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It’s hard to believe my next statement is true. This is the best film the Coen Bros. have ever made. With brilliant films like BLOOD SIMPLE and FARGO in their resume, it’s strange to see a new film from master filmmakers and know it’s their best work to date. I mean you don’t expect Martin Scorsese to make another GOODFELLAS, but then you probably wouldn’t have expected something equal or better than TAXI DRIVER after that film either. It’s invigorating to see established filmmakers better their own high marks.

Setting a somber contemplative tone is a voice over from Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones, THE FUGITIVE), who tells a tale of killer who knows he’s going to hell and doesn’t care. Bell has seen a great deal of violence during his career and it is making less and less sense to him. Soon he will be swept up in a manhunt pitting a quiet laborer against a heartless professional killer.

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I’ve heard Ridley Scott’s new gangster tale described as SERPICO meets SUPERFLY. The former applies more than the later though. This is because Denzel Washington’s Frank Lucas hates flashy pimp-dressing hustlers, but, like SUPERFLY’s Youngblood Priest, Lucas is making his way selling drugs for it’s a very tempting opportunity for a poor black man in the 1970s. AMERICAN GANGSTER actually reminded me most of Michel Mann’s HEAT, which also told the parallel stories of criminal and cop.

After his mentor dies, Lucas fights for control of the Harlem drug trade. To take an upper hand, he travels to Asia to buy his product directly from the supplier and uses the war in Vietnam to help smuggle heroin into the States. Dressed in nice, but not flashy, suits, Lucas runs his illegal business like a legitimate business. With his connections in Asia, he is able to sell a more pure product for half the price, putting his competition out of business or coming to him as a wholesaler. He even guards the image of his Blue Magic brand from two-bit hustlers like Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding Jr., JERRY MAGUIRE). He takes pointers from the Italian mafia by enlisting his family, because they are the only ones he can truly trust. But he isn’t afraid to threaten to kill his brother Huey (Chwetel Ejiofor, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) when his younger sibling starts to bring too much attention to himself. Even though he is involved in a violent business, his family life is sound, buying a huge house for his mother (Ruby Dee, THE STAND) and developing a tender relationship with his beauty queen wife, Eva (Lymari Nadal, TV’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA).

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This energetic adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the John Waters film bounces off the screen with lively performances, sly wit and catchy tunes. Making her big screen debut, lead Nikki Blonsky has an amazingly expressive face, which draws us in and wins us over. She is supported by great work from many of her fellow cast members, but she is truly the star of the show even when in scenes with A-listers like John Travolta and Christopher Walken.

Tracy Turnbald (Blonsky), a bubbly overweight teen, is a devoted fan of the local Baltimore ’60s dance show hosted by Corny Collins (James Marsden, THE NOTEBOOK). When one of the regular girls must take a leave of absence for nine months, Tracy drags her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes, SHE’S THE MAN) down to the studio to audition. But station manager Velma von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer, STARDUST) won’t let any plump freaks dance near her reining Miss Hairspray daughter Amber (Brittany Snow, JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE). Disappointed Tracy gets no support from her mother Edna (Travolta), who is ashamed of her own size and hasn’t left the house in a decade. Her father Wilbur (Walken) on the other hand wants her to keep reaching for the stars, so when she learns some new steps from Seaweed (Elijah Kelley, 28 DAYS), whose mother Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah, CHICAGO) hosts “Negro Day” on the Corny Collins Show, Tracy shows up at a hop and knocks the socks off Corny Collins, as well as Amber’s boyfriend Link Larkin (Zac Efron, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL). Now with Tracy on the show, Velma plots to stop Turnbald mania, which begins to take over Baltimore.

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Director Werner Herzog has been so inspired by the story of pilot Dieter Dengler that he has made two films about the true story — the 1997 documentary LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY and now this dramatization starring Christian Bale as Dieter. The new film is a simple story of perseverance and survival. Lt. Dieter Dengler was German born and immigrated to the U.S. for the sole purpose of being able to fly jets. He never lost sight of that when his plane was shot down over Laos, was taken prisoner and struggled to survive in the jungle.

Bale plays Denglar with a matter of fact optimism, as if there were no other alternative. After enduring torture, the man still thinks first of escaping the jungle-based prison he is taken to. There he meets other soldiers whose hope has vanished after being incarcerated, starved and abused for more than a year. Duane Martin (Steve Zahn, HAPPY, TEXAS) is one of those soldiers, who only wishes to keep his head down and endure. The slight crazed Gene McBroom (Jeremy Davies, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) is vehemently convinced that a full-fledged war will not break out and that they will be let go soon. However, with the bombings of Laos still classified as top secret, there are not rescue parties coming.

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If this film were not part of the OCEAN’S franchise, it would be just an average, plot-heavy, slightly absurd heist comedy. With great stars and some of the familiar wit of the first two installments, the film does entertain, but it’s a franchise that’s truly showing its age. The motivation for the caper was promising, but it never hits home, because the details of the fantastic caper take up way too much time. With the screenplay taking up minute after minute explaining just how high tech the new casino is and how difficult it will be to pull off the job, all those details are just smoke and mirrors to obscure the same old tricks from before.

Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould, THE LONG GOODBYE) has gotten into business with heavy hitter hotel entrepreneur Willie Bank (Al Pacino, HEAT). Once Bank gets what he needs from Tishoff, he cuts him out of the deal, leaving the old-timer penniless and bed ridden due to a heart attack. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) hears of the tragedy and calls the old crew back together to avenge their friend. They set out to rig it so the casino’s games pay out big on opening night, thus bankrupting Bank. But when problems arise, they ask for help from their old adversary Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS), who demands that they also steal Bank’s prized diamond necklaces, which are extremely well protected. The new wrinkle needs someone to get close to Bank’s right hand Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin, THE BIG EASY) and Linus (Matt Damon, THE BOURNE IDENTITY) takes on the mission of a love con. Meanwhile, the crew’s opponent from the second film, Francois Toulour (Vincent Cassel, EASTERN PROMISES), keeps popping up around town.

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Because I don’t get a chance to see all the films I want in theaters, I get a treat when some of the better films in a year arrive on DVD. So I decided to circle back and highlight some of my recent discoveries on DVD, which I feel represent some of the best films of 2007. Due to the hectic holidays, I’m behind in several reviews, so I picked the five films that are out on DVD that I have already reviewed and gave three-and-a-half to four stars to. Keep an eye out for my upcoming reviews of RESCUE DAWN and HAIRSPRAY, which also could have made the cut. Three of the films are very good, but probably won’t make my top 25 when the year comes to a close. The other two films are likely to make my top 10. So you’re in for a treat.

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Tis the season for loved ones and shopping.

For This Weekend’s Film Festival, the lineup has a personal spin to it; however, the discussion I hope to create is universal. Various elements of cinema remind us of our loved ones for different reasons. As it is Thanksgiving this week and some of you will be spending it with family, I felt it was a fun idea to think about what films make you think of the people you are close to. Why do those films make you think of the person? The five selections this week remind me of my wife, who I am very thankful for. For readers, read on to see some of the various details that conjure thoughts of our friends and family. For viewers, this lineup is just a group of fun films to check out over the holiday weekend.

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Disney’s attempt to Shrek itself, ENCHANTED benefits from the serendipity of a perfect cast. Flat material and story problems are quickly forgotten in light of lively and humorous musical numbers and a feel good theme that finds a way to be sugary sweet without threatening tooth decay. Oscar nominee Amy Adams carries the film, as well the audience, with a performance that couldn’t be better.

In a 2D animated opening sequence, the fair maiden Giselle (Adams, JUNEBUG) sings of finding love’s true kiss when she literally falls for Prince Edward (James Marsden, X-MEN). Fearful that her stepson’s marriage will lead to her losing her crown, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon, DEAD MAN WALKING) tricks Giselle into a portal that sends her to New York City, where her animated self is transformed into a real human. Desperately looking for Edward, Giselle is kindly taken in by divorce lawyer Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey, TV’s GREY ANATOMY), who has a six-year-old daughter named Megan (Rachel Covey, DUANE HOPWOOD). After Edward, along with the chipmunk Pip, heads to NYC to rescue Giselle, Narissa sends her devoted henchman Nathaniel (Timothy Spall, SECRETS & LIES) to Earth to kill Giselle with poison apples. Meanwhile, Giselle’s endlessly chipper attitude doesn’t mesh with modern urban life, putting a kink in Robert’s life, especially with his girlfriend Nancy (Idina Menzel, RENT).

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“Don’t judge a film by its trailer,” my mother always said. Well, she didn’t really say that, but in one of the nth alternative timelines of my life I’m sure she would say it. This statement fits this film perfectly, for the trailer made the film seem like a soulless videogame, while the actual film is a digital hyper-real alternative reality that brings new life to the ancient tale of BEOWULF.

In the film, the vice ridden king Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) has his kingdom plagued by the demon Grendel (Crispin Glover, BACK TO THE FUTURE). The king calls for a hero to kill the beast and the cocky Beowulf (Ray Winstone, THE DEPARTED) arrives to do the job. The king’s chief adviser Unferth (John Malkovich, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) questions Beowulf’s accomplishments, which seem exaggerated. Beowulf’s right hand man Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson, BRAVEHEART) knows his boss is a braggart, but he believes in him unconditionally. Along his journey, Beowulf will be tempted by many women, including the king’s beautiful wife Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn, FORREST GUMP), as well as Grendel’s shape-shifting mother (Angelina Jolie, TOMB RAIDER).

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Director Lasse Hallstrom is a filmmaker that I look forward to seeing new work from, because he made two of my favorite films, MY LIFE AS A DOG and WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE?, and I’m a great admirer of his ONCE AROUND. Though flawed, his best film since GRAPE was THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, which was released back in 1999. He’s been making safe films ever since. Now with the release of THE HOAX, he has something meatier to deal with that delivers.

The film is based on the true story of Clifford Irving (Richard Gere, CHICAGO), a struggling writer who sells a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes to publisher McGraw-Hill. In weaving his deception, Irving enlists his friend Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina, FRIDA) to serve as his researcher. Irving fakes handwritten notes from Hughes that fool experts. Along with Suskind, they listen to congressional testimony to get down the reclusive millionaire’s speech patterns. The more money that begins changing hands, the more scrutiny Irving comes under, which makes his story more and more outlandish. When he says Hughes wants $1 million for the book, he gets it. Soon his painter wife Edith (Marcia Gay Harden, POLLACK) gets wrapped up in the scam.

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