Snowden movie will make you wonder how much privacy you really have

Movie Title:   Snowden            

Grade:  B

Rating:  R, 134 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives a solid, thought-provoking performance in this controversial Oliver Stone biopic of an equally controversial man who affected how we view national security and personal privacy today.  Was Edward Snowden a hero or hacker?

If you don’t know much about Edward Snowden, this film will give you some background, as well as a fairly slanted view.

Uplifting theme: 

•  “The internet is technology that has the power to help everyone in the world understand each other.” – Snowden
• “One man can stop the motor of the world.” – Ayn Rand
• “I’m questioning our government.  That’s what we do in this country. That is the principle we’re founded on.” – Lindsay
• “Sometimes the more you look, the less you see.” - Hank Forrester
• What is justifiable for the greater good?
• Edward and Lindsay visit a Theodore Roosevelt memorial where this quote is etched, “A man’s usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals in so far as he can. It’s hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.  All daring and courage, all iron endurance of misfortune make for a finer, nobler type of manhood.” 

Things I liked:

• It’s a fascinating look at Edward Snowden’s life as it moves from being in the military to being recruited into secretive government agencies.  Laura Poitras won an Oscar for her 2014 documentary “Citizenfour”, which has been touted as being more straightforward, while Oliver Stone’s film has a softer touch, designed to inspire.
• It will make you think twice before you click on the terms and policy agreement of web sites and cell phones services. 
• You’ll probably put a small piece of paper on your computer web camera.
• You get to see video footage of the real Edward Snowden at the end, as well as some photographs of him and Lindsay.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt nails Edward Snowden's voice and physical characteristics.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some good actors play very small roles, such as Shailene Woodley, Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Timothy Olyphant, and Zachary Quinto.
• Oliver Stone paints a picture of an idealistic hero without any flaws.
• It’s truly frightening what is being tracked by many of the governments in the world and the power they have over our lives.
• Oliver Stone sets patriotic music to the moment when Snowden betrays his country and leaks classified information to the press, an interesting choice for reflecting on the First Amendment.

The real Edward Snowden said about this trailer, "For two minutes and thirty-nine seconds, everybody at NSA just stopped working."

Interesting lines:

• “Bombs don’t stop terrorists; only brains will and we don’t have millions of them.” – Corban O’Brian
• “Where is your sin of choice?” – Hank Forrester
• “Ah, computers.” - Snowden

 Well then, Snowden.  You’ve come to the right little whorehouse.” – Hank Forrester

• “No matter what justification you’re selling yourself, this is not about terrorism.  Terrorism is the excuse.  This is about economic and social control.  And the only thing you’re really protecting is the supremacy of your government.” – Snowden

Funny lines:

• “Why do you want to join the CIA Corban O’Brian

“Ah, frankly, Sir, it sounds really cool to have top security clearance.” – Snowden

• In the movie, Snowden is asked about influences on his life.  He answers, “I’d say Joseph Campbell, Star Wars, Thoreau, Ayn Rand.”

Tips for parents:   

• Several F-bombs and other profanity.
• This movie is Rated R, because of the F-bombs and scenes with a lady in her underwear, topless photos on a computer screen, and an “exotic” dancer on a pole.
• Nudity during a pretty graphic sex scene.
• Snowden is shown having epileptic seizures.
• Two people shoot birds with hunting rifles.
• Social drinking and smoking.

Central Intelligence showcases funny chemistry and potty mouths

Movie Title:   Central Intelligence

  

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

In a Nutshell:    “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson…”  The movie tag line is as racy as a lot of the other lines in the movie, but you can’t deny the great chemistry Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have together in this action buddy comedy.

 Uplifting theme: 

• #Blessed
• Overcoming bullies in your life, whatever or whoever they are.
• Be the hero of your own story.
• “In life, the most important thing you can be is yourself.” – Bob Stone

Things I liked:

• It’s so fun seeing Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as high school students.  The impressive CGI makes them look young and morphs Dwayne Johnson’s face onto another body.  We saw similar effects with Tony Stark in the latest Avenger movie, “Captain America: Civil War.”
• Funny fight scene in Calvin’s office.
• I am a geek who makes random movie references in conversations, so I got a kick out of the shout-outs to “Sixteen Candles”, “Good Fellas”,  “Barber Shop”, “Twilight”, and “Road House.”
• From the trailers, I had no idea that Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, The Office’s Amy Ryan, and funnyman Jason Bateman were in the film.  Another fun surprise was Mellissa McCarthy!
• Fanny packs make so much sense, right?
• I always enjoy funny outtakes at the end of movies.  I thought the joke about “The Rock” being a dumb name was hilarious.  Dwayne Johnson, apparently, thought so too.
• I really enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t completely confident about who the good guys and bad guys were during most of the movie. 
• Director Rawson Marshall Thurber had a challenge with framing to fit both lead actors in the same shot because of their height difference.  Nice job.  By the way, Thurber brought us other raunchy comedies such as "We Are The Millers" and "Dodge Ball."
• It's refreshing to see the two lead actors switch comedic roles.  We're not used to seeing Hart as the straight man and Johnson as the funny man.
• It's set up perfectly for a sequel.  Get your unicorn shirts ready.

