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lochnessbubba
Reviews
United 93 (2006)
Nauseated by the shaky camera work...
I give this movie a 6 based on the fact that despite what was otherwise good solid work by the producers and actors involved, I found it ultimately unwatchable because of motion sickness brought on by the camera style.
The story itself seemed true to all the reports I had heard over the years concerning the incident, and the dialogue and acting seemed very solid. I was watching with interest up to about the halfway point when I got nauseated thanks to the shaky camera work.
Being a movie enthusiast, I know this style of cinematography has been popular for about 15 years. I first noticed it used on the NYPD Blue TV series. I believe that this "shaky" style has its place- it can be effective to create a frantic mood when filming action scenes such as those found in one of my favorite movie series, 'The Bourne Identity/Supremacy'. (Although a couple of scenes in 'Supremacy' left me a little queasy, they were quickly over with and that particular film settled down again where I could watch it).
However, I see no good reason to use this style when you are filming a group of people in a flight control center where nobody is getting body-slammed or shot or punched in the nose. It actually loses its effect when over-employed and creates another effect: nausea.
I never remember getting sick watching NYPD Blue, but my TV is not 60 feet wide, either. The girl I took to the movie was also made sick by this, and while she and I were out in the lobby recovering we could hear from the ladies restroom the sounds of another moviegoer losing her groceries.
I would have liked to have seen the last half of the movie but the constant shaking of the camera made it impossible. I may be one of the few that it affected so badly but I know I was not the only one.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Better than the first, and the first was Excellent!
Part 2 of the Bourne series is even more fast-paced, and does not lose any of the down-to-earth grit of "Identity". Exceptional casting in this film, just like the first installment with a few characters carrying over. There is simply not any bad acting in this movie from anyone involved. They are all very believable in their roles.
The storyline is as it is supposed to be, a continuance of "Identity" and therefore is on par with the first movie.
The only complaint I had with the movie was the action sequences were a bit nauseating because of the camera-work being so shaky. I hope that they can find a way in the third installment to reduce that effect a bit or it might be better not to eat before the movie! Fortunately, the majority of the action sequences are over before I could get really sick.
That being said, the car chase in this movie is one of the best ever filmed. Depite the shaky camera style, it is truly spectacular.
There has been some debate among myself and fellow Bourne-O-Philes as to what happened to some Bourne's assassin counterparts in the interim between the first movie and the second, but it really does not affect the storyline. Instead it just makes guys like me lose sleep at night wondering where this character and that character ran off to.
The cinematography (save for the shaky action scenes) is once again exceptional and sets the perfect mood for the story, using darkness and light to represent confusion and, toward the end, illumination.
And this time the soundtrack is not only good, but exceptional. I even purchased the soundtrack separately which is something I rarely do.
Too bad the star meter only goes to 10. I don't think that is high enough to record the level of enjoyment I gained from this film.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
If you haven't seen it, do so tonight!
This movie has an intensely-gripping story with excellent action sequences and a solid and intelligent plot line. The genius cinematography sets the mood for the movie: cold and dark at first, which to me represents Bourne's state of mind when we are introduced to him; at the end we see him in a beautiful sunny Mediterranean Sea setting which signifies that he has gained some illumination into who he is.
The character development is superb and the action is almost believable compared with the razzle-dazzle of typical Hollywood productions these days. The storyline is strong enough that a ton of special effects are unnecessary- the way a movie should be in my humble opinion.
Best of all, we can actually like Matt Damon for a change because he effectively portrays a character we can empathize with. The character is an action hero without any of the clichés we typically associate with action heroes - no moronic 1-liners and no cheesy muscle poses.
The Bourne character has a workman-like approach to dangerous situations and seems as relieved as we are to get through a tough scrape. Damon obviously puts a lot of work into making the hand-to-hand combat sequences believable and reportedly does most of his own stunts for this film.
The soundtrack is first-rate and perfectly compliments the cinematography to help create the mood of the movie. If you watch this movie and do not rate it at least a 9, watch it again and compare it with everything else out there being offered on the big screen that isn't worth the 2 hours of your life!