Latest news with #JasonBourne
Time Out
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A spy-themed immersive experience is coming to Covent Garden this month
Reckon you'd make a good 007? Always thought you'd ace that bit in Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise abseils into the CIA headquarters? Then you'll welcome the opportunity to test out your espionage skills at a new immersive experience arriving in London later this month. Opening on Friday May 30, SPYSCAPE London is described as a 'pioneering interactive museum and social gaming experience' where visitors are able to take part in a range of challenges designed with the help of experts from the fields of intelligence and espionage. The Covent Garden location will be the first overseas outpost for SPYSCAPE, which originally launched in New York in 2018, where it has welcomed over one million visitors to date. Designed specifically for London audiences, the 25,000 square foot venue promises to offer 'a new take on immersive activities, seamlessly blending the history, the art, and science of espionage and psychology in the modern world.' Created with the help of real life spy trainers from British Intelligence, psychology professors from Imperial College London and specialists from the CIA and Special Ops, the venue offers two experiences featuring a range of high-tech challenges designed to test players' mental and physical capabilities. SPYSCAPE is a narrative-led challenge where players get to crack codes, run surveillance and conduct lie detection tests all while learning about real hackers and spies throughout history and exploring rare gadgets. At the end of the 90-minute experience, those taking part will leave with a 40-page profile detailing their strengths across a range of everyday skills including empathy, perception, observation, analysis and risk-taking. Alternatively, visitors can opt for the 50-minute SPYGAMES experience, in which teams of two to five players compete across a series of cutting-edge gaming zones, with the chance to unlock some exclusive rewards along the way. Both experiences are located at 45 Wellington Street on the corner of Covent Garden Piazza, with tickets starting at £23. Feel like giving Jason Bourne a run for his money? Find out more and book your tickets on the SPYSCAPE website here. They've been expecting you.
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Jason Bourne's Virtues
Action movies should be perfect vehicles to show virtue, at least according to Aristotle. In his 'Poetics,' he indicated that drama is the imitation of the deepest kind of action, action that proceeds from moral character. The first three films of the 'Bourne' franchise are actioners in this sense. Together, they are about one great action, a flawed man becoming a good and a great man. In the first movie, Jason Bourne rejects vice and orients himself toward the good. In the second, he faces and does what he can to remedy the evil he has done. In the third movie, he is particularly marked by magnanimity, putting his skills and sorrows at the service of others. As a whole, these movies offer hope in virtue's ability to help conquer the greatest of odds. Prudence and 'The Bourne Identity' The queen of the cardinal virtues is prudence, because it's the virtue by which human beings can know, in a practical way, how to do good. While it's as common to associate prudence with evil masterminds and cowards as with good and wise people, prudence really has nothing to do with evil. Evil is self-destructive; smart evil people just destroy themselves cleverly. Socrates and Plato say that the only real evil does is to the doer's soul. The Bible states: 'The wicked fall into their own nets.' In 'The Bourne Identity,' a practical man becomes truly prudent by seeking good and avoiding evil. It begins with the title character floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea. Upon being rescued, he has no memory of who he is. He's pursued by the police as he attempts to retrieve his identity. He ultimately discovers that he was a black ops agent, who has assassinated dozens of targets while working for a CIA program called Treadstone. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has no idea who he is, in "The Bourne Identity." Universal Pictures This discovery creates a crisis: If amnesia doesn't change a person's moral character, Bourne will probably return to his old life. However, his final revelation proves the most critical: He had a change of heart before he lost his memory. A rejection of evil, though not remembered, has set Bourne on a new trajectory. Bourne exemplifies prudence because his actions are ordered toward the good, whether the lower good of self-preservation and self-defense early in the movie, or the higher goods he comes to embrace, such as preserving and defending the lives of the innocent. While bloody, the final confrontation at the movie's end illustrates his pursuit of higher goods, most importantly his intention to relinquish his former life as an assassin. To do this, given