John has come up with some questions to ponder as you're watching the film. He'll lead the discussion after so be prepared with some insightful questions.
1. How does the film's limited point of view shape the audiences reaction to the event being depicted? Is this limited perspective nevertheless a fair one?
2. Why did the filmmakers only dramatize events in the last day of Oscar Grant's life? Does the attenuated time frame of this biopic enhance or diminish the subjects life?
3. In what way does knowing the outcome of the story affect the audiences reactions to specific scenes as we are watching them?
Critics Corner
Gail Brown's latest review:
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 2 hours 25 min
Rated: PG-13
Ratings: IMDB, 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes, 6.0 with a 63% fresh, 4 of us today rated it 8-10!!
Cast: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightly, Kenneth Branagh
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, "Jack Ryan" is a global action thriller set in the present day. This original story follow a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner).
Two Critics Comments:
While all involved talk a good game, this movie really is a bit of a toss-off, a disposable date movie to enjoy momentarily and then completely forget about. (Isn’t that what January movies are all about??)
This film had an oddly generic feel like we have seen this story in some form before. Even if this was set several years post-9/11, it had that dated Cold War (a la classic James Bond) feel especially when the action shifted to Moscow. Fortunately though, despite those gripes, "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" is still a very exciting action-packed thriller
My opinion:
I am recommending this movie as a good January CIA ‘edge of your seat’ drama/adventure. We enjoyed it a lot more than most of the critics apparently…same critics that wanted Her to win best pix of the year!!
The pace of the movie was very good…with surprise moments. Of course the things that happen in these movies are not plausible…but it was a fun ride. Chris Pine is a likable actor, someone you root for. I have always enjoyed Kevin Costner….there is just a charm about him…the camera took nicely to both of them. After the crazy, over the top movies I have seen lately…this was a welcome change of pace, as well as a throwback to movies we grew up with (ala 007 but not that good!)
Would never win an award but entertaining…glad we saw it today….
More About The Sapphires
I'm still thinking about The Sapphires and after seeing that fun, interesting film, I did a little more research about it. Are you still wondering about parts of the story? Here's an update that actually includes some of John Anderson's comments after the film (but for those of you who didn't stay after, you'll be interested). This article about Tony Briggs, the writer of the film who is the son of one of the Sapphires is also interesting.
Local Film News
Coming February 6 - 16, The Jewish Film Festival. Fourteen different films will be shown in various venues including San Diego, La Jolla, Carlsbad and San Marcos. Click on the link for more information and for the list of films.
In the meantime, we'll see you Sunday, the 26th for Fruitvale Station.
What time is the movie on Sunday?
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