1989 - The Departed

I'm on this kick of re-watching epic/long films right now that I'm working from home. I love this film - it has such an amazing energy to it - I think it's my favorite Scorsese film, and that might just be because this is one of the rare times that he actually tells a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  If you don't know anything about this film - it's got a pretty fantastic plot - DiCaprio plays an undercover cop whose infiltrated the mob, and Damon is part of a crime family and has infiltrated the high-level of the police.  It's such a juicy story, and it's done SO well here.  The performances are top notch and a lot of fun.  Filmmakers studying awesome set-ups should check out the opening of this film - it's text book perfection.  Who knows if I'll ever make a crime film, but if I do this one will be a huge reference for me.  If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and make up for that.

1822 - The Other Guys

I watched this sometime last week and seem to have forgotten to write about it here.  The premise is a lot of fun and I won't get into the details of the first act 'cause there's a great surprise moment there that I wouldn't want ruined for anyone else.  Wahlberg and Ferrell make a wonderfully unlikely comedy team and the story itself reminds me of all those buddy movies I watched as a kid in the 80's.  What's really wonderful is that the film takes itself seriously as an action comedy - the action is pretty fantastic, but played realistic in the sense that people don't easily walk away from the pain endured.
This has been out for awhile, and I believe it's on netflix - it's a fun flick if you want some solid popcorn entertainment.