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Hell wants him. Heaven won’t take him. Earth needs him.

Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, an edgy exorcist, in this film noir adaptation of the Hellblazer comic books and graphic novels. Armed with crucifixes, holy water, and mirrors, chain-smoking suicide survivor Constantine fights with satanic minions and rescues possessed mortals in modern-day Los Angeles. After Isabel Dodson’s (Rachel Weisz) unexplained suicide, her twin sister, LAPD detective Angela Dodson (guess who), joins forces with Constantine in order to solve her sister’s mysterious death. Together, they embark on a journey that literally takes them to hell and back, featuring the angel Gabriel (androgynous Tilda Swinton), the Spear of Destiny which apparently inflected Jesus’s deadly wounds, and the man downstairs himself.

On the surface, Constantine is a special effects laden mystery thriller that for the most part unfolds at a break-neck pace. However, this R-rated flick has more to offer than CGI demons and Rachel Weisz in a wet shirt. Constantine has more depth than you would expect from a movie made by a former music video director. Francis Lawrence, who directed for example Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River video clip, made this movie, rich in symbolism and interesting even for nonbelievers. On the whole, the cast is doing a good job (the most kudos have to go to Rachel Weisz) and even though we can’t help but thinking that Keanu Reeves is still the One, he does a decent job portraying JC.

Constantine delivers gorgeous special effects combined with an original and intriguing storyline about salvation and forgiveness. Start your prayers.

(2.5 out of 4 nicotine patches)

Everyone is looking for the next big hit.

In this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, John Travolta picks up his role as the Miami mobster turned Hollywood producer Chili Palmer. After his friend, music executive Tommy Athens (James Woods) is killed, Chili, who was fed up with the movie business anyway, decides to jump-start his music industry career with the help of Tommy’s widow Edie (Uma Thurman). Soon however, when Chili tries to win over a young up-and-coming singer (Christina Milian) he realizes that the music industry is quite a biatch as he will have to deal with such twisted gangstas as Sin LaSalle (a music kingpin played by Cedric the Entertainer) and his party posse, Dabu (a trigger-happy gang-banger played by Outkast’s André 3000), Raji (Vince Vaughn’s character who has a preference for acting black) and Elliot (Raji’s gay bodyguard played by former wrestling star The Rock).

As it often is the case with movies with A-list laden casts, Be Cool is heavily character driven while the plot remains somewhat secondary. Nevertheless, the movie gives a hilariously stereotyped view on the music business and especially the hippy-hop genre. With additional music from Aerosmith, the Rock as a freakin’ funny Samoan bodyguard who participates in a Polynesian lap dance, a scantily clad Christina Milian, and a Pulp Fiction reminiscent Travolta/Thurman dance scene, Be Cool is over-the-top with comedy and music and features more cameos than you might spot on a first viewing. Even though Be Cool lacks some of the appeal and charm of its predecessor Get Shorty, John Travolta keeps his fingers crossed that a musical number can save his career one more time.

Yo homie! Be Entertained. (3 out of 4 Grammies)

Some men dream the future. He built it.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this nearly 3-hour biopic portraying Howard Hughes, a man who managed to present his life as if it was a movie and who became an icon in American history. Howard Hughes produced movies (Hell’s Angels for one) and set airspeed records. The public and a long list of beauties were fascinated by him. The truth however was that he was a lousy businessman whose only gift was determination and a huge amount of money. Hughes totally lacked personal charm and yet he dated the most famous actresses and was one of the best known men of his time. The Aviator tries to reawaken the myth behind Howard Hughes and gives us a glimpse into 20 years of his life, including the making of Hell’s Angels, his numerous affairs, his record-breaking flights, his crashes, his trials, his eccentricities and a foreshadowing of his eventual downfall.

After a disappointing Gangs of New York, The Aviator is Martin Scorsese’s best work since Goodfellas. With stunning shots, huge sets, striking visuals, excellent actors (except of course Gwen Stefani) and an atmospheric score, this movie is Oscar material. And even if one isn’t exactly a Dicaprio fan (and I am most certainly not) one has to admit that he does an awfully good job portraying Mr. Hughes for which he might even be rewarded with an Academy Award. Scorsese proves that he hasn’t forgotten how to make outstanding movies. He takes us on a tour behind the myth that was Howard Hughes and does so in a highly fascinating way.

After Alexander and before Ray, The Aviator is already the second biopic that opens this season and heck, it’s probably gonna be the best one too. The Aviator flies very high.

(3.5 out of 4 bars of soap)