Welcome to 3AW. Skip directly to: Search Box, Section Navigation, Content.

3AW - Fairfax Radio Network

Saturday May 25, 2013

What we're talking about

New release move reviews - August 16

Posted by: Jim Schembri | 16 August, 2012 - 2:22 PM
Bernie

BERNIE ***1/2 (99 minutes) M
The notion that nothing justifies murder gets a playful working over in director Richard Linklater's intriguing, character-rich, fact-based black comedy. Bernie Tiede (Jack Black, in a performance likely to nab him an Oscar tap) is an effeminate assistant mortician in the closely-knit East Texas town of Carthage whose gentle, caring manner makes him universally loved by the local rate payers. At the other end of the spectrum is wealthy curmudgeon Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), a rude, short-tempered harridan who Bernie befriends out of pity. He puts up with her long list of annoyances, but after she pushes too many of his buttons Bernie turns on her and is arrested for her murder, a small detail he is able to conceal for some time. The story's big kicker is that Bernie is so loved and Nugent so despised that the locals rally for him, hoping the law will treat the crime lightly. Based on a 1998 magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth (who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater) and peppered with interview snippets from real people who knew Bernie Tiede, the film often plays like a dramatised documentary about a man who should have gotten away with murder. Bernie boasts a strong small-town feel and a very good turn by born-again actor Matthew McConaughey, who has finally seen the light and realised that he can act while keeping his shirt on. But the real gold here is the performance centrepiece by Black; he delivers a lovable, highly nuanced portrayal of a man who is hard not to feel sympathy for, even if it does grind against your conscience.  

Image  

THE BOURNE LEGACY *** (135 minutes) M
In this very concerted, surprisingly sincere attempt to expand the Bourne action movie franchise indefinitely, Jeremy Renner (Ghost Protocol; The Hurt Locker) plays Aaron Cross, a super secret agent undergoing the same training as Jason Bourne. But when he and many others are targeted for termination when the program Bourne was part of is shut down, he teams up with a flustered scientist (Rachel Weisz) and rushes headlong into a labyrinthine plot with more twists and turns than the Manila backstreets they wind up in. Frantically pursuing them from his plasma-covered control room is Edward Norton, an angry, kill-happy desk jockey who spouts testosterone-fuelled dialogue at every turn and apparently has access to every satellite link and surveillance camera on earth. Although the film is too well-made and too well-paced to reek of cynicism, there is a sense while watching the rapid succession of chases, fights and exchanges of gunfire - all covered by Bourne's jittery signature cinematography - that it's just more blurry same-same action. It's satisfying Friday night popcorn fare, and director Tony Gilroy - a writer on The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum who also directed Duplicity (2009) and Michael Clayton (2007) - certainly knows how to cut. But rather than leaving you yearning for yet more Bourne, this exhausting fourth installment is more likely to have you citing one of the clearly stated themes in the film: "no more". 

Blog comments Your Say

  • After reading the reviews I'll save my money for something else. They should have paid Matt Damon whatever he wanted if they were trying to keep the story going.

    Jay Monday 10 December, 2012 - 2:12 AM

  • I really enjoyed the first installments of Bourne, but it sounds like you need some advice from Texas, the brain can't absorb what the fanny can't endure, don't keep beating a dead horse and don't cast a Roy Rogers movie without Dale! I plan on seeing the movie soon and will check back in.

    David Tate Thursday 6 December, 2012 - 11:56 PM

  • Hey there, Kylee. While the latest Bourne adventure is passable and well-made, I think your response is pretty typical of most people, that the Bourne franchise has had its day. From what I've been reading that message would have gotten through loud and clear to the makers. I'm very curious as to why they didn't do something far more interesting, such as cast a woman in the central role. Angelina Jolie has proved that women can carry action films and it would have been great to see an actress in that role, running across Manila rooftops and blasting away at the bad guys. But when it comes to extending franchises, Hollywood subscribes to a very strict three-word philosophy: play it safe! 

    Jim Schembri Wednesday 22 August, 2012 - 1:54 PM

  • My husband and I went to see this movie, and were looking forward to seeing it. However, we were disappointed, after all the hype, and I definately wouldn't be watching it again, or the next instalment without it having Matt Damon...he is the best actor to play the main part.

    Kylee Friday 17 August, 2012 - 8:43 AM

Post a comment * Mandatory fields