Category Archives: Bond-ed For Life

Bond-ed For Life ~ No Time to Die

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by Bond-ed For Life, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: James Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading the former MI6 agent onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Stars: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas, David Dencik, Rory Kinnear

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Rated: PG-13

Running Length: 163 minutes

Trailer Review: Here

TMMM Score: (9/10)

Review: So…here we are.  After a long, very long, extremely long, wait…the new 007 film has arrived.  It’s also the last time Daniel Craig will don the James Bond suits, drive the fancy cars, and play with the cool gadgets, so it’s understandable why the producers and studio behind No Time to Die kept firm with their decision to push back the release date over and over again so audiences could only experience this important chapter in theaters.  This, after the movie was initially delayed on its way to the screen because of a departing director (Oscar-winner Danny Boyle left after disagreements on how the story should go), cast injuries, and damage to the filming studio.  For a time, it looked like James Bond would NOT return, to riff on the famous last words at the end of each previous films’ closing credits.  A release date was finally locked in but then…pandemic.

All that is behind us because the movie is arriving and now the question for the viewer will likely be two-fold.  1) was it worth the wait and 2) is it a fulfilling sequel?  For me, as a life-long Bond fan and with a certain affinity for most of this last cycle of Bond movies with Craig as the star I will tell you what I responded when both the studio and my friend asked me what I thought.  To me, when the 163-minute No Time to Die was over I felt like I had eaten a nine-course meal of my favorite dishes and then topped it off with an extra dessert.  After something so huge, you need time to digest so I was happy to have over a week to think more about it.  Craig’s tenure as Bond has had its highs (Skyfall, Casino Royale) and lows (Quantum of Solace, Spectre) and I would place No Time to Die smack dab in the center of them all, leaning strongly toward high praise for the elegant way it manages to close this part of what has already been a long adventure.

For the first time, a James Bond opening begins in the past and doesn’t even feature Bond at all.  This intro becomes a key piece in action and location later in the movie and is but the beginning of the longest pre-credit sequence in any Bond film yet.  By the time Daniel Kleinman’s haunting opening credit sequence pays over Billie Eilish’s spine-tingling title track (I originally found this song to be slow and boring but, in the context of the movie, the tone and purpose make it near perfect), retired 00-agent Bond and his love Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux, The Grand Budapest Hotel) have faced down a vicious attack in Southern Italy and in the process revealed certain secrets from the past that have come back to snap at both of their hearts.  Five years later, Bond is alone in Jamaica when he is visited by both his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright, The Good Dinosaur) from the CIA and an MI6 agent (Lashana Lynch, Captain Marvel) who has been assigned his 007 number in the field.  Both are interested in Bond getting involved with Project Heracles, a chemical weapon that has been stolen by a rogue villain.  The CIA wants Bond’s help, 007 wants him to stay out of her way.

Bond can’t help but be curious and when he travels to Cuba to investigate, he’s teamed with new CIA agent Paloma (Ana de Armas, reuniting with her Knives Out co-star Craig) to infiltrate a secret SPECTRE party where they find an old friend has been keeping a watchful eye over them all.  The deeper Bond seeks the truth, the more he finds that Project Heracles has ties not just to his old foe Ernst Blofeld but to a new enemy, Safin (Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody), as well as Madeleine.  And all three are about to re-enter his life in a big way…with a number of surprises yet to come.

As is usually the case, there are a stable of screenwriters credited for this 25th Bond film but it doesn’t feel slap-a-dash or story by committee.  Aside from usual suspects Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Jane Eyre) contributed to the final script, and it’s widely known that Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in to punch up some of the dialogue and give the film some humor.  Hold that wince if you are thinking there’s an extra dose of comedy that’s been shaken and stirred…yes there is more of a sense of humor to the proceedings, but they are small touches here and there which result in the characters feeling more fleshed out than anything. 

It’s great to see the players back in action, from Ben Whishaw’s (Cloud Atlas) tech-guy Q to Naomie Harris’s (Rampage) Moneypenny.  I’m glad the writers gave Ralph Fiennes (Dolittle) as M a bit more depth this time around because in Spectre there seemed to be a bit of stunted growth after being introduced so nicely in Skyfall.  (Note, make sure to keep your eyes open for a scene where M is sitting in a portrait gallery and observe the paintings – it’s just one of several nice touches that callback not just to other Craig films, but all the way back to the beginning.) Waltz (Big Eyes) had his chance in the previous film to make an impression and he was sort of just…Waltz.  There’s little more to elaborate on than that.  Of the new crop, Lynch has the best success in a role that feels like a good step forward for the series but, like Halle Berry’s Jinx who played opposite Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day, the character becomes a second thought once Bond decides to get back in on the action.  Per usual, I’m not entirely sure what Malek is up to in performance or accent but it’s one of the weaker villains in the Bond franchise…yet he has one of the deadliest lairs.  The appeal of Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) is totally lost on me.  So, there’s that.

