Weekend Catchup.

I have been very involved in my studies this past week, and films provide a break from reality, a chance to leave my life and escape into someone's for a brief period of time. I took time out of my busy weekend to see two critically acclaimed films: "Lust, Caution" and "American Gangster." While I do not have time to offer full critical reviews of each film, I can briefly state my take on each.

"Lust, Caution" (***1/2)
"Lust, Caution" is director Ang Lee's followup to the universally hailed "Brokeback Mountain." "Brokeback Mountain" was an astounding film that should have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and it remains as one of the best films of the decade. While "Lust, Caution" does not exceed Ang Lee's previous film, it does, however, establish itself as one of the best films of the year. The film is set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during World War II and follows the story of a group of theatre students who try to take part in the resistance. The film has a slow pace, but like "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," it is never boring. I was fully engrossed the entire time. Tang Wei delivers an amazing and brave breakthrough performance as Wong Chia Chi, a girl who has to disguise herself in ordr to infiltrate the enemy. She later involves herself in a torrid love affair with Mr. Yee, the man she is trying to bring down. The motif of the cigarette is very important to the film. Actors have to learn to smoke, and as the film progresses Tang Wei executes this habit well. It is a symbolic reference to her deception. The film does have some graphic sex scenes. Most of the time, I hate watching unnecessary sex and nudity in films. While the number of sex scenes could have been cut, I was not bothered by them in this film. Like last year's "Babel," the nudity progressed the film. Overall, this is a well-executed film led by an amazing performance by Tang Wei that I would highly recommend.

"American Gangster" (**1/2)
I also had the opportunity to catch Ridley Scott's latest, "American Gangster." This film is by no means a bad one; it just does not live up to the hype that I have been hearing about it. I halfway expected this. The story follows the rise and fall of Frank Lucas, a black heroin kingpin in Harlem. The script is not bad, but it does drag in places. Denzel Washington delivers a good performance as Lucas, but it is nothing Oscar-worthy. Personally, I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's performance in "We Own the Night" more. Russell Crowe is also noteworthy as the honest police investigator who helped bring Lucas down. His performance is good, but if the Academy wants to award him with a nomination this year they are better off seeing "3:10 to Yuma." The film accurately depicts the atmosphere of Harlem, but I did not fully invest in the lives of the characters to care enough about the movie. It is a good film that could have been tightened up somewhat, but it does not compare to last year's "The Departed," and definitely does not come close to other films in its genre like "The Godfather." I have a feeling, however, that because of the explosive box office gross as well as good reviews, we could see this film's name called during the announcement of the Oscar nominations.

Tomorrow, I should be catching an advanced screening of "Lions for Lambs," so make sure to watch out for that review coming soon.