Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (DVD Review)

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After Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck comes Chris Pine as Jack Ryan, with a film that attempts to relaunch the Tom Clancy-based franchise for a new generation. As with the Ben Affleck effort, Shadow Recruit takes us back to the early days of Ryan, this time setting him up as a Marine injured in Afghanistan who is then recruited by the CIA to use his superior intellect as an analyst inside top banks, in order to try and track funding for terrorism.

It’s supposed to be a desk job, but he’s still not allowed to tell his girlfriend, Cathy (Keira Knightley), he’s in the CIA until they’re married. Ryan uncovers hidden accounts that suggest some rich Russians plan to destroy the American economy by tanking the dollar and coinciding that with a terrorist attack. His handler, Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), decides to send Jack to Moscow as he is the only one who understands the complex financial information. [Read more…]

The Lego Movie Tops The US Box Office, With Monuments Men In Second

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lego-movie-poster2In the run up to the release of The Lego Movie, many wondered whether it would work, but as the ecstatic reviews came in, in seemed Warner Bros might have something special. Audiences seem to have agreed as the film has had a huge US opening, taking $69.1 million in its first three days in cinemas.

It’s the second biggest February opening ever after The Passion Of The Christ and one of the best starts for an animated movie ever. With the film receiving huge amounts of praise it should continue to do well over the coming weeks.

The Monuments Men opened in second spot with $22.7 million. It’s the biggest start for a George Clooney directed film, although with a strong marketing campaign some had expected it to do better. It’s about in line with other recent adult dramas though.

The only other new entry in the top 10 was Vampire Academy, which placed seventh with $4.1 million. Like Beautiful Creatures and Mortal Instruments, it’s another film based on a popular young adult book series that many thought might have franchise potential, but with much buzz it’s sunk without trace.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of February 7th-9th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 The LEGO Movie $69.1 $69.1
2 The Monuments Men $22.7 $22.7
3 Ride Along $9.3 $105.1
4 Frozen $6.9 $368.6
5 That Awkward Moment $5.4 $16.8
6 Lone Survivor $5.2 $112.5
7 Vampire Academy $4.1 $4.1
8 The Nut Job $3.8 $55.0
9 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit $3.6 $44.4
10 Labor Day $3.2 $10.1
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Ride Along Tops The US Box Office Once More, With Awkward Moment In Third

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ride-along-posterGoing into the weekend many had expected That Awkward Moment to top the US box office, but in the end Ride Along hit number 1 for the third week in a row. It took $12.3 million over the weekend, with $92 million in the bank so far. Frozen took second place with $9.3 million, thanks to the release of a sing-along version which pushed its gross up a little from last weekend.

Awkward Moment ended up in third spot with $9 million, less than the $10-$12 million that was expected. However as it only cost $7 million to make, it should still turn a profit.

The only other new entry was Labor Day, which took $5.3 million. It’s being seen as a bit of a disappointment, although the fact it got pushed from a prime Oscar-bait release to January shows the studio didn’t have a huge amount of faith in it.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 31st-February 2nd.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Ride Along $12.3 $92.9
2 Frozen $9.3 $360.0
3 That Awkward Moment $9.0 $9.0
4 The Nut Job $7.6 $50.2
5 Lone Survivor $7.1 $104.8
6 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit $5.4 $38.9
7 Labor Day $5.3 $5.3
8 American Hustle $4.3 $133.6
9 The Wolf Of Wall Street $3.5 $104.0
10 I, Frankenstein $3.5 $14.4
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Ride Along Tops The US Box Office Again While I Frankenstein Bombs

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ride-along-posterIf I, Frankenstein had been hoping to be a big hit, its dream came crashing down over the weekend. It could only manage sixth place with an $8.2 million start, which means it’s now going to really struggle to make back its $65 million budget. The makers had been hoping it would open with similar numbers to the Underworld films, but it ended up starting with less than half of those movies.

It was however the only new entry in the top 10, with Ride Along once more taking the top spot with $21.1 million. It’s now taken $75 million, which is far more than most expected it to after only nine days.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 24th-26th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Ride Along $21.1 $75.4
2 Lone Survivor $12.6 $93.6
3 The Nut Job $12.4 $40.2
4 Frozen $9.0 $347.8
5 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit $8.8 $30.1
6 I, Frankenstein $8.2 $8.2
7 American Hustle $7.1 $127.0
8 August: Osage County $5.0 $26.5
9 The Wolf Of Wall Street $5.0 $98.0
10 Devil’s Due $2.7 $12.8
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Ride Along Tops The US Box Office, While Jack Ryan Fails To Find An Audience

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ride-along-posterDespite not having the biggest marketing campaign, the Ice Cube and Kevin Hart comedy Ride Along has surprised many not just by topping the US box office, but by having the highest January opening in history. It’s $41.2 million beats out previous champ Cloverfield’s $40.1 million.

