On Her Majesty's Secret Service

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Ahh, the George Lazenby Bond film. Finally seen it. Yes it is remarkably different in tone to the others so far. It's a slow burn film, all character plot heavy up front. The action doesn't kick in until the very end. And then of course there's the final scenes, such a downer ending. Never knew Bond got married.

I actually quite liked it but can easily see why it would throw people. And to go for such a long stretch without our heroine in the middle is a bit risky too. Also odd that Blofeld doesn't recognise Bond after meeting face to face in the last picture. Although chronologically the book came first. Confusing.

And very different music. So odd having the Bong theme on a synth. No theme song either!

You Only Live Twice

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

This is more like it. One of the few classic Bond's I'd actually seen and probably one of the best. There's a lot I remembered about this one. The characters in this one are quite fun, the story really moves and the action is great. Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay and apart from the impeccable structure, it has some great one liners in it too.

That is one massive set at the end there. Donald Pleasence! The real inspiration for Dr. Evil.

And I really love the theme song and music in this one. This is the Bond production team firing on all cylinders.

Casino Royale

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Well, it's not part of the official Bond canon but technically this was the next Bond film. I was very intrigued by the cast list and the equally long list of directors.

Uhh...

What a mess. Not exactly what I'd call a laugh riot. I loved the production design in the middle segment where they went all German expressionistic, but apart from that, no. No no no. I just wanted it to end. A parade of famous people making me think less of them all just for being in this. And the Burt Bacharach music just makes it all seem worse.

The Last Days of Disco

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

A title I knew of for a long time and only just got around to watch. Absolutely loved it. Great cast playing well written characters.

This must be the best thing Kate Beckinsale has done. Her character is gloriously hideous and immensely watchable. What a bitch. A surprising highlight of the film for me. Chloë Sevigny is great too.

And it really does evoke a sort of melancholic sadness for the end of an era. It reminds me a lot of Boogie Nights for some reason. Writing is on the ball and gotta admit, that soundtrack is rockin'. Does make one feel like dancing.

PILLOWLIPS! That's Matt Keeslar to you non-Middleman-fans. So great.

Yep, really loved this, will have to find someone to show it to soon so I can watch it again.

Taken 2

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Ethan, Paul

Textbook factory churned out film, an unnecessary sequel to a surprise hit rushed into production to cash in on the good will of fans of the first.

Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen can write these in their sleep. And they have selected Olivier Megaton from their pool of regular collaborators to tackle the sequel. It's competently made, no doubt about it. But nothing ever really clicks.

Too many missed oppertunities. They instead decided to rehash the basic plot of the first film, but without a credible threat and a weakly characterised villain. The only interesting parts where where the film deviated from the original and saw Liam Neeson having to talk through his daughter played by Maggie Grace to come and rescue him. All the little spy techniques and a proactive female character was genuinly compelling for a while. But they couldn't keep it up for long and then the film just goes through the motions.

Neeson shoots down faceless stock bad guys with no remorse. But nobody really cares. His hand to hand fights are cut infuriatingly fast which only serves to create a blurred mess of what otherwise looked to be some interesting fight choreography.

You can tell they temped the soundtrack with score from the Bourne films, it's just a cheap rehash of that.

Cheap thrills that will leave you unsatisfied.

Mental

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

Well I'm honestly not sure what to make of this one. I really liked a lot of it, some of it made oddly uncomfortable and the rest really grated on my nerves. I think that's mainly that very brash and broad Aussie humour that I'm naturally inclined to cringe at. However the ladies up the back thought it was a laugh riot, so it's probably just me.

The film seems to have a lot on its mind and very round about ways of expressing it. With the characters being so big and cartoonish I think we lose some of the bitter reality undercurrent that Murial's Wedding had. It's still there in spades, I just don't think it worked as well.

And I can only imagine that half the budget went to obtaining rights to The Sound of Music.

A mixed bag for me.

The Raven

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

James McTeigue has made a very slickly produced film. Great production value, but the story just isn't really up to snuff. And any Poe fans will probably squirm seeing him forced into a Sherlock Holmes wannabe film wether he fits there or not.

I was surprised this one didn't get a theatrical release here, but though it looks and sound like a good film it's missing something. It should either have gone darker to match Poe's sensibilities or it should have just been more fun. I dunno, it wasn't all there for me.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

First day of school holidays, Cheap Tuesday, cinema in a shopping center in the sticks... What the hell was I thinking?

