DVD MARTIN SCORSESE'S OSCAR-NOMINATED 'DEPARTED' ARRIVES.

Byline: Rob Lowman

Entertainment Editor

There is something operatic in Martin Scorsese's approach to filmmaking -- crescendo upon crescendo, until there's an explosion. His Oscar-nominated "The Departed" is no exception, ending with a bang -- well, bang, bang, bang.

It's a wonder he doesn't explode, however. At this stage in his career, the legendary director -- who again is up for an Oscar he should have won long ago -- has only himself to compete against. And it's interesting to note that the Chinese film on which "The Departed" is based -- "Infernal Affairs" (also out on DVD) -- owes much to Scorsese films like "GoodFellas."

Now, after period pieces -- "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" -- the legendary director is back on his familiar mean streets, albeit in Boston rather than his beloved New York City.

Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, a young man who goes undercover in Boston as a state police officer for mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Costello has looked out for Sullivan all his life, setting him up so he could get the right position without arousing suspicion. Leonardo DiCaprio's Billy Costigan is from the same streets, except Costello could never corrupt his father. Costigan joins the state cops, too, but his superiors see what the young man doesn't -- he doesn't fit in -- and offer him a one-way ticket back to the streets to go undercover and spy on Costello.

The film is filled with twist upon twist, as you can imagine, as Sullivan and Costigan become twisted versions of each other, complete with an attraction to the same woman, a police psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga, in a thankless role among all this testosterone).

There are terrific performances from Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Oscar-nominated Mark Wahlberg, who really is from the Boston streets. Damon (another Boston native) has a perfect buttoned-down intensity, while the angst of DiCaprio's Costigan is palpable. And Jack is Jack, larger than life as Costello. It teeters between being annoyingly out of place and amusing.

Scorsese keeps the action fast and on the edge, which suits the thrill-house nature of the material. While "The Departed" doesn't have any really stunning cinematic moments like "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," it is the director's best entertainment in years, and that's enough for audiences -- and hopefully for Oscar votes in the director's category.

New films

"Half Nelson" has Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne, a young idealistic teacher at an inner-city school with a drug problem who, while slowly destroying himself, is trying to save a 13- year-old black girl named Drey (Shareeka Epps).

The plot seems a bit contrived, more in tune with the film's political sentiments than organic, but Gosling -- who got an Oscar nomination -- brings a haunting melancholy to his role that is hard to shake. Epps turns out to be a nice surprise. And director Ryan Fleck brings an attention to small details that gives the film, which raises questions about the moral imperative to help people, its resonance.

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" is a talking-heads documentary that looks at the transformation of the Beatle from pop star to political activist.

"Infamous" is another take on the story of Truman Capote writing "In Cold Blood." In itself, it's as interesting as "Capote," but "Infamous" suffers by coming in second in the race to theaters. Too bad, because the film has some good performances, including Toby Jones as the social-butterfly writer.

"School for Scoundrels" is a marginally entertaining comedy, if only for Billy Bob Thornton, who's good at playing scoundrels.

Older films

Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was such an enormous talent that he became a star in Jim Crow America -- not as a comedy act or a dancer but as an actor and singer. He had a powerful voice and a commanding style. His politics ultimately became his undoing, as he spoke out against racism and for the rights of workers. The "Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist" box set from Criterion gives us the few looks we have of this amazing man.

None of the films on the collection are necessarily great -- "The Emperor Jones" is the best. The rest are " Body and Soul," "Borderline," "Sanders of the River," Jericho," "The Proud Valley" and "Native Land," plus the Oscar-winning short documentary "Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist" and other featurettes. The package, which includes commentary from film historians and others, is first-rate.

