IGN'S HANDS ON PREVIEW OF GTA IV

HERE IS AN ARTICLE THAT PREVIEWS GTA IV COMES OUT APRIL 29TH 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV is, without question, one of the most highly anticipated games of 2008. Rockstar Games has shown us pieces of GTA IV on three different occasions. With each visit we saw the incredible potential for GTA IV, but not having the chance to play it, we could only assume these things would prove true. We knew there was a new dimension of verticality to the city, that our anti-hero Niko would be a down-to-earth anti-hero rather than an over-the-top movie spoof, that the new level of physics would bring greater realism to driving cars, and that it would be fun going bat$#!@ crazy running through the streets with a gun in hand (Martin Lawrence style). It wasn't until Rockstar turned over the controller and let us play GTA IV that we could finally confirm that, yes indeed, these statements are all true. The next iteration in the Grand Theft Auto series isn't just a prettier version of San Andreas or Vice City. It's more cinematic, more realistic, and yeah, more fun. It's a whole new ballgame in Liberty City. For the first time, Rockstar gave us hands-on access to both the PS3 and 360 versions of GTA IV. The good news is that no matter which system you prefer, you're going to have a great-looking game to play. There are only some minor visual differences noticeable between the two preview versions. The 360 build is brighter and has slightly more vibrant color while the PS3 build has less aliasing issues. Both display a solid, consistent framerate even during scenes with heavy pedestrian traffic and wild explosions. While graphics whores will find subtle differences to nitpick, the average Joe is going to be happy with either version. And just to prove it, we have takes on GTA IV from PS3 fanboy Greg Miller and the distinguished gentleman from Xbox 360, Hilary Goldstein.

Greg's Take After getting run down by a car we were trying to steal, getting thrown through a windshield when we hit a barricade and gawking at the plume of black exhaust that poured out of a beater we fired up, it was time to get into some of the missions that make up Grand Theft Auto IV. And because everything's new and we suck again, we started from the beginning. First up was "Bleed Out," which acts as a hands-on tutorial for the brand new fighting engine. Niko's doing his thing and ascending the ranks of the criminal underbelly when a call from Roman -- owner and proprietor of the cab company Roman Bellic Enterprises -- comes in and the cousin rants and raves about some guys who are coming to beat him senseless. We jumped behind the wheel of a passing car and the HUD sprung to life with a GPS line directing us to our panicked cousin. After slamming into some mailboxes (Mail shoots into the air!), newspaper stands (Papers shoot into the air!) and people (Their lifeless corpses roll over the top of the car!), we arrived at a fenced-in basketball court and saw a handful of bad guys surrounding our kin. Once on top of the perps, we were treated to a cutscene explaining the ass kicking and then thrown into GTA's hand-to-hand combat system. Whereas in the old games it was all about pounding a button and watching your character swing, specific actions are now mapped to specific buttons. Niko can punch, kick, head butt and block and you can choose in what order he does what moves. As one of the goons wailing on Roman stepped up to challenge us, we began swinging and kicking with style. If we timed our button presses correctly when the goon swung, we could reverse the punch and do some damage.

This is how Niko impresses the ladies.

Niko dispatched the two fools, helped Roman to his feet and spotted Dardan, a local loan shark, hopping into a car and heading out. Our dynamic duo gave chase -- making use of GTA IV's new chase camera that centers the screen on the fleeing foe -- and eventually caught up with Dardan at a Liberty City warehouse. Niko prepared to throw 'bows with the shark, but the opposing jerkstore pulled a knife. Now, normally we're against getting stabbed, but the "squish" sound of the blade entering our chest was so satisfying that it almost justified watching the health and armor meters around the radar deplete. When we got sick of dying, we tapped a button as Dardan attempted to shank us and disarmed him. Then, we killed him with his own blade.

