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In the audience of my screening of the Three Stooges Movie were young couples, middle aged couples, older couples, young kids with their dad's, young kids without supervision and a wife with her husband of 30 years hoping her spouse would not pretend he was Curly during the film.

After 93 minutes of watching the Farrelly Brother's faithful rendition of (and heart-warming tribute to) the Three Stooges all viewers had something in common; they had laughed repeatedly at a extreme slapstick, physical, sight-gag, low-brow and sound effect latent comedy. To hear the repeated and open belly laughs of kids and adults alike was a joy to my ears.

I will openly admit I have seen all 190 shorts of the Three Stooges since being introduced to them in the 1960's. Some so many times it is impossible to count, A few I would bet good money I could write the script from memory.

I would be the first to lambaste this film if it were not faithful to the Stooges. But all-in-all the effort is pitch perfect. Yes, the Farrelly Brothers have applied the humor to some current and contemporary structures (e.g., Jersey Shore) but that is what Columbia Studios always did.

Thank you Farrelly Brother's and oh how I miss The Three Stooges.

After the Fox (1966) is as hard to categorize or rate (in terms of number stars) as it might be to actually catch the animal in real life.

After the Fox has an A+ list pedigree; it stars Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove), is directed by Vittoria De Sica (The Bicycle Thief), with the screenplay by Neil Simon (The Odd Couple) and music by Burt Bacharach (What's New Pussy Cat), with the title single by the Hollies (Long Cool Woman – in a Black Dress).

After the Fox is not the best work for any of the members on the list above. It is somewhat slow to start and uneven. However, After the Fox has so many scenes and characters that are sensationally clever it would be a shame to avoid viewing.

After the Fox is the first screenplay written by Simon and the setup and dialog in the restaurant negotiation scene is as good as any Simon and Sellers have been involved. There are many other scenes in After the Fox that take full advantage of Simon and Seller's artistic skills.

Victor Mature (Samson and Delilah) plays the vain heavy Heavy – Tony Powell. The role is a parody of Mature's screen persona and he is brilliant. After the Fox smartly uses a love scene between Mature and Lizbeth Scott in Easy Living as part of the setup.

Maria Grazia Bucella plays the "sister" of the bad guy - Okra. Bucella's beauty is so overwhelming, she commands virtually every scene in which she is involved. Also Bucella displays a wonderful ability to play dead-pan humor.

Bond Girl Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun) plays Gina Vanucci/Romantica. She seems somewhat miscast. Ekland and Sellers were recently married and it is rumored Sellers insisted she be in the film as the lead actress.

After the Fox seems to struggle in the sense that it is caught between trying to be a farce (stealing gold), slapstick comedy (police chases), parody of Italian Art house film (Sellers as Fabrucci/Fellini) and parody of Hollywood (Mature as Powell). Trying be all of those aspects is problematic. None-the-less, After the Fox is well worthy of a viewing.

After the Fox is available at NetFlix via online streaming and the quality of the picture is very good.

Zodiac, David Fincher's film about the impact the San Francisco Bay Area serial killer's case had on three primary characters is delivered with great attention to detail and proper pacing. Zodiac is not a film that uses or relies on suspended disbelief to succeed and does not attempt to compress five years of story into one in order to keep viewers interested. Instead it relies heavily on the facts and uses all of its 158 minutes to present them in almost linear form and staccato fashion.

Set primarily in San Francisco in the late 1960's and 70's (and eventually the 80's) Fincher's Zodiac takes no artistic license by adding the obligatory car chase scene down Russian Hill, drug enhanced evening in Haight-Ashbury or conspiracy oriented behind the scenes moves by City Hall. Instead the audience is presented with a credible story that portrays how stress, tension, frustration and fascination play upon the lives of S. F. Police Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), S.F. Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhall), and S.F. Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). Each of these people, as well as those surrounding them are operating well within the confines of every day life and the establishment. Fincher does not let Zodiac wander outside its central story, and therefore no editorial comment about the Vietnam War or similar events of the day are offered. Insights about the impact on the victims (who survive) or their families are only touched upon if they remain central to the story.

The initial scenes of the movie depict the killer in operation and they are not sugar coated. However, viewers wanting to see a film in the style of Fincher's Alien (3), Se7en or even Fight Club (i.e., blood and gore to almost surreal levels) should look elsewhere.

