I’ve always enjoyed spy thrillers, whether they’re set in the Cold War, from back in WWII, or even a reflection modern day tensions. KGB, GRU, MI6, CIA, even Interpol vs mobsters, it’s all an invitation to adventure a la James Bond, or Jason Bourne. Or, in Our Kind of Traitor, everyman college professor Perry (Ewan McGregor), who in this sly polished John Le Carré story, is befriended by Russian expat Dima (Stellan Skarsgard) while on holiday in…Read More
Review: Spectre
After 23 previous films in the franchise, Bond films have a certain rhythm to them, a formula that involves breathtaking action sequences, seduction scenes and a light dialog that offers a wink to the viewer that it’s all ultimately in fun: there’s peril and danger, but it’s James Bond, he’s not going to really get killed at any point. Some directors have balanced these elements in their films perfectly, like Skyfall, and others have ended up…Read More
Review: Ninja Assassin
Ninjas in the modern world? Isn’t that something from 16th Century feudal Japan? The basic premise of the entertaining and graphically violent film Ninja Assassin is that the clans still exist and that they are behind some of the most mysterious of assassinations, all paid for using the ancient calculation of a man’s life being worth 100 pounds of gold. The film opens with a tough guy Yakuza gang leader having a tattoo inked on…Read More