“Jason Bourne” is a ‘Bourne’ film but Does Nothing to Revitalize the Franchise

If you love the spy genre in any capacity then you are more than likely familiar with the ‘Bourne’ franchise. The franchise, based off the Robert Ludlum books, has grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide so far. The fact that we keep getting more of these movies shouldn’t come as much surprise. However, when a new character was introduced in the spinoff to the series — “Bourne Legacy”, it was met with lukewarm reviews. It seemed the only people that can return the series to form was Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (who helmed ‘Supremacy’ and ‘Ultimatum’).

It’s been almost a decade since “Bourne Ultimatum” was in theaters. Think about that for a moment. Just as Sean Connery began as James Bond, his largest gap between the role was 1971 to 1983 (from “Diamonds are Forever” to “Never Say Never Again”.  

Note: Between that gap, Roger Moore took over the role in 1973 and did six Bond films before Connery came back for the unofficial Bond movie.

Since ‘Ultimatum’, Bourne has been ‘off grid’ and would rather put himself through pointless fights for money. Yes, this plot point is very lazy. He is drawn out of hiding by a former Treadstone operative, Nicky Parsons (acted horribly by Julia Stiles). Parsons seems hell bent on getting critical data on all Black Operations ran by the CIA (this seems completely out of place and without much explanation). Parsons essentially hacks the CIA, compromises her location and eventually her identity. She ‘cleverly’ gets Jason Bourne involved (gives him all this data on a thumb drive) and all hell breaks loose. The CIA is not sure what Jason wants but they figured they’d just try to kill him and bury anything else ‘Black Ops’ related.

Bourne does some globe-trotting to better understand how his father is involved in the Treadstone program and who is really responsible for his death. Along the way, we meet two new CIA agents – Agent Dewey (played by a sleepy Tommy Lee Jones) and Agent Lee (Alicia Vikander). Dewey is the head of the new Black Ops programs, whereas Lee is the head of the CIA Cyber Ops Division. Dewey wants to kill Bourne and Lee wants him to come back to the program.

Then there’s this whole Deep Dream subplot. Dewey helped secretly fund the global social media enterprise and wishes to strong arm its creator, Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed – from “Nightcrawler”), into letting the CIA use the technology to spy on anyone it wants. There’s an interesting scene between Kalloor and Dewey about what it means to be ‘free’ and ‘patriotic’. Although it was brief, the scene gives a needed glimpse into the ‘gray’ area intelligence agencies usually swim in. With that said, you can understand perceived security at the cost of privacy while also understanding the undeniable fallout should a social entity (like Twitter) be revealed to have access to everyone’s whereabouts, their search history, etc.

Damon’s performance is especially nuanced in this installment. Again, this Bourne is aimless and confused and doesn’t know that there’s more to the story – his story (there always is). With that said, the mystery behind these Black Ops programs and Bourne’s involvement is slightly touched upon but this does not do anything to propel the character to come to a deeper understanding of his self nor to come to any solace whatsoever. Perhaps he knows that it’ll never be ‘over’.

I should say that the action scenes in this are pretty top notch. There’s a great escape scene set in Athens, Greece amongst riots and an excellent chase scene which also involves the film’s ‘Asset’ (played by the great Vincent Cassel) in a SWAT armored vehicle ripping up the Las Vegas strip (take that “Fast & Furious” franchise!).

This film has all the elements that have made the previous entries successful. Just as it was an innovative answer to the spy genre when “The Bourne Identity” came out, this incarnation feels as if it’s just going through the motions. It seems like every future installment will have our hero continue to chip away at a never ending conspiracy, without any real resolve. With that said, “Jason Bourne” is a fun movie without breaking any new ground.
 

Grade: B

August 2015 Movie Releases (DvD & Blu-Ray)

August 4^th

Insurgent – The movie cousin to The Hunger Games has a sequel. Based upon the YA(young adult) novel, this sequel focuses on the war between four factions (Amity, Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless). Tris is one of the divergents (having all 4 characteristics) as she helps lead the way in a fight for peace or something like that. Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet and the god awful Jai Courtney.

Do You Believe? – A religious movie about how a pastor influences another pastor to be more pastorly. Starring: Mira Sorvino, Sean Astin (Rudy), and Cybill Shepherd.

True Story – This is that James Franco and Jonah Hill movie that was based on a true story. It focuses on the relationship between a writer, Finkel (Hill) and a murderer, Longo (Franco), taking upon Finkel’s identity. Finkel was a writer for the New York Times Magazine and was actually fired for fabricating parts of a news story in 2002.

