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For all those fans of film noir, this is a must see!! This dynamic, new director takes his audience to those places you have nightmares about - the depths of your soul's darkest places. Through inventive cinematography and provocative theme, Andrew Eckblad establishes himself as a name you will be hearing about for a very long time. Man's age old sin of envy is well-plotted and exquisitely filmed by this new face in film-making. Told through the 'eyes' of a child, Mr. Eckblad evokes the feeling we do not like to confront in the light of day. If you enjoy a thought-provoking theme told through the eye of film noir, this is a must see!!

And it is through this notion that an American phenomenon was born during a time of great need in our nation. And in All The King's Men, the needs of America during and after the Great Depression is the backdrop for this political tale. And like the Greek tragedy that has played over many times throughout history, the director once again shows us that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This tale of a flawed man with good intentions giving way to hubris is one the Greeks identified thousands of years ago. And like our Greek predecessors, this real-to-life political climate of Louisiana is our Athenian tale of ambition, achievement and ultimately destruction by the very forces that brought it to power.

As Willy Stark, Sean Penn gives us all a compelling look, as a fictional character who is unique and powerful master communicator. Willy comes to power by giving 'the common folk' their slice of the American dream--education, prosperity and dignity, even though it all comes by way of back-door deals and personal aggrandizement. In the character of Willy, Sean Penn again shows us why he is one of an elite handful of our greatest actors of this generation.

As with all great actors, he transforms his physicality, speech, and manner into this charismatic leader. Through his energy and understanding into the motivation of Willy Stark, the viewer is provided a glimpse into this complex individual driven by achievement and a need for attention that ultimately consumes him by his own ambition.

When there is a cast that boasts the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Cate Winslett, Patricia Clarkson and James Gandolfini, a mosaic of grand proportion has been assembled. With egos aside, each actor gives a masterful performance and exhibits a selflessness for the sake of the each character portrayed. This tale of politics in the South pulls us into each scene as each actor takes each word and gesture and turns them into an invitation to the viewer to become part of the scene.

The direction and photography of this period film about the birth of 20th Century American political flamboyance provide a canvas on which this master piece is painted.

To some, this film is slow moving. However one only has to look at the subtle relationships being built and revealed during periods of dialog-only scenes to understand the director's purpose. This director has composed his story like a visual symphony with each instrument defined and lending its unique presentation to the film's crescendo.

If the film goer watches this version of All The King's Men for action or some new twist on an old story, they will surely leave the experience empty and unsatisfied. However if one comes to view this film for the re-telling of a timeless story by an extraordinary cast being masterfully directed, then he or she will revel in the experience of film making at its very best. In the land where everyman is a king but no man a ruler, Willy Stark is a throwback to the old Kingfish -- the likes of which we have not seen in a very long time.

Mateo Scuro, like his name, is in the dark. Both symbolically and really. With his thick-lens glasses, Mateo looks out at a world that has become distorted by progress, poor eyesight and the reality of being forgotten. A pensioner who has not seen his children in years, Mateo says goodbye to his wife in Sicily and travels to the mainland of Italy to begin a journey to see his five children. He wants to surprise them and so he does not tell them of his plans. But the real surprises are waiting for Mateo.

Traveling from one city to the next, Mateo calls on each child with great anticipation to see the meaningful impact they are having on Italian life. But life quickly hits Mateo squarely between the eyes and forces him to see clearly. Each child is hiding something from their father who does not see well. Their lives are not what they appear to be. They are unhappy working in menial jobs or with their relationships. But their real secret is the crushing blow for a doting father. The youngest son, Alvaro, has committed suicide and none of the others can bring themselves to telling their father the truth.

Toward the end of Tornatore's cinematic statement about the isolation of being forgotten, Mateo and his two surviving sons meet for dinner. His daughters, grandchildren and of course, Alvaro, are not present. This staple of Italian life and joy, the family table, now becomes Mateo's nightmare when he learns of Alvaro's death.

Tornatore is a master of the dream sequence. In the tradition of Fellini and Wertmueller, Tornatore give us insight into Mateo's deepest fears of losing his family through a dream. We see a large, black balloon, with tether ropes hanging down, descend on a beach where Mateo, his wife and children are playing years before. As this balloon descends, picks up his children and carries them away, Mateo runs to them but cannot reach them. He watches them float away into the sky. This foreshadowing of Mateo's life comes to fruition when at the film's end, Mateo is in a hospital room recovering from an episode of what can only be interpreted as the most profound disappointment of all--the loss of one's family.

Upon returning home, the camera is looking into the eyes of Mateo as he recounts to his wife the details of his trip. However as the camera pans back, we see that Mateo is speaking to the headstone of the grave where his wife is buried. As he answers his wife's imagined question of how the children are, Mateo answers, "Stanno tutti bene" (Everyone's fine).

