MOVIES OUT THIS WEEK

Feb 18 2007 By Mickey Mcmonagle

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (15)
Robert De Niro directs this gritty tale about the early history of the CIA as experienced by one man. It stars Matt Damon - back in the limelight thanks to the Bourne movies and The Departed - and Angelina Jolie (both above).

Rating: *****

SHEITAN (18)
Weird - but quirky and entertaining rather than silly. It's a French horror comedy about three clubbers who are picked up by a mysterious woman named Eve and taken to her doll hospital home for Christmas.

Rating: *****

SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS (12A)
Jon Heder is Roger, a niceguy loser desperate to bed Amanda (Jacinda Barrett). He enrols on a confidence course helmed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also wants the gal and indulges in unethical teaching practices.

Rating: *****

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (15)
A brilliant companion to Clint Eastwood's first film about the Iwo Jima battle, Flags Of Our Fathers. This time he focuses on the Japanese defenders of the island and the simpler plot works much better. Great.

Rating: *****

BLUE BLOOD (15)
A rather dull affair charting the annual boxing tournament between Oxford and Cambridge. Who cares? Quite why anyone would want to sit through a couple of hours of posh students wittering nonsense is beyond me.

Rating: *****