In between exploring the missions of GTA IV (FYI, the game autosaves after each mission.), we took in a few of the sights and sounds of Liberty City. Now, we could've tried to obey the rules as we took in the towering buildings, snazzy cars and intricate details, but most of our tour involved driving on the sidewalk and kicking people in the head. However, not everyone was ready to take Niko's crap. Not everyone is heartless in Liberty City. For instance, we ran our car into the back of some dude's ride, and this guy gets out like he wants to start something. We'll be damned if someone's going to disrespect Niko, so we climb out and start punching the guy in the face. Suddenly, a passerby runs into the fray and starts beating on us. Outnumbered and out-skilled, we took off in another direction with the pissed off pair in hot pursuit. We ran for awhile, and when it was clear we couldn't lose'em, we fought, lost and ended up outside the hospital with a little less money.

A similar running and beating escapade ended with the cops chasing us down. However, when all looked lost and Niko raised his hands in defeat, we were presented with a unique option in the GTA universe -- for the first time, we could run. Yes, when the cops catch up to you on foot, Niko will initially play along with the arrest but can take off before the cuffs are put on. Not a bad move if you need to catch your breath (Niko gets winded from running) or a car crawls across the screen to provide an easy escape.

The next chunk of Niko's adventure involved an incredibly hard to understand Rastafarian named Little Jacob. "Jamaican Heat" seemed like your typical GTA gun tutorial but it ended with a breathtaking view of the city and its lit-up buildings reaching into the night sky. Running a cab from Roman's company, you pick up Little Jacob, he hot boxes the car, mumbles for a while in an accent so thick neither the captions nor Niko can keep up, and hands you a piece. We proceeded to learn all about the new gunplay system -- you can lock-on, free aim and take out specific body parts if you like -- and take out a thorn in Little Jacob's side.

That's awesome and all, but "Concrete Jungle" was the mission that solidified Little Jacob as having some kick-ass tasks. Again, you pick up Little J. and take him to shakedown some thugs. Niko waits in the car while watching the back alley, things go wrong, and three bad guys burst through the emergency exit. We hit the gas, killed one guy with the car, nicked another and completely missed the third.

Liberty City will burn this April.

Knowing he was screwed, the guy we missed ran back from the direction we had come from and out onto a crowded street. We ditched the ride, got him in our sights and took him out … along with a handful of other people on the sidewalk. Then, we doubled back and found that the guy we nicked had headed out into the open as well. We opened fire and hit him in the arm, but after gripping the wound and mugging for the camera, the thug fired back. Turns out you can strike folks in the leg and arm, and they'll react to the damage but keep coming at you. Of course, in the end, we killed the guy, picked up Little Jacob and headed to the next shakedown -- a rundown house. Here, we were introduced to the fine art of cover. Little Jacob headed into the home, and Niko straightened up against the home's exterior with the press of the button. We could pop out from behind the wall and shoot the evildoers in the head or just blind fire if things got heated. Now, the one-button cover system is nice, but it didn't seem to afford much room for improvisation. With the first wave of bad guys down, Little Jacob stormed the inside, and we decided to fiddle with cover a bit. We went back to the door, walked into the room but couldn't get a shot, went back outside, and finally settled on a spot next to an open window. We looked inside just in time to see Little Jacob get iced. We were sad to see our partner in crime go, but we ran into the room, grabbed a shotgun and went out to unleash hell on Liberty City. We blew people away in the streets and marveled at the blood getting kicked back on the screen before shooting out some tires and putting a round into an incoming ambulance. The rig caught fire, exploded and killed us -- which made the screen turn black and white and track our airborne body in slow motion. What a way to go.

Hil's Take
There are three things we should warn you about before you choose to get excited for GTA IV. Consider all three items carefully, because if none of them appeal to you, then GTA IV will likely be a major disappointment.