And yet I hold no great ill will towards the film. It wasn't that bad. Sure it's just more of this kid getting embarrassed but I think, despite no having much to do with the dog at all, the vignettes worked together to form a more cohesive whole this time.

The completist in me wanted to see this one, after sitting through the first two. And surly it's going to be the last anyway, otherwise they'll have to change the title to wimpy teen. And this is the first one I saw at the cinema.

Well, it's not enthralling and a lot of it is just stupid and obvious but there's much worse kid's entertainment out there.

Arbitrage

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

I resent films that make me squirmy and uncomfortable but at the same time have to recognise the filmmakers skill at getting such reactions from the audience. Just watching a character make immoral decisions and lying and seeing them dig themselves deeper into trouble but still remain invested in their story is quite a feat.

I gotta admit I'm not sure I would have been so sympathetic had Al Pacino still been cast and not swapped with Richard Gere. It would have felt quite different I think.

Nicholas Jarecki certainly makes a confident first time narrative film writer director. This one turned the knife in all the right places I think. Hard to say I enjoyed it but I thought it was competently made and does exactly what it sets out to.

Thunderball

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

WIDESCREEEEEN

UNDERWATERRRRRRR

SHAAARRRRRKKSSS

This film is too long. But the girls work much better than in the previous film.

Goldfinger

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Back to the Bond marathon. Goldfinger is one I've seen before a few times, not recently though. Pussy Galore. Ridiculous. Is it just me or does Bond rape her. And then we are to believe that he was so amazing she changed her sexuality and her morals and switched sides for him? Uhhhh....

Oddjob, so cool.

Spectre aren't in this one. I gotta admit I never put it together that they were an ongoing nemesis for the Bond franchise.

This one has something that the first two films lacked to varying degrees. That special something is fun.  The villains are more fun, Bond is more fun, the bond girls are rather tragic though, not in a bad sense but in a genuinely tragic sense. But apart from their sad fate there's a lot to enjoy with this classic. Not least of which is that title song.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

This long weekend they had screenings of the restoration to coincide with the bluray release this week for the 30th anniversary.

This was the first time I saw this at the cinema, a beautiful looking version of the original theatrical release. The film is just magic. What struck me watching in the cinema is just how restrictive and controlled the camera angles and shots are. Everything is either kept very wide or once we get to know the kids it's very tight on them in small environments. The same goes for the way they shoot the actual E.T. puppets and animatronics.

The story seems so simple and straight forward. It really takes its time when it needs to. And it's a great example of visually telling a story, there a long stretches where there's no dialogue at all and that's where the film shines.

Such a magical experience and I loved watching this in a cinema and seeing kids there watching it presumably for the first time, absolutely quiet and well behaved caught up in the film. Can't wait to pick up the bluray.

From Russia with Love

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Paul

Ok, this is one I've never seen. Only the 2nd in the series and already you can see a huge difference in the way they tell the story. Some of that is probably a bigger budget, but the pace moves better, the story has periodic action and a few great set ups and payoffs.

And this is the film with the cat stroking villain whose face you don't ever see! Of course. Also appearing: Blonde Robert Shaw, whom I did not recognise at all, a very mission impossible pre-credit teaser, gypsy cat fight that stops the film dead in its tracks so we can perv at women for a bit, helicopter dodging and a villainous mastermind that has yet to be found out and killed! Presumably in a future instalment.

James Bond will return in Goldfinger.
Good to know.

Dr. No

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Paul

The latest Bond film is imminent. I've never been a huge Bond fan, I do enjoy the few I've seen, mainly the later ones that came out as I was growing up. I've only seen a handful of earlier ones so I'm gonna attempt to get through them all leading up to the newest release.

Dr. No, 50 years ago. And not quite the Bond we know today, this film is a pretty slow paced spy thriller that's surprisingly light on action and heavy on talking heads. The villain doesn't even appear until the last half hour.

It's practically impossible for me to judge this in context, when I'm so used the the Pierce Brosnan films and this just seems so far removed from that. However a lot of the iconography is in place. And I love the title sequence. 

This is one of the few I had seen before but it was cool to watch in HD too, looks great. 

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

Friends are going to east to see the live show. Kinda jealous. But I did finally get to see the movie, an import dvd because even though it was scheduled to come out a week or so ago I haven't seen it available anywhere in Australia yet.

Anyway, if you watch the show, you'll get what you want from the movie. And if not, I don't know what you would make of it. Chances are it won't convert anyone that doesn't already love their stuff. I enjoyed it though.