Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

Eating Chocolate Cake, Hopping at Two Brothers Brewing, Driving to Camp, Ogling a Woman, and Watching Cyrus.

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I’m still trying to figure out why a diet can’t include chocolate cake, and during this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu Gotz can’t seem to figure out why not, either. And even though beer is also a big topic of Stu’s weekend, thanks to a trip to Two Brothers Brewing, we don’t talk only about food and drink, but also about Stu sending a Little Gotz to camp, how I was a swimming champ, and about dudes ogling a woman in f-me shoes at a gas station. We reminisce on the passing of Clarence Clemons and Ryan Dunn, Stu is watching TV on BBC America again (He’s still trying to get me to watch "The In-Betweeners"), I let you know if the movie "Cyrus" is worth a rental, and neither of us really care about this year’s Crosstown Classic here in Chicago, between the Cubs and the White Sox, especially since neither of us have tickets for the series when its at The Cell. Maybe that will change when it ends up at Wrigley Field in a couple of weeks.

All of that and more, and thanks for listening!

That’s it for this podcast! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Amusement

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:25 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

Amusement Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Keir O’Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Jessica Lucas, Laura Breckenridge, Tad Hilgenbrink
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	Picturehouse Entertainment
Directed By:	John Simpson

The teaser trailer seems to try to build this movie on the “Saw” genre of horror films, and really, there isn’t too much to really care about other than the basic synopsis is that some dude wants to stalk some dudettes related to something when they were all young ins.

The key for this film will be the obvious for the horror genre being a little more fun than the “Saw” side of things, namely some nudity and some sex. It’d got the women, hopefully they will get naked, and then if things are done right there will be blood, and a lot of it. Right now the teaser trailer is only out, it’s from Picturehouse Entertainment so that might mean it won’t even make it to my gigaplex, but in any case I sort of look forward to seeing this on my small screen where I can jump in my seat without the fear of ridicule from the theater goers around me.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

America’s Sweethearts

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:40 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

America’s Sweethearts Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, Christopher Walken
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Columbia Pictures
Kiddie Movie:	It’s adult humor.
Date Movie:	She’ll make you take her, but it is kind of funny.
Gratuitous Sex:	Some bras and talk.
Gratuitous Violence:	Some people fight.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Lots of them.
Memorable Scene:	Most of the movie was alright.
Memorable Quote:	Both by Eddie (Cusack). While at the wellness center: “Dear Mom, Fuck you.” And during a press junket: “We’ve done a couple of three-ways.”
Directed By:	Joe Roth

I’m still trying to figure out just why I liked “America’s Sweethearts.” The movie was predictable, the lines generic, and had a crotch-licking doberman. But in the end it might have just been so over-the-top cute that I enjoyed it just like most of the people in the theater seemed to.

The movie has a lot of things going on… Gwen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie (John Cusack) were Hollywood sweethearts, and as long as they were sweethearts their films did well. Then Gwen ends up cheating on Eddie with another co-star, Hector (Hank Azaria), Eddie ends up in a wellness center, and Gwen’s career is fading fast. But they’ve got a movie coming out soon directed by the eccentric Hal (Christopher Walken), only Hal won’t let the movie studio see the film until it is shown to the press. The movie heads have a problem – how to hold a press junket for a movie the press haven’t seen yet and how to get Gwen and Eddie to at least pretend they’re back together. So they re-hire the just-fired Lee (Billy Crystal), a whiz at the publicity spin-machine.

Well, Lee concocts a press junket at a secluded resort so they can wine and dine the press and make them forget about the movie, and he also tricks Gwen and Eddie into going to the junket and going through the motions. Included in all of this is Kiki (Julia Roberts), Gwen’s sister and pseudo-assistant, who has a crush on Eddie. Put it all together and the hilarity ensues as Eddie still thinks he can get Gwen back, Kiki keeps putting up with Gwen’s shit, Lee keeps spinning the publicity machine, Kiki sleeps with Eddie, Eddie almost dies, and Hal shows up with a movie that would actually be a pretty funny movie in its own right if it could ever be done.

