Jason Bourne”, at AOL Studios
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lifestyle MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2016 MUSIC & MOVIES ‘Game of Thrones’ will end after season eight In this Friday, July 1, 2016 combo picture made up of three separate images, Game of Thrones stars Actor Matt Damon, left, chats with moderator Donna Freydkin during AOL’s BUILD from left to right , Maisie Speaker Series to discuss the film, “Jason Bourne”, at AOL Studios. Williams, Liam Cunningham and Lena Headey take questions Jason Bourne: More than during an interview with the Associated Press in Athens. a rerun, because he’s he fantasy drama television creatively. I’m not sure the guys can series - which recently received wrap their heads around it when they never been more relevant T23 Emmy nominations - is set to are about to start production. We’re n screen, the “Bourne” thrillers, from wired, and that affects the audience kines- come to an end but a spin-off has not open to it; the guys aren’t opposed to “The Bourne Identity” (2002) to the thetically. For one thing, it’s thrilling to been ruled out. HBO programming it but there’s no concrete plans right Onew “Jason Bourne,” have always behold: The surveillance is so routinely president Casey Bloys said: “Yes, I now.” It was recently confirmed that been powered by a cool contradiction. A there it collapses our sense of concrete think [the showrunners, DB Weiss and the series has been renewed for a movie about a brainwashed human-robot space. That’s why we rarely see people in David Benioff] have a very specific shortened seventh season, with just ex-CIA assassin-or rather, a movie in which the movie traveling; they’re already every- plan about the number of seasons seven episodes, rather than the usual a brainwashed human-robot ex-CIA assas- where at once. (If you think back to “The they want to do. If I could get them to 10. The number of episodes for sea- sin is the hero-starts off, let’s not kid our- Bourne Identity” 14 years ago, that movie do more, I would take 10 seasons but son eight, has not yet been decided, selves, as more of a right-wing fantasy than was so physical it now seems like a thriller we want to take their lead with what however producers plan a total of 75 a liberal one. That’s why Matt Damon’s set in the land of horse and buggy.) All of they could do and what the best ver- episodes for the entire series. Jason Bourne, to fit the paradigm of liberal this provokes, in us, a moral criss-cross. sion of the show is.” While a spin-off is Season seven is expected in sum- Hollywood, has to be an assassin who’s Surveying the surveillance, our ethical possible, nothing has been decided mer 2017, while the final season will gone rogue. He’s not on the side of the sin- compass says “No, no, no” but our childlike yet and it will only happen if it air in 2018. ‘Games of Thrones’ is ister CIA honchos who want to assert their eyes say “Yes, yes, yes.” The seduction of “makes sense creatively”. HBO’s longest-running series, with will in the world; he’s against them. He’s on seeing and hearing beyond walls carries an According to The Hollywood the sixth season bringing in an aver- our side. He’s up against those who existential enticement that pushes the Reporter, Bloys explained: “We’ve age of 25 million total viewers to destroyed his identity and turned him into film’s action forward. That’s what makes the talked about it. It’s not something I’m make it the most-watched show on In this undated image released by HBO, Lena Headey appears in a a jujitsu sociopath to serve the US agenda. new character, Alicia Vikander’s Heather opposed to but it has to make sense the channel. — Bang Showbiz scene from “Game of Thrones.” — AP photos That’s why, on the movies’ own terms, Lee, so intriguing. he’s someone to root for. But, of course, in taking that life as- target-practice homici- Liberal cinema dal mercilessness and turning it against his At first, we suspect that she’s your basic former bosses, Bourne, the programmed sympathetic ingenue cyber-desk jockey-an amnesiac assassin, embodies the very qual- updated equivalent of the Julia Stiles char- ities of ruthless government control. That’s acter. Actually, though, she may be getting the contradiction that gives the Paul ready to take over. For a while, she seems Greengrass films, especially, their slight open to Bourne, but what’s tensely com- amoral edge, and it’s one of the keys to pelling about Vikander’s performance is the their excitement. (It’s not just about the calibrated consciousness with which rapid-fire cut/cut/cut propulsion.) It’s