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Robert DeNiro’s tale about the birth of the CIA reminded me a great deal of THE GODFATHER. From its epic scope to its family drama to the central character’s obligations, it’s not surprising that Francis Ford Coppola was an executive producer on the film.

Edward Wilson (Matt Damon, GOOD WILL HUNTING) was born into a wealthy, well-respected family, which affords him little choice to pick the direction of his life. He will follow in the footsteps of his father, Thomas (Timothy Hutton, KINSEY), and go to Yale where he will become a member of elite Skull & Bones Society. At the early stages of World War II, General Bill Sullivan (DeNiro) calls on Edward to help serve his country and operate as a spy for a newly formed foreign intelligence agency of the U.S. government. What other choice does he have then to say yes? Despite being in love with a sweet deaf girl named Laura (Tammy Blanchard, STEALING HARVARD), Edward is obligated to marry rich Margaret “Clover” Russell (Angelina Jolie, TOMB RAIDER) after he gets her pregnant. Edward’s quiet demeanor and cold detachment make him a perfect spy, but will all the lying he does, especially to himself, cost him his soul?

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There hasn’t been an animated musical this fun in quite some time. George Miller’s first animated feature is bursting with songs, which are actually woven into the fabric of the film’s world.

Penguins Memphis (Hugh Jackman, FLUSHED AWAY), who actually sounds a lot like Elvis, and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROGUE), who sounds a tad like Marilyn Monroe, have a son named Mumble (Elijah Wood, LORD OF THE RINGS). In their penguin world, each member of their society must find their heart song, so they can woo a mate. Right from birth, Mumble has his eyes on Gloria (Brittany Murphy, 8 MILE), who has some serious pipes. However, Mumble sings worse than I do (ask my wife she can tell you all about it), so he is made an outcast. Alienating him even more is his “happy feet.” He was born with the need to tap dance; it’s his form of expression.

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Tackling many of the same issues as his BRAVEHEART, Mel Gibson’s APOCALYPTO is an edge-of-your-seat adventure made all the more compelling via its unique setting. Gibson knows how to dramatize action and make us care about his characters.

Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood, SPIRIT: THE SEVENTH FIRE) is a young Mayan warrior, who cherishes his family — pregnant wife Seven (Dalia Hernandez, film debut) and young son Turtles Run (Carlos Emilio Baez, film debut). He listens intently to the wise advice of his father Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead, TV’s INTO THE WEST) and he loves to poke fun at his younger brother Blunted (Jonathan Brewer, DREAMKEEPER), who is having a hard time conceiving a child. However, their idyllic life comes crashing down when their small village is attacked by Mayan warriors looking to take slaves. Zero Wolf (Raoul Trujillo, THE NEW WORLD) leads the savage warriors, which include the slimy Snake Ink (Rodolfo Palacios, screen debut).

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For the last few years, director Zhang Yimou has been crafting epic, martial arts fantasies like HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER may be his most epic yet. However not in the action set-piece sense of the world, but more so like a Shakespearean tragedy.

Empress Phoenix (Gong Li, MEMORIES OF A GEISHA) is slowly being poisoned by her heartless husband Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON). The Empress is having an affair with her stepson Prince Xiang (Liu Ye, THE PROMISE), who is sleeping with Chan (Man Li, film debut), daughter of the imperial physician (Dahong Ni, TO LIVE). Returning home from battle is middle son, Prince Jie (Jay Chou, HIDDEN TRACK), who is torn between his devotion to his mother and his loyalty to his father. Jie is idolized by his younger brother Cheng (Qin Junjie, film debut). Also figuring into the mix is a mysterious ninja (Chen Jin), who holds dark secrets to the Emperor’s past.

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Ever since their success with THE ROOKIE, Walt Disney Pictures has carved out a nice niche for themselves with a host of inspirational sports films. For the most part, they have all worked quite well.