his inability to remember his past, he needs more knowledge, and the only way to get it is to meet his evil former employer under very dangerous circumstances. All of his actions require not only the intention to do good, but also the know-how to accomplish it. Classical and Christian authors, from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas, have written many lists of what these 'sub-virtues' or parts of prudence are. Bourne exemplifies many, such as his quick thinking when he's called upon to defend a family against a sniper with a much better gun, perfect lines of sight, and a stronger position. Related Stories 2/4/2025 10/22/2024 Movie poster for "The Bourne Identity." Universal Pictures 'Circumspection,' the awareness of dangers and how to address them, is the unassuming name of the virtue that inspires the action sequence near the beginning of the movie: Bourne, about to be arrested in a U.S. Embassy, incapacitates his would-be captors, then calmly and deliberately escapes from a group of soldiers. Justice and 'The Bourne Supremacy' 'The Bourne Supremacy' opens with a debate about prudence and resolves itself by means of the next cardinal virtue, justice. Justice is a virtue that is about relationships with other human beings. It can be summed up in Aristotle's 'giving to others their due.' At the beginning of 'The Bourne Supremacy,' Bourne and his girlfriend Marie are attempting to escape from an assassin. They begin to argue while fleeing. Bourne maintains that their future is predetermined: They must continually fly from and fight against the organization that is pursuing them. 'We don't have a choice,' he says. Marie counters: 'Yes, you do.' Immediately after this, Marie is shot. Bourne and the viewers never learn what she was going to suggest. Nevertheless, the rest of the movie is about Bourne making good choices. Since they are choices having to do with others, the film is fundamentally concerned with justice. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is being tracked by nefarious agencies, in "The Bourne Supremacy." Universal Pictures Moreover, the plot is initialized by the injustices perpetrated by CIA director Ward Abbot, who orders the assassination attempt on Bourne to cover up his own corrupt activities. The two strands of Bourne's pursuit of justice and Abbot's of injustice weave around each other through the whole movie. As Bourne learns more about his past life, he finally remembers his first kill for Treadstone, and the two strands are resolved. On one hand, Bourne's pursuit of justice occurs on multiple levels. On the other, Abbot gets his just desserts. The principles behind Bourne's choices are nothing if not of prudence and justice. One notable example occurs when Bourne has CIA officer Pamela Landy in his crosshairs, ready to retaliate for Marie's murder. However, before he shoots, he realizes that he might be mistaken about whether Landy was involved. He quickly pivots to a different plan that involves gathering more information. Whether it's right or not to take justice into one's own hands, it's surely unjust to take an innocent life while trying to do so. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has second thoughts about sniping someone, in "The Bourne Supremacy." Universal Pictures As the movie continues, justice comes more into the foreground. In a beautiful and surprising scene near the end of the movie, classical virtue, embraced by ancient philosophers like Aristotle and Cicero, merge with the Judeo-Christian virtue of repentance. When he's finally able to remember another set of assassinations he performed in his old life, he risks his life to travel to Moscow. He finds the daughter of the victims and apologizes. Bourne has met the challenge of Marie's final words; whatever outside pressures may be, there is always a choice, and Bourne repeatedly choses justice, however difficult. Fortitude and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' The 'Bourne' films confirm one thing: the heroic and admirable nature of fortitude, which is the willingness to encounter danger as long as it is right to do so. 'The Bourne Ultimatum' particularly revels in this virtue. The word 'fortitude' comes from a Latin word meaning both 'bravery' and 'strength.' Picking up in Moscow right where the second film ended, 'Ultimatum' starts with Bourne's next task, which is to recover the memory of how he was recruited and trained for Treadstone. He must also expose the remaining corrupt CIA officials who managed the program. Avoiding capture, fighting off other black ops agents, and saving a girl along the way, Bourne succeeds in both goals. In one of the bloodiest fight scenes in the Bourne trilogy, Jason Bourne fights against evil enemies, in "The Bourne Ultimatum." Universal Pictures The movie features a fight scene in Tangier. It's the longest and one of the most brutal in the series, and therefore, in addition to Bourne's incredible physical abilities, it requires incredible perseverance and patience. The scene helps viewers consider the interconnectedness