BOURNE LEGACY, PREMIUM RUSH, LAS ACACIAS, 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK

OOPS!  Last Tuesday I had some trouble getting my BLOG to publish--the computer went down, then held me hostage until I paid the bill for the internet.  Finally, the spell check wasn't working, so I ended the Tuesday night blog as fast as possible so I wouldn't loose it completely, with a lot of bad spelling.  My apologies to those who read through it and cringed.  It is now corrected.  However, I also realized that I dropped four films off that list that I did indeed mean to write about.  So instead of adding those films to a blog that over 30 people have looked at already, I'll indulge in a second blog this week. 

A beautiful, small film slipped through town about two weeks ago called LAS ACACIAS--one of those rare subtle gems that very few have seen but all who did really enjoyed.  This one has a gruff trucker (shipping the trees of the title) forced by his boss to pick up and transport a poor woman with an infant, who will ride with him all the way to his destination--nearly 900 miles from Paraguay to Buenos Aires.  He's annoyed at the company at first, but gradually, the two develop a mutual respect and empathy for the other.  The outstanding leads manage to evoke volumes of sympathy and subtle glimpses into their backgrounds, and in spite of the simplicity of the setting---mostly in the cab of the truck, with a few pit stops along the way, the film contains a large kernel of humanitaristic truth.  And, of course, the infant is incredibly endearing.  One of the years best.     GRADE-------A

Sometimes I end up seeing a film due to timing, so when I realized I was 20 minutes late to the newest Batman film, I ended up at THE BOURNE LEGACY.  I thought that the first three Bourne films had pretty much run their course, but leave it to Hollywood to figure out a way to reboot the series.  The film does feel like a bit of a rehash of the first three and HANNA (2011) , but with two new attractive leads (in Jeremy Renner taking over for Matt Damon and the excellent Rachel Weisz) the film still works as a superior action chase popcorn thriller, and I can heartily recommend it for those interested in such films.         GRADE--------B

I do a fair amount of cycling from May through October, so the chance to see PREMIUM RUSH, about a maniacal bike messenger speeding recklessly through the streets of Manhattan with a corrupt cop on his tail, was too tempting to pass up.  The film is cleverly shot and edited, and the cycling scenes are quite exciting and nerve racking.  The plot is some weirdly coincidental mumbo jumbo about a "ticket" that is worth big money to the holder, although it becomes more clear (and personal) by the end, and the evil copper, played with gusto by Michael Shannon, seems quite over the top.  More importantly, numerous fantastic collisions that are on display between bikes and cars throughout the film would probably, IN REAL LIFE, result in trips to the hospital emergency ward, instead of having the cyclist getting up and continuing the chase.  But HEY---IT'S ONLY THE MOVIES, so pass the popcorn.       GRADE--------B-

It plays like a poor man's Woody Allen film, but there are moments in 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK that are quite good, and I especially liked Chris Rock, who plays a sophisticated yuppie who must deal with the annoying family of his French girlfriend Julie Delpy when they descend into their modest apartment for an indefinite stay.  The French relatives are incredibly obnoxious and cliched---dad must try to bring in smelly meats and cheeses through customs, old boyfriend must try to buy pot all over town in front of neighbors and cops, sister loves to walk around mostly naked---etc---and that part got tiresome for me.  But when the film settles down to deal with relationships and careers and surviving in NYC, the film is more interesting.       GRADE--------B-


COMING SOON TO THE SEATTLE AREA-------
It's FILM FESTIVAL TIME.  In the next month I hope to be reporting on films from VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, SPANISH Film Festival, LATINO Film Festival, IRANIAN Film Festival, FRENCH Film Festival and the GAY AND LESBIAN Film Festival, so stay tuned.