This is a movie trying to make fun at the movie-studio publicity machine and how America gets wrapped up in some pretty obnoxious people. Gwen is the epitome of the spoiled star, expecting everything to be done for her, even getting her teeth brushed, yet somehow we love her. Eddie, on the other hand, is the sap, thinking a holistic wellness center could help him get over Gwen. Then you’ve got Kiki, the abused assistant who would probably quit except she’s Gwen’s sister. Now toss in Lee, the publicist who loves you as a friend but will still leak a security tape to the press where it looks like you’re masturbating if he thinks it will help the film.

In “America’s Sweethearts” you get a love quadrangle, a predictable ending, but a lot of jokes that are just plain funny. Sure, the movie could have made a little more fun of the press people who go to press junkets, but in the end this was a romantic comedy for Julia Roberts and John Cusack mixed with your wondering if Catherine Zeta-Jones might be a little like Gwen in real life.

So, to wrap this up, if you’re looking for a cute, romantic comedy then “America’s Sweethearts” ranks up there with rest of them – you know what you are going to get and just hope to get some good laughs along with it. In this movie you get it. It’s 4 Stars out of 5 for “America’s Sweethearts.”

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

American Wedding

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:45 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

American Wedding Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Jason Biggs, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Nikki Schieler Ziering
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Kiddie Movie:	Oh no.
Date Movie:	Sure, it’s about a wedding.
Gratuitous Sex:	Some gratuitous nudity.
Gratuitous Violence:	Funny.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Lots.
Memorable Scene:	Stifler losing the ring.
Memorable Quote:	Too many to list.
Directed By:	Jesse Dylan

Well, the boys and girls are back, or at least most of them, in what is supposed to be the last of the “American Pie” series. This time it’s “American Wedding,” where our boy Jim (Jason Biggs, a.k.a. The Pie Fucker) is marrying the first girl he slept with, namely Michelle (Alyson Hannigan, a.k.a. The Lesbian on Buffy). Also back are Finch, Kevin, Jim’s Dad and the must have or you might as well just forget the movie, Stifler. Is it as funny as the original? Does it rise above number two? For me it nicely stuck to the framework of the movies, maybe a little more sappiness (it is about a wedding after all), but it still kept me laughing and almost made me throw up. For me, that’s good enough.
In a hilarious opening scene, once again Jim finds himself in an embarrassing situation, once again not caused by, but aided by his Dad. The question is asked, she says “Yes,” and it’s off to a hilarious look at planning a wedding, setting up a bachelor party, and Stifler trying to land himself a virgin, namely Cadence (January Jones), Michelle’s sister.

I will say that at the beginning of the film I was getting irked because they really put Stifler’s character over the top, so much so that there wouldn’t be any friendship left in my eyes, to the point of why don’t you just call the cops and get him out of your life. But with the addition of Cadence, and Stifler trying to score, it became even better how he transformed himself into the best man, still being rude, crude, and one funny dude.

In the end “American Wedding” adds a new level of gross-out comedy, makes you glad you’re not Jim, although Michelle is quite the sex-crazed girl, so maybe being Jim isn’t so bad, and if you liked either of the first “Pies” you’ll probably enjoy “Wedding.” But, if you didn’t get the humor of the first one’s stay away because this one will probably disgust you even more.

It’s 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for this one. They lost 1/2 star for Stifler being so over the top at the beginning, but that’s really the only complaint I have about the movie.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

American History X

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:59 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

American History X Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, Avery Brooks, Beverly D’Angelo
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	New Line Cinema
Kiddie Movie:	No way in hell, but older teens might learn something.
Date Movie:	Bring ’em along.
Gratuitous Sex:	Sex, and rape.
Gratuitous Violence:	It’s about racial hatred, what do you think?
Action:	More violence than anything action.
Laughs:	A couple of lines.
Memorable Scene:	Most of the movie, but a couple of scenes that stand out are when Derek kills the one black guy – it’s one of those scenes where you know what is going to happen, kinda hope they don’t show it, then cringe as they do, the scene in the prison shower (what do think happens), and the ending scenes in the high school bathroom.
Memorable Quote:	Most of the movie.
Directed By:	Tony Kaye

