Lucky for us, the CIA just couldn’t leave Jason Bourne alone.

This new tour de force thriller starring Matt Damon as an ex-CIA assassin with amnesia adheres to the plot of the brilliant book by Robert Ludlum almost point for point. If you’re looking for a sample of what you’re going to get check out the plot synopsis at amazon.com.

I loved every second. Here’s some key selling points:

1) Trumps the car chases in Bourne Identity.

2) Chock full of quotable lines.

3) Relentless and intriguing narrative.

4) Meaningful conflict between the secondary protagonists.

5) We learn more about the complex inner struggle scraping at Jason Bourne.

6) Matt Damon IS Jason Bourne.

See this movie in the theaters. It’s worth a full price adult ticket.

Will Smith stars in last weekend’s number 1 movie, I, Robot. Set in 2035, he plays Detective Del Spooner with the Chicago Police. Summoned to investigate a suicide of a top scientist with a Robotics Company, he finds himself on the trail of something sinister. Sound familiar?

3 things that work about the film:

1) Eye candy – the robots look fantastic and believable in a cybernetic sort of way.

2) Pacing – the story moves quickly.

3) Action sequences are very tight, although the quality varies.

3 that could use improvement:

1) Plot – there was the scent of swiss cheese in the theater, and it wasn’t the kid 2 rows down who spilled nachos on himself.

2) Cliches – we’ve seen most of these characters/story developments before in other projects.

3) Payoff – because of the holes in the story when the conspiracy was unveiled it didn’t seem to matter.

Verdict – DVD it.

Ever wonder what happened to the weekly movie reviews around this place?

Well, I didn’t stop going to the movies. Here’s 5 flicks I saw, but didn’t review.

The Summer Movie Review at a glance…
1)The Terminal � millions of undocumented aliens enter this country every year, but Tom Hanks can’t figure out how to walk through the doors at JFK.
2)The Notebook � it made the Wife cry.
3)Fahrenheit 9/11 � Mike Moore is a Big Fat Rich White Guy. 100% True!
4)White Chicks � They weren’t white and they weren’t chicks. And it wasn’t funny.
5)Anchorman – Will Ferrell is about the only thing not weighing down this ship.

Last night I saw one of the finest films of 2000 four years late. In fact, almost everyone missed the theatrical release of The Boondock Saints because it was an independent film that played for just 10 days, peaking on 5 screens, grossing less than 31,000 dollars worldwide.

That would be the end of the story, only it was a monster DVD hit; the stuff legends are made of. Priced to move at 9.99 it really did.

Boondock Saints is a rare combination of intriguing characters, smart cinematography and a story that pushes the complex heroes to their limits. Chock full of vignettes that could only happen onscreen, it’s an intriguing peak inside the burgeoning conflict between the Russian and Italian mob. Set in Boston, virtually every shot is on location giving the film a gritty, real look.

The film explores the premise of whether it’s a bigger crime to witness violence and do nothing, or to intervene.

A rounded cast that includes Willem Dafoe and Billy Connolly add the necessary star credentials to the production. Dafoe’s character as an FBI agent is particularly twisted, even for the Green Goblin. Don’t try and say I didn’t warn you.

True, this is not for everyone and it’s rated R for a reason. But if you’re of age and like the mob genre, give it a whirl.