Things I didn’t like:

• LOTS of crude jokes about farts, porn, and body parts.
• The plot isn’t exactly original, but it still worked…enough.
• Some racist jokes.

Funny lines:

• “You’re like a chocolate Google.” – Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson)
• “You are Jason Bourne in shorts!” – Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart)
• “What did you do?  One thing? Tell me!” – Calvin

“I worked out 6 hours a day for 20 years straight.” – Bob

• “You look like a black Will Smith or something.” – Bob

“Oh, OK. I don’t know if that’s racist, but I’ll take it as a compliment.” – Calvin

• “I got a plan.  It might get us both killed, but if it works, it’ll be a totally boss story. Cool?” – Bob
• "No!  Not cool!" - Calvin
• “I’m not in.” – Calvin

“But I think you are.” – Bob

“But I’m not.” – Calvin

“It might be a perception vs. reality thing happening right now.” – Bob

• “Well, there’s no coming back from that.” – Principal Kent (Phil Reeves)
• “Black people don’t go to therapy.  They go to barbershops to talk about their problems.  And then they watch “Barbershop.” - Calvin
• “You’re the power couple.  I mean, you’re like Taylor Swift and whoever she’s dating right now.” – Bob
• “Is that from the Twilight movies?” – Calvin
• “Take my gun, Jet.  We may have to kill some people.” – Bob
• “Are you OK?  You kind of sound like Ray Liotta at the end of Good Fellas.” – Maggie (Danielle Nicolet)

Ha ha.  That’s so funny.  That’s such a good reference.” - Calvin

Did you notice?

• Bob Stone likes cinnamon pancakes and unicorns on his Facebook profile?  Bob said “Oh yeah, I’m big time into corns.  They’re so magical.”
• The centaur mascot at the high school assembly?

Tips for parents:   

• You will see the complete naked back side of a fat kid when Bob was in high school and then again as an adult…this time it’s really Dwayne Johnson’s posterior.
• High school bullying is depicted in the first 5 minutes of the film. In the next 5 minutes there is sexual harassment depicted in the work place.
• Kevin Hart flips the bird at someone.
• Lots of profanity, including 1 F-bomb.

Man From U.N.C.L.E. is stylish fun

Movie:   Man from U.N.C.L.E

PG-13, 1 hour 56 minutes

Grade:  B+

In a Nutshell:    This stylish spy film from Guy Ritchie features eye candy for all tastes, and is based on an old espionage cult TV show of the same name.  It’s American CIA agent vs. Russian KGB operative.  It’s sexy and cool and fun.

While the plot isn’t deep, the one-upsmanship gag and evolving friendship between the two spies keeps the whimsy going and the audience happy enough to forgive its faults.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Friendship, loyalty, love, patriotism.

Things I liked:

·         OK, first off…Henry Cavill.  His gorgeous, sculpted face is worth the movie ticket, just so you can stare at him for two hours.  His suits are smart too.  He plays a suave American spy…I mean, a “specialist in complicated acquisitions.”  He couldn’t get any cooler.  His Superman vs. Batman movie hits the big screen next month.  That should be interesting...

·         You’ll remember Armie Hammer who played twins on The Social Network .  (Great movie.)  In this snazzy flick, he’s a Russian spy with some cool tricks up his sleeve and an fist coming out of it.

·         Much of the film takes place in beautiful Italy, Rome in particular.  It’s one of my favorite cities in the world.  Here’s a picture from my trip there a couple of years ago with "the guys" at the Colosseum.

·         Fashion divas will get a kick out of all the retro 60’s dresses, huge dangly earrings, floppy hats, long gloves, and chunky necklaces.

·         Everything was so stylistic from the movie to the sets, cars, street scenes, and split screens.

·         Elizabeth Debicki is such a gorgeous goddess in this film.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Alicia Vikander wears a lot of really fun outfits, but her white sunglasses are just silly.

·         It’s not the action-packed spy thriller that the Jason Bourne franchise is, but it’s still fun.

