This Boy's Life

Robert De Niro gets top billing, but young Leonardo DiCaprio is the revelation of This Boy's Life, an astute, often painful drama of growing up in the 1950s Pacific Northwest, based on the autobiographical novel by Tobias Woolf. DiCaprio plays Tobias, a good kid with a bad boy streak but an unwavering love for his divorced mother (Ellen Barkin). "I want to be a better boy," he promises from under a greasy pompadour, and tries to prove it when she marries single father Dwight (DeNiro), a bully who parents through intimidation and humiliation. DiCaprio is magnetic in his first starring role, full of anger, hope, and confusion as he drifts back to juvenile delinquency, and his intensity gives the true story of survival and triumph its charge. DeNiro is frightening and pathetic as Dwight, and Dwight's youngest daughter is played by future star and vampire slayer Eliza Dushku.

The real life story of a free-spirited mother, Caroline Wolff (Barkin), and her wild teenage son Toby (Leo) in the late 1950's. Hoping to set a foundation for her lad, Caroline finally stops their travels and sets up shop in Seattle. Things get out of hand when Ma Wolff decides to settle down with a seemingly good-hearted and simple man (DeNiro) so sonny-boy can have a father figure around and get some much needed discipline. Leonardo gives an incredibly touching and believable performance worthy of not only an Oscar nomination, but of the actual statue on his mantle piece. DeNiro plays the son of a bitch to a tee again and puts a little pepper on it this time around. He was very convincing and even a tad funny in the way he portrayed this guy as a real simple phony and a top-notch jackass. This Boy's Life deftly portrays a boy's struggle to find himself without banging us over the head with its underlying message. Leonardo DiCaprio is just brilliant in this film, even though he was just a young teen during making this movie, he gave fantastic performance. By the way, he jerks off several times in this film and kissed by a gay boy (a classmate) who has crush om him. Highly recommended!

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Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American film actor. He gained fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic and has starred in many other successful films including Romeo + Juliet, Catch Me If You Can, and Blood Diamond. He has appeared in Martin Scorsese's recent films Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Departed, causing people to compare this relationship to that from which actor Robert De Niro benefited early in his career. DiCaprio has also been nominated two times for BAFTA, three times for SAG and is a Silver Bear Award winner.

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The Basketball Diaries

Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity.

A bleak, potent depiction of a young man trying to grasp the pain of life. Teen angst isn't romanticized or melodramatic in this film. It's brutal and agonizing and tragic. DiCaprio's mere presence makes the film compelling - his intense, passionate performance is among his best. He's nuanced, fierce and startlingly believable all at once. This isn't standard storytelling. This is a crushingly real, violent and honest movie with a lot to say. Young DiCaprio prostitutes himself at public male restrooms for money to buy drugs. It's a coming-of-age story like no other... one of my all time favorites.

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The Departed

In South Boston, where the state police force is waging war on organized crime, young undercover cop Billy Costigan is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Costello. While Billy is quickly gaining Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan, a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy--and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.




Every so many years, a film comes along and everything just seems to fall into place. The Departed is one of those films.

Scorsese definitely struck gold with this one, both figuratively and literally, finally receiving a much deserved Oscar for Best Director. The writing is great, the direction is spot on and the cast is one of the best that has ever been assembled. Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, Sheen, Baldwin all deliver great performances in this one.

My absolute favorite film. Love it! ♥

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