Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

Believe it or not. Blog exclusive! One Sentence Synopsis and Review "The Talented Mr. Ripley" 1999 3 Stars Synopsis: When Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) receives the offer of a lifetime -- an all expenses paid trip to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the free-spirit son of a wealthy shipbuilder -- he accepts despite knowing full well that he will never make good on the offer and instead plan's to assume Dickie's identity. Review: Ripley's "friendship" with Greenleaf is erratic because at any moment they are either fighting or getting along just fine, yet this isn't the thing in "Ripley" that stands out because John Seale's cinematography, beautiful and devastating, makes the viewer forget about the film's meandering plot (riff with murder, music, bewilderment) a bit more tolerable. Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law star. See Matt Damon and company in action below by watching the exciting trailer: As ...

Here, there, everywhere... (Now on DVD) 2 Stars As featured in: The Ithacan As of late movies such as the “Green Zone” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” have featured actor Matt Damon running from federal agents, jumping off of bridges and avoiding friendly fire on a giant scale. But Damon goes back to his roots as a dramatic actor in the much more restrained “Hereafter.” “Hereafter” features an interwoven story arc revolving around three characters — George (Matt Damon) a retired physic in the United States, Marie (Cécile de France) a French TV anchor and Marcus (George McLaren) a young boy reeling because of the death of his twin brother in England — who happen to run into each other despite the odds. Each lead actors performance is terrific in its own way. De France brings a vulnerability to Marie that is sexy and realistic. Damon rules the screen with his presence. He reeks of sorrow, yet carries himself confidently, especially when it comes to dealing with women, throughout the pic...

It's not the "The Hurt Locker" but it still kicks some terrorist tail. (Now on DVD) 3 Stars Blog exclusive! The Green Zone is an ironic name for a place in war-torn Baghdad. When I think of the color green I conjure up images of flora and fauna, not life and death situations. But in the heat of battle the difference between living and dying has a lot to do with lady luck. So it’s only natural that in director Paul Greengrass' (The Bourne Ultimatum) “Green Zone” instability rules, and death is everything but a distant reality. Matt Damon (The Informant!) is Chief Miller, a US Army soldier in charge of a WMD seek-and-destroy unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As days turn to weeks and no WMD's (Weapons of Mass Destruction) are found - despite numerous intelligence reports from the Pentagon - Miller grows increasingly concerned that the information he was given is faulty. When a suspicious Iraqi citizen comes forward with potentially game-changing intelligen...