bourne free...

Arguably my favorite July 4th Fireworks photo I snapped... although I don't know who I'm arguing with about it... so I'll just say it is and be done with it...

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What's that you say? You're in the office this morning after the weekend and you're left out of Watercooler Conversations about the motion picture box office this summer?

Must I do everything around here? Sigh...

2007 TVGuy SuperDuper Summer Sensational Moviepalooza Extravaganza

(figures are Worldwide)

1. Pirates 3; $1,066,000,000 (yes, that's a billion...)

2. Spider-Man 3; $888,977,000

3. Harry Potter 5; $770, 490,000

4. Shrek 3; $718,898,000

5. Transformers; $545,776,000

6. Live Free or Die Hard; $302,000,000

7. Ocean's Thirteen; $278,154,000

8. Fantastic Four 2: $239,386,000

9. Ratatouille: $239,172,000

10. Simpsons Movie; $236,269,000

11. Bourne 3; $70,181,000

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August Television Doldrums got you down? I have an answer...

Just wanted to throw a shoutout to Food Network's "Feasting on Asphalt"... watched Part 1 this morning and I couldn't have enjoyed it more... get thee to a TiVo and hit Season Pass for this gem pronto, won't you?

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So yesterday TVGal and I immersed ourselves in the "Bourne" films, watching the first two at my friend Troy's Home Theater and the 3rd of course at Highland Square's AMC MovieMegaGigantoComplex...

Assorted thoughts on this 8 hour marathon include...

>Some people say they have a Home Theater... Troy actually does. A Lighted Movie Marquee is above the entrance to the basement, and after you pass the movie theater rop to enter you get to enjoy a movie popcorn machine, a cabinet filled with movie candy, a refrigerator filled with a dazzling array of beverages, a 7,341 inch HD Television... well... you get the picture...

>TVGal hadn't seen either of these films... I was a little worried that the nonstop action wouldn't be her cup of tea... this would prove to be an unfounded fear...

>TV's Todd brought over a shirt he had purchased from Ebay which the stunt driver in the 2nd Bourne film had wore in the cab he was driving... it's needless to say at this point that Todd and Troy really really really enjoy movies... (which I suppose is why they work at a Movie Channel (Starz) to begin with...)

>Someone brought over a Key Lime Pie, which everyone agreed was excellent. Well, everyone but me, as I don't enjoy Creme Pies... so instead I ate 4 Metric Tons of the new "Turtle Chex Mix"... calling it Delicious doesn't even begin to describe its salty sweet perfection...

>Later I ate quite a few Twizzlers... I don't know what it is about those Strawberry Licorce Treats, but after eating enough of them I'm always ready to eat something in the Meat Family. Like a Steak. Or.. you know, an entire Chicken. Just to get the sugar out of my system. Unfortunately, there was no poultry present so I soldiered on...

>At the actual movie theater there was a trailer for "National Treasure 2"... it opens December 21st... I'm actually giddy about attending already.. I enjoyed the first one immensely...

>Bottled Water at the theater was $4. And yes, it was Aquafina, which means patrons were spending $4 for Detroit Municipal Water. When you think of glistening H20 from our nation's streams, you think "Michigan" right off the bat, don't you??

As for the movies themselves, I don't think I'd watch 3 films of this type again all in a row on one day... we were both pretty wiped out from the experience... of course, if you were to watch a trilogy of motion pictures back to back to back... I certainly can't think of a selection more worthy than these three... insanely great filmmaking...

>>"The Bourne Identity"; "Good Will Hunting", "Talented Mr. Ripley", "The Departed" and this film? Who's better right now than Matt Damon? Who I ask you? (Okay, there probably are several actors... but my point is still valid... if he's in the film I'm going to see it... well, except for "All The Pretty Horses"... but everyone gets a Mulligan...)

Rating (out of 100)

Rotten Tomatoes: 83

Metacritic: 68

TVGuy: 88
TVGal: 87

>>"The Bourne Supremacy"; Just highly skilled moviemakers at the peak of their powers....

Rating (out of 100)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82
Metacritic: 73
TVGuy: 90

TVGal: 92

>>"The Bourne Ultimatium"; Best. Car. Chase. Ever.

oh, it also had the Best. Fight. Scene. Ever. Seriously, is Ben Affleck pissed at Damon for his career at this point? He'd have to be, right??

Rating (out of 100)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94
Metacritic: 85
TVGuy: 91

TVGal: 90

________________

Noah Vosen: [in car, on cell phone] Perhaps we can arrange a meet.

Jason Bourne: Where are you now?

Noah Vosen: I'm sitting in my office.

Jason Bourne:I doubt that.

Noah Vosen: Why would you doubt that?

Jason Bourne: [stealing documents out of Vosen's safe] If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face...

--"The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007)