Patriot Games (1992)

 

Genre: Thriller / Action
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Sean Bean 

Running time: 117 minutes

 While on vacation in London with his family, retired CIA analyst Jack Ryan intervenes in an assassination attempt on Lord William Holmes, by a splinter cell of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In the process, Ryan kills one of the attackers, sending the fallen man’s brother on a hunt against the retired CIA analyst and his family, while the cell of the IRA focuses on carrying their mission towards the royal.

This is the second movie with the Jack Ryan character, after Hunt for the Red October. Still based on a Tom Clancy novel. Patriot Games has been criticized for straying away from the book, but, in itself, it is a very interesting action/thriller film. The story is compelling and the acting is good. Overall, a fun piece of cinema.

Rating: ««««

Being There (1979)

 Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Hal Ashby
Starring: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas 

Running time: 130 minutes

 

Chance is a middle-aged simple-minded man living in the house of an older gentleman. Having never left that property, he spends his time working in the garden and watching television. When his benefactor dies, Chance has to leave the property with no ID and just one suitcase. After getting his leg injured by a backing car, the simpleton ends up in the mansion of an aging business mogul and his younger wife, where Chance manages to become a close council of the US president, despite the fact that the little knowledge he has he took from watching television.

This film is a brilliantly smart political satire that feels very actual, I must say. Peter Sellers is absolutely wonderful in the lead role. He makes you believe that character is real and not just the work of an actor. The supporting cast is also very solid.

I absolutely loved this gem of a movie. Great material that benefits from wonderful acting performances and masterful directing.

 Rating: «««««

A Walk in the Woods (2015)

 
Genre: Biographical / Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Starring: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson 

 Running time: 194 minutes

 

Bill Bryson is an American author who returned to New Hampshire after spending a decade in the UK. Now in his 60’s, existential questions rise within him after attending the funeral of a friend. He decides to undertake the crossing of the Appalachian Trail, to the great dismay of his wife. Wanting to appease his worried wife, who doesn’t want him to make that trip alone, he looks for a friend willing to accompany him. The only one who wants to do it is a long-lost friend Stephen Katz, an aging recovering alcoholic with a temperament much different from Bryson’s.

This film is based on the memoirs written by Bill Bryson himself. It is a compelling tale that benefits greatly from the on-screen chemistry between Redford and Nolte. The supporting cast, on the other hand, was not given much and felt like an after-thought, considering the talent involved.

While interesting, this story lacked some elements, to make the whole thing more cohesive. It was still entertaining, albeit not without flaws.

Rating: «««

Would You Rather (2012)

 
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Directed by: David Guy Levy
Starring: Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Johnny Coyne 

 Running time: 93 minutes

 

Iris is a young woman having a hard time making ends meet as she cares for her sick younger brother Raleigh. In an appointment with her brother’s doctor, Iris meets Shepard Lambrick, a very rich man who offers the young woman to take part in a game at a dinner party he’s organizing. If she wins the game, all her brother’s medical needs will be met and her financial problems will be solved. She finally accepts and ends up in a twisted and deadly game of “Would You Rather” with a group of strangers.

This is decent psychological thriller that offers its share of interesting plot twists. It is violent, but it did not rely too heavily on blood and guts (by my standards anyways). The acting ranged from okay to not that good, but I was still entertained. Nice plot twist I really did not expect at the end.

Rating: «««

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: John McTiernan
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn

Running time: 135 minutes

 

Based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, this film tells the story of the Red October, a new Russian Typhoon-class nuclear submarine under the command of Marko Ramius. Though it moves with stealth, the Russian submarine’s presence in the waters is vaguely felt by American authorities. CIA analyst Jack Ryan perceives that Ramius wants to defect to America, and he must prove his point to the higher ups before the issue escalates into a full-blown confrontation.

This film offers a good cast of talented people well directed to deliver a captivating story on screen. It dragged a bit a times, but, overall, this is a very good thriller.

 Rating: ««««

 

J'm'en va r'Viendre (2011)

 

Genre: Franco / Documentary
Réalisateur: Sarah Fortin
Distribution: Stephen Faulkner 

 Running time: 72 minutes

 

Dans ce documentaire, la réalisatrice Sarah Fortin nous amène dans l’univers de l’auteur-compositeur-interprète country québécois Stephen Faulkner. Celui que nous avons mieux connu sous le surnom de Cassonade revient sur sa vie et regarde aussi vers l’avant, vers un avenir pas très évident où il roule sa bosse musicale tant bien que mal, au gré du vent.

J’ai beaucoup aimé le choix du noir et blanc pour ce film sans artifice, comme l’artiste dont il est question ici. J’ai également apprécié le respect avec lequel la réalisatrice a traité son sujet. On ne sent jamais de mépris par rapport à un artiste qui n’a pas mené sa vie et sa carrière de la façon la plus efficace possible.

Un petit film très touchant et drôle à la fois. J’ai adoré.

Rating: «««««

The Social Dilemma (2020)

 Genre: Documentary / Drama
Directed by: Jeff Orlowski
Starring: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson 

Running time: 94 minutes

 

Half documentary and half drama, The Social Dilemma looks at the human impact of social networking. Tech experts, many of whom worked in the past for such companies as Google and Facebook, sound the alarm about what they perceive as a dangerous impact on humans. Through fiction characters playing various scenes, we also see examples of what is being said.

While it does sound a tad alarmist, this documentary is definitely eye opening and is sure to raise some questions among viewers. It already has since its release. I know that I have myself looked at my own usage of social networks since.

Rating: ««««