This week’s spy movie is a film that should have worked, if it had a tighter script, and a better effects budget. Disney delivers a superhero spy movie that feels like a family-friendly version of From Russia With Love. Micheal Crawford stars in this film, and that was the thing that originally caught my attention…
Tag: cia
Spy Game (2001) – Tony Scott
This week’s spy thriller is a fantastic film from Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. I remember being blown away the first time I saw this one, though I’ve always been a fan of Scott’s work, and the score by Harry Gregson-Williams felt perfectly suited for a techno-thriller, though admittedly this is…
Jason Bourne (2016) – Paul Greengrass
Director Paul Greengrass got the band back together for the fourth Bourne sequel, bringing Matt Damon’s turn at Robert Ludlum’s iconic character another shot at the big screen. And while there’s some cool ideas at work in the story, when the plot makes it ‘personal’ for Bourne to get him involved in the narrative, the…
Chuck (2010) – Versus Operation Awesome, and Versus First Class
Chuck (Zachary Levi) has his hands full again this week as he has to help out Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) in all things spy, when his brother-in-law, grabbed by enemy agents of The Ring, Sydney (Angie Harmon) at the climax of last week’s episode, needs help. Chuck Versus Operation Awesome was written by Zev Borow and…
Jack Ryan: Season 2 – Blu-Ray Review
John Krasinski returns as the Tom Clancy created CIA analyst turned action hero, Jack Ryan in the second season of the addictive and smart series from Paramount Pictures. The blu-ray which arrives today is a two disc set that contains all eight episodes of the Amazon Prime aired show. Sleek, beautifully shot (stunning transferred to…
The A-Team (2010) – Joe Carnahan
Sometimes you just want to relax with a fun action movie, where it seems like the heroes are having a great time, and there’s a lot to watch and enjoy as set pieces roll across the screen. 2010’s update on the classic Lupo/Cannell series The A-Team is very much one of those movies for me….
Die Another Day (2002) – Lee Tamahori
Pierce Brosnan returns for his fourth and final outing in Die Another Day, the 20th canon James Bond film. Directed by Lee Tamahori, the milestone film is a bit of a fumble on the part of the writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade as they throw in tons of visual nods and references to previous…
Thunderball (1961) – Ian Fleming
The ninth book, and eighth full novel,in Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 series is up this week. And this one is a bit of a special case. It was originally concocted as a screenplay, and early editions gave sole credit to Fleming, whereas future editions, much like the film(s) that would later be developed from…
Chuck (2008) – Versus the Ex, and Versus the Fat Lady
While the Buy More crew struggles to pass a CPR course (taught by Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) ) Chuck (Zachary Levi) is forced to reconnect with an ex, Jill (Jordana Brewster), when he helps out setting up some of the tech at a conference she’s presenting at. He flashes on one of her associates in this…
Licence to Kill (1989) – John Glen
Timothy Dalton’s second and sadly final outing as James Bond is this week’s 007 feature to buddy up with the Bond Book Shelf. This one came along at an important point in my life. It was my last few weeks in Bermuda, I was in love for the first time with my first girlfriend (Tracey)…
Chuck (2008) – Verus the Marlin, and Versus the First Date
Chuck Versus the Marlin ends the first season with a story written by Matthew Lau. It aired on 24 January, 2008. Chuck (Zachary Levi) finds a bug in the Buy More, but neither Casey (Adam Baldwin) or Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) planted it. Everyone is worried that Chuck’s cover has been blown, and may have to…
Casino Royale (1953) – Ian Fleming
Some twenty years ago, my sister gifted me with six of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond adventures. First printings from the Macmillan Company, these wonderful little hardcovers were in great condition but sans books jackets. I hadn’t read any of the Fleming Bonds since my early teens, when I was in the midst of discovering…