Rob Lowman [phone] [e-mail]

NEW FILMS

"The Departed" (Warner; $34.99 for the two-disc edition and $28.98 for the single disc; $34.99 Blu-ray)

"Marie Antoinette" (Columbia; $28.95)

"Samoan Wedding" (Magnolia; $26.98)

"Half Nelson" (Columbia; $26.96)

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" (Lionsgate; $27.98)

"Infamous" (Warner; $27.98)

"School for Scoundrels" (Weinstein; $29.95)

"13 Tzameti" (Palm; $24.99)

"The Quiet" (Columbia; $24.96)

"So Goes the Nation" (IFC; $24.95)

OLDER FILMS

"Steve Martin -- The Wild and Crazy Comedy Collection" (Universal; $19.98)

"The Infernal Affairs Trilogy" (Weinstein; $39.98)

"The Tom Hanks Comedy Favorites Collection" (1986) (Universal; $19.98)

"Performance" (Warner; $19.98)

"Mr. Moto Collection -- Vol. 2" (Fox; $59.98)

"Bicycle Thieves" (Criterion; $39.95)

"Green for Danger" (Criterion; $39.95)

"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" (Warner; $19.98)

"The Butcher Boy" Warner; $19.98)

"Ginger and Fred" (Warner; $19.98)

"Police Story 2 -- Special Collector's Edition" (Weinstein; $19.95)

"Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist" (Criterion; $99.95)

TELEVISION

"The Golden Girls -- The Complete Seventh and Final Season" (Buena Vista; $39.99)

"Beauty and the Beast -- The Complete First Season" (Paramount; $50.99)

"Emergency -- Season Three" (Universal; $39.98) $27.99

"All in the Family -- The Complete Sixth Season" (Columbia; $29.95)

"World War II -- When Lions Roared" (Koch; $29.98 )

"Hustle -- Complete Season Two" (BBC/Warner; $34.9)

"The Last of the Mohicans" (BBC/Warner; $29.95)

KIDS/FAMILY

"Zoom -- Academy for Superheroes" (Columbia; $28.95)

"Dora the Explorer -- Musical School Days" (Paramount; $16.99)

MUSIC

Hilary Hahn Portrait -- Hilary Hahn (Deutsche Grammophon; $29.98)

Of queens and celebutants

'Hi, it's me."

That's Sofia Coppola calling from Paris, an appropriate place to talk about her film "Marie Antoinette," a visual feast that tells the story of the ill-fated queen from a "girl's point of view."

"I wanted to make an impressionistic portrait of her and not a biopic," says the new mother -- Coppola has a 2-month-old daughter, Romy.

"Marie Antoinette" is an interesting confection -- a sort of pop portrait of the queen, complete with contemporary songs and bright colors, with not a whole lot of dialogue.

Played winningly by Kirsten Dunst, Marie is not the mean-spirited royal she is often portrayed as, but somewhat of an uncomprehending innocent. Marie laughs when she hears it reported that she said, "Let them eat cake," calling the charge ridiculous, like a pop star dismissing a tabloid rumor.

"I always thought it was an interesting period of time. It was so bizarre that people were so cut off from reality -- an extreme decadent moment -- the last hurrah before the revolution," says Coppola, who also wrote the script.

As inspiration, she visited the real apartment of the ill-fated queen. "I saw the real fabrics that she chose. They were bright turquoise and pinks. Usually when you think of that period, you think of faded earth tones because that's what you see in a museum."

And Coppola wanted the film "to feel like it was happening now and not looking back in time and you're there," so she didn't want to give herself any rules. She added pop songs and made unusual casting choices for a period piece -- including "SNL" veteran Molly Shannon, British comic/actor Steve Coogan and horror queen Asia Argento.

The former CalArts student says she looked at a lot of paintings of the period, but "also photographers like Helmut Newton, just for his portrait of decadent European aristocrats."

Coppola -- who hadn't "done in a interview in such a long time" because she's been "laying low, focusing on motherhood" -- sees a connection between the decadent life of the 18th-century French aristocrats and contemporary times.

"I think it's relevant to today's world, but I don't want to point out all the parallels."

-- R.L.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio go head to head in "The Departed."

(2) COPPOLA

Box:

Of queens and celebutants (see text)