Funny lines:

·         “When you hear something like a gun shot, drive.” –Napoleon Solo

·         “Loving your work, Cowboy.” – Illya Kuryakin

·         You’re not very good at this subtlety thing, are you?” – Napoleon

·         “For a special agent, you aren’t having a very special day, are you?” – Waverly (Hugh Grant)

·         “Apparently, you put someone named Count Lippi  in the hospital.” – Napoleon

“He had soft bones.” – Illya

Things to look for:

·         I love all the lamp shades in Napoleon’s hotel room in Rome.

·         British actors Henry Cavill and Jared Harris have American accents in the movie, while American Armie Hammer plays a Russian, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander speaks German and European English,  and Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki speaks Italian and British English.

·         The beginning credits give audiences a quick overview of the Cold War through images. 

·         Be sure to read the hilarious ID cards about the spies during the rolling credits at the end.

       Yep, it looks like there will be a sequel.

Tips for Parents:

·         Napoleon is a playa.  You see the silhouette of a mostly naked woman getting out of bed with him.

·         As you can imagine in a spy movie, there is a high body count, lots of fight scenes, explosions, car chases, torture devices, and a man is on fire.
       Some profanity.

Want to learn more about the Man from UNCLE TV series? Check these out:

 


While you're on it, you'll love this:

 

3 Days to Kill movie review

Movie Title:   3 Days to Kill

PG-13, 1 hour 40 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   I’ve seen this movie a million times.  Of course, I haven’t seen this actual movie before, but it sure felt like it.  It’s pretty formulaic: crusty old international spy…done.  Creepy looking villain who just won’t die…done.  Obligatory car chase scene…done.  Snarky teenage daughter who has a conflicted relationship with her absentee father…done.  Sexy vixen spy who always has a cigarette in her hand and who is too cool and hardened for her young age…done.  Absentee father trying to reconcile with his family….done.  Sweet revenge…done.

Don’t get me wrong.  If you love all that stuff (I do!), you’ll be entertained.  If you’re looking for a fresh story, move on.  Writer Luc Besson can pump out action-thrillers that will help you pass a fun hour and half with a bowl of popcorn, but not deep story lines that will spark a very long dinner conversation.  If you enjoyed his recent flicks The Transporter , Lockout and The Family , then you’ll get a kick out of this one as well.

Uplifting theme:   

• Unfortunately, many people wait until they hear the big “C” word (cancer) from their doctor to start prioritizing what’s truly important in life.  It always comes back to family.  The movie addresses the constant battle to balance work and family life. 
• The father rescues his daughter several times and she rescues him right back.

Things I liked:

•  I loved the daughter’s obnoxious ring tone I Love It (I Don't Care)   I hate that stupid song and thought it fit the bratty daughter’s personality perfectly.
• Cute twin girls.  I have a twin sister!
• The movie takes place in beautiful Paris.  You get to enjoy lots of views of the Eifel Tower.
• The comical relationship between Ethan and Mitat, the father of the twins, who he tries to get information from…professional and parenting information.  I've always enjoyed Kevin Costner who does a great job at playing the straight man with humor.
• Ethan’s wife is beautiful, played by the stunning Connie Nielsen.  She kind of reminds me of Diane Lane, whom I recently met in person!   Below is a terrible picture of me, but isn't she cute?

Things I didn’t like:

•  Kevin Costner’s gravelly voice.  He reminded me of Christian Bale’s voice in Batman's I Love It (I Don't Care) .
• There is a scene were the vixen CIA agent (Amber Heard) and Kevin Costner argue about goatees and young men right after he kills people.  It’s supposed to be witty and charming, but it’s not quite a successful effort.  3 more days on the script could have put together better playful banter for the entire movie.
• It’s silly that an experienced assassin would be flustered by almost anything.
• I hate it when rude teenagers call their dad by their first name in an act of defiance because they don’t think their dad has been a good father.  It’s been done a million times in movies and always bugs me.
• “What kind of kid doesn’t know how to ride a bike?” asks Ethan.  His daughter hurls “The kind of kid who doesn’t have a father to teach her.”  I saw that line coming a million miles away.  Of course she doesn’t know how to dance either, so they share bonding moments riding a bike and learning how to dance.  Cookie-cutter scenes.
• The names of the bad guys aren’t the most original or awe-inspiring: The Wolf and The Albino. 

Funny lines:

•  “Ethan, don’t say anything weird.”  - Daughter says to her dad when she leaves him alone with her boyfriend to talk for a few minutes

Tips for parents:   Decapitation, shooting, torture with some blood.