Tornatore uses dream sequences and the symbolism of being out of focus as well as in the dark with masterful irony. These images are driven home with all the force of a sledge hammer as the director takes the viewer, through Mateo, on a journey of anticipated-joys, awakenings and ultimate disillusions.

Mateo's dreams, failing eyesight and loneliness are his steadfast companions through his remaining years. Tornatore paints a picture for the viewer of life as a deception from the most unlikeliest of sources--those we love the most. For Mateo, being in the dark is the best kind of medicine he could hope for--a world where Stanno Tutti Bene.

The viewer has to wait all of two minutes into the opening scene of this dark, satiric and wonderfully delicious film before asking oneself, "Why is Pierce Brosnan doing that?" And from there the viewer is taken on an American-Mexican-European-Asian vacation-like adventure but without the screwy relatives and slapstick humor. Instead one is on an adventure and character study in the life of Julian, the 'facilitator of fatalities.' Finally there is a big commercial project in which Pierce Brosnan can showcase his comedic instinct coupled with his portrayal of an emotionally unavailable and very confused hit-man. The two opposites could not work for anyone else except the former Mr. James Bond who was the epitome of class and savoir faire. And because Brosnan was widely viewed only as 'Mr. Bond', Mr. Brosnan was never seen as a legitimate actor in the fullest sense of the word. His talent and instincts shine as the guilt-ridden, emotionally-overwrought Julian who is as enigmatic as he is transparent. Brosnan's timing and comedic sense present the viewer with a wonderful cinematic gift. Who else could have you routing for a hit-man in the declining years of his 'career?' Of course on the other side of the screen is the vastly underrated Greg Kinnear. His sense of timing and emotional bonding (no, not James Bonding)to Julian allows Kinnear to give us glimpses of a soon-to-be middle-aged man who decides to extend his caring to his new friend Julian. Kinnear's ability to play complex emotions and in the very next instant be the straight man to Brosnan's antics is classic. The chemistry between the two keeps the viewer wanting more. And to this smart director's credit, he leaves it that way. When the final credits roll, you want more of these happy, tortured lives but you can't have it because that is the stuff smart, catchy films are made of.

'The Matador' is a cold, crisp Margarita on hot summer's day that,as you take the last gulp, leaves you asking, "No Mas?"

Pasta, as the staple food of all Italian households, serves as the symbol of that which sustains us physically. And life long relationships is what defines each and every one of us. In this respect, watching Mastroianni as Antonio and Lemmon as Robert is like watching two master painters at work creating a human landscape spanning decades.

In Antonio, Mastroianni reveals a man of integrity, caring, love and a sense of what makes us all human. Juxtaposed in Robert, Lemmon initially shows us a tired, bitter and disconnected man who no longer sees the real beauty in life. One cannot find two more opposite men at their respective stages in life. But it is here that the audience enters into their world or re-discovery.

As always, Jack Lemmon inhabits the soul of his character (Robert) while portraying the angst felt by a man in deep internal turmoil. But being the great actor Lemmon always displayed, he does not leave us with this one dimensional view of Robert. Rather Lemmon takes us, as the film progresses, on a journey into his re-discovery of a time in his life when happiness was real, taken for granted and lost. And in that realization, Lemmon gives us the real bitterness of his character. Having once loved Antonio's sister during his days in the Army while stationed in Italy, Robert knew, perhaps for the only time in his life, real joy and kinship with others.

Mastroianni gives a masterful performance of a dedicated bank employee who while he is not rich monetarily is rich in the knowledge of the love and respect he enjoys from family and friends. When Robert returns to Italy on a business trip in the present day, Antonio becomes overjoyed with the thought of rekindling the friendship he once shared with Robert. Mastroianni plays, with youthful enthusiasm, his excitement in seeing his 'old friend' Robert again. Antonio, in his simple way, has never lost sight of the true wealth of life. It is in this simplicity that Robert finds, at first, exasperation and then regret.

But watching these two masters of cinema go to work with their characters is liking watching a sculptor taking a lump of stone and turning it into a recognizable form. Lemmon and Mastroianni take the basis of their characters and give a master class in blending the two diverse characters. It is in this blending that both Antonio and Robert learn the real lesson in life - people's lives may change but their core does not. In the end, Antonio is aided by Robert who understands the importance of taking swift action to save Antonio's son who has gotten involved with some unsavory characters. Antonio comes to realize that his friend never stopped caring for him, he was just side tracked by his life in America. For Robert, he has once again felt that exhilaration that we can all know if we allow ourselves. And that is the exhilaration of unconditional, ever present love by friends and family which is the basis of all human relationships.

The final scene of the film is very fitting as we see Robert and Antonio's family sitting at the family dinner table being served pasta. The two staples of life are joined here just as Robert and Antonio were once again.