of the cardinal virtues. Prudence, justice, and fortitude are connected hierarchically. Prudence dictates the aims both of justice and fortitude, and taking risks, the arena of fortitude, is only virtuous if the goals are just. Bourne pursues and fights only for the sake of a prudent and just motive: saving his friend's life. Justice isn't always meted out in an official capacity; there are far more informal opportunities to do right. Shutterstock Finally, the movie ends with Bourne showing magnanimity, the crowning part of fortitude. His aim turns out to be not only learning more about his past, but also performing a great deed for the public good: exposing the illegal and immoral activities of a corrupt government organization. While doing so, he refuses to kill an assassin who had tried to kill him. Similar to the end of the second film, classical and Christian virtues come together in an act of mercy. First, it's something like justice: Bourne, as a former assassin, recognizes that he isn't the one to judge this man. It's also an example of the virtue of forgiveness. Virtue Strengthens, Evil Weakens While Bourne's material disadvantages are overcome and play an important part in the viewers' delight, it's more important to realize how much the movies make of Bourne's one advantage: his virtues. The Bourne movies set up virtue in a high-pressure laboratory experiment: one man against a well-connected, wealthy, all-seeing organization with almost endless advantages. All the advantages, that is, except virtue. While the protagonist possesses an incredible array of skills and abilities as an assassin, it's undeniable that he becomes more powerful as he begins to renounce this life. Once merely an instrument, a mere 'asset' of the CIA sub-organization Treadstone, he triumphs over the CIA and all its resources because he decides to live virtuously. In spite of his former employers' repeated assumptions, his decisions and actions can't be predicted because they are the actions of a free moral agent. Nothing is more predictable than evil. That's the way that Bourne is almost always a step ahead of his enemies. He knows the kind of treachery they will attempt. He's familiar with their reliance on manpower, technology, and procedures over prudence and reason. Bourne, on the contrary, repeatedly risks his life for the right to live according to prudence and reason. In doing, so he fully accords with Aristotle in his great work on the virtues, the 'Nichomachean Ethics.' Aristotle indicates that no happiness is possible without living according to reason, and that living according to reason isn't possible without the virtues. The cover page of Aristotle's "Nichomachean Ethics." PD-US The Bourne movies are excellent vehicles for thinking about and learning about human virtue. Of course, they have been praised for their acting, plots, cinematography, and fight choreography. Their realism has also been highly touted. Perhaps their realism exists because they are informed by a deeper reality: the principles that perfect human beings. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Leicester City's fall: From fairytale to factions
Everyone inside the King Power Stadium knew relegation was inevitable even before Leicester City's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on April 20 provided confirmation. The club's neck had been on the block for weeks, if not months. Leicester's fight (or lack of) for survival is over, but the inquest into what could become the worst season in the club's history has already begun. Advertisement Only when it is complete can the healing process begin — but even then, it is a process that will take time because Leicester is a broken and divided club. The squad needs overhauling, the future of manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is uncertain, the board is disconnected from a large section of supporters and there is a divide on what action is required. It seems a remarkable place for the club to find themselves. Leicester shocked the world when they were favourites for relegation in their second season back in the top flight and 5,000-1 outsiders for the title in 2016, only to go on to claim it by 10 clear points. It was an achievement that sparked five years of unprecedented success, including three European campaigns and an unforgettable day at Wembley when they ended the club's 137-year wait to lift the FA Cup. As well as the unrest, the exit of the talisman for those heroics, Jamie Vardy, marks the end of an era. But fast forward to today and Leicester fans want answers, and many want change. The extent of the latter is open to debate. The Athletic looks at how far the club has fallen from the fairytale title win in 2016 and what needs to change now. The period since King Power International took over the club in 2010 has been the most successful and eventful in the club's history. Before home games, montages are shown on the big screens, reminding everyone of the special times. But those memories seem to evoke different emotions among fans now