So now they beat the Marlins.

Now that this once highly anticipated series against their old nemesis is meaningless to both teams, the Phillies managed to snap their 14-game losing streak at Pro Player Stadium and beat the Marlins last night 4-2.

Don’t hurt yourselves reaching around to pat yourselves on the back. Well done.

Speaking of done, this bog will start winding down its focus on the Phillies as the Phillies wind down their few remaining games over the next 10 days.

Soon, PhogLights will mutate into a part-time Eagles blog, while the remaining non-sports items (movie reviews and other observations) will remain as usual. The Phillies content will return along with the warm winds of spring, as well as the occasional post if any off-season news warrants it.

It’s looking like another good season for the Birds so far, but we all know how that’s turned out the past few years. Can T.O. and the Freak put them over the top?

E-A-G-L-E-S – EAGLES!

Hero

Directed by Yimou Zhang

Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang

Synopsis

While sitting before the King of Qin (who would eventually unite six warring provinces and become China’s first emperor), a local prefect recounts how he defeated three legendary assassins who had been trying to kill his majesty. But the king suspects there is more to the prefect’s story than meets the eye.

Review

Following in the footsteps of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero uses much of the same wire tricks to create a mixture of marital arts and ballet that results in pure movie poetry. Director Yimou Zhang and cinematographer Christopher Doyle have painted a pageantry of colors, landscapes, and bodies in motion that is simply a feast for the eyes. But Hero is more than just a pretty picture; the film tackles the existential question of what it is to be a hero – in war, in love, and in search of the truth. In fact, underneath what was perhaps supposed to be a piece of Chinese nationalist propaganda actually resides an extremely compelling anti-war film. And sneaking that in might just be Zhang’s greatest accomplishment. Hero has a place reserved on my “10 Best Films of 2004″ list (even though it actually was released in 2002).

Grade: A

It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. After sweeping the Mets in Philadelphia, the Phillies rolled into Atlanta and took three of four from the Braves, padding their lead in the NL East to…

What? They’re how many games back? 10½? Really?

Well, what about the wild card? They’ve got to be in the thick of that race right?

5½ back, you say – with 22 to play and five teams ahead of them. Hmm. Remotely possible? Yes. Actually possible? No.

At least Jason Michaels can breathe easier. Since the Phillies won 9-4 last night, his bizarre blunder in center field that resulted in a home run for Charles Thomas didn’t cost them anything. Michaels’ scoop and toss of Thomas’ fly ball over the wall will be making blooper reels for the next 50 years.

Alas, the last two series only serve as a reminder of what could have been this season had injuries and ineptitude not plagued this team.

As for next season, there is all kinds of interesting talk about Lieberthal being traded to the Dodgers, and Lou Pinella possibly coming in to manage the Phillies next year.



Let the wild innuendos and rumors begin!

The Bourne Supremacy



Directed by Paul Greengrass



Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, Joan Allen



Synopsis

Amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne (Damon) resurfaces after being framed for murder in a botched CIA operation. Out of self-preservation, and still trying to reassemble the broken pieces of his past, Bourne brings the fight to two agency executives (Cox and Allen) with different agendas for finding out what Bourne does or does not have to do with the murders.



Review

Like its predecessor The Bourne Identity, Supremacy barely adheres to its source material from Robert Ludlum’s novels; but both films have invigorated the spy genre with the kind of gritty realism and intelligence some of us wish the Bond films would start to employ. Greengrass, who succeeds Doug Liman from Identity, relies a bit too much on handheld cameras for nearly every shot of the film, refusing to let the audience get too oriented. However, it works exceptionally well for the action scenes, creating a very real sense of confusion and chaos we typically only see from the outside in most action movies. (Supremacy‘s concluding car chase is such a visceral experience, it’s hard not to put it at or near the top of a very select list of greatest movie car chases.) After playing a man in Identity who, in the process of reconstructing his life actually deconstructs it and rejects the person he used to be, Damon once again excels in the Bourne role, this time as a man balancing a fine line between revenge and atonement. A smart script, solid performances (the machinations between Cox and Allen are particularly enjoyable), and adroit direction help The Bourne Supremacy take its place alongside Spider-Man 2 as the best films of the summer.



Grade: A-

The Village



Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Starring William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, Brendan Gleeson

Synopsis

A small village in the Pennsylvania wilderness must reconsider its isolationist policies when their uneasy and, until recently, peaceful relationship with the creatures who live in the forest around them appears to be unraveling.



Review

Since following up his breakout hit The Sixth Sense with his masterpiece Unbreakable, Shyamalan has worked hard to live up to the expectations created by those two films. However, he might want to think about steering those expectations away from what is quickly becoming a formula – something no director of Shyamalan’s talent’s should want to be known for. In The Village, the usual twists and turns associated with his movies seem to be the sole purpose of the film, resulting in a script full of simplistic moral platitudes and a lackluster plot full of holes that make those twists and turns much easier to see coming. Sigourney Weaver and Brendan Gleeson are woefully underutilized, but Bryce Dallas Howard is a revelation in her first leading role and takes control of the movie when it is demanded of her. William Hurt, who could read the ingredients off a bag of potato chips and make it sound interesting, just leaves you wondering why his résumé is so spotty. Roger Deakins’ always effective cinematography captures the misty cool eeriness of a Northeastern autumn perfectly.

Grade: C+