I left “American History X” just thinking one thing – “Whoa.” Sometimes a movie does that to you.
“American History X” is a story about a lot of things. It’s a story about racism. It’s a story about family. It’s a story about crime. It’s about a scary side of life today hitting on questions of which there really aren’t easy answers, and whichever side of the line you tend to fall on, there is someone just as defiant on the other side.
Edward Norton plays Derek, a skinhead, Nazi type who develops a hatred for blacks, Hispanics, and well, you get the idea. His brother, Danny, as well as the Nazi community he has helped develop, admire him. He is a person of action, he is a person of rhetoric, and he has that look of a leader. The movement is growing, mostly because of the foundation that Derek helped lay, but Derek has another problem, he ends up in jail for murder. This further makes him a hero, but what the skinheads don’t know, and especially his brother, is what happened to Derek in jail.
Danny is headed down the same path as Derek, but hasn’t learned some crucial lessons, and when Derek gets free from the pokey, he wants his brother out of the skinheads, he wants his family to be a family again, and he wants his life to be his own.
That’s the easy way to tell the story, I guess, because this movie works hard in its two hour time to develop how racial hatred is born, how it grows, and how it can be realized that sometimes those you hate are the ones you need the most, while the ones who you supposedly understand and trust will stab you in the back. Derek learns all of these lessons, while Danny learns, just a little to late.
I won’t go into this movie anymore, just say it’s one hell of an emotional movie. The brutality of prison life comes through, the brutality of hatred comes through, and Edward Norton gives one hell of a performance.
With that said, and probably not much of it making sense, because I think to do so this review would turn into a book report, I just have to say I recommend the film. 4 ½ Stars out of 5.
That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!

American Gangster

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:37 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

American Gangster Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr.
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Kiddie Movie:	For goodness sake, leave them at home.
Date Movie:	If she can deal with some gratuitous violence.
Gratuitous Sex:	A good sex scene and a ton of nudity.
Gratuitous Violence:	Um, duh.
Action:	There really isn’t any chasing.
Laughs:	A chuckle or two.
Memorable Scene:	Frank with his brothers at the diner.
Memorable Quote:	At the diner scene when Frank says, “So, what was I talking about?”
Directed By:	Ridley Scott

The opening scene in “American Gangster” kind of tells it all as Frank Lucas’ (Denzel Washington) boss/mentor/father figure, Bumpy Johnson, begins to lament the demise of America as the grocery stores become supermarkets, and the smaller stores with customer service become superstores with none. Bumpy then seems saddened in the idea of buying direct from the manufacturer, thus cutting out the middleman, and selling the same product at lower prices. However, as Bumpy was lamenting, you could almost see the wheels spinning inside the head of Frank Lucas, and spin they did as he took the legacy of Bumpy and turned it into an empire. Sadly it was a drug empire, but an empire nonetheless.

“American Gangster” gives us a film adaptation of Frank Lucas, who, during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, became a heroin kingpin in New York City, and as the movie portrays, even more powerful than the mob. Using the knowledge he gained from Bumpy, Frank quickly realized that to really make money in the drug trade, all he needed to do was cut out the people in the middle and buy directly from the manufactures. So he went to Vietnam, and while our troops were fighting, he was meeting with a drug lord to buy factory direct, found people who would store the heroin in the coffins of American soldiers coming back from Vietnam (and paying them well it seems), and then developed a distribution ring that made him a lot of money. The movie portrays him not getting high on his own supply, but running his operation like a business: Waking early, getting breakfast to formulate his day, meeting with his accountants, going to Sunday mass with his mother, and doing his best not to look flashy, just a businessman, a businessman who was not afraid to shoot someone who might be screwing with his operation.
On the other side of the coin is Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), an honest cop in a not-so-honest cop world, having lots of family problems, but getting his opportunity to be honest when the feds began to develop special operations drug forces to stem the drug trade. His boss respects Richie’s being honest, in fact can’t seem to really believe it, and just wants Richie to develop a group of investigators who are honest as well and might be able to make a difference. At first the team starts investigating the obvious people, high members of the mob, but slowly Richie starts to see something different, and on a day when Frank seems to stray from his own advice (thanks in part because of a gift from his wife), Richie wonders how a black man can get better seats at the Ali-Frazier fight than a head mob boss. The wheels begin to turn, and Richie eventually gets his man, Frank.

