBI agent, on the Italian Mafia in Boston, in order to take over the city himself.

Bulger spent his career as a psychotic killer and even ran guns for the IRA in the 1970s. Even after Bulger stopped passing on actual information to the FBI, Connolly still protected him from the Staties and Bulger is currently on the FBI’s most wanted list and considered dangerous, even though he is in 70s. There was an unconfirmed sighting of Bulger at a theater showing the film by a deputy sheriff in San Diego, California, but “he lost him in the streets.”

Mr. Kerik, 54, pleaded guilty to two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application — the most serious — and five separate counts of making false statements to the federal government. These last charges stemmed from statements Mr. Kerik made to the White House during the vetting process after the Bush administration nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

The case against Mr. Kerik centered on claims that a construction company suspected of having ties to organized crime paid for much of the renovation work at Mr. Kerik’s home in Riverdale, in the Bronx, in the hope that he would help the company obtain a city license.

The corrupt cops on this list might shame those who loyally “Protect and Serve” but you know what they say, it’s hard to look away from a train wreck.

The only thing more frightening than a bad cop is a bad cop responsible for others. When Alonzo (Denzel Washington) takes Jake (Ethan Hawke) out on his “Training Day” the day looks more like a trip into a nightmare than a beat cop instructional tour. After years of good guy roles, Denzel won his first Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of an LAPD narcotics officer who is assigned to train the newbie in the wheelings and dealings of drug use, larceny, and murder.

So after Tom Cruise dropped out of the title role in an action thriller originally called “Edwin A. Salt,” he was replaced by Angelina Jolie. The script was rewritten – including changing the character’s name to “Evelyn” – and next July you’ll get to see Angelina proving she can lead a movie as well as any man in “Salt.”

In “Salt,” Jolie plays a CIA operative who is accused of being a secret Russian agent plotting to assassinate the President. According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (”Transformers”), tailoring the script for her meant more than just switching all the pronouns. He told USA Today, “We had to rethink the whole notion of how a man vs. a woman operates in the business world, in personal relationship and in friendships.”

To get a preview of Angelina Jolie in “Salt,” take a look at the exclusive trailer below.

Cage made headlines last month when he filed a $20 million lawsuit against his former business manager. The suit claims the manager, Samuel Levin, failed to pay taxes and lost money in unsound investments, putting him “down a path toward financial ruin.” This summer, the IRS placed a tax lien of over $6 million on Cage’s New Orleans properties for unpaid income taxes.

Still, it’s hard not to look at Cage’s extreme spending habits and not draw conclusions about his current money woes. For example, did he really need to customize a Bentley so elaborately that, when he got it back from the shop, he could no longer fit in it?

Let’s hope (for his sake) his new flick, which opens this week, pulls down some serious cash. Here is the trailer for “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.”

The ceremony takes place March 7, 2010, at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.
“I am happy to cohost the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” Martin, who hosted the ceremony solo in 2001 and 2003, said in a statement. “I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars—it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” added Baldwin, a veteran movie star and past nominee who just collected his second straight Emmy for being hilarious on “30 Rock.”

“Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event,” first-time Oscar producer Adam Shankman said.

Get a sneak preview of the Baldwin-Martin chemistry in the romantic comedy “It’s Complicated”, out December 25th, starring Meryl Streep as the woman trying to choose between them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE2CItUaAcA