Jason Bourne

By George Thomas

Matt Damon is Jason Bourne.

If the character of Jason Bourne ever runs out of personal issues with the United States government, the franchise will actually run out of steam.

As it was star Matt Damon took a one movie break from the franchise, his last appearance coming in 2007’s THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM.

Lincoln

Review by Bob Ignizio

Although Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN does provide insight into what made our 16th president the man he was, it's not so much a biopic as it is a movie about how the sausages are made. By that I'm referring to the legislative process, about which John Godfrey Saxe (and not Otto Von Bismarck, who often gets the credit) famously said, “Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.”

The particular sausage being ground up and shoved into its casing in LINCOLN is the 13th amendment which, when it was eventually ratified, abolished slavery in the United States of America. Obviously that's a good thing, but like much that takes place in congress it required a great deal of careful maneuvering and political favors to reach fruition. And while it would be nice to think that “Honest Abe” was strictly above board in all these dealings, the truth is that then as now, the lawmaking process often crossed into ethical gray areas.

Hope Springs

Review by Pamela Zoslov

Vanessa Taylor was battling a case of writer's block when she penned the script for the feature film HOPE SPRINGS. Taylor, a writer and producer of HBO shows including Game of Thrones and Everwood, conceived a story about a middle-aged couple who seek counseling to revive their faltering marriage. Taylor imagined it as “a tiny indie movie” until someone showed the script to Meryl Streep, who jumped aboard and enlisted The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel. With Sony's backing, the tiny movie became a major release starring Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell as the therapist who helps the couple rekindle their love.

That the movie got inflated into a star vehicle means that viewers are treated to a virtuoso duet by two seasoned actors. It also makes for a top-heavy film, with A-list acting receiving tenuous support from a C-list script.

Men in Black III

Review by Pete Roche

Director Barry Sonnenfeld (GET SHORTY, ADDAMS FAMILY) first brought Lowell Cunningham’s offbeat comic book MEN IN BLACK to the big screen in 1997.  The terrific, odd couple chemistry between Will Smith’s hip secret agent and his crusty counterpart, played by Tommy Lee Jones, was a hit.  

In that film, Agent K (Jones) groomed J (Smith) for a career with Men in Black—a clandestine government agency tasked with policing extraterrestrial life on Earth and concealing knowledge of said aliens from humans (Think I.N.S. for E.T).  The new partners tested each other’s nerves while hunting a giant space cockroach (Vincent D’Onofrio).  J returned the favor in 2002’s MEN IN BLACK II, plucking mentor K from retirement to save Earth from a shape-shifting Kylothian queen (Lara Flynn Boyle). 

Repost: Captain America: The First Avengers (January 27th at the CWRU Film Society, Strosacker Auditorium)

[CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER screens Friday January 27th at 7:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and 12:00 am at the CWRU Film Society, Strosacker Auditorium]

Review by Bob Ignizio

In this summer of big budget super-hero movie overload, it's easy to forget the indignity comic book films often suffered in the past. It would be hard to find a better example of that than Captain America. One of Marvel's most iconic characters, Cap was the subject of two laughable made for TV movies in the late seventies, and a low budget feature film from schlockmeister Albert Pyun in 1990. Now that Marvel Comics is producing their own movie adaptations, they finally get a chance to do right by their star-spangled hero.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Review by Bob Ignizio

In this summer of big budget super-hero movie overload, it's easy to forget the indignity comic book films often suffered in the past. It would be hard to find a better example of that than Captain America. One of Marvel's most iconic characters, Cap was the subject of two laughable made for TV movies in the late seventies, and a low budget feature film from schlockmeister Albert Pyun in 1990. Now that Marvel Comics is producing their own movie adaptations, they finally get a chance to do right by their star-spangled hero.