I was stitching the April Monthly Mania bunny while watching Bourne Ultimatum and with the other third of my brain I was thinking about Matt Damon. With his score "Sexiest Man Alive," I know you think I was thinking thoughts like this, but I was actually thinking that Matt Damon has hit a trifecta of sorts.
We hold these truths about movies to be self evident: the book is better than the movie, the original is better than the remake, and the original is better than the sequel. Matt Damon has managed to upend these truths in a pretty spectacular way, especially if you dig the action movie.
Sure, the Bourne Identity is a spy novel, but it is a best-selling classic spy novel. When I finished reading it in preparation for the movie release, I wanted that week of my life back. That book is remarkably bad. And I read fiction about needlework.
When Ocean's Eleven got remade, my crowd went to see it. By chance, the original was playing on teevee that day so we watched it. Let me tell you, there is no comparison. Sammy Davis singing that "Ocean's 11" ditty while he drives the garbage truck, how weird is that? (Though I did enjoy the way the remake played with the audience who knew the original.)
While we were watching Bourne Ultimatum, it was clear that the crew that put this movie together isn't resting on their laurels.
All this and a bunny too.
7 comments:
A couple of random thoughts: your talking about red hair has made me want mine back ... I abandoned it 6 years ago for my normal nondescript hair, but still miss it. Also, the cheaters post you reference ... I do not know how old you are, but ... I am 32, and have been wearing them since I was 23. I wear them with my contacts so I don't have to get bifocals :) I also look young, so I really enjoy the confused looks.
I'll take the original Ocean's 11 over the remake...anyday. I know Brad Pitt and crew are the bees knees to most people, but I'm sorry, they just can't hold a candle to the classics (and the original is full of classic actors). Even though the original Ocean's 11 isn't exactly remembered for its Oscar-winning acting... It was just a fun flick for Sinatra and his cronies.
I haven't see that movie in awhile...I need to pull out my DVD and take a watch of it. Thanks for giving me an idea of a movie to watch sometime this week when there is nothing on TV. :-)
Well, while it's true, Kendra, that their are many classic actors in the original, for a heist movie it's actually incredibly boring. And until you explain Sammy Davis's Ocean's Eleven song to me, the remake is infinitely better. I'll bet if we compared reviews that are contemporary to the two films the latter won in that category as well.
I have to agree that Matt Damon has certainly chosen some great scripts lately. He's not one of those actors who is doing several movies a year, but the ones he does are really good.
The Departed has a good story line. Although honestly? I don't care what his movies are about... I'll watch them anyway :)
The whole movie was bascially just some fun for Sinatra and his buddies. I don't know that there is any really rhyme or reason or answers to the why's...according to some Rat Pack bio's I've read, Ocean's 11 was full of all kinds of inside jokes, and the world was on the outside.
Personally, I like it...but then again, I'm a fan of Sinatra et al, while I could care less about the current group of actors. If I had the mindset of the rest of my generation, I'd probably prefer the 2001 version.
:-)
The movie I want to see is Atonement. I read the book a year [or two] ago. I hear the movie is beautifully made -- not sure if it follows the story line -- but, I cannot wait until it finally arrives in Northwest Indiana.
DH & 2 boyz enjoy the 'borne' movies. All of them. But, they are boyz and esp enjoy action and sci-fi stuff. Once in awhile I talk them into foreign films.
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