Showing Tag: "spy" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: From Treadstone to Ironhand & Deep Dream, Jason Bourne Explores His Connection to Richard Webb

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 31, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Jason Bourne





Directed By: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, and Riz Ahmed

The 2016 summer blockbuster season has been littered with big budget disappointments, especially when it comes to reboots of dormant or long-running franchises.  Bryan Singer went up to bat and struck out with X-Men: Apocalypse, his latest installment in Fox's aging mutant franchise.  Roland Emmerich returned twenty years too late in Independence Day: Resu...

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REVIEW: For the Nine Eyes Data Ghost, Spectre Tries to Stop A Deal Between The Pale King & One Cuckoo Mickey Mouse for L'Americain

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 7, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Spectre





Directed By: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes

Is Daniel Craig out of bullets?  Many have been considering this weekend's Spectre to be Craig's final outing as beloved British Secret Service agent James Bond.  Yes, Daniel Craig has been around the block as 007 a few times.  Yes, he had a tantrum saying he would rather kill himself than suit up again.  However, he al...

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REVIEW: In Bridge of Spies, Standing Man James B. Donovan Gives Us More Than Just a 2-for-1 at Glienicke Bridge & Checkpoint Charlie

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : 0.00% Water 
Bridge of Spies





Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda

"You're not worried?!"
-James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks)
"Would it help?"
-Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance)

There is such a thing as a match made in heaven on the big screen.  Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are living proof of this.  You need to look no further than films such as Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal.  Any collaboration between these two cinema legends is a 2-for-1 spe...

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REVIEW: For Nuclear Bombs & A Father's Watch, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Solo & His Cowboy-Loving Partner Kuryakin Take On Vinciguerra's Diadema

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 16, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
The Man  From U.N.C.L.E.





Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant

Spy movies are in full supply this year, and moviegoers have been anything but disappointed.  Kingsman: Secret Service, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and Spy have set a high bar for the spy flicks making their way to theaters in these later months, namely Spectre and this weekend's The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  All that being said, the reboot t...

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REVIEW: With Solomon Lane, the Bone Doctor & Ilsa Faust, Rogue Nation the Syndicate Gives IMF's Finest Gambler Ethan Hunt One More Impossible Mission

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 1, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation





Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, and Simon McBurney

"I can neither confirm nor deny any details without the secretary's approval."
-Agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Impossible Mission Force

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get to the box office this weekend.  The Impossible Mission Force (IMF) is back on the scene.  Agent Ethan Hunt...

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REVIEW: Whether Penny Morgan or Amber Valentine, Spy Susan Cooper Finds Her Calling Chasing Rayna, De Luca, & Renaldo

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 6, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Spy





Directed By: Paul Feig

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Nargis Fakhri, Allison Janney, and Jude Law

Director Paul Feig seems to have a comedic muse, and her name is Melissa McCarthy. In 2011, she was a supporting but integral contributor to the genius comedy Bridesmaids.  Alongside Sandra Bullock, McCarthy then headlined Feig's next feature in 2013, the buddy action comedy The Heat.  Some two years later, Feig and McCarthy are reuniting on...
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REVIEW: Manners Maketh Man in The Secret Service While Kingsman & Gentleman Eggsy Finds His Valentine With Oxfords, Not Brogues

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 14, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Kingsman: The Secret Service





Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, and Michael Caine

"We had to destroy the myth because [the Austin Powers movies] f*cked us.  I am a huge Mike Myers fan, so don't get me wrong, but he kind of f*cked us, made it impossible to do the gags."
-Daniel Craig, MI6

If the quote above proves anything, it's that spy movies have changed tremendously over the years.  The days of Sean Connery facing off with Goldfinge...
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REVIEW: Mortdecai – An Offbeat Action Comedy That Never Realizes Its Full Potential

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, January 26, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Mortdecai
SoberFilmChick




