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Reviews
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
"Ultimatum" Ultimate Bourne Film!
Without a doubt, "The Bourne Ultimatum" is flawless. The cinematography, which ups the ante from "Supremacy", was easy to follow even through its shaky documentary feel, and John Powell's score builds emphatic tension with perfect cadence. The writing maintains the complexity of the first two installments of the "Bourne" trilogy, but may in fact be the easiest story to follow of all three.
A particular sequence roughly two-thirds through will be a standout. Without divulging details, I assure the uninitiate that they will all but hold their breath for the ten minutes in which Jason Bourne races to save a compatriot's life. The grim intensity that Matt Damon displays as Bourne makes up one of the most immersive character portrayals in any modern set of movies.
If you have not already seen this extravaganza, in which every stop is pulled out for a fantastic film-going experience, get up from reading this review and do so. And if you have seen it, see it again!
Enterprise (2001)
Almost perfect
"Enterprise" is the way Star Trek is meant to be. This series should put Gene Roddenberry's most beloved creation back on the map as a franchise that draws in people with intelligent scripting and great characters, rather than simply holding the niche market of Trekkers that the last few series have made do with.
With Captain Jonathan Archer (played by Scott Bakula of "Quantum Leap" fame) in command of the first warp-powered starship, Subcommander T'Pol (who, roughly 90 years from now, will officiate at Spock's wedding) on loan from the Vulcans as Science Officer, an effervescent Chief Engineer with a southern accent, a British weapons man, a Helmsman who grew up on space stations and freighters, a goofily enthusiastic Doctor, and a Japanese communications expert (which really means "linguistics officer", since the Universal Translator has yet to be developed), this new series is set to truly go where no man has gone before.
The two-hour premiere episode chronicles humanity's first encounter with the Klingon race. While conveying a wounded Klingon courier back to Quo'nos, Archer and crew visit strange new worlds, and even do a bit of seeking out new lifeforms. While the new civilizations phrase seems left out, undoubtedly it will be made up for in subsequent episodes.
Bakula's character is a true commander, much more reminiscient of Kirk than the more recent incarnations. While Jolene Blalock seems to be struggling a little bit in the role of a Vulcan (let's face it, Leonard Nimoy is a tough act to follow), she does come off in several scenes with a really wonderful performance. From watching the first episode, it appears that Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker (Conneer Trinneer) is the next most important character after these two, and his rough manner and cutting sarcasm go a long ways towards making the audience enjoy his time on screen.
All told, "Enterprise" has what it takes to be a great success, even with viewers unfamiliar with Star Trek. The producers seem to be attempting to develop a series that we in our 21st Century living rooms can relate to, and here they have succeeded admirably. Live Long And Prosper! 9 out of 10.
City of Joy (1992)
Realistic and nearly inspirational
Patrick Swayze is lauded as delivering the best performance of his career in his role as a disillusioned doctor, Max Lowe, who "gets away from it all" in one of the large, over-populated cities of India. Here he "bumps" into Hasari Pal (played by Om Puri), who has brought his wife and three children to the city in search of a new life after creditors seized their farm. As Max tries to forget the past and Hasari works hard to build a future, they both discover that they can make a difference in the present.
The whole film is very well-done, and realistic to the point of making you feel for the lepers and all those unfortunate enough to live in the state of extreme poverty that permeates the overcrowded country of India. Om Puri is convincing and earnest as the father who only wants a better life for his family. Patrick Swayze is well-cast in his role, even if it does begin to appear that he has two expressions for all his movies; tired, and angry. I gave this 7 out of 10 for a great story and convincing acting in general, with marks deducted for Swayze's somewhat predictable characterization and his extremely annoying habit of using God's name in vain.
Jakob the Liar (1999)
Why you should watch this
Robin Williams delivers the finest performance I have been privileged to see him give. Jakob is a role he carries off with impressive realism, and which significantly deepened my respect for the man's acting talent.
As a Jew in a Polish ghetto under the Nazis, Robin Williams portrays a man hurting from the loss of wife, freedom and friends. Suicides abound, and children have long since been killed or shipped away from the ghetto. The entire backdrop is bleak, broken only by the cynical humor the Jews have developed as the merest survival technique. The excellent film-making further supports the atmosphere by almost making you feel you've stepped into a black-and-white era, walking the streets with Williams, watching death and depression eat away at the whole neighborhood.
Things begin to change when Jakob, summoned by the commandant, overhears a radio bulletin. Encouraged by the report that the Russians are mere hundreds of miles away - a very little distance in the great give and take of war - the Jews begin to take heart, and the suicide rate is reduced to nil. Things are complicated for Jakob when his friends start to believe that the bulletin came from a radio that Jakob owns - a radio which doesn't exist - and begin to hound him, some for more information, and some because they want him to destroy it before it destroys them.
The impressive cinematography and the convincing acting from the entire cast make this movie a must-see. 8 out of 10, with the two taken off for an ending that didn't sit well with me, but than again, can you really expect a movie with the Holocaust as its subject matter to be easily stomached?
Nick of Time (1995)
Not the ride it should be
This is a watchable movie, but laughably predictable. Christopher Walken's character is not nearly as well-developed as the psychotic villain of the James Bond film, "View To A Kill", and Johnny Depp is just a pretty boy fumbling for a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation. The "the clock is ticking" setup is not taken advantage of to create any real suspense, I'm afraid, and you know who's involved in the conspiracy before the film reveals it. And when it's all said and done, you wonder why the murderous conspirators went to such great lengths to get Johnny Depp's character to do the job when they could have done it so much more neatly themselves. But of course, if they'd done that, the world would have been delivered from yet another mediocre film. A generous 2 out of 10 stars.