Is anyone else excited about Robin Hood? The movie is directed by Ridley Scott, who rarely – if ever – does a bad movie. The movie stars Russell Crowe, who, despite his off-screen behavior, is one damn fine actor. The movie also stars no-names like Cate Blanchett, Vanessa Redgrave and William Hurt.

In other words, Robin Hood is going to be awesome, and the first picture made its way online today, reaffirming my belief that this should be one kick-ass film. I do have to admit, though… I was more intrigued when the film was still called Nottingham and Crowe was to play the GOOD Sheriff of Nottingham, who was tasked to take down the evil thief played by Christian Bale. That would have been something.

Here’s the first movie picture from the upcoming movie Robin Hood, slated for 2010… (more…)

I actually watched American Gangster over a week ago, but due to mitigating circumstances (changing day jobs, trying to get a date with this one young woman, traveling to Florida for a weekend and so on and so forth), I forgot about (a.k.a. put off) writing a movie review for the picture.

Interestingly enough, I had just watched Mr. Untouchable, a documentary that interviews Nicky Barnes, one of the drug kingpins depicted in the picture (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.). American Gangster isn’t about Nicky Barnes, but it is about another drug kingpin who gained tremendous power a few decades ago but who thanks to a dedicated cop finally had his empire destroyed. American Gangster is about two men, the cop (Russell Crowe) and the gangster (Denzel Washington), who square off, even though they rarely share a scene together or even know the other one exists.

Director Ridley Scott has once delivered a solid picture, and some critics are suggesting early Oscar buzz. While I would say that there have been better movies this year, American Gangster has the stars, the dazzle and the box office success to be a serious contender. Hear what I have to say by reading my full American Gangster movie review.