Yowazzup: A Directory of Happening Things

Edge of Darkness is a thriller starring Mel Gibson who plays a homicide detective Thomas Craven. As he investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence. Starring Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Edge of Darkness opens on January 29, 2010.

Popularity: 1%

Me and Orson Welles is a movie based in NYC, 1937 which shows us a week in the life of aspiring actor Richard Samuels (Zac Efron), where he finds himself cast in Orson Welles’ staging of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” and falling for an older woman (Claire Danes). Starring Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles opens on November 25, 2009.

Popularity: 1%

Dare is a movie about three privileged high school seniors whom decide they can no longer ingnore their deepest needs and take the biggest risk of their lives. Starring Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer, Dare opens on November 13, 2009 on a limited release.

Popularity: 1%

Antichrist is a horror movie about a grieving couple whom retreats to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse. Starring Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist opens on October 23, 2009 on a limited release.

Popularity: 1%

Trucker is a drama about a truck driver looks to turn her carefree life around after she takes in her estranged 11-year-old son. Starring Michelle Monaghan, Benjamin Bratt, Nathan Fillion, Jimmy Bennett, Trucker opens on October 9, 2009.

Popularity: 1%

Bandslam is a movie about an outcast (Gaelan Connell) who bonds with the popular girl on campus (Alyson Michalka) over their shared love of music, and together they decide to form a rock group and enter their school’s upcoming battle of the bands competition. Starring Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Bandslam opens on August 14, 2009.

Popularity: 1%

Public Enemies is a 2009’s Michael Mann movie based on the true story of FBI agent Melvin Purvis’s attempt to stop criminals John Dillinger and his associates.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard in "Public Enemies"

In 1933 as John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is brought to a penitentiary by his partner John “Red” Hamilton (Jason Clarke) but they are actually there to help their gang members to break out of prison before heading to Chicago to rob banks.

Meanwhile, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and several other FBI agents manage to gun down another criminal, Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) and J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) recruited Purvis to lead the hunt for Dillinger.

At a party, Alvin Karpis offers Dillinger a role in a kidnapping plot but he declines politely stating that the public doesn’t like kidnappings. There, Dillinger meets Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), whom he takes to dinner. But when Dillinger begins talking to associates of Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s right hand man, Billie leaves and takes a taxi. Later, Dillinger manages to locate her and beats up a drunker who is verbally abusing her. Impressed, Billie leaves with Dillinger to a motel.

After getting a tip up, Melvin Purvis and his men ambush the motel where he believes Dillinger is staying but they only find an ordinary husband and wife. As Purvis is suspicious of the “husband”, he leaves one of his men to stay behind and watch the door. But, the agent is distracted by someone approaching the door and is killed by the “husband” who turns out to be Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham).

While Purvis has mistaken Baby Face Nelson to be Dillinger, Dillinger and his men manage to conduct another robbery and Purvis admits it’s his mistake and demands from Hoover to bring in professionals to help him to catch Dillinger.

When Dillinger and his girl are enjoying their vacation together, the police manages to locate and arrest Dillinger. In the court, Dillinger’s lawyer is able to convince the judge to keep him in the county jail instead of transferring him to the state prison. With the help of a few inmates, Dillinger manages to escape using a fake gun but is unable to meet Billie due to tight surveillance by the FBI.

Later on, Billie manages to escape and meets Dillinger as they spend a night together. The next morning, Billie is recaptured by the FBI and is severely beaten by an interrogator. Purvis and his men come later on and stop the interrogator from his abusive ways.

With the help of Anna Sage, a prostitute who is also Dillinger’s acquaintance by threatening to deport her back to Romania, Purvis manages to track down Dillinger. But, it is another agent, Charles Winstead who shoots Dillinger. Purvis quits the FBI a year later and committed suicide in 1960 while Billie lived the rest of her life in Wisconsin after her release in 1936.

Public Enemies has slight reassemblance like the movie “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” where actor Johnny Depp’s character, John Dillinger is the Al Capone version of Brad Pitt’s Jesse James. Asides from Johnny Depp’s incredible performance as Dillinger, Public Enemies is brilliantly filmed in high definition and it has a great cinematography and is beautifully set up.

My ratings: 8 out of 10.

Popularity: 1%

Amelie is a biopic based on the American pilot Amelie Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world. Starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Amelie opens on October 23, 2009.

Popularity: 1%

The Girl From Monaco a.k.a. La fille de Monaco is a French Comedy about a Parisian attorney who travels to Monaco to defend a woman accused of murder. The Girl From Monaco opens on July 3, 2009 in USA on a limited release.

Popularity: 1%

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a romantic drama about a Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage. Starring Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, The Time Traveler’s Wife opens on August 14, 2009.

Popularity: 1%