Posts tagged BourneUltimatum at Cinematical

Posts with tag BourneUltimatum

The Brits Think Bourne is the Best

Posted Feb 28th 2008 8:32PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Awards, Universal

The British film fans have spoken, and their favorite flick from 2007 was (drum roll please) Paul Greengrass' The Bourne Ultimatum. Third entry in the very popular Bourne series (and the winner of three Oscars!), Ultimatum was picked (by the public) over Atonement, No Country for Old Men, and a whole host of "more prestigious" films.

According to Variety, the public vote arrives as part of the Richard Attenborough Film Awards, which dole out "normal" critic-type awards, but also open a vote to the general public. And, not surprisingly, the British people have responded by choosing ... a good movie! How cool is that? If we had this award in America, it'd no doubt go to Jigsaw, Tyler Perry or Larry the Cable Guy -- but in the UK, they dig the Bourne.

Other winners at the Attenboroughs include James McAvoy (Best Actor, Atonement), Cate Blanchett (Best Actress, Elizabeth 2: Frock Harder), [Sam Riley as] Ian Curtis (Rising Star, Joy Division) and a bunch more for Atonement.

DVD Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

Posted Dec 8th 2007 8:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Universal, DVD Reviews, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels

Name a trilogy with no weak link: OK, Star Wars, sure. Lord of the Rings, obviously. Back to the Future? Sure, I dig the third one too. But as the years go by I really hope that Universal's Bourne trilogy achieves that sort of shelf life, because after the last several hours rediscovering the movies, I'm convinced it's one of the best trilogies ever made. The first (The Bourne Identity) was damn good, the second one (The Bourne Supremacy) was even better, and this third one (The Bourne Ultimatum) is now my favorite of the bunch!

Here's some thoughts from my theatrical release review:

Keeping things brief and spoiler-free, here's the plot: We pick up mere seconds after the conclusion of Supremacy, and if you thought the treachery ended with the demise of Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), then you probably haven't seen that many spy movies. Bourne's latest pursuer is CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), who gives chase once Bourne is located trying to give a sympathetic reporter some crucial information. From there it's another supremely satisfying series of chases, escapes, brawls and betrayals. (And of course the filmmakers were smart enough to find something interesting for series regulars Joan Allen and Julia Stiles to do. Both women are quite excellent here.) For his part, Strathairn is as great as always, here displaying a Dustin Hoffman-ish weasel in authority. Other newcomers to the series (Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Scott Glenn, Albert Finney) add a lot to the mix, but I don't want to give too much away here...

Continue reading DVD Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

Extended Clip of 'The Bourne Ultimatum' Plays at ShoWest

Posted Mar 13th 2007 1:32PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Action, Universal, Remakes and Sequels

It was International Day yesterday at ShoWest, and while many foreign cinema reps were complaining about shrinking release windows, they were also treated to exclusive product reels previewing clips from this year's big releases. One of these reels was an extended action scene from The Bourne Ultimatum, and according to those who saw the footage, this sequel is going to be another great installment. The Latino Review describes the scene as a rooftop hand-to-hand fight sequence that once again sets the bar high. IESB.net was also excited about the scene and says the third film "is sure to get your heart pumping." Both sites also have praise for footage from Evan Almighty, The Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Elizabeth: The Golden Age plus pans of previews for (I Now Pronounce You) Chuck and Larry and American Gangster.

The Bourne Identity franchise is a great series to look forward to because its installments don't have to adhere to any fan-base mythology or expectations, nor do they actually have to make much sense in the plot or plausibility departments. They just have to be action spectacles that are choreographed and photographed well and I will be happy. Matt Damon is a good enough actor to make anything else work well enough. Case in point: The Bourne Supremacy, which is even more ridiculous than the first film, especially because of how inane Joan Allen's character is, but is nonetheless one of the most entertaining action films of the past five years. The latest installment will arrive in theaters August 3, which isn't nearly soon enough for me.

Iraq Gets Some Greengrass

Posted Jan 19th 2007 5:31PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Universal, Newsstand, Politics

Now that Paul Greengrass has won the hearts of American audiences and critics with United 93, he could easily keep hidden his political criticisms of the U.S. and hope for a prolific career in Hollywood. But he doesn't seem to want the easy life. Once the director finishes post-production on The Bourne Ultimatum, he is set to begin work on a film about the aftermath of the Iraq War. He will write a script based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran's non-fiction book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone, and then direct the film for Universal.