Fans have been waiting eons for Bond to return and he’s come back with a high-wire epic that delivers maximum bang for your buck.  It’s a hefty movie with a generous run time so be prepared to settle in and I’d advise skipping any/all bathroom breaks so you don’t miss any action.  Things change on a dime in the life of a secret agent and despite the constant aural reminder of another title tune from an older Bond film, you do not have all the time in the world to take it in.  When the stakes are this high, there’s no time to wait for No Time to Die.

31 Days to Scare ~ Haunt

by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life, Mid-Day Mini, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an “extreme” haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real.

Stars: Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn Alisa McClain, Andrew Caldwell, Shazi Raja, Schuyler Helford

Director: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods

Rated: R

Running Length: 92 minutes

TMMM Score: (8/10)

Review: Let me tell you, every October I go on high alert looking for a newer horror film I can get behind.  With so many ways for filmmakers to deliver scares to us now (theatrically, streaming, etc.) it can be tough to keep track of everything that comes out so it’s best to go where the buzz is.  Horror fans are a picky bunch and while we often will feast happily on even meager scraps if available, when there’s the opportunity to eat like royalty we’ll let everyone else know what’s for dinner.  So when I heard Haunt was gathering some strong word of mouth momentum in its on-demand release I made it a priority to get it to it before the month was over.

I’ve come to not put too much credence in advertising for horror movies that say “from the writers of” or “from the studio that brought you” just because it rarely equates to little more than evoking your positive thoughts of that previous release.  In the case of Haunt, the presence of producer Eli Roth (The House with a Clock in Its Walls) didn’t intrigue me as much as the bit about the film coming from the writers of the clever surprise hit A Quiet Place, Scott Beck & Bryan Woods.  Beck and Woods direct Haunt as well and it’s interesting to note it finished filming in November 2017, the same time as A Quiet Place, though it’s only coming out now.  Whatever the delays were, they were worth it because Haunt is a real diamond in the rough – a focused horror movie that, while not always original in thought, is genuinely scary.

As a way to clear her mind after breaking up with her abusive boyfriend, Harper (Katie Stevens) spends Halloween night with her roommate Bailey (Lauryn Alisa McClain) and their two friends Angela (Shazi Raja) and Mallory (Schuyler Helford).  A noisy club doesn’t prove to be any fun and definitely doesn’t get them in the Halloween spirit so after meeting Nathan (Will Brittain, Everybody Wants Some!!) and Evan (Andrew Caldwell) the group decides to look for another venue that’s a bit more in line with the spooky holiday.  A flyer boasting an Extreme Haunted House catches their eye and before you know it the six are headed out into the middle of nowhere searching for the location where the big scares are.  We’ve already seen a little of the inside during the credit sequence, watching an unseen figure making preparations but it isn’t clear until they arrive just how isolated it is.

Now, if Haunt were made ten years ago audiences may have balked at the willingness of the guys and gals to enter the sketchy looking industrial rundown warehouse but we’re in the era when an old-school haunted house just doesn’t cut it.  Many scare-hounds are now looking for that extra bit of realism and lived-in experience that puts them in the center of an attraction that feels dangerous.  So when Harper and her friends have to sign waivers and relinquish their cell phones it doesn’t seem that odd of a request.  At first, the space seems fairly standard but the deeper they travel (and the more clown-mask wearing staff they meet) the more they realize this really isn’t like anything they’ve seen before, it’s far deadlier.  As they are separated by various detours and trap doors they are hunted by a malevolent gang sporting nightmare-inducing masks and maybe something even freakier underneath.

Blessedly, while Haunt is gore-heavy it’s not of the Saw variety where it veers toward torturous rather than creative.  As someone that has worked in a similar haunted house that was built from the ground up inside an old factory, the production design is spot on and is elaborate enough to suggest significant work went into the mazes and puzzle rooms but not so over designed that it would come off as unbelievable.  Also, a few of the rooms are super creepy and unsettling, with an eerie menace that’s helped along by solid performances from the cast.  The make-up effects are well done and more than a few sights for sure gave me goosebumps.

It’s also nice to report that Haunt actually has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  There’s no prolonged finale that drags on or multiple fake-outs capped off with a last blast to goose you up and out of your seat.  Though it may strain just a tiny bit to get past that 90 minute marker, it does so by taking its time with the stalking scenes.  This gives the terrorized guests an actual shot at fighting back instead of just rolling over and awaiting their fate.  Attempts at character development are noble, though it’s really only Harper that gets any kind of major movement in that area.  The motives for the staff of the haunted house aren’t quite clear but their actions speak (scream) louder than words.

