Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: Movie Review

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: Movie Review

Cast: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh
Director: Kenneth Branagh

It's a reboot for Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character, made so famous by Harrison Ford's portrayal in films like Patriot Games.

This time around, the film's given a contemporary once over as Chris Pine's Jack Ryan goes from enlisting after the horrors of 9/11, being injured and scoring a role within the CIA as a covert analyst. (All within the space of the film's opening 10 minutes)

Ryan's skill? He's a PHD analyst who crunches the data but having worked on Wall Street, Ryan's managed to find a scheme concocted by Russia to bring down the U.S economy and wreak global chaos.

With his handler Harper (Kevin Costner in a quietly restrained and impressive turn), Jack's thrust into the world of being an active agent after an attempt on his life - and in direct conflict with Victor Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh, also on directorial duties complete with emotionless Russian robotic accent). But saving the world isn't just the biggest problem Ryan's facing - he's also got to try and keep his relationship with his in-the-dark other half Kathy (Keira Knightley) alive as well....

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is apparently Tom Clancy's last film as a writer before his death in October last year and it's not a bad attempt at a sophisticated thriller, but a bit of a misfire in terms of an action-packed thriller.

Though it has to be said, some of the film cripples itself quite badly with its typical pulpy touches which are more suited to the page than screaming originality on the big screen.

The film jumps around global hopping style in its opening moments as the geo-politic thriller gets underway, and rather than being dizzying and exciting, it's sort of limp and unexciting, despite establishing Pine's Ryan as a man of the people (he cares for his colleagues, his fallen brothers).

There are your typical cinematic big sweeping bon mots too that you'd expect of a global thriller of its ilk - including "It's an act of economic war" and "We're on a godamned luxury boat here, don't rock it"- which are all uttered with straight faces and from under very worried brows that it's vexing rather than suspenseful.

Pine and Costner are impressive as the leads; Costner delivers a low key understated turn as the handler and Pine brings his stoic talents to the fore as Ryan. But neither of them can really lift the perfunctory almost workmanlike tone of the film, which is pulled together with varying degrees of success by Branagh. While some of his pared back action scenes are tautly impressive, none really stand out as original unfortunately and the directorial flair is lacking - even though his Russian backdrops serve him well.

The worst part of the east vs west vibe of the film though is the narrative that allows Keira Knightley's Cathy into the spy world. Initially clueless at Ryan's duplicitousness, she's brought in to take part in the sting that could decide the fate of the world - it's this turn of events which throws any limited credibility out of the window from what was a relatively intelligent premise into a spy trope you've seen millions of times before.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit lacks a little of the killer instinct needed; those hoping for high blockbuster thrills and action scenes all over the place will be underwhelmed.

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An Adventure in Space and Time: DVD Review

An Adventure in Space and Time: DVD Review

Rating:
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Released as sci-fi series Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary in November last year, this drama is about the series' origins and creation way back in 1963.

It charts the story of who Who actually was and how a young female producer called Verity Lambert broke through the glass ceiling of the male-run BBC back when it was all testosterone and bravado.

It's also the story of how William Hartnell, the man who played the First Doctor, got the role of a lifetime and then had to leave it...

More than being a story about Doctor Who, it's really a time capsule and a wonderfully poignant drama that oozes love and charm. David Bradley is exceptional in the role of Hartnell, with many of the foibles of the actor being discussed but never used against him in this drama. Likewise Call The Midwife star Jessica Raine impresses as Lambert; but it's the overall production of this piece which gives it such a warm glow.

From stunningly good recreations to lovingly crafted cameos, this piece does more than encapsulate the charm of the show - it's a magical love letter to how the BBC worked, how drama was made and how in a world pre-CGI, dreams became television reality. It's more than something which should be seen by just Doctor Who fans - it's a nostalgic slice of drama for all.

Extras: Brief behind the scenes pieces and recreations of iconic scenes

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Game of Thrones Season 4 trailer is here

Game of Thrones Season 4 trailer is here

Get ready, GoT fans - here is your first look at season 4 of Game of Thrones.

The show's due to debut on HBO in April this year.

The Golden Globe 2014 winners

The Golden Globe 2014 winners

Not even a burst sewerage pipe (aka sprinkler as the spin machines would have it) could keep the glamour away from the red carpet in Hollywood as the Golden Globes 2014 awards were handed out.

Cutting through all the glitz and glamour, here's a list of the winners of the 2014 Golden Globe Awards:

Best Drama - 12 Years a Slave Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - Cate Blanchett
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: American Hustle
Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street
Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Best Director - Motion Picture: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation"
Best Animated Film: Frozen
Best actor in a TV series, mini-series or TV film - Michael Douglas
Best Foreign Language Film - The Great Beauty
Best Actor in a TV comedy or musical - Andy Samberg
Best Screenplay - Spike Jonze - Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a TV series, Drama - Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Amy Adams
Best Supporting Actor in TV Series or Movie: Jon Voight
Best Original Song - "Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Best TV Series - Breaking Bad
Best Actor in a TV Drama - Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Best TV Movie / Miniseries - Behind The Candelabra
Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries - Elisabeth Moss - Top of the Lake
Best Supporting Actress, Miniseries - Jacqueline Bisset
Best Supporting Actress in a movie - Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Nebraska: Movie Review

Nebraska: Movie Review

Cast: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk, June Squibb
Director: Alexander Payne

With talk of an Oscar nomination for lead actor Bruce Dern and an award from Cannes in the bag, Sideways director Alexander Payne's latest is already being lavished with attention.

