Bovie Movie

Though some viewers might be put off by its length, graphic violence, and absence of likable characters, Sergio Leone’s final film is also a cinematic masterpiece. Spanning four decades, the film tells the story of David “Noodles” Aaronson (Robert De Niro) and his Jewish pals, chronicling their childhoods on New York’s Lower East Side in the 1920s, through their gangster careers in the 1930s, and culminating in Noodles’ 1968 return to New York from self-imposed exile, at which time he learns the truth about the fate of his friends and again confronts the nightmare of his past. The acting, the re-creation of the time period, the cinematography, and the music are all superb. However, even more important is Leone’s ability to make the film work on so many different levels: it’s both a criticism of gangster-film mythology and a continuation of the director’s exploration of the issues of time and history. Strange as it may seem, the violence and gore in the first half of the film turn into a sad elegy about wasted lives and lost love. The film’s strengths emerge only in its full 229-minute version — the 139-minute and other edited versions don’t make nearly the same impact.

A Perfect Murder is based on Frederick Knott’s play Dial M for Murder, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954. Married to commodities trader Stephen Taylor (Michael Douglas), Emily Bradford (Gwyneth Paltrow) is romantically involved with artist David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen). Aware of this affair, Stephen researches David’s past, visits his loft studio, and informs David that he knows about his aliases, jail sentences, and various cons and scams directed at rich women. Then Stephen offers David $500,000 to murder Emily, and David agrees. The plan is calculated to make the murder look like an accident, but events soon go on an unscheduled course. Enter Detective Mohamed Karaman (David Suchet). Knott’s original play opened June 1952 in London, followed by a New York run that began October 1952. Several books and sources describe how Hitchcock’s film was made in 3-D but neglect to mention that, despite trade screenings in 3-D, Dial M for Murder was originally released in 1954 with ordinary, flat 2-D prints. It was finally shown to audiences in 3-D during the mid-’80s.

Directed by Paul McGuigan, Wicker Park follows Chicago businessman Matthew’s (Josh Hartnett) return to Windy City life after having dedicated two years of his life to mourning his long lost love Lisa (Diane Kruger), who’d mysteriously vanished from his life. Things are finally looking up again for Matthew; his career is in full swing, and he’s thinking of becoming engaged — that is, until he thinks he’s spotted his former lover in a restaurant. Almost immediately, Matthew puts the brakes on his marriage plans and his career in order to conduct an exhaustive search for his old flame. Obsessed, he barely notices the psychologically devastating trap his quest is leading him into — a danger that only grows when he meets an enigmatic stranger (Rose Byrne). Wicker Park features Matthew Lillard and Jessica Par? in supporting roles.