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The black dahlia is set in 1940s l.A. Two cops bucky bleichert & his partner lee blanchard investigate the death of elizabeth short a young woman found brutally murdered. Bucky soon realizes his girlfriend had ties to the deceased & soon after that he begins uncovering corruption in the police department. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 01/27/2009 Starring: Josh Hartnett Aaron Eckhart Run time: 122 minutes Rating: R Director: Brian Depalma

The Black Dahlia drips with film noir atmospherics as it unspools a lurid and complicated story taken from James Ellroy's true-crime-inspired novel of the same name. Two boxers-turned-cops--Lee "Mr. Fire" Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking) and Bucky "Mr. Ice" Bleichert (Josh Hartnett, Black Hawk Down)--are morally tested as they pursue the killer of a young would-be actress, grappling with corruption, narcissism, stag films, and family madness along the way. L.A. Confidential turned Ellroy's heated prose into a taut, compelling movie, but The Black Dahlia collapses like a soggy meringue. Director Brian De Palma (who once made such vibrant, entertaining movies as Carrie and The Untouchables) can't muster the energy to craft one of his trademark bravura action sequences and seems outright bored by the more mundane tasks of shaping performances and establishing mood. The actors flounder; Eckhart seems to be emoting for two, perhaps to compensate for Hartnett's bland lack of affect; even actresses as dependable as Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) and Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry) give clumsy, unconvincing performances. The one exception is an unsettling performance by Mia Kirshner (Exotica) as the doomed actress, seen only in perverse screen tests and stag films. The story is incomprehensible (and when you can follow it, it's silly); the dialogue is atrocious; the characters make hardly any sense from scene to scene. The movie is, however, good for many moments of absurd camp, such as when Bucky enters the most lavish, palatial lesbian bar you'll ever see, featuring a Busby-Berkeley-style stairway of smooching babes and a crooning k.d. lang. --Bret Fetzer

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Toronto's Metric has the ability to appeal to fans on a number of levels: the group captures the likeability of Elastica with the cheekiness of Blondie and then mixes that new wave style with just enough of a growling guitar to give it some oomph. Since their last release, the acclaimed Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, Metric's sound has morphed slightly; this follow-up is a little more guitar-based and slightly less electronic than their last, a move likely to broaden their fan base even further.

Metric's rock-meets-new-wave is not only timely, it is joyful to boot. The driving track "Handshakes" could easily qualify for the next ipod commercial, while "Monster Hospital"'s retro punk style has a Clash-inspired chorus that will stay in your head for days. By the same token, the band's musical diversity is especially evident in the beautiful "The Police and the Private," where one could easily imagine that they are listening to an up-tempo Sarah Harmer track. Metric's cross-genre appeal is at least party due to frontwoman Emily Haines' delivery. A smart writer and performer, Haines' contributions to the Broken Social Scene collective have already made her voice somewhat familiar, and in her own element she shines especially bright. From her delicate whispers (the Pink Floyd-esque "Ending Start") to her Eurotrash-inspired yelps ("Live It Out") Haines has the "it" factor that makes indie rock critics swoon, and keeps fans dedicated. --Denise Sheppard