Tom Clancy fans come out of the shadows to cheer on the new Jack Ryan

Movie Title:  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

PG-13, 1 hour 45 minutes

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  Tom Clancy fans will love this prequel to the popular Jack Ryan save-the-USA stories.  Chris Pine, with his beautiful blue eyes, joins the club of fantastic leading men who have brought this patriotic character to life: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck.  I would have loved to see some short cameo appearances with those guys!

Sure, the film is formulaic: inexperienced CIA analyst uncovers an attack on the U.S. and is suddenly thrust into operative status as he dodges bullets, guided by a crusty mentor (played by Kevin Costner).  It’s still a fun spy thriller that will get your pulse going as you yell “Hurry!” at the big screen.

Uplifting theme:  Jack is wounded in Afghanistan in the beginning of the film, but finds two unexpected motivations to recuperate: Cathy and protecting his beloved country. I loved the look in his penetrating eye (one was swollen shut) as he was wheeled off on a gurney.  It said so much about how this country felt after the 9/11 attacks. Meaningful motivation can push you beyond what you thought you could do.

Things I liked: Kenneth Branagh directs and plays a vicious Russian in the movie.  He proves he can equally navigate Shakespeare and Thor.  I liked that the setting is modern day and spotlights a very real threat of the collapse of the American dollar.  Jack warns “They’ll call it the American crisis, but after six weeks, they’ll call it what it is…the second Great Depression.”

Things I didn’t like:  I usually like Keira Knightley, but I just didn’t feel the chemistry between her and Chris Pine.  She seemed a bit forced with her American accent. There is an obligatory car chase scene and many of the tense moments feature pounding at computer keyboards.  One disjointed scene that annoyed me included a fight scene with Jack and Aleksandr in the water under the streets, but then suddenly they’re exchanging blows in a van moving above-ground.  With all of the recent talk in the news of NSA spying, it’s interesting to see how quickly the field agents can gather intel and act on it.

Funny lines:

• “You weren’t kidding…you ARE in the CIA” states Jack.  William Harper responds “Somebody has to be.”
• “This is geo-politics, not couple’s therapy.” – William Harper
• “You Americans like to think of yourselves as direct, but maybe you’re just rude.” – Viktor Cherevin
• “You Russians like to think of yourselves as poetic, but maybe you’re just touchy.”  - Jack
• “The first night can be brutal.” = Viktor Cherevin after he tries to get Jack killed
• William Harper asks “Any way to get that Boy Scout look off your face?”  Jack laughs “Not a chance.”  Harper responds “Good.  That’s what I like about you.”
• “He drinks, right?” Jack asks.  The response: “Like a Russian.”
• “I’m in the CIA ”  - Jack    SPOILER ALERT:  After surviving a frightening ordeal, Cathy sighs “Thank God.”

Inspiring lines:

• “Wait 2 minutes before you take that” counsels Cathy to her new patient Jack who wants some pain killers.  When he asks “Why?” she inspires “So you know you can.”

Things to look for:

• Read the words on the movie screen when Jack passes the data on to a field agent in the dark movie theater for a symbolic undertone.
• The 360 degree camera pan while Jack is in the taxi after just arriving in Russia.
• The picture hanging in Viktor’s office.  What is it? “Battle Of Bunker Hill ”?  Interesting choice, right?

Tips for parents: One F-bomb, but not that much other profanity.  Lots of bloodless fighting scenes. Jack and Cathy are found in bed for a conversation only.

Add this one to your collection of other fun Jack Ryan movies.  These are some of my favorite movies of all time:

Red 2 movie review

 
The last time we saw John Malkovich in Red, he was wearing blonde braids and being pushed in a wooden cart through a field in Maldova with bombs going off all around him, while being chased by dozens of armed soldiers. 

Red 2 reunites John Malkovich’s paranoid and retired CIA-Agent (Marvin) with his old partner, Frank Moses, played by Bruce Willis.  You have to love a Hollywood movie where all of the stars are over 50.  I watched the first installment of the 2010 sleeper hit Red this week to refresh my memory of the fun story and quirky characters in preparation for the sequel, and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time, but you don’t have to see it to still get a kick out of Red 2.  You’ll miss a few inside jokes and some relationship background, but you’ll catch on quickly enough to enjoy the goofy action.

Although the original poster to advertise Red was actually red, it’s actually an acronym which stands for “Retired Extremely Dangerous”, a label some “thumb sucker” used on a file when Frank and Marvin retired from the CIA.  The color red is actually highlighted more in this second film, as well as a more comic-book feel.  The campy 70’s music from the original is replaced with a more current twist, often using popular musical snippets to underscore comedic moments.

