Blood is Thicker Than Water : Review of People Like Us

I recently watched "People Like Us" and thought it was refreshing.  The story of Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks as half-brother and half-sister definitely had some thought put into the script.  I am getting tired of half-baked scripts where writers don't have to have any depth of character development or emotional pull on the way others interact with them for the whole course of the movie.  "People Like Us" breaks the mold. It is the story of money, values, and the need to connect as a family.  Chris Pine plays an isolated son of a famous music producer.  He lives his life very separated from the family that helped him grow.  Elizabeth Banks plays the daughter of the music producer who was pretty much ignored in her lifetime because her father had another family.   This movie had depth. It wasn't perfect, but it was far more refreshing than 75% of the movies churned out today.   Almost 2 hours is used telling the story of Chris Pine the isolated son and his effort to rekindle with his half-sister played by Elizabeth Banks and her son.  I don't want to add spoilers to this review, but I thought it was well put-together and emotionally compelling.   Sometimes I like a violent action movie that requires little thought.   "People Like Us" was different - and some people would consider it "slow" to develop.  However, if you put the time into watching the story,  I think you will feel your time wasn't wasted.   For those who like thoughtful and emotional family dramas,  maybe you should check out "People Like Us".   The writing and acting do NOT disappoint.

Another Journey Into Space : A Review of Star Trek: Into Darkness

I'm not known to be "A Trekky" (if that is even the correct term).  I know the basic premise of Star Trek and enjoyed the reboot of Star Trek that JJ Abrams put together several years ago.  This was JJ Abram's sequel to the first movie with Chris Pine resuming the role of Captain Kirk.   I sat back to see how it compared.  Since, I haven't seen the original Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan - I was curious if this was a reboot of it since the main villain in this one is Khan himself.  I noticed that the original Star Trek II is available for streaming, so I may soon be watching it to see how this one compares.  Overall - I liked it.   It was fast-moving, and fun.  It wouldn't call it a classic movie, but for Star Trek it definitely kept my interest.  JJ Abrams knows how to do science fiction movies fairly well.  Otherwise Star Wars VII would have flopped badly.   I didn't like his movie Super 8,  but every director has their good movies and their bad ones.  There are several drawbacks to this one:

1. No cameo from William Shatner.  I know the guy is busy with Priceline commercials, but it still would have been fun and humorous for the new Captian Kirk to meet the legendary Captain Kirk.

2. Not as deep as it was fun.  I don't expect all science fiction movies to be deep, but I like ones that make me think about science, the future and deeper meanings to life.  This one didn't seem to really attempt much of that except trying to be a fun adventure in outer space.

3. Special Effects were good.  That's all I'll say about special effects.  I don't like movies that come off as video games rather than good stories.  This one stuck with the story and had good supporting effects,  and that's all I have to say about the special effects.

Conclusion:  All in all, this movie was a fun journey and I would definitely be open to watching more in the Star Trek reboot series.  It didn't turn me off - yet it didn't blow me away.  A decent effort and a fun revisiting of a science fiction story that has stood the test of time.

Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit Review

Just finished watching the newest Tom Clancy movie : Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.   I have seen several Jack Ryan movies and my favorite up to this point was Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan. This movie casts Chris Pine as the new Jack Ryan and I thought he carried the role very well for his first Tom Clancy movie.  The movie also features Kevin Costner as the senior agent working with Mr. Ryan,  and Keira Knightley as Jack's love interest.

Here is my summation of this movie from my perspective:

1. Great plot with interesting twists.  This movie was interesting and kept you guessing but didn't leave you lost in the details.
2. Interesting spin with Jack's love interest.  I haven't seen Patriot Games, but most of the movies with Jack Ryan I have seen have had zero romance.  Keira Knightley's part added a whole new perspective to the Jack Ryan against the bad guys story.  She had a strong role and played it well.  It didn't seem like the script just added her in to the story.  Her role helped develop the characters and made the story better in my opinion.
3. Kevin Costner keeps getting better with age.   I haven't always enjoyed movies with Kevin.  I didn't like his movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves that much, but that wasn't entirely his fault.  His movie role in this one was very likable and added a lot to the overall story.  He added the experience and guiding hand that the young Jack Ryan needed.  Plus he was a fun character to root for.

Now for some of things I didn't like overall:

1. Solving the major crime in 5 minutes of movie time.  I don't want to ruin the movie with spoilers but there are parts where it just comes together too quickly.  I'm all for having the good guys win but at some point you have to question how quickly they can get to the bottom of an elaborate evil plot.
2. Unnecessary Profanity - I haven't read any of Tom Clancy's books, so maybe this is accurate to his writing, but I wasn't glad to hear the profanity that constantly was used by the characters when things got rough.  I think movies could be more creative and cut down on using God's name in vain when things get tense.

Compared to other Tom Clancy movies : how does Jack Ryan :Shadow Recruit come out? My opinion is this is the second best Tom Clancy movie I have seen.  I've seen The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger.   Clear and Present Danger is still my favorite for edge-of-your-seat adventure and for a tense thriller.   I felt Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit wasn't as tense, but it was still a good movie and I didn't feel I wasted time viewing it.  The acting is solid, the story well put-together, and overall its a fun ride.   If you like adventure/thriller movies or enjoy Tom Clancy movies, you will probably enjoy this one very much.  4 out of 5 stars in my vote.