Grade: B | Genre: Comedy
Summary: No one is more surprised by the outcome of this rather witty little film than I. It has its share of problems, but this is light years away from the suck fest this was destined to be.

The rise and fall of Kevin Smith has been a swift and ugly thing to witness. I think the general sentiment was summed up best in a recent episode of Entourage when Vince discovers they've sloughed off directorial responsibilities of the Aquaman sequel to Kevin Smith after James Cameron bailed. The communal gasps of disappointment couldn't have been more telling. Smith was a man who entered with all the promise of indie Superman. Clerks had the grittiness of an El Mariachi with the savvy of Reservoir Dogs. It was lewd, crude and set its own rules that naturally come with a lack money and studio muscle forcing the film's evolution through focus groups. He would sputter out on Mall Rats, but fulfill all of his tremendous promise in the insta-classic Chasing Amy. Since then, one bad film has cascaded into the next -- Jersey Girl, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the brilliantly mis-executed Dogma. It's amazing that this man can still take meetings in Hollywood. So when I first heard the rumor that Smith was queuing up a sequel to his indie smash hit, I could only think that he was sucking out that last ounce of indie credibility before getting tossed on the heap of hack directors for hire. Believe me, no one is more surprised by the outcome of this rather witty little film than I. It has its share of problems, but this is light years away from the suck fest this was destined to be.

Grade: A- | Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Summary: A "Spike Lee Joint" that delivers a satisfying, big-Hollywood heist movie in the best sense of the genre, sprinkled with a stellar cast that includes uber-cool Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. A nice night out for the money.

This movie introduces you to Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), criminal mastermind, with a monologue that appears to take place from a prison cell. So okay, we think we know how it ends, but hang on, sorting this plot out is half the fun in this two-hour flashback of a bank-robbery where cool, collected thieves execute a daytime siege of the main Manhattan Trust Bank. The heist happens when a band of gunmen take over this Wall Street bank and seize hostages who are forced to wear the same coveralls and white masks as the crooks to confuse the cops. Enter expert negotiator Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), who has his own cloud of mystery, as does this rich, complicated story of twists and turns. The dance begins between Frazier and Russell as they play mental games with each other in this film that is strongly reminiscent of some of Sydney Lumet's films such as Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, and while this film is not exactly on the same par, it comes close and is a substantial effort in that direction. In fact, Frazier, makes mention of that epic film when he and mastermind Russell debate the escape plan details, by saying, "We've all seen Dog Day Afternoon, you're stalling."

Grade: B | Genre: Modern Rock
Summary: The Eraser is a nice day trip to spacious vistas that have become dusty in memory, but I'm really hungry for a real excursion into the new Radiohead.

Radiohead has always proved to be a curious creature on the modern rock scene. They entered as purveyors of the youthful grunge movement with radio staple "Creep," only to yank their sound by the leash into the electro-rock of The Bends and one of rock's greatest moments OK Computer. They would seemingly take on the helm of the Beatles of their generation with the quirky innovative genius of Kid A. Since then they have continued to forge the path into the esoteric and strange with little regard to their fan base or their overall place in music. Some would say innovators like this need not answer for their adventures into the land of the bizarre. They needn't carry any semblance of convention or need to tow the line that rock tries to strong-arm them to take. Yet as the blur of obscurity continues to muddy their sound, the listener finds it harder and harder to connect with these brilliant geniuses, try as we might. The rumor is that the forthcoming Radiohead effort is a thankful return to the dirges of rock they abandoned circa-The Bends. It's still largely under wraps at the moment so we can do little more than spin our speculative wheels. While they were prepping the world for their new direction, lead singer Thom Yorke had some music of his own itching in his head that was plotting its escape. Electronic blips flitter about as Yorke revisits the darker looks of Kid A in the fine release The Eraser.

Grade: C+ | Genre: Sci-Fi
Summary: V for Vendetta isn't unwatchable. It has its moments, but overly its a preachy version of the future where the government is as dark as they can be and the populous exists with a purity of soul, hinged on grand ideals.

So everyone had to do a neck wrenching double take when they saw the striking Natalie Portman playing a cue ball during promotions for the final chapter of the Star Wars saga. No Princess Amidala wasn't shipped off to some intergalactic concentration camp. She was busy filming her new sci-fi film V for Vendetta. Straight off the comic book pages, V comes to us when we are overloaded with roaming vigilantes and men in tights on the silver screen. V for Vendetta is one of DC Comics lesser-known series, tucked away in their Vertigo wing. It tells the story of one vigilante fighting a British government of the future (2020 to be exact) that has stripped its people of their freedoms and rules with an iron fist of fear. V's (Hugo Weaving) sole purpose in life seems to be the incitement of anarchy in the masses in order to topple the totalitarian regime. In an age where illegal government wiretaps and freedoms are cinched ever tighter with the decidedly unpatriotic Patriot Act, it's hard to see V as anything but a commentary of a bleak 1984 type existence we could be hurling towards.