Kim, I think that Matt Damon is a total stiff. All the movies I saw him in (a lot) from the first to Oceans , I thought the guy was a total hack. Now on to Bourne, the first two were very good, and the third seems to be the best.

Like you I have two kids, and with the cost to disappointment ratio of going to the movies high I decided six years ago to invest in a home theater system (56" big screen with 5.1 sound). I recently upgraded to blue ray, and brought my first blue ray movie the 300 (awesome).

If I do get the chance to it I will see it. First on the priority is the Simpsons. It takes too long for summer movies to come out on DVD (hopefully blue ray).

You have Blue Ray? Is it really that much better than a normal DVD? If so, will it only play Blue Ray movies?

Most, if not all, Blu-ray players will go backwards compatible with DVD.

There's also a box out there that'll do DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

I have to agree with Barney (what's that, twice in one week, bro?): Blu-Ray is awesome. I got a BD-RW internal drive for my server (plus 5 terabytes of JOBD, HD projector and a 130" screen to project the Media Center movie catalog plug-in - who needs/wants the theater?) and ... well, not to give up, to much, but I'm assuming NetFlix will be knocking on my door any day now.

Keep in mind, though, older flicks weren't shot with high def cameras. DVD's about as good as you're going to get (give or take a few 100 lines of resolution); but the new ones .. woo-hoo!

I'll throw in my two cents. (Sorry, the theatre got the rest of the cash in my wallet. Heh.)

Without giving away any spoilers, I really liked Matt Damon and Julia Stiles in their roles. In my opinion, they used too much "shaky cam" with the close-up conversation takes. I read a consumer's review before seeing it, and she complained of motion sickness. I kind of understand why now, even though I didn't experience that symptom.

The disappointment came with the obvious anti-American images that O'Reilly pointed out. Being the "average movie-goer" that I am, I was still able to come up with at least one much more interesting background for the Bourne character. It was a drag seeing the writers give up on a really creative idea for how he became an assassin in lieu of a political statement. I hope in spite of these radical leftist imprints, people will still remember that we have the greatest country on earth.

BTW, the Simpons Movies is wonderful! (Of course I'm biased because I'm a die-hard fan.) I'll probably see it again before the DVD comes out!

Oh, to the point (sorry, had a bit of a geek seizure there), haven't seen the most recent Borne (loved the first two), and probably won't until December. Can we put a hold on this thread until it's released on DVD?

;)

Regardless, even if the CIA is the "enemy" in the movie, they are the enemy in the movie. I'm sure the CIA's evilness is a bit more acute in this new one, but the gist of the series is that the CIA is trying to kill this guy to shut him up.

Then again, h'ain't seen it, yet. Just 'cuz Bill's in a tiff doesn't effect me, either way (yet).

Would love to see Affleck as Joe Wilson in the "Plame Ultimatum," though.

Another reason not to see a movie based on a book (books in this case) that you enjoyed.

Besides, I won't see a Matt Damon movie. Especially when he's playing a role like Bourne. Too much contradiction between his vocal real life person and what he acts out on the screen.

Just won't add to his wealth or fame that gives him his soapbox that he uses to spew his half baked ideas on politics and foreign policy. Have you ever heard the guy on a talk show? He's an idiot.

"Besides, I won't see a Matt Damon movie. Especially when he's playing a role like Bourne. Too much contradiction between his vocal real life person and what he acts out on the screen."

This is why I only see movies featuring Ron Silver, Dennis Miller or Bo Derek. My DVD collection is amazing.

Oh, please. Condemning this moving because the CIA is the bad guy is like praising "Air Force One" because terrorists are the bad guys. Besides, do you know how many "secret CIA program gone bad" movies there are? Does he condemn them all? Could he possibly hate "Three Days of the Condor" too?

I'm sure Falafel Bill hated "All the President's Men" as well.

jp2 you forgot Kelsey Grammar, Vince Vaughn and Adam Sandler. All voting for the GOP.

Ouch. You lose.

P.S. I think most people by now know that Hollywood and it's "values" and propaganda are all full of @#$%. They've overdone it and people tune them out and think the opposite. Same with students and their liberal kook professors. I guess it's the ole "Question Authority" advice that has come back to bit them in the butt.

