Johnny Depp makes a great comeback in 'Black Mass'

Johnny Depp in Black Mass

Johnny Depp used to be one of Hollywood's most interesting leading men. He never played conventional roles and didn't let his good looks define him.

But then relatively late in his career what had previously been unthinkable happened -- he became a bankable A-list star.

Suddenly, he started cranking out low-risk, family-friendly fare. And his once enticing quirkiness became increasingly stale and gimmicky with each subsequent release.

After the moribund recent "comedy" Mordecai came and went from theaters with a resounding thud earlier this year, I thought perhaps we'd seen this once great actor's total flameout.

But then came Black Mass, the new gangster film featuring a barely recognizable Depp as the infamous Boston crime lord "Whitey" Bulger. The movie surrounding Depp doesn't exactly break new ground, but it is wildly entertaining and mostly thanks to a top-notch performance by its star.

Depp says totally reinvigorated here. Perhaps the heavy make-up liberated him. He looks positively reptilian in this film. And instead of presenting an over-the-top caricature of a monster, he plays all sorts of nuances and shades of an admittedly troubled man. You walk away wanting to know more about the real Bulger which is a tribute to Depp's acting more than the film's power -- I suspect the accuracy police are already hard at work debunking it, but I digress.

The gangster genre has been good to Depp. First with Donnie Brasco and then more recently with Michael Mann's underrated John Dillinger epic Public Enemies. The violence and sexual aggressiveness of these films contrasts nicely with Depp's occasionally soft and even effeminate off-screen persona.

In these types of films he effectively plays against type, unleashing a ferociousness that is buried in his more elfin roles, and it's a sight to behold. And although he is the best thing about Black Mass, he's not the only terrific part in it.

It's a fascinating story that at times seems to stretch believability a fair amount but the real center of the film is Joel Edgerton in a loose and amusing performance as an FBI agent who's a little too close to the hoods who are informing for him. After The Gift, this is another home run for Edgerton, who's rapidly emerging as one of the most intriguing new leading men in movies.

But this movie stands as proof that Depp isn't ready to cede his stature to a new generation of up-and-coming male stars. He still has some gas left in the tank. I'm sad to see he plans to make more Pirates movies in the near future. For me, the first was charming and more than enough.

He should stick to films like Black Mass which provides a real showcase for his unique and unpredictable talent.

Why Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X' remains a masterpiece

Delroy Lindo and Denzel Washington in Malcolm X

Last night I had the pleasure of watching Spike Lee's epic 1992 biopic Malcolm X (starring a riveting Denzel Washington) with three people who've never seen it before.

It's one of my favorite films, so I was already very much in the tank for it but seeing it through three new viewers eyes was certainly revealing.

For a film now over 20 years old it holds up remarkably well. Despite having a small budget, Lee works wonders with costume, setting and music. And then there's Denzel Washington's performance. Although this film came relatively early in his Hollywood career, it's the work all his future performances will likely be measured against. It's a true tour de force.

At nearly 4 hours, it's fair to the say the movie is tab overlong. Some sequences could have been pruned a little. And yet, as a whole, it's a remarkable portrait of the evolution of an imperfect man.

Malcolm X

Seeing this radical movie now, it's impressive to me that Warner Brothers financed it and allowed it to be distributed to national audiences in its current form. It begins with incendiary footage from the Rodney King beating, it does not shy away from the more extreme rhetoric Malcolm briefly espoused (the complete separation of the races), and it does not feature a single good liberal white character to symbolically redeem the rest.

At the center of it all is Washington, who holds the screen for almost the entire running time of the film, giving us a myriad of emotions and shadings of a character.

Through subtle shifts in his appearance and vocal inflection he communicates so much gravitas and charisma. His failure to win the Best Actor Oscar (he lost to an overdue Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman) is one of the great Academy Awards injustices of all time.

