theonewithallthecontacts Reviews

The Kennedys (2011)

A delightful miniseries, providing both entertainment, intrigue and insight to the daily life of The Kennedys.

[8/10 · 22 June 2013]

This miniseries of the Kennedy family was a joy to watch, all the way! First of all, the series covers a lot of controversial and exciting episodes in the 1960's: The Kennedy's campaign for election, Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba Missile Crisis, civil rights for black people, the JFK assassination and parts of RFK's political campaign for election as President. Each story is handled intriguingly and insightful, yet maintaining the golden entertainment values. Parts of which, is because that the series is handled as a regular huge Hollywood production. The patriotic music playing in the background, excellent cinematography, amazing dialog, superb direction etc.

But the series doesn't just cover what happened in The White House during all of these escapades. It rather blends in with the daily life of the Kennedy's. And that's what we see: the daily life of the Kennedy's. I, for one, now has a far greater caricature in my head, concerning the personas of that generation of Kennedy's. Almost every personal conflict inside the family is handled, and with bravour!

The acting is all top notch! Greg Kinnear is the heart and soul of this series, having the weight of this series' fate on his shoulders. If he sucked, so would the series. Luckily, Kinnear is all out brilliant in this complex and controversial role of JFK, with everything considered down to the way he walks. I thought, that Kinnear really breathed the role of John F. Kennedy, disappearing into this ambiguous and public persona. Kinnear bears a physical resemblance to JFK, and his accent was very much alike, as well. Kinnear earned a very well deserved Emmy nomination for best leading actor! Barry Pepper surprises with his revolutionary performance as Robert F. Kennedy! He may not look the part a 100 percent, but he manages to recreate his accent very well! Pepper was a joy to watch on-screen, stealing absolute every scene he was in! He handled every emotional reaction with skill and a nice sense of human subtlety to it. For his role, Pepper fairly won the Emmy award for best leading actor! Tom Wilkinson as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was a tour de force in it's own right! With every scene Wilkinson seemed to give his absolute best, and it shows! His performance was amusing, heartbreaking, subtle, efficient and moving! Wilkinson earned an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor. Katie Holmes wasn't as good as the three former actors mentioned, in my opinion. Still, she looked the part of Jackie Kennedy quite much, and she showed the right kind of silence to her performance!

The reason this series only gets an 8/10, is because that some odd things was left out of production. First of all, I would have liked to have Ted Kennedy included, and behold the actor who could have hopefully exemplified in the role. Instead, Ted's only appearance is in the background as a small boy hearing his name getting mentioned. Second of all, an obvious historical escapade that was left out, was the moon race with the Soviets. Not even a mention there. That would have been more interesting than an episode, partly dedicated to JFK's apparent affair with Marilyn Monroe!

Overall, I found the series to be highly enjoyable and very interesting to watch.

8/10

The Godfather Part II (1974)

This movie must never be deemed a sequel! It carries on the perfection of the first already perfect movie!

[10/10 · 25 March 2013]

In many ways, "The Godfather Part II" was the sequel that either matched or topped the original! It had twice the budget, it got nominated for 11 Oscars like the original and it won twice the Oscars with 6 wins: Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (Dean Travoularis, Angelo P. Graham), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola), Best Adapted Screenplay (Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo), Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola) and Best Picture (Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson and Fred Roos). The movie didn't bring in as much money as the original, though. Many people see this as better than the original, and even the best movie of all time. For the time being, I actually prefer this movie over the original. Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, John Gazale and Diane Keaton returned to star, and new actors were brought in, including Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strassberg.

The Godfather Part 2 would carry on the legacy of perfection that The Godfather presented to the world. One of the reasons being is the second spectacular screenplay by Coppola and Puzo! The movie is straightforward, and even though it's a more complicated plot than the first, it's not THAT hard to follow. Many iconic lines are introduced once again, and the idea of making this movie a prequel as well of a follow-up seems unique.

Al Pacino delivers an even more complex and disturbed performance as the now chilling and psychotic Michael Corleone. The Michael Corleone in the original movie was relaxed and could act human, whereas he (in this movie) coldly kills anyone, and I repeat, ANYONE who stands in his way. Pacinos performance is believable all the way, and the relaxed attitude he expresses on-screen, echoes back to the permanently relaxed Michael we saw in the original. He can talk almost robotic and give a cold stare to a man, and explode with rage in the next second, and Pacino sells it. Pacino delivered one of the greatest, if not the greatest villainous performance of all time, and possibly THE greatest performance of all time. Robert De Niro is one of the other stars in the movie! He plays the part of the young Vito Corleone with finesse and a nice calmness, all the while maintaining the virtues that made Brandos's first performance so special. His performance stands as one of the best supporting ones, and he isn't even my favorite supporting character in the movie. Michael V. Gazzo's aging and hot-headed Frankie Pentangeli is a joy to watch on-screen, although his performance is significantly weaker when compared to some of the other performances in this movie. Lee Strassberg delivers yet another spectacular and moving performance as the long-time gangster Hyman Roth. But the one supporting performance that really shined for me (more than in the original), John Gazale as the brother Fredo Corleone. His performance was delicately layered and moving all the way, and by the end of the film I felt such pity for the guy. Shoulda' been nominated for an Oscar.

The musical score in this movie is very much the same, and therefore as brilliant and as memorable as the first. The cinematography, the sound and the set decoration are spectacular, and makes the movie feel more epic.

I prefer this movie to the original for a number of reasons: For what seemed to be an impossible goal to make the movie better than the first for some, for the stronger characters, the stronger performances, the epic feel to it, the perfection carried on, the more complex plot and the magnificent ending. This movie must never be deemed a sequel! It carries on the perfection of the first already perfect movie. A must-watch for everyone!

10/10

The Godfather (1972)

A masterpiece! A cinematic achievement not matched, nor bettered!

[10/10 · 16 March 2013]

The year was 1972. Francis Ford Coppola was in the beginning of this career, and he was only in the process of proving himself as a director. Little did he know, that he was going to direct a movie which would go down as possibly THE most beloved and acclaimed film of all time. The movie was "The Godfather". It became the highest grossing film of the year 1972, and of all time (in 1972)! It won 3 Oscars: Best Actor (Marlon Brando), Best Adapted Screenplay (Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola) and Best Picture (Albert S. Ruddy). Unfortunately, Coppola did not take home the gold for directing, nor did Al Pacino, Robert Duvall or James Caan for their brilliant supporting roles! But Oscars really doesn't matter, the movie still stands as a piece of cinematic brilliance!

The Godfather tells a relatively simple tale: Michael Corleone (Pacino) is son of the powerful mafia don Vito Corleone (Brando). Michael recently returned from the WW2, and he wants nothing to do with the "family business". Vito doesn't want that either, but after a chain of events, Michael is forced to rise as the new family don, in order to protect his family and allies from downfall. The movie doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. It's a simple plot, it's one we can all understand and it's still en epic gangster movie! And that's the other thing about the film: it's very epic in scope! All the locations, all the props, all the actors, etc. It all comes together to create something magical!

Al Pacino keys in an amazing performance as Michael, the son who must protect his family! At first eye-drop one could call his performance "low-key". But it's merely an observation of the characters calmness, subtlety and his cold nature, that transforms into a calculating, ruthless and chilling persona. Apparently, Pacino approached the role with this thought. For my money, this was an Academy Award-worthy performance. Marlon Brando is equally impressing as Vito Corelone. His performance is calm, determined and calculated. But Brando doesn't only present Vito Corleone as a cliché ruthless mafioso don, but also as a father that loves his family, and that the audience can admire and care for. Robert Duvall, James Caan, Talia Shire, John Gazale and Diane Keaton is also presented as capable and great characters! Everyone gets tons of character development, and their performances are spectacular!

Nino Rota's haunting score perfectly illustrates what kind of film we're dealing with here, and every time you hear it the score feels new and epic! This has got to be one of the most memorable film scores of all time! The cinematography is beautiful, the sound is fantastic and overall The Godfather is a truly beautiful film to admire!

Puzo and Coppola's screenplay is brilliant and filled with memorable lines: "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse", "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" and "It's not personal Sonny, it's strictly business". Francis Ford Coppola truly captures the feeling of a spaghetti gangster movie, and his direction is brilliant, tireless and visible in every scene! Twentieth Century Fox wanted to replace him several times during production, but thankfully they didn't! He was robbed an Oscar!

The Godfather is a movie that will never grow old, and we will be able to watch if for many years to come! It always feels fresh and exiting every time you watch it! From the first monologue by Bonasera, to the last shot of Michael Corleone as the new don, this movie leaves you shattered by the perfection. Saying The Godfather is a perfect movie, is like saying Chuck Norris is badass. See my point? A must-watch for everyone!

10/10

Django Unchained (2012)

Tarantino impresses once again!

