Paramount+’s May slate of new movies are here, providing U.S. subscribers with some solid choices for weekday movie nights this week and beyond—that is, if you’re not going to be preoccupied with Taylor Sheridan’s newest Yellowstone spinoff, Dutton Ranch, coming May 15.
We have time, so let’s see what movie we can wrangle up. For this week, three movies caught my eye—genre-bending, slapstick kung-fu comedy, Tom Clancy’s intense submarine thriller, and a dark, L.A. comedy that launched the careers of two Hollywood stars.
3
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Everybody was kung-fu fighting … with soccer balls
It was the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong history when it premiered in 2001, but Shaolin Soccer‘s status as a global cult phenomenon cannot be understated. It’s such a unique, stylish, and genre-bending film that its influence would later be felt strongly in movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kung Fu Panda, and Dodgeball: An Underdog Story, which is more or less Shaolin Soccer, with dodgeballs.
Written and directed by the Chinese “King of Comedy,” Stephen Chow, Shaolin Soccer is a supremely goofy, slapstick sports comedy with loads of high-flying martial arts acrobatics and unapologetically bad CGI effects—and did I mention it’s about soccer, too? The movie follows Sing (played by Chow), a poor street sweeper and devotee of Shaolin kung fu, looking for a new way to bring its teachings to the world. When Sing meets washed-up soccer legend Fung (Ng Man-tat) and Sing discovers he can use Shaolin to supernatural effect in soccer, the pair assembles a motley crew of Shaolin kung-fu brothers and a gifted goalkeeper named Mui, to win the China Super Cup against the dirty Team Evil.
Shaolin Soccer really is like nothing you’ve seen before—it’s hilarious, filled with elaborate martial arts and physical comedy sequences, flaming, exploding soccer balls, and cheesy dialogue. It’s a much-loved film with an 89% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Shaolin Soccer
Release Date
July 5, 2001
Runtime
113 minutes
Director
Stephen Chow
2
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Sean Connery’s Russian sub captain has a Scottish accent
Alec Baldwin was the first actor to portray Tom Clancy’s now-iconic CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and John Krasinski would later take up the mantle), who made his first screen appearance in Die Hard director John McTiernan’s epic Cold War submarine movie, The Hunt for Red October.
If you can put aside the fact that Sean Connery doesn’t even try to mask his thick Scottish accent as Soviet naval captain Marko Ramius (it actually makes for some classically quotable lines—”Some things in here don’t react well to bullets.”), then you’ll easily get drawn into this tense undersea game of cat-and-mouse.
Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge
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
Begin
Which actor was the first to portray Jack Ryan on the big screen?
AHarrison FordBAlec BaldwinCBen AffleckDChris Pine
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, though he declined to return for the sequel.
Not quite. Alec Baldwin was the first actor to play Jack Ryan, appearing in The Hunt for Red October in 1990. Harrison Ford later took over the role starting with Patriot Games in 1992.
Continue
In which film does Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan foil an assassination attempt on the British royal family?
AThe Sum of All FearsBClear and Present DangerCPatriot GamesDThe Hunt for Red October
Correct! Patriot Games (1992) sees Jack Ryan intervene to stop an IRA splinter group 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 stumbles into an IRA assassination plot against British royals, which sets off a dangerous personal conflict that follows him home to the United States.
Continue
On the Amazon Prime Video series Jack Ryan, which actor plays the title role?
AChris PineBJohn KrasinskiCTom HardyDJoel Edgerton
Correct! John Krasinski, best known for playing Jim Halpert on The Office, took on the role of Jack Ryan for Amazon’s streaming series, which debuted in 2018 and ran for four seasons.
Not quite. John Krasinski plays 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.
Continue
Which 2002 film features Ben Affleck as a younger Jack Ryan investigating a nuclear terrorism plot?