Easily a top recommendation in 2019 for those looking for something brand new to tune into this Halloween, Haunt is handled with care and intelligence.  It provides the requisite scares but also supplies another layer of creepy that is much appreciated.  I can see this being one people are excited to discover down the line and it’s absolutely one I’d enjoy introducing friends to.

31 Days to Scare ~ The Lost Boys

by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life, Down from the Shelf, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: After moving to a small town in Northern California with their divorced mother, two brothers discover the area is a haven for vampires.

Stars: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann

Director: Joel Schumacher

Rated: R

Running Length: 97 minutes

TMMM Score: (8/10)

Review:  If I think real hard and squeeze my eyes shut I can picture myself as a seven year old in the summer of 1987.  Likely wearing a blue and red (okay pink) tie-dyed shirt from Disney World paired with above-the-knee khaki shorts and tube socks topped off with slip-on black loafers I wasn’t exactly the epitome of cool so seeing the movie poster for The Lost Boys at our local mall and subsequent TV ads made me do a double take.  What was this movie featuring vampires and young kids dressed like they hadn’t picked out their clothes the night before about and when would I ever be old enough to see it?  It would be several years later when The Lost Boys VHS finally came home with me and by then I’d learned a thing or two about proper attire.  I also knew a good vampire movie when I saw one.

Brothers Michael (Jason Patric, Sleepers) and Sam (Corey Haim, Lucas) move with their mother (Dianne Wiest, Parenthood) to the seaside town of Santa Carla, California to live with their grandfather (Barnard Hughes, Doc Hollywood).  Leaving their friends and father behind wasn’t an easy step and the boys take some adjustment to the raucous beach town that’s quiet during the day and a party city in the evenings.  Teens flock to the boardwalk to play video games, hear bands, or just hang out and summer is in full swing by the time the boys arrive.  There’s also been an influx of strange disappearances lately but it’s mostly going unnoticed due to the large number of people that pass through nightly.  A few of Sam’s new friends (one played by Corey Feldman, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) suspect vampires are behind the unexplained vanishings and educate him on how to spot a creature of the night.

With Sam preoccupied hunting down vampires and his mother spending more time with a local businessman (Edward Hermann, Overboard), Michael falls for Star (Jami Gertz, Sixteen Candles) a mystery girl who runs with a crowd of punks led by David (Kiefer Sutherland, Flatliners).  For Michael to get to know Star better and be included with David and his troupe, he goes through an initiation that starts to change his sleeping habits as well as his reflection in mirrors.  Now Michael has more than just being the new kid on the block to worry about and when he attempts to quell his burgeoning taste for blood with the help of his brother it only makes David come on stronger…but is David the only big bad vampire in Santa Carla Michael and Sam need to worry about?

Over the years there have been countless movies about vampires young and old but none have truly captured a time and place quite like Joel Schumacher did with The Lost Boys.  Though watching it now it’s clearly a film that’s starting to crystalize in amber, it doesn’t yet feel stale in the least and improves with each watch.  There’s a music video style to the film that keeps it energized from the chilling opening to a surprising finale that throws a few curveballs at the audience courtesy of a clever, tuned-in script from Jeffrey Boam (The Dead Zone), Jan Fischer, & James Jeremias.  There’s an ample amount of comedy as well, with the screenwriters making good use of the talents of both Coreys to go for the teenybopper crowd while leaving the more serious business for Patric and Sutherland.

Like what he did when elevating the John Hughes genre film with the more adult St. Elmo’s Fire, Schumacher takes what could have been a run-of-the-mill bloodsucker flick and turned it into an enduring modern classic horror film.  Featuring a roster of attractive talent right on the cusp of breaking big in Hollywood, Schumacher was never quite as on the money as he was with The Lost Boys.  The soundtrack is great, the pacing is on the money, and the practical special effects add suspense on top of the moderate blood and gore.  It works like a charm and remains an entertaining popcorn blockbuster even if you’ve seen it dozens of times.

31 Days to Scare ~ Pacific Heights (1990)

by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life, Mid-Day Mini, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: A couple work hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately, one of their tenants has plans of his own.

Stars: Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Michael Keaton, Mako, Laurie Metcalf, Carl Lumbly

Director: John Schlesinger

Rated: R

Running Length: 102 minutes

TMMM Score: (8/10)

Review: In these days there’s nothing quite as terrifying as…real estate. It’s a seller’s market and even though just a few years ago the market was good, unless you’re willing to pay a lot more for a lot less, you’re best to stay in your rental unit until the prices dip once more. That was also the case in 1990 when the compact little thriller Pacific Heights arrived in theaters boasting an Oscar winning director and three A-List stars. Even if the film didn’t have much of an impact at the time (made for 18 million it only made 29 in the states), it’s a taut entertainment worth another look.

