The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Going into The Bourne Ultimatum i had not seen any of the previous films. However saying that i couldn't help but build up an idea of the films in my mind. The mere mention of Matt Damon can't help but bring visions of wooden acting and mindless action, a stereotype yes. My idea of the Bourne series was "lots of chase scenes"...and yes, there was many chase scenes, but hell, i loved it.

Yes thats right. I was pleasantly suprised. The action was tense and gripping, and Matt Damon pulls in a pretty solid performance. The performances are one of the key factors of this movie, for a genre that is not particually deep in meaning, the acting performances here really add depth and give it a little more weight and credibility. David Strathairn is fantastic as sleasy Noah Vosen, who is on the search for Bourne. Paddy Considine pulls in a great performance also, and it is great to see him getting more big profile work (for another great Paddy Considine performance i also recomend "Dead Man's Shoes").

What really sold it for me was the lack of need to "suspend my disbelief", unlike fellow summer blockbuster Live Free Or Die Hard, Bourne seemed on a whole all in the context of reality and most of the action seemed possible. Matt Damon really captures this character and makes oyu feel for him. This being his highest profile performance since The Departed, he really shines here, as i felt he was out performed by leonardo dicaprio in the departed.

On the negative side, the camera shots during fight scenes are way too jumpy & jerky, not allowing for the fights to shine as much as they should. However though i disagree with choice of shooting methods during these scenes, the fights themselves are very well performed and planned out. I would say there are 2 key action scenes, Bourne guiding Simon (Paddy Considine) through the train station and the chase in madrid, both are engaging and thrilling. They are each quite long scenes and are given time to fully devolpe and are not rushed therefore allowing the suspension to build without rushing it or sacrificing qaulity.

All in all, this is at its heart a cat and mouse movie, but as far as they go, this is brilliant. Engaging action and qaulity performances make for what was for me personally, one of hte most thrilling and gripping cinema going experiences. Seeing it on the big screen may be a big part of its appeal for me i guess, it is one of those films that you have to see on the big screen really. Bourne Ultimatum for me, is as it stands, my second favourite film of 2007, below This Is England.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Hot Fuzz had a lot to live up to. With the release of Shaun Of The Dead and their previous work in the TV series "Spaced" Pegg & Frost qucikly established themselves as key players in the british comedy scene. 3 years after Shaun Of The Dead we finally get the second big screen offering from the team in the form of Hot Fuzz. While Shaun Of The Dead parodied Zombie films, Hot fuzz takes a comedic look at, the often OTT Cop movies.

Claiming inspiration from films such as Bad Boys 2, Point break (haha my mate would kill me if i didn't mention that) Straw Dogs and The Wickerman. Thats the first point i would like to make. The varying inspirations really help give it depth. You can really enjoy it on two levels. Not only does it have great action moments (BB2,PB) it also has dept h and a mystery level (The Wickerman).

Pegg is fantastic in the lead role but for me, the show stealer is Timothy Dolton, who is brilliant as sleasy supermarket owner, Simon Skinner. I would also feel shamed not to mention the hillarious performances by Paddy Considine & Rafe Spall as "The Andys".

As many have stated , yes it is 20 mins to long, and could of done with a cut down. There are moments where some of the jokes come off a bit weak ("Yarp Yarp...Narp" or "No..No..Noooooo") . Some have also complained about the cinetograhpy, saying its too loud and distorting, though ican see their point, i personally don't mind as it adds an auteur twist on the direction and gives it its own mark.

All in all, few weak moments and the extra 20 mins aside, this is a hillarious movie, and a must see of 2007.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

It's been a 18 year wait for this film. The simpsons quickly established its place in pop culture pretty much from its early days in 1989. Though its style changed often, the first few seasons being more emotional, then moving onto a mix of both, hitting its stride in the 4th season. As many people have stated the recent seasons have gone down in qaulity, by quite a bit. It became more manic, and the episodes became more and more hyberbolic, sadly sacrificing its qaulity.

Personally for me, it had got the point where going into this film, rather than comparing it to recent episodes, i went in with the South Park movie as my example to compare it too. South park movie not only succeeded as a tv-movie transfer, but it still remians one of finest comedy movies of any kind. Maybe it would of been best to go the way South Park did and release The Simpsons movie earlier, but they didn't so, in 2007 here it is and....

Its good. Yes, it is more like an extended *recent* episode, but i couldn't stop the Fanboy in me, being so happy just at seeing simpsons on the big screen. The addition of the pig worked and provided for some of the funniest moments. There were also some moments that strectched the PG rating, some worked, some didn't. A moment where homer gives the rioting crowd the finger is hillarious. Then of course the "Bart's willy" joke, that works in theory of how they set the joke up. having something cover it up untill the end , so in terms of set up and irony it works, but the decision to include it, can't help up come off as ood. However a scene in which homer is considering whether he should kiss the pig is very funny.

On negative side, the story of homer / marge fallout has been done many times before, the end scene, though well animated, is bit OTT. However on flipside, there are enough funny moments to make up for it , and spider-pig is genius.

All in all, this is a solid movie. Not as good as south park movie, not in the area of classic simpsons, but a fun movie that has enough for both adults and kids, a worthy attempt at a simpsons movie, given the recent episodes.