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shakennotstirred
Reviews
The Blacklist: Hannah Hayes (No. 125) (2019)
And they call us snowflakes?!
Bottom line, the episode was brilliant. Every negative review I read on here was some offended conservative whining about its "pro-abortion" theme. Watch for yourself. Unless of course you're a fragile conservative, then maybe you shouldn't.
Top Gun (1986)
The ultimate guys movie!
First of all, this review will not contain a plot synopsis. If you need to be told what the plot of 'Top Gun' is, you really need to get out more. That being said, this is (along with 'Road House') the ultimate guys movie. Any straight man with testosterone in his body loves this movie. The aircraft fight scenes will have you clinching your fists, and the numerous quoted lines will no doubt put a smile on your face. Bottom line: if you are a red-blooded American (male or female), you will love this movie. If your idea of a good time entails sipping cognac, dipping fondue, and speaking with a snobbish accent; then you'll hate this movie. So there, you have been warned. To all the reviewers who have bashed this movie, I have this to say: Get a life, you aren't near as cool as you think you are, and, oh yeah; didn't anyone ever tell you that movies are there for ENTERTAINMENT???
Twisted (2004)
Great actors, horrendous acting
I have always enjoyed the acting of Ashley Judd, Andy Garcia, & Samuel L. Jackson. When I saw that this movie had all 3 of them in it, I figured "must be good". Um..............yeah. I won't even bother going into plot details because it's pointless. This movie blows, plain and simple. I would never have believed that 3 fine actors could all turn in laughably bad performances in 1 film, but they did. Don't waste your time with 'Twisted'. Note: my review stopped there, but IMDb tells me that my review must have at least 10 lines of text, so here goes: The acting in this movie is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really bad.
Mystic River (2003)
Could have been SO much better...
MAJOR SPOILERS - READ ONLY IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE FILM
This was definitely a movie filled with squandered potential. The first hour or so was brutally slow; and once the film actually gets moving, it leads absolutely nowhere! The "explanation" for why the kids murdered Jimmy's daughter makes no sense. "They were worried that she would tell on them for playing with a gun" ???????Puh-leeze!!!Oh yeah, that totally explains why they bludgeoned her with a hockey stick, and then shot her AGAIN......Whatever. And lets not leave out how Sean (a cop) lets Jimmy just walk away after he realizes that he has murdered their childhood friend.....Oh sure.....makes perfect sense to me! In addition to all the above, the final 10 minutes or so were completely pointless. This worst thing of all about this movie is that it could have been great.
2 Final comments: 1)The fact that Sean Penn won Best Actor for this, while Tom Cruise wasn't even nominated for 'The Last Samurai' is a joke. 2)Has anyone else noticed that the reviews are split fairly evenly between good and bad, and yet the average rating is 8.1??? Just wondering how that happened.
From Russia with Love (1963)
The Formula Begins
Just as 'Dr. No' did an excellent job of introducing the James Bond character to the silver screen, 'From Russia With Love' does an equally admirable job of introducing the "Bond Formula". I've said it before, "You either like James Bond films, or you don't". For those of us that are fans of the character and the movies, FRWL will always be a lynch pin of the franchise.
EXTREMELY MILD SPOILERS HEREIN
'From Russia With Love' introduces many trademarks of the franchise: The pre-title sequence, credits projected onto shadowy images of women, the gadgets, the chases, and 'Q'. Desmond Llewelyn, you are missed. This is also the introduction of the Blofeld character.
The Plot: SPECTRE plans to steal a soviet 'Lektor' decoding machine by duping the British and Russian secret service into working against each other; and to kill James Bond as revenge for Dr. No.
Sean Connery once again shows why he is the best Bond ever by playing the part with a cold ruthlessness (the way Ian Fleming wrote the character, by the way) that no other actor has yet matched. Connery's Bond is not above slapping a woman he believes to be lying to him, or killing an unarmed man. He also exudes a suaveness that only Brosnan has yet to approach. Note the straightening of the tie after the climactic fight ;)
Daniela Bianchi continues the tradition of the beautiful 'Bond Girl' set by Ursula Andress. Her scenes aboard the train car are particularly appetizing.
Fun Facts: FRWL features the return of Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench; the only 'Bond Girl' to appear in more than one film. (Character, not actress, that is)
For being made in 1963, it features some strong sexual overtones. Lesbianism is hinted at in the scene featuring Tatiana and Rosa Klebb, and the fact that Bond enjoys 2 women simultaneously is all but spelled out.