after a second relegation in three years. Two diehard Leicester fans, Jason Bourne and Ian Stringer, who are both broadcasters, certainly had different takes during a discussion on social media last week. For Stringer, after the reminders of the unprecedented great times — that seem even more out of this world looking back now — Leicester are heading back to their traditional state of bouncing between the top two divisions. This makes him even more appreciative of the previous decade. Bourne, however, sees those images as reminders of what has been lost over the past three years and how the club's management has allowed an incredible opportunity to be squandered. The pre-match video. A monument to everything that's been thrown away. — Jason Bourne 📻 🦊 (@JasonBourne1986) April 20, 2025 The exchange between the pair sums up how a lot of fans feel, many torn between gratefulness for what has been achieved, but also anger at how far the club has been allowed to slide. What happens next could determine how quickly the club heal and how much unity will go into a challenging Championship season, on and off the pitch. Some huge decisions have to be made. Arguably, the biggest question that needs answering is whether chairman and owner Aiyawatt 'Khun Top' Srivaddhanaprabha has the appetite and passion to carry on and rebuild Leicester. He lost his father, Khun Vichai, in tragic circumstances when the club owner and inspiration behind the title win died, along with four others, in a helicopter crash outside the stadium after a home game against West Ham United in 2018. Advertisement The youngest of four siblings, Khun Top was 33 when his father died and since then, he has been thrust into the main role at both King Power International and Leicester. He has contended with the damage Covid-19 did to the global travel industry that King Power relies on as an international tourism company, while also starting a young family. There have been rumours that other interested parties are willing to buy Leicester, but King Power and Khun Top have not publicly demonstrated interest in selling. The emotional attachment to the club is strong. The statue of Khun Top's father stands outside Filbert Way, a memorial garden is situated on the land behind the south-east corner of the ground where Khun Vichai died and the club's charitable foundation bears his name. Every success has been celebrated with pride in his homeland as a victory for the Thai people as well as 'Thai-owned' Leicester City. Khun Top regularly entertains dignitaries from Thailand at home games. King Power has also invested significantly in the club and has converted £420million ($314m) of loans into shares, effectively wiping out any debt the club has to the parent company. Khun Top rarely speaks publicly beyond his matchday magazine notes, but a well-timed public statement of commitment could help. While many fans have called for a change in the dugout as well as ownership, the main focus of their ire is the board of directors. Director of football Jon Rudkin is the man most hold accountable for the recent poor recruitment record. Players have been allowed to leave on free transfers after running down their contracts and spiralling wages have taken the club over the 100 per cent of wages to revenue threshold, integral to meeting PSR. Chief executive Susan Whelan has also been targeted and even Khun Top and King Power International have not been spared criticism. Advertisement Some fans want a complete clearout and a change in owner, despite the unprecedented success and the significant investment. But for many, that is going too far. The mistakes that have been made are unquestionable, but many feel a new owner would create more uncertainty. After 10 years as director of football, Rudkin is the main target of the demands for accountability. But Khun Top and his father before him have relied on and trusted Rudkin. Despite the increasing protests, it seems unlikely Khun Top would sacrifice Rudkin. It is clear that, seven years after the loss of Khun Vichai, the decision-making process at the top of the club, which in terms of the football side is now controlled by just Khun Top and Rudkin, needs support, fresh blood and a new vision that can install a consistent strategy for how the club can move forward. A reshuffle could be an option to create an opportunity for such an appointment. It may not appease all the dissenting voices, but it could make a small difference. Van Nistelrooy's record since taking over from Steve Cooper does not make for pretty reading. He has overseen 21 league games with two wins, two draws and 17 losses, including nine consecutive home league defeats in which his side have failed to score — an English record. Van Nistelrooy has been seeking talks with the club and said before the defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers that he had expressed to the club's hierarchy what he feels needs to be done to prepare the club for a promotion challenge in the Championship next season. 