Movie Magazine International Blog

By Moira Sullivan Yolande Moreau, Judith Chemla, Jean-Pierre Daroussin - Une Vie The 73rd Venice Film Festival will be held from Aug 31 through Sept 10, one of the oldest film festivals in the world that is a part of the famous art exhibition "La Biennale di Venezia". The festival is renowned for its selection of international films with an artistic edge. Due to dwindling ticket sales this year the president of the festival Alberto Barbera has created a special screening venue of popular films. This puts a perplexing color on the festival that is known for cutting edge films with artistic content that general audiences seem to find difficult to navigate. They come to see the movie stars and get autographs but the prestigious festival has not been an event that the public supports financially and now they have the opportunity to do so. Nevertheless, the usual sections remain with this side venue hoping to fill the festival coffers. The OFFICIAL SELECTION, Venezia 73 i

By Moira Sullivan I have followed the Bourne franchise for the first three installments and even when Mat Damon was replaced by Jeremy Renner for the last installment. Now that Jason Bourne it is out, it would have been better if it HAD been Aaron Cross and not Jason Bourne continuing in the story arc. What Paul Greengrass , director of the second and third Bourne’s, has done to revive the franchise leaves it just a little warmer than stillborn. In trying to stay current it doesn’t work to create new blood out of cardboard characters and plot design. Mat Damon is back and is the executive producer of Jason Bourne. There are many disappointments in the latest version. There is a still a creepy old guy at the helm (Tommy Lee Jones as CIA director Robert Dewey, looking very decrepit indeed) and a young woman on the inside of the CIA that will try to help Bourne or get co-opted by Bourne or Bourne will fall in love with-   though not in this film. Tge disappointing aspect of