The film is also, is some ways, one of Lee's most accessible films. He used Lawrence of Arabia as a blueprint and it shows, particularly when the film's canvas opens up to include Malcolm's late-life pilgrimage to Mecca.

Some radical critics have griped that Lee sought to make Malcolm safe for a middle class bourgeois audience, but then why would the director dedicate over a third of the film (maybe too much) to his youth as an unrepentant hoodlum.

The point is that everyone could never be pleased with a film about someone as mercurial as Malcolm X, but for an attempt to encapsulate such an influential life, this is clearly a noble effort.

Lee was attempting something which had never really been done. An epic all-American film about a largely black subject and protagonist. He takes an even bigger risk by telling the story non-linearly, which is normally a disaster for these types of movies, and pulls it off.

At this coming Academy Awards, Lee will receive an honorary award that he richly deserves. He's been around so long (and his work has fallen off so much) that it's sometimes easy to take him for granted. But like Sidney Poitier was once the only game in town in terms of A-list black actors, Lee more or less occupied the same role as a prominent black filmmaker for years.

If he hadn't made work that was both profound and profitable, the state of black film could have been stuck in the stone ages. And if he never made another great film after Malcolm X (and for the record, he did), his legacy as an icon would be secure.

'Grandma' features Oscar-worthy work from legendary Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin in Grandma

The new comedy-drama Grandma accomplishes several impressive feats. It does a better job of any narrative movie I've seen (including the somewhat overrated Obvious Child) of looking at the subject of abortion, it presents a road movie that doesn't lapse into cliche and it reminds audiences once again of what a remarkable talent Lily Tomlin is.

Tomlin has always been terrific but she hasn't appeared in a ton of films. Her unconventional looks and personality must have given Hollywood fits, but her wit and skill have never been in question.

She scored an Oscar nomination for her first major role, the ensemble masterpiece Nashville. She was the standout in a remarkable Robert Altman cast. She went on to give well-received performances in films like 9 to 5, All of Me, Short Cuts and I Heart Huckabees.

But Grandma feels like a career-capper in the best way. It's the kind of showy, hilarious role that aging male actors always get but women of Tomlin's era rarely do. At 76, she hasn't lost a comedic step. In the film she plays a gruff, but honest lesbian writer, whose best work is far behind her.

Her granddaughter seeks her help to procure an abortion leading to a brief odyssey that will bring them closer together and reveal more about the Tomlin's character's past. It's a short and sweet film, not even 90 minutes long, but it feels totally authentic and believable from start to finish.

The supporting cast is excellent, but this is totally Tomlin's film from start to finish.

There is nothing predictable about her, and from scene-to-scene it's awe-inspiring how many shades she plays. This could have been a totally self-satisfied indie movie where Tomlin plays a sassy granny, but there's more depth to the movie than that.

The abortion plotline is neither overplayed or underplayed. It's presented very plausibly and unlike so many recent films, it really examines a lot of facets of the procedure and doesn't trivialize them. That said, the movie also isn't a political film, at least not overtly so.

It's a film about character -- both in the literal and figurative sense. We all wish we had a cool relative like the Tomlin character, someone no-nonsense who has your back no matter what. And even though she comes across as deeply flawed she's never not likable, which is a tribute to Tomlin.

This woman is a national treasure and one of our greatest comic actresses. Hopefully Oscar won't forget her when the Best Actress nominations come out, because she richly deserves one.

Stop speculating about the next James Bond!

Idris Elba

Don't get it twisted. I love Idris Elba. And like most reasonable people I was offended by new 007 author Anthony Horowitz's assertion that the black British actor is "too street," to play James Bond. And for the record, I was also turned off by Horowitz's dissing Skyfall too.

That said, I am also sick and tired of all the premature speculation over who the next 007 should be.

Here's the thing, I am a Bond fanatic (as my epic marathon-viewing of all the 007 films in order can attest) and in my humble opinion, we are in the midst of the entire franchise's high point.

