Jason Bourne(2016)

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast:

Matt Damon – Jason Bourne

Tommy Lee Jones – Robert Dewey

Alicia Vikander – Heather Lee

Vincent Cassel – Asset

Julia Stiles – Nicky Parsons

Riz Ahmed – Aaron Kaloor

Verdict:

“Jason Bourne” is directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon in the lead role.

Bourne has finally remembered who he was and he has come out of hiding when news of

someone close to him surfaces. Along the way, he is accompanied by Nicky Parsons as she

attempts to help him while also being on the run from Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia

Vikander. This movie was a mixed bag for me. Matt Damon was excellent once again as

Jason Bourne and its come to the point where no one can replace him. I found Tommy Lee

Jones to be half-assing his dialogue but it didn’t bother me all that much. Alicia Vikander

was good as the CIA operative who is assigned to Bourne. Vincent Cassel was good as the

asset and he is the most fleshed out spy from all the other films. The scenes in Greece

were very intense and entertaining as well as the long car chase scene in Las Vegas. My

issues with the film was that the characters and story were a complete rehash of the first

three films. The new characters are basically recreations of characters from past films.

Also, there is a side plot and character that gets a lot of screen time and his story confused

me. The best part was seeing Matt Damon kick ass again and he is Jason Bourne. “Jason

Bourne” is a nice character piece that can’t live up to its predecessors.

Grade: C+

The Bourne Ultimatum(2007)

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast:

Matt Damon – Jason Bourne

Julia Stiles – Nicky Parsons

David Strathairn – Noah Vosen

Scott Glenn – Ezra Kramer

Albert Finney – Dr. Albert Hirsch

Joan Allen – Pamela Landy

Verdict:

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is directed by Paul Greengrass and is the third entry in the

Bourne series. This movie takes place directly after Supremacy and we find Jason Bourne

on the hunt for his past and aiding him along the way is Nicky Parsons and Pamela Landy.

David Strathairn is new to the film as he gets involved with tracking Bourne as he has

come across some top secret files that can threaten him and his superiors. This movie has

two plots going on, the first one being Bourne reconnecting with his past and the other

involves a CIA dispute between Allen and Strathairn. All of it was great as this was the

most entertaining Bourne film in the series. Right from the start this movie has you

moving as there are hardly any stops to the visceral action at hand. The conversations

between Bourne and Landy really fleshed out the characters as well as the previous film.

The movie was fast paced and never felt rushed and the performances given were

excellent. The action scenes were great, particularly the one involving Bourne and Nicky

being chased in Morocco that had great use of rooftop running. The end of this film was

great because everything came full circle and wrapped up Bourne’s story. “The Bourne

Ultimatum” was a fantastic film from start to finish.

Grade: A+

The Bourne Supremacy(2004)

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast:

Matt Damon – Jason Bourne

Franka Potente – Marie

Brian Cox – Ward Abbott

Julia Stiles – Nicky

Karl Urban – Kirill

Joan Allen – Pamela Landy

Verdict:

“The Bourne Supremacy” is directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon once again

as Jason Bourne. It’s been some time since the last film and Bourne and Marie are now

living in India peacefully until Karl Urban shows up in attempt to kill Bourne, but kills

Marie instead. This sets Jason Bourne on a path to figure out why he is still being targeted

and along the way he begins to piece together his past. This movie was incredible from its

acting to its directing and the action scenes were extremely visceral. Joan Allen is a new

addition to this film as she has become involved with Bourne’s case because he is tied to

the murder of her agents. Brian Cox is also back in his nefarious role as he is trying to tie

up loose ends. Karl Urban is also new to the film and his scenes with Bourne were great

from the chase scene in India to the car chase in Russia. Paul Greengrass is the new

director and he brought a visceral style of action to this film by shaking up the camera

during fight scenes. The movie is well grounded and progresses well, and the resolution

between Bourne and the daughter of his first assignment was so heartfelt and it reflected a

lot about what he felt for Marie after her death in the beginning of the film. “The Bourne

Supremacy” is an intense action film that lives up to its predecessor.

Grade: A

The Bourne Identity(2002)

Director: Doug Liman

Cast:

Matt Damon – Jason Bourne

Franka Potente – Marie

Chris Cooper – Conklin

Clive Owen – The Professor

Brian Cox – Ward Abbott

Julia Stiles -Nicolette

Verdict:

“The Bourne Identity” is directed by Doug Liman and stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a

man who awakes on a ship unaware of who or what he is. He then meets a girl and the two

go on the run, all the while Bourne figures about himself. This movie was incredible as it

had good acting and good fight sequences that weren’t shaken up. Matt Damon was

terrific as Jason Bourne and his chemistry with Franka Potente felt real and was sweet.