[9/10 · 4 February 2013]

Django Unchained is another one of those Tarantino movies where you think: "Only Quentin Tarantino can make a movie like this!" It's true... And it's awesome! This movie was much better than I expected! Not that I expected it to be bad, but I just didn't expect it to be that good! It's hilarious and entertaining throughout the whole movie, and despite it's running time at almost 3 hours, the movie never lets up because of awesome lines and scenes, tons of crazy Tarantino-action, and amazing characters! Of all of Tarantinos movies, I've only seen Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds. And I thought Django Unchained to be better than Basterds, and slightly up there with Fiction... And that's a huge compliment!

Unchained is about a slave named Django (Foxx) who is "rescues" by a dentist named Dr. King Schultz (Waltz). In return for Django's freedom he is to help Schultz to track down and eliminate the Brittle brothers. And then Schultz will agree to help Django save his wife (Washingon) from a brutal plantation owner (DiCaprio) and his butler! Tarantino once again impresses and demonstrates to the audience, that he is a ferm and competent screenwriter, given that the movie contains lots of memorable dialog! Tarantinos direction is also very good! Although, sometimes I thought that this movie was made entirely for the fun of it! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but just saying. One of the great things about Unchained, is how expertly the story is told! You start from the beginning along with the characters, and you end the movie with the characters! I must give my congratulations to Mr. Tarantino!

Much people have complained about the movies portrayal of slave trait in those days! I didn't really care because I knew it was a Tarantino movie, and he isn't one of those who think to much about how offensive his movies might be! He shot up Hitler in a movie theater, for gods sake! It's just for the fun of it!

Jamie Foxx seems slightly uncomfortable in the role of Django at first, but he quickly makes up for that and evolves with the character. That may have been the point! A job well done to Foxx! The true stars however is Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCario who both completely disappears into their roles, and deliver every single line with finesse! Waltz deserved the Oscar nom, and Leo was robbed of one! Samuel L. Jackson also delivers a comedic and an over the top performance as Stephen, Candies man servant and butler! Kerry Washingon doesn't have much to do, but she delivers a decent performance!

Django Unchained is an hilarious action movie with great storytelling, amazing characters, great performances, great directing, amazing script and action filled with CGI blood, that will make you laugh so hard! This is definitely a great movie by Tarantino! I can't say if it's my favorite, given that I haven't seen to much of his movies, but an amazing movie nonetheless! A true gift for the year of 2012!

9/10

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The obvious best and strongest of the prequel trilogy!

[8/10 · 31 January 2013]

Revenge of the Sith were the Star Wars movie we were waiting for! After two watchable movies, one badder than the other, Sith concludes the prequel trilogy on a very satisfactory and epic note! The movie doesn't waist too much time on political dialog, there is more action, the characters are both better and stronger, the acting is much better, the story is obviously stronger than in the previous two prequel flicks and Sith brings back the excitement and entertainment, that all we Star Wars fans missed so desperately! Lucas wrapped the prequel trilogy up nicely, so the best thing to be said about the prequel trilogy is: it ended on a high!

First of all, the character development is superb in this movie! We've been missing this factor! Gone are the wooden dialog, boring scenes and awkward moments! Sith tells it's story better, than the previous two together! The dialog is for once quite meaningful and much more interesting!

The acting considered, Ewan McGregor delivers a remarkable performance here! He fully bonds with the character, and I bought every scene he was in, and every line he delivered! McGregor leaves the saga gracefully! Hayden Cheistensen is also better in this, than he was in Clones! He gracefully captures the essence of Darth Vader, and his psychological transformation is remarkably played out by Christensen! I don't think he deserved a Razzie! Natalie Portman was acceptable, and Ian McDiarmid and Samuel L. Jackson were both equally awesome! Dooku has a nice little cameo role, and the new character General Grievious is badass as hell!

Another great thing about the movie is clearly the lightsaber fights! If there ever was two characters you wanted to see fight... The fight between those two characters would be in this movie! The choreography in this movie is awesome... So is the sound, the visual effects, the music (of course), the cinematography and the action! The technical department just has everything!

Revenge of the Sith is a great action movie, and still manages to be some kind of a suspenseful thriller, like the original trilogy! The scenes and lines are more powerful, and the psychology of the characters is better... And so is the acting! Sith could have been part of a better trilogy... But it's stuck with Menace and Clones... What a shame! Sith really had quality and a vision!

8/10

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Better than Mencace, but something is missing...

[6/10 · 31 January 2013]

After the global disappointment that was The Phantom Menace, we got "Attack of the Clones"! And while it's better than Menace, and an OK film overall... The execution leaves something to be desired. The narration is done much better than in Menace, and the acting is certainly better. There is a bit more suspense here as well, but doesn't make up for a half and hour Padme-Anakin vacation. Some of the scenes work, but most of the time the scene is unnecessary. This movie feels much more like Titianic than Star Wars, unfortunately. Titanic was a good movie, but it doesn't really fit into Clones.

But the movie has a much more solid plot, and the scenes and lines works much better! There aren't nearly as much plot holes, and there is a very good climax at the end! This movie is kinda' interesting to watch. When you think about the action and execution, you accept it as a decent movie. But the pace is even slower in Menace, and the movie is transformed into an awkward love story.

Anakin is a grown man, so it's definitely for the better, but the chemistry between Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen is awful. And the movie is forced to center around these two characters dinner conversations and picnic trips... They should have shown more Obi-Wan!

I found the Obi-Wan segments to be quite good. It has a mysterious flow to it, and we feel like we learn some things on the way, as Obi-Wan does. We see more of the new villain Count Dooku aka Darth Tyranus, who is perhaps a more solid villain than Darth Maul. Lee is a golden template on this movie, as he is one the best actors of the whole cast! One of the most powerful scenes in this movie is the showdown between Dooku and Yoda! I gotta' give Lucas credit for filming this scene so perfect! I saw original Star Wars quality there!

In the end, Clones is a decent movie, that is quite better than Menace! The movie works better on all premises! But Clones is nothing compared to the original trilogy... Execept for the Yoda vs Dooku scene! That was awesome!

6/10

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Not good, but merely watchable...

[5/10 · 31 January 2013]

We had three fantastic Star Wars movies... A perfect trilogy... Until the prequels came! The kick-start for the new trilogy "The Phantom Menace" is a perfect example, of a movie which is made, so that the distributors can sell toys and video games. The pace and story is too slow and boring to keep a viewers attention, during a whole (not good) movie! There are some plot holes that aren't even worth arguing about any more, the acting is rusten and feels so forced and the movie kinda' frustrates rather than intrigues! Despite all of this, the movie as a whole is not a downright disaster.

For some reason, George Lucas felt like everything in the prequels had to be connected. This clearly sets some rains on Lucas' storytelling, and that's one of really the bad things about this movie. I think, if Lucas insisted to make a prequel and he set the plot during The Old Republic, things would have worked out better for Lucas, and most importantly... The movie! The menace is filled with bad acting, awkward scenes, bad one-liners, lame storytelling... But no intensity. But the visuals and sound are much better in this movie, and we still have John Williams' awesome score! That's gotta' count for something, eh'?

I personally, don't have many qualms about Jar Jar Binks, though. I agree, he is not a good character, but I do believe that he is part of an unfortunate core of bad lines and annoying scenes. But when I found out that the Razzies, gave him and award for worst supporting actor, I found it to be unfair. I never thought that the actor was a bad one! But whatever.

Lucas apparently felt, that he had to include a lot of political dialog, that people really understands or care about. I remember when I was like 5, and watching The Phantom Menace, I always thought that whole Corusant segment to be boring as hell! There is not one single scene that is worth understanding to the fully, and when you hear the line from Binks: "We-sa going hoooooooooome!"... You know Lucas thought this segment was pure crap.

The acting is lame and forced, so obviously the characters is nothing to be excited about, either. Like, when you know Anakin and Padme clearly has feelings for each other... A part from that creepy fact that he is like 10, and she is like 25... You would think that the character's desire would be explained. But it's not. Not at all. All we have is a lame and awkward conversation, filled with bad and wodden acting... And when a movie can suck the acting spirit out of both Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor... Something is clearly wrong!

Despite all of this, Menace is still an OK movie, as a whole. If it hadn't followed the earlier movies, it would be some kind of a lame but watchable B-movie on a lame channel, nobody watches. Still, a weak and lackluster entry to the Star Wars series, but watchable.

5/10

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Not as good as the first two movies, but still one of my favorite movies of all time!

[9/10 · 30 January 2013]

After two sci-fi blockbuster hits... Rave reviews for both of them... Both beloved by fans... It was time to wrap the massively popular trilogy up, the best they could! Many sequels are lackluster compared to the original, and like Empire, Jedi is not one of those movies! This movie is directed by Richard Marquand. It's really, really good, and it's massively underrated, just because of the whole Ewok ordeal! Not many people were disappointed by this third and seemingly final chapter, to the Star Wars trilogy, but the first two are still better! But it's hard to wrap the a highly popular trilogy up, with a massively awaited third installment! But we do have a very, very good Star Wars movie that wraps the trilogy up brilliantly, which deserves much more credit than it has received!