Skyfall was the most commercially and critically successful Bond film of all time. Daniel Craig has been masterful in the role and after this fall's Spectre he's contractually committed to one more outing (although he has hinted that this new film may be his last).

I have no doubt that Craig will move on at some point. He's nearly 50 years old and has been tied down to playing the British secret agent for nearly ten years. Still, he's been a fan favorite and a nice change of pace from his well-coiffed, but quip-happy predecessor.

Why the rush to establish a new 007? In addition to Elba, the rumor mill has been swirling around Tom Hardy (who already has a franchise in Mad Max), Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman and a handful of other unknowns. And yet if Craig does go on to fulfill his contract, we might not have a new Bond until at least 2020, which is why I find the whole preoccupation with his replacement rather puzzling.

On the Elba matter I have a few thoughts. He is already in his mid 40s so his window for assuming the role is closing rapidly. I had, in the past, resisted the notion of a black James Bond. I'm African-American, so I can assure you prejudice was not my motivation. I guess I just liked the idea of some continuity with the character.

Daniel Craig in Skyfall

But here's the thing. The Daniel Craig era basically rebooted everything. It's as if the Connery-Moore-Dalton-Brosnan years never happened. And Skyfall, my favorite 007 movie of all time, showed a willingness to kill off major characters and take some real narrative chances. So if the producers wanted to change Bond's racial identity there are interesting ways to do it.

For instance, at the end of Craig's fifth outing as Bond, his version of the character could die and another agent, perhaps played by Elba, could assume his position and moniker. Perhaps the James Bond identity is just that, a nice suit passed from agent to agent that they can use for cloak and dagger purposes. This would appease purists who have a hard time seeing the character as non-white, and also please a legion of fans who think Elba would make the most natural choice for the next 007.

People forget how controversial a choice Craig initially was. Back then the whole uproar was over the fact that he was blonde and supposedly not good looking enough. Those critics look pretty foolish now. Back in 2006, when Craig took on the role, the name most often rumored to be right for the part was actor Clive Owen. Again, nothing against Clive Owen, but it's hard to imagine anyone other than Daniel Craig playing Bond over the last few years. He was the right 007 for the moment.

And perhaps Idris Elba is the right Bond for the future. But really, what's the rush?

Why 'Eyes Wide Shut' has stood the test of time

Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut

I can think of few recent movies that have been redeemed through time and distance more than Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Despite a handful of rave reviews when it was initially released, the movie was ridiculed and reviled by most audiences, many of whom were inexplicably expecting a more explicit and accessible thriller.

What they instead got was a darkly funny and prescient meditation on the preoccupation with infidelity.

Like most Kubrick projects, it was development for years. Kubrick even considered casting comedic actor Steve Martin in the lead at one point (he was a huge fan of The Jerk) which speaks volumes about the inherent humor the director saw in the material.

It's definitely not a traditional genre picture, but then again none of Kubrick's films were, And like nearly all of his films, its reputation has improved dramatically over time as if audiences finally caught up with what he was doing.

A Clockwork Orange was initially viewed as an orgy of senseless violence, but more adept viewers now understand the film as a work of pitch black satire. Believe it or not, The Shining was dismissed by some critics when it first came out as not scary enough, whereas today the movie is routinely name-checked as perhaps the most unsettling horror film of all time.

When Eyes Wide Shut first came out in 1999 there was anticipation of X-rated antics from Hollywood's hottest couple. And while Kidman shows lots of skin and the couple does engage in some chaste cavorting, sex is not the primary preoccupation of this film.

It's hard to sell audiences on a film fascinated with the mind, but then again that's ultimately what 2001 and most of Kubrick's work was about. He was an unapologetically cerebral filmmaker that almost never chooses the easy narrative route.

Some may quibble about the quality of his work, but few can knock the craftsmanship. And the visual details of Eyes Wide Shut, like all of his classic films, stick with you long after the movie is finished.