It certainly helped that Kevin Hart is extremely hot right now, especially with African-American audiences, although the movie proved to have widespread appeal (although African-Americans did make up half the audience).

It was very bad news for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which Paramount has been eyeing as a second franchise for Chris Pine. However it wasn’t even the second highest opener of the weekend as it was beaten by the animated comedy The Nut Job, which took $20.5 million. Jack Ryan could only place fourth with $17.2 million, not helped by reviews that suggested it was a bit of a journeyman effort.

The final new entry was Devil’s Due, which tanked with $8.5 million, suggesting, as several other recent films have, that the novelty of found footage films is wearing offer and audiences now need more than just that if they’re going to show up.

Some films also got a post Oscar nomination bump, with American Hustle the biggest beneficiary as it got a 27% bump from last weekend. However the likes of August: Osage County, Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyer’s Club and Captain Phillips also rose from last weekend.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 17th-19th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Ride Along $41.2 $41.2
2 Lone Survivor $23.2 $74.0
3 The Nut Job $20.5 $20.5
4 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit $17.2 $17.2
5 Frozen $11.9 $332.6
6 American Hustle $10.6 $116.4
7 Devil’s Due $8.5 $8.5
8 August: Osage County $7.5 $18.1
9 The Wolf Of Wall Street $7.5 $90.2
10 Saving Mr. Banks $4.1 $75.3
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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Extended Clip – Chris Pine heads into the fight

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is one of the first big films of the year (although some have suggested that delays from summer to Christmas and then to January denote problems with the movie), which will be in cinemas later this month.

To help drum up interest an extended clip has been released, giving us a look at Chris Pine in action and heading into a fight. Take a look below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Chris Pine, “Star Trek”) from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

‘Ryan appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data – but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he’s gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner), his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he’s in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.’ [Read more…]

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Keira Knightley Gets A Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Poster

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It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, but it’s arriving in cinemas later this month. Now we’ve got a new poster featuring Keira Knightley.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Chris Pine, “Star Trek”) from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

‘Ryan appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data – but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he’s gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner), his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he’s in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.’

Although that synopsis says Knightley’s character is in the dark, the fact the poster says ‘accomplice asset weapon’ suggests there’s more to her than meets the eye.

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New UK Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Poster Shows Chris Pine In Action

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jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-poster2
It’s only a couple of months until Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit arrives in UK cinemas, and ahead of that a new poster has been released, featuring Chris Pine in the title role, along with a floating Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley. It also promises intelligence is a weapon – not something that’s often seemed true in big Hollywood action films.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Chris Pine, “Star Trek”) from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

‘Ryan appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data – but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he’s gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner), his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he’s in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.’

It’s due out in the UK on January 24th, 2014.

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Trailer – Chris Pine takes on Tom Clancy’s hero

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Paramount must like Chris Pine, as they’ve already got him as the lead in Star Trek and now they’re relaunching another major franchise based around him with Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. We got a poster a couple of days ago, and now comes the trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In a story taking place prior to the original Jack Ryan stories, Ryan is a young stock broker working for a billionaire in Moscow before joining the CIA. When the billionaire he is advising frames him for a terrorist plot and kidnaps his wife, Ryan must race against time to clear his name, stop the plot, and save his wife.’

Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Colm Feore star, with Branagh also directing. The film is out at Christmas. [Read more…]

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Chris Pine Gets Out His Weapon In The First Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Poster

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jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-poster
Normally when a major franchise is being rebooted, the studios try to remind us about every five minutes for about a year before it’s actually released. However Paramount has been a little quieter about Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Indeed it only got the Shadow Recruit part of its title recently (in fact as of writing, IMDB still lists it as Jack Ryan: Shadow One).

However now the hype if building and the first poster comes coincidently on the same day that Jack Ryan’s creator, Tom Clancy, died at the age of 66. We’ve also been promised a full trailer tomorrow.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In a story taking place prior to the original Jack Ryan stories, Ryan is a young stock broker working for a billionaire in Moscow before joining the CIA. When the billionaire he is advising frames him for a terrorist plot and kidnaps his wife, Ryan must race against time to clear his name, stop the plot, and save his wife.’

Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Colm Feore star, with Branagh also directing. The film is out at Christmas.

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