The 3 'Bond Girls' in the movie are: Zora (Martine Beswick), Vida (Aliza Gur), and Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi).
While in 'M's office 007 is shown a picture of Tatiana for the first time, he writes on the picture: "From Russia With Love".
Like 'Dr. No' the worst thing about the film is Peter Hunt's HORRENDOUS editing job. He called it "crash cutting", I call it amateurish crap. Aside from that, though, one of the Best 007's.
The new DVD edition features a fantastic "making-of" documentary, a must see for any James Bond fan.
My film rating 8/10. My BOND film rating 7.5/10.
Dr. No (1962)
James Bond portrayed the way Ian Fleming created him.
Simple fact: You either like James Bond films, or you don't. If you don't, I would advise you not to waste your time with this review. However, if you do, read on...
Plot synopsis: An MI6 agent and his secretary are murdered while in Jamaica working on an inquiry regarding massive interference with American rocket launches. 007 is sent to investigate. Along the way he crosses paths with several beautiful young women, a helpful CIA agent (played to perfection by Jack Lord), and a megalomaniacal villain.....OK, it's a James Bond movie, do you reeeeeeeeeeeeeally need a plot synopsis? Didn't think so. Now on to the good stuff...
Even though this is the first James Bond film, it doesn't have a few of the things that have gone on to become Bond trademarks. There is no pre-title sequence, no gadgets, and no appearance by "Q"; although a character named Major Boothroyd (the official name of Desmond Llewelyn's character) does issue Bond his handgun, though played by a different actor. What this film DOES have though, more than any other 007 flick is the James Bond character portrayed the way Ian Fleming wrote him. Anyone familiar with the novels knows that James Bond wasn't particularly friendly, and was about as far away from the "cute, cuddly Bond" that Roger Moore gave us as you could get. In fact, the James Bond that Ian Fleming created was pretty much a cold, ruthless ba****d.
Back in 1961 Harry Saltzman optioned the screen rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. He then formed EON productions with Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli and they began the task of bringing 007 to the silver screen. They then signed Sean Connery to play Bond and Terence Young to direct. Sean and Terence were themselves fans of the Fleming novels and thankfully remembered one thing that almost all of today's movie stars and directors forget: If you're making a movie based upon books (comics or otherwise) STAY FAITHFUL TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL! cough*Sam Raimi*cough*Spider-Man*cough. Sean Connery and Terence Young did just that, they brought Bond to the screen the way he was written: as an arrogant, ruthless, misogynistic character; albeit a very smooth and cool one... Hey, if you can watch Bond's intro in the casino and not smile the first time Connery utters the immortal line "Bond, James Bond", you should never bother watching another 007 film.
There are certain things that feel dated but should be forgiven due to the fact that the movie was filmed in 1962. This film should be viewed as what it is: the introduction to James Bond and the series, a task that it pulls off superbly.
The new version of the DVD includes a great 42 minute 'making-of' documentary. A definite must-see for any Bond fan. Especially entertaining is watching Peter Hunt try to justify his ABYSMAL editing job on the action scenes.
A few fun facts that could be considered VERY MINOR SPOILERS:
James has 2 of his trademark "Medium-dry vodka martinis, shaken not stirred" (If you looked at my I.D., you HAD to know that I was going to throw that in somewhere!) Although he does not actually order either one on screen.
The 3 Bond Girls in 'Dr. No' are Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson), Miss Taro (Zena Marshall), and Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress).
If you've seen any of the 'Austin Powers' movies you will definitely laugh when Dr. No introduces himself as, "The unwanted child of a German missionary and a Chinese girl of good family". Curse you, Mike Myers.
'Dr. No' (JB1) My film rating 8/10. My BOND film rating 7/10.
Booty Call (1997)
Non - Stop laughs.
Forget race. Forget age. Forget social status. We all know the perils of getting, and giving, some; because of that, the humor of this movie is universal. This is one of those unbelievably rare comedies that is funny all the way through. Not only that, there are so many jokes and gags, that you will probably miss some of them because you're too busy laughing at the last one. Excellent movie to rent for a "stay-at-home" date.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Great movie?...Yes. 2nd best movie ever?...No.
1 VERY MINOR SPOILER INCLUDED.
I will openly admit that the whole