Movie of the Week – The Departed

This week’s movie is The Departed (2006).

The crime drama is an English remake of Infernal Affairs about two police officers – one an undercover cop inserted with the Irish mob in Boston, the other an undercover member of the mob inserted in the Massachusetts State Police assigned to taking down the mob. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese (garnering him his first Best Director and Best Picture Oscars) and written by William Monahan. Scorsese worked with a good group on the film including producer Brad Pitt (through his Plan B Entertainment production company, which has made quite a few great films lately), composer Howard Shore, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (a frequent collaborator of Scorsese’s), and production designer Kristi Zea. The cast is also phenomenal as it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, with Jack Nicholson, Adam Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale, David O’Hara, and Mark Rolston in support. Despite being his first Oscar winner, I am not sure The Departed is quite in the pantheon of Scorsese classics (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas), but it is an excellent crime drama and my favorite of his films made in the last decade. This is a must-see for fans of Scorsese and gangster/crime dramas as it is one of the best in the last few years. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

TV Series of the Month - Firefly

This month’s series is Firefly (2002-2003).

The sci-fi/western drama is about a crew of smugglers five hundred years in the future captained by Malcolm Reynolds, a veteran of the Unification War (on the losing side). Mal wants to be free and be as far away from the Alliance as possible. But there are not a lot of honest jobs outside the Alliance, so he and his crew work as smugglers from time to time. Things are going ok, before stowaways bring the Alliance after them. The show is by master TV auteur Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). Whedon writes wonderful characters, and these are among his best. Producer, director and writer Tim Minear (Terriers and Wonderfalls) also worked extensively on the show. The series has an absolutely fantastic charismatic cast with Nathan Fillion (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and Castle), Gina Torres (Huge), Alan Tudyk (Dollhouse), Morena Baccarin (V), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Jewel Staite (Stargate: Atlantis), Sean Maher (Party of Five), Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles), and Ron Glass (Barney Miller), not to mention great guest appearances by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Michael Fairman (The Young and the Restless). Sadly, the show did not find a large enough audience on TV (plus Fox aired the episodes out of order) and Fox cancelled it midway through the first season. Whedon made a feature film Serenity, to serve as a final chapter to the saga (though there are rumors that he may return to the material in the future, which I personally would love almost above all other potential possible projects) and there are three comic books (V1, V2 and V3) that bridge the series to the film featuring stories that would have been in seasons one and two had the show continued. What makes the series great is how well everything works together. It is very funny and entertaining, yet moving and emotionally gripping. The viewer really cares about the characters. This is one of my personal top five favorite television shows and I think it is a must for all sci-fi, western and lovers of great TV. Check out the trailer for Serenity.

Firefly available on Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent – Serenity also available on Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent