Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Paul Greengrass, Christopher Rouse
Stars: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles

Synopsis: The CIA’s most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.

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Anyone that listen’s to the InSession Film Podcast will know that we are big fans of the Bourne franchise. On a recent Extra Film podcast, we raved heavily about the original trilogy starring Matt Damon and even argued how The Bourne Ultimatum is one of the best action films of the last twenty years. So, when it was announced that Damon and director Paul Greengrass were coming back to the franchise, many people, including us, were very excited.

Paul Greengrass wastes no time sling-shooting nostalgia into Jason Bourne. As the film opens, John Powell’s recognizable Jason Bourne theme subtly rings while Greengrass hands the audience a visual montage of the series so far. It has been nearly a decade since we last saw Bourne, but it only two a few seconds for Greengrass to immediately supplant the audience back into this world. We catch up with Bourne (Matt Damon), who is of course off the radar, when Nicky (Julia Stiles) finds him in Athens to give him more information about his past as it relates to the old Treadstone program. The information Bourne learns is very personal to him, which causes him to seek more answers from the U.S. government. In the process, C.I.A. agent, Heater Lee (Alicia Vikander) feels that she can bring in Bourne alive and this leads to some interesting twists and turns throughout the film.

On the surface, the script by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse will feel trite and “been there, done that” within this franchise. However, it’s actually one of the smartest things about Jason Bourne. Thematically speaking, tackling notions of “history repeating itself” is relevant to our society and culture today, so the idea that another Treadstone would come along but with modern technology and social media, is brilliant on paper. Greengrass’ direction in the first act beautifully laid the groundwork for that idea to resonate, however, he and Rouse’s script becomes so consumed with subplots and trying to be clever, that in the end it out-wits itself. As a result, Jason Bourne becomes a missed opportunity that fails to take advantage of a great idea.

The other major problem of Jason Bourne is how Greengrass and Rouse overwrite the plot without the right clarity. Bourne has been off the grid for nearly a decade, why would he get involved once more? That’s the question that Jason Bourne had to answer. Well, they do answer that question, albeit a bit contrived, but it is enough for the film to work. However, Greengrass and Rouse tediously interweave subplots into Bourne’s backstory that are cheaply artificial, which shackle’s Bourne’s motivations. In turn, Bourne’s actions in the film’s climax accidentally contradict everything we knew about Bourne. The final confrontation between he and another C.I.A. official lacks lucidity and is ambiguous in all the wrong ways. Bourne simply isn’t the same character we saw in the original Bourne trilogy, at least from a writing standpoint.

Damon on the other hand, is as good as ever. He slips back into this role with superb ease and takes complete control of the character. Where the writing of Jason Bourne fails, Damon certainly makes up for it in his performance. Vikander, accent aside, is also very good. Her physical acting is off the charts in this film. Her accent though, is very distracting. Tommy Lee Jones is, well, Tommy Lee Jones.

The action of this film is very good. The shaky cam is used heavily of course, but that is what we have come to know from Greengrass and how he shoots his action scenes. Greengrass’ technique perhaps becomes overkill when the action stops but when the energy of Jason Bourne ramps up, Greengrass does his thing and it’s engaging to watch. The car chase in Las Vegas especially, is one of the better action scenes of this summer.

Jason Bourne isn’t a bad film, in fact there is pure fun to be had here. However, it is disappointing in the end given what we should expect from Greengrass and Damon. The absence of Tony Gilroy (who wrote the screenplay for the original Bourne trilogy) is felt here. The main culprit of Jason Bourne‘s problems lie with Greengrass and Rouse’s script, who just didn’t quite have a handle on what motivates these characters. The film had some great ideas on paper, but in an attempt to be astute, the ideas are taken too far and Jason Bourne unfortunately becomes more unbalanced than it wanted to be.

Overall Grade: B-

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Hear our full review on Episode 180:

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Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Simon Pegg, Doug Jung
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba

Synopsis: The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

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When J.J. Abrams re-launched Star Trek back in 2009, he embarked on a journey that was incredibly risky. He set out to bridge the gap between life-long fans of the show (and previous films) and new fans who perhaps weren’t familiar with the franchise. And if you ask me, he mostly succeeded in that venture. Star Trek: Into Darkness continued that trend but Star Trek Beyond was the first film without the Star Wars: The Force Awakens director. Instead, Fast & Furious veteran Justin Lin took the helm for Beyond. Additionally to that, Simon Pegg and Doug Jung took over the writing duties for this third installment. Depending on who you ask, that may be a good thing. New fans of the franchise may be disappointed in the departure from Abrams and company but many pure Trek fans were calling for this new iteration of Star Trek to get back to its roots.

Regardless of your expectations and experience with Star Trek, one thing is clear. Star Trek Beyond is a completely different animal than its predecessor. Sure, it has the same characters and actors but overall Beyond is much more contained and tonally very different. In fact, it doesn’t feel like it’s even a part of this rebooted series.

Beyond opens with the USS Enterprise crew halfway through their five-year journey when they come across a new Federation base called Yorktown. After an unknown entity breaches Yorktown, the USS Enterprise crew is sent out to find answers. This leads them to an unknown plant that results in catastrophe for the Enterprise as well as its crew. From there, they must use their resilience and determination to escape the planet and save Yorktown from imminent doom.

The small-scale approach to Beyond is sure to work for die-hard Trek fans, however Pegg and Jung’s script is overly calculated and intensely precise. Instead of focusing on characterization, or God-forbid continuity, Beyond‘s narrative is mostly concerned with setting up call back’s and delicately manufacturing the next action sequence. As a result, the film relies heavily on artificial contrivances. The attempts at inserting character drama, such as Captain Kirk’s potential promotion, is laughable and forced. The touches of heart behind Spock’s conflict is affable on paper, but again, in execution it’s rather unearned.

Similar to Into Darkness, Beyond has antagonist problems as well. Idris Elba’s Krall is sadly dull and his motivations are lacking coherency, to put it nicely. Even Elba’s vocal work, which is usually riveting, is underutilized in this film. The twist with Krall in the film’s climax is sympathetic, but in context of the film, it simply misses the mark.

That said, Star Trek Beyond does have some fun and for experienced Trek fans, this will feel like an elongated episode of the old Trek you love. The interactions between Spock and Bones is really great. Karl Urban is hysterical as ever in this film. The scenes between Checkov and Captain Kirk will keep you on the edge of your seat, as well as the “Sabotage” fight sequence. The visuals depicting Yorktown is quite stunning and will leave you wanting more.

Star Trek Beyond isn’t a bad film by any means, but its contrivances and off-focused writing stifles the film’s momentum and kills all continuity from the previous two films. Again, some fans will like that and others will struggle to invest in this third installment.

Overall Grade: C+

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Hear our full review on Episode 179:

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Director: David Ayer
Writers: David Ayer
Stars: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis

Synopsis: A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

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I was always intrigued with the Suicide Squad comics because the idea of villains teaming up and doing good makes for great entertainment. Once I knew Suicide Squad was coming to the big screen, I had several concerns. The biggest question mark surrounded around which members Warner Bros. would choose to represent the Suicide Squad in their universe. The most recognized member is Harley Quinn and I believe her insertion in this film was simply for marketing and the same goes for Joker as well. I am not a fan of how Harley Quinn has changed over the years to be more of a sex symbol than anything else and sadly that is the type of Harley Quinn we get in David Ayers’ Suicide Squad. Jared Leto’s Joker was good but I think he would have been best reserved for a solo Batman film or a movie where he is the primary antagonist. This review was hard to write but I have to be honest and not let the fanboy in me affect my decision.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. The U.S. government enlists Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Diablo (Jay Hernandez) to take on dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency and saving the world from an unknown but powerful threat.
Every character needs to be introduced into the DC universe and the characters are introduced to us through an infographic followed by a few clips that provide a back story to the characters. This is a great way to introduce those who may not be as familiar with other members of the Suicide Squad, but the film gives very little scenes to a few of the characters. The problem with these ensemble films such as Avengers and Justice League is that the most recognizable names will get more screen-time than the others because after all, it’s about selling tickets and not pleasing the comic book masses. Understanding this you will see why characters like Harley Quinn and Joker get more screen-time than Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang. As I alluded to earlier, I personally did not like Harley Quinn and Joker in this movie, and see them more as a marketing ploy than anything else. Margot Robbie is a perfect Dr. Harleen Quinzel and has the potential to be a great Harley Quinn in a full-length film where she is the focus.

One of the reasons I enjoy reading Suicide Squad comics is that despite being villains they are motivated by the same things that heroes are, which makes the Suicide Squad that much more likable. David Ayer and crew effectively make psycho-or-sociopaths relatable by touching on various subject matter that we all relate to. Deadshot wants to do right by his daughter; Diablo’s family drives his need for redemption.

Let’s talk about villains. Since this is a superhero movie there is obviously a threat that needs to be neutralized. Both Warner Bros and Disney have a villain problem and Suicide Squad continues that same trend. No one is more of a victim of Suicide Squad’s editing than the big baddie, who shall remain nameless, but it should be obvious who it is from the trailer. David Ayer is smart and knows that the strengths of this film severely outweigh the negatives, one of which is the villain. The most noticeable issue with this film is that there appears to be several scenes missing, the way the film jumps around it feels like there are huge gaps that are left unfilled.

Will Smith is the star of this film and I am glad that they kept Deadshot as the leader. In Smith’s performance, we are treated to the old summer blockbuster version of Will Smith, and what a treat it is. Much credit may not be giving to Viola Davis as Amanda Waller but she kicks ass in this movie and is not wasted for a second. The cast as a whole is solid and you can tell that the bonding they did before the film makes their chemistry believable and natural.

DC has always been criticized for being too dark and not funny enough by Marvel fanboys, but in Suicide Squad there are jokes aplenty, as the crew like taking shots at each other. Suicide Squad is a character driven film more than it is an action driven film, so you’ve been warned.

As it stands, Suicide Squad is better than Batman Vs. Superman but in order to really make this movie one of the best superhero films, a few things should have been changed. The biggest change I would have made was to the lineup. My team would consist of Deadshot, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang and Blackfire. The film would also need to be rated “R” to fully allow Harley Quinn and Deathstroke to develop. Warner Bros. needs to let the creative juices flow and have fun. Warner Bros. is in a good position to gamble because no matter what, people will watch these types of films despite critic reviews, so why hold back?

Suicide Squad is not for everybody, but it is a great movie that fits in nicely with the DC cinematic universe that Warner Bros. is setting up. Warner Bros. and DC are definitely behind Disney/Marvel, but I think their formula is working for them as they are not afraid to be themselves, and I think Marvel will always be held back, since they are under Disney’s control. Don’t get me wrong, Marvel movies are great and I like that we have both Marvel and DC movies and this makes it a great time to be a comic book reader.

Although my rating does not show it, Suicide Squad is an entertaining movie that is worth seeing. The cast and their chemistry together is worth the price of admission, but only in 2D.

Overall Grade: B

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Hear our full review on Episode 181, coming soon.

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Director: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Writers: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Synopsis: A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.

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If you don’t see Swiss Army Man, you haven’t seen s***.

While the above quote from the film is specifically in regards to Jurassic Park, it still couldn’t be truer. In a world dominated by “sequelitis”, Swiss Army Man emerges as the unique outlier, a truly original film unlike any other. Though something we have all come to expect, original doesn’t always mean good, and Swiss Army Man will have its equal share of supporters and detractors. For me personally, first time directors Daniels (specifically Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) have crafted one of the most beautiful films of the year, and yes, it involves lots of flatulence and masturbation jokes.

Dubbed as the “farting corpse movie” after its premiere, Swiss Army Man tells the adventurous tale of Hank (Paul Dano), stranded on a deserted island ready to hang himself. Only he stops himself, when he notices a body wash up on shore (Daniel Radcliffe). Even though he is dead, this body has the ability to do all sorts of things; he can fart, turn into a jet ski using said farts, spit out fresh drinking water, and eventually learn to talk. He becomes Hank’s human Swiss army knife (get it?). Let’s just get it out of the way and talk about Daniel Radcliffe.

Daniel Radcliffe gives one of the year’s best supporting performances, one that will probably go ignored come awards season unfortunately. Manny asks many questions, about life, death, love, and masturbation, and as silly as it all is (and trust me, it is), it’s all surprisingly profound and authentic. It’s a balance that on paper should not work, and somehow it does. “If my best friend hides his farts from me then what else is he hiding from me, and why does that make me feel so alone?” I dare you to find any falsity in that. And credit must also go to the Daniels’s script; it is anything but subtle, but it makes up for its obviousness by being so incredibly honest and true. Sometimes things need to be blunt in order to prove a harsh point, hence is the case with Swiss Army Man, and it’s well earned.

With Radcliffe’s performance said, coupled with the Daniels’s bizarre script and direction, it should be known for how moving and profound this movie is, it doesn’t forget that humor is equally as important in fulfilling life. In other words, this movie is hilarious. And as hilarious and profound Radcliffe’s performance is, many of the film’s best laughs are due to Paul Dano’s Hank, whose awkward insecurity makes for the most perfect responses to Manny’s bizarre questions. At the same time, Hank is arguably the one with the naïve outlook on life, one who has much to learn; this leads to the film’s most profound nature.

For a movie about a man who has no idea how to live, it takes teaching a dead man the value and triumphs of life to show yourself what you’ve been missing out on. In the end, just like we keep so many of our inner most feelings bottled up inside (yes, farts can equate to symbolism), we must learn to overcome our insecurity and confront the demons that hold us back, and that’s how we grow up. There’s a lot of well-earned ambiguity in the film’s spectacular climax, and the outcome strikes that perfect balance between the profound and the bizarre. And watching Manny actually grow as a character (a dead character, mind you) is key to this film’s success.

I can’t speak for everyone when I say that Swiss Army Man is one of my favorite films of 2016, some of you may even hate it (reports during its premiere stated that almost half of the audience walked out before the film had reached its midpoint). If you were one of those people, perhaps you can learn a little something from Manny. I just hope you aren’t dead inside.

Overall Grade: A

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Hear our full review on a previous Extra Film:

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