Taking a chance and putting their life savings into a multi-unit house in a desirable California location, Patty and Drake fix up the place and start to rent it out. One unit goes to a quiet Asian couple and the last unit is eventually rented to Carter Hayes, a smooth talking single guy that assures them he’ll pay the rent on time and won’t be a bother to anyone else with his comings and goings. At first, everything is fine but when the rent is missed and strange construction noises from within his unit begin to stretch on into the night Patty and Drake get worried. You see, Carter isn’t who he claimed to be and the young couple has just acquired a renter from hell that will put them through the wringer.

Melanie Griffith (Working Girl) and Matthew Modine (47 Meters Down) convincingly play two individuals with a strong bond that find themselves fraying with the increased pressure brought on by Carter (Michael Keaton, Spotlight). These are just ordinary folks looking for an investment opportunity, no match for Carter who has done this before and who eventually takes a sinister turn on his landlord. There are plenty of legal frustrations as the couple tries to evict him as well as physical altercations that give way to a final third that turns a bit into a horror film.

Director John Schleisnger (Midnight Cowboy) keeps things at a good clip. At 102 minutes there’s not a lot of padding and while some of the decisions Patty and Drake make might have you pulling out your hair, you certainly feel for the no-win situation they find themselves in. In addition to the nice performances of Modine and Griffith, the latter who truly moves into the lead performance for the final act, there’s a nicely dark turn for Keaton who revels in the chance to play a different kind of sociopath. It’s a strong trifecta of actors that helps to elevate this from your TV movie of the week hellscape.

31 Days to Scare ~ The House on Sorority Row

by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life • Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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The Facts:

Synopsis: After a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.

Stars: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Harley Jane Kozak, Robin Meloy, Jodi Draigie, Ellen Dorsher, Lois Kelso Hunt, Janis Ward

Director: Mark Rosman

Rated: R

Running Length: 91 minutes

TMMM Score: (7/10)

Review: They say it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover…and the same goes for movie posters in the 1980’s.  Low-budget films were often sold to major studios based solely on their advertising, advertising that would then be used by the studio to promote the movie.  Such is the case with The House on Sorority Row, a rather well-done little slasher film that probably gets skipped over by more discerning audiences because of its tawdry art and deceiving tagline.  Let’s be clear, there’s no one remotely resembling the woman on the poster in this movie and you don’t exactly need to gird your loins when the heroine of our story “fights back”.

By now, this is familiar territory: A group of young women get stalked and spiked by a mysterious killer out for revenge.  It’s what writer/director Mark Rosman does with the recycled material where the true beauty of the film lies and why it’s a film I’d recommend to the uninitiated.  What could have been a movie that simply focused on boobs and blood (don’t worry, there’s a little bit of both) turns into a suspenseful yarn that isn’t as easy to predict as you might think.

On the eve of their college graduation, a handful of sorority sisters stage a prank that goes too far and someone winds up dead.  They naively decide to hide the body because, duh, they have a party to throw and they can’t let all that beer and food go to waste.  When girls and guests start meeting the business end of a variety of sharp objects, the remaining co-eds have to discover who’s knocking them off…is it their victim who wasn’t quite dead or someone else making them pay for their crime?

Unfairly lost in the flood of copycat slice and dice films that poured out of every studio big and small in the ‘80s, The House on Sorority Row is much better than you’d think.  It’s well-crafted even with its small budget and competently performed by a cast that featured future stars Harley Jane Kozak (Parenthood) and Eileen Davidson (a soap star and Real Housewife of Beverly Hills).  Though it was remade as Sorority Row in 2009 as a catty but rather fun retread, if you can find the original on disc or catch it playing on late-night TV, pledge with confidence.

31 Days to Scare ~ Body Snatchers (1993)

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by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

tumblr_l4pdcgklxb1qc8b0ao1_540The Facts:

Synopsis: A teenage girl and her father discover alien clones are replacing humans on a remote U.S. military base in Alabama.

Stars: Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker, Terry Kinney, Billy Wirth, R. Lee Ermey

Director: Abel Ferrara

Rated: R

Running Length: 87

TMMM Score: (6/10)

Review: Jack Finney’s 1955 novel, The Body Snatchers had already made it to the screen twice before.  The original 1956 version is a certified classic and, though some may say otherwise, so was its 1978 remake.  Both films managed to be timely and seemed to have a reasonable justification for existing.  In 1993, yet another take on the story was brought to the screen and while the results aren’t totally at the level of its two previous incarnations, there are a few memorable moments to keep this one apart from other retooling’s of sacred material.

