Movies Opening in Portland July 27-August 2

We are Bourne again.

Remember when Tron and Spring Breakers combined into a legit teen movie that adults didn't hate? Nope. This week, Portland, we make history.

History also repeats itself, as the Bond/Bourne one uppance tacks another rung on its never-ending ladder of sequels.

Jason Bourne

He swore he'd never murder somebody with a book or a pencil or whatever again. But then Jeremy Renner proved to be less likable turning household items into murder weapons. And now Matt Damon, director Paul Greengrass and—from the looks of the preview—a bunch of HGH are back in the shaky-ass world of Robert Ludlum's Bourne series, ready to prove why even Bond wanted to be Bourne for the past decade. No dirt bike is safe. Screened after deadline. PG-13. AP KRYZA. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Living Room Theaters, Lloyd, Tigard, Vancouver.

Men Go to Battle

[ C ] Two Kentucky country boys show the strains of lower-class life and the Civil War in Zachary Trietz's low-budget period piece, which came out of left field at the Tribeca Film Fest. As winter approaches, brothers Henry (Tim Morton) and Francis (David Maloney) find themselves broke, with nothing but an overgrown field producing weeds and problems. Determined to sell it for a profit, Francis lobbies the town's snotty upper class and Henry joins the Union cavalry. Like their empty field, not much growth comes from this film. Slow Kentucky accents parallel the film's pacing. The most interesting moment comes when the narrative veers to Henry writing letters home from battle and close camera work draws emotion from him reading his letters to Francis aloud to a friend in war-torn infantry gear. NR. AMY WOLFE. Clinton Street.

Nerve

[ B+ ] Would you kiss a stranger on camera for $100? How about hang from a construction crane for internet fame? The new film Nerve asks what happens when you combine Periscope-like live video with a democratized game of truth or dare in which the consequences are life-threatening and the rewards are fame and fortune. When a bookish high school girl (Emma Roberts) gets swept up in the game with the help of a mysterious stud on a motorcycle (Dave Franco), it seems they're in for a night of harmless fun. But when the dares posed by the internet mob turn dark, the pair must fight for their lives. With an EDM-tinged soundtrack, lots of desktop computer screen shares, and visuals that meet somewhere between Tron and Spring Breakers, this one was made for a younger generation. And yet, rarely do teen movies get the benefit of a stellar idea to build on. PG-13. ZACH MIDDLETON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Tigard, Vancouver.

Speculation Nation

[ B ] Spain's equivalent to the abandoned auto plants and disused steel mills of the American Rust Belt consists of mile after mile of new but never leased apartments and condos that were built just before the 2008 financial crisis. Speculation Nation tells the stories of the Spaniards who, having lost their jobs to a busted economy, started squatting in these apartments while demanding the government sanction the practice. With long tracking shots of Brutalist architecture and interviews with down-and-out occupants, the film eerily details the human toll of economic floundering. It lacks explanation, though—key interviews from experts on Spanish economics might explain how things got so bad and how they might get better, giving the film a purpose beyond bleak exposé. Knowing the source of a problem might allow us to imagine a better future. NR. ZACH MIDDLETON. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium. 7 pm Tuesday, Aug. 2.

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