Directed by:  David Koepp

Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, and Jeff Goldblum

Johnny Depp has entertained us for decades with quirky, fun characters from his roles in Cry-Baby to Edwards Scissorhands to the Pirates of the Caribbean series.  Depp thrives on playing weird, offbeat characters.  Recently, however, his choices have missed the mark.  From The Lone Ranger to Transcendence, Depp has had flop after flop.  Sadly, Mort...
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REVIEW: Taken 3 – Take Me Away From This Tired Franchise

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, January 11, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Taken 3
SoberFilmChick




Directed by:  Luc Besson

Starring: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, and Leland Orser

In 2008, Taken transformed Liam Neeson into a bona fide action star at age 55.  Known for Schindler’s List and Gangs of New York, among other films, Neeson became a kickass protagonist who could draw people to the box office for an action thriller.  Unfortunately, Taken 3 is a pathetic attempt at cashing in on the success of the first ...
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REVIEW: The November Man Peter Devereaux & Alice Fournier Don’t Exactly Rock Arkady Fedorov's Presidential Campaign in Belgrade

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 29, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
The November Man





Directed By: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Eliza Taylor, Caterina Scorsone, Bill Smitrovich, and Will Patton

As I begin typing my review of the recently released The November Man, I realize that there's a certain pointlessness to it all.  The studio behind this spy movie green-lit a sequel before the original even arrived in theaters.  Unless they have the next Guardians of the Galaxy on their hands, I wouldn't exactly deem this to be a w...
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REVIEW: A Most Wanted Man Stumbles About Hamburg for Two Hours In Search of Terrorist Charity Seven Friends Navigation Company

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 27, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
A Most Wanted Man





Directed By: Anton Corbijn

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, and Robin Wright

The world is still reeling over the loss of the great Philip Seymour Hoffman earlier this year.  He was truly one terrific actor who could elevate the caliber of a film with his mere presence on screen.  With the passing of any celebrated artist who was still in the game at the time of his or her death, fans typically flock to theaters to see tha...
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REVIEW: In the Age of Miracles, A Troubled Running Man Captain America Faces the Ghost Story Winter Soldier To Stop Hydra’s Project Insight Helicarriers

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 5, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Captain America: The Winter Soldier





Directed By: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grilli, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson

"On your left..."
-Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans)

Shared movie universes are the new thing in Hollywood.  With the imminent The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony is laying the foundations for the Sinister Six and an unfathomable nine films surroun...
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REVIEW: With The Wolf & The Albino on His Hit List, Cancer-Stricken Ethan Has 3 Days to Kill With Zoey as a Father Who Clearly Doesn't Know Best

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 22, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
3 Days to Kill





Directed By: McG

Starring: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Richard Sammel, and Eriq Ebouaney

McG isn't exactly a director who gets me excited for a movie.  Sure, he's had a decent movie or two in his time.  A great example is 2012's This Means War.  At the same time, he's had many more missteps with films like Charlie's Angels and Terminator Salvation.  His problem is that he tends to make undercooked films flush with gaping plot holes and underwhelmi...
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REVIEW: Jack Ryan Is a Napoleonic Shadow Recruit Who Meets Us Halfway in Waterloo

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 18, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit





Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, and Keira Knightley

After his noble turn as Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel last year, Kevin Costner is trying to make a comeback this year.  As of right now, he's got five movies slated for release in 2014.  I think he's trying to fill the void of the all-American male movie star.  The proof is in the pudding.  Next month, Costner will portray a Secret Service agent in action thriller 3 Da...
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REVIEW: After the Bombing of Borough Market in London-Based Thriller Closed Circuit, MI5's Powers are at Play But Beyond John Crowley's Control

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, August 29, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Closed Circuit





Directed By: John Crowley

Starring: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciarán Hinds, Jim Broadbent, Riz Ahmed, and Julia Stiles