AExecutive DecisionBThe Sum of All FearsCShadow RecruitDClear and Present Danger
Correct! Ben Affleck starred in The Sum of All Fears (2002), which reimagined Ryan as a younger CIA analyst tracking a neo-Nazi group attempting to trigger a nuclear war between the US and Russia.
Not quite. The Sum of All Fears (2002) features Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan. The film rebooted the character as a younger analyst, departing from Harrison Ford’s older, more seasoned portrayal of the role.
Continue
What is Jack Ryan’s professional background before becoming a full CIA operative?
AMarine Corps sniperBNaval intelligence officer turned history professorCFBI counterterrorism agentDWall Street financial analyst
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 is central to his character.
Not quite. Jack Ryan’s backstory involves serving in the Marines, then becoming a history professor before his CIA career. This academic and military combination gives him a unique analytical edge that defines the character across adaptations.
Continue
Which film marks Chris Pine’s only appearance as Jack Ryan?
AJack Ryan: Shadow StateBJack Ryan: First StrikeCJack Ryan: Shadow RecruitDJack Ryan: Dark Horizon
Correct! Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) was Chris Pine’s sole outing as the character. The film was an original story not based on any Clancy novel, featuring Kenneth Branagh as the villain. It underperformed at the box office.
Not quite. The film is Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Chris Pine played a modernized, rebooted version of the character in this standalone film, which unfortunately did not perform well enough to launch the intended franchise.
Continue
In the Amazon Jack Ryan series, which country is the primary threat in Season 1?
ARussiaBIranCNorth KoreaDVenezuela
Correct! Season 1 of the Amazon series focuses on a rising Islamist terrorist leader with ties to Iran, as Ryan tracks financial transactions that lead him into a dangerous international conspiracy.
Not quite. Season 1 centers on a terrorist threat connected to Iran. Jack Ryan follows suspicious financial activity that draws him out of his analyst desk job and into the field for the first time in the series.
Continue
Tom Clancy’s first Jack Ryan novel, The Hunt for Red October, was originally published in which year?
A1980B1984C1988D1991
Correct! The Hunt for Red October was published in 1984 by the Naval Institute Press. It became a massive 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 notably one of the first major books released by the Naval Institute Press, and President Ronald Reagan’s praise helped turn it into an international phenomenon.
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Ramius has gone rogue at the helm of the Typhoon-class nuclear missile-carrying sub Red October, and he has designs on defecting to the U.S. The Soviets have learned this and are chasing Ramius down, while the American Navy is also in pursuit of what they see as a potential nuclear threat. The only one who’s gotten into the head of Ramius is the clever Ryan, who must convince his superiors of Ramius’ true intentions and race to intercept the Red October before it’s blown out of the water.
It’s the best submarine movie ever made (with the exception of Das Boot), and is so tense and action-packed all the way through that you won’t notice Connery’s accent.
1
Swingers (1996)
A movie so money, it doesn’t even know it
Long before Jon Favreau was Happy Hogan and later one of the beating hearts behind the Star Wars Universe, and before Vince Vaughn was a Hollywood leading man, the pair were young L.A. players, Mike and Trent in the 1996 indie hit, Swingers. Written by Favreau and directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow), it’s a quintessential ’90s dark 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 Mike (Favreau), a struggling comedian from New York trying to make it in L.A.’s stand-up scene, and is still moping around six months after a big breakup. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily), his slick-talking best friend, Trent (Vaughn), thinks Mike is “money.” In fact, “You’re so money, and you don’t even know it,” Trent tells him. To get Mike back in the game, they start hitting up the hippest L.A. clubs and take a trip to Vegas so Mike can meet some “beautiful babies.”
That’s more or less the plot, but Swingers is as much about the hang-out culture and camaraderie of this group of friends (made up of Favreau’s real-life friends, like Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, and Alex Desert), as Mikey flirts, learns the art of when to call a girl back, and regains his confidence.
Swingers
Release Date
October 18, 1996
Director
Doug Liman
Writers
Jon Favreau
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