To start off with, Body Snatchers had a director famous for his controversial independent features.  Abel Ferrara was hot off of Bad Lieutenant and King of New York when he signed up for this far more commercial endeavor.  Aided by a script from no less than 5 contributors, the action is moved from the small town of the original and the swinging ‘70s setting of the first remake to a military base where Steve Malone (Terry Kinney, Promised Land) has moved his family.  Stepmom Carol (Meg Tilly, The Big Chill, Psycho II) is still adjusting as the new member of the Malone tribe and isn’t helped much by Steve’s daughter Marti (Gabrielle Anwar).

Marti in particular has it out for Carol and being uprooted from her previous life is, understandably, causing the teen to be quite the rebellious hellion.  Though Marti makes fast friends on the base, her half-brother Andy (Reilly Murphy) has a rougher go of it.  When he runs way, Marti meets cute helicopter pilot Tim (Billy Wirth, The Lost Boys) and proceeds in making goo-goo eyes at him.  All is not all well, though, and the Malone’s aren’t even there a fortnight when Marti stumbles across a plot involving mysterious pods and a possible alien conspiracy.

Fans of the previous films may recoil at this horror flick aimed squarely at teenagers but in all honesty it works better than it should.  At a trim 87 minutes, it feels like it suffered some major studio edits after the fact but I’ve a feeling it was for the best.  Ferrara is remarkably restrained here, only letting loose during the finale and building up some solid unease for the first 2/3 of the film.  The cast also makes a good impression with Tilly in particular delivering memorably in one dynamite scene.

Yet another remake (The Invasion) was released in 2007 starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig but even that star wattage couldn’t salvage what turned into an incoherent mess.  If anything, it cemented the law of diminishing returns where these pod people pics were concerned.

31 Days to Scare ~ The Brides of Dracula

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by 31 Days to Scare, Bond-ed For Life • Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

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The Facts:

Synopsis: A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In doing so, she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies.

Stars: Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, Yvonne Monlaur, Freda Jackson, David Peel, Miles Malleson

Director: Terence Fisher

Rated: NR

Running Length: 85 minutes

TMMM Score: (8/10)

Review: With the success of Horror of Dracula in 1958, British film studio Hammer Pictures realized they had a property with franchise potential and started plotting out a sequel.  Two years later, director Terence Fisher and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster collaborated again and walked The Brides of Dracula down the aisle at cinemas to another round of bloody good box office returns. The first of eight Dracula sequels filmed between 1960 and 1974, this is truly representative of a sequel that’s equal to its predecessor.

Lovely French teacher Marianne (the, um, lovely and French Yvonne Monlaur) is bound for her new position at a girls school on the outskirts of Transylvania.  With her carriage driver going full tilt to make it through the forest before nightfall, it’s a rocky road to travel especially when a stowaway hitches a ride after the carriage stops to clear a log blocking their path.  Arriving at a small village inn, as she dines the coachman takes off without her, stranding her in town for the night. She’s not put out for long though as the inn is visited by a Baroness (Martita Hunt, grandly ghoulish) that bids her to dine in her castle and stay the night, an offer the townspeople advise her not to take.  Before you know it, Marianne has freed the son (David Peel, arguably the most movie-star handsome of the Hammer vampires) of the Baroness from his shackles and he has taken flight (as a bat!) on the hunt for blood.  Thankfully, Dr. Van Helsing (the always excellent Peter Cushing) happens to be traveling in the area and knows the mark of a vampire when he sees one.  Will he be able to save Marianne from the Baron before he sinks his fangs into her?

This is a very fun, entertaining film and one that I’d miraculously not seen before.  The Dracula films featuring Christopher Lee always felt very intense with melodramatic acting that seems to pay special attention to the heaving bosoms of the women Dracula has the hots for.  How interesting that in the first sequel to their blockbuster, Hammer only brought back Cushing to reprise his role and focused on an entirely new (albeit descended from the big D himself) bloodsucker.  While Lee was an excellent Count his presence isn’t missed here, mostly because Sangster and Fisher have filled the film with appealing characters and splendid dialogue.

Sure, there are some holes here and there and some characters introduced as important are never heard from again.  I also wished more time was spent at the boarding school for girls, seems like there was missed potential there to add a few more brides to the mix.  As is typical of all Hammer creations, this one oozes opulence in every frame with gorgeous costumes and rich production values.  The acting is strong and cinematographer Jack Asher films the action with a Technicolor flourish.  While the action of the finale takes place in a well-designed windmill, it comes up ever so short by rushing through the dénouement to get to the credits.

