It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.
This week, cool down with the kid-friendly Ice Age: Collision Course, the fifth entry in the popular franchise. If you’re looking for something a little more adult, you’ll have to hold on until next week, when Jason Bourne makes a comeback in the titular movie, Matt Damon’s first return to the venerable franchise since 2007.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Ice Age: Collision Course (2016, Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chy)
Manny, Diego, and Sid fend off a deadly meteor strike.

2012 was our last look at the fun Ice Age series, and while it’s debatable about whether another movie was needed, here it is.

All the characters are back in this outing to save not only themselves, but the entire planet.

First, there’s Scrat, the non-talking but highly emotive saber-toothed squirrel who continues his epic pursuit of his elusive acorn. This time, he’s catapulted outside of the Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. Now, to save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and embark on a quest full of thrills and spills, highs and lows, and adventure in exotic new lands.

Unfortunately, this is a movie that just wasn’t needed. It borrows old plot points, and tries too hard to make itself relevant. It’s frantically-paced, unfunny, and just doesn’t have anything worthwhile left to say.


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Jason Bourne (2016, Paul Greengrass)
Jason Bourne tries to uncover hidden truths about his past.

And now, a man who needs no introduction. The Bourne series was very well received when it first debuted almost 15 years ago, and hopes are high for this latest sequel, set to open next week.

It's been 10 years since Jason Bourne walked away from the agency that trained him to become a deadly weapon. Hoping to draw him out of the shadows, CIA director Robert Dewey assigns hacker and counterinsurgency expert Heather Lee to find him. Lee suspects that former operative Nicky Parsons is also looking for him. As she begins tracking the duo, Bourne finds himself back in action battling a sinister network that utilizes terror and technology to maintain unchecked power.

Director Paul Greengrass and star Damon were adamant they wouldn't make another Bourne movie unless they felt they could do it justice. Well, they’re back, and the fruits of their labour will be on screen next week.