Doug Liman really did utilize the fight sequences as they were fast paced and awesome.

There was a great car chase involving Bourne and the police to the tune of “Ready, Steady

Go” and after the chase, I love how Bourne acts like nothing happened. Another great

thing was the usage of assassins trying to take Bourne out and Clive Owen was terrific as

the sniper. The movie progresses well while focusing on the relationship between Bourne

and Marie. Franka Potente really played her character well as she knew what to do in

serious situations. I liked the cat and mouse between Bourne and Cooper’s character

which eventually ends with his demise. “The Bourne Identity” is a fun action take on spy

films.

Grade: A

Star Trek Beyond(2016)

Director: Justin Lin

Cast:

Chris Pine – Kirk

Zachary Quinto – Spock

Karl Urban – Bones

Zoe Saldana – Uhura

Simon Pegg – Scotty

John Cho – Sulu

Anton Yelchin – Chekov

Idris Elba – Krall

Sofia Boutella – Jaylah

Verdict:

“Star Trek Beyond” is directed by Justin Lin and is the third film in the Star Trek reboot. In

this film, Kirk and his crew have been attacked by a scavenger crew led by Krall (Elba) who

is looking for this artifact that can bring destruction to many and along the way he runs

into Jaylah (Boutella) an alien woman who has been stranded on the same planet as them

and the two work together to free themselves from Krall. I found this film to be very action

packed thanks to Lin and the visuals once again were good. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto

once again were great as Kirk and Spock. The first two films focused heavily on Kirk and

Spock’s relationship, in this film it focuses on Bones and Spock’s relationship and they

were terrific together. Idris Elba was good as Krall, the main antagonist but you couldn’t

really get behind his reasoning until the third act which really fleshed out his character.

Jaylah was a great new addition to the film as she brought a toughness to her character.

Few problems I have with the film is Justin Lin likes to shake up his action scenes and it

made the movie hard to watch and finally for 2/3 of the film I couldn’t really get behind

Elba’s character until the third act. “Star Trek Beyond” is a fun action packed film that

brings back the light that was missing in the previous film.

Grade: B+

 

Lights Out(2016)

Director: David F. Sandberg

Cast:

Teresa Palmer – Rebecca

Gabriel Bateman – Martin

Alexander DiPersia – Bret

Maria Bello – Sophie

Verdict:

“Lights Out” is directed by David F. Sandberg and is based on his short film of the same

name. In this film, Teresa Palmer plays Rebecca, a young woman who has been living on

her own and has been out of touch from her mother (Bello) who has since gone insane due

to her husband’s untimely demise and her brother (Bateman) who lives with their mother.

Strange things start to occur at this boy’s house during the night as he sees and hears

someone in the house. The mother informs her son that it is just her friend and this freaks

the boy out and he leaves her in search for his sister. This movie had a lot of buzz going for

it due to its suspenseful trailers, and I’m here to tell you that this film was a watchable

movie. For me, this film was set up well by its haunting opening scene, but after, the films

two acts are slow and drag as our characters try to figure out what this dark being is.

Teresa Palmer I thought gave a compelling performance as this young woman who is

worried for her family. Maria Bello was very good as the schizophrenic mom who doesn’t

know what is reality and what isn’t. Gabriel Bateman was tremendous as the young boy

who is frightened by his mothers actions and he was great. The film makes unique use of

light as the monsters weakness is light. One scene in particular had to do with a car that

was very crafty. As I said, the first two acts were sluggish and dragged along but when it

came to the final act, man this film didn’t hold back. “Lights Out” is a unique horror film

that drags in its first two acts but delivers a powerful third punch.

Grade: B

 

Star Trek Into Darkness(2013)

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast:

Chris Pine – Kirk

Zachary Quinto – Spock

Zoe Saldana – Uhura

Karl Urban – Bones

Simon Pegg – Scotty

John Cho – Sulu

Benedict Cumberbatch – Khan

Anton Yelchin – Chekov

Bruce Greenwood – Pike

Peter Weller – Marcus

Alice Eve – Carol

Verdict:

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is directed by J.J. Abrams and is the sequel to the 2009 film. In

this film, Kirk has made some dumb mistakes as captain and due to this, he has been

demoted. Also, there is a rogue crewman who has been involved with bombed buildings so

Starfleet holds a conference and this man shows up and starts firing on the officers and he

kills Pike. So, the Admiral sends Kirk and his crew to go and take out this man and we then

have our movie. This movie was really different from the first one. The first movie was

this fun and fresh sci-fi film with great action, this movie is very dark and brooding. This

didn’t really bother me except for the fact that Khan, the villain was very convoluted. The

visuals once again were incredible and Kirk and Spock’s relationship really was the

highlight and focus of this film. The only problem with this film for me was Benedict

Cumberbatch’s Khan who was a somewhat compelling villain with ridiculous attributes,

such as his super blood which cures sick people and his resolution wasn’t satisfying

enough for me. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is not as fun a movie as the 2009 film, but it

does successfully continue the growing relationship between Kirk and Spock.