If you wore out your copy of Horror of Dracula like I did or just would like a new old classic to keep your attention, The Brides of Dracula is one you can commit to without any fears of getting cold feet.

Bond-ed for Life (Bonus!) ~ Never Say Never Again

by Bond-ed For Life, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: A SPECTRE agent has stolen two American nuclear warheads, and James Bond must find their targets before they are detonated.

Stars: Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Barbara Carrera, Max von Sydow

Director: Irvin Kershner

Rated: PG

Running Length: 134 minutes

TMMM Score: (5.5/10)

Review:  Before the release (and boffo success) of Skyfall, I took the time to go through the previous 22 James Bond films that had come before it.  What I didn’t do in my initial marathon was look at two of the ‘rogue’ Bond films that exist outside of the production company responsible for the 007 films over the last 50 years.  1967’s Casino Royale was a spoof of spy films in general albeit one that featured James Bond and took its title from an Ian Fleming novel.  The second outlier Bond adventure is 1983’s Never Say Never Again and its storied history and journey to the big screen are interesting Hollywood tidbits.

A script was fashioned with writers Kevin McClory, Ian Fleming, and Jack Whittingham that would have laid the basis for Bond’s first adventure.  It eventually was scrapped but Fleming went on to use large parts of it to create the novel of Thunderball.  While the movie of Thunderball was closer to the book, original writer McClory took Fleming to court over his contributions used without his permission and eventually  was granted the remake rights to his script.

As the producers of the MGM Bond films were gearing up to film the 13th Bond film Octopussy  in 1983, they had a big shock when they found out not only would McClory’s script be produced as a big budget summer film from Warner Brothers, but that Warner Brothers had lured none other than original Bond Connery to come back to the role.  The media had a field day with this and while both movies were released four months apart and did respectable business, Never Say Never Again could never fully get out from under the shadow of the big daddy franchise.

It doesn’t help that the movie isn’t that great to begin with.  Even with Connery on board and Moore on unsteady ground in his Bond tenure, Never Say Never Again comes off as a jokey excuse for a James Bond film.   Legally, Warner Brothers couldn’t have many of the Bond trademarks so what’s left is a second rate spy film with several above average action sequences, extremely dated technology,  and a heckuva lot of farcical moments that leave a real bad aftertaste.

Right from the beginning, director Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) doesn’t do Connery any favors by showing the actor goofily going through the motions of a rescue attempt in some unnamed jungle climate.  Connery looks tentative and, while still a trim gent, seems a bit out of sorts.  Like in Diamonds are Forever, it takes Connery a fair amount of time to find his inner Bond and even then it’s a pale imitation of what it used to be. 

Casting for the film is iffy to say the least.  As Domino, Basinger makes for a dull main squeeze of Mr. Bond and is burdened with two dance routines (one in aerobic gear and one all dolled up with Connery) that are laughably awkward.  Brandauer and von Sydow may have been nice villains in the established Bond franchise but here they are saddled with feelings of déjà vu thanks to more memorable actors that have played bad guys Largo and Blofeld in previous films.  Only Carrera as wicked Fatima Blush seems to understand that she’s in a farce and plays it as an early precursor to Grace Jones in A View to a Kill and Famke Janssen in GoldenEye.  Her final scenes are pretty ridiculous but up until that point she’s over-the-top enough to keep your eyes locked on her.

Special mention needs to go to Edward Fox and Rowan Atkinson as M and Nigel Small-Fawcett, respectively.  With accents that would make Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins look like the epitome of diction, they are absolutely awful and capsize every scene they’re in.  How Kershner and Connery allowed these performances to happen are beyond me.

What Never Say Never Again has to recommend it are several exciting action sequences…thankfully all of them are underwater so you are spared the eye-rolling dialogue.  I’m not sure how the filmmakers created an underwater chase with Bond being pursued by sharks (from what I can tell there weren’t extensive uses of animatronics) but this scene creates the few nifty thrills the film has to offer.

For Bond fans, this is one that may be of interest to you…especially if you are familiar with Thunderball you’ll get a kick out of how similar the movie is but how different it diverges at the same time.  Thunderball wasn’t my favorite Bond film but had it had some of the more exciting moments (and Fatima Blush) from Never Say Never Again, it may have been up there with the more fun Bond flicks.

