Category Archives: Adventure

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Bloody scenes, Comedy, Comic Villain, Dancing, Fight Scenes, Improbable details, Nudity, Pratfalls, Romance, Romantic comedy, Sight Gags, Treasure Hunt, Vulgar

The Lost City (2022)

From IMDB:

A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 51 minute comedy film.

Sandra Bullock comedies offer an easy way to relax. Here she teams up with Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe. Bullock continues to look good whereas Tatum might be ageing past his young hunk persona.  Pitt’s part of the story comes to an unexpected end. Radcliffe’s agent continues to develop his client’s role variety.

Amazing how Bullock and Tatum can hold their breath and swim for several minutes through an underwater tunnel!

Surprisingly vulgar and explicit at times, but still the kind of fun you would expect from a Bullock comedy.

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Drone warfare, Father-son relations, Germ Warfare, Human trafficking, International thriler, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Terrorist Attack, Terrorists, Violent

Jack Ryan (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies.

From Amazon Prime you can stream Season 1 of this international terrorist season. Each of the 8 episodes are roughly 45 minutes except for the first pilot episode which is over an hour.

If you like adventure thrillers with a bit of romance thrown in, you will enjoy all the action.  To reach a happy ending Jack Ryan makes some pistol shots that seem downright implausible, but at least those shots reduce the tension.  Congratulations to the film makers for choosing for the lead role John Krasinski (“who?”) who is anything but the usual Hollywood-handsome type of actor.

Sometimes I worry that the elaborate terrorist plots and devices will motivate real terrorist to use the same methods.

Bets are you will binge-watch this series. Let’s hope there are more seasons.

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Coast Guard, Docudrama, Drama, Love Story, Sea Rescue, Suspense, True Story

The Finest Hours (2016)

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From IMDB:

The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.

Those of you familiar with Cape Cod in Massachusetts may feel a personal connection with this gripping reenactment of a Coast Guard rescue off Chatham harbor. From the Wikipedia article comes this quote:

The Finest Hours is a 2016 American historical disaster drama–thriller film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The film stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana, and chronicles the true account of the 1952 United States Coast Guard rescue of the SS Pendleton, after it split apart during a nor’easter off the New England coast.[

Do not be put off by the start of the film where Bernie Webber (played by Chris Pines) begins his romance with his wife to be, Miriam (played by Holliday Grainger). Much of the film is involved with this romance.

More than any other theme, the notion of true leadership plays an important part. For the rescue to succeed Bernie Webber risked his life while at times disobeying orders. Equally important was the fact that Ray Sybert (played by Casey Affleck) had to transform himself from a super expert reclusive naval engineer geek into a leader after the tanker split in half.

Try to read the final screen notes, but the Wikipedia article also helps.

Just the harrowing scenes of the rescue  in a raging sea make watching this film an exciting adventure.

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Adventure, Astronauts, Clever Plot, Complicated, DO NOT MISS, Father-daughter relations, Human spirit, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Interstellar (2014)

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From NetFlix:

From director Christopher Nolan comes this futuristic cosmic odyssey, which follows a band of space explorers who surmount the limits of interstellar travel, using a recently discovered wormhole to pass between dimensions.

Three hours of tension might sound at first like somewhat of a slog. But the story, presentation, acting, and special effects are so absorbing that time flies (which is almost a pun when you consider what the film is about).

In fact the film is about using time and other hyper-dimensions to save the people on the dying planet Earth. Whatever Matthew McConaughey (as Cooper), Anne Hathaway (as Brand), Michael Caine (as Professor Brand), or Jessica Chastain (as Murph) are talking about flew right over my head. Possibly their gibberish was respectable science, but I would have no way of knowing. However, that does not matter at all. Just follow the tense action and space antics and try to relax.

Although the ending seemed a tad hokey (“magic realism” anyone?), the ending was satisfying. However, I do not plan to do any space traveling, especially through some black hole.

If you have an inner geek, DO NOT MISS!

Action Film, Adventure, Catholic culture, Coarse manners, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Docudrama, Father-son relations, Greed, Human spirit, Marital Infidelity, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasional gore, Psychological Drama, Rape, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Slavery, Suspense, Torture, Vikings, Violent, Wonderful acting

Vikings (2013)

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2014-2015 REVISION:

November 2015: Netflix offers season 3 but only on DVD, no streaming.

The release date for season 4 is not yet settled. Season 3 was at least as good as the previous two seasons with some very clever surprises at the very end of season 3 which makes the audience ever more eager to see season 4.

For more information about the Viking raid on Paris in 845 see the Wikipedia article. On that occasion the French king was Charles the Bald, one of Charlemagne’s grandsons. By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, Charles became king of what was for the most part modern day France.

