Rapid Review: Jason Bourne (2016)

“Remembering everything doesn’t mean you know everything.”
– Nicky Parsons

SYNOPSIS: The CIA’s most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past. – via IMDB

Long have I waited for the new Jason Bourne movie after I heard it was coming. I am sure you all know that I absolutely adore the Bourne franchise. The trailers for this looked promising, and to be sure, I was not let down. Jason Bourne was exactly what you would expect from a Bourne film – it was fast paced, featured great action and solid performances, and keeps you riveted every step of the way. While the story was not as tight for this as it has been for its predecessors, this does not make for a bad watch. I liked the way that this movie covered some of the bigger events that have come to pass since Ultimatum, and it did so effectively. Matt Damon is, of course, Bourne, and he delivered every step of the way here. Greengrass returns for this, and gives us another solid film, but I feel that the shaky cam work here was more hectic than usual, and it has been the one thing I don’t love about these movies. I am not big on shaky cam. It works for this style of film, but sometimes it is just too much, and there were more than a few times I found the camera to just be too shaky in this one, causing me to miss much of the action, etc. I was also not a fan of that death (those of you who have seen this will know what I am talking about). I saw what happened and why, it’s just so sad for me, and so unnecessary, though I knew what she was doing. It was still a shocker. I do, of course, love the consistency of these movies, and to see the right actors/actresses reprise their roles, and the events of the past remembered correctly, that’s something I appreciate. It’s the small things, you know? Jason Bourne gave us another strong female lead with Alicia Vikander helming the role of Heather Lee, though I did find Vikander to be a little stiff, and not just because her character is. I think she was a little off here and out of place, though her character is one of interest. Vincent Cassel is our dangerous Asset, the villain on the ground here, and naturally he nails the role, he is so comfortable as the bad guy. Anyway, while Jason Bourne is not as brilliant as the original trilogy, it is a worthy addition to the franchise and one I will be adding to my collection. It ticks all the boxes for what you want from a Bourne film, and doesn’t stray too far from the formula, but at the same time stays away from being stale and boring. This movie gets more hate than it deserves.

While I know the car chase is considered cliché and all that, I still had a ton of fun with it!

Rapid Review: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

“There are only two masters in this world: fear and pain.”
– Uncle Rudi

SYNOPSIS: In the 1960s with the Cold War in play, CIA agent Napoleon Solo successfully helps Gaby Teller defect to West Germany despite the intimidating opposition of KGB agent Illya Kuryakin. Later, all three unexpectedly find themselves working together in a joint mission to stop a private criminal organization from using Gaby’s father’s scientific expertise to construct their own nuclear bomb. Through clenched teeth and stylish poise, all three must find a way to cooperate for the sake of world peace, even as they each pursue their own agendas. – via IMDB

Ah, this! This was incredibly entertaining! I expected to enjoy it because it looked really good, plus Henry Cavill (I mean seriously now, as if Guy Ritchie’s name wasn’t draw enough), and because of the era. I am fascinated by the WWII era and the Cold War aftermath. This movie was so much more than I was hoping it would be.

Let’s start with Henry Cavill’s Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer’s Illya Kuryakin. The two worked together phenomenally – so much great chemistry there and they dominated every time they were together on screen. Their constant one-upmanship and little skirmishes were dead entertaining, and how they are similar and yet polar opposites of one another never ceased to entertain me. Solo just oozes charm and is suave, collected and very slick, whereas Illya has a volatile temper that can barely be kept in check, and is so patriotic you cannot help but smile and definitely has quite a set of morals set in stone.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is stylish to boot, and it looks amazing. I mean all of it. The outfits were fantastic and Cavill and Hammer were simply delicious, not to mention Vikander thrown into the mix, too. I was a big fan of the way that the whole arms race of the Cold War was not forgotten, as Solo and Kuryakin constantly throw their respective technology in on another’s faces the whole time as being more superior to the other’s. Each has something that is better, and it is hilarious to see this. I like how those little things were brought in. They were at odds the whole way through. A particular scene that I enjoyed involved a motorboat and a picnic – it was brilliant!

Alicia Vikander was, again, worth a watch, and I really did like to see how she and Armie played off of one another – awkward when necessary, just a little haughty, undoubtedly attracted to each other, it just worked so well. Really good chemistry. In fact, they drove me mad at the best of times. The cast was actually exceptionally good for the film. The story is simple, no super fancy frills and not nearly as complicated as other Ritchie plots are known to be, but it was fun and simple and came together nicely. I know that the movie brings nothing new to the table, I know that it isn’t revolutionary or anything like that, but it is fun, and it is entertaining, and it is well worth a watch, just once at least. If you nitpick and expect something super serious, you are likely going to miss what makes this a simple joy to watch.

Rapid Review: Ex Machina (2014)

“One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa. An upright ape living in dust with crude language and tools, all set for extinction.”
– Nathan

SYNOPSIS: Caleb, a 26 year old coder at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl. – via IMDB

I have been looking forward to seeing this for a while, the concept sounded very interesting, and like something both myself and my fiancé would enjoy because it contains both of our professions/fields of study. Boy, were we in for something! Ex Machina was so much more than I expected to be, and I was engrossed pretty much from the second it started. The story reels you in and then just gets the ball rolling quickly, and before you know what it happening you are in for a serious trip. The cast is very limited, but it is perfect for this movie, it is not bogged down by a multitude of unnecessary and flat characters. We were both at the edge of our seats throughout, convinced that at some stage Alex Garland would drop the ball. That happens all too often in sci-fi… great premise, and it all starts so well, and then they manage to do something that sours it all. I just want to commend Garland for giving us a great movie. Througout, I was not completely sure what was going on, and every time you think you have a handle on things, the aspects change, and you start to rethink everything you have seen. The conclusion was great for me, I loved it. It really stretched the idea of a machine with or without emotion to the extremes, and about the validity of this Turing test that was being administered. There is so much to talk about in this movie, but I can’t really because I truly hate spoilers and don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. You have to see it at least once though. Really. I loved the way the movie was shot and how the dialogue flowed, how it got really technical in places, but never so much as to lose a viewer. The performances all round were strong ones, and their interactions with each other were wonderful. The score fit everything perfectly, too, and the slightly washed out look the movie had was so suited for the story that was told. There were so many things going on at any given moment, and your attention is demanded for every second of the film’s run time. What I do know, however, is that everyone should see this movie at least once. If you are a programmer, you are going to love it, if you are into psychology, I think you will enjoy it, and if you like sci-fi then I am sure you will be all over this. I can see,  however, how it won’t be for everyone, but those that appreciate this type of thing will really like it. Okay, that’s all I can really say without spoiling anything, though if anyone wants to talk more about this, you know where to find me! I was a fan and so was my fiancé, and he isn’t usually easily impressed by things like this. I can see myself watching this a few times to come still. What a fascinating movie!