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There are some movies that I love that are not on here because I haven't seen them at least three times. This list is only for films that are timeless to me.
Reviews
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
One of My Favorite Action Movies Ever
With the release of "Treadstone," a Jason Bourne spin off TV show, right around the corner I thought it would be a great time to talk about one of my favorite movies of all time: "The Bourne Supremacy." I believe "The Bourne Supremacy," and the Bourne Trilogy in general, rank up there as some of the best action thrillers ever produced. Why? Not only did these films revitalize the action genre, but they are some of the most intelligent action movies to exist.
Director Paul Greengrass popularized a new way of shooting action scenes in this movie. Shaky cam. Some people have criticized this style. Myself included. This technique has ruined so many action movies. Filmmakers have copied this style to sickening results. In "Taken 3" there was literally 15 cuts in a six second period for Liam Neeson climbing a fence. It's pretty bad. But here it isn't just a series of mindless cuts or shaky footage to hide bad stunt work. There's thought behind everything.
Our main character, played by Matt Damon, is an amnesiac former assassin on the run from his own government. He's constantly making choices. He's constantly paranoid that someone might be out to kill him. The shaky camera work puts us right in his shoes. It feels like we're right there with him.
But that's not the only reason I love this movie. Action movies are stupid. Now there's nothing wrong with a good old stupid action movie. I love movies like "Con Air" "The Transporter" and "Crank." It's just that so many action movies try to be serious and flat out fail. "The Bourne Supremacy" is one of the most intelligent action movies out there.
Take one of my favorite scenes. A foot chase where Jason Bourne is evading the police. Bourne needs to take a train to escape the city. In most movies the train would take off as soon as the main character jumps on board. But guess what? The train doesn't leave for another five minutes! The police are closing in! So what does he do! He tricks the police into thinking he's on a barge so he can stall for time. That's pretty smart! By adding that into the action sequence it adds a new level of intensity to the scene.
I'm so tired of the mindless shooting and fighting sequences in movies these days.
Paul Greengrass himself stated in the DVD commentary that "a chase only works if it's telling a story, if it's got beats within it that unfold." I completely agree. Action sequences like dialogue sequences need good writing. Otherwise I'm just watching things moving around quickly on a screen. And that's boring.
This movie in intelligent, but it also has something a lot of action films these days does not. A heart.
Jason Bourne is not a good person. He's killed a lot of people. Yet in these movies he always tries to do the right thing. He's not a killing machine. He's not John Wick. He doesn't endlessly kill rooms full of people emotionlessly walk away. The killing isn't glorified. It's brutal. Ugly. Whenever he does kill someone, the movie always takes a moment to watch Bourne gasp for his breath. It has an impact. Now there are some movies that do this, but there are few that do what I'm about to say next.
In this movie Bourne learns that on his first assignment he killed a young girl's parents and made it look like a suicide. This girl grew up believing her parents killed themselves and left her an orphan. After Bourne remembers what he did, he sets out to tell this woman the truth about her parents. He literally sits her down and looks right in her eyes and says to her, "I killed them."
Now that is something that could not be easy to do. Name another action movie hero who takes responsibility like that. James Bond? John Wick? Ethan Hunt? John Mcclane? Nope.
Not to mention right before this scene there was a brutal car chase. Bourne literally gets shot through the shoulder and almost killed. Why did he go through all that? It wasn't to save the world. It wasn't simply to escape. He went through all that simply to tell a young woman the truth. This alone puts Jason Bourne in a league of his own.
The Bourne Supremacy stands out to me as one of the greatest action thrillers ever made. Honestly the last two installments "The Bourne Legacy" and "Jason Bourne" have not been up to par. I'm still waiting for something to top it. Maybe the new TV show will? I'll just have just have to see.
Jigsaw (2017)
Solid Sequel Even If It Misses What Saw Truly Is
Jigsaw is a movie I've been waiting a long time for. After Saw 7 or Saw: "The Final Chapter" I was seriously let down. It did a terrible job bringing the series to a close and so obviously I was unsatisfied. JIgsaw doesn't necessarily cure this because we don't get to see Dr. Gordon even though he was established as an apprentice. Outside of a view small references and JIgsaw himself, of course, this new installment is made up of completely new characters.
