Movie: Public Enemies * Trailer * 6 Clips * Images * Official Site	In Theaters: July 1, 2009
Runtime: 140 minutes	Directed by: Michael Mann
MPAA Rating: R for gangster violence and some language	Gecko Rating:

I wondered if "Public Enemies" would romanticize the gangster life, and it sort of does. But it also gives the other side of the story – the blood, violence, and nastiness.

Still, this movie mostly romanticizes it, mainly because Johnny Depp is just so darn cute. What girl could resist his charms, gangster or not? Plus, I think he’s actually getting better looking as he gets older. But enough of my crush…

In "Public Enemies," Depp plays notorious gangster John Dillinger in the 1930s. It’s not a life story or anything; the movie actually picks up with him getting out of prison after something like nine years. Apparently, he’s learned nothing in there, because he’s right back at it, gathering the gang back together and planning their next bank robbery.

We really don’t see a lot of the other gangsters – it’s mostly about Dillinger – but on the sidelines is Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) and others. In a nightclub, Depp spots the beautiful Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) and goes over to introduce himself. He wastes no time and not only strikes up a romance right away, but also tells her who he is and what he does. "I’m John Dillinger, and I rob banks." She resists his charms at first, but they’re soon involved in a torrid affair.

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Whenever I think of Gerard Butler, I automatically think of him being all intense and toga-ish as King Leonidas in "300," but he can hold his own in a romantic movie, as evidenced in "P.S. I Love You" and "Nim’s Island."

He’s the perfect foil for Katherine Heigl in “The Ugly Truth,” a romantic comedy about a chauvinistic reporter who gets involved with a romantically challenged morning show producer.

Directed by Robert Luketic, the movie is rated R for sexual content and language, and hits theaters July 24, 2009. Check out the trailers here and here, and watch the latest TV spot below.

I love it when studios release movies on Wednesday, because it helps to break things up and gives us a chance to see lots of new movies in the same week!

In Theaters Today:

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG). Released in regular and 3D formats, this third movie in the franchise finds Scrat still on the hunt for that elusive acorn (and possibly finding love with a female sabre-toothed squirrel); Manny and Ellie expecting a baby; Diego pondering his place in the world; and Sid wishing for a family of his own. Rated PG for some mild rude humor and peril. [Trailer] [Poster] [Official Site]

Public Enemies (R). Directed by Michael Mann, this gangster movie tells the story of charismatic John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), whose bank raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and his fledgling FBI, including agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). Rated R for gangster violence and some language. [Trailer] [6 Clips] [Images] [Official Site]

Images: © Universal Pictures

Movie: The Brothers Bloom * Trailer * 2-minute clip * Official Site	In Theaters: May 29, 2009
Runtime: 113 minutes	Directed by: Rian Johnson
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language	Gecko Rating:

“The Brothers Bloom” is a funny little movie, the sort of movie you might watch at an arthouse or indie theater, then walk away going, “Yeah, that was an interesting movie with great acting.”

It stars Mark Ruffalo as Stephen, and Adrien Brody as his younger brother Bloom. These two brothers have been con artists since they were kids, with Stephen orchestrating intricate stories for each swindle and Bloom playing the main character.

They work on their own except for the mysterious and silent Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), a Japanese woman who showed up one day and has a penchant for blowing things up. She feels that once you’ve used something, you might as well blow it up.

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I’m giddy over the release of "Public Enemies" next Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Here are a few clips of the premiere, with Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard and Leelee Sobieski talking tommy guns, cars and fedoras.

Thanks to MTV for the videos, and check out all of Film Gecko’s "Public Enemies" coverage!

Johnny Depp: What motivates an outlaw? 

