The God Committee: Life, Death, and Reality

In Baltimore two weeks ago, a 57-year-old man received a genetically modified heart from a pig.  So far, so good.  That's not science fiction.   That really happened.   And for the very first time.

Which means that The God Committee, which debuted at Tribeca in June 2021, showed up later on Netflix, and I saw this evening, is not science fiction, either.  Dr. Boxer, well-played by Kelsey Grammer, is working on transplanting a pig's heart into a monkey in the movie, and could well have been doing that in our reality. You might say The God Committee was therefore ripped from the headlines before they even were published.  

And to make The God Committee even more profound, this science fiction that came true is not even the centerpiece of the story -- which would be the way that decisions are made in hospitals in transplant cases, in an an environment, our environment, in which there are an intractable paucity of vital organs suitable for transplant to desperately needy people.  If we could obtain such organs from pigs, that would be a life-and-death game changer, literally.  The real events two weeks ago show we're just about there, and the movie depicts a yesterday that is not quite over as yet.

And therefore the gamut of human foibles and flaws figure in the God Committee's decisions.  If someone's family wants to donate millions of dollars to the hospital, will that influence at least some decisions of some of the members of the committee?  Of course it will.   So will other not explicitly medical factors, such as the family support the recipient will have, and the inevitable social politics and pecking order in any committee decision.

These are all brought to bear in this memorable movie.  In addition to Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles puts in a strong, sensitive performance as a doctor and Boxer's soon to be erstwhile lover, as does Janeane Garofalo as another doctor with a keener pragmatic sense than most, and Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead!) as Fr. Dunbar

I'll say no more about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away.  But I will say see this almost science fiction movie and the indelible moral drama it presents.  Good work by writer and director Austin Stark, from the play by Mark St. Germain.

Dexter 5.4: Dexter's Conscience

Back with a review of Dexter 5.4, in what is continuing to be another stellar season.

Dexter has always had a heart - one of the many things that has made his character so appealing, so compelling.  Tonight it comes to the fore again.  Lumen (well played by Julia Stiles) has seen Dexter dispatch Boyd.   She's nearly dead herself - having been brutalized by Boyd, his next victim - when Dexter opens the door and takes her in.

Harry's advice is predicable and clear.  The very first of his rules is "never get caught".  Lumen could easily lead to Dex getting caught, if she lives to tell the police or just about anyone what she saw.  But Dexter can't kill her.  He has a heart, a conscience, despite what he says to himself about himself.  He doesn't intentionally kill innocent people, even to save himself.

So instead of killing Lumen, he has to win her over, make her take "a leap of faith" and trust Dexter.   He succeeds in this, only to find that she has been victimized not just by one man.  There's a band of these sicko killers, and Dexter will no doubt be drawn into Lumen's attempt to kill them.   That's the price for his winning her over.

Meanwhile, Quinn is trying his best to link Dexter to the killing of Rita, by way of Trinity's family.   He fails - narrowly - but Deb is leading him off to bed together, again.  In a rare display of decency, he tells he's no good for her - after all, he's trying to nab her beloved brother - but he's going to bed with her anyway.

Julia Stiles brings a lot to Lumen role.  She's more than a bit reminiscent of Rita - both victimized, brutalized, by life.  Dexter also has a place in his soul and heart for such women.   Will be fun to see the roller coaster ride of where this goes.

See also Dexter Season Five Sneak Preview Review


And see also Dexter Season 4: Sneak Preview Review ... The Family Man on Dexter 4.5 ... Dexter on the Couch in 4.6 ... Dexter 4.7: 'He Can't Kill Bambi' ... Dexter 4.8: Great Mistakes ... 4.9: Trinity's Surprising Daughter ... 4.10: More than Trinity ... 4.11: The "Soulless, Anti-Family Schmuck" ... 4.12: Revenges and Recapitulations

See also reviews of Season 3: Season's Happy Endings? ... Double Surprise ... Psychotic Law vs. Sociopath Science ... The Bright, Elusive Butterfly of Dexter ... The True Nature of Miguel ... Si Se Puede on Dexter ... and Dexter 3: Sneak Preview Review

Reviews of Season 2: Dexter's Back: A Preview and Dexter Meets Heroes and 6. Dexter and De-Lila-h and 7. Best Line About Dexter - from Lila and 8. How Will Dexter Get Out of This? and The Plot Gets Tighter and Sharper and Dex, Doakes, and Harry and Deb's Belief Saves Dex and All's ... Well

See also about Season 1: First Place to Dexter

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The Plot to Save Socrates




"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book 


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The Bourne Ultimatum: Just Why Is It So Good?

We just got back from seeing The Bourne Ultimatum, and I definitely agree with all the superlatives. The movie had everything - fine, razor-keen acting, captivating plot, non-stop breathtaking action. This third movie in the Bourne series is clearly the best of three - though the first, The Bourne Identity, was almost as good. (I thought the second, The Bourne Supremacy, was not quite as good as the first and third. One big problem was that I missed Marie in the second movie.)

The Bourne Ultimatum had lots of memorable scenes. My two favorites actually both feature Julia Stiles as Nicky Parsons as well as Matt Damon as Jason Bourne.

The first has Nicky explaining to Jason why she helps him - tying up one of those loose ends from the first movie, which I didn't quite realize was a loose end until this scene (up until which, I thought Nicky was just attracted to Jason).

And the other is the extraordinary fight scene between Jason and Desh (played by Joey Ansah). This scene - with Nicky getting a little involved in the fight - is in a league with the classic Sean Connery - Robert Blake fight in From Russia With Love.

But with all of these superb ingredients, I'm still wondering why these movies are so good, so enjoyable - given that the essential elements of the Bourne series plot are so familiar. We've seen many movies about spies and secret agents abused by their employers. Many movies about secret agent amnesia. Many movies about spies on the run for their lives, helped by beautiful women, civilian or agent - some of whom survive, some not.

What makes the Bourne series different?

If I told you, my life would be forfeit...

No, only kidding - the truth is I don't completely know.

But here's my best guess at the moment: it's because the action - again, especially in the first and third movies - is almost truly non-stop. No time out is taken for James Bondian humor (which works well for James) and even the flirting is minimal (again, much less than with James Bond, which also works well for him).

These Bourne movies may even be a distinct genre - minimalist action movies ... and I have a feeling they'll even play better in retrospect.

The Bourne Ultimatum - Bourne And Desh Fight

This is just a piece of the fight scene.