Leatherheads (2008)

George Clooney directs himself in a story about the revamping of US professional football in the mid 1920's. Clooney plays Dodge Connelly, an aging football player. The movie also stars John Krasinski, as Carter Rutherford - college football and WWI hero - who has been recruited to bring life back into the collapsing pro league. Renee Zellweger jumps in as Lexie Littleton, the Chicago newspaper reporter sent to find out if Rutherford's heroism was real. It's a mildly interesting setup that makes for a mildly interesting movie.

Clooney does well with some 1920's-style comedy film nods but the film isn't completely cemented in retaining that film style, which sometimes makes it all come off a bit too goofy for a modern audience although it could still be appreciated by film connoisseurs. The love triangle between the leads was a given but when one player asserts his dominance about halfway through, the premise becomes a throwaway. The dialogue has some great exchanges enhanced even more so by the actors' rapid-fire volleying. Unfortunately as the movie progresses, it gets bogged down by a continually slowed overall pacing until the end of the film is slowly dragging itself through the mud - literally. It was a nice effort and it looks like everyone involved gave it their best, but overall it was just an okay film.

Rating: 2/5
Recommended for: Someone who has nothing to do for two hours and doesn't mind Renee Zellweger, George Clooney, or John Krasinski.

Extended Review: After the smart banter, the next best thing about this film is the story behind Rutherford's WWI medal. In a modern film, the focus would have been on Rutherford as he retells how he accidentally got a whole enemy squad to surrender. But in keeping with the 1920's style, we're treated to a flashback of the event. The lucky confusion of the enemy isn't the funniest plot point ever, but it is clever. And once he returns from the flashback, Krasinksi wears the story like a weight around his neck bringing a bit more depth to his character in a film full of rather flat characters.

American Gangster (2007)

Ridley Scott's American Gangster is said to be based on a true story. It follows two stories - that of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, and that of Richie Roberts, brought to you by Russell Crowe. Of course their two stories eventually intersect. Frank is the driver/enforcer of crime boss who dies minutes into the film leaving Frank feeling ready to start his own drug ring. Meanwhile Richie is a detective trying to fight drug trafficking in the midst of a highly corrupted police force.

As an audience member, you really hit the ground running in this movie. It's rather rare to be so forcefully made aware that the characters' lives have been going on before you joined the story. It was in fact so blunt in this film that I felt like I'd missed something and was desperately trying to catch up from the start. It takes a good twenty minutes to a half hour until you're comfortably entrenched in the story. From there on it's an interesting story with moments reminiscent of the Catch Me if You Can hunt except definitely not as tongue-in-cheek.

Russell Crowe really holds his own with his less glamorous story line while Denzel Washington is smooth as always, sometimes making you forget he's a crime boss. In fact, things are so smooth and in control often enough in the film that it leaves excitement voids. This is not a thrill ride, but it is a fairly interesting story to watch if you have two and a half hours to spare.

Rating:3/5
Recommended for: Those who like their movies not completely fictional.

Extended Review: While Lucas getting caught seemed like a foregone conclusion, it was sort of brilliant that it happened because he broke one of his own rules.

Ladron Que Roba a Ladron (2007)

Much in the vein of Ocean's 11, this Spanish-language film is a clever caper that can easily keep your interest all the way through. Two thieves, Alejandro and Emilio, team up to rob Moctesuma Valdez, a man conning poor immigrants in America out of their money with fake health products. So of course to do that they must assemble a rag tag team. Where it sidetracks from the Ocean's 11 concept is the reason they don't expect to be caught; their team is comprised of immigrants and they figure no one pays attention to immigrants.

While members of the team tend to fill stereotypical roles, they're all endearing enough (and the bad guy's enough of a creep) that they're easy to root for. And what's even better, if you don't understand Spanish you still won't spend the whole movie with your eyes glued to the bottom of the screen. The story and performances are universal enough it's easy to understand. Plus, the whole thing is high-energy and fun.

While the story's not a ground-breaker in the caper genre, it's not often a film makes a serious statement about the life of immigrants while making you laugh. At the very least, you have to give writer JoJo Henrickson and director Joe Menendez props for that.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: Anyone looking for a rag-tag team to rally for.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma is a drama first and a western second which gives it an appeal to a wide audience. It follows Dan Evans, a not-so-successful rancher played earnestly by Christian Bale, as part of a group taking Rusell Crowe's notorious criminal Ben Wade to the jail train. The focus here isn't on ranchers versus farmers or who can sling a gun the fastest, which makes it all the more refreshing.

The good guys and the bad guys aren't as polarized as your typical western either. And it is that shared humanity, those attempts to make a life out in the early Western US, that give this film depth. Ben Foster gives a particularly creepy performance as Ben's incredibly devoted number two, Charlie Prince. And it being a western, of course there is violence. But this film did a good job of it not seeming gratuitous regardless of how graphic, as it provides the harsh reality of the characters' situation.

I can't speak for the 1957 original, but with the exception of some out of place CGI pulling you out of the story for a few minutes, this film's increasingly frenetic pace with keep you glued through the end.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Adults who enjoy rooting for a character no matter what obstacles come his way.