Jedi takes off almost from where Empire ended, and the story is wrapped up from then! I like Jedi for many things! It's a Star Wars movie, it's got really good action, it contains many epic scenes and lines, it's exciting as hell and it's got great character development! One of the bad things about Jedi could be that it pacing is too quick for it's own good. Sometimes, when I watch it, it's like the movie moves really fast from place to place. But it doesn't mean much! The Ewoks however could have been the sole reason I only gave this movie a 9/10! I could have bought the fact that Wookiees were defeating "The Emperors best troops" but Ewoks? Come on! But forget the Ewoks, and the rest of the movie is completely awesome and exciting as hell! But is is the weakest of the original trilogy! But we're still a long way from The Phantom Menace, I can tell you that!

Mark Hamill is good as always as Luke, and so is Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in their brilliant roles! Darth Vader is also as epic as in Star Wars and Empire, but we have a new villain in Jedi. The Emperor! Ian McDiarmid is astonishingly creepy in the role, and he contributes to one of Star Wars' most powerful and epic scenes! We have nice appearances by Jabba the Hut and Boba Fett, as well as from C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca, which I haven't mentioned in my previous reviews!

The visuals are much better in this movie, though! So is the editing, sound and music! The movie took home an Oscar for the sound, by the way!

So in the end Return of the Jedi is not as good as the two others, but for my money... It's damn close! Not considering the Ewoks! The movie still has: amazing directing, great acting, powerful scenes, great character development, a great script and it's a Star Wars movie! And a damn good one! Well done, Jedi!

9/10

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

My favorite Star Wars movie, and one of the best movies of all time!

[10/10 · 30 January 2013]

Almost after every classic which has been fortunate enough to top the box-office, collect rave reviews, and be beloved by so many fans as well as common movie-goers! The thing that follows almost every time is a sequel! And 80 percent of the time it sucks... 15 percent of the time it's alright... And 5 percent of the time it's awesome and arguably better than the original! For me, The Empire Strikes Back is one of those 5 percent! And for me it is slightly better than the original, and one of my all time favorite movies! Following the worldwide success of Star Wars, Lucas quickly published that he would be writing a sequel, using ideas he couldn't fit in the original movie. This time Irvin Kershner would be directing the Star Wars flick. It went on to gross about as much money as the original, and it preceded the expectations for a Star Wars sequel!

The Empire Strikes Back doesn't try to top the original at any point! The Empire Strikes Back takes off not long after the end of Star Wars! Luke, Han and Leia are now key fighters in The Rebellion, and Darth Vader is hot on the trail in the pursuit of Luke! Like Joss Whedon is planning to do with the Avengers 2, The Empire Strikes Back is a much more darker and personal movie flick, than the original movie was! The acting is much better as the actors have bonded with and understands their characters much better. The character development is better in this movie, even to the point where Leia and Han gets intimate! The movie is just downright equally as exciting and entertaining as the original, has tons of memorable dialog and scenes and an incredible story serving as a follow-up to the original! Gotta' give George Lucas credit for that!

Luke Skywalker has become a professional resistance fighter, and well on the way to become a Jedi at this point! His acting is better, and his character is more interesting! Same goes for Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa! Harrison Ford is still as badass and as entertaining as in the first, and this time he's even got a really memorable line! Darth Vader is much more sinister in this movie, than in the original! He's got more really memorable lines, his character is much deeper and more ruthless! Darth Vader will always be my all-time favorite villain for this movie alone! Billy Dee Williams also debuts as a new smuggler and badass character! Frank Oz is magnificent as Yoda, and delivers an amazing performance!

The technical category is awesome and better than in the original! The editing, sound and visuals are again amazing, and John Williams has a new theme tune for Darth Vader, called "The Imperial March". This tune is alone deserving of an Oscar. The movie took home 2 Oscars in the technical category!

So... In the end you get: better acting, more memorable characters, more great lines, an equally amazing story, a fantastic screenplay, better direction, new great music and the characters are just downright better! Calling The Empire Strikes Back a sequel is a travesty! The description "an expanded chapter for the original movie" fits this masterpiece better! One of my and many other peoples favorite Star Wars movie, and favorite movie of all time!

10/10

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

The movie that changed the world...

[10/10 · 30 January 2013]

It was a summer 1977. But not just an ordinary summer! It was the summer that Star Wars premiered for the first time ever! The idea for Star Wars came from director George Lucas, who had written an incredible screenplay about "a galaxy far, far away..." Lucas' draft was rejected by many major film studios before 20th Century Fox finally agreed to distribute the movie. And thank god for that! George Lucas was to direct, Gary Kurtz was producing and Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher was playing our beloved leads! The film was shot with a tight schedule and limited budget, and the movie was masterfully edited, scored and visualized! After many commercials, we are back to the summer 1977! The film collected rave reviews, and ultimately grossed over 750 million dollars! The film went on to win 7 Oscars in the technical category, including Best Original Score, having lost the in the major categories to Annie Hall.

Star Wars is a one-time only experience to behold. Like LOTR the Star Wars trilogy is not just films, but experiences in themselves. Every single time I watch the trilogy I almost cry out of nostalgia. And I'm not alone! It's hard to really explain why Star Wars is so extraordinary. Maybe because that in a time when people only saw movies like The Godfather and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was indeed the first sci-fi blockbuster! And it's awesome! Star Wars introduces us to the beloved galaxy our characters live in, and then again it doesn't really use some sort of narration or anything. We slowly learn about their world from subtle hints in the dialog, and one could argue that it is a better way to introduce the viewer to the world with a sort of mystique to it! Let's talk about the characters!

Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker who represents the good, young man who we are to follow in the rest of the trilogy! Hamill is the ultimate lead and he is very good as Luke! Luke is not that interesting when put under a microscope. But that's the whole point, his character is meant to evolve as the series progress! Harrison Ford creates one of the most badass and beloved heroes ever put on a screen! He completely disappears into the role of the smuggler Hans Solo, and his character is only over-shadowed by someone I will talk about later! Carrie Fisher is beautiful and stunning, and she matches the role of Princess Leia Organa completely! The best character however lies in the greatest villain in cinema of all time, Darth Vader! His costume is memorable and so is his mask noice! Menacing as he is with the physique of the living mountain David Prowse, and with the powerful and crafty voice of James Earl Jones, Darth Vader is without breaking a sweat, the best villain of all time! Alec Guiness is also a great hero in an Oscar-nominated role as Obi-Wan Kenobi!

In the technical category every Oscar is a 100 percent deserved! The visuals at the year 1977 is out of this world, and so it the sound and film editing! One of the best things about Star Wars is the famous music by John Williams! He won a deserved Oscar for it, and every time I hear it I am overwhelmed by nostalgia!

Star Wars just has everything for a sci-fi blockbuster! A fantastic theme tune, wonderful direction, superb writing, a great story, amazing character development, a fantastic villain, stunning visuals, amazing heroes and I could go on and on and on! If you haven't watch Star Wars watch it! It's one of my, many fan's and many peoples all-time favorite movies! Everything is deserved!

10/10

Argo (2012)

Affleck's best so far!

[10/10 · 17 January 2013]

Ben Affleck's newest movie "Argo" is nothing short of a masterpiece for me! The movie had everything i expected: good acting, interesting plot, great pacing, nice screenplay and magnificent editing that will probably win Argo an Oscar! Ben Affleck have now made three very good movies, and he deserves a bit credit for that, I believe! This is possibly the best movie about a dramatic event in the past. The movie has already won a Golden Globe for Best Director (Affleck) and Best Picture, and been nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture. I dare say, that every award given so far is deserving, and I expect a few more to be under way, though I don't believe the Academy will grant it the Best Picture Oscar...

Being fifteen years old when at the time I'm writing this review, I ain't even close to have lived in the time period the movie takes place in. I've heard a few stories about it lately, but generally I didn't know anything about the events portrayed in this movie, before Argo was published to be a movie directed by Ben Affleck! I feel as though I've been introduced to the story the best possible way, and the money spent on the tickets was definitely worth it! Affleck's direction is brilliantly tireless and is clearly visible in every scene. Affleck demonstrates once again his incredible eye to detail in storytelling and his ferm grip on material that he is directing. Affleck isn't even nominated in the directing category at the Oscars... This I see as a downright Oscar snub, though there are many good directors this year!

Ben Affleck has never been equally as impressing with his acting as his growing directing career, but he delivers a stellar performance and is clearly doing the best he can. I thought he was quite good. Bryan Cranston is an actor who is generally casted in the same supporting categories, and he is also good in Argo. John Goodman and Alan Arkin were the acting stars of this movie, imo. They deliver their lines with finesse and you believe in their characters all the way! Arkin is definitely deserving of the Oscar nom!

There ain't much visual effects in this movie, but the movie has a nice score and excellent cinematography that induces the artistic and documentary feel of the movie! Many times the movie uses archival footage, actually. The best thing about the movie in the technical category... is the film editing! It's probably gonna nab a deserving Oscar for the editing, as I mentioned before.