1. GTA IV fixes the questionable targeting system from past iterations
   
   
2. Relationships are now dynamic, so ignoring calls from cousin Roman when he is being pursued by violent loan sharks will irrevocably alter your relationship for the rest of your stay in Liberty City
   
   
3. There's lots of stuff to blow up and thousands of people to kill

If none of that sounds appealing to you, then walk away now. GTA IV will be your worst nightmare. For the few remaining who actually enjoy causing pandemonium on city streets, blowing up cop cars and rampaging with shotgun in hand, this is pretty much your dream come true. When Greg finished showing off how terrible he was at playing Grand Theft Auto it was time to leave the training missions and delve a little deeper into the belly of Liberty City. "Final Destination" begins in a seedy Russian club where would-be thespians dressed as cowboys pantomime a Wild West showdown. The ever-quiet Niko sits at a table with some Russian mobsters who are worried that a cat named Lenny might have ratted to the cops about some pot that was stolen. It's Niko's job to take Lenny out -- rat or not. While cruising town, we received a phone call tipping us that Lenny was seen looking to catch a train up on Guantanemo Avenue. Sure enough, when we got there we saw Lenny and a bodyguard waiting to hop a train. Taking the motto "shoot first, ask questions later" to heart, we popped the brain of the bodyguard without saying a word. Lenny hopped across the tracks, just as a train passed, giving him a bit of a head start. That didn't last long.

Niko is one Molotov cocktail away from an easy escape.

Once the train passed, we jumped across the tracks, hurried down the steps to street level and gave chase. Unfortunately, Niko isn't a track star and ol' Lenny managed to hop into a car to speed away. We kicked in the passenger window of a nearby parked car and hopped in for a quick hotwire, which can be made even faster by tapping a face button. And that's when we experienced a game-changing moment for Grand Theft Auto. Tap the Right Bumper/R1 and Niko -- too impatient to roll down a window -- smashes out the driver-side window so he can fire freely out the car. This isn't the same drive-by controls of GTA's past. You have full range of movement while driving, allowing you to target a car you're chasing and try to shoot out its tires (Rubber explodes!) or cause enough damage to set it on fire (The car explodes!). It was an extremely cool element that felt natural and worked well. It also ruined any hopes of completing another mission in GTA IV. Though we'd certainly try our best, once we realized what could be accomplished from the seat of a car, it was tough to focus on anything but total anarchy.

Niko can't run forever. He will get winded.

A cop spotted us exploding poor Lenny and gave chase. GTA IV uses the six-star wanted system once again, where the level of police pursuit increases as your wanted level rises. The change, however, is that cops now work on a line-of-sight pursuit. Our mini-map on the HUD showed a flashing red and blue radius of police interest in finding us. So long as we were in that radius, our wanted rating could only go up. The trouble with getting out of that small radius of pursuit was that any time an officer attained line of sight on us, the radius readjusted. This created a frantic race scenario as we weaved through city streets hoping to shake the cop cars behind us, while also trying to avoid incoming police cars that were being given eyes on our location by the cops already trailing us. And things only got tougher when the police brought in their whirlybird. With cops in hot pursuit and the spotlight of a chopper locked onto our car, we made a wrong turn, drove over a cliff and crashed onto a beach. As we ran from our burning car, we narrowly avoided being squashed by a squad car that -- in true CHiPs fashion -- followed us over the cliff. We did our best to stave off an arrest, firing a few rocket-propelled grenades to take down one of the choppers overhead. The curling smoke trail is a gorgeous thing. The little scuffle soon turned into a standoff on the beach as we laid down suppressing machinegun fire on a group of cops attempting to approach from the beach. We were saved by a miracle -- a second police car drove over the cliff and crashed into the group of pursuing officers. Once we'd stifled our gleeful giggles and collected ourselves, it was time to attempt the final mission of the demo. "Harboring a Grudge" proved a culmination of everything we had learned and experience in the first hour of playing GTA IV. Patrick (or Packie to those who might accidentally shoot him in the back of the head with an RPG) asked Niko for help ripping off a Triad shipment of meds down by the pier. We headed across the Algonquin Bridge and towards Liberty City's version of Manhattan. The first time we tried this mission, we drove like idiots, weaving through traffic, smashing into everyone and every thing. At one point we t-boned someone's car and our own started smoking. So we leaped out and backed away. Funny thing is, the woman we t-boned hopped out and started cursing up a storm. Packie pulled out his piece and popped her. That's right -- no one talks $#!@ about Niko's driving! Then our car exploded and we died.

