Open letter to the Bourne franchise
First of all, thank you for one of the summer's most enjoyable movies. The Bourne Supremacy is just the right size and shape. Spider-Man 2 runs a little long, considering the comic-book simplicity of its plot. Your film ends at just the right moment. I laughed, I cheered, I clung to my seat in order to keep from being thrown through the windshield of Bourne's car, and I applauded at your brilliant choice of bringing back that great Moby song in the end credits.
Now, here are few tips for how to stay the course with the third Bourne film:
1. Let Jason Bourne begin to rediscover his personality, not just the facts of his past.
Two movies have given us enough time to grasp that, yes, this guy is hyper-aware of his vulnerability; yes, this guy is desperate to regain his memories. But what about his personality? What does he like to eat? What kind of jokes make him laugh? What does he do in his spare time when he's NOT trying to uncover his memories? Is he making friends? What's he like in a casual conversation? Does he believe in God? The first film gave us a little bit of Bourne's personality. The new one doesn't. Episode Three should be the one where we really get to know this guy. If we don't, the franchise is going to become merely another franchise in which the same bunny rabbit must overcome a new variety of obstacles, his brow furrowed, his reflexes primed for the punch.
2. Bring in new and interesting characters, not just more CIA pursuers with their stern glances and their gullibility. Let some dialogue happen that's as polished and convincing as the contexts and the action.
3. Make the focus of the story something other than Bourne On the Run.
4. Make another gutsy choice of director. Liman did a bang-up job, and Greengrass's work is astonishing.
Who'll you think of next? Keep surprising us. Don't fall back on somebody who's style will be familiar. How about David O. Russell?
5. If the CIA's involved, bring back Joan Allen, but let's give her character some room to breathe. Allen's an extraordinary actress; don't waste her time.
6. Push Julia Stiles even farther. She delivered this time around in one astonishing and emotional scene. I want more.
7. Don't let Bourne do any stunts that Matt Damon can't perform himself.
The limitations of this action hero are a plus, not a minus. We want to believe in him. We don't want him to be the Six Million Dollar Man.
8. Give Sean Bean a fantastic role that will allow him to deliver the goods the way he did in The Fellowship of the Ring.
He's one of the most criminally under-used actors in the business. And he'd fit right in to the Bourne universe. (Hey, you used Karl Urban from LOTR... why not borrow another cast member?)
9. No scenes in strip clubs. It's the most over-used context for cop flicks and thrillers, and it's been the hangout for bad guys on Alias so many times I've lost count. I groaned in dismay when I saw Kirill hanging out there in The Bourne Supremacy. It was the only moment in the whole film that made me wince due to predictability. You're better than Alias. Stay better.
Note: We're far more scared of intelligent villains with taste and style than we are of burnt-out frat boys toting missile launchers. You'd never catch Hannibal Lecter wasting time with a lap dance.
10. Restraint, restraint, restraint.
It's been the blessing of the series so far. But if you turn this over to Tarantino or one of the in-your-face directors, you'll really really blow your credibility. The first two films have been grade-A examples of lean, mean filmmaking. Keep up the great work.
Bono: Make Africa a priority
Bono's back, ready to attend both the Democratic and the Republican conventions, asking why in the world the Africa crisis is not listed as a subject for discussion at either one.Read more
New ending to Return of the Jedi
Star Wars fans, put all sharp objects out of reach. You don't want to hurt yourself or anybody else after you see this... the new ending for Return of the Jedi.Read more
Star Wars III gets a (boring) title
I'm back from a weekend of 103-degree heat in Portland, Oregon, where I did just what I said I was going to do (sans the beer-drinking) with friends and family... I lounged, I read, I sipped coffee, I ate UNBELIEVABLY SCRUMPTIOUS desserts at Papa Haydn's (something you should add to your DO BEFORE I DIE list), I saw Anchorman again and laughed even harder, and I enjoyed some brief but deep sleep in a small air-conditioned hotel room at the new Jupiter Hotel. At Powell's Book Store, Portland's pride and joy, I purchased many heavy volumes, including a new English Standard Version Bible... the first time I've picked out and purchased a Bible for myself. (My parents always kept me in Bibles when I was growing up, and I've never been in need of one.) I also purchased my first SACD (surround audio cds) for my new home system... Peter Gabriel's Passion and Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats, along with Beck's Sea Change and Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy. This week, our house is going to rock until the windows crack.
And I return, eager to hear about the exciting things that happened in Movieland over the weekend. What do I learn?Read more
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It's Friday. I don't feel like talking about Catwoman. In fact, I plan to spend the weekend lounging around and having cold beers and rich desserts with friends... obeying God's harsh order to rest on the Sabbath.
So, rather than griping about the news or the movies, let's hear from someone gifted in raising spirits:Read more
How to review Catwoman
UPDATE: My review is now posted at CT Movies.
Well, there's the easy route: you can write a review of Catwoman by finding the most readily available derogatory metaphor relating to cats.
"It's the pick of the litter box..." for example.
Or,Read more
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On Changes Come, Over the Rhine sounds like a band playing their last concert, pouring every last ounce of energy and passion into making these songs as brilliant as they can be. The result is a performance so intense, soulful, soaring, and astonishing that it will make everyone hope this is actually not the end, but the beginning.Read more
Add Another Fellow to My List of Heroes
In the last month I've:
- read up on the life of Dana Gioia,
- perused his poetry,
- shouted "Amen!" over and over again while reading his book Can Poetry Matter?,
- and interviewed him twice.
I've got to say that he's becoming one of my heroes. He's about as qualified an individual as you'll find on the planet to head up the National Endowment for the Arts. He's doing a fine job.Read more
U2 robbed!
I don't like posting rumors... unless it has to do with titles or casting, just because it's so fun to imagine and speculate and argue.
Remember when we were told that the new Star Wars film was going to be called THE CREEPING FEAR?! Man, that was one of the happiest days of my life. I still have a wild, passionate, deep-down hope that this will indeed be the title of the film rather than something as boring as Birth of the Empire.
Anyway... to the point... now U2 fan sites are reporting that another title is "in the running" and another domain name has been secured for the upcoming album.Read more
I, Robot
I'm giving I-Robot a B-.
The story is decent, focused, stronger than I expected. The film is basically a collision of Minority Report, A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), and Enemy of the State. It's not as good as any of those movies, even though its has a more solidly constructed plot than A.I., and a more satisfying conclusion than Minority Report. It doesn't hold a candle to director Alex Proyas's previous foray into science fiction, the brilliant Dark City.Read more