Zodiac is a well crafted production on all fronts. In addition to Fincher, the lead actors and extensive (and well known) supporting cast Zodiac producer's assembled a credible team. James Vanderbilt (Screenplay), David Shire (Score), Donald Burt (Production Design), Keith Cunningham (Art Direction), Victor Zolfo (Set Direction) and Casey Storm (Costume Design) all deliver quality work in their respective areas. There are no weak spots in this film. Zodiac may not (or attempt to) dazzle, but it does please.

Similar to drinking a cup of coffee from dark, rich and well roasted beans after having a large travel mug's worth earlier in the day from the gas station; The Departed is exceptionally enjoyable, hard to resist and leaves you a little extra boosted after its finish.

The Departed is not for the faint of heart or provocateurs of political and social correctness. However, The Departed is full of everything Martin Scorsese – conflict, intensity, male testosterone, chemistry between male and female, the blurred lines between good and bad and legal and illegal. Oh, and did I mentioned gun shots to the head. The Departed is Martin Scorsese at his best.

The basis for The Departed comes from the film "Infernal Affairs" (out of Hong Kong) and screen writer William Monahan does a more than credible job extending the storyline and characters. The Departed is a story and study in the comparison of deception and honesty, crime and law, family lineage and no background, and protection and exposure.

The Departed is full of popular leading actors playing leading and supporting roles that have depth and importance to the film. It is a credit to Scorsese, the actors and the script that The Departed can blend the styles of being almost over-the-top with stretches of seriousness and high intensity yet not lose continuity or the audience. Another measure of the quality of The Departed is that it runs at 1:51 minutes but plays much more like 90.

Luck, chance and fate or the illusion thereof is often what comes to mind when considering Las Vegas. The Cooler captures this line of thinking with almost expert simplicity. Exceptional performances by William H. Macy, Maria Bello, and Alec Baldwin of Frank Hannah and Wayne Kramer's compelling story about Las Vegas' under belly and its back-office world is the winning combination for The Cooler.

Almost everything seems to be what it appears to be, but then again is not at all. Macy as Bernie is the definition of a lonely, simple working stiff who is as far from being a winner as is possible yet meets his apparent soul-mate in Bello's Natelie. Luck, chance and fate or the illusion thereof will all play out before The Cooler finishes.

Baldwin's Casino boss Shelly is at any moment singularly heartless, compassionate or faithful or simultaneously heartless, compassionate and faithful. Can this possibly be the case? With Baldwin and The Cooler the answer is yes. However, no matter how very real things may feel, illusion is always lurking close by.

The chemistry and connection between Macy and Bello is remarkable and certainly one of the best executed for the screen. Their linkup is coincidental, planned and ultimately subjected to being against the odds.

The Cooler is a graphic movie with regards to violence and sexual encounters, but never feels gratuitous.

While watching a Prairie Home Companion I was certain that I was taking in the most enjoyable and entertaining film in recent memory. A PHC quickly draws you into the moment and while in it anything is possible. Time and reflection will likely prove that this light and breezy work of art is a wonderful film but no classic. However, while playing before you the PHC reveals and plays to the strength of its creators and cast as well as any film. Robert Altman, Garrison Keillor, et. Al, appear to be running on all cylinders and never run out of gas. Seeing that I was only slightly familiar with the actual PHC I can guarantee there is absolutely no need to know anything about it to enjoy the film.

The Break-Up is a highly watchable drama that contains elements of cleaver comedy. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston put in solid performances in a film that feels strikingly real at times.

The Break-up does not play out as a light-hearted comedy with a predictable wrap-up in the last five minutes. The Break-Up reveals the very human side of a failed relationship and its potential reconciliation. Yes, there are some very funny scenes. However, as the misalignment of expectations quickly unfolds the movie reveals its true self.

The Break-up does a more than credible job of displaying many of the aspects of how people deal with conflict and remorse. Many of the situations play all-in-one as funny, sad and realistic.

The bottom line is that the Break-Up is solid film built with Hollywood money and stars that chooses a route its benefactors rarely allow to be taken. This fact alone makes the movie worth viewing.