Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

On Tuesday, February 18, 2014, I went to see the movie Jack Ryan:  Shadow Recruit.  This movie features Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Kenneth Brangagh.

This movie is about Jack Ryan, who was studying for his Ph.D while there was the attacks of September 11, 2001 and decided to enlist in the marines to help serve his country.

He is involved in a helicopter accident and is required to go through physiotherapy because of his injuries.  That's also where he meets his girlfriend/fiancée, Kathy Muller, who is a doctor.

Jack Ryan is "recruited" after months of physiotherapy and then he finishes his Ph.D and then goes and works on Wall Street, undercover for the CIA.  There's also a pipeline deal for Turkey and Russia is strongly against...  They enlist the help of the U.S.A. to try and block this deal at the UN, but the U.S. Diplomat has said that they cannot support it.  This begins the global economic warfare.

After this episode, he is looking at accounts at his company and realizes that there are quite a few accounts where he cannot access.  This is a huge red flag, so he decides to go to Moscow to audit the company...

What happens next?  You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

This movie was a fun one...  Lots of action sequences, chases, explosions, gun fights...  Typical spy/suspense/action flick.  You don't go for the acting on this one!

Winter's Tale

I know that I broke my cycle of watching movies on cheap night...  Since I saw Winter's Tale on Saturday, February 15, 2014, featuring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Will Smith.

This movie is about Peter Lake (played by Farrell), a thief, who on a trip on theft, meets Beverly Penn (played by Brown Findlay), a beautiful girl who's dying of consumption.

However, he is also having a disagreement with his former boss, Pearly Solmes (played by Crowe), who wants him dead.  But, Peter Lake somehow finds him reincarnated...

What happens?  If you can stomach it, you'll have to watch the movie to find out.

Apparently, this movie is based upon a book.  I was looking for a sappy Valentine's Day movie, but what I found was a half-ass done product.  It was not sappy enough, in my opinion, for a Valentine's Day movie.  I was expecting to leave there in tears, with parts just causing me to burst into tears.  No...  No such luck.  If I wanted to see it as a drama, the storyline was so thin that even the actors who put lots of sweat and tears into it couldn't save it.  Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Jessica Brown Findlay all put their best acting foot forward, but not even that could save the dramatic content in this movie...  And if you wanted to consider this as a comedy, well...  There was just not enough zingers or lines that were well written that people laughed at.

August: Osage County

On Tuesday, February 11, 2014, I went to see the movie August:  Osage County featuring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor and Abigail Breslin.

This movie is about The Weston family.  We start off with seeing Beverly Weston talking to a cook that he wishes to hire, a Native American who was named Johnna.  He is married to Violet Weston (Streep), a pill popping woman suffering from mouth cancer.

We then cut to a phone call to Barbara, played by Julia Roberts.  Apparently, Beverly has gone missing and Barbara is in a fuss...  So, Aunt Ivy calls and reports to Barbara.  Barbara brings her daughter and separated husband (Breslin and McGregor) to help with the situation.

Turns out that Beverly drowned, so this movie turns into a funeral and a funeral dinner.

What happens?  You'll have to watch to find out.  But Beverly's passing away is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the story.

Labour Day

On Tuesday, February 4, 2014, I went to see the movie Labour Day featuring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin (although, Tobey McGuire makes a cameo/appearance at the end).

The movie is about Adele (Winslet) and Harry.  Adele is a single mother who has been in a depressive state after she split with her husband (who ran off with his secretary).

Harry is their only child and takes care of Adele.  However, due to Adele's condition, they only go to Value Mart once a month to pick up supplies and the rest of the time, Adele pretty much stays home.

On one particular trip, they bump into Frank (Brolin), who is an escaped convict.  He's injured and he hitches a ride with them back to their house.  Once there, he initially just wanted a place to stay until nightfall.  However, as time progressed (and this story happens over Labour Day weekend, which is why the movie and the book is named that, I suppose), we see the beginnings of a love story and we also start to learn about Frank's history.

What happens in the end?  You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

As usual, Kate Winslet gives an incredible performance.