There’s a great story on Johnny Depp in the July issue of Vanity Fair. Here’s an excerpt from writer Douglas Brinkley, who joined the 46-year-old star on his 156-foot yacht in the Caribbean:

"I am, as it happens, a guest on the private island of Johnny Depp. For reasons that surely once made sense, this 45-acre Bahamian dollop appears on maps as Little Hall’s Pond Cay. And this idyllic stretch of sand has been re-christened by the actor as Lily Rose Beach, after his 10-year-old daughter. We are surrounded by silver buttonwood, mangrove thickets, flowering plants, and a huge coconut tree about to drop its fruit. Tiki torches flicker in the shadows."

So begins the journey on which Depp talks about his John Dillinger film "Public Enemies" (in theaters July 1), his new film "The Rum Diaries," barracudas, friend Marlon Brando and much more.

"Money doesn’t buy you happiness," says Depp. "But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it." Read the full story here, and below, watch a video of Depp and Christian Bale (who plays Melvin Purvis) at the L.A. premiere of "Public Enemies."

I just posted a little tidbit about Antonio Banderas doing nude scenes as he turns 50 years old, so I thought I’d post a few stills from "The Code" (said movie in which he strips down).

Also known as "Thick as Thieves," "The Code" bypassed theaters and went straight to DVD yesterday. The story follows a veteran thief, Keith Ripley (Morgan Freeman), who recruits a younger crook, Gabriel Martin (Antonio Banderas), to help him pull one final job so he can repay his debt to the Russian mob. But what Ripley doesn’t know is that the younger crook is actually a Miami cop working with the NYPD to bring him to justice.

Gabriel gets involved in a romance with Ripley’s goddaughter, Alexandra (Radha Mitchell). When they get around to pulling the final job, a Russian mobster kidnaps the goddaughter and demands two Faberge eggs stolen in return.

Directed by Mimi Leder (a veteran filmmaker whose credits go back to "China Beach" and "Hill Street Blues"), "The Code" is rated R for sexuality, language and some nudity. With Freeman and Banderas, it sounds like a lovely game of cat-and-mouse shenanigans. Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray.

More pics after the jump…

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Movie stud Antonio Banderas has been known for showing some skin in his movie roles – well, at least taking his shirt off! But as he gets closer to 50, he’s a little leery of getting naked on screen.

Sure, he does it for his love scenes with Radha Mitchell in the upcoming crime drama The Code, but he wasn’t exactly comfortable with it.

He told the New York Post: "It’s always uneasy when you get into bed with a woman on screen. It’s difficult because you have 50 people around, and there are some people who are sensitive to that." 

He said he wanted to be as respectful to Mitchell as possible. "At the same time, I’m nearly 50 years old, and even I start getting more wary of those scenes. Everything changes as you get older - your mind, your body, the way you view the world."

Well, he still looks darn good to me, but I think it would be really weird getting naked onscreen with someone who’s not your real-life partner. All part of the acting process, I guess.

Image: Antonio Banderas as master thief Gabriel in "The Code," courtesy of First Look Studios, photo by Eric Liebowitz; Source: WENN

This looks like a cute, sexy, funny movie; a subtitled French film you might see at a film festival or arthouse theater.

"The Girl From Monaco" is about a high-priced Parisian lawyer named Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini) who travels to Monaco to defend a wealthy woman accused of murder. He discovers that his bodyguard, the scowling Christophe (Roschdy Zem), can be useful in a variety of ways. But then they run into a stunning – and dangerous - TV weathergirl, played Louise Bourgoin.

Directed by Anne Fontaine, it’s rated R for some sexual content and language. Arrives in theaters July 3, 2009.

After the jump, check out the trailer…

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Movie: The Proposal * Official Site	In Theaters: June 19, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Anne Fletcher
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language	Gecko Rating:

The interesting thing about “The Proposal” is that it’s produced by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind TV shows like “Fringe” and “Alias,” and movies like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Star Trek,” and “Eagle Eye.” And then along comes “The Proposal,” and you’re going, that seems weird. It’s a romantic comedy amongst these other action projects.

But it works. Maybe that edginess is just what a romantic comedy needs to keep it from being mundane. Well, that and Betty White. At 87 years old, that girl rocks every line and steals every scene. I adore Betty White.

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