Patriot Games (1992) – Phillip Noyce

I remember when I was first introduced to the world of Tom Clancy. I was always the biggest reader in my class, I always had a book on the go. In Grade 9, my friend Michael Hay came into class (for some reason I believe it was our French class, and he had the book…

Topaz (1969) – Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock takes on Leon Uris’ novel Topaz in this film adaptation of the same name. It’s not quite on the level of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller, but the subject material, centring around the Cuban Missile Crisis and a Russian spy ring within the French intelligence community is pretty engaging stuff. Unfortunately, for me, it ended…

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 Hunt For Red October – 30th Anniversary Edition

Somehow the film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt For Red October is thirty years old and has garnered an anniversary Blu-ray 4K release from Paramount Pictures. That number just seems off, because thirty years seems like a fairly long time ago, and that doesn’t seem right. The original novel came out in 1984, and…

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Kathyrn Bigelow

The multi-Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty (out of six nominations, it only took home Best Sound Editing) is the next title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of The Battle of Algiers for DK Canada’s highly enjoyable The Movie Book. Kathryn Bigelow puts Jessica Chastain front and center as Maya, in…

Clear And Present Danger (1994) – Phillip Noyce

  Jack Ryan in the person of Harrison Ford returns to the 101 Action Movies list along with Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce in this adaptation of the Tom Clancy techno-thriller. This time out Jack is serving as the acting Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA while his boss, Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones)…

Patriot Games (1992) – Phillip Noyce

Phillip Noyce takes over for John McTiernan, Harrison Ford takes over for Alec Baldwin, and Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller follow-up to The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games finds its way onto the 101 Action Movies list. Jack Ryan (Ford) and his family are on a working vacation in London, when he foils a kidnapping/assassination attempt…

The Hunt For Red October (1990) – John McTiernan

Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller, which I remember reading back in grade 9, when my friend Michael introduced me to it and after that, every Christmas until I 1989, I would receive Clancy’s new novel in hardcover for Christmas, was put to film by John McTiernan. Coming off of the incredible run of success that Predator and Die…

Firefox (1982)

I’m not a fan of remakes, but if there was one that I would get behind, it would be Firefox. Directed by Clint Eastwood, this was one of the first grown-up movies I got to see on my own. For that there will always be a happy memory of this movie in my head, I…

Jack Ryan

Tom Clancy books were just a part of my teen years as Stephen King novels, Star Trek, and classic 80s movies (course how was I to know they were going to be classics when I was watching them? I just knew I loved them. I got into the books with the first paperback edition of…