Now from Amazon Prime you can stream both season 1 and season 2. Season 2 is at least as good as Season 1. Wonderful but violent!

FORMER REVIEW:

Netflix offers Season 1 on DVD. However, I streamed from Amazon for free because we bought Amazon Prime. Jan 2015 – Now you can stream Season 2 from Amazon. Somehow the story just gets better and better. DO NOT MISS all the VIOLENCE!

From Netflix:

Set in medieval Scandinavia, this gritty drama charts the adventures of renowned Viking hero Ragnar Lothbrok as he extends the Norse reach by challenging the rule of an unfit leader who lacks vision.

Merely appreciating the finesse and details that went into making this remarkable TV series just gives me chills.

His ambiguous smile is mostly that of the fox waiting for its opportunity. Eventually you come to accept and even identify that constant smile with the character Ragnar Lothbrok played to dazzling perfection by the Australian-born Travis Fimmel.

Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson is the only actor I recognized. You may remember him as Dr. Paul Weston in the TV series “In Treatment”. Here he is a brooding, vicious bully.

In order to enter Valhalla a Viking must die in battle. Similar to the ancient Greek culture, violence and personal bravery are everything. Whatever riches a Viking can bury will be his in the next life. Hence the need for plunder. In other words, by its nature this film had to be very VIOLENT!

Perhaps some history will set the scene. Roughly speaking as Rome abandoned England in the 400s, she invited in German mercenaries among which were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They liked what they saw and oppressed the original inhabitants, the Celts. After centuries their many dialects would eventually congeal into Anglo Saxon. In the 600s Christianity appeared and the Anglo Saxons converted. In the 800s the Danes, i.e. the Vikings, reached England and were trouble for the Anglo Saxons until that famous year 1066 in which no sooner had Edward Confessor defeated the Danes then the Normans conquered the Anglo Saxons.

In regard to the previous mini-history, in the scenes in which the Vikings speak to the Anglo Saxons, the Vikings speak old Norse and supposedly the “English” speak Anglo Saxon.

Also in regard to that mini-history, probably the most important theme of the series is religion. Ragnar Lothbrok, in attacking his first monastery, brings back as a slave a young Christian monk Athelstan (thoughtfully played by George Blagden). No episode goes by without some discussion, confrontation, or comparison (call it what you like) between the “pagan” religion and the Christian. Odd how violent, vicious, and untrustworthy the Christians are. There are aspects of the Viking religion that may disturb your sleep.

Fighting is really a small part of the story. Interpersonal relations and conflicts are equally important. There is true character development.

And of course you cannot help to notice how these Viking men wore their hair. Let’s hope the costume department got it historically accurate. Needless to say there are many tattoos.

If you can stand the violence, DO NOT MISS !

2003, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Adventure, B-movie, Based on true facts, Corny, Hundred Years' War, Military, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Timeline (2003)

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From Netflix:

In the near future, when a technology corporation has created a method for traveling into the past, a history professor gets trapped in 1357 France, prompting his students and son to travel back in time and face untold perils to rescue him.

In yet another B-movie 30-year-old Paul Walker and 34-year-old Gerard Butler get to travel back to France during the Hundred Years’ War. (Old films certainly show us how quickly we age.) Who knows how historically accurate the life of that era is portrayed? At any rate this is NOT a film to be taken seriously. Just in case you don’t remember intimately the details of the Hundred Years’ War, you can always read the Wikipedia account from which the following quote is taken:

The Hundred Years’ War, a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453, pitted the Kingdom of England against the Valois Capetians for control of the French throne. Each side drew many allies into the fighting.

The war had its roots in a dynastic disagreement dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066 while retaining possession of the Duchy of Normandy in France. As the rulers of Normandy and other lands on the continent, the English kings owed feudal homage to the King of France. In 1337, Edward III of England refused to pay homage to Philip VI of France, leading the French King to claim confiscation of Edward’s lands in Aquitaine.

Edward responded by declaring himself to be the rightful King of France rather than Philip, a claim dating to 1328 when Edward’s uncle, Charles IV of France, died without a direct male heir. Edward was the closest male relative of the dead king, as son of Isabella of France who was a daughter of Philip IV of France and a sister of Charles IV. But instead, the dead king’s cousin, Philip VI, the son of Philip IV’s younger brother, Charles, Count of Valois, had become King of France in accordance with Salic law, which disqualified the succession of males descended through female lines. The question of legal succession to the French crown was central to the war over generations of English and French claimants.

As far as this B-film none of that matters. Just grab some popcorn and chill out with the on-screen corn.

