Movies With Matt!
I'm so behind on my movie reviews, it's not funny. I also haven't seen enough movies yet. Tragedy! Horror! How will you know what to see and what not to see if I'm not around to clue you in? Well, let's see what today's cinematic masterpiece has in store for us...
The Bourne Supremacy
Secret Agent movies are cool. Many action movie buffs agree that, while nonstop Schwarzeneggerian high-intensity films get the blood pumping and the heart pounding, there is something extra to be said of the James Bond genre of films, where one man uses force alongside finesse to get the job done, usually with fancy gadgets or some clever improvisation. Among my favorite versions of the "secret agent" genre was Mission: Impossible. The television series, NOT the movies. They were all about stealth and subterfuge, not force. The second M:I movie does not deserve to bear the M:I logo. Not to say that it wasn't a fun movie, it just wasn't Mission: Impossible, any more than Will Smith's "I, Robot" was deserving of Asimov's title.
"The Bourne Identity", the first film in this series, was actually quite entertaining and thoughtfully done. Perhaps the books are even better; I haven't read them, but friends who have inform me that the movies are one of those "loose" interpretations. Fine by me. Just give me a fun movie.
The plot: Inbetween killing X-Men and riding horses, Col. Stryker and Eomer really want to beat the crap out of Good Will Hunting. The CIA, in a remarkable reflection of real life, is completely incompetent in doing anything about it.
The pros: Most of the action in this movie is subtle- quick and dirty fight sequences, clever escapes and diversions, and a constant cat-and-mouse game between the good CIA guys, the bad CIA guys, and Jason Bourne, the rogue assassin agent guy. The action is thankfully not broken up by that biggest of mood killers, romance. Romance slows down action, and this movie did not need slowdown, otherwise the audience might have been given a chance to think. More on that in a second. I liked the character of Jason Bourne here, as a man looking for his past, but trying to isolate himself from the world that he knew he had been a part of. His character is simple, but effective: ultimately, he still is what he was programmed to be- a supremely skilled and effective assassin, but now one with more humane feelings and sensibilities. As a bonus, I think this movie can more or less stand alone- you don't really need to see the first one to understand the second.
The cons: Everyone loves a good car chase. This movie loves them like Michael Jackson loves children- a bit too much. Brian Cox has now officially been stereotyped as The Old Bad Guy- from Hannibal Lecktor in "Manhunter" to Col. Stryker in "X-Men 2" to Agamemnon in "Troy" to "Evil CIA Guy" here. The actual background story of Bourne and the Russians is about as hazy as the sky over Los Angeles on a typical summer day- by the end of it, your memory of the situation might be as hazy as Bourne's was when the movie started. It had to do with oil and money and CIA secrets and Bourne killing some dude and WTFever. Finally, Bourne might be a super badass, but he's no Lo Pan.
The verdict: Above average secret agent flick. The first one was better, but this one stands fairly tall. Could have used more sex and killing, though. But I think that about every movie.
Disclaimer: Ladies, I'm advised by my female friends who saw the movie with me to mention that Matt Damon and Karl Urban are both hot in this movie. Personally, I thought Julia Stiles was way hot. In a terror-induced traumatized victim kind of way. Oh yeah.
The Bourne Supremacy
Secret Agent movies are cool. Many action movie buffs agree that, while nonstop Schwarzeneggerian high-intensity films get the blood pumping and the heart pounding, there is something extra to be said of the James Bond genre of films, where one man uses force alongside finesse to get the job done, usually with fancy gadgets or some clever improvisation. Among my favorite versions of the "secret agent" genre was Mission: Impossible. The television series, NOT the movies. They were all about stealth and subterfuge, not force. The second M:I movie does not deserve to bear the M:I logo. Not to say that it wasn't a fun movie, it just wasn't Mission: Impossible, any more than Will Smith's "I, Robot" was deserving of Asimov's title.
"The Bourne Identity", the first film in this series, was actually quite entertaining and thoughtfully done. Perhaps the books are even better; I haven't read them, but friends who have inform me that the movies are one of those "loose" interpretations. Fine by me. Just give me a fun movie.
The plot: Inbetween killing X-Men and riding horses, Col. Stryker and Eomer really want to beat the crap out of Good Will Hunting. The CIA, in a remarkable reflection of real life, is completely incompetent in doing anything about it.
The pros: Most of the action in this movie is subtle- quick and dirty fight sequences, clever escapes and diversions, and a constant cat-and-mouse game between the good CIA guys, the bad CIA guys, and Jason Bourne, the rogue assassin agent guy. The action is thankfully not broken up by that biggest of mood killers, romance. Romance slows down action, and this movie did not need slowdown, otherwise the audience might have been given a chance to think. More on that in a second. I liked the character of Jason Bourne here, as a man looking for his past, but trying to isolate himself from the world that he knew he had been a part of. His character is simple, but effective: ultimately, he still is what he was programmed to be- a supremely skilled and effective assassin, but now one with more humane feelings and sensibilities. As a bonus, I think this movie can more or less stand alone- you don't really need to see the first one to understand the second.
The cons: Everyone loves a good car chase. This movie loves them like Michael Jackson loves children- a bit too much. Brian Cox has now officially been stereotyped as The Old Bad Guy- from Hannibal Lecktor in "Manhunter" to Col. Stryker in "X-Men 2" to Agamemnon in "Troy" to "Evil CIA Guy" here. The actual background story of Bourne and the Russians is about as hazy as the sky over Los Angeles on a typical summer day- by the end of it, your memory of the situation might be as hazy as Bourne's was when the movie started. It had to do with oil and money and CIA secrets and Bourne killing some dude and WTFever. Finally, Bourne might be a super badass, but he's no Lo Pan.
The verdict: Above average secret agent flick. The first one was better, but this one stands fairly tall. Could have used more sex and killing, though. But I think that about every movie.
Disclaimer: Ladies, I'm advised by my female friends who saw the movie with me to mention that Matt Damon and Karl Urban are both hot in this movie. Personally, I thought Julia Stiles was way hot. In a terror-induced traumatized victim kind of way. Oh yeah.