Sniping for fun and profit.

The second time around, we made it to the pier ahead of the Triad shipment. Using the new climbing mechanics (a simple tap of the action button near a scaleable surface) we made our way to the roof of a warehouse. There was a bit of a glitch with climbing, as we had to do a little dance of backing away and then inching forward before we could convince Niko to grab hold of a ledge and climb up. Good thing Rockstar still has two months to polish this off. And the fact that this was the only issue we came across during our hour-and-a-half play session is a good sign that GTA IV should be fairly bug-free. Once on the roof we pulled out our sniper rifle and stood behind some cover. We waited for the Triad to begin unloading their cargo before we started taking headshots. The enemy AI wasn't dumb. They didn't all stand out in the open waiting to die. Once the first shot was fired, the AI scrambled, looking for cover. But our crack aim was more than they could handle and in short order we picked them off. We hopped down off the roof, switched to the shotgun, and kneecapped the remaining three thugs in the warehouse. As they writhed in pain, we slowly walked from one to the next, executing each one with a coolness not seen at IGN since we last accidentally hired a terminator (we miss you, Doug!). With the sound of police sirens in the background, we hopped into the truck and accidentally backed over Packie. "Muh bad!" With a wounded Packie in the passenger seat, it was time to make a run for it. That run lasted about 10 seconds. The first cop we came across managed a crack shot at our tire. With a first and then a second tire down, the truck moved at a snail's pace. And then we hit rush hour traffic. We were doomed. That's when we decided Niko would never be taken alive. Not only can you shoot out of windows, you can also drop grenades. We dropped a handful, hearing cars exploding behind us as we attempted to push through traffic. But we moved so slowly that we never made it past the last two grenades dropped and, once again, we blew ourselves back to God. We ended things by going on one of the great rampages in GTA history. At least, we'd like to think that was the case. Determined to have a final spot of fun, we started a ruckus with some cops and then car-jacked a bus to make our escape. We tore through Liberty City, crashing through cars at intersections and tossing Molotov cocktails out the window as we went. At one point we saw an ambulance heading towards us, clearly on the way to care for the wounded left in the wake of our incendiary killing spree. One well-placed toss of a Molotov and the paramedics were forced to stop, drop, and roll. It should be noted that every car we drove handled differently. Not only was each car unique in how it drove, but each its own suspension -- which you could see while making sharp turns. Some of our chase scene moments felt like they were ripped straight from Bullitt. Except instead of Steve McQueen, you had Hilary and Greg behind the wheel smashing in to every parked car on the street.

No fighting on holy ground.

Our first chance to put our hands on GTA IV proved more satisfying than we'd expected. And there are many aspects we still haven't explored. At the start of the game, Liberty City is on lockdown due to a recent terrorist threat. All bridges are closed except for those who have documentation proving their citizenship. Niko doesn't have such documents. But you can still cross the bridges anyway -- you just earn an automatic 5-star wanted level. We call that Threat Level Orange. We also verified that there are vigilante missions in the game. Just hop in a cop car and access the computer to find wanted criminals. We know it exists; we just didn't have the opportunity to try it out. As with any Grand Theft Auto title, there's a very large city to explore with a seemingly endless amount of distractions. What we experienced was only a taste of what gamers can expect on April 29, when GTA IV hits store shelves. It's only two months away, but it's going to be a long wait.

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM NOW AVAILABLE

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM FROM IMDB

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King. Written by Anonymous

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM FROM DVDTALK

"The Forbidden Kingdom" marks the first collaborative experience for Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two action-film marvels fans have been clamoring to see bounce off walls and pummel bad guys for decades now. Criminally, "Kingdom" is a stiff, disturbingly ill-conceived fantasy film more consumed with playing slack-jawed fanboy than telling a compelling story (or at least a competent one) worthy of these two giants.