But Richie wants more, and what better way to get it when a dude is facing life in prison being wealthy, or getting out early and being poor. Frank opts for the getting out early, but in an interesting way, not giving up those he did “business” with, but those he felt stole from him, namely a whole slew of dirty cops.
It’s weird, because at times during “American Gangster” you almost just think Frank Lucas is just a great business man, that is until he tells his brother he would kill him (and you know he would) but won’t because he is his brother. You see that Frank has learned a lot from his mentor Bumpy about giving back to the community, as well as the importance of “family” from his associations with the organized crime world. Then you see Richie, who in his heart is an honest guy, but one who can’t keep his family together, instead opting for sleeping with his lawyer and, well, just about anyone. But the important thing in this movie is that both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are great in their respective roles. Russell always makes Richie looke, well, just tired, and Denzel lets Frank have a natural swagger, although the scene when Frank is blaring about how people shot at his wife seemed off-kilter. Maybe that’s just me.

“American Gangster” is rated R for all of the reasons you would think. There is a lot of violence, it’s about the heroin trade so you’ve got drug use, Richie gets it on with a chick in a big way, and as was the practice, the chicks cutting the pure heroin and packaging it are naked so there’s no chance of their stealing any. As such, of course, at the movie showing I was at, a family brought their 10ish year old who was applauding at the end of the movie, although I wasn’t sure if he was clapping for his new hero, Frank, or his new hero, Richie.

Lots of great things happen during “American Gangster,” and even though the movie clocks in at over 2 ½ hours I never really got anxious in my seat. The acting is great, the movie looks great, so if your significant other can deal with some gratuitous violence, go and see a movie that will probably get more talk as we get towards the movie award nomination season.
It’s 4 ½ stars out of 5.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

How to Be a Bad Dad, Congrats South Park Dudes, and The Key to a Great Mojito.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast is back after a week hiatus, and Stu Gotz admits that he is a bad father. Well, he’s not a bad dad all of the time, but the Queen Mary docked in California has a tour, and he took his little ones on it. He also saw some movies, and doesn’t like “Rango” but does like the new “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” Me, my congratulations go out to a multitude of folks, namely Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks for beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, the boys of South Park for their Broadway play “The Book of Mormon” that won a bunch of Tony Awards, and Rick Bayless who, as luck would have it, posted his recipe for a Watermelon Mojito, and it is delicious (and yes, do yourself a favor and find the D’Aristi rum from Yucatan – it makes it very yummy!) and my new, favorite, summertime drink.

All of that and more, and thanks for listening!

That’s it for this podcast! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Bruce Almighty

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:41 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Bruce Almighty Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Catherine Bell, and a way-talented dog.
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Release Date:	2003
Kiddie Movie:	Lots of toilet humor, but maybe not too young.
Date Movie:	It’s good for the both of you.
Gratuitous Sex:	A scene with Bruce giving Grace the big “O”, and Jennifer Aniston bouncing her boobs noticing how big they’ve gotten.
Gratuitous Violence:	The town begins to riot.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Lots.
Memorable Scene:	The dog. That’s enough said.
Memorable Quote:	Too many to list.
Directed By:	Tom Shadyac

I suppose if you give a character played by Jim Carrey the powers of God then there must be some kind of moral lesson given by the time the end of the movie comes around. Such is the price you pay in “Bruce Almighty,” the triumphant return of Jim Carrey playing a character Jim Carrey should play.

In “Bruce Almighty” Bruce (Carrey) is having a bad day. He’s a TV reporter relegated to the feel-good stories in Buffalo. He wants the anchor position that is opening up, and when he doesn’t get it, finding out on a live shot from Niagara Falls, he loses it on air. So Bruce gets pissed at God, and God, deciding he wants a little break, gives Bruce his powers to do as he pleases. What’s a man like Bruce to do? Well, being the selfish guy he is, Bruce toilet trains his dog, gives his girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston), bigger boobs, makes the new anchorman talk goofily, and decides it would be easier to just grant everyone’s prayers than actually hear what they are saying, the latter resulting in an uproar because everyone wins the lottery, and with everyone splitting the pot, well, the couple of dollar payoff given over 20 years just doesn’t seem like a win.