Grade: B+

 

Star Trek(2009)

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast:

Chris Pine – Kirk

Zachary Quinto – Spock

Eric Bana – Nero

Bruce Greenwood – Pike

Karl Urban – Bones

Zoe Saldana – Uhura

Simon Pegg – Scotty

John Cho – Sulu

Anton Yelchin – Chekov

Verdict:

“Star Trek” is directed by J.J. Abrams and is a reboot of the original series. In this film we

are shown a past event involving James T. Kirk’s father George (Hemsworth) become

captain of a ship for 12 minutes and during this little bit of glory time, he saved 800 lives

and became a hero. We are then shown a younger James and he is depicted to be a rebel

without a cause and when he gets into a fight with Starfleet men, he impresses their

captain who was inspired by George and he informs James to make a difference and join

Starfleet and live up to his fathers legacy. That’s the basic synopsis. This movie was

amazing as it contained some of the best visual effects ever. The chemistry between Kirk

and Spock was amazing as you can’t wait to see what happens in the future for them. Also,

Eric Bana’s Nero is a solid villain as he adds more weight to the film. The only issue I had

was with the overused lens flare effect. “Star Trek” is a great sci-fi film that happens to be

a reboot in a beloved franchise.

Grade: A

Ghostbusters(2016)

Director: Paul Feig

Cast:

Kristen Wiig – Erin Gilbert

Melissa McCarthy – Abby Yates

Kate McKinnon – Jillian Holtzmann

Leslie Jones – Patty Tolan

Neil Casey – Rowan

Chris Hemsworth – Kevin

Andy Garcia – Mayor Bradley

Verdict:

“Ghostbusters” is directed by Paul Feig and is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name.

This version has four women in the lead; Wiig, McCarthy, McKinnon and Jones and these

women stumble upon paranormal events in New York. So the four decide to stop these

ghosts and become known as the Ghostbusters. When the first trailer dropped, people

trashed the idea of a female led Ghostbusters film and I for one was not impressed with

what I saw. After watching the film, I found it to be a movie that was good for what it was,

which is a funny ghost film with talented women in the lead. These four women are

playing distinct characters, Kristen Wiig plays the straight woman as she used to be

involved with the paranormal with McCarthy who plays herself, and she has since given

up until the two and McKinnon’s wacky scientist witness a real life ghost and they decide

to do something about these paranormal sightings. Leslie Jones plays a subway worker

who encounters a ghost and this leads her to meet the three women and through her New

York insight, she joins the team. Chris Hemsworth played the receptionist character who

is really dumb and clueless but I couldn’t get enough of him as he stole just about every

scene he was in. The villain was so generic and was the weakest part of the film. The movie

had great cameos sprinkled across the film that paid homage to the original. This movie

did a good job at telling a Ghostbusters story from a different point of view and will it ever

live up to the original, of course not, but these women faired well despite a generic story

and some not so funny characters. In the end, “Ghostbusters” retold a classic story with

new characters in a different way.

Grade: B-

The Infiltrator(2016)

Director: Brad Furman

Cast:

Bryan Cranston – Robert Mazur

John Leguizamo – Emir Abreu

Diane Kruger – Kathy Ertz

Benjamin Bratt – Roberto Alcaino

Juliet Aubrey – Evelyn Mazur

Amy Ryan – Bonni Tischler

Verdict:

“The Infiltrator” is directed by Brad Furman and stars Bryan Cranston as Bob Mazur, a U.S.

Customs agent that is assigned with infiltrating Pablo Escobar’s drug ring. This story is

very intriguing as it deals with a man of very high standards and Bryan Cranston is an

incredible actor and its great to see him return to his “Breaking Bad” type of role. This

movie was sort of boring and unsatisfying as it had good performances from Cranston,

Leguizamo and Kruger but the story was minimal with tons of characters and is put into a

lengthy runtime. As I said, Cranston was good as he is the main reason this movie

somewhat works because this guy really knows how to turn the switch and transform into

a whole new beast. The movie is filled with villainous type characters that are all generic

except for Benjamin Bratt’s character who has a soft side and is a family man and his

chemistry with Cranston was good. The movie had a few parts where your locked in and

wondering what’s going to occur in Cranston’s situations, such as; a dinner scene and a

meeting scene. Also, there is one character on Cranston’s team who at times is there to let

the audience know about how brutal and menacing the Cartel is and it’s like yeah, we get

it. Anyways, “The Infiltrator” is a misguided drug-thriller with a good performance from

Bryan Cranston.

Grade: C