Sweet.

of course, o'reilly makes some excellent points. the anti-US intelligence meme is really quite tiresome.

but i enjoyed the movie, even though i keep seeing matt damon in TEAM AMERICA, rather than the secretive but tormented bourne character.

movies affect people differently. i could barely stomach the anti-US theme in THE VILLAGE, but my friend, who is more rabidly right wing than i, didn't even see the symbolism which runs throughout the movie.

Ha! Not only did Sock Puppet Jo demonstrate that jp2's post was over her head, but she thinks $132M at the box office is the audience "tuning out" the movie.

Love it!

I've watched plenty of movies in which the stars have radically different political opinions and stances than I have.

It's just when they become vocally and rabidly activist that it turns me off. Sean Penn, Damon, that idiot Mooch (or whatever his name was in Life on the Streets), Clooney, Baldwin, Sarandon, Robinson, Streisand, to name a few.

My biggest disappointment was Sarandon and Robinson. Bull Durham was one of my favorite movies. Loved it. But now I can't watch it without hearing that mental midget Robinson saying "A chill wind blows" because he thought he was being censored, when all that was happening is people were telling him they thought he was an idiot and didn't want to support him because of his B.S.

I'm not afraid Bill O'Reilly would come to my house with a shotgun and shoot me for being unpatriotic. I'm afraid Dick Cheney would do it.

Well, scratch that. I'm afraid of Dick Cheney with a shotgun in general.

--|PW|--

You expected "shotgun" to pass by w/o a Dick Cheney joke?

"Besides, do you know how many "secret CIA program gone bad" movies there are? Does he condemn them all? Could he possibly hate "Three Days of the Condor" too?"

No, but he was the ghostwriter for the book Spycatcher:

"The book also provides an examination of the techniques used by the intelligence services, along with a candid expose of their ethics which had until then been mere speculation (notably the "11th commandment" which states that "thou shalt not get caught"). Wright explains many of the technologies used by MI5, some of which he developed himself, and which allowed the agency to bug rooms using a variety of clever electronic techniques."

I think that Team America has Matt's acting ability dead-on. Luckily he does not need to act too much in this series.

As far as the quality of Blue Ray, I can't not give it a plus or minus at this point. Yo brings up the most important points (filmed in HD). The 300 was filmed mostly with CG graphics, so it will look good in 480p DVD as it does in 1080i, or 1080p or 780p. The PS3 games look great, but you can get about the same on most high end PC setups.

As far as actors and politics, Please! I still like most of Charleston Heston (sic?) movies, and the Duke, even though he did chicken-out of WWII, is still one of my favorites.

"He", Being Paul Greengrass.

I'm actually not a big fan of a lot of Hollywood types taking on politics outside of general feel-good causes like helping charities or working with the USO -- what you would call "worthy causes."

For your reading pleasure(???) I offer you, Paris Hilton, courtesy of the AP:

Admiring the charity work of Angelina Jolie, Hilton applies her "hot" label to issues such as breast cancer and multiple sclerosis "because I lost my grandmothers to both of those diseases. And also helping the environment ... global warming is not hot."

Once a slave to pink, this "new" Hilton is trying her very best to go green. "I'm ordering a hybrid car," she proudly announces. "I'm trying to get a Hummer one designed. I like hybrids, but a lot of them aren't that cute. I'm thinking silver ... or maybe I'll get a green one!"

I think I'm going to go into a corner and cry now.

--|PW|--

Sorry .. not AP. USA Today. Original interview is here if you don't mind your brain and computer melting from Paris-induced vapidity.

--|PW|--

I have some bad news for you my friends. I will be camping just south of Sheboygan for the next few days. I am sorry that I will be unable to impart my superior expertise for those that need a balance view.

Oh come on.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will, and I'm not going to look too far into anything.

It's different between the outright preaching one sees on, oh, Happy Feet, and playing up a tried and true Hollywood archtype of CIA/government entity going too far to "protect the country." Anyone remember "Clear and Present Danger"? "Mercury Rising"? "Murder at 1600"?

It's a fricken movie. Go watch it. Eat the popcorn. Enjoy the movie (or not) based on the acting and plot. Unless it's outright preaching at you, just enjoy the 2 hours (or so) of escapism.

I'm way, way overcommenting in this thread, but the topic interests me.

A shoot-'em-up movie of the Bourne genre always needs a bad guy, and evil G-Men are always popular bad guys, right up there with evil business tycoons. The intel establishment is a target simply because of the image we have of them -- guys who run around in trench coats, do things for our "own good" and flash each other the Secret Intel Club Sign. Like Ex said, lighten up and enjoy the popcorn.