Jason (Michael Angarano, "Sky High") is a Boston teen feverishly in love with Asian action cinema, nursed by the local elderly Chinatown bootleg dealer. When a bully situation escalates into the shooting of the old man, Jason takes hold of an ancient Chinese staff as commanded, and is transported back in time to a fantasy world. Dazed and confused, Jason finds some clarity in the presence of Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), an immortal fighter who explains to Jason that his staff once belonged to the powerful Monkey King (Jet Li), and to save the land from an evil warlord (Collin Chou), they must return the magical weapon to him. With the help of a powerful monk (also Jet Li) and a vengeful villager (Yifei Liu), Jason treks across the treacherous landscape to restore peace, learning important kung-fu lessons along the way.

Writing a synopsis of the complex "Kingdom" is difficult enough, but imagine trying to understand the story presented when most, if not all, of the exposition is provided by Jackie Chan's garbled English. You see, "Kingdom" wants to be a love letter to fist-first Asian cinema, shot in glorious Asian locations, and cast with top-tier Asian actors. Who better to extract the local color out of the material than the director of "Stuart Little," the writer of "Young Guns," and a producer who wants the entire film shot in English. Obviously, when you want crisp, precise line readings of complex mystical backstory and important character comprehension, you hire Jackie Chan and Jet Li, right? That's not to exclude Angarano, who could use a serious tongue-ectomy before he decides to embark on another role that demands basic verbal communication.

"Kingdom" is a lousy motion picture with self-consciously ornate production value and a strange self-assurance about it that's entirely unearned. The film is a pastiche of martial art cinema classics, with special attention paid to the production codes of the Shaw Brothers and Ronny Yu's 1993 stunner, "The Bride with White Hair," brewed together in an extremely Hollywoodesque potion of stupidity and noise. Rob Minkoff directs with wide-eyed abandon, assembling a highlight reel of special effects and genre tributes that he has no feel for. The entire film is lacking an agreeable rhythm, with a tedious plot that overdoses on fantasy and a cast that can't keep up with the wordy requirements of the storytelling.

It's clear that the film has great admiration for big-screen martial arts, yet "Kingdom" takes matters to exasperating lengths, allowing fight choreographer Woo-ping Yuen plenty of screentime to stage repetitive brawl, aided by a disconcerting amount of CGI and wobbly wire-work. Perhaps Minkoff was too giddy to notice, since it's clear he's having a ball juicing up the body-contact sound effects and glazing the whole film with a paused-DVD reverence that takes his attention away from the basic requirements of pace. "Kingdom" is a lethargic creation, shocking when so much of the cast has built their careers around broken-bone brevity.

The centerpiece of "Kingdom" is obviously the team of Chan and Li, and their finest screen moment is boiled down to the only opportunity the men have to speak in their (somewhat) native language. The rest of the movie is devoted to the two leaping around and losing the war on English-language lucidity. The physicality of these giants cannot be dismissed, and Minkoff gets his money's worth when it comes to the film's scattergun blasts of action. Both Li and Chan appear in top form, and their one-on-one contests are the picture's lone saving grace. That is, until a scene comes along that has Li urinating on Chan's face. Then you kind of forget the film has any merit whatsoever.

Many have anticipated a Li and Chan film for an eternity now, which makes the suffocating artificiality of "Kingdom" heartbreaking and absurd. Why hire these guys when the only purpose they serve is to embody ugly, bloated Hollywood ideas of low-budget kung fu classics? Besides gargantuan paychecks, there's no reason. The public has waited for this pairing for too long to have it squandered on a dreary, numbing, and wickedly miscalculated offering of nonsense like "The Forbidden Kingdom."

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 1 OF 4.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 2 OF 4.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 3 OF 4.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM 4 OF 4.