Take, for instance, the infamous orgy scene. Now that it's been restored to its uncensored glory on DVD (the film released in theaters was compromised to get an R-rating) it's an unsettling and surreal experience. The costumes, the heightened dialogue, the whole ominous feel of it still hasn't quite been matched since.

While films like Fifty Shades of Grey make unconventional sexuality look laughable, Eyes Wide Shut is actually interested in making you think and indulging your fantasies.

Of course, there will always be those that see this film as lesser Kubrick. Tom Cruise is polarizing to say the least, the script's circuitous language (characters often repeat every question they're asked) and the film's piano-plinking score can be tiresome. But I still like this movie more every time I see it, because its bursting with ideas, because it raises real questions and because it's damn sexy too.

Black Panthers 'Vanguard' documentary is relevant and revealing

The Black Panthers; Vanguard of a Revolution

The lack of literature, cinema and ephemera dedicated to the Black Panthers is truly astounding considering the social and political impact they had for almost a decade. It's a testament to how incisive and dangerous they were.

It is within this vacuum that Stanley Nelson's compelling documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution, arrives in theaters in select cities over the course of this month.

It's a moving and memorable tribute to an ambitious organization that unfortunately collapsed under the weight of infighting and oppression at the hands of a hostile federal government.

Coming on the heels of the equally powerful Listen to Me Marlon, it's an important film for young people to see, because at the very least it provides context for something that a lot of people have heard of and maybe are vaguely familiar with -- but little else.

As with any film on a topic as polarizing as the Panthers, there will be detractors with this film. It paints the organization's founder, Huey Newton, in a very unflattering light. There are several prominent figures in the movement (like Bobby Seale) who declined to participate. And the film focuses on 1966 to 1973, so there are certain aspects of the Panthers' history that are not explored in great detail.

Still, this was a film several years in the making and it shows. This is definitely a warts-and-all documentary, which looks at what was both inspiring and infuriating about the Panthers.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution

Yes, some of their goals were improbable and occasionally their methods were unorthodox, but one walks away from this film with a sense that America needed the Panthers, whether they realized it or not.

This documentary is also yet another example of how there are so many stories of non-white American culture that need to be told and inexplicably haven't been. We've seen countless films romanticizing white America's role in excursions both abroad or at home, while the history of communities of color has been largely relegated to the sidelines.

It's easier to sell a film like this because it's commercial prospects are minimal and there's not the same risk there is in mounting a production with sets, actors and international distribution. But as Straight Outta Compton proved, audiences of color are hungry to see their stories on screen.

Sure, there was an attempt to bring the Panthers' story to screen once in the mid-'90s, via Mario Van Peebles, but the time is ripe for a revisit of this material. In the meantime, see The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution if and when you can, it's a movie of this moment in the very best way.

The top 10 fall/winter movies I can't wait to see

Now that it's September, what has become increasingly well know as the "good movie season" is about to begin.

Michael B. Jordan in Creed

Sadly, the major studios have been increasingly unwilling to release Oscar-caliber movies until the last 2-to-3 months of the year, forcing us to sit through mindless blockbusters the rest of the year.

It's unfathomable to some people that Silence of the Lambs came out in February of 1991 or that a prestige movie like Saving Private Ryan competed with traditional action films in the thick of the summer of 1998.

That said, I think it's been a very strong year for movies so far, with a couple of titles (Mad Max: Fury Road and It Follows), that I wouldn't be surprised to see in my final top 10 list). And there are some very exciting titles still on the horizon. This is one of those years where the genre pictures of the winter are way more interesting to me than the summer fare.

There are still so many films that I haven't seen trailers for yet or have enough buzz to make a judgment, but as of right now -- these are the top 10 movies I am marking my calendar for.