Overall, Argo is an excellent movie, that shows Ben Affleck's growing career in the director's chair, as well as proving that Hollywood can still provide a movie, that eventually will be remembered as a classic!

10/10

Life of Pi (2012)

A groundbreaking masterpiece on so many levels!

[10/10 · 12 January 2013]

Life of Pi is not your average Hollywood film. Most of all, because most of the setting in the film takes place in an ocean, with a tiger and a boy on a rescuing boat, as fellow companions. The movie is based on a screenplay by David Magee, who drew inspiration from a book by Yann Martel. Martel's "un-filmable book" could easily have resulted in one of the most boring and weirdest movies of all time! But luckily the person who sat in the directors chair was Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee! A man who has previously demonstrated his dedication and vision on movies such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain" which both won him Oscars! I haven't read the book, but my applause must go to David Magee who have managed to write such a beautiful and intriguing screenplay, and to Ang Lee! Lee has managed to keep a movie going and be alive, even though the movie is set mostly in the ocean on the same boat! Lee's dedication and visionary skills is clearly visible in every scene, every twist, every plot- turn, etc. etc. Ang Lee should probably win a third Oscar for this movie, if Spielberg doesn't nab it for his historical turn in "Lincoln". But still to Mr. Ang Lee: A job well done!

In the visual department this movie manages to be groundbreaking! First of all, the cinematography is gorgeous even in 2D! I have literally just gotten home from the cinema and I regret not seeing it in 3D! But based on a handful of other reviews, I dare say the the 3D photography is simply out of this world! I wish Denmark had an IMAX-screen! The visual effects and CGI is also very well done and a joy to watch by the human eye! The set-production is astounding and so is the sound mixing and editing! This movie will probably nab a few Oscars in the technical category!

Suraj Sharma plays Pi Patel and he does a remarkable job! He truly captures the essence of what it is like to be out in an ocean with a tiger, and he disappears into the role! Irrfan Khan also does a good job in the adult role of Pi Patel! There are also a number of good actors in this movie, most notably Gérard Depardieu who has recently just turned Russian!

When you mix all these things together you get an astonishing experience, probably one of 2012's best movies! I'm a bit late out considering that this movie only premiered in Denmark a few days ago! This movie has received 11 Oscar noms and my conclusion is that every nom is deserving! This movie has brilliant and tireless direction, a fantastic lead actor, a great script, great visual effects, great cinematography... I could go on and on, but I'm just gonna say: This is a movie you do not want to miss. Go watch it and prepare to experience a movie who is going to become a classic!

10/10

The Avengers (2012)

We couldn't have hoped for a better The Avengers movie!

[10/10 · 7 January 2013]

The Avengers is one of these rare movies where it lives up to all the tons of hype it has gotten! It has made over 1.5 billion dollars, and it has received high praise from both fans and critics. And the success of this movie is very well deserved! The really great thing about this movie doesn't come from all the action, humor or visual effects... It is to see all these characters interact with each other in one room! Joss Whedon truly was the man for the job, and he impresses once again with his ability to portray each character as meaningful as the other. Everybody counts! There isn't one hero, but six of them! And they are all relevant and meaningful, plus all their character development is superb... All of them! Whedon has my full respect!

The visual effects in this movie are out of this world! It really is spectacular and a joy to watch! The cinematography is likewise beautiful in this movie! But in the technical department all my praise and full respect goes to Alan Silvestri! His score for this movie blew me away! Especially, the "Avengers Assemble" tune! No gripes from me in the technical department!

As for the cast they are all terrific! Robert Downey Jr. is easily my favorite and probably the funniest in this movie! Mark Ruffalo makes the best Bruce Banner aka "The Hulk" to date, with a serious and human, yet comedic performance! Chris Evans is still quite good as Captain America. As far as performances go, this guy is probably the weakest. But he's still an awesome actor! Chris Hemsworth isn't a remarkable actor either, but he has nice charisma and fits the role as Thor! Scarlett Johansson is smoking hot and sexy, and much more relevant than she was in Iron Man 2! Jeremy Renner was just pure badass Agent Clint Barton aka Hawkeye! Samuel L. Jackson was epic and badass in the role of Nick Fury! Tom Hiddleston isn't exactly a really strong or serious villain. Mostly he just feels like a comic relief. But Hiddleston can act, and he's got a few agonizing scenes! Stellan Skarsgård and Cobie Smulders is also good in their supporting roles!

I've chosen to judge this movie with what it is: a fantastic superhero-movie! And for that, it has to get a 10 for me! We couldn't have hoped for a better Avengers movie! I'm already looking forward to Avengers 2!

10/10

The Intouchables (2011)

France has good reason to be proud!

[10/10 · 5 January 2013]

The Intouchables has already been awarded tons of awards and made over 400 million dollars, making it the most successful French film to date... Everything is deserved. First of all, this is a movie where you will end up laughing maniacally. The film has a lot of humor, some with a nice British edge to them, and everything is so real and cheesy as it would be in real life. And that is the best thing about the humor! I must pay my gratitude to Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet! Both manage to create a realistic and moving friendship on-screen! The thing is that they are two entirely difficult individuals, Philippe (Cluzet) is a wealthy man in a wheelchair, Driss (Sy) is an ordinary, poor guy with a lot of siblings! You follow how a friendship can evolve between these two entirely different persona's, and what their ordinary day would be like, together. Cluzet and Sy gives humanistic and brilliant performances, worthy of an Oscar nom for the both of them! The film is a masterpiece from start to finish, with deep messages, humor and remarkable performances! This movie would be my pic for "The Best Foreign Language Film" at the Oscars! Heard that Weinstein bought the rights to the film, with the intention of doing a remake. Dear Hollywood: Don't bother...

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

A satisfying and brilliant conclusion to the The Dark Knight Trilogy!

[9/10 · 22 December 2012]

When I saw this in the cinema earlier this year... I actually was a bit disappointed. I thought the movie was very good and every bit as entertaining as it should be! But I had looked forward to this movie for so long, that it was a self-written mild disappointment! But I knew that when it came out on DVD and I rewatched it, it would improve to the better... And it did! The movie offers many qualities that you will notice after rewatching it, and when your own personal hype about the movie is gone the movie becomes much better!

The movie takes out 8 years after The Dark Knight, and Gotham City have finally been cleaned up from criminals... more or less. However, such events has been bred from a lie formed by the Gotham officials. Batman willingly took the blame for Harvey "Two–Face" Dent's crimes, and the officials and Gordon used this opportunity to create the "Dent–Act" which gives the police authority to arrest any person even associated with criminals on sight. So Gotham is a city without any need for Batman, and I love it. The script centers around the question "what happens if Gotham will no longer need Batman?" So the movie centers around the psychology of Bruce Wayne which is a nice refreshment and an interesting plot point.

But Gotham is shaken up with the arrival of the brutal mercenary known only as Bane! Tom Hardy completely owned the role as Bane, and manages to create a brutal monster, but with human depth, boundaries and qualities. Plus, Bane wears a mask in the entire movie so Hardy can only use his eyes in this movie to act, and he does a superb job! Tom Hardy's Bane is an awesome Batman villain we have never seen before! I don't want to tell more about the plot point anymore as it would ruin the experience!

We also have Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, which I found to be very good. She is capable, sexy and Hathaway delivers a comedic yet serious performance. Certainly a great character! Christian Bale delivers his best performance as Bruce Wayne yet. The movie centers mostly around him without the costume, and he is given many good lines and opportunity's to act! Marion Cotillard is nice as Miranda Tate, and the returning supporting actors is still great, especially Michael Caine as Alfred!

The cinematography is beautiful and visually stunning, and so is the visual effects! Hans Zimmer's score is awesome and the sound likewise! You'll hear no gripes from the technical department from me!

This movie is meant to be epic in scope and wrap the trilogy up nicely! And it's safe to say that the movie accomplishes that! I don't know why I was disappointed in the first place! Perhaps, the movie is not the best of the trilogy, but it's certainly the most ambitious! The movie wraps the movie up nicely with a satisfying and ambiguous ending! The best possible ending to The Dark Knight Trilogy lies in this movie!

9/10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

I couldn't have expected more from this movie!

[8/10 · 20 December 2012]

I really don't understand all the hate that seems to surround this movie. It's only been out for some days, and hate is already streaming on the internet. Some even call it "the new Phantom of Menace"... Really!? The movie has it's flaws, but that is just plain silly. Rather than trying to top the previous three films in every way possible, Jackson tells an entirely different story. The plot does somewhat resemble the previous, but it's all taken from the book so you can't pick down on that! Much from the book has made it into the film, and you can easily work out what it was! We've already come to know and love most of the characters in this movie, so it's much easier to relate to the movie at once! The character development is still there, and I think we will get more in the extended edition!

In the technical area you will hear no gripes for me! First of all, the cinematography is awesome and beautiful as hell! The new HFR format is mostly to thank for that. The picture is so sharp and detailed that you'll probably need 5-10 minutes to get used to it, and I promise that you'll be blown away! Howard Shore's score is awesome and fits the movie very well! However, in the first three films all of the orcs and goblins were in fact real people. In this movie they are mostly just CGI, so it takes a little away from the sword fights. But the CGI and action is still quite good, and the props likewise!