Greengrass is no stranger to Iraq. Ten years ago he made a movie for British television called The One That Got Away, about an operation during Desert Storm. His hand-held documentary style is perfectly suited for the discord of the region and its post-invasion events, though he will probably bring something original to the project that hasn't yet been seen in the actual documentaries coming out of the Iraq War.

Despite his putting out mostly apolitical work since arriving in Hollywood, he is typically a political filmmaker and we can probably expect a very critical position from him here. Chandrasekaran's book apparently reveals the failures of the U.S. occupation and presents the whole thing as a major historical disaster. The Washington Post journalist does depict some involved individuals in a good light, though. If Greengrass can keep it as honest and balanced, he might be able to keep some of his patriotic audience.

Confirmed: No Bourne Bad Guy for Bernal

Posted Oct 27th 2006 3:31PM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Action, Casting, Remakes and Sequels

Just a few weeks ago, Erik was telling us about Gael García Bernal being offered the role of the bad guy in the latest Bourne flick, The Bourne Ultimatum, which is shooting in Tangier. Today, sadly, the website Cinematic Happenings Under Development (CHUD) reports that they have it straight from Bernal himself that he is not going to take the part. Bernal was in New York for a press day for Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's Babel, when CHUD reporter Devin Faraci asked him what's up with Bourne. While Bernal reportedly said that he loves the Bourne movies, he's too busy at the moment finishing up his directorial debut, Déficit, to take on the role of the Bourne villain.

Personally, I'm bummed that Bernal isn't able to take on this role. He has great range as an actor, and he played it up a little rough in Babel. I'd love to see what Bernal would do with the role of an evil villain. I've loved him in everything I've seen him in, and while he does have a pretty face, what's to say a bad guy has to be rough and ugly? I'm also intrigued to see what Bernal does behind the camera with Déficit. Not a lot is known about the film yet, other than it's about a clash between social classes at a family gathering and that it's set in Mexico (and presumably is in Spanish). One of the things I like best about Bernal is his ability to bounce between different projects. If he turns out to be as good behind the camera as he is in front of it, I guess we can all get over not getting to see him in Bourne.

But still, wouldn't it have been fun to see Bernal and Matt Damon going at each other in some good old hand-to-hand combat? Too bad.

[ via Comingsoon.net ]

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Monika Bartyzel	160	0
2	Erik Davis	121	49
3	Elisabeth Rappe	84	0
4	Eugene Novikov	56	18
5	Kim Voynar	40	20
6	Jessica Barnes	39	0
7	Scott Weinberg	39	15
8	Peter Martin	27	17
9	James Rocchi	25	1
10	Eric Kohn	25	4
11	Jeffrey M. Anderson	21	4
12	Eric D. Snider	19	0
13	Matt Bradshaw	13	1
14	Joel Keller	13	1
15	Christopher Campbell	9	6
16	Jette Kernion	5	2
17	Patrick Walsh	3	1
18	Willy Volk	2	0
19	Nick Schager	1	0
20	Richard von Busack	1	0

Blogger

Posts

Cmts

160

121

Free drinks on Wednesday Virgin America flights Air travel tidbit: The horrors of the middle seat pocket Deported foreigners injected with dangerous psychotropic drugs	Key Lime Pie demo - (it's almost impossible to screw this up) Winemaker Robert Mondavi dead at 94 One for all and all for barbecue!
All the new shows - VIDEOS 90210 alum makes deal with MySpace Moonlight: Sonata (series finale) - VIDEO	The New Kids on the Block are back, and I'm dancing. Are you? In search of vitamin D, and sunscreen too Training for high altitude at low altitude
Cannes Review: Tyson Review: The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian - Jeffrey's Take Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: The Old Angelina Jolie	RAmos V8 appears in the flesh Samsung Soul promo video shows 10 optical illusions in 136 seconds Watch Tracker tells time, tracks movements and fends off potential friends

The Brits Think Bourne is the Best

DVD Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

Extended Clip of 'The Bourne Ultimatum' Plays at ShoWest

Iraq Gets Some Greengrass

Confirmed: No Bourne Bad Guy for Bernal

Cinematical Features

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Featured Stories

Sponsored Links

Recent Theatrical Reviews

Cinematical Interviews

Cinematical bloggers (30 days)

Most Commented On (60 days)

Weblogs, Inc. Network