--|PW|--

Maybe this could be a good thing. If the CIA is looked upon as the bad guys, then the whole Valerie Plame situation is to be seen in a different light. She was outted?! Good! They're they bad guys (gals) right?!! Right! lol.

Love it when libs stuff backfires on them. They're such idiots.

Cheboygan? You won't be too far from me, about 1 1/2 hours away.

Kim, I'll stop by for chat. Are you a Upper? (Sheboygan WI)

No, I'm in lower Northern Michigan. I thought you meant the Cheboygan that is near Mackinac Island. I should have remembered that there's a Sheboygan, WI.

Matt Damon was great in Team America. Can't say anything for the rest of his work as I won't spend money on flicks that has him or George Clooney in the cast.

/spit

Ludlam's books are far better.

I saw thie movie on Friday, and I loved it. I have been a fan of this series since it began. O'Reilly is WAY late to this game. The CIA had its bad section right from "Identity" and it continues through the second and the third. Ludlum began this a long time ago.

I strongly urge anyone to watch the first two movies before watching the third so as to maintain the continuity. If you watch the first two movies you'll appreciate how they interweave.

"Ultimatum" is terrific and highly entertaining, and actually closes some circles, which again one will only appreciate by watching the first two movies. It has the fabulous fighting scenes and the obligatory car chase, which is always exciting.

Like it or not, Damon is really good in this role. He has far more talent than Affleck.

Eh, whatever. It was a decent action flick. I was far more concerned with some very stupid things, such as the idea that the SOOPER SEEKRET CIA training facility would have a window to the outdoors.

*****Potential Spoilers Used to Make Point*****
Actually, I didn't think it was that bad. The CIA as a whole wasn't rogue. One of the top agents is the one who turns them in. (without giving too much away).

The movie makes it clear the President and White House aren't involved, as they stress the point in the end during the news cast, where he calls emergency cabinet meetings, and launches investigations.

It's more of the few guys on the top in the CIA. The rest of the agency, including many of the higher-ups aren't bad, and in fact help Bourne.

In my opinion, it was a few rogue agents, who end up getting punished for their crimes.

I know the lefty actors have their political views. I also know that many of them HAVE to tow the liberal line to get work. But when they insult the party with a broad brush, they insult me. If they cannot respect me and my political choices, I won't support them. It really is that simple. You would not go to a store and buy things if the owner insulted you. The loud mouth actors have either forgotten that half their fan base is right leaning or they simply do not respect that fan base. ww

I've been quite disappointed in how they changed the whole Bourne story from the books. In today's climate it would have been excellent if they had maintained the basic story and updated it.

In the book Bourne Identity for example, Bourne is not a cold blooded assassin with amnesia. He was trained to pretend to be an assassin to flush out Carlos the Jackal. But in an accident gets amnesia and can't make out whether he is really an assassin or not while he tries to make out who he really is.

I think they could have updated that very nicely to modern day where he is out to flush out a modern day terrorist. But then that would fly in the face of who the "real enemy" is for Hollywood, the United States of America.

Stupid is as stupid does. And I'm not referring to the movie. I'm referring to the notion that a freaking action movie somehow will create an ant-CIA bias. You don't need an action movie to know how lawless the CIA has been in the past.

Oh, and for those of you who really believe an action movie will have an impact on someone's belief system I refer you back to my first sentence. But then again some of you and O'rally apparently do believe that.

Well, considering how poorly the CIA has been defending the US and the President, I think it is perfectly normal to have a less than positive view of them. I mean, they have, for all intents, been a hinderance and incompetent at best, and malevolent towards this administration at worst....

...and now, back to just a movie review. Whoever it was that told someone that having the camera "move" would make the visual experience more exciting should be taken out and hung by their eyelids. Whatever good or bad was going on in the movie was hard to distinguish becuase of the epileptic camera movements. I think I enjoyed the movie, but it was hard to tell, because I kept having to re-finish my lunch. And Matt Damon had just the right amount of dialogue in each sentence he spoke. One more word and the production costs would have been astronomical, so the paucity of speech was appreciated.

JFO:

Stupid is as stupid does.

I guess JFO was referring to this:

Stiles is also down with the far left. On a cable program she explained why she missed a MoveOn event by saying: "I was afraid that Bill O'Reilly would come with a shotgun at my front door and shoot me for being unpatriotic."