But one of the best scenes we have in the movie is truly the return of Gollum! The whole riddle thing is fantastically written and expertly transformed into the film! I could watch a whole movie with these two characters talking riddles! Andy Serkis certainly haven't lost his touch on Gollum, and he delivers yet another striking, intriguing and brilliant performance as Gollum! Maybe even the best. We also have Ian McKellen back in action as Gandalf, which is awesome! He's a little older but it doesn't matter. Martin Freeman truly defines the role of Bilbo just with his first scene! I like Ian Holm, but I almost forgot him when Freeman appeared on-screen. Richard Armitage is likewise brilliant as Thorin, and delivers a great performance! Much have been made about the character of Radagast the Brown aka "the new Jar Jar Binks." Sylvester McCoy is a decent actor and the character wasn't that bad. He was very silly indeed, but he didn't receive much screen time... probably a good call.

If you're a fan of the first three movies go watch this! It's got some really beautiful props and the action is very good! You know and love the characters, and you are acquainted with Middle-Earth! The movie is entertaining and fun and you forget the running time! I couldn't have expected more from this movie!

8/10

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

My pic for the worst Bond movie ever...

[4/10 · 5 December 2012]

After the "box office disappointment" of On Her Majesty's Secret Service compared to the earlier Bond films, and Lazenby leaving the role of James Bond after just one movie, the producers were yet to decide where to take the next Bond flick! The answer was simple: to make another movie just like Goldfinger!

Guy Hamilton, the director of Goldfinger, were brought back to direct "Diamonds Are Forever" the eighth Bond movie overall, and the seventh EON Bond film to be made. The movie was based on Ian Fleming's fourth James Bond novel of the same name. After Lazenby had bowed out of the series, the producers went to Sean Connery waving with a huge paycheck, and Connery eventually agreed to return as James Bond! So we had Guy Hamilton and Sean Connery back in action! What could possibly go wrong? The movie itself is the answer to that question...

The movie starts out with Bond hot on the trail of Blofeld... like in the previous movie. Bond is eager to get revenge on Blofeld, in return for Bond's dead wife. We are just thrown into the plot with no explanation. The pre-credit sequence isn't exiting at all... it's just a rushed little revenge story, that doesn't really work very well. The rest of the movie centers around an international diamond smuggling ring, that Bond is meant to infiltrate and in the end... follow the trail of the diamonds. It's not a bad plot. But the movie quickly pulls you away from all of that and begins to concentrate about random stuff like James Bond in a circus and Blofeld dressing in drag. It's just so dumb and lame that I don't even want to comment more on that. In the end the plot is decent, but the execution is lame and dumb.

Sean Connery returns for his sixth and last appearance as James Bond, and even he is lacking! He just seems bored like never before, and he was really to old to play the part at that age! But I don't blame him. Connery had clearly moved on from the role of James Bond, and while it was a shame, it's also fair. Connery had already given us 5 remarkable and fantastic performances as James Bond, and he created probably the most beloved character in cinema history! It's a shame that he finished his Bond era with this piece of crap! But Sean Connery is Sean Connery, and the stars I have given this movie is most to his glory! Jill St. John plays Tiffany Case and she has got to be one of the worst Bond girls ever. She can't act, and her chemistry with Connery just seems awkwardly out of place. At least she is very beautiful! Charles Gray (who also played Dikko Henderson in You Only Live Twice) is our main villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. And he sucks! Don't get me wrong, Gray is a good actor but he should have been remembered for his supporting role in You Only Live Twice, and not for this! This movie is the absolute low point for the character of Blofeld. Gray's Blofeld is just some jerk, with a big and cheesy cowboy smile on his face, who clones himself. Hell, he even wears drag in this movie! This is not the epic Blofeld we were introduced to in the previous James Bond- outings! Lana Wood plays Plenty O'Toole, and boy is she sexy and also weak. Her acting is non-existent and so is her chemistry with Connery! Bruce Glover and Putter Smith is the homosexual henchmen of the film. Their portrayals are a bit homophobic, but as villains they're creepy enough, I suppose. They're OK. Norman Burton is fourth and the worst Felix Leiter ever to have been portrayed. Burton basically created a comedic character that wasn't funny. We do have the awesome trio Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell returning, respectively.

Diamonds Are Forever is one of those movies, that I don't have anything particular nice to say about. It's just so dumb. And while some movies are dumb but kind of entertaining (Moonraker and Die Another Day) this one isn't even the slightest entertaining. So it's both dumb, bland and boring. There isn't even a single character in the movie that I like, except for James Bond and all of the other recurring characters! Guy Hamilton seems to have completely forgotten how to make a good Bond movie! Goldfinger is probably my favorite Bond movie, while this is definitely my least favorite! There's a big difference considering they both come from the same director! How this movie has a higher rating on IMDb than License To Kill is beyond my imagination! But it is a Bond movie, and I have a very strong "bond" to the movies, so I always kind of enjoy watching it even though I still hate it. The movie has aged well, you could say. I just love the Bond universe that much. So if you're a hardcore fan then check it out (some actually do love it), but if you're a casual viewer, then you should by all means skip it!

4/10

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Perhaps, if Lazenby could have stuck around...

[9/10 · 4 December 2012]

Already by now the series had begun to get very familiar with itself, and James Bond had already been taken tons of places and fought countless of different villains. The first two Bond films were very realistic and "spy-ish", while the last three was quite over the top but entertaining none the less! On Her Majesty's Secret Service took the Bons series where we had never seen it before: with another actor than Sean Connery to play James Bond! When filming You Only Live Twice Conney had stated that he wouldn't return to play James Bond. Already then the search for a new began. Hundreds of actors were considered but George Lazenby eventually got the part, to much negative comments from the public. The movie itself proved to be awesome, though!

Peter Hunt, the skillful editor of the previous Bond films, were brought in to direct. Peter Hunt directed On Her Majesty's Secret Service with finesse and endless dedication! It's a shame that he was never truly acknowledged with his work on this movie. The movie was realistic as the first two, and still it stood out from any other in the series. It was kind of a love story... more or less! Still, it contained tons of the action, humor, ski chases and the same stylish feel that we've come to expect from a Bond movie!

The movie begins with Bond hot on the trail of Blofeld. But on his search he encounters Tracy di Vincenzo, the daughter of a certain Marc Ange Draco! After developing a relationship with Tracy, Draco is able to give Bond information about Blofeld's whereabouts. Bond's search leads him to Switzerland, where he encounters a devastating plot that could eventually extinguish every living specimen on Earth! The plot is very well told and expertly handled by Peter Hunt. The plot is arguable a little boring in the first half of the movie, but that is more than made up top in the second half! The movie then explodes into a big proportion of plotting, action, humor and romantics with a satisfying ending that you'll never see coming!

George Lazenby appears in his first and only outing as James Bond! He's certainly not as good as Connery, but he has the same style and presence in the action scenes. He's got no prior acting experience, so with that considered he does a remarkable job! A shame he left the Bond universe when he did. I think, that had he stayed he could had possibly become one of the most beloved and best of all the Bond actors. But done is done, and Lazenby were quickly forgotten. At least he was part of a good Bond movie. Diana Rigg is Tracy di Vincenzo and she's awesome! She's beautiful, a good actress and she has wonderful chemistry with Lazenby! Her character is given much depth, and you'll easily care for and like her! My second favorite Bond girl, right after Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova! Telly Savalas plays Blofeld this time, our main villain. Savalas delivers a cool, realistic and laid back performance as Blofeld, but as the first actor since Donald Pleasence to approach the role... I think of him as kind of a let down. Savalas is a fantastic actor and I like him as Blofeld, but Pleasence as Blofeld was the definitive one... in my humble opinion. Ilse Steppat is our nasty "henchwoman" Irma Bunt! Steppat is good actress and I like the character, as I think of her as the female version of Savalas' Blofeld! She's given a satisfying amount of screen time, and she is so nasty that she is in fact very memorable! A good throwback to the fantastic Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb! Gabriele Ferzetti is a brilliant supporting character in this movie as Marc Ange Draco! Can't give him much more credit than that! We have return appearances by Desmond Llewelyn, Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell, and they're all awesome!

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the boldest Bond movies ever! It tried something completely new and refreshing, and it all paid off in a very much worthy entry in the Bond series! Some things in this movie is kinda' lame and a bit boring, but when it ensues it doesn't last long! The movie has picked itself up by then! I always think of On Her Majesty's Secret Service as one of the most complex and satisfying Bond entries to date! It had the romance brilliantly carried to life by Lazenby and Rigg, the first ever ski action chases which are expertly more superior than all the new sequences in the newer Bond movies, the same Bond humor that we like, the stylish feel, the great character development, the realistic script and one of the best, satisfying and most emotional conclusions to a Bond movie that we had never seen before! All in all, On Her Majesty's Secret Service stands as one of the best Bond movies to date, and a wonderful movie by itself! This movie was On Her Majesty's Secret Service.. and it's absolutely friggin' awesome!

