Two movies.

First: The Bourne Identity.

If my dear readers recall my mentioning the little sneak that Manuel and I went to last Friday, well, it turned out to be this new Matt Damon vehicle. Which was good, cos I really wanted to watch an action-thriller, something to give my dreary mood a jolt. Damon as Jason Bourne, a man fished out of the seas with amnesia trying to find himself (and a whole lotta trouble in the process), and Franka Potente of Lola Rent fame, as his female love interest (I love that phrase – female love interest), shine in roles that called for a more physical, more brittle chemistry than balls-out Ah-nuld one-liners and damsel-in-distressisms.

The movie was tight, even-paced and most importantly, doesn’t try to be smarter than it is.

Shannon had alerted me to this film weeks earlier, being enchanted with the European locales. It is sweet that way. More believable cuz it wasn’t shot in a Hollywood studio backlot. Rating: Enjoyable.

(N.B. Before showing this film, the good people at Cinema played a German short film, which started out like a corny 70′s infomercial for factory safety and quickly moved in The Evil Dead area with extra gore. I turned to Manuel and asked, “Marco didn’t do this, did he?” Yes, children, it was of that high, uncompromising quality.)

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Second: Gosford Park.

Robert Altman. Huge ensemble cast. British high society. Maggie Smith. What more do you need? The movie’s perfect! And, no, Ryan Phillippe doing a Scottish accent is not as bad as it sounds. Well, actually it is, but it’s still funny.

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Copyright © 2002 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.