'I know what my plan is to bring the club back, but I am waiting on alignment,' he said in his pre-match press conference. 'The quicker the better for the football club.' In normal circumstances, the Dutchman's disastrous record would make his position untenable, but the ruthlessness with which Cooper was dispatched after just 12 games of this season has been absent. Advertisement Unlike Southampton, who promptly dispatched their second manager of this season, Ivan Juric, immediately after relegation was confirmed, there has been a hesitancy about making a change. Van Nistelrooy is respected by the upper management for his integrity and dignity with the way he has conducted himself as the season has spiralled out of control. There is also an understanding that he inherited a difficult situation, and a squad that includes £80million of Cooper's summer signings. Van Nistelrooy has spoken about working towards next season and looking to introduce young players, in the knowledge that this failing squad will be broken up. Jeremy Monga, 15, and Jake Evans, 16, have recently been given debuts and will be involved in pre-season. Van Nistelrooy forged his coaching experience working with young players at PSV in the Netherlands, and that might convince Khun Top to stick with him. After five managers over the past three seasons, Leicester need stability. But would the disgruntled fanbase get behind Van Nistelrooy after such a disastrous run of results? Their anger has mainly been aimed at the club's board, but there have been dissenting voices inside the ground towards Van Nistelrooy. Many want a fresh start under a new manager to exorcise the demons of this season. There is the prospect that Van Nistelrooy could walk away, but sacking two managers and their backroom teams in the same financial year would cause more profit and sustainability (PSR) issues. Yet, the most important thing is having the right manager in place early to begin the work to get Leicester in shape for a promotion challenge. With lingering PSR concerns and possible EFL sanctions next season, if the club decide to back Van Nistelrooy, there could be limits on how much they actually can. Regardless, a decision on who will be leading the club this season must be made early. Advertisement The only glimmer of a positive from an early relegation is that the club has certainty on which division they will be in next season and what work needs to be done. They have a small advantage over many of their rivals in the Championship next season, who are still embroiled in the current campaign. Leicester seem to be back to square one; a club with aspirations of being a Premier League club but struggling to make it a reality again, just as they were a decade ago. All the achievements in between must feel like a surreal dream to many supporters. To many more, it has become a nightmare. The fairytale is well and truly over. The structure and systems that served them so well during those good times are now open to scrutiny and supporters want serious change — not just in the dugout, but at the very top. The Foxes Trust, whose membership has grown substantially in recent years with fans wanting to have a voice, have again issued a statement calling for answers and accountability. The Leicester fanbase want and deserve those answers, or the disconnect and division around the club will continue. (Top photos: Getty Images)
Buzz Feed
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
'Ice Age 6,' 'Avengers 5,' And 19 Other Movie Sequels That Are Coming Out Whether We Want Them Or Not
A good sequel can be the most satisfying conclusion. Some of our favorite stories are only complete once the credits have rolled once more. And when done right, a fantastic movie trilogy is absolutely the way to spend a break. My dad first showed me the Jason Bourne movies over a long Easter weekend, and watching those movies back to back was truly an experience for the ages. But these days, it does feel like we're getting more sequels than we can keep up with. And it's worth asking the question: does every movie really need to be made into a franchise? So to answer, here's a list of 21 sequels you forgot they were making, so we can reflect on what Hollywood is coming to. 1. Rush Hour 4 2. Avatar: Fire and Ash 3. National Treasure 3 4. Freakier Friday 5. Toy Story 5 6. Ice Age 6 7. Avengers: Doomsday 8. Incredibles 3 9. Frozen 3 10. Sister Act 3 11. Aladdin 2 12. The Princess Diaries 3 13. Cruella 2 14. Maleficent 3 15. Sky High 2 19. Happy Gilmore 2 ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 20. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 4
Wall Street Journal
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Star Wars Is in a Slump. Is ‘Andor' Its Only Hope?
Tony Gilroy is a jedi of screenwriting. He was a longtime Hollywood script fixer, wrote most of the Jason Bourne movies and was Oscar-nominated for 'Michael Clayton,' a George Clooney legal thriller that film buffs and fellow writers speak of in reverential tones. If only Gilroy, 68, could sell everyone on the show he spent the last six years crafting.
