Run Lola Run: An international adrenaline rush.

Another lesson I took away from my film classes was that one needed to expand their viewing habits and see what kind of movies the rest of the world had to offer. Sure you might have to deal with subtitles but if the movie is good, like Run Lola Run, you can be entertained none the less.

Time is running out for Lola. After receiving a frantic phone call from her boyfriend Manni, who explained that he lost 100,000 marks of mob money, she has twenty minutes to somehow replace the money or Manni will pay dearly. With the clock ticking, Lola has few options and must choose the right one or watch Manni suffer the consequences.

Rather than having a traditional straight-forward Hollywood type narrative the film featured a unique narrative structure in which multiple possibilities of how Lola and Manni’s story would play out were shown. To go along with its distinctive narrative, the film also featured a rapid pace and non-stop action as Lola fought through numerous obstacles to try and obtain the money. The use of quick cuts and edits as well as a driving soundtrack also kept the film moving at a break neck pace. At the core of the film was the romantic story of the two main characters. Lola, played by the beautiful Franka Potente who played Matt Damon's love interest Marie in the first two Bourne movies, was out to save her Manni no matter what. If she had to move the mountains, rob a store or even talk to her uninterested father, she would. The love they shared for one another was what made the entire plot plausible and no doubt struck a chord with some viewers as they wondered how much they would do for the love of their lives. Run Lola Run was a pure adrenaline rush of entertainment.

Grade: B

The Bourne Identity: The spy thriller reborn.

Back before Daniel Craig donned the tux and became 007, the cinema world was suffering through Pierce Brosnan's smug take on the role. Not only that, but the Bond movies back then were loaded down with "death rays" and cliched villians and seemed almost laughable. Enter Matt Damon and The Bourne series, whose realism and emotional depth made the spy genre matter again. So much so that if you look at a Bond film now you can see the Bourne influences.

A man is pulled from the sea with two bullet holes in his back and a case of amnesia. He comes to discover that his name is Jason Bourne and he has a violent past. With the help of a woman named Marie he hopes to uncover the truth behind his extraordinary abilities, and the reasons the U.S. government is so anxious to hunt him down.

Most spy thriller films tend to focus on action, be it hand to hand combat or exotic weaponry that the hero or villain employ. While The Bourne Identity contained a number of fierce fight sequences and an insane car chase, the main focus was on the story of Jason Bourne and his attempts to discover who he was. Bourne was not some suave secret agent that slurped martinis while spouting cheesy one-liners after he offed a bad guy. He was an intelligent, resourceful man looking to regain control of his life. To go along with having an uncommon spy as the hero the film also boasted a touching love story between Jason and Marie. Whereas in other spy thriller genre films in which the hero simply beds the lead actress because she was there, the romance between Jason and Marie did not feel forced. They came to care for one another and shared a terrific chemistry. The film had a heart to go along with the great action and intriguing story and was a distinctive entry in the spy thriller genre.

Grade: A