Child 44 – Tom Hardy plays a Russian Intelligence agent (in the Joseph Stalin era) who takes on a case involving multiple murders of children. Leo Demidov’s (Hardy) case leads to high authorities in the Russian government. Based upon the first in a trilogy of novels by Tom Rob Smith, the story follows Demidov’s exploits. Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, The Professional), Joel Kinnaman (The Killing, upcoming Suicide Squad), Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Vincent Cassel (Trance), and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Golden Child).An incredible cast doesn’t always spell box office success. Still, I am likely to rent this.

A Little Chaos – A movie about competitive garden designers that are tasked to create a one of a kind water fountain on the grounds of le chateau de Versailles. I’m not making this up. Starring: Kate Winslet (The Reader), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter), Stanley Tucci(Transformers 4: Age of Extinction), and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead).

Adult Beginners – A drama about a businessman (Nick Kroll) that loses it all but while staying with his sister (Rose Byrne) learns valuable life lessons. Starring: Nick Kroll (The League), Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Joel McHale (Ted) and Jason Mantzoukas (The Dictator, The League).

The Salvation – Mads Mikkelsen stars as a vengeful settler in the American West circa 1870s after the murder of his family. After killing the man responsible, the leader of their gang also seeks revenge. Looks like a decent flick. Starring: Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal), Eva Green (Casino Royale), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen).

Barely Lethal – This movie follows a 16 year old teenager assassin after she fakes her own death and enrolls in a suburban high school. She quickly learns that school clicks and popularity come at a price. Starring: Jessica Alba (Sin City), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), and Samuel L. Jackson (every movie). Yawn!

Madame Bovary – A drama focusing on an adulterous wife as she tries to escape her boring lifestyle. Starring: Mia Wasikowska (In Treatment, Alice in Wonderland), Ezra Miller (Trainwreck, upcoming Flash), Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man).

Jackie & Ryan – Katherine Heigl still manages to headline movies, although this one looks straight to video. The story involves two musicians as they find themselves in love. Starring Katherine Heigl, Ben Barnes and Clea DuVall.

 

August 11^th

Hot Pursuit – All of the previews for this mess looked like a rip off of The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. This is a ‘female buddy’ film that has a conservative cop (Reese Witherspoon) and the wife of a drug dealer (Sofia Vergara) that must team up against a drug cartel. If Sofia’s blabbering accent on Modern Family isn’t enough for you, then check this out!

Unfriended – A high school girl that killed herself due to a cruel prank now communicates via Skype in video group chats! Okay, it sounds lame but at least it’s a different way for the genre of horror to reach another generation of kids.

Robot Overlords – Humans are slaves to a race of robots that conquered the world. People are confined to their homes and must wear implants. I’m not sure how this escaped me as it stars Ben Kingsley (Ghandi, Tut) and Gillian Anderson (X-Files). I may watch if the SyFy Channel picks it up.

 

August 18^th

Little Boy – A seven year old boy ventures off to bring his father back home from the World War II. The boy’s innocence incites those embedded in the war. Starring Emily Watson, Kevin James (you read that right), Michael Rapaport, Tom Wilkinson and Ali Landry (that hot Dorito’s commercial girl).

Lambert & Stamp – This documentary chronicles the journey of aspiring filmmakers, Christopher Stamp and Kit Lambert, as they try to produce a movie during the 1960’s underground music scene. The doc also features footage with famous people related to The Who, Richard Barnes, Roger Daltry, and Pete Townshend.

5 to 7 – This is a romantic comedy that follows a woman who writes about falling in love. Things get crazy when the person she is in love with is the French diplomat’s wife! Gasp! Caged Heat sounds better.

Strangerland – A family moves to the Australian outback when a dust storm results in the loss of their children. A search party forms to find the missing children amidst rumors and suspicion. Spooky! Starring: Nicole Kidman (Fur), Joseph Fiennes (Voldemort’s brother) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings).

The Riot Club – In this thriller, two freshman join an infamous club at Oxford. One day, all of the spoiled, rich students get in over their heads. Based upon the play, Posh.  The movie,Skulls, is probably much better than this but that ain’t saying much!

Vendetta – Remember Dean Cain? Well, if you haven’t went out of your way to research where he’s been, you’d still only remember him for playing Superman in the TV series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Mr. Cain has been playing in direct to video movies for quite some time. In this movie, he plays a cop who must get revenge after his wife is murdered by The Big Show (Paul Wight or WWE fame). This looks like hung-over viewing.