However, I highly enjoyed this film even if it misses what Saw truly is. The filmmakers were clearly trying to go more psychological with this one but they missed the point. The plot of Saw is intertwined with its traps and psychological elements. The best example in this is with the Saw 6 health care plot. The traps were symbolic of what William was doing and what he had to go through directly correlates with the physiological elements. Most of the traps in this film were mild and didn't correlate with the psychological elements. The majority of the Saw films have great plot lines but critics and audiences alike are too grossed out to think about anything else than the gore or what the gore means. The new Saw film just simply doesn't understand that.
This film also doesn't have the look of previous Saw films. It's higher definition and while some may like that I think it makes it lose its personality and just look like any other movie. All the fast-paced editing and spinning camera has been ripped from the movie which also bothered me. If you're going to rip away all this style, replace it with something different, which they didn't.
So why am I giving this an 7 out of 10. It's still an enjoyable Saw film. I love the mystery that surrounds the film with the question if Jigsaw has somehow come back from the dead. The idea of having to confess was also genius. All of the characters did something awful and they weren't able to admit to the fact that they did it. Laura Vandervoort character is the best example of it. She did something awful and then convinced herself it was her husband's fault.
The twist, while being a bit redundant of Saw 2, was well done. Also, the key being in the bullet was cleaver. She could have saved them both but instead, wasted the bullet in fear. The same fear when she suffocated her baby. John Kramer had clearly stated to balance the situation. Two wrongs don't make a right.
I am a bit worried about the new apprentice taking over. He just doesn't seem like he's going to be that interesting. Costas Mandylor's Mark Hoffman may not have been the most fleshed out character but he had presence. This new guy doesn't seem to have that. Only time will tell if he is good or not but I can't help but feel worried.
I hope in the next installment they bring back the original look and style. Mentioning previous films would be great as well. What happened to Dr. Gordon. Why did he become an apprentice? What happened to his family? What about Hoffman? Did he escape or is he dead? I don't think ignoring the previous films is the right direction to go on. They should use them to continue to build the story.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this film even it misses what Saw truly is. It's not as good as Saw 1,2,3 or 6 but I'd say it's definitely better than the others. As a Saw fan, I am quite pleased with this film and I hope this film does well l so there will be more Saw films to come.
Dying of the Light (2014)
There Is A Great Movie Here
This film is written and directed by one of my favorite filmmakers working today, Paul Schrader. He's most famous for writing Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. However, he also wrote Bringing Out the Dead and directed Dog Eat Dog which I both love and both star Nicolas Cage. The weird thing is that neither Paul Schrader or Nic Cage wants you to see this movie. This is because the Dying of the LIght was taken away from the filmmakers and re-edited by the producers without Paul Scharders approval. He claims that he was literally locked out of the editing room while producers edited the film to their liking.
There are points in this film where it truly shows. The version we got is so on and off. There were scenes where I was completely invested in what was unfolding in front of me and other scenes where it was so dull that I just wanted to pass out. The film has great ideas, but it just doesn't do enough with them and when it does something good, the next scene undoes it. At the end of the film, something happens which I found exceptionally impactful and powerful and could have been a great ending, but the next scene completely stabs us in the back and reverses that decision.
The editing is unpleasantly sloppy in places which is most apparent during a brief action sequence halfway through the movie. The main character is also fascinating and while Nicolas Cage does a great job, he just isn't explored enough.
There is a great film here but it just doesn't make it's way to the surface. What is at the surface is a strange mixture of great and bad. Some scenes in this film or fantastic and some are trash. I hope Paul Schrader's version of the film gets released because I'm positive it is much better than what we got here.
Residue (2017)
Flawed But Could Find A Cult Following
Residue is a film I first heard of when I saw the film Candiland, which has the same writer and director, Rusy Nixon. Candiland was one of the most bizarre films I have ever seen. It definitely had its ups and downs but I really enjoyed the overall product. After seeing Candiland, I was interested in seeing what Rusty Nixon would do next which happened to be this.
The first half an hour of Residue is perfect. It intrigued me and I loved the mystery noir style mixed with horror. What also stunned me was how good this movie looks. It looks way better for a low budget movie than it has any justification too. Not only that but maybe about fifteen minutes in, there is a fight sequence that is helmed amazingly. I could tell everything that was going on and it looked 100 percent convincing. Also, the early scenes with Mr. Fairweather played by Matt Frewer were super entertaining to watch. If the whole movie had been this good, it would be one of my favorite movies.
