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Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Ted Levine, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson Drama/Suspense. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Synopsis: In 1950's Massachusetts, a U.S. Marshal and his partner are sent to an island off the coast of the mainland to investigate the disappearance of a woman convicted of murder from a hospital for the criminally insane when he begins to suspect that there is something secretly evil happening at the hospital and he is determined to find out what it is and to stop it.

Very, very powerful adaptation of a novel that is visually stunning and disturbing in one of Scorsese's best, in my opinion, which is saying a hell of a lot.

First, Shutter Island just looks creepy, uncomfortable, and disturbing which, of course, is the way its supposed to look. This is important because, right from the get go, you get a sense of foreboding as two U.S. Marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio Gangs Of New York)   and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo The Zodiac) are bouncing around on a little boat on their way out to the island, a prison for the criminally insane, where they are going to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a female inmate who is alleged to have drowned her children. (Emily Mortimer The Pink Panther) 

Right from the beginning the tension between the staaff and our Marshals is palpable, we get the feeling something else is going on here, but what? What are the people who are running this island asylum for the insane trying to hide? No creepy film noir psycho thriller set in a asylum for the criminally insane  would be complete without 1) a hellacious thunderstorm which basically puts the place in lockdown mode 2) menancing, yet debonair doctors. We have both in Shutter Island. 

And, our two creepy doctors literally couldn't be any better, with one being the evident sadistic genius behind whatever is going on (Ben Kingsley Suspect Zero)  and, of course the evil former Nazi doctor (Max Von Sydow The Exorcist) 

You need to understand that this is a hard movie to review in the sense of doing it justice. You will realize early on that you are to see this entire story unfold from Teddy's point of view, complete with the violent and disturbing flashbacks to his experiences in World War II. I will repeat that little clue once more because it's important...you're seeing everything from Teddy's point of view.

Is there a "twist" or big time "reveal" coming in this one? Of course there is, but you'll know that from the second the opening credits roll. The key to an effective psychological thriller that will stand the test of time, in my opinion, is this: let's say you firgure out or guess the 'reveal' before the end of the flick...will you still enjoy the movie? I don't think there is any question that answer is a yes for Shutter Island.  Now, having said that, I didn't figure out the 'twist' early, though I can say I wasn't far off and I'm sure that some of you will guess it early on...my point is I believe that is no fault of the movie, which does, in my opinion stay faithful to the twist and you'll find it to be consistent upon a second viewing.

The aacting is wonderful but I don't want to waste too much of your precious time telling you the obvious: Kingsley, Von Sydow, and DiCaprio are wonderful actors, yada yada....you know that and they don't disappoint.

I do think a special shout out is due, however for the scene stealing performances of two well known character actors whose relatively small parts were essential to the story. Jackie Earle Haley (Fragments) and Patricia Clarkson (The Woods) are exceptional during their short time on screen.

I also think Mr. Ruffalo's somewhat understated and reactive performance can be appreciated much more after the twist is made clear to the viewer.

A solid thriller from one of the best directors walking around out there. A solid must see, in my opinion.

Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, John DiMaaggio, Kelly Hu, Neil Patrick Harris, Wade Williams, Phil Lamarr, Jason Isaacs, Gary Cole. Acion/Animated/Fantasy Directed by Brandon Vietti. Synopsis: Batman faces a new, menacing foe who uses some of the Joker's methods, but he is also part vigilanted and reckless in his killing at times. He is uncomfotably familiar to Batman.

Now this one is was a lot of fun. It's so nice that animation can be used for us adults in such a way as to tell a story in a way that it might not be able to be told in real life. And that's fun. I have always particularly liked the dark, edgy aspect of the Batman character...let's face it, a lot of us like our heroes to be partially psychotic.

Batman's drive and mania comes through loud and clear in this one and, frankly, he is going to need it given what he is up against in this one.

There is a new player in town, one Red Hood, and he is a hard guy to figure out. Part criminal, part vigilante, pure menace and he is obviously looking to corner the market on crime in Gotham. He might even be more of a threat than the Joker, and its not like Batman doesn't still have that maniac to deal with in this one.

The only thing about Red Hood is, well, he is kind of familiar to Batman...why is that? Well, of course, I know but I will not spoil it for those who haven't seen the flick other than to say this story is well done, the animation is neat, and the voices 'fit' perfectly so, if you like Batman, you need to watch this one.  

Eddie Griffin (Irish Jam) plays Undercover Brother,  a walking parody of the super cool black action hero from the '70s, when it was called 'blaxploitation'. Huge Afro, pick with the black-power-fist handle, Gold Cadillac, patent leather shoes...the whole nine yards. Hilarious. And, don't think that the racial humor I spoke of is directed from one race to another. Most of it is directed inward, which makes it both acceptable and, in my view, funnier.

Undercover Brother is doing his thing, trying to be a cultural Zorro when it comes to distinctive black culture and the modern era that seems, to him, to be losing that particular flavor. While on an 'assignment', he crosses paths with The Brotherhood, a top secret society that works to take down "The Man", that fictitious figure who works to keep people down, or so the people say.

Brotherhood agent Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3) recruits Undercover Brother to work with the rest of the crew to fight The Man. And, now is the perfect time, since The Man has recently hatched a devious plan which has brought down the potential Presidential campaign of General Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams iMURDERS) and also poison the minds of African Americans everywhere.

The Brotherhood is led by The Chief (Chi McBride Annapolis) and also features Smart Brother (Garry Anthony Williams) and Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle The Nutty Professor), not to mention their intern, Lance (Neil Patrick Harris Batman Under The Red Hood)

The Man, who remains faceless to us, relies on his right hand man (Chris Kattan) and The White She Devil (Denise Richards Edmond) whose job it is to use her woman wiles to get Undercover Brother off the trail of The Man.

The pace of the flick is crisp, the dialogue is primarily one liners and double entendres, and no stereotype is spared nor any chance to spoof the prototypical 'spy' movie. The cast works well together, with Chappelle, Griffin, and Williams being the ones who will elicit the most laughs, but everyone pulls their weight.

You'll have some fun with this one for a couple of hours, nothing wrong with that.