9/10

You Only Live Twice (1967)

The first really over the top Bond film!

[8/10 · 3 December 2012]

After the mild disappointment that was Thunderball EON regains their foothold with You Only Live Twice! The movie was completely over the top, silly and unrealistic, but it doesn't matter! The movie is so enjoyable and entertaining, which is are perfect ingredients for a good Bond movie! While Thunderball was so bland, forgettable and boring at times, You Only Live Twice is bold, enjoyable, funny, over the top and a very memorable Bond film! Like Goldfinger the movie has been parodied so much over the times, and the movie has some of the most memorable set pieces in the entire Bond series! You Only Live Twice isn't an intelligent spy thriller, but it doesn't try to be! It's a very remarkably entertaining Bond entry, and certainly one of the most memorable!

After Terence Young and Guy Hamilton passed on the job, Lewis Gilbert was brought to direct. I like Lewis Gilbert as a Bond director! He seems to be very good at making over the top Bond films and still make them entertaining and good! You Only Live Twice is one of them!

Jupiter 16 (an American space rocket) has been "hijacked" by another mystical space rocket in the outer space. USA and Russia is quick to throw threats at one another, but Britain has received a mysterious signal coming from Japan at the time of the hijacking. James Bond is sent to investigate if there is anything behind the mysterious signal, and Bond is once again quickly lured into a larger than life and devastating plot that could change the world forever! The plot in You Only Live Twice is the first Bond film to have such an epic feel to it. The plot is much more comprehensive than in the others, and that's kinda' cool. It is over the top, but what would you have expected from a Bond movie?

Sean Conney is James Bond for the first time, and he's great! While he he was sometimes lacking in Thunderball, Connery steps back into the shoes of James Bond for the better! Akiko Wakabayashi is our main Bond girl as Aki. She's beautiful and a great actress! Aki works for Japanese SIS, and therefore she is the first Bond girl, who is truly his equal! Finally, we get Blofeld as our main villain! And this time we see his face! It's Donald Pleasence! Pleacense owns the role of Blofeld, and he is my all time favorite villain of the Bond series, and also my favorite interpretation of Blofeld! He doesn't match the physical bill of the other actors, and his voice doesn't match neither, but it doesn't matter! He's awesome! His performance is over the top, but that's what makes him Blofeld! He has some creepy eyes and an enormous scar through his face! My pic for the best Bond villain ever, and I suspect many will agree! Mie Hama is our secondary Bond girl, Kissy Suzuki. She's not as good as Aki, But she's certainly more eye candy! Tetsurô Tanba plays Tiger Tanaka, Bond's Japanese contact and the leader of SIS! He's a very cool character, as he can fight like Bond and has like 1000 ninjas at his disposal! One of the best supporting characters in the entire series! Teru Shimada is our secondary villain. Not a really good one, but he works as a secondary. Karin Dor is the beautiful but villainous Helga Brandt, and she's OK. Ronald Rich plays our indestructible henchman Hans, Blofeld's bodyguard! He's very big and kinda' cool. Plus, he and Bond shares a good fight scene! Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee reprises their known roles, respectively.

Overall, You Only Live Twice is a near perfect Bond movie, and a damn good one too! The movie do has some minor set backs, though. When Bond first arrives to Japan the movie just seems to drag, and become sort of a documentary of Japan's local life. The movie seems to portray the daily life in Japan a little to much, in my opinion. But these are only minor complaints, the movie's still awesome! It also marked the point where Bond movies would really begin to go over the top. But like Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice is the perfect amount of silly, and it just makes the movie so much more entertaining! It has all the ingredients we've come to expect from a Bond movie, and therefore I don't think anyone can toss it, as it pays off so well! All in all, You Only Live Twice is a near perfect James Bond movie!

8/10

Thunderball (1965)

The first "decent" Bond film...

[7/10 · 2 December 2012]

I have always seen Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger as the definitive Bond movies, and I suspect that many people will agree with me. Of course, a fourth outing of the British agent James Bond would not be as good as the three first. And it wasn't. Goldfinger marked the point where Bond movies would try to top the previous in any way possible! Not only would it hurt the movie, but it would't be very positively viewed by the fans. Thunderball was the first Bond movie trying to top the previous. And it just didn't work. Thunderball isn't a bad Bond film... it's just not that good! It doesn't has the same stylish feel as the others, and it isn't anyway near as entertaining or intense! It's also kind of forgettable! It went to become the second (and possibly last) Bond film to win an Oscar. It won for best effects, best visual effects.

Surprisingly, Terence Young directed Thunderball. While he directed Dr. No and From Russia With Love flawlessly, it's like he doesn't know what to do with this movie. Is he going to make another serious Bond film which resembles a spy thriller, or a silly but still entertaining Bond flick as Goldfinger was!

SPECTRE has stolen two atomic nuclear warheads, and are threatening to blow a city in USA or England up, unless ransom money are paid. As always it's Bond's job to prevent it all, find the warheads and disarm them. Not a bad plot. But the movie is just so bland! It lacks the suspense and intensity that made the the other three so great. But the movie isn't that bad! It's got some memorable action, some very beautiful women, good humor, etc. I suppose that it's because it precedes such good films as the previous. Had it been a later entry in the series it might have seemed better! But the movie could have been told better, and it could have been much more entertaining instead of much more bland!

Sean Connery is James Bond for the fourth time, and he's good as usual. But I do think that he sometimes looks bored, and this is the first film where he begins to show his age. But Connery is Connery and he is awesome! But I do think he could have been better and more sophisticated in this film! Claudine Auger is the Bond girl, Domino Derval! She's incredibly sexy, but she is kinda boring at times, and her acing isn't that good. But she's OK. She is relevant to the story, and you can't say that about many Bond girls! Adolfo Celi plays the films villain, Emilio Largo! He's SPECTRE nr. 2 and that's kinda cool! But he's just a middle aged man with an eye patch. When you compare him to the other Bond villains he's kind of a let down. Whatever, his performance is solid and he's an OK villain. But just OK. We don't really have an indestructible henchman, but we do have the femme fatale in the form of Fiona Volpe, portrayed by Luciana Paluzzi! She is one of the sexiest Bond girls in the entire series and she's a good actress! Her character isn't given much depth, but she's very cool! Desmond Llewelyn is awesome as Q, and Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell reprises their roles as M and Moneypenny, respectively. We also have the second appearance by Ernst Stavro Blofeld at a SPECTRE convention! He's still epic and awesome, and his scenes are one of the only scenes in this movie to be truly memorable!

Thunderball is kinda' bland, boring and forgettable compared to the three previous Bond flicks, but you do get the ingredients to a decent Bond film! I watch it sometimes and I think history has been kind to it. I like it more every time I watch it! The movie feels like Bond is on a vacation, and not stopping over the top villains. It doesn't quite work. But it is a decent Bond film, and hardcore Bond fans (such as myself) will find it watchable and enjoyable to a certain degree! Casual viewers my find it a bit boring, though. All in all Thunderball is a decent Bond flick, but not one of the best!

7/10

Goldfinger (1964)

Bond becomes Bond in a masterpiece of a movie!

[10/10 · 1 December 2012]

It's Goldfinger! The fourth Bond film overall, and the third of the EON series! Dr. No and From Russia With Love introduced us to Bond and reinvented cinema as we know it like never before! We had so many people to thank for these two movies. One of them was Terence Young. He directed Bond not only with dedication and professionalism, but with style and seriousness! Could any other Bond director give us the same virtues? Fortunately, the answer was yes. After Young departed from the Bond series, the search for a new director was cast. Guy Hamilton eventually got the gig, and were to direct "Goldfinger" which was the sixth novel of Ian Fleming's books! Hamilton had some good movies behind him, but could he take on the job as a Bond director? As said before, yes he could!

Goldfinger grossed a lot of money with over 120 million dollars. Almost all critics gave it an overwhelming good response, and was looked as at the movie which changed the cinema forever! It was also the first Bond movie to win an Oscar (it won for best effects, sound effects). Goldfinger is one of the most beloved, probably THE most beloved of the entire series... and for a good reason! As many reviewers before me has said, this movie just has everything: an evil villain, a cool henchman, lots of humor, lots of action, beautiful women and some of the best gadgets Q has to offer! I really can't decide which Bond film is my favorite: From Russia With Love or Goldfinger. From Russia With Love is probably a better film overall, but Goldfinger is probably a better Bond film. Anyway, this movie is so fantastic, that you'll do yourself a favor if you choose to watch it! While Connery's first two Bond movies were very serious, one word continues to describe Goldfinger: entertainment! And I think that's more important in a Bond movie! Plus, this movie has my favorite climax of all the Bond films!

