jack ryan

Movies In Focus Selects The Top 10 Kevin Costner Films

Movies In Focus readers will know that I’m a huge fan of the mighty Kevin Costner – I even had the pleasure of meeting him on the set of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Therefore it was an absolute joy to join the The Top 10 Of Anything [...]

March 8, 2023

Podcast – Episode 16: Australian Director Phillip Noyce Talks About His Thriller THE DESPERATE HOUR

Over the last five decades, Australian director Phillip Noyce has shown that he really knows how to handle the thriller genre. Noyce first captured international attention with the acclaimed 1989 film Dead Calm. Starring Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and [...]

February 20, 2022

The Hunt Is On: Chris Pine In THE CONTRACTOR

Chris Pine is in action hero mode in the upcoming thriller, The Contractor. This trailer for the Tarik Saleh film is reminiscent of Pine’s turn in Kenneth Branagh’s underrated Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Yes, The Contractor [...]

February 18, 2022

Behind The Scenes: Nicole Kidman, George Clooney & Mimi Leder On The Set Of THE PEACEMAKER

The Peacemaker opened in cinemas across the United States in September 1997. The Mimi Leder directed thriller was the first live action film from DreamWorks SKG, the then fledgling company founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and [...]

September 14, 2021

Remembering The Great Sean Connery

Born Thomas Sean Connery on 25 August 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Connery was a bodybuilder before taking to a career in acting in the 1950s. He started on stage before early roles in films such as On The Fiddle and Darby O’Gill And [...]

August 25, 2021

Notebook Reviews: EXECUTIVE DECISION

Stuart Baird – 1996 Editor-turned-director, Stuart Baird makes a strong debut with Executive Decision. This plane set action-thriller has some good tension and it features an eclectic cast – Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, Halle Berry, [...]

July 1, 2021

Review: Christopher Nolan’s TENET Is A Flawed Cinematic Wonder

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is a film which can be enjoyed, but it’s highly likely that you won’t really understand it. It takes a lot of big ideas – and a lot of big moviemaking techniques to ultimately deliver a film which [...]

April 2, 2021

US Poster & Trailer: Phillip Noyce’s ABOVE SUSPICION Starring Emilia Clarke & Jack Huston

Australian director Phillip Noyce is a filmmaker who knows how to craft a fine thriller. Films like Dead Calm, Blind Fury, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and the under-rated The Saint show he understands the genre and knows how to build [...]

April 2, 2021

Behind The Scenes: Kenneth Branagh Directs Kevin Costner On The Set Of JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT

Before John Krasinski took on the role, Chris Pine followed in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck and played Tom Clancy’s hero in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Kenneth Branagh’s 2014 film rebooted the franchise, ditching [...]

December 14, 2020

This Is Not A Review: Tentative TENET Thoughts

Movies In Focus finally saw Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet. Like many, it was my first time in the cinema for a long time – and the way things are going it’s going to be the last visit for another while. This isn’t really a review [...]

November 1, 2020

Obituary: Sean Connery 1930 – 2020

Sean Connery has died at the age of 90 years old at his home in the Bahamas. The Scottish acting icon won an Oscar, two Bafta awards and three Golden Globes over the course his career. Born Thomas Sean Connery on 25 August 1930 in Edinburgh, [...]

October 31, 2020

Never Forget The Great Success Of Kevin Costner’s DANCES WITH WOLVES

After a run of box office hits throughout the 1980s, which included The Untouchables and Field Of Dreams, Kevin Costner decided to turn to directing, turning down big acting paydays in films like the role of Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October [...]

June 28, 2020