People are voting emotionally.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

'Noose' (a.k.a. 'Snitch') is a movie that sneaks up on you. I stumbled across it almost by accident and watched it mainly because of the cast. The late Ted Demme directed, and personally I enjoyed this more than his better known 'Blow'. It contains a few dull spots but overall, it's a pretty interesting and effective look at small time crooks and their attitudes towards family and loyalty. Denis Leary once again proves he has some genuine talent as an actor, not just as a comedian. He basically makes this movie, though Ian Hart ('Backbeat') is also very good. Leary's co-star in 'Jesus Son' Billy Crudup appears in a small supporting role. It's a pity they didn't share more on screen time together because they make a memorable duo, as anyone who has seen 'Jesus Son' will agree. Colm Meaney ('Con Air') makes an intimidating bad guy, and Famke Janssen ('X-Men') is not only astonishingly beautiful but she is also believable as a troubled local caught between Leary and Meaney. It was also good to see the highly underrated John Diehl ('Motorama') as one of Leary's buddies and Martin Sheen ('Badlands') has a nice turn as a frustrated local cop. The cast here is sometimes better than the occasionally predictable script, but on the whole this movie is worth watching. Above average.

Indeed it's not. One of Denis Leary finer performances, Monument Ave. accurately captures the "code of silence" attitude that ran through Charlestown for so many years. Its contains many small touches that distinguish this film from similar tough Irish hood films, like Southie. Look for Cam (kick his ass Sea Bass!) Neely in a brief but amusing cameo.

Monument Avenue is a familiar story that has been done before. However, this film really works due to the fine acting and directing. Ted Demme does an outstanding job developing the characters through his his long and sometimes drawn out dialogue scenes. The cast of Dennis Leary and Famke Janssen are extremely convincing and really make this film better than most of it's kind. Perhaps the small, almost cameo roles played by stars Billy Crudup, Martin Sheen and Jeanne Tripplehorn are what really make this film worth seeing. This is a perfect example of how good directing and acting can make a big difference on a common and somewhat predictable script.

I liked this film because it had some good performances and a(even though not truly seen until a half hour into the movie) good plot. And, it is the second time for me (the first was Good Will Hunting) to see a look at Southey (the south side of Boston). Denis Leary teams up once again with director Ted Demme (Denis Leary's No Cure for Cancer and Lock 'N' Load and the Ref) and Photographer Adam Kimmel in a look at a confined, yet wild, group of Irish hoods who, while are racist and drugged up, are also loyal and sometimes funny in the bar sense. Not exactly for everyone, but for fans of the stars, or for people from Southey, it is a great glance. A-