Bond-ed for Life – Skyfall

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by Bond-ed For Life, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Facts:

Synopsis: Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost

Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace, Tonia Sotiropoulou

Director: Sam Mendes

Rated: PG-13

Running Length: 143 minutes

Trailer Review: Here and Here

TMMM Score: (10/10)

Review:  The release of the 23rd Bond feature film inspired me to take a look back at the 22 films that have come before it.  Starting with the 1962 of release of Dr. No and continuing on through the 2012’s Skyfall, audiences around the world have come to know, trust, and count on James Bond to show up on Her Majesty’s secret service to get the job done.  Though the faces of Bond have changed over the years and the man himself has gone through some character development, one thing remains true…this is a gentleman who loves his country, his women, and his martini’s shaken not stirred.

Now, as the franchise celebrates its 50th Anniversary, a Bond adventure has been crafted that surpasses every expectation one could have and reaches levels I’m not sure anyone involved could have ever imagined or hoped to reach.  It’s as close to a perfectly made action film as I’ve seen in my years of going to the movies, one that will hold appeal to those well acquainted with 007 and those that are just starting out.  Skyfall is, in my opinion, the best James Bond movie ever produced.

Bold statement, right?  Well…let me try to explain it the best way I can – and know that this review is going to be spoiler free so as not to ruin the experience for you.  The less said about the scope of the picture the better because one of the key ingredients to its success is the not knowing what’s lurking around the corner for Bond, M, and his colleagues at MI6.

I can’t go further into this review without mentioning a few new faces behind the camera for Skyfall.  New director Mendes draws on his theatrical background to help his cast dig deeper than ever before in service to the dynamite story/script provided by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and exceptional screenwriter John Logan.  In his first true action film (let’s not mention 2005’s Jarhead), Mendes works like a master to create the most fully formed Bond experience one could hope for. 

Mendes brings along Oscar nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, another artist not readily known for his work in the action genre.  Deakins keeps the camera moving in such a way that though the action is fast, furious, and delirious, we never lose track of what we’re watching and where it’s going.  Production designer Dennis Gassner returns to Bond after Quantum of Solace to create a bar-raising world of exotic locales, abandoned islands, and misty moors.  It’s all set to Thomas Newman’s hat-tipping score that’s quite thrilling.  When Monty Norman’s original Bond theme starts to play at a key point in the movie, I had chills from horn to hoof.

Now this all would make for a very pretty picture…but if you didn’t have the right people to stick in front of the camera you’d be up the creek.  Thankfully, Mendes has populated his film with intriguing cast additions and welcome return visitors.

Craig should now be considered the fully formed embodiment of Bond.  No disrespect to the the other actors that have come before him but Craig is as close to the James Bond found in the novels of Ian Fleming as anyone yet to suit up for the part.  A reckless Bond in Casino Royale and a vengeful Bond in Quantum of Solace, in Skyfall Bond has become someone that is genuinely afraid to feel anything that he can’t control.  It’s a brilliant move for the film to give the actor (and us) the opportunity to see under the skin and it’s Craig’s best performance on screen in any film.

Is there anything bad one could say about Dame Dench at this point in her career?  Her involvement with the Bond films since GoldenEye have been nothing short of excellent but it’s with Skyfall that M becomes a leading character along with Bond.  She sits atop a plot that hinges on how much we really want to know about her…had M stayed on the sidelines during her tenure this film couldn’t have happened in the way it did.  M has always been illustrative of a surrogate mother to Bond and that relationship comes into play several times.

In a series that is famous for its outlandish villains, you’d be hard pressed to find one as genuinely menacing as Silva.  Bardem takes a huge risk with his character that could have crashed and burned but winds up making him even more terrifying.  Even without the bleached hair and eyebrows, it’s the actor’s eyes that tell the biggest story with thinly veiled rage boiling deep down.  His personal vendetta against M and MI6 takes the place of any kind of global domination, allowing the film to hit close to home.  It’s a terrifying performance that doesn’t merely replicate his Oscar winning role in No Country for Old Men from the man my friend (let’s call him R for Bond-time sake) calls the Spanish Meryl Streep for the way he totally immerses himself in a role.

Supporting players are nothing to snuff at either.  Fiennes has a nifty role as one of M’s colleagues and Whishaw is a wonderfully nebbish Q.  Bond Girls are a dime a dozen but Mendes has found two shiny silver dollars in Harris and Marlohe.  Harris is a spunky field agent that helps set into motion the action of the film in the breathless prologue and Marlohe may have one of the single best meet and greets with Bond in memory.  Both actresses are splendid but aren’t featured as prominently as the ladies of the past.  Still…Mendes and co. are smart enough to see that this story is ultimately about Bond and M.

Adele’s powerful theme song is a real winner as both a throwback to the Shirley Bassey Bond themes and a mysterious clue to what the film has in store for us.  Playing over a gorgeously designed credits sequence by Daniel Kleinman, the haunting melody is nicely incorporated by Newman in several music cues along the way.  And what of the mysterious Skyfall of the title?  I’m not going to give that secret up but it acts as yet another way the film opens up to audiences the mystery that is Bond. 

