Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

The death of Tom Clancy this week at age 66 has brought to mind many of his works over the years, which were immensely popular.  He wrote many books, but he was more than just a writer, he was a brand.  His name was attached not only to his own novels and their four film adaptations (with another reboot of his most famous character, Jack Ryan, coming out later this year), but to several other book series he produced and seemingly countless videogames.  For many years he was the most popular name in military/espionage stories, and while I may not have personally enjoyed his writing (I read half of The Hunt for Red October before I quit from boredom.  My father once said that he thought Clancy must have been paid by the word for some of his later books.), I will be forever grateful to him for the existence of the film version of The Hunt for Red October, which I consider a masterpiece. Continue reading →