OVER HER DEAD BODY NOW AVAILABLE

OVER HER DEAD BODY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE OVER HER DEAD BODY FROM IMDB


A ghost tries to sabotage her former boyfriend's current relationship with a psychic.


HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE OVER HER DEAD BODY FROM DVDTALK

Among the many things deceased besides the main character in this painful romantic comedy are the screenplay, the direction, most of the performances, and any trace of heart. It's a softball of a motion picture, somehow mistakenly ending up in theaters when it would find a more receptive home in the warm bosom of the Lifetime cable channel.

When bridezilla Kate (Eva Longoria) is killed by an ice sculpture on her wedding day, she awakens in heaven as an angel with a serious attitude problem. When her fiancé Henry (Paul Rudd) seeks out the guidance of a psychic, Ashley (Lake Bell), he finds an attraction to the curious medium, finding some joy again after a year of depression. For Ashley, the situation is more complicated: while falling in love with Henry, she's soon haunted by the ghost of Kate, who doesn't want anyone going near her man.

Writer/director Jeff Lowell has an extensive history in the sitcom world, so it makes sense that his filmmaking debut, "Over Her Dead Body," would be such a bloodless, derivative puddle of pap. Heck, even the title stinks of mid-season replacement status ("Coming up next, she ain't 'fraid of no ghost! Cybill Shepherd and Ted Danson star in 'Over Her Dead Body'"). Right from the first frame, the production starts flinging toe-curling screenwriting 101 crud toward the paying crowd at a frightening velocity. Moviegoers, we all deserve better.

"Dead Body" is caught in a web of routine, trotting out the rom-com formula without mercy. It's almost disturbing how much of this movie has been viewed in both better and worse creations, but the bottom line is Lowell has no talent and no instincts to elevate the screenplay away from eye-rolling examples of absolute incompetence. Any faceless filmmaker could've made this picture, and frankly I wish someone else had.

How any actors could be attracted to this route lesson of spirit-world jealousy makes my head hurt. Somehow nabbing Paul Rudd to play the male lead is even more confusing. Perhaps Rudd had a house payment that needed attending to, but I'm thrilled he showed up for shooting. Desperately going off the page in an effort to push aside Lowell's crummy writing, Rudd's instinct for improvisation is one of the few aspects of "Dead Body" worth sticking around for. His dead eyes speak volumes about the professional holding pattern he's engaged in, but his quick tongue scores some smiles; a reaction the picture seems allergic to.

While no one in their right mind would believe Rudd and Longoria as a couple, the actor has more interesting chemistry with Lake Bell, who throws performance curveballs of her own to keep the movie mildly palatable. Bell is a terrific performer, and she pushes hard to keep "Dead Body" afloat with askew line readings and forced, but diverting Lucyesque slapstick that she lunges for with admirable aplomb. Of course, Rudd and Bell can only goes as far as Lowell allows, and their efforts are further neutered by an odious supporting performance from Jason Biggs (painfully channeling the spirit of Mr. Bean) as Ashley's gay business partner and Longoria's grating turn as a vengeful, horrible actress. I mean spirit.

"Dead Body" sits comfortably on the rom-com guiderails, even to the end; set, of course, at an airport, where our hero races to prevent his true love from flying away, only to stumble over every possible slapstick setback an airport offers. Even viewers who see just two movies a year will have already witnessed a scene almost exactly like this one.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE OVER HER DEAD BODY.

THE BOURNE IDENTITY NOW AVAILABLE

THE BOURNE IDENTITY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE THE BOURNE IDENTITY FROM IMDB

Based very loosely on Robert Ludlum's novel, the Bourne Identity is the story of a man whose wounded body is discovered by fisherman who nurse him back to health. He can remember nothing and begins to try to rebuild his memory based on clues such as the Swiss bank account, the number of which, is implanted in his hip. He soon realizes that he is being hunted and takes off with Marie on a search to find out who he is and why he is being hunted. Written by ibjsm