So Bruce has the power of God yet his life remains incomplete, mostly because he’s still a selfish prick. Now it’s time for the fun to end and Bruce to learn that being God isn’t as easy as it seems, and that maybe Bruce should look past himself and see that his actions affect a lot of people’s lives. It’s time for Bruce to learn his lesson, let God take back his powers, and live his life to make others happy.

Carrey has come a long way since the “Ace Ventura” days, showed he can tackle some real acting jobs, but the success of “Bruce Almighty” will show that the public isn’t looking for Jim Carrey as the serious actor because he is just so much better on the comedic side. Maybe sometimes it’s better to know your niche and stick with it, although I suppose it’s always okay to try something new every now and then. I thought Carrey was great playing Andy Kaufman, and did a fabulous job in “The Truman Show,” but most people didn’t care. His fans want comedy, and comedy he gives, and as talented as he is, you just can’t get enough of him talking out of his butt or giving his girlfriend bigger boobs. Carrey’s back where he belongs, in comedy, and it’s 4 stars out of 5 for “Bruce Almighty.” And, oh yea, as great as Jim Carrey is in this movie, I must mention the dog – he nearly steals the show.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

MPAA Rated – Unrated
It’s 1:54 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Mickey Rooney
MPAA Rated:	Unrated
Released By:	Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Date:	1961
Kiddie Movie:	They might get all squishy with the kissing, or wonder what job Holly has.
Date Movie:	It’s perfect for your romantic dudette.
Gratuitous Sex:	Hinted at talk.
Gratuitous Violence:	Nope.
Action:	Nope.
Laughs:	Some cute moments.
Memorable Scene:	The party is a lot of fun.
Memorable Quote:	Nah.
Directed By:	Blake Edwards

I have to admit that prior to watching the DVD, the only thing I really knew about “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was from a song by a band called Deep Blue Something that had a hit titled, well, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in the mid 1990’s, and from the song, they both kind of liked it. Then I watched the DVD and realized that A) Audrey Hepburn is quite a hottie; B) Hey, that looks like the dude from “The A-Team”; and C) I kinda liked it, too.

Here are the basics of the movie…

Audrey Hepburn is Holly Golightly. Without saying as much, well, she’s an escort, getting paid to “go away” at the end of the evening. She loves Tiffany’s (and what dudette doesn’t?), especially in the morning, but is desperately looking for Mr. Right, especially a very wealth Mr. Right, to sweep her away from the life she is leading. Enter Paul “Fred” Varjak (George Peppard). He’s a writer, but actually appears more like a male escort, under the payment of “2E” (Patricia Neal). He finds himself living in Holly’s building, the two of them become acquaintances, and Paul takes it upon himself to watch over Holly, and also fall in love with her.

And so their relationship grows, there is a wild party, Paul protects Holly from her deserted husband, they spend some quality time together, at Tiffany’s no less, and Holly gets wrapped up, unknowingly, in a narcotics ring thanks to Sally Tomato (Alan Reed), who she visits regularly in jail. In the end, wouldn’t you know it, both Holly and Paul realize they love, and are meant, for each other.

Yes, this is a chick-flick. Yes, this movie is before my time. And yes, this is the movie that put the song “Moon River” on the map. But more than that, yes, this movie holds up from the 1961’s it was filmed in to these 2009’s that I saw it. Well, it almost holds up, because if this movie were made today, it would get crucified for Mickey Rooney’s portrayal as Mr. Yunioshi, which even I found kind of disturbing.

In terms of romance, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is nearly perfect, so for the romantic in you, and if you want your honey to get all lovey-dovey, it’s a 4 ½ star “snuggler” for the two of you. If you’re a dude, you might not want to admit to your friends that you liked it.

