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SoozyQ:

Two and a Half Movies

Xbox LIVE® Video Marketplace is stocked with more new movies and TV shows every week. Some of these titles I've never heard of before, but there are two movies and one TV show, a pilot episode in fact, that have particularly caught my attention.

The Departed
I'm not going to beat around the bush on this recommendation, so I'll just come out and say it: Everyone go watch The Departed. It's one of the best movies of last year and director Martin Scorsese finally earned his long-awaited Academy Award for Best Director because of it. Good directing leads to good acting, and this movie features an amazing ensemble of actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson, and even Martin Sheen.

Inspired by the Asian cult film Infernal Affairs, The Departed is a story about a young cop who infiltrates an organized crime unit in South Boston, while the mob places a man inside the police department. Once both sides realize they each have a mole, both cops must do whatever it takes to protect their own identity and discover the other man first.

DiCaprio, Damon, and Nicholson all give solid performances in this film, but Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin deliver some memorable lines that give the movie that little extra icing on top that makes it stand out. Wahlberg (Three Kings, The Perfect Storm), was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in this movie as the foul-mouthed Sergeant Dignam.

Saw III
After the first 15 minutes of this movie I told myself it seriously had to be the last horror flick I watch. If you're a horror movie fan that probably got you excited to watch it, but this movie left a wimp like me freaked out and sleeping with the lights on. I'm usually the one screaming out loud, covering my face with my hands, or plugging my ears during scary movies.

I caught Saw in the theaters and I liked the storyline as much as you could like a scary storyline, meaning it had a cool twist. I vowed to not watch Saw II, but I ended up watching that too, so it just made sense for me to watch the third installment. This movie, available for download now in HD, picks up from the sequel and finds Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) on his death bed, and his protégé Amanda (Shawnee Smith) continuing his horrific work. That's all I'm going to say about this movie because just writing about it still gives me the chills. Like the first Saw, this movie leaves you with an ending to remember.

Aquaman
I couldn't believe it when I saw Aquaman available on Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. I've been watching the HBO show Entourage, and a character on that show portrays an actor who was cast in a fictional Aquaman film. Plus, recently on Smallville, an episode brought together the future members of the Justice League, including Aquaman. Since Aquaman seems to be stalking me, and the title role was played by a very fit Justin Hartley, I just had to select download.

The pilot episode finds a young Arthur "A.C." Curry (aka Aquaman) discovering the necessity of revealing certain inconvenient truths about the marine environment and learning about his true identity. The show is set in Florida, so there is lots of skin to see. Enjoy as much as you can from this episode, however, because it's all there is. The series wasn't picked up in 2006 when UPN and the WB merged to form the new CW network. The dialogue may have some cheesy moments, but if there were more episodes to watch, I would be there. I have a weak spot for superheroes, plus Aquaman helps save the environment. What's not to like?

Article by SoozyQ