At one time in our lives we have asked ourself, "Who else would I want to be if not me?" Usually the stock line of careers or occupations dominate one's daydreams in answering this question. Curiously, this film does not go in this easy direction. Rather the main characters, Walt and Rusty, as well as the supporting players are seeking more profound answers to this common query.

From Walt and Rusty to ChaCha and Carmine the pizza guy, we see people living each day in pursuit of the existence that fits them best. For outward appearances and in his surroundings, Walt appears to be the most together character in the film. But is he? His life is definitely flawed as he has no meaningful contact with another person other than his poker and beer buddies. He seeks a hollow substitution in the dance hall escort he tangos with (she is no 'Sweet Charity'!). However Walt is not a hopelessly flawed person which he heroically demonstrates on the night of his stroke as he attempts to assist an unknown neighbor. We feel sympathy and to a degree empathy for Walt's plight as discarded husband and emotionally lost loner.

Next comes Rusty. From all external appearances, Rusty's difficulties with life are visibly apparent. However if one stops there with Rusty, they miss the real story of his flawed existence. Philip Seymour Hoffman steals this film as the female impersonator with wit and a sharp eye for seeing the needs of others. But even though Rusty wrestles with his soon-to-be trans gender journey, he is open and frank about his inner demons which define and offer an explanation of his gender identity crisis. In the end, Rusty genuinely connects with Walt because he senses and feels isolation from family and others just as Walt does. We see that Rusty's caring nature is genuine and limitless as he uses his 'operation' money to pay for Walt's treatment after being shot during the film's final scenes. Hoffman truly takes a character that easily could have been portrayed and seen as a one dimensional caricature and turns Rusty into a flawed but three dimensional person of complex needs and inner strength.

Flawless is not the human condition. Rather, recognizing our flaws and working to change or improve one's life situation becomes the true test of an individual's worth. The 'flawless contest' in the film serves as a microcosm of people's pursuit of perfection in in imperfect world.

Surely Rusty and Walt exhibit an inner strength as they find in each other that they have more in common than not. And more than each one could ever have imagined!

As is typical in most Italian comedies, Monicelli has taken a cup of post war Italy realism and stirred in a cup of scenes from the human condition along with a dash of physical comedy which makes 'Big Deal On Madonna Street' a bittersweet cake we all can enjoy.

Like DeSica and Visconti, Monicelli uses post war Italy as the atmosphere in which these characters find themselves trying to eke out their lives. The recurring Italian film maker's theme of man against a complicated, bureaucratic life is no more evident than here. Throughout the film, the characters impressively quote Italian law by chapter and verse however this does not help them as they all have spent time in jail. The absurdity of knowledge without benefit of improvement is a another theme used. As Toto waxes eloquently regarding the sundry ways to break into a safe (one which the film goer is led to believe he knows nothing about), these men attempt to gain knowledge which they believe will deliver the big score. However even with knowing the apartment is empty, the type of safe the valuables are in and the way to gain access to the safe, their plan is flawed by their inability to execute what seems to them to be a fool proof blue print for success.

While Monicelli's themes ring as clear as the bell that has Peppe il pantera (Gassman) on the canvas, the characterizations of this band of misfits are classic. A stuttering, would be fighter (Gassman), and an out-of-work photographer who has sold his camera to survive (Mastroianni)lead the crew. The scenes played between Gassman's 'everything's easy' attitude and Mastroianni's inquisitiveness provide the viewer with hilarious cat and mouse verbal trade-offs.

In the end, 'Big Deal On Madonna Street' strikes a chord for viewers because we have all felt, at times, completely helpless by the absurdity of life and our pursuit for 'the prize' that we perceive will deliver us from our situation. However like this crew at the end of the film, we wake up every morning and realize that it's back to work to grind out another day.

Wertmueller has created a wonderful, rich and full portrait of a petty criminal whose life takes a series of severe and life changing turns. While the character of Pasqualino (Giannini)is presented as a 'cafone' (clown), his life's situation is one that is sympathetic. As we follow the course of this period of his life, we see Pasqualino's character change from insignificant ne'er-do-well into an Everyman caught up in the horrors and inhumanity of war.

Giannini portrays his character from start to finish with all the authenticity that he brings to all of his work. As Pasqualino, he plays the clown, the would-be criminal, inmate, soldier but above all a man surviving by his wits and to the best of his ability in the insane situation of war.

The defining scene of Pasqualino's spirit takes place during his German captivity as he stands, with hands on head (after refusing to inform on his fellow POWs), singing 'Maria' in his guttural, gritty voice. This simple yet powerful scene touches every heart as Pasqualino's fight for human dignity is clear.

Once again, Wertmueller has given us a capsule of Italian life during a horrendous period of history and has made it relevant to us all, for all time.