As far as the DVD, which for the version I saw was the Centennial Collection, 2-Disc version, and I know this might sound dude-ly wrong, I enjoyed the extras. There was a nice look at how the Golightly party scene was put together, I always love back-stories on musicians and the Henry Mancini ranks up there, you get a little bit of history why Tiffany’s is such an icon, you will find out how important George Takei was to the shift in Asian perception on film during the “Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective” feature, and there is also a great “Making of…” which for a change, I really liked.

If you are a fan of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” may I highly recommend the Centennial Collection 2-Disc version, because along with the movie, which is great, there is a ton of historic material sure to delight you. And if all you know about the movie is a song from the mid-1990’s, it holds up well into these 2000’s, so go ahead and snuggle together about one of the original “pretty women.”

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Bourne Supremacy

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:49 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Bourne Supremacy Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Matt Damon, Franke Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Release Date:	2004
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young.
Date Movie:	She might find Matt Damon dreamy, or wonder why you can’t kick everyone’s ass.
Gratuitous Sex:	Sadly, no.
Gratuitous Violence:	Lots of it, but not gratuitous – it is PG-13.
Action:	Lots of chasing going on.
Laughs:	A couple of good chuckles.
Memorable Scene:	Bourne on the rooftop across from the CIA offices in Berlin.
Memorable Quote:	It would give away a good chuckle if I listed it.
Directed By:	Paul Greengrass

When “The Bourne Identity” was hitting movie theaters, I thought the trailer looked pretty decent, but really didn’t get that excited about the film. I was so unexcited about the film that I didn’t even go to see it. Then I heard good things about it, and I still didn’t go see it. Finally it came to my cable television channel and I said to myself “Self, let’s give it a shot.” When the movie finished I then said to myself “Self, that was a damn good thriller. I really should have gone to see that in the theater.” This time I was actually excited about the follow-up “The Bourne Supremacy”, and after seeing the film, I was not disappointed.

The first film sets us up with the history of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). We find out that he is this government trained assassin with amnesia. The movie finishes with Jason telling the government folks to leave him alone or he’s going to bring his wrath to their doorstep. So this film opens with a new CIA lady, Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), running an operation in Berlin that goes horribly wrong, and we see the bad guy placing a fingerprint as evidence, obviously to throw the trail to someone else. Duh, it’s Bourne’s fingerprint. Meanwhile Jason is living with his girlfriend from the first film, Marie (Franke Potente), having nightmares about something in his past, and her trying to help him through it. Then, of course, the bad guy shows up looking for Bourne, Bourne easily spots him, and with a single gunshot Jason finds himself on his way to Berlin to bring his wrath to the government folks. Meanwhile, Landy thinks Bourne killed two of her agents, and now she’s on the hunt for him for all of the wrong reasons, but, as it turns out, it’s actually for the right reason.

Well, I’m not going to go into much more of the story because the whole point of a thriller is to, well, thrill, and of course, give some surprises, so the basic plot is all you need to know going in. With that, is the movie any good? In a word: Yes.

The Dude on the Left still isn’t buying Matt Damon as a super-spy, but for the role of Jason Bourne, I’m finding him dead on. Jason’s not supposed to be a James Bond type, he’s just a normal looking dude who is able to kick some serious ass without knowing why he can do it other than he is some trained government agent. He’s trying to put back the pieces to his life, but other people keep getting in the way.

The movie is filled with a great supporting cast, also. Joan Allen does a nice job as the new CIA lady, Brian Cox is back as Ward, and Julia Stiles returns to her role, and gets used nicely, as Nicky. But the key to this franchise is Damon, and so far the future is looking bright. You don’t have the super-flashy gadgets like a Bond film, but then again, why would Jason have them when he’s not really working for the CIA? But you do get some great chase scenes, and I’ll tell you what, that’s one hell of a tough taxi cab in this film.

If you enjoyed “The Bourne Identity,” odds are you’ll enjoy “The Bourne Supremacy” as well. If you missed the first film, don’t worry that you’ll be lost in the sequel. The film folks to a decent job at bringing you up to speed, but really, all you need to know, is that Jason Bourne is a government trained assassin who has amnesia. For me, “The Bourne Supremacy” gets 4 ½ stars out of 5. It doesn’t get too over the top, it’s got some great chase scenes and some surprises, and the dialogue gives you a chuckle or two to boot.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!