INVINCIBLE is based on the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED), a bartender who never played college football who tries out for the Philadelphia, Eagles during an open try-out and makes the team. Papale is down on his luck — big time. He can’t keep a steady job teaching and his wife has just left him. And to make matters worse his beloved Eagles stink. College coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) is hired to turn the Eagles around. As a good-will gesture to the Philly fans, he holds an open try-out. At first Papale is not interested in trying out, but his friends push him. Papale’s talents stand out and he is the only person at the open try-outs to be invited to training camp. Now Papale has to balance between holding his own against the more experienced players, his newfound celebrity and the pretty barmaid Janet Cantrell (Elizabeth Banks, SLITHER).

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Not nearly as awful as it was made out to be, M. Night Shyamalan’s bedtime story for grown-ups stumbles via the filmmaker’s self indulgence and lack of 100% commitment to his risky experiment.

Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) is a lonely handyman at The Cove apartment complex. One night he finds a narf (aka water nymph) in the swimming pool. As legend states, the creatures of the Blue World will visit humans from time to time to inspire them. However, the narfs are in danger as grass-like wolves called scrunts stalk the water creatures. So Cleveland sets out to help the narf named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard, THE VILLAGE) find the writer she is supposed to inspire.

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This interesting biopic looks at the seemingly contradictory personality of famed pin-up model Bettie Page. Driving its appeal is the infectious lead performance of Gretchen Mol, who previously had smaller roles in DONNIE BRASCO and ROUNDERS. This is a star-making performance, which is sadly being forgotten now that it’s Oscar season.

Beginning when Bettie was young, the film chronicles her life under the rule of her religious mother Edna (Ann Dowd, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS) and her brief, abusive marriage to Billy Neal (Norman Reedus, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS). After the tragedies of her early life, Bettie bounces back and moves to NYC to take a stab at acting, where she falls into modeling, which leads to nude posing and later fetish films for the nice couple Paula (Lili Taylor, SAY ANYTHING…) and Irving Klaw (Chris Bauer, BROKEN FLOWERS). The story follows Bettie’s career leading up to Senate hearings on pornography run by Estes Kefauver (David Strathairn, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.).

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Even when Woody Allen isn’t working at his best, he still makes films infinitely wittier than most comedies produced today. Even when he’s being silly, he never dumbs down the content. He has mined the world of murder mysteries before and returns again in SCOOP.

Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson, MATCH POINT) is a beautiful, yet awkwardly direct, American journalism student visiting her wealthy friend Vivian (Romola Garai, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE) in London. During a magic act performed by Sid Waterman (Allen), Sondra is visited from the great beyond by the recently deceased reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane, TV’s DEADWOOD), who is compelled to inform her of a big scoop he overheard while floating down the River Stix — Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman, X-MEN), son of Lord Lyman, may be the Tarot Card Killer. So Sondra recruits Waterman to pose as her father and help her get close to the possible killer. However, the dashing man wins her over and she has a hard time believing that he may be a murderer.

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For all intents and purposes, this entire film is one long string of gags. So why is it so great? It’s because director/star Jacques Tati is able to weave the gags into an overall story that riffs on many of the fond feelings folks have toward summer vacations as well as linking them to the central character Monsieur Hulot.

The film begins as vacationers arrive at a small seaside hotel for summer holiday. Hulot travels there in his old-fashioned automobile, which seems like it could bust apart at any moment. We don’t even see Hulot until about 10 minutes into the film when his arrival through the front door wrecks havoc as the wind from outside disrupts the activities of the people relaxing in the lobby.

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Vittorio De Sica is chief among the neo-realists of the post-WWII era. His BICYCLE THIEVES is considered one of the greatest films ever made. He would write simple stories, filmed them with pacing that lacked any hint of manipulative drama and cast untrained actors who he felt embodied the parts naturally. This tale about an old man and his dog is a shining example of the power that those details combined can create.

Working from a screenplay by Cesare Zavattini, the tale begins with a crowd of elderly pensioners marching in the streets demanding an increase in their meager wages. Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti, only film performance) is retired from the public works office and can now barely support himself and his loyal pet dog, Flike. He is way behind on his rent and his snobbish landlady Antonia (Lina Gennari, THE SIGN OF VENUS) threatens to evict him if he doesn’t pay the full amount that he owes by the end of the month. As the situation gets worse for Mr. Umberto, he struggles to make ends meet while retaining his dignity.

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