Latest news with #TheBourneIdentity
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matt Damon box office bomb with only 47% on RT becomes Netflix smash hit
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Despite his string of hit roles in everything from Good Will Hunting and The Bourne Identity to, most recently, Oppenheimer, not everything Matt Damon stars in is as successful. However, one of his biggest bombs is finding a new life after becoming a smash hit on Netflix. Released in 2017, Downsizing wasn't well received. It has just 47% on Rotten Tomatoes and was a box office bomb after its $55 million earnings failed to match its budget. However,in the UK, it was added to Netflix on Thursday, May 22, and it's been steadily climbing Netflix's rankings and gaining viewers. At the time of writing two weeks later, it's the streamer's most-watched movie. Living in the US? Downsizing is free via Hoopla and Kanopy but is only available to buy or rent digitally beyond those options. Downsizing is part romance, part comedy and part sci-fi story. It's set in a world in which humans invent 'downsizing', a process by which people are irreversibly shrunk to about five inches, which makes them more space efficient thereby solving overpopulation and the climate crisis. Damon plays Paul, who decides to go through the process with his wife Aubrey (Kristin Wiig)... until she pulls out at the last minute and leaves him. Stuck in his small form, and seeing his life fall apart, Paul goes on a voyage through the small 'Leisureland' in order to find himself and redefine his life. Critics of 2017 criticized Downsizing for being a bit muddled in its focus, though it's worth pointing out that certain reviewers really loved it. As someone who watched the movie in cinemas back then, it's safe to say that the movie was mis-marketed in a way that hurt it: posters and adverts made it look like a standard American comedy, but it's anything but. In a way, Downsizing is an exploration of the climate crisis and humanity's longevity, dealing with themes of class struggles and impending extinction events. It can get dark and melancholy at times, which isn't what audiences would really expect from a Matt Damon rom-com. That's likely why Downsizing was received so poorly eight years ago. It's not a bad film, but if you're expecting a lighthearted comedy, you're going to be disappointed. The movie was directed by Alexander Payne, also known for The Descendants and The Holdovers, and if you've seen those fantastic movies, you'll have your expectations better aligned for Downsizing. Downsizing climbing up Netflix's rankings makes sense: people have probably forgotten any expectations created by marketing 8 years ago, the streamer's thumbnails make it seem more of a sci-fi story than a comedy, and its genre tags are "cerebral" and "imaginative" which better fits the movie. The movie isn't actually the only pre-Covid Hollywood flop on the top-10 movies list and if you want something more action-packed, the Taron Edgerton and Jamie Foxx Robin Hood from 2018 is at #4 after being added on Sunday, June 1. Rounding out the list is Netflix Original A Widow's Game at #2, Channel 4 doc Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax at #3, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning at #5, stalwart The Super Mario Bros. Movie at #6, another Netflix movie The Heart Knows at #7, The Cat in the Hat at #8, Netflix doc A Deadly American Marriage at #9 and yet another kids movie Minions at #10.
Metro
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Amazon Prime fans rush to binge 'incredible' thriller axed 10 years ago
Amazon Prime Video fans have been rushing to catch up with all five seasons of an intense spy thriller series that was cancelled 10 years ago. Covert Affairs, which started in 2010, follows the story of Annie Walker – a young CIA trainee who gradually becomes a key agent in the organisation. Starring Piper Perabo as Annie, the drama ran for five years and produced more than 70 episodes, winning several awards along the way. Despite being positively received by critics and winning those awards, viewership figures dropped from 6.7 million to 3.3 million over five seasons. This meant that the show was cancelled in 2014 and didn't return for the 2015 TV calendar, but still rounded off its story with a 16-episode final season. Now, in 2025, Covert Affairs has become one of the top trending shows on Amazon Prime Video, with people urging other TV viewers on social media to start watching it if they haven't already. @Ralphydir said: 'Today I was watching Covert Affairs all over again. It's such a fun TV series to watch they had so many episodes in five years and there's always something you wanna see again. The very first episode is incredible.' @LestatxLouis was particularly ecstatic that the show had returned: 'It's been years since Prime Video took off Covert Affairs and now they've brought it back!' In Covert Affairs, actor Cristopher Gorham played Auggie Anderson, Annie's CIA handler who was blinded on a previous mission – and fans became almost too familiar with Auggie. Speaking about Christopher taking on a role in a new TV show, Cindy Cinocco said: 'It's weird seeing [Christopher] not blind. I know he's not – but we got so used to seeing him that way in Covert Affairs.' Before Covert Affairs came to streaming in the UK, Luke Godfrey lamented its lack of availability on these shores: 'Good series. Unfortunately it's not available on any streaming platforms for free here in the UK.' On IMDb, user Brady Peter said the series 'had [him] glued right throughout' and called the ending 'sensational,' while praising the 'compelling' action sequences in the show. Chris Fairhall, also on IMDb, said he stayed patient and was rewarded: 'Almost exactly around the middle of season 3, it suddenly gets better and stays that way. The writing, the action, the subterfuge, it becomes an eminently bingeable spy thriller.' More Trending The series also starred Kari Matchett as senior office Joan Campbell, Anne Dudek as Annie's older sister Danielle, and Sendhil Ramamurthy as CIA office Jai Wilcox. Covert Affairs was produced by Doug Liman, who directed 2000s films such as Mr and Mrs Smith, Jumper, and The Bourne Identity, before overseeing Edge of Tomorrow (Live Die Repeat) starring Tom Cruise. David Bartis, who also produced the series, became known for his backroom work on Suits and The OC, as well as films such as the 2008 remake of Knight Rider. View More » Watch Covert Affairs on Amazon Prime Video. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Jeremy Clarkson confirms Clarkson's Farm 'could end' sooner than fans think MORE: Netflix viewers rush to watch 'exceptional' drama based on Judy Blume novel MORE: 'Biggest free agent on the planet' causes chaos in WWE Backlash debut
