Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley
Running time: 105 minutes



Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Jack Ryan leaves his studies in economics to become a US Marine and fight in Afghanistan. His helicopter gets shot down, leaving him badly injured. As he recuperates, he meets the love of his life, Cathy, a medical student, and he is then recruited to work covertly for the CIA on Wall Street. His job then brings him to Moscow to investigate a Russian organization that is planning a major coup that could be devastating to the USA.

This is an original story based on characters created by author Tom Clancy. Chris Pine is the fourth actor to play Jack Ryan on the big screen. I cannot say that I was a big fan of his performance. His acting felt stiff and wooden here. It got better as the pace of the action got faster, but it was very uneven overall. The same could be said for Keira Knightley, which is unfortunate, as she has done much better jobs in other films. Kevin Costner and Kenneth Branagh were better in their respective roles.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit started a little slowly for me, but, once the action picked up, it was a thrilling ride through the life of a character that has to adapt quickly to his surroundings. It is unfortunate that the unevenness of the acting brought it down a notch for me. Still, this movie is an entertaining thriller.

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