The all-encompassing reach of covert government organizations has been a hot topic for discussion this year.  That's largely thanks to whistleblower Edward Snowden and his disclosures about the NSA several months ago.  The American government is getting all the data in the world on us, and I use the term "us" fairly loosely.  If you use the Internet, you're one of...
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REVIEW: With a Wikileaks Cable on Project Nightshade & Bailey's Red Mercury, Frank, Marvin, and Sarah Hit Paris, Moscow, & London in Red 2

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 19, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Red 2





Directed By: Dean Parisot

Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Brian Cox, David Thewlis, and Neal McDonough

Thursday July 18th marked some interesting anniversaries in movie history earlier this week.  It marked the 25th anniversary of John McTiernan's Die Hard, a movie that redefined the action genre and put Bruce Willis on the map in Hollywood.  It also marked the 5th anniversary of Christopher Nol...
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REVIEW: In Skyfall, The Last Two Rats Eat Each Other Alive for Our Pleasure

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 8, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Skyfall





Directed By: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Lim Marlohe, and Albert Finney

I can't believe it's been four years since Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond in Quantum of Solace.  We've all certainly missed 007, his shaken martinis, and his happy trigger finger.  That being said, Skyfall is upon us!  It's been a year full of hype ranging from an appearance by Craig at the 2012 Olympics with Queen Elizabeth, an ...
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REVIEW: Aaron Cross Takes Up the Bourne Legacy, While Sin-Eater Eric Byer Tries to Burn Operation Outcome Down to the Ground

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 11, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
The Bourne Legacy





Directed By: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen, and Albert Finney

The Bourne Legacy is a film that's had a shadow cast over it from the day it was announced.  It's the Jason Bourne movie without Jason Bourne.  With Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon departing the franchise, it's a new chapter in the series.  Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity) is taking the director's chair from Greengrass, while Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, Mission: ...
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REVIEW: Safe House Plays It Too Safe

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 10, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
Safe House





Directed By: Daniel Espinosa

Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard

These last several months have been an interesting time for movies with big actors.  Time and time again, we've all been asking whether great acting is enough to make a movie great.  Well, the results have been mixed thus far.  In J. Edgar, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a powerhouse performance.  The problem is that the movie absolutely sucks.  In The Iron Lady, Meryl Stre...
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REVIEW: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a Good Old Fashioned Espionage Flick

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 18, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy





Directed By: Tomas Alfredson

Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ciarán Hinds

The Cold War is the perfect backdrop for any spy thriller. There was so much palpable tension and corruption back then that it just makes things easy for filmmakers.  The only problem is that these films are always about the feud between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Other countries had interests in what ha...
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REVIEW: For Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible is a Hard Knock Life. For Us, It's One Great Ride.

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 17, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol





Directed By: Brad Bird

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, and Anil Kapoor

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since our last outing with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force (IMF).  Having seen the latest installment in this famed action series, I have only one thing to say.  Tom Cruise has still got it!

Agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) break Agent Hunt (Cruise) out of priso...
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REVIEW: Killer Elite Is in An Elite Group of Crappy Action Films

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 24, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Killer Elite





Directed By: Gary McKendry

Starring: Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Yvonne Strahovski, and Dominic Purcell

Catwoman, Alexander, The Last Airbender, and the recent movie Abduction are among an elite group of action films that absolutely, unequivocally suck.  With each of these films, there was a megastar or a lot of hype surrounding the movie, and with each of these films, audiences were sorely disappointed.  Clearly, bad action flicks aren't hard to come by.  When I hear...
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REVIEW: Helen Mirren is No Kick-Ass Granny in The Debt

Posted by James Brown on Monday, September 5, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
The Debt





Directed By: John Madden

Starring: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, and Tom Wilkinson

A good spy thriller always has twists and turns in the plot.  It keeps you guessing for a while.  A great spy thriller always has a badass lead.  Steven Spielberg's Munich is a strong example of a great spy thriller.  All the drama, thrills, and plot twists were there, but those boys were kicking some ass in the process.  With Helen Mirren starring in John Madden's The Debt, I was hopin...
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