This time Bond is sent out to investigate a possible gold smuggler named Auric Goldfinger. At first, Bond is just meant to investigate and follow him, but Bond is once again is lured into a plot that could change the world's economy for many years! Doesn't exactly benefits Bond that Goldfinger has an indestructible henchman called Oddjob, who can kill a person with his bowler hat! There's no SPECTRE or SMERSH, just a bastard named Goldfinger who loves gold and hates losing. I think it fits the story, to be a stand alone film. The story is like the previous Bond films, so well told so the movie never drags. There are tons of action and beautiful women, and Bond utters arguably the best Bond line ever which is "Shocking... positively shocking." It's so different than the others, but in a way it's also more entertaining. It's the best BOND movie ever made!

Sean Connery marks his third appearance as James Bond, and he is enjoying himself here! Connery is still as charming and smooth as before, and he slightly more Bond in Goldfinger, as we've come to known him! Gert Fröbe is Auric Goldfinger, as the villain of the piece. He's fantastic! He's not physically imposing, but he's such an interesting character, as his villainous nature later reveals. He has my favorite scheme for a Bond villain ever, and he is given many good lines (you know which i'm talking about). Goldfinger is arguably the best Bond villain in the entire series! Honor Blackman is Pussy Galore, and she is also very good. Her character is hinted at being lesbian (as she is in the novel) which is something we don't usually see from a Bond girl. She'd be my nr. 4 on my top 10 Bond girls. Harold "Tosh Togo" Sakata is just plain awesome as Oddjob! He doesn't talk but he doesn't need to. Just looking at him you'll know that he is a baddie! That thing with his throwing hat, has just been parodied so much over the years! Shaw is still my favorite Bond henchman, but Oddjob is still a close nr. 2! We also have the second Felix Leiter actor, Cec Linder. I like his performance, but as the first actor since Jack Lord to portray the character, he is kind of a let down! Lord's performance as Leiter was the definitive one! Desmond Llewelyn marks his second appearance as Q, and his briefing has never been better than it is in Goldfinger! Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell is brought back as M and Moneypenny, and you know they're good.

All in all, this is a Bond movie that a Bond fan is not allowed to miss! It's just unacceptable if that could happen! Goldfinger sat the standards for all coming Bond villains to come, and changed the cinema forever. However, this also marked the point where Bond movies would try to top each other every single time. I'm not saying Goldfinger is a part of the ordeal, as it was the movie who started it all, but you can't get around the fact that the movie is a bit silly. Oddjob's hat, all the lasers, the car gadgets, etc. But I know it's a Bond movie, and without Goldfinger, we probably wouldn't know Bond as we know him today! Goldfinger is the perfect amount of silly, and the plot is still very well done! And it's all damn good entertainment! I'm gonna go ahead and call it my pic for the best Bond film ever made! This movie is Goldfinger... and it's absolutely friggin' awesome!

10/10

From Russia with Love (1963)

One of the first and one of the absolute best Bond films!

[10/10 · 30 November 2012]

After the immense success of Dr. No, the question stood if EON were to make a sequel. Of course, they were! Sean Connery reprises his role as James Bond and Terence Young returned to direct having previously directed Dr. No! With those two together, what could possibly go wrong? This time the producers drew inspiration from Ian Fleming's Bond novel entitled "From Russia With Love" and used it as the basis for the film. The film would stay with the same charm and stylish feel that the audience witnessed in Dr. No, making it a straight up cold, spy thriller of the best sort!

The movie became (like it's predecessor) an instant hit, and proved to be an even bigger! It's many fans' favorite Bond movie, it's Connery's favorite of those he did, and it's my favorite!

The movie takes out with MI6 receiving a letter from a Russian cypher clerk from a Russian embassy in Istanbul. The letter says that she will hand over a so called "Lektor" (a decoding machine) to MI6 on one condition: that James Bond were to escort her and the Lektor all the way to Britain, personally. Bond agrees to her demands, and heads to Istanbul to meet Kerim Bey and team up with him. In reality it is SPECTRE (the villainous terrorist organization mentioned in Dr. No) that has devised a plan to take the Lektor for themselves, kill Bond in retaliation for their operative Dr. No, and thereby humiliate MI6. The story evolves into an expertly told spy thriller about loyalty, romantics, violence, action and above all: realism. As I said, it's all told in such a fascinating and intriguing way, that you'll never EVER get bored! This is one of the only Bond movies that is in fact realistic, and portrays Bond as a spy!

Sean Connery reprises his role as MI6 agent James Bond, and again he does a marvelous job! I think, Connery delivers his finest performance in this film. He delivers everything the script and the director wants him too. Can't really give him more credit than that! Daniela Bianchi is our new Bond girl, and she is my favorite! She has much more to do and work with than Ursulla Andress in Dr. No, and she gets more screen time! Her performance is so real, innocent and sometimes kinky, that it makes her character even more realistic and human, which makes you like and care for her! Plus, her chemistry with Connery is superb! She is one of the only Bond girls that is really, really important to the plot, and is arguably the most important! A friggin' fantastic Bond girl! Lotte Lenya is our villain in the creepy and sadistic Rosa Klebb. I like her and her character very much! Her character is weighed much on the characters creepiness, and Lenya does a remarkable job with it! Pedro Armendáriz is Bond's ally, Kerim Bey. I love the chemistry he shares with Connery! His character is also very important to the story, and he is given many good quotes. I'm gonna go ahead and call him the best ally Bond has ever had in the entire series! Robert Shaw is our first indestructible henchman in the series as a whole. In my opinion, he is also the very best! He plays the sadistic, murderous, psychopathic, sociopathic, calculating and villainous Donald "Red" Grant. His character sat the standards for many coming henchmen, with his height and blond hair. This character has it all. He gets a spectacular intro which is the best for any Bond henchman ever! Trust me, you'll know when it's there. His performance is so realistic and creepy, that it blows all those simple-minded and blond-haired other henchmen away. He is mostly seen in the distance observing Bond or offing some of Bond's allies, and I love that! It's much more realistic and fits the story much better. But when he does meet Bond and talk with him it's worth the wait! The dialog is so interesting and intriguing as we slowly learns who SPECTRE is and how they operates! One of my favorite scenes in the entire series! And he delivers my favorite line from a Bond villain ever which is "My orders are to kill you and deliver the Lector... How I do it's my business." Plus, it can only help when Grant and Bond shares the best and most realistic fight in the entire series! Shaw as Grant is my favorite henchman ever! Vladek Sheybal and Walter Gotell also creates creepy and memorable Bond henchmen. Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell reprises their roles as M and Moneypenny, respectively. Desmond Llewelyn is awesome as Q for the first time! Last, but certainly not least, we get the first on-screen appearance from none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld! The sight of him stroking that white cat of his but never see his face is so haunting! Blofeld is a villain without comparison! He is THE villain! He's the head of SPECTRE! Nough' said! His scenes in this movie are my absolute favorites of all the scenes the character has! No other villain will ever be as memorable as him!

When you mix all these wonderful ingredients up, what you get is: a fantastic film, a wonderful cast, memorable performances, realism, violence, humor and a damn good James Bond movie, arguably the best of the entire series! Terence Young returns with the same energy and stylish direction and takes it all up one notch. In my opinion, this movie is better than Dr. No, purely because I like the story more, and it's much more intense! But as an introduction to the Bond universe, no movie could work better than Dr. No! However, From Russia With Love is still a better movie in general, and many fans' favorites (including mine) of all the Bond films! This movie is absolutely friggin' awesome!

10/10

Dr. No (1962)

Wow, I don't know what to say...

[9/10 · 29 November 2012]

Talk about a legendary classic of a movie! Dr. No... The very first James Bond film of all time! Everything you know about James Bond, even if you're not a fan, started here! Well, if you doesn't count the 1954 TV episode "Casino Royale" from Climax, that is.

The film set the standards for many movies to come, and the Bond universe has been parodied so many times over the years since! The film was based on one of the bestselling James Bond novels of the same name by Ian Fleming. There were so many people that contributed, to makes this film so memorable: Ian Fleming's excellent novels, Sean Connery's brilliant portrayal of James Bond, the stylish and tireless direction by Terence Young, John Barry's brilliant theme tune, Richard Maibaum and Johanna Harwood's fantastic script, Maurice Binder's brilliant main title opening, Peter Hunt's rapid and professional editing, etc. It's just all so brilliant! Connery as James Bond was able to charm both critics and moviegoers from the premiere, and it became an instant hit!

The story centers around this British agent for MI6 names James Bond (codenamed 007), who is sent to Jamaica to investigate the mystical disappearance of another British agent named Strangways and his assistant. Bond is almost immediately tried to get rid off, and Bond is quickly lured into a darker and more sinister plot! The plot is in fact very simple, though it gets kinda complicated at the end! Terence Young's brilliant direction is clearly visible right at the start! I don't think any other Bond director (expect Guy Hamilton with Goldfinger) has achieved to make such a sleek and stylish movie which matches Sean Connery's portrayal so far!