Everyone has their favorite Bond and reasons why they lean towards one or the other.  Having reached the end of my Bond journey, Skyfall just happens to be the best of the bunch.  It’s a fantastically entertaining, surprisingly emotional, and stupendously produced action film that once again redefines the spy genre.  James Bond will return…this much we know from the closing credits.  How he’ll top himself after Skyfall is the next big mystery to figure out.

Want more Bond?  Check out my reviews of the previous 22 James Bond Films:

Dr. No

From Russia With Love

Goldfinger

Thunderball

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Diamonds Are Forever

Live and Let Die

The Man with the Golden Gun

The Spy Who Loved Me

Moonraker

For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

A View to a Kill

The Living Daylights

Licence to Kill

GoldenEye

Tomorrow Never Dies

The World is Not Enough

Die Another Day

Casino Royale (2006)

Quantum of Solace

Bond-ed for Life ~ Quantum of Solace

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by Bond-ed For Life, Movie Review • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The James Bond franchise is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and with the release of Skyfall I wanted to take a look back at the 22 (23 if you count the rogue Never Say Never Again, 24 if you count the 1967 spoof of Casino Royale) films that have come before it. So sit back, grab your shaken-not-stirred martini and follow me on a trip down Bond memory lane.

The Facts:

Synopsis: Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country’s valuable resource.

Stars: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton

Director: Marc Forster

Rated: PG-13

Running Length: 106 minutes

TMMM Score: (6.5/10)

Review:  Into every franchise a little rain must fall and though Quantum of Solace isn’t a fully fledged thunderstorm, it still leaves you feeling a little sad after the blue skies of Casino Royale.  It’s not as if the players entered into the 22nd Bond film with anything other than noble intentions – there’s a lot of good stuff to be found in the movie but seeing that it’s really a direct sequel to Casino Royale there is a sense of feeling cheated out of the opportunity for a totally new adventure.  Though Diamonds Are Forever also carried on a small piece of the story that ended On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, that film at least wrapped things up in its pre-credit prologue.

Without spoiling some of the later events that happen in Casino Royale and spill over into this film, Quantum of Solace opens with Bond seeking vengeance with no less passion than he did in Licence to Kill.  Determined to find the group responsible for a betrayal that’s hit too close to home, the opening moments of the film are a mountaintop chase delivered with breakneck speed and quick cut editing.  The first thing I noticed about this entry was its different filming style that favors the herky jerky hand held camera and flash cuts to its predecessors slow burn sweeping panoramas.  Under the direction of Forster (lensing his first true action film) the film enters the race at 99% so there’s not much room for the rest of the movie to keep pace.  The opening credits and title song are also slightly disappointing with graphic design studio MK12 taking over for Daniel Kleinman  with a mish mash of sand and sun and Jack White’s duet with Alicia Keys sounding slightly off key at time. 

Off key is maybe the best way to describe the movie because everything just seems slightly askew or off the mark…something that grows more frustrating as the film goes on.  At 106 minutes, it’s the shortest Bond film which is probably a good thing considering that it may also be its slowest.  Yes, there are some dynamic action sequences on land and sea but nothing ever takes flight like I think it could have with a better script and stronger direction. 

It’s no fault of the actors on board that the movie drags and I was more sympathetic to Craig in this film than I was in the previous entry.  Here he’s a haunted man that masks his pain with his determined hunt for retribution.  If he was a loose cannon in Casino Royale here he’s as wild animal as he goes above and beyond his call of duty to get the answers he’s looking for.

More depth is given to Dench in this film as well as she achieves duality in her role as Bond’s superior and also an unwitting mother.  Craig and Dench take the roles deeper than one would normally feel is required but the end result are stronger performances because of it.  Dench may be the biggest Bond girl of them all when you really think about it.

The real Bond girl here is Kurylenko that gives off a Catherine Zeta-Jones vibe and not much more.  A character with motivations that I feel we’ve seen before (in For Your Eyes Only, for example), she’s also out for vengeance that may align with Bond’s.  Frenchman Amalric is one of the slighter villains in these films but what he lacks in his physical presence he makes up for in his maniacal plans to steal a valuable natural resource.

I’ve seen the film four times now and I should freely admit that I’ve fallen asleep each time at some point.  I’m usually a pretty alert moviegoer and it’s not that the film lacks for loud action scenes…but around the 60 minute mark my eyelids get droopy.  That being said, watching the film back-to-back with Casino Royale is probably the way to go as both films are really all part of the same story.