Saturday, August 18, 2012
It's been the season for odd additions to franchises, first with The Amazing Spider-Man and now the latest in the Bourne series. But that's Hollywood for you.
Here's some handy trivia for you: what is the only X-rated film to ever win a Best Picture Oscar? You'll find out below in this week's classic review.
The Bourne Legacy (M)
In the five years between The Bourne Ultimatum and this new addition to the franchise, ideas
in all stages were being thrown around in the hope that a fourth film would
eventuate. It didn’t matter that Robert Ludlum’s original trilogy was finally
complete on screen; the success of Ultimatum
had propelled Hollywood bigwigs to try and keep it going to perhaps rival the
spy of all spies, James Bond.
When director Paul Greengrass pulled out of the project in
2009, unhappy with its progress, so too did Matt Damon. Trilogy screenwriter
Tony Gilroy had a job on his hands - but rather than continue with the ideas
presented in the books continued after Ludlum’s death by Eric Van Lustbader, he
created something completely different, only taking the name of book number
four.
Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is an agent in the Outcome
program, one of a number directly affected by the allegations made against the
CIA that form the bulk of Ultimatum’s
story. Confused? It runs as a side-story to those events, often referring to
the hunt for Jason Bourne as CIA Deputy Director Pam Landy (Joan Allen) goes
head to head with top dogs like Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) in the courtroom.
Aaron is a target after escaping assassination and gets Dr
Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) on his side with the hope she can wean him off
his program medication permanently, which affects his physical and mental
ability (to sustain the action-packed lifestyle of being on the run, etc). The
bulk of the film is based around this event, and while questions are answered
it takes a while to get there.
Gilroy’s screenplay with brother Dan is smart, correlating
with the events of Ultimatum nicely. Scenes
from that film are linked in seamlessly in relation to talks previously behind
closed doors, where Retired Colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton) is approached for
help by CIA director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn).
As the new kid on the block, he gets a heavy task of having to decide
who dies.
But a stretched beginning draws out the few real events of
the film and reveals a lack of depth with the overall plot. Aaron is fleshed
out enough to reveal why he chose to involve himself in the program but it
hardly feels complete; some mystery should remain, yes, but what gives him the real
drive to do what he does is questionable.
Thankfully, the action sequences largely make up for this.
As arguably the highest expectation in the lead-up to its release, Legacy gives us one hell of a chase. The
camerawork from Robert Elswit is frenetic, often to the point of exhaustion,
but maintains that fast pace to reiterate the urgency of the situation.
As a director for the first time in the series, Gilroy keeps
the overall pace much the same, making use of the great Alaskan landscape as
well as the bustle of Manila to take it international. Renner can fit the bill
as a new potential hero, effortless in a street fight and persuasive in
conversation. Weisz and Norton also do well to fit into the mould, while the
return of much of the original cast is comforting.
It does hold up to the legacy, but to establish a new hero
takes time.
Rating: 3/5
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 18/8/2012***
Midnight
Cowboy (1969)
It only took Jon Voight two films past bit-roles in TV shows to bring him in front of the Hollywood spotlight, but even he would admit it was with a lucky break. At least two others had been slated to play the role of Joe Buck and many more considered, but he took on the role of the naïve prostitute to then have it pay off enormously.
It only took Jon Voight two films past bit-roles in TV shows to bring him in front of the Hollywood spotlight, but even he would admit it was with a lucky break. At least two others had been slated to play the role of Joe Buck and many more considered, but he took on the role of the naïve prostitute to then have it pay off enormously.
Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, Joe moves from Texas to the Big Apple in the hope of becoming a big-time hustler. As he struggles to find his way, he finds himself being used by all sorts, including con man Ratso (Dustin Hoffman). But their relationship develops into a friendship as neither can get out of their rut and slowly get left in the dumps to waste away.
With use of flashbacks and dream
sequences, director John Schlesinger makes it known that Joe feels incredibly
alone having lost all those important to him. His relationship with Ratso is
initially one of necessity to combat loneliness before harsh realities truly
bring them together.
While in Australia the rating is now M and in the US rated R, it stands as the only (USA) X-rated film to win a Best Picture Oscar. There are no extreme nudity scenes or profound language, but the film still feels strongly adult. Experimental with its fluidity between past and present, it is desperate and vulnerable, and with Hoffman and Voight so good as friends in hard times you’re sucked in completely.
*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) from Wednesday 15/8/2012
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of The Sapphires.
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