Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

Hereafter - Matt Damon, Cécile De France Paranormal Activity 2 - Katie Featherston

Movie of the Week

Hereafter

The Stars: Matt Damon, Cécile De France The Plot: A supernatural thriller centered on three people -- a blue-collar American (Damon), a French journalist (de France), and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways, causing their lives to intersect. The Buzz: The latest from director Clint Eastwood. The vibe I'm getting from this one is "Eastwood does Shyamalan & Tsunamis." I haven't seen Clint's last two films, so I really shouldn't speak out of turn here, but I've had a difficult time getting excited for Eastwood's more recent attempts, so I'm not terribly optimistic about this one. Also, Matt Damon is a little too cookie-cutter for me, and the trailer brings "I've seen this all before" to mind. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised though, as I'm sure Eastwood still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

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New Blu-ray and DVDs released this week:

Moulin Rouge! (BD) - Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent Please Give - Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt Predators - Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace Psycho (BD) - Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles Romeo + Juliet (BD) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes

Blu-ray/DVD of the Week

Moulin Rouge! (BD)

The Stars: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent The Plot: A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources. The Buzz: With its Shakespearean left/right punch, the final act of Moulin Rouge never fails to bring me to the brink of tears. First, it's a battle with tears of joy; the crescendo of masterful sonic rendering pulls so beautifully at the heartstrings, one fears that one's heart might give out entirely, and just when happiness hits an all time high, director Baz Lurhman deftly shifts from pure joy to abject sadness in a swift and expertly executed move (and some might say, a downright cruel one), causing one's heart to finally give out, as feared, but for the exact opposite reason one was initially protecting against -- tears of bitter tragedy quickly replace tears of joy. For those who have yet to see Moulin Rouge, this might sound all too painful, but surprisingly the lasting spirit is an uplifting one, and after the end credits, just before the fade to black, we are all reminded: "This story is about truth, beauty, freedom; but above all things, this story is about love." It's truly an amazing story, and the film is expertly crafted; beautifully shot, edited, scored, all facets painted by a true artist's hand. McGregor, Kidman and Broadbent all turn in top class performances, but the music is the real centerpiece here, masterfully woven from 20th century pop culture snippets.

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