And rightly so.

In this film, Dern plays Woody Grant, an old man, who's been sent a letter saying that he's won a million dollars but will need to collect it from Nebraska. Determined to get there come hell or high water, Woody's son David (Will Forte) decides, on a whim, to help the old man out. But Woody's not the easiest of fathers - an alcoholic, ageing dad, whose distance from his son is never more pronounced than when they're on the road together. Throw into that mix, a road trip which includes family members and an old colleague of Woody's who believes he's owed money and it's clear that fractious times lie ahead.

Nebraska is a film which thrives on the understated and perfectly captured view of small town America.

Shot lavishly in black and white and with a sedentary pace as well as shots of mid-west America scattered throughout, Payne's created something remarkable that perfectly encapsulates the lifestyles of many living in places of its ilk. (It helps that Payne is from the region he's filming.)

There's an inherent sadness to Dern's near-silent cowed and stooping portrayal of Grant, a man whose life has been swilled in alcohol and who now finds himself permanently housed beneath a white shock of hair, teetering on the edge of dementia. But there's humour and stubbornness to in his belief that the million dollars he's been promised will come true; it's a bittersweet belief that sustains this road trip, binds him inexorably to his son as the journey continues.

However, it's his occasionally irascible and naive interaction with others and a sense of self-belief that comes to the fore on the screen. Nowhere is this more evident than with his interaction with the bullying Stacy Keach's Ed Pegram, a former colleague who's now desperate to claw back some borrowed money. Along with the straight man Will Forte, there's a tenderness as this plays out its inevitable path.

But this is not a film about a cranky old man and hilarity therefrom - this is a movie dripping in poignancy and drenched in the details of family lives that all of us share and all of us will recognise; from the family gathering in the front room around the TV talking about nothing, to the ties that bind fathers and sons together.

It feels as if Payne's film-making and story are from experience this time around and there's a naturalness which pervades the movie that's hard to deny and difficult not to revel in. Sure, you could argue that in this day and age, who's going to believe a scam like that, but in mid-western America, populated as it is with family squabbling over the trivial minutiae, this film is packed with insight - Nebraska is completely watchable, affecting and utterly engaging.

Rating

Mud: DVD Review

Mud: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment

Matthew McConaughey continues to impress in this film from the man who brought us the wonderful Take Shelter.

When two boys, Ellis and Neckbone, cross a river to discover the truth about a boat found in a tree, the pair meet up with Mud (McConaughey) a drifter, who tells them he's waiting for his true love to show up so they can run off together.

But Mud needs the pair's help to get the boat going and to get things ready - soon, Ellis and Neckbone find themselves deep in Mud's world and questioning who's right or wrong in this love story.

Mud's a coming of age tale which quietly impresses, despite its somewhat bloated run time.

There are touches of Huck Finn/ Tom Sawyer aplenty in this Southern fried piece, which throws in a serious Reese Witherspoon for good measure. It's Ellis (Tye Sheridan) who anchors this tale as his innocence is shattered and his world view warped by those around him, but it's McConaughey who provides a solid presence as the enigmatic drifter on the run after what he claims is justifiable homicide.

Mud shows director Jeff Nichols is a force to be reckoned with - and while the tale has a sedentary pace in places, it's got a kick that's undeniable.

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The Book Thief: Movie Review

The Book Thief: Movie Review

Cast: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Roger Allam
Director: Brian Percival

Based on the book by Australian author, Markus Zusak, the movie version of The Book Thief aims to tug at the heartstrings.

It's the story of Liesel (a wonderful first time turn from Sophie Nelisse, who's rightfully getting awards), a young girl pushed onto a foster family in pre-war time Germany in the 1930s. There's the cold-hearted Rosa (Watson) and the more kindly, music loving and nurturing Hans (Rush). As the road to war escalates, the initially illiterate Liesel finds herself growing up in a world she understands less but discovering a love for literature.

When a young Jew, Max, comes to shelter with Rosa and Hans, the harsh realities of war and the fear of the Nazis becomes a reality for the family - and their lives will never be the same again.

The Book Thief is an emotionally flat piece, despite the deliberately emotive ideas and the potential for manipulation. Yet, despite Nelisse's beautifully fragile yet confident tone, it never fires on any real level, leaving you lamenting how empty the pay off is as the horror hits home.

It's a shame because the attention to period detail is impressive and initially oppressive, but the maudlin tones of the film never really lift or give you the push to connect and care about these characters as childhood innocence and naivete are shattered asunder.

The slow, solemn tone gives way to a feeling that The Book Thief is way too over-long and the narrative twists can be seen a mile off - the step-mother isn't actually a cruel harpie? While the friendship between Liesel and the boy next door Rudy (Liersch) is solid enough, the emotional pay off as their relationship reaches its tragedy is curiously lacking; and it's a shame. Rush delivers a strong performance and injects the war time mope with some much needed warmth and earnestness and Roger Allam's deliciously liquid tones work well as the narrator Death.

All in all The Book Thief delivers a competently told tale, but fails to find the emotion needed to turn you into a blubbering wreck as the tragedy kicks in.

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