Its safe to go in the water and watch: "Jaws 2"

Everyone around knows that "Jaws" was a masterpiece, and many were very obviously worried that when the sequel "Jaws 2" was released it would not even come close to measuring up. Some people argue that it does not, and while in some ways that could be true; it is a highly watchable sequel. The barrage of merchandising was much more elaborate; trading cards, towels, and models were made. I was able to get the full set of trading cards online two years ago and one of them has a great still of the shark coming up behind the waterskiing woman! It is generally viewed in the film world as the best Jaws sequel.

Another high point is that at least of course Roy Scheider is still chief Brody; that would have been a little different to swallow another actor taking over those reins. In the beginning some divers are shown taking pictures of Quinn's boat from the first movie, and are attacked by what appears to be the ominous great white breed of shark. Then the shark moves closer to the town, who have already endured this dread before. One of my favorite scenes is that of the waterskier; close to shore a woman is devoured by the shark, and these sequences provide as fun a watch as some of the ones in the original film. Some of the shots are right at water level and really instill the fear of being hunted in the water.

The driver of the boat mistakenly uses a flare gun and kills herself when gasoline spills on her. The way in which it all goes down is pretty high on the "chomp-a-rific" gore scale, and the movie really fought for a PG rating in 1978. When the mayor gets angry again at Brody for the shark warnings, it is not stale, the pacing is good and its fun to watch the town under siege and panic once again. There is a great scene where the chief mistakenly fires at bluefish while watching over the beach; and he forbids his son to go sailing; making him get a job for the summer to keep him safe. Brody is then fired, and since we flirt with this a little in the first movie it's nice and heavy to watch it be brought to light in the sequel.

Brody ends up going after the teenagers who take sailboats out, and there is a great chomp scene of a helicopter pilot. The shark then goes and terrorizes the teenagers on some modified sail and pontoon boats. Having one of the girls be so scared she goes into shock and unable to speak is also a good horror based touch. These different boats make for a nice change of dinner plate for the shark to eat off of, and the ending where Brody comes to the rescue is suitable. The success of "The Godfather II" was churning behind this one to make sequels a big thing, and "Rocky II" was a big one opening shortly after this. Some say it is predictable and we don't get all the sheer horror of the first; but it can be watched again and again; and it is actually somewhat of a blueprint on how to not completely ruin a sequel. It is great to revisit; and captures a fairly revolutionary time in film making.

Depression Era Gem: "Road to Perdition"

Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law are at the forefront of this story about a connected man and his son who are on the run and in search of those who murdered the rest of their family. After finishing "American Beauty", director Sam Mendes wanted to have something that focused more on imagery and not as much diolouge; this was part of it's criticism, but also part of it's acclaim. Tom Hanks is Michael Sullivan, who works in Rock Island, a smaller city in Illinois crime ridden 1930's. Tyler Hoechlin is the child actor who plays Sullivan's son, a twelve year old who witnesses a murder.

The party who was in charge of the witnessed murder kills Sullivan's wife, and other son, and the two head out to Chicago to seek work with Al Capone and find the wherabouts of the murderer, named Connor. Before all this we get a glimpse of life before the incident, and Paul Newman is excellent as the local Rock Island crime boss. When the Capone crew is asked permission to work for and kill Connor, they do not oblige, putting Michael and his son is a predicament. They begin robbing banks that house Capone's laundered money, in hopes of making an exchange.

Some people did not enjoy Jude Law cast as a henchman hired by Capone to kill Sullivan, who broodily photographs his victims. For a few reasons I highly enjoyed him in this, he seemed a little crazy and not as hard edged as some gangsters. There is a scene in a diner where he begins to actually talk to Sullivan and his son, and they quickly realize its a setup. Sullivan teaches his son to drive the getaway car, and the movie shifts gears into a bit of a father/son classic. When i first saw this, I did not know it was based on a graphic novel, which has got to be kind of a nice specimen, a gangster novel instead of monsters and superheroes for a brief change.

Sam Mendes had attempted to make a gangster film here that avoids the same themes as others, and I widely think that he has. It is a bit hard to re watch because of the somewhat surprise ending and some drawn out moments. Some critics felt detached from it, like they did not have the ability to care about the characters. 2/3 of the way through, Sullivan is injured and the two have to stay with a couple on a farm; at this point we see some wonderful things happen; that engrossed me a bit more in the relationships. This is one of my favorite roles for Tom Hanks, who is known as a a take him or leave him actor.

There are some great scenes of the 1930's car rolling through the Midwest, and with that moving car, there is a theme of comfort, as if Sullivan, the boy, and the car are one. The best thing about this is that if you are able to be pulled into it quickly enough, it sticks with you; and there are some cold sensations that the winter, rain, and robberies conjure up in you. When you as the viewer ride with Sullivan and his son in the old car, there is a bit of foreboding doom. But there is also a glimpse of a land with promise; that was being eaten by the economic and criminal cancers of the era.

