THE DEPARTED (2007)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 10 of 50)

The Departed

Martin Scorsese's ruthless crime film about rats, moles and double crosses is a very tense drama that is full of too many plot twists to name and finally gave Scorsese an overdue Academy Award. But let us not forget that The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

I watched these films back to back and it is interesting to notice the differences. The Departed is about an hour longer than Infernal Affairs, so it does have more time to flesh out the characters. Infernal Affairs doesn't go into nearly the details of the origin story and practically avoids the romantic sub-plot we see in The Departed all together. But it is interesting to compare the scenes taken from the original and placed in the Scorsese film: two hoods talking about how to spot a cop, a sting that goes wrong because of the mole warning the crime boss ahead of time, confessions to the lady psychiatrist and both the rooftop scenes. There also is no real equivalent of Mark Wahlberg's Dingham character in Infernal Affairs.

I would probably choose The Departed if I had to choose a preference between the two because of the additional character development in the screenplay of Oscar winner William Monahan.

But why choose? Have a party and watch them both!

Infernal Affairs

SIDEWAYS (2003)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 9 of 50)

Some quick takes on the most relatively recent listings from the
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list

I don't want to sound too cutesy and say Sideways has aged liked fine wine since the last time I saw it, but there you have it. Basically a buddy picture, with Miles (Paul Giamatti) the wine loving writer who is trying to get himself together after a painful break-up and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) the lady loving actor and a player that wants to have a fling before his upcoming marriage. The bottom line is despite their flaws, I really like these guys. That even goes for Jack, who can be more than a bit of a jerk at times. But they seem real. And the female romantic interests played by Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen are engaging characters as well.

Think I'll go have some Pinot Noir now.

GOMORRAH (2008, ITALY)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 8 of 50)

Some quick takes on the most relatively recent listings from the
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list

Complex and penetrating Italian crime film about feuding criminal clans and those that run or are run over by them. A film whose nuances and story arcs would certainly gain through repeated viewings, it is definitely not for the faint of heart violence wise or linear plot wise.

THE PIANO TEACHER (2001, AUSTRIA)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 7 of 50)

Some quick takes on the most relatively recent listings from the
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list

The major conflict of The Piano Teacher is the duality between a woman named Erika who is classically trained in the arts but has secret sexual desires, many involving sexual masochism and humiliation. I don't know if we are supposed to sympathize with her, as we do  feel bad about parts of her upbringing, but we can't excuse some of the things she does either. But I think that's the point, our feelings toward her are not black and white and the film addresses these points. I did find the look into that duality as being very interesting, if often unpleasant.