Paramount+Here’s the May schedule of new movies, giving US subscribers some solid options for weeknight movie nights this week and beyond — that is, unless you’re going to be stuck with Taylor Sheridan’s newest Yellowstone spinoff. Dutton RanchMay 15 will come.
We have time, let’s see what movie we can argue. Three films caught my eye this week: a genre-bending, whimsical kung fu comedy, a tense underwater thriller from Tom Clancy, and a dark, LA comedy that launched the careers of two Hollywood stars.
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Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Everyone was fighting kung fu… with soccer balls
At the time of its premiere in 2001, it was the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong history, but Shaolin Soccers status as a global cult phenomenon cannot be underestimated. It is a film so unique, stylish and genre-bending that its influence will be strongly felt in films to come. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kung Fu Pandaand Dodgeball: An Underdog Storywhich is more or less Shaolin Soccerwith dodgeballs.
Written and directed by the Chinese “King of Comedy” Stephen Chou, Shaolin Soccer is an extremely silly, slapstick sports comedy with a lot of high martial arts acrobatics and unapologetically bad CGI effects, and did I mention it’s also about football? The film follows a poor street sweeper and Shaolin Kung Fu devotee, Singh (played by Chou), who searches for a new way to bring his teachings to the world. When Sing meets legendary football legend Fung (Ng Man-tat) and Sing discovers that he can use Shaolin to achieve supernatural effects in football, the pair assembles a motley crew of Shaolin kung fu brothers and a talented goalkeeper named Mui to win the Chinese Super Cup against the dirty Team Evil.
Shaolin Soccer it’s really like nothing you’ve seen before – it’s hilarious, full of elaborate martial arts and physical comedy sequences, flaming, exploding soccer balls and cheesy dialogue. It is a well-loved film with an 89% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Sean Connery’s Russian captain has a Scottish accent
Alec Baldwin was the first actor to play Tom Clancy’s now iconic CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and John Krasinski would later take on the mantle). Die hard director John McTiernan’s epic Cold War submarine film, The Hunt for Red October.
If you can put aside the fact that Sean Connery doesn’t even try to hide his thick Scottish accent as Soviet Navy Captain Marco Ramius (which actually makes for some classic quotable lines – “Some things around here don’t react well to bullets.”), then you’ll be easily drawn into this intense undersea cat-and-mouse game.
Quiz
Jack Ryan actors, movies and shows
Trivia challenge
From the Cold War to the streaming era – how well do you know Tom Clancy’s most iconic hero?
ActorsMoviesTV showsCharactersHistory
Which actor played Jack Ryan on the big screen for the first time?
Correct! Alec Baldwin played Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990), the first film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s novels. Baldwin’s portrayal was praised, although he declined to return for the sequel.
Not quite. Alec Baldwin was the first actor to play the role of Jack Ryan, appearing in 1990’s The Hunt for Red October. Harrison Ford later took over the role starting with Patriot Games in 1992.
In which film does Harrison Ford’s actor Jack Ryan thwart an assassination attempt on the British royal family?
Correct! Patriot Games (1992) sees Jack Ryan intervene to stop a splinter group of the IRA targeting a member of the British royal family, drawing them into a personal vendetta against Ryan and his own family.
Not quite. The answer is Patriot Games (1992). Harrison Ford’s Ryan encounters an IRA plot to assassinate the British royal family, leading to a dangerous personal conflict after his return home to the United States.
What actor plays the lead role in the Amazon Prime Video series Jack Ryan?
Correct! John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim Halpert on The Office, has taken on the role of Jack Ryan for Amazon’s streaming series, which debuted in 2018 and will run for four seasons.
Not quite. John Krasinski stars as Jack Ryan in the Amazon Prime Video series. It was a significant departure from his comedic roots, and his casting surprised many fans who knew him primarily from The Office.
Which 2002 film stars Ben Affleck as a young Jack Ryan investigating a nuclear terror plot?
Correct! Ben Affleck starred in The Sum of All Fears (2002), which reimagined Ryan as a younger CIA analyst tracking a neo-Nazi group trying to start a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.
Not quite. The Sum of All Fears (2002) stars Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan. The film rebooted the character as a young analyst, departing from Harrison Ford’s older, more experienced portrayal.
What was Jack Ryan’s professional background before becoming a full-time CIA employee?
Correct! In Tom Clancy’s novels, Jack Ryan served as a Marine and later became a history professor at the US Naval Academy before joining the CIA as an analyst. This intellectual background forms the basis of his character.
Not quite. Jack Ryan’s background includes serving in the Marines, then being a history professor before his CIA career. This combination of academic and military gives him a unique analytical edge that defines character among adaptations.
Which film marks Chris Pine’s appearance as the one and only Jack Ryan?
Correct! Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) was Chris Pine’s only appearance as the character. The film was an original story, not based on any Clancy novel, and starred Kenneth Branagh as the villain. It performed poorly at the box office.
Not quite. The movie is Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Chris Pine played a modernized, rebooted version of the character in this standalone film, which unfortunately didn’t do well enough to launch the intended franchise.
What country is the main threat in Amazon Jack Ryan Season 1?
Correct! Season 1 of the Amazon series focuses on a rising Islamist terrorist leader with ties to Iran, as Ryan traces his financial dealings that lead him into a dangerous international conspiracy.
Not quite. Season 1 deals with the terrorist threat associated with Iran. Jack Ryan follows suspicious financial activity that gets him fired from his analyst desk job and into the field for the first time in the series.
In what year was Tom Clancy’s first Jack Ryan novel The Hunt for Red October first published?
Correct! The Hunt for Red October was published by Naval Institute Press in 1984. It became a huge bestseller and famously received a public endorsement from President Ronald Reagan, launching Clancy’s legendary career.
Not quite. “The Hunt for Red October” was published in 1984. It was one of the first major books released, notably by Naval Institute Press, and praise from President Ronald Reagan helped make it an international phenomenon.
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Ramius has taken the helm of the Typhoon-class nuclear missile carrier Red October and plans to escape to the United States, the Soviets find out and pursue Ramius, and the American Navy follows what they see as a potential nuclear threat. The only one standing in for Ramius is the clever Ryan, who must convince his superiors of Ramius’ true intentions and race to stop Red October before he is blown out of the water.
This is the best underwater movie ever made ( Boat) and is so intense and action-packed that you won’t notice Connery’s accent.
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The Swingers (1996)
The movie is so much money that he doesn’t even know
Long before Jon Favreau was one of the beating hearts behind Happy Hogan and later the Star Wars Universe, and before Vince Vaughn was Hollywood’s leading man, the pair were young LA players Mike and Trent in the 1996 indie hit. Swingers.. Written by Favreau and directed by Doug Liman (The edge of tomorrow), is a dark ’90s buddy comedy that’s stylish, funny, and full of endlessly quotable lingo—much of it centered around the use of the word “money.”
The semi-autobiographical story follows struggling New York comedian Mike (Favreau) as he tries to make it in LA’s stand-up scene and is still reeling nearly six months after a major breakup. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), his smooth-talking best friend Trent (Vaughn) thinks Mike is “money.” In fact, “You’re a lot of money and you don’t even know it,” Trent tells him. To get Mike back in the game, they hit up LA’s hottest clubs and take a trip to Vegas so Mike can meet some “cool babes.”
That’s more or less the plot, though Swingers It’s about the fun culture and camaraderie of this group of friends (which includes Favreau’s real-life pals Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn and Alex Dessert) as Mikey flirts, learns when to ask a girl back, and regains his confidence.
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