that Heather exists inside the new world of sur- paradox that makes them cool. Which veillance. It’s in her (ice) blood. There’s one brings us to “Jason Bourne.” The movie more place where “Jason Bourne” cuts name-checks Edward Snowden a couple of against the grain of liberal cinema (which This image released times, and that tends to be a sign that a may be why a number of liberal critics by STX Productions thriller is straining for topicality-as if past- haven’t liked it). The character of Aaron shows, from left, ing a reference like that onto a high-pow- Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), the superstar CEO of a Kristen Bell, Mila ered action movie were an automatic guar- social-media network called Deep Dream, Kunis and Kathryn antee of relevance. But this is the rare is presented as a new-tech guru. He gets up Hahn in a scene from, instance where the relevance is earned. “Bad Moms.”— AP Divulging secrets Not because “Jason Bourne” is “about” Box Office: ʻJason Bourneʼ scores the Snowden case. But because the very thing that the words “Edward Snowden” have come to symbolize-the issue of gov- with $60 million debut, ʻBad Momsʼ hits big ernment surveillance, of how much it is jus- udiences turned out in force to see Matt er, it trails all but “The Bourne Legacy’s” opening of TPG, Hony Capital and Huayi Brothers, the studio tified (or not), of how secret it should be (or Damon in “Jason Bourne,” pushing the spy weekends. Universal spent $120 million to make has ambitions to spend as much as $1.1 billion not), of whether patriotism now means Asequel to a sterling $60 million debut. The the latest installment and released it in 4,026 the- annually on producing, marketing and self-distrib- protecting government secrecy or violating film marked the actor’s return to the action fran- aters. Even with Bourne’s resurgence commanding uting its films by 2017. So far, its early efforts have it-quivers through every frame of “Jason chise after a nine-year hiatus, during which he most of the attention, the weekend’s other major been mixed. It scored with low-budget horror films Bourne.” You might assume that the movie, repeatedly hinted that he might be done with his new wide releases managed to score a respectable such as “The Gift” and “The Boy,” but lost money on being a product of liberal Hollywood (and most popular role. He and director Paul Greengrass debut. STX Entertainment’s “Bad Moms” opened to the thriller “The Secret in Their Eyes” and the point- it is), would have a straightforward take on argued that 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum” had a healthy $23.4 million and a third place finish. of-view action film “Hardcore Henry.” the subject. You might assume that it brought the character full circle by filling in him on That’s a strong return on the film’s $20 million pro- Lionsgate also fielded “Nerve,” a $20 million would be pro-Snowden: in favor of the shadowy bureaucratic maneuvers that trans- duction budget. It also gives STX Entertainment a thriller about a digital truth or dare-style game that divulging secrets, and against the growth formed him into a killing machine. What was left? much needed win after its other summer release, takes a deadly turn. The film stars Dave Franco and of the American surveillance state. And you Be it creative spark or big paydays, the pair were the Civil War drama “Free State of Jones” collapsed Emma Roberts. It opened Wednesday in order to would not be wrong. somehow lured back to the series. That’s good at multiplexes. get a jumpstart on the competition, earning $15 Yet good movies work in mysterious and news for Universal, which ran the risk of losing a “Bad Moms” originally was set up at Paramount million over its first five days and $9 million over subversive ways. Just as the “Bourne” films Tiffany franchise without Damon’s involvement. In Pictures and was intended to star Leslie Mann with the weekend. Among holdovers, Paramount’s “Star have always invited us to get in touch with the interim, the studio had made an ill-conceived the actress’ husband and frequent collaborator Trek Beyond” slipped roughly 60% in its second our inner assassin, there’s an electrifying attempt at cinematic universe building with “The Judd Apatow producing. But Mann dropped out weekend to gross just over $24 million and nab contradiction that snakes its way through Bourne Legacy,” introducing Jeremy Renner as and the project migrated to STX. It stars Mila Kunis, second place. That brings the sci-fi sequel’s domes- “Jason Bourne.” To wit: Is the movie against another amnesic ass-kicker dubbed Aaron Cross.