Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

http://www.shadowrecruitmovie.co.uk

Having never seen any of the previous incarnations of Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin in The Hunt For Red October - Harrison Ford in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger - Ben Affleck in The Sum Of All Fears), my only reason for wanting to see the new movie was that it looked to be the only decent thing out on a Saturday night. Well, that and Chris Pine isn't exactly a chore to watch.

We open on a young Jack Ryan (Pine) as he studies Economics in London in 2001. The day we join him just happens to be September 11th, a date which prompts him to change careers and join the marines. An incident involving a helicopter he was flying in then puts him in the path of his future wife Cathy (Knightley) and his future employer, Thomas Harper (Costner) of the CIA. Ryan takes on an analyst position within the agency and when we fast forward 10 years we see him involved in a case to take down a Russian firm run by Viktor Cherevin (Branagh). Ryan has been gathering intelligence on Cherevin that shows suspicious amounts of US dollars have been going missing, all seemingly related to the Russian company, which could lead to a collapse of the US economy. 

The story isn't all that gripping, and I must admit that I had to piece most of my synopsis together from IMDb and Wikipedia as I couldn't really remember the plot all that well. That probably tells you all you need to know about the movie. It's very stylish, but there isn't an awful lot of substance here. It's what I like to call a pure popcorn movie. Leave your brain at the door and you'll enjoy it just fine.

Which begs the question, why on earth did any of the actors involved want to do it? And moreover, why the hell did Branagh want to not only direct this uninspiring film, but star in it too? Don't even get me started on why he would want to put on a terrible Russian accent in order to give himself a role? The other actors, Pine, Knightley and Costner all do an admirable job of playing it seriously, which just makes me wish this was a better movie for them all. Yes, even Costner is decent. I know, I was shocked too.

It's not terrible, but it won't leave much of a lasting impression. Other than how bad Branagh's accent is. 6.5 out of 10.

 

Viewing Date - 25th January 2014

UK Release Date - 24th January 2014

Cast Overview:

Jack Ryan ~ Chris Pine

Cathy Muller ~ Keira Knightley

Thomas Harper ~ Kevin Costner

Viktor Cherevin ~ Kenneth Branagh

Director ~ Kenneth Branagh

Writer(s) ~ Adam Cozad and David Koepp - Based on characters created by Tom Clancy

Anna Karenina

Mini Blog

http://www.annakareninamovie.co.uk/

I saw the trailer for Anna Karenina when I was at the cinema with my friend who is a big fan of period dramas. We'd previously seen The Young Victoria and The Duchess together and loved both of those movies more than either of us would have guessed. Therefore as soon as we saw the trailer for Anna we knew we wanted to see it.

Unfortunately the film did not live up to the expectations. It was unnecessarily long with some sequences seeming as though they'd been included just for the sake of showing off the staging. I also felt that the film being set in a theatre didn't really work in it's favour. I felt like the actors should have burst into spontanious song, and if I'm honest I was disappointed that they didn't. As a person who dislikes musicals at the best of times I'm sure this speaks volumes about how dull the whole thing was that I felt making it a musical would liven up proceedings.

Finally to the actors. Knightley was her usual pouty self, despite re-assurances from director Joe Wright that he'd put a stop to that. She's great in some scenes but her character has a tendency to be whiny and needy which is not a great combination. The usually charasmatic Law is faced with the task of making an emotionally detached character likeable, and while you do feel sorry for him, you never really warm to him. Finally, Taylor-Johnson just feels too young to be in the role of Count Vronsky and nowhere near charming enough to win over the affections of a married noble lady.

I found the secondary stories involving Levin and Kitty and Oblonsky and Dolly held my interest a lot better than the main love triangle (if you can call it that), and especially thought that Domhnall Gleeson is one to watch.

All in all it was too long and too boring and I couldn't wait for it to end. Which incidently felt like it should have done long before the credits rolled. A disappointing 5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 20th September 2012

UK Release Date - 7th September 2012

Cast Overview:

Keira Knightley ~ Anna Karenina

Aaron Taylor-Johnson ~ Count Vronsky

Jude Law ~ Alexei Karenin

Kelly MacDonald ~ Dolly

Matthew MacFadyen ~ Oblonsky

Emily Watson ~ Countess Lydia

Olivia Williams ~ Countess Vronsky

Domhnall Gleeson ~ Levin

Alicia Vikander ~ Kitty

Director ~ Joe Wright 

Writer(s) ~ Tom Stoppard (Screenplay) and Leo Tolstoy (Novel)

A Dangerous Method

Mini Review

http://adangerousmethod-themovie.com/

A Dangerous Method is based on a play - The Talking Cure- which in turn is based on the book A Most Dangerous Method, about the intense and intertwining relationships of Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) from which the creation of psychoanalysis was borne.

I probably wouldn't have seen this if A) one of my friends didn't have a huge crush on Viggo Mortensen and B) if that same friend didn't have access to a local independent cinema that was showing the film as we missed it on it's initial nationwide release.

A Dangerous Method is not a film for the faint hearted, not because it's gory but because the subject matter could be quite hard for some people to watch. Essentially this is a film about dealing with your inner demons. The ways in which some of the characters do this - bondage and spanking - will not be everyone's cup of tea. But the film also has a lot to say on the subject of psychoanalysis and therapy, which my friend happens to be studying, so it was a very useful film from her point of view.

I found the story interesting, the characters fascinating and the acting from all concerned to be praiseworthy. Knightley takes a little while to convince, both in accent and character but once you've gotten over the initial shock that she's not playing her usual English rose you do start to warm to her. Of the two male leads Fassbender has the more juicy role but Mortensen's Freud really needs to be seen to be believed. 

A thought provoking film that gives an insightful look into the lives of these legends. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 2nd April 2012

UK Release Date - 10th February 2012

Cast Overview:

Keira Knightley ~ Sabina Spielrein

Viggo Mortensen ~ Sigmund Freud

Michael Fassbender ~ Carl Jung

Vincent Cassel ~ Otto Gross

Sarah Gadon ~ Emma Jung

Director ~ David Cronenberg

Writer(s) ~ Christopher Hampton (Screenplay and Play - The Talking Cure) and John Kerr (Book - A Most Dangerous Method)