Ace does fly High indeed; in Scorsese's "Casino"

It's a harrowing thing to be told of all the secrets of the desert and threatened to be buried out there yourself. The 8th film by Scorsese featuring the iconic Robert De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, "Casino" is the story of a gambling professional hired by the Midwest arm of the mob to oversee the fluid operations of the Tangiers in Las Vegas. The outfits overseen by the character in real life were the Stardust, Hacienda and Fremont casinos in the newly booming desert empire in the 1970's.

What many claim is Joe Pesci's maturely signature role, he plays the true enforcer behind the scenes, making sure that the mob gets money off the top and everyone stays in line. Rothstein's wise move of always making the right bets for the mob in the beginning really pay off (for a while) as making him a golden child of the teamsters, who are not allowed to go past Kansas City to make money.

Full of wonderfully crafted scenes that guide you through the operations, security, lavish entryways and valet areas of the casinos, the narraration splits between De Niro and Pesci perfectly, as Pesci's temper really, really starts to get the best of him. To say the least, he stomps on, intimidates, steals money from, and extends his smart middle finger in the direction of anyone who crosses him. "Goodfellas" is an obvious gangster masterpiece, with the same craft of showing you the players like illustrious mobbed up individuals with their own unique traits. The sheer fact that the blinking lights, rows of slots, and violent humor gets to go a step further here with the locale make it that much better.

 The issue of very lax gaming laws in the 1970's is the reason why Rothstein is allowed here in the first place; you could at that time operate while your license was pending. As in many other epic plots, a woman enters the scenario and changes everything. When I first saw the film I thought Sharon Stone was not going to belong, that she was hideously miscast. Nope; she is a hustler named Ginger who as Rothstein tells us "can keep a man up for days before sending him home broke and disheveled".

A hybrid of true gold digger with another bipolar side possessing a bit of heart, her ex boyfriend Lester (James Woods) is a constant thorn in Rothstein's side, and he cannot see her attraction to the loser who sometimes "doesn't have enough gas money to pick up his own check". Her and Rothstein marry, and she eventually goes down a path of addiction and deceit. Many other scandalous things happen and red flags are raised on Rothstein's gaming license; with a true to life ending of what usually happens when you try to cheat the establishment. Full of music like the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and The Moody Blues, there is a hardcore type of jangling going on here that can make you feel like you are eating a steak buffet at 4 in the morning.

 "Casino" is one of those depressing tales that doesn't depress you all the way, watching someone take over like Rothstein is a cinematic adventure. Webs of production don't get spun like this every day in Hollywood, and it is a trademark; a homage to a bustling time when you could stand up straight and take what you wanted if you had the balls to.

"Heat" by Michael Mann: The City Of Angels' Epic Saga bathed in blue

Bathed in a sea of blue, Los Angeles has almost never looked better. This epic crime drama from Micahel Mann is said to be his best, what he wanted to do with "Thief" from 1981, with a bigger budget. Al Pacino is Vincent Hana, a cop who is in another failed marriage, burnt out yet still on overdrive. Robert De Niro is Neil McCauley, a man who did time in Folsom who still takes down scores from safes and banks. Val Kilmer has a good supporting role as one of De Niro's henchmen, and these guys really do not mess around. In the beginning we see Neil steal an ambulance and the first score is an armored truck. They hire some help that goes a little crazy and kills the driver, and sparks start to fly left and right.

Many did not like the length of this film, and at almost three hours that is understandable. A very ambient musical score, and McCauley's hard nosed desire for one last retirement plot make this picture sizzle. The layers of blue are shown to us in perfect form, when Val Kilmer is asleep on McCauley's floor after a fight with his wife. De Niro sets his gun on the counter, gets coffee for them both, and we see the Pacific Ocean behind them in it's early morning glory as Kilmer stumbles up. Michael Mann also achieves these perfect shots in "The Insider", in which he shows us Russel Crowe standing by a lake getting ready to testify against big tobacco. The simple, modern apartment which still has no furniture is the homage to the man who has everything but wants just a little more.

Amy Brenneman plays Eady, the lonely artist who McCauley meets in a bookstore. At first completely snubbing her, he falls for her lost persona, a delicate woman who moved out West. His desperation for companionship is a wonderful theme, and the real treats in this movie happen when Pacino and De Niro sit down together for Coffee. McCauley is told that "now that he has been sat down with in person, I am not going to like it when I am going to have to take you down". He returns the qoute by telling Pacino he neither will like it; and the stage is set for climax. a portrait of the busy highways, secret information being sold, banks letting themselves be ripped off for insurance money, and shoot outs in broad daylight, "Heat" is a modern winner of a film. Taking from some of the best dramatic scenes of his TV series "Miami Vice", Michael Mann shows us what the big boys do here when they sit down to making an epic gangster movie.