Honorable mention: Miles Ahead - I have literally only seen a photo of actor-director Don Cheadle as Davis and I'm very intrigued. This has been a passion project of his for years and I'm so excited to see how he brings his jazz icon onto the big screen and introduces him to a new audience. I am an enormous Miles fan and he is a challenging subject for a film. As Straight Outta Compton proved, you can make entertaining biopics that can transcend their core audience. Waiting and seeing on this one.

10) Spotlight - A dream cast (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, to name a few) anchor this real life story of Boston reporters who brought national attention to the child molestation by Catholic priests that was covered up for decades. It should be a stirring and fascinating film if the trailer is any indication and since the story is not something I am not overly familiar with, there's sure to be some surprises too.

9) Rock the Kasbah - Bill Murray looks like he's returning to vintage pure comedy form in the trailer for this one and I couldn't be more excited about that. I've been a big fan of his more dramatic late career turns, but have also wanted to see a glimpse of the old wild and crazy Murray. His character in this movie seems a little more grounded, a rock manager stranded in the Middle East.

8) Truth - This drama about the downfall of Dan Rather should provide Robert Redford with another one of his great late career roles. He has long been one of my favorite movie stars, and after All Is Lost he's finally starting to get some of critical appreciation he always deserved. If he nails this performance he should be a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. As a journalist still one really intrigues me and its a genre Redford's done wonders with before (see All the President's Men).

7) The Revenant - I was never a big fan of director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu until Birdman, and now I can't wait to see what he does next. This new film, which boasts a trailer that was appropriately mysterious but exciting, was shot in all natural light lending it an intense and gorgeous immediacy. It stars two of the best leading men acting today -- Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy -- and already gets points for originality in my book. Could be a major player in the Oscars if it's legit.

6) Sisters - It's not a golden age for American comedies by any means, but the trailer for this one had me laughing hard out loud in a way I haven't since perhaps Bridesmaids. This one boasts a similar pedigree and party atmosphere. We already know Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have amazing chemistry together and it's nice to see them swapping comedic personas a bit and playing against type. Sisters should be a lot of fun and hopefully will avoid Trainwreck's unfortunate moralizing.

5) Black Mass - I thought I was done with Johnny Depp and then I saw this incredible looking trailer for this Boston-based crime epic. The movie could turn out to be terrible, but it looks like a real transformative performance for an actor I used to really admire, but who recently seemed content to crank out cheesy pirate movies every couple years. I'm intrigued to see him play one of the only full-blown villains of his career (the feared gangster Whitey Bulger).

The Force Awakens

4) Creed - This project has had me really excited for a long time. I thought Rocky Balboa was a fitting finale for the beloved boxing character, but when I learned that rising star Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan were taking over the reigns of the franchise. And Sylvester Stallone is widely ceding the spotlight. He's finally playing his age and it could be the comeback dramatic performance of his career.

3) The Hateful Eight - Quentin Tarantino doesn't make movies often, but when he does they are always unforgettable. This does feel like the first time he's retreating to totally familiar territory -- another western on the heels of Django Unchained, but that was my favorite movie he ever made -- and with a cast like this (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bruce Dern) I can't complain. Perhaps he'll finally get the Oscar love that has eluded all but his screenplays.

2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens - You'd think after nearly a decade of dreadful prequels all of the magic of Star Wars would have evaporated by now, but J.J. Abrams' old school approach has me believing again. I can't wait to see the original cast reassemble one more time (although I am still really bummed about the omission of Billy Dee Williams). The use of real sets, practical effects and the emphasis on story really comes across in the little footage we've seen. This could be a real game-changer.

1) Spectre - Hands down the movie I'm most psyched about this year. Skyfall is not just my favorite Bond movie all time -- it is one of my favorite movies period. It'll be an incredibly tough act to follow both critically and commercially but this new film wisely seems to be building off of that film's DNA. It's yet another look deeper into the background of Bond, a character we don't truly know after over 50 years in the movies. Daniel Craig has been owning this role for nearly a decade now and I expect great things.