When a body is recovered at sea still alive, the mystery man (Damon) seems to have forgotten everything in life, including who he was. Eventually he begins to remember smaller details in life and soon finds out that his name was Jason Bourne. What he doesn't like is that a gun and fake passports also belong to him. Now Bourne, and his new friend, Marie Helena Kreutz (Potente) travel from country to country in search of his new identity. But, someone else is not happy to see him alive, and is frantically trying to track him down. Written by Film_Fan

On a stormy night, the spy thriller opens as an amnesiac is rescued at sea by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. Nearly dead, he carries nothing but the bullets in his back and the bank account number embedded in his hip. Although completely without identity or background, he possesses an array of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. In the present he is disoriented and wary as he is propelled into an urgent search to discover who he is and why his life has taken a perilous turn. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

On a stormy night, a young man is pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea by the crew of a fishing boat. Thinking the young man is dead, a curious fisherman with a scalpel finds two bullets in his back and a miniature laser device in his hip. The laser reveals a Swiss bank account number. But our wet hero isn't dead, and soon finds himself in Zurich. In the bank vault the young man discovers his name, Jason Bourne. In addition, he finds a baffling pile of different passports, all with his picture, and a huge pile of cash. In the U.S. Embassy, Jason Bourne discovers his love interest and travel partner, Marie, along with the fact that someone wants to kill him. Armed with a bag of money and mysterious martial arts skills, with Marie by his side, Bourne scours Paris for clues about his identity and past life... and finds himself in the middle of two assassination plots masterminded by the CIA. Written by Joshua Bess

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE THE BOURNE IDENTITY FROM DVDTALK

The Movie: "The Bourne Identity" feels as if it has been written by a few different writers who left their own mark upon the film, but didn't bother to see if they could improve other weaknesses. A troubled production that went over budget and over schedule, the film was originally supposed to be released late last Winter, but was bumped up to Summer. Reportedly, there were a few different endings filmed and additional debate between director Doug Liman and the studio. Thankfully, the troubles (at least most of them) seem to have been worked out, as "The Bourne Identity" is a flashy and entertaining thriller that while not flawless, is one of the more enjoyable features I've seen in the past few months. The film stars Matt Damon (an unlikely action hero if there ever was one, but surprisingly very good) as Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin who, as the movie opens, is found floating in the middle of the ocean with two gunshot wounds. Picked up by a fishing boat, Bourne doesn't remember who he is or how he got there, but his reflexes and abilities suggest something fierce. Eventually, Bourne realizes that someone - namely his boss, CIA officer Ted Conklin (Chris Cooper), who wants to, without giving away much detail, clean up a mess that Bourne was involved in. Bourne meets up with Marie (Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run") and offers her 20,000 dollars to drive him to what appears to be his Paris apartment. That's the set-up - and credited writers Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron (based on the novel by Robert Ludlum) provide enough character detail to stay interested and enough solid action sequences - including a wonderfully filmed car chase - to keep suspense high. I previously mentioned feeling as if a few different writers took a swing at the film's screenplay. I very much enjoyed the dialogue between Damon's Bourne and Potente's Marie; they have great chemistry together and even a few very funny moments. However, as good an actor as Chris Cooper is, his agent Conklin really is the most embarassing element of the screenplay. Walking around in a small set and yelling stock government agent lines (usually something similar to, "I want him here five minutes ago!") for most of the film, I desperately wanted the movie to return to the two leads whenever Cooper's character or other government sequences started up. Director Liman has also served as the cinematographer on his other two productions, "Swingers" and "Go". His camera work was often terrific, launching the viewer into the middle of the sequence with a "you-are-there" feel and good handheld work. Understandably, Universal probably wasn't keen on a formerly independent director also doing the cinematography on a 60 million dollar feature. For "Bourne", cinematographer Oliver Wood ("u-571") does equally fine work, often bringing that same "you-are-there" feel to this larger production. Rather than slick shots from a distance, "Bourne"'s street-level cinematography effectively captures the film's feeling that Bourne's persuers could come from behind any corner at any moment. When not returning to the government scenes, the film gains a remarkable amount of tension - while I wasn't on the edge of my seat, I was still often leaning forward and very involved. I'm sure that this film does not stay faithful to the book (reportedly, the film takes only some basic threads and goes from there, but I'm not sure, as I never read it), but I really found it very entertaining on its own. Liman's "Go" remains one of my favorite pictures from the past few years and the director has successfully brought the fast-paced, exciting feel of that film to this big-budget feature.