Red 2 opens in Costco, where Marvin and his girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker) are shopping for giant bags of shrimp to take home to their quiet, boring life in the ‘burbs.  It doesn’t take long for bullets to start flying and a mysterious crime to call them into action. 

The film is rated PG-13 for lots and lots of violence (mostly bloodless).  It has it all: awesome explosions, car crashes in impressive chase scenes in Paris, tons of shooting with various weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and even a guy getting killed with a lethal origami bird.  You’ll hear some profanity in the heat of the moment, but no F-bombs.  Oh, and lots and lots of kissing.  Frank’s girlfriend often resorts to kissing the bad guys when she can’t think of anything else to do.  She’s an enthusiastic accomplice, successfully donning short skirts during most of the movie, eagerly taking tactical tips from Marvin when Frank isn’t looking.  It’s important to have fun activities to do together as a couple.

Speaking of Frank’s girlfriend (Sarah Ross) played by Mary-Louise Parker, I wish Hollywood actresses would stop messing with their faces and just age gracefully.  I always admired Mary-Louise Parker for her feminine beauty before she had “work” done, including Botox which leaves her acting more reliant upon voice inflection than facial expression.  She’s a terrific actress, also starring in this weekend’s arrival of R.I.P.D. directed by Robert Schwentke, who directed the first Red, but not the sequel.  Marvin comments that she has something that neither he nor Frank have: people like her.  And they do…in both Red 2 and R.I.P.D.

Frank’s romantic kryptonite is revealed in the “dusky femme fatale”, Russian Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones).   What happens in the Kremlin, stays in the Kremlin.  I’ll bet you didn’t know there was a Papa John’s right next door to Soviet headquarters, did you?  The beloved Anthony Hopkins graces the screen as a brilliant scientist who can unlock the secrets to the “Project Nightshade” dilemma, but alas, he has been put under I.C.E. (Incarcerated Can’t Execute). 

Helen Mirren’s character, MI6 agent Victor, offers relationship advice to Sarah and skillfully takes out enemies while looking fabulous the entire time.  Marvin encourages Frank to run to emotional safety, explaining “I know one thing: women and covert ops.”  Frank protests “But that’s two things.”  Marvin, in his great wisdom, opines “No Grasshopper.  It is not.”

As our favorite cool, yet deadly, retired agents all come together again, Han (Byung-hun Lee) appears in the least convenient times to put a hit on Frank.  Their fights are pretty impressive, especially considering the age difference between the two.

My husband has a hard time enjoying movies that are completely implausible, and there are quite a few critics out there who are also annoyed by the film’s holes, but imagine the actors and director with their tongue firmly planted in their cheeks and you’ll be entertained.  By the way, Maldova gets a shout-out in the movie, and John Malkovich ends the movie wearing fruit on his head, dressed as a dancer in their next adventure in Caracas.  Red 3?

Grade = A-

Double movie review with Richard Gere

 
Which way now? That’s the question you’ll ask at the end of the movie Double, starring the aging-well Richard Gere. This fun spy thriller has some clever twists and turns, which I love. Even though I love a solid ending, I also love the conversation-starting rush that leaves you wondering what happens next. You think you know, but you might be wrong. Sure, it opens the movie up for a possible sequel or it could just be a fun way to leave you hanging.

My husband and I just discovered Double on Netflix last night. Directed by Michael Brandt and released late in 2011, the movie received mixed reviews. Richard Gere fans will be impressed that he runs and keeps up with the young FBI agent played by Topher Grace. Martin Sheen fans will get a kick out of his authoritative performance as the head of the CIA. (I miss The West Wing.)

Gere plays a retired CIA agent who is called back to help find a Soviet assassin claimed to have killed a U.S. senator. The Cold War is alive and well. One of my sons decided to start learning Russian lately, so it was fun to recognize some of the words he taught me. Thankfully, there are subtitles during the few moments the Slavic language is spoken in the movie. The plot solves a mystery early in the movie, to some movie-goers’ chagrin, but there are more crimes to solve as the movie rolls along the streets of Washington D.C. The director likes to zoom in on waving American flags, but the plot will make you wonder if our country’s intelligence has Sputnik-sized holes in it.

You’ll watch a bad guy swallow two batteries and see lots of bullets fly, but otherwise, there are no F-bombs, sex, or nudity, earning a solid PG-13 rating. No, it didn’t win any awards, but it passes for 1 ½ hours of interesting entertainment.



Grade = B+