Frankly, the movie does have some series issues which stop it from reaching its full potential. James Clayton plays the lead character named Luke Harding. He was clearly shooting for the cool going detective but at times it just doesn't work. In some scenes, he came off awkwardly robotic. He wasn't necessarily bad but I feel he missed the mark. Also, one of the main plot points between Luke Harding and his daughter just didn't feel played up as well as it should have. The climax hinges on the plot point so it just doesn't have the impact it should. Also, I feel like the climax just doesn't get enough time to breathe which takes away some more of the effect it could have had.
Apart from the first half an hour, however, there is still a lot to love. Jacob (Costas Mandylor and Boston (Michael Matic) have several scenes where they are keeping an eye on Luke Harding. There is a lot of comedic relief and dark humour here which is highly enjoyable.
This film is flawed but I think it could find a cult following. It's not for everyone and plenty will dislike. It's also a bit confusing and hard to follow but I appreciate films like that sometimes because it allows you to think. Despite its issues, I still really like this movie and it's originality and style make it memorable. I would recommend this film for anyone who wants to see something different and likes films that are out there. A lot is unanswered in this film but I heard there may be a sequel called The Pain Doctors. Support this low budget film. Just remember that it isn't for everyone.
Babel (2006)
Too Scattershot To Have Any Real Meaning
Babel is a flat out bad movie. The movie's main message is that pain is universal. We all suffer and we all go through hardships no matter who were are or where we come from but outside of that it has nothing else to say. The film poorly tries to weave four stories together of people that are suffering. However, we cannot truly connect with any of these people because we are not given time to get to know them. The characters themselves are as thin as a bed sheet. There is nothing else interesting about them outside of their main conflict. The movie came off incredibly pointless.
Think of it this way. Imagine walking out onto your driveway and finding a bleeding cat dying right in front of you. Now imagine in a faraway place some unknown strangers starving to death. The bleeding cat is going to be more relevant to you even though several people starving to death is much worse. Why? Because it is something you can see and feel right in front of you. It is something you can have an impact on. The movie is more like the starving people than it is the bleeding cat.
Babel comes off as misery porn. Simple as that. We watch a woman shot through the neck and bleed out, a child die in front of his father, and a young girl almost rape a man because she could never get a sexual release. If you are going to make me watch this kind of material, you need a strong and powerful payoff. This movie has none.
Babel could have been a stronger movie if it had only focused on two stories and had given more time to develop stronger characters. This idea could work for a TV show, but not for a feature film. The only idea this film has is that pain is universal. But guess what? I didn't need Babel to tell me that.
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
A Bit of a Hit and Miss
Flags of Our Fathers is a bit a of a hit and miss. On one hand the movie is quite different from other war films because most of the film's run-time takes place after the characters have "fought." The main focus in this film isn't about the war scenes and in fact they are more of a backdrop to the main plot. Usually it is the other way around in war films. It also has a very powerful message about how soldiers feel about being called heroes and how in reality that is just something we make up. Many scenes will stick with me including the ending shot of this film, a tense battle scene, and the scene when finally find out how one of the primary characters feel.
On the other hand, the movie just doesn't do quite enough with this idea. It constantly and repeatedly beats us on the head trying to drive in an idea that the audience already understands. Also outside of the main conflict, the characters are so thin and underdeveloped that it is hard to connect with them. This movie needed great characters since this movie is centered around their emotions rather than battle scenes and a technical war plot. To care about this film, we need to feel through them. This movie has a counterpart (Letters from Iwo Jima) which shows the other side of the battle and that movie is a masterpiece which only makes this movie feel overshadowed. Flags of Our Fathers has a very important message, and is well worth watching, but it could've been handled so much better.
Ripley Under Ground (2005)
Entertaining But Lacks Depth
This movie has all the ingredients to be a compelling movie. It has a great cast, good director, and the co-writer of The Bourne Identity. However, the movie doesn't explore it's themes and characters enough. It doesn't make full use of its interesting premise. The whole thing wasn't utilized. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) was a fascinating thriller/drama with a fascinating performance from Matt Damon and many compelling themes. Tom Ripley is a complex character and his books/films need depth. However, if you are able to get over that, this film is entertaining. Just don't expect anything great.