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AWAKE NOW AVAILABLE

AWAKE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE AWAKE FROM IMDB

While undergoing open heart surgery, a man's failed anesthetic leaves him completely alert, but paralyzed and unable to tell his doctors Written by Anonymous

In "Awake," a psychological thriller that tells the story of a man undergoing heart surgery while experiencing a phenomenon called "anesthetic awareness," which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama. Written by Anonymous

The story focuses on a man who suffers "Anesthetic Awareness" (An occurrence where during surgery where not enough anesthetic medication for the patient's body weight), and finds himself awake and aware, but paralyzed, during heart surgery. His wife must wrestle with her own demons as a drama unfolds around them Written by Anonymous

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE AWAKE FROM DVDTALK

Shot over two years ago, released on the least-attended movie weekend of the year, and withheld from press screenings. Yowsa. The odds were against "Awake" from the very start. It's a shame that the clues pointing to ultimate failure were accurate, for this is one goofy thriller that can barely sustain a running time, much less provide heart-stopping chills.

Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a young, handsome, billion-dollar industrialist, ruling over his inherited New York empire with mother Lilith (Lena Olin), yet cursed with a bum ticker. Secretly engaged to secretary Sam (Jessica Alba), Clay has doubts about his future, which he shares with his heart surgeon friend, Dr. Jack (Terrence Howard). On the very night of his secret marriage, a heart donor is found, and Clay is rushed into surgery. Once put under general anesthesia, Clay finds he retains full awareness, but unable to inform his doctors. With the heart transplant procedure beginning, Clay is helpless, but finds that wide-awake surgery is the least of his problems.

"Awake" has a nifty premise, but it's a featherweight "Twilight Zone" episode, not a feature film. Clocking in at 78 minutes, it's a movie that's stuffed with twists and logic pole vaulting, frantic to engage the viewer when the screenplay reveals all it has is dramatic lint in its pockets.

The horrific idea of "Anesthesia Awareness" is a juicy plot to explore. I can't imagine a greater nightmare than remaining alert during profound surgery, feeling every abyssal incision and tugging stitch. It's a fingernail-chewing situation that seems more than enough to fuel a simple, effective thriller. "Awake" isn't comfortable with that kind of straightforwardness. Writer/director Joby Harold appears pressured to add more to the brew, including a full 30 minutes of kitten-play filler between lovebirds Sam and Clay, tension with Oedipal mother figure Lilith (with Olin in the role, that's not a hard leap to make), and a conspiracy subplot too touchy to fully discuss in a review without dancing through the minefields of spoilerdom.

In better filmmaking hands, the scares would've been efficient and the performances stronger. Harold barely has control of it all, ruining the surgery scenes by running a laugh-inducing inner monologue from Clay and allowing Christensen plenty of room to work out his tiresome method acting preferences. The script also escapes any desirable claustrophobia by inventing a spiritual manifestation for Clay, which allows the action to leave the operating room (big mistake) and also permits Christensen a chance to offer the viewer more ghastly performance choices.

The whoppers start to pile up near the end of "Awake" in a very messy fashion. Harold runs out of ideas, so he starts his twist machine, throwing around the allegiances of characters to absurdly comical heights. Again, it's hard to describe to lunacy of the final moments without giving away the movie, but rest assured that "Awake" is hardly conscious when it comes time for the dramatic payoffs, preferring exaggerated soap opera scripting methods over far more pleasurable Hitchcockian ones. "Awake" isn't awful, just moronic, and it fails to live up the potential it holds with such a disturbing premise.

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