Sean Connery is imo the best Bond ever! He was the first and the original of course, but his performance is just so stylish and so memorable that whenever you think of Bond, you'll think of Connery! He expertly and smoothly blends into the role of James Bond, like he has been playing the character for years. It's interesting to note, that Connery drew a lot of inspiration for his interpretation of Bond from Terrence Young! And that Young apparently had Sean Connery sleep in the special tailored suit he wears in the movie. Connery agreed, and when he woke up the suit was still as comfortable as the night before! Connery owns the role, and will for many be the first and best James Bond, including me! Ursulla Andress plays the first EON Bond girl, and boy does she look good in a white bikini, phew! She's never been my absolute favorite Bond girl, but if I were to make a top 10 she'd probably be nr. 3 or something. She isn't given much screen time, but when she makes her entrance... it was worth the wait! She gets the most iconic Bond girl intro, when she walks out of the sea with her white bikini! Andress isn't that good an actress, but considering she's got no prior acting experience, she does a decent job. Joseph Wiseman plays the first EON Bond villain. I've always liked this villain. He has a nice build up, he has a nice, calm and laid back performance, which is a lot of fun to watch! He kinda set the standards for all Bond villains to come... Too bad he doesn't get much screen time, neither. He is also the first to introduce us to SPECTRE! You'll hear more about them in the other movies! He'd probably be my nr. 6 or something, on my top 10! We also have Jack Lord as Felix Leiter! Lord delivers the definitive performance as Felix Leiter. He's sophisticated, suave and calm in all of his scenes, and seems like a capable agent in his own right! More than you could say about the other actors to portray Leiter! Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell takes on the roles of M and Moneypenny, and both does a fantastic job!

Dr. No was never one of my absolute favorites. Don't get me wrong it is one of my favorites, but not one of my absolute favorites. I would have liked Andress and Wiseman to have more screen time, so that they could do more with their characters. The film hasn't got any real memorable action set pieces. The "action" consists of a regular car chase, people trying to shoot Bond while he sleeps, and some brawls in the end. That's kinda' it. Some might argue that this movie is boring. That is completely nonsense. The films pacing is slow, but this movie is meant to introduce viewers to Bond. Who he is, how he operates, who he works for, how he lives etc. The film does a pretty damn good job with that!

I guess, I have been pretty unfair with my verdict. It is the first Bond movie and therefore it is almost to important to rate! But here it is. Forget whatever critic I might have had against this movie, and watch it! Probability says you're gonna like it, and wanna go check the other Bond movies out! This is the first real James Bond movie... and it's absolutely friggin' awesome!

9/10

Casino Royale (2006)

My personal favorite Bond film of all time!

[10/10 · 13 November 2012]

After the Bond films had went everywhere they could, it started to become a little cliché, and the last Bond films began to be boring and over the top. Especially Die Another Day tried to capture the essence of the previous and better Bond films, and failed so dramatically. Maybe that is why EON and the producers went and waited 4 years to decide where the next Bond film should go, and who should be the next James Bond. Over 200 names on a list was considered to play the part, and eventually Daniel Craig was cast. Martin Campbell returned as a director, after previously having directed the masterpiece GoldenEye. EON and the producers eventually decided take Bond the only place where he hadn't gone... back to his roots. The producers had only recently acquired the rights to Ian Fleming's first novel "Casino Royale" from 1953. This novel should have been the inspiration for the first Bond film, if the producers had the rights at the time. They eventually went with Dr. No. The idea was a delightful refreshment to the Bond series, and the film proved to be a hit. It grossed 596,4 million dollars worldwide which was the highest for any Bond film ever, was one of the most critically acclaimed Bond films in years and it won a BAFTA Award for best sound. The fans however were divided into those who think it ruined the Bond series, and those who think it saved it. I'm 100 percent with the latter. The old Bond movies were gone and would never resurface, so why make more dumb movies trying to be as good as the first Bond movies. Okay, here goes:

The movie stays expertly close to the novel, with some other fascinating sub-plots, as international arms dealing and terrorist organizations. One of the best things about this movie is the plot. It's so intense and interesting, that you'll never be bored. The poker scenes are one of the most interesting and well shot scenes i have ever seen. I also love the plot because it doesn't include over the top villains hell bent on world dominance, invisible cars, laser watches, cheap jokes or lame visual effects. It's a straight up cold, spy thriller which brings back the essence of Dalton's films and the first Bond movies. I love it, and I think it's what the Bond films have been missing. The film also have one of the best action sequences i have ever seen. One of the best free-running chases ensues with Bond and a bomb maker named Mollaka and the film also includes a masterfully shot car chase scene in an airport. The choreography of all the fist and gun fights is top notch and one of the best action scenes I have ever seen. The world record for a car rolling over also features in this movie. The incredible thing about the movie is that all the stunts have actually been done. No lame visual effects. The movie found a pretty good balance between action and plotting.

Daniel Craig as Bond is the best and coolest James Bond ever put on the screen, in my opinion. He's the first since Dalton to approach James Bond as a human, and not a super hero with quick jokes. And while Dalton was good, Craig is better. He gives Bond more emotion and depth than ever before, and he earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his performance. Overall, Craig is in my opinion the best and coolest Bond ever, and that includes Sean Connery. Eva Green is a great Bond girl, and if you stay to the continuity, she is the first REAL Bond girl. I liked her as she is beautiful, a great actress and has great chemistry with Craig. Her character is also given much depth and emotion. One of the greatest Bond girls ever. Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre! Now I'm from Denmark, so I remember all the attention that Casino Royale got because of two danish actors portraying villains: Mikkelsen and Jesper Christensen. Much were made about if Mikkelsen could make a decent Bond villain, and it turned out he could. I'm not just saying this because I'm from Denmark, but he is one of my favorite Bond villains. He created a character that was creepy, greedy and realistic, beating out the previous actors, that had played Le Chiffre. This for me defines him as one of the best Bond villains ever. Jeffrey Wright plays Felix Leiter in this movie, and while he's not my favorite, he sure as hell did a good job. Giancarlo Gianinni plays Bond's contact René Mathis. Gianninni is a great actor, and could read a phone book loud, and still make is sound charming and cool. He's a lot of fun. Jesper Christensen as the mystical middleman Mr. White. I love this character because he's so mysterious and memorable. He isn't given much screen time, but that suits the character. Isaach De Bankolé has an appearance as the leader of the Lords Resistance Army. He also creates a scary and memorable villain. Judi Dench returns as M for the fifth time and does a fantastic job.

Martin Campbell's direction is flawless and brilliant. For me he creates the greatest Bond film ever. The cinematography and sound is also brilliant.

Overall, this film is for me the best Bond film ever. If you want to watch a Bond film with the same feeling as From Russia With Love, this is the film with you. However, if you liked Die another Day this probably isn't the movie for you.

10/10

Die Another Day (2002)

One of the worst Bond movies ever...

[5/10 · 12 November 2012]

... Need I say more? This movie is a perfect example of what Bond movies shouldn't be. An over the top, cheesy spy movie, with bad visual effects, bad plotting and a rip-off of previous Bond movies. Like Ikarus is a total copy of those other satellites in GoldenEye and Diamonds Are Forever. Or like, that Rosamund Pike's character is another copy of Elektra King in The World is not Enough. Director Lee Tamahori was a poor choice to direct a Bond movie. It felt like he was trying to make a cross between a Matrix movie and an over the top spy thriller. It just didn't work...

The movie takes out with Bond's mission to kill a North Korean arms dealer. A lot of action and explosions ensues, and Madonnas theme song is heard... And it sucked. Too techno, and not a Bond song! I normally ain't one of those who complains if a Bond movie doesn't stay to the expected formula, but that was just horrible. After the horrible Bond song, the first half of the movie is pretty cool and interesting. But then the movie blows out in a proportion of over the top gadgets, lame storytelling, cheesy scenes, lame visual effects etc. as described earlier in my review.

Pierce Brosnan returns for his fourth and last appearance as James Bond aka 007. I liked his performance in his final Bond entry, and he was actually required to act in a few of his scenes. Halle Berry as the Bond girl was awful. She can't act and her scenes are almost embarrassing... but hey, at least she looked good in a bikini! Toby Stephens/Will Yun Lee as Gustav Graves/Colonel Moon was a decent villain. He weren't fantastic, and he isn't one of my favorites, but he is a solid character and a solid villain. Rosamund Pike creates an interesting character in Miranda Frost and sure as hell is a better actor than Berry in this movie. Rick Yune as Zao is one of my favorite Bond henchmen of all the Bond films. If i was to create a list, he'd probably rank number 9 or 10. The memorable thing about him is that has like 20 diamonds on his right chin. The diamond thing is over the top, but he's still cool. Judi Dench returns as M as she is fantastic as well!

I'm not gonna try and treats this movie like it's 100 percent crap. It's not... Some of the action sequences are intense and cool, the set-pieces is beautiful and still the first part of the movie is kinda good. However this still ranks as one of the worst Bond movies to date, and rightfully so. If you wanna watch a completely unrealistic and over the top Bond film this is the film for you. Just don't expect another Goldfinger or something like that.

5/10