Not really sure why this movie got pretty much ignored, at the time of its release. Not just by the movie goers, which is perhaps somewhat understandable but more so by all of big award ceremonies. By all means this movie should had swept a couple of them and it truly earned some more recognition.

Drama's normally aren't even really my kind of thing but I just got captivated by this movie and was really liking it. Guess the main reason why I like it was because it wasn't being a pretentious or melodramatic one and it deliberately kept things small, which gave the overall movie also a sense of realism to it.

For me it was a movie about people in search of themselves. Basically all of the characters are unhappy with their current situations and are searching for ways to break out and to get more in touch with themselves. This goes for the movie its youngster, which also makes this a sort of coming of age movie but also for their parents. Every character goes through some sort of inner transitions and the movie does a great job at balancing it all out.

Basically everybody has a fair share of screen time in this movie. There aren't really one or two main characters but more like five or six of them. Every storyline is about as equally interesting and good to follow as the other. At least in my opinion of course. I personally got grabbed by it all, also since it isn't really being a standard drama, that is being predictable to watch from start till finish.

It's also a movie that is being made great and intriguing to watch by its cast-members. It truly has an impressive cast-list, with actors such as Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood, among many others. A cast to kill for and everybody did a great job, playing their character.

A really overlooked Ang Lee movie, that is definitely worth checking out!

8/10

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(Review originally written at 29 January 2008)

One thing that the Bourne movies also really learned us is that magazines, books and towels can be more lethal weapons than guns or knives. I mean with this that the Bourne movies mostly redefined the action genre by having the guts to be different and original.

Still I am glad it's the last out the Bourne series, also because this one is definitely the least out of the Bourne series. They with this movie obviously ran out of ideas and this movie is also mostly a rehash of the previous two Bourne movies. It's really more of the same and actually made me realize how much alike all of the Bourne movies actual really are to each other. The story is actually quite similar to the second movie, also because halve of this movie is set at the same time the second movie was set in (getting confusing?). There again is also an assassin on Jason's tail and his superiors once more want to see him dead to cover up illegal secret mission and.

Just because you have lots of shaking camera-work and fast editing doesn't mean you have a good action movie as well. It makes the movie fast paced but in my opinion they could had gone a bit more easy on its style. Paul Greengrass already sort of overused this with the previous movie "The Bourne Supremacy". The shaky cam and all works great for its action sequences and more realistic moments, such as in the other Paul Greengrass movie "Bloody Sunday" but making an entire action movie, with an obvious fictitious over-the-top action story is a whole other thing. The same goes for the overall same gritty visual style. This visually has as a result that Madrid looks absolutely the same as New York, New York looks like Moscow and Moscow looks like Tangiers. A reason why I think they could had gone a bit more easy on its consistent visual style.

As a matter of fact once you really start thinking about it, this movie isn't even really THAT action filled, in terms of having lots of fights, chases and explosions.

The main reason why this movie is in my opinion the least out of the Bourne series is simply because of its story. This movie has such an incredible simple storyline that it really seems that they simply pushed it entirely to the background and let the action instead tell the entire story on its own. Nothing wrong with it, since this definitely worked out for the movie but it of course is a very cheap way of film-making, that makes you get away with practically everything. And does this movie really reach a satisfying enough conclusion for the trilogy? In my opinion not really, since I don't really have the reason that lots have changed for Bourne. Somehow I don't think he picks up a normal quiet life after all he has been trough.

Matt Damon is perhaps the biggest winner after his three Bourne movies. Before these movies he sort of had a dull and very boyish, nerd like image. His career was already getting sort of slow, before he signed up for the first Bourne movie. He by now has officially been taking serious by lots of critics and movie goers all over the world and he has proved that he can actually handle action really well and is even a convincing action star. Joan Allen also luckily returns in this movie and so does Julia Stiles, though I have the feeling they should had dropped her two movies ago. David Strathairn, Scott Glenn and Albert Finney are some of the new welcome additions to the cast this time.

It's a real fancy and fast, slick looking action flick, that all in all forms a satisfying enough conclusion of the Bourne trilogy.

7/10

(Review originally written at 11 July 2006)

"The Notebook" is better than just your average romantic movie for a couple of reasons.

The first and foremost reason for me was the look of it. It had an obvious high budget (at least for its genre) that was well spent. The did a good job at recreating the '40's, with lots of nice looking sets, cars and costumes. The cinematography was beautiful and made the settings of the movie really come forward into the story.

As for the story itself it wasn't really anything new and was filled with the typical clichés you could expect from a movie about a boy and a girl falling in love, of which one is from the 'upper-class' and the big city and the other of the 'lower-class' and from a small town. Take away the movie its good actors and budget and you'll have your average romantic movie. The story certainly is not strong and thick enough to carry the entire movie on its own. Sure, the movie does have its original moments, especially in its non-linear storytelling but it on its own is not good or powerful enough to make the movie really any interesting.

The cast consists out of some really impressive names, mainly the supporting cast. Actors such as James Garner, Sam Shepard and Joan Allen help to make the movie an extra respectable one and they add a certain bit of extra. Really great in this movie was James Marsden. Lots of people criticize him for his part in the X-Men movies, in which he is quite boring but when you watch him in this movie and others you'll notice that he is actually nothing less than a greatly talented actor. The leading actors Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are obviously not just mainly cast for their acting skills but more because of their 'natural' style and look. Every guy should be able to identify himself with Noah and every girl should be able to identify herself with Allie. They deliver their lines in a very natural way and the help to make the story more believable than it in fact really is.

Still I feel that the romance in this movie is flawed. It never becomes obvious what it is that makes Allie so great and perfect for Noah and vice versa and why their love is so much more special and powerful than anyone else's. It never gets fully obvious or explained in the movie, at least not to my satisfaction.

But for most part the professional cast & crew overcome the movie its clichés and weaknesses, until the ending. The ending was completely unnecessary, over-the-top and just mainly totally unlikely and unbelievable. You can say that it sort of ruined the movie its romantic and powerful feeling for me. I would had seriously rated this movie a 8 out of 10, right until the last couple of minutes. The movie should had ended earlier on and abandoned this crazy, unlikely, over-sentimental ending.

Still I feel that due to its professionalism involved, I'm talking about both cast & crew, this movie is still way better than just another cliché filled romantic 'chick-flick'. Even if you aren't into these sort of movies (like myself), this movie is worth seeing and worth your time. It's beautifully made and really no bore to watch, despite the obvious moments and stereotypical clichés.

See this movie for the whole package, not just the story.

7/10

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