2013, Adventure, Airline pilot, Amputee, Could Be Hard To Watch, Creepy, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Frenetic, Grim, Mayhem, Medical Theme, Military, Occasional gore, Optimistic, Suicide, Suspense, Violent, Zombies

World War Z (2013)

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From Netflix:

A U.N. employee races against time and fate as he travels the world trying to stop the spread of a deadly zombie pandemic. As the undead hordes gain strength across the globe, governments topple and Earth stands on the brink of total social collapse.

If you are not eager to see virus-crazed “zombies” infecting other humans by biting, crowds of panicky people running to nowhere, bodies flying through the air, exploding airplanes, and very tense escape sequences, then DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!

On the other hand I love suspense and the various episodes in this fright-fare are indeed some of the scariest I have seen in a long while. In fact the tension mounts throughout the film. Probably the most nerve-wracking sequence has Brad Pitt at the W.H.O headquarters in Wales trying to get to some needed stored virus while avoiding the already infected “zombies” at W.H.O. Of course you understand (we learn this early in the film) that noise is what sets these critters in motion.

As far as endings go, the authors found an excellent way to finish the story.

You have been duly warned. However, in the category of well-plotted, not silly, visually and emotionally explosive scare-mares, DO NOT MISS!

2012, Adventure, Animal story, Based on a Book, Human spirit, Sea Rescue, Suspense, Wonderful photography

Life of Pi (2012)

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From NetFlix:

Based on Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, this coming-of-age tale recounts the adventures of Pi, an Indian boy who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with only some zoo animals for company.

Based beautifully on the book, the photography alone is worth the price of admission. From the very first shot of unusual zoo animals, through a wild storm at sea, and accompanying Pi on his journey in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, the scenes are exciting and memorable.

Additionally the story is one of determined and remarkable survival. Pi finds a book amoung the lifeboat supplies a book that teaches him to survive shipwreck. He also learns to effectively train the tiger (or at least try to train the tiger).

There are some comic moments but certainly never a dull moment. Hang onto your oars!

2012, Adventure, Based on a Book, Fantasy, Grim, Love Story, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

The Hunger Games (2012)

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From NetFlix:

In a dystopian future ruled by a totalitarian regime, resourceful Katniss and her partner, Peeta, represent their district in the lethal Hunger Games — a televised survival competition in which teenage contestants fight each other to the death.

After having read all three books in the trilogy, I am pleased with the film adaptation. Part of the fun is all the multi-colored eye candy realized by the Capital fops. Characters from the book really come alive. Never does the abject feeling of doom abate. Jennifer Lawrence (age 22) captures Katniss Everdeen to perfection. Woody Harrelson makes a wonderful Haymitch. Donald Sutherland is just right as the thoughtfully evil President Snow. Stanley Tucci as TV moderator couldn’t be any more of a superficial fake if he tried. Controlling effects from the Capital (sponsor gifts, induced forest fires, images of the dead in the sky, the cannons announcing yet another kill, tracker jackers) are done well.

What amazes me is that the author Suzanne Collins is a 50 year old woman who captures the constantly meditating persona of a 16 year old girl. In this film adaptation you do not hear the voice of Katniss constantly ruminating as you do in the book. As a result you have to infer her state of mind from what you see.

So you think this is just unrealistic science fiction?

  • What government would purposely starve its citizens? But that is precisely how North Korea (nominated by the Economist as the worst country on the planet) keeps its enslaved population in line.
  • What kind of people would cheer contesting combatants until one kills another? Consider the book Are We Rome? by Cullen Murphy. So far cage fighting has not yet reached this ultimate goal.
  • Could there possibly be in a country an ever growing separation of the impoverished from the upper One Percent?
  • Could such young people really be killers? Right now the psychotic African Joseph Kony is training his Lord’s Resistance Army of child killers.

Be aware that in the book, there is very little if any physical romance. No kissing!

Enjoy this first episode and expect further installments.

2006, Adventure, Coast Guard, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Sea Rescue

The Guardian (2006)

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From NetFlix:

When legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall is appointed to teach at an elite Coast Guard school, he’s compelled to skillfully train and inspire cocky upstart Jake Fischer to excellence, courtesy of some unorthodox coaching methods.

If nothing else, just the sea rescue school sessions fascinated me. Also there are some exciting sea rescue scenes. Costner’s troubled marriage (he is married to sea rescue, the old story) is secondary to the plot.

Costner’s involvement with his student Jake Fischer is fitting, owing to similar past tragedies. One of their discussions could be a real tear-jerker.

Be prepared for one really wild final rescue.

Aston Kutcher (plays Jake Fischer) will play the lead role in the 2013 film “Jobs”. He was 28 during the filming. His film sidekick Brian Geraghty (plays Billy Hodge) played Brian Eller in the TV series “True Blood”. He was 31 during the filming. On the other hand Kevin Costner was 51 during the filming.

Just tell me a good story and I am a happy listener.