 

August 25^th

Aloha – An all-star cast surrounds this box office disappointment. Brian Gilcrest is a US weapons consultant that becomes disgraced, then later talks to a robot and then eventually heads to Hawaii to oversee the launch of a spy satellite. He must also get permission for the launch from the Hawaiian council as part of his assignment. Directed by fan-favorite Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) and starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma, Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Murray.

Citizenfour – This riveting looking documentary showcases how filmmaker, Laura Poitras (who focuses on gov’t surveillance of private citizens post 9/11) receives an encrypted email by “citizenfour” who claims to have inside knowledge of covert surveillance by intelligence agencies. “Citizenfour” ends up being Edward Snowden. The documentary focuses on key interviews with Snowden and Julian Assange. Looks very interesting.

Where Hope Grows – Holy 1980s! This movie stars Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) and William Zabka (bad guy from The Karate Kid). The story focuses on a former professional baseball player who retires because of panic attacks. He eventually develops a relationship with a store clerk who has Downs Syndrome. His perspective on life changes and hope is learned…blah…blah…blah….I’ll pass.

Two Days, One Night – Marion Cotillard (Inception, La Vie en Rose) stars in this drama about how working class people who may have been disenfranchised from society. Sandra (Cotillard) tries to return to her job after an episode of depression only to find that her employer no longer needs her. She learns her fate is to be decided by her fellow employees in a vote.

Big Game – A teenager finds the President of the United States in a pod while hunting. Together they must make it through the woods alive as terrorists close in. Starring: Samuel L. Jackson (every movie) and Onni Tommila.

Skin Trade – Dolph Lundgren stars as a detective out for revenge after his family was slain by the mob. The mob is eventually connected to a human trafficking ring and Dolph must work with Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, The Defender), a Thai detective, to destroy them once and for all. Hung-over viewing.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Set in an alternate universe, DC’s trinity (Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman) find themselves framed for a bombing. DC’s main guns all have different origin stories and must decide whether they want to save the world or conquer it. Voice actors: Benjamin Bratt, Michael C. Hall, Tamara Taylor, Jason Isaacs and C. Thomas Howell. It’s a comic book animated movie! Count me in.

Lila & Eve – A drama/thriller surrounding a mother, Lila, who loses her son in a drive by shooting.  Lila eventually meets Eve, another mother who lost her daughter the same night. Together they go after the criminals responsible. Starring: Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez. Lifetime should starting making theatrical releases.

October Gale – This follows a doctor who tries to assist an injured man on an island from a man that is hunting him. Starring Patricia Clarkson, Scott Speedman, and Tim Roth.

The Runner – Nicolas Cage is back again as a once idealistic politician that must re-examine his life after a sex scandal destroys his career. Not to be confused with a good movie, this stars Nicolas Cage, Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave), Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator). Will Nic Cage ever make a comeback from box office obscurity?

“Trance” – Review

I know that this movie has been out for awhile but I really wanted to include it on Pop Culture Crunch as I believe the movie to be important and is one that is overlooked, especially with the collection of Danny Boyle’s movies.

Danny Boyle has made some strange, yet ultimately unforgettable movies over the course of his career thus far. Some will cite “Trainspotting”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “127 Hours” as great films and some may even recollect how great the sci/fi film, “Sunshine” was.

Boyle has a movie for everyone and that’s what makes his films so special. My personal favorite is his under seen film, “Trance”. Though it may not be for everyone, if there are those that enjoy stories about dreams, the idea of reality, hypnosis, or how susceptible the human mind is then I say “see this movie now”.

“Trance” follows the story of an art auctioneer named Simon (played by James McAvoy) involved in a painting heist. Hit upon the head during the event, he must remember where he put the painting as dangerous criminals attempt to coerce the truth out of him. Enter hypnotist, Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson), who’s hired to help figure out Simon and where he put the painting.

Upon initial viewing, you are unsure where the story may be going and this is a good thing. The story and its characters’ intentions are weaved in such a way that you are unsure who the true protagonist really is. Smart storytelling and excellent performances are other great reasons to see this original thriller.

The music in the film is by Rick Smith, from the electronic band, Underworld. I honestly do not know how the film could have been nearly as effective without its score. It’s layered, dream-like feel perfectly captures the ‘soul’ of the film and is also nice to play when not watching the movie and wanting to simply relax.

With its excellent visuals to boot, “Trance” really is something unique and dream-like. As the movie explores multiple ideas, it was the notion of how and why we remember what we do that is truly fascinating. This idea  is romanticized in the film.

Overall Grade: A