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
Scottish Sun
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Dozens of free new movies added to popular Amazon Fire Stick app with 30,000 titles – including huge Matt Damon series
See the full list of new movies to watch free and legally below UPSTREAM! Dozens of free new movies added to popular Amazon Fire Stick app with 30,000 titles – including huge Matt Damon series Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FREE streaming service loaded with thousands of films and TV show episodes has added dozens of top Hollywood titles. And the latest update includes a much-loved series starring Matt Damon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The Bourne series is now free to stream Credit: Alamy 3 Big Fish is also available to watch Credit: Alamy 3 Looper is among May's new titles on Tubi Credit: Alamy Tubi is available on Amazon Fire Sticks, as well as via devices running Android and iOS - and it's completely legal too. Every month, the streaming line-up is boosted with more popular names and many you might expect to have to pay for with a Netflix or Sky Cinema subscription. Tubi has shaken up the streaming landscape in the UK since July last year by offering completely free movies and TV to watch supported by ads. The platform already existed for a while in the US. May's additions include four of the Bourne franchise films. It starts with 2002's The Bourne Identity, in which Damon, 54, stars as the lead character. And you can also find sequels The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Legacy. More than 30 titles have been added or will be added at some point this month. Award-winning biographical drama The Social Network is among them, telling the story behind Facebook's creation with Jesse Eisenberg playing the role of Mark Zuckerberg. Other big name additions you may recognise include, The Princess Bride, An American Werewolf in Paris, Love, Rosie, Big Fish, Looper and 2016's Ghostbusters. Trailer for The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon See the full list below: The Social Network The Princess Bride Avenging Angelo The Bourne Identity The Bourne Supremacy The Bourne Ultimatum The Bourne Legacy Faster (2010) The Paper Tigers (available 15/05) Tracker Beer League Bernie Party Girl The 51st State A Midsummer Night's Dream All the King's Men (2006) Jerry Maguire The Governor's Daughter An American Crime An American Werewolf in Paris Prom Night Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou Love after Lockup (S1-3) Love, Rosie After Earth Big Fish Chimera Strain Ghostbusters (2016) Jumper Live Up to Your Name Looper Mutant X The Bride of Habaek All the Money in the World Hide and Seek (2000) Panic Room Searching (2018)
The Irish Sun
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Dozens of free new movies added to popular Amazon Fire Stick app with 30,000 titles – including huge Matt Damon series
A FREE streaming service loaded with thousands of films and TV show episodes has added dozens of top Hollywood titles. And the latest update includes a much-loved series starring Advertisement 3 The Bourne series is now free to stream Credit: Alamy 3 Big Fish is also available to watch Credit: Alamy 3 Looper is among May's new titles on Tubi Credit: Alamy Tubi is available on Amazon Fire Sticks, as well as via devices running Android and iOS - and it's completely legal too. Every month, the streaming line-up is boosted with more popular names and many you might expect to have to pay for with a Netflix or Sky Cinema subscription. Tubi has shaken up the streaming landscape in the UK since July last year by offering completely free movies and TV to watch supported by ads. The platform already existed for a while in the US. Advertisement Read more about streaming May's additions include four of the Bourne franchise films. It starts with 2002's The Bourne Identity, in which Damon, 54, stars as the lead character. And you can also find sequels The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Legacy. More than 30 titles have been added or will be added at some point this month. Advertisement Most read in Tech Exclusive Exclusive Award-winning biographical drama The Social Network is among them, telling the story behind Facebook's creation with Jesse Eisenberg playing the role of Mark Zuckerberg. Other big name additions you may recognise include, The Princess Bride, An American Werewolf in Paris, Love, Rosie, Big Fish, Looper and 2016's Ghostbusters. Trailer for The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon See the full list below: The Social Network The Princess Bride Avenging Angelo The Bourne Identity The Bourne Supremacy The Bourne Ultimatum The Bourne Legacy Faster (2010) The Paper Tigers (available 15/05) Tracker Beer League Bernie Party Girl The 51st State A Midsummer Night's Dream All the King's Men (2006) Jerry Maguire The Governor's Daughter An American Crime An American Werewolf in Paris Prom Night Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou Love after Lockup (S1-3) Love, Rosie After Earth Big Fish Chimera Strain Ghostbusters (2016) Jumper Live Up to Your Name Looper Mutant X The Bride of Habaek All the Money in the World Hide and Seek (2000) Panic Room Searching (2018) One to watch? Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor Free is always a welcome word, especially in the ever-more expensive streaming sector. Not needing to sign-up is even more appealing. Tubi joins a growing list of free ad-supported platforms. What makes Tubi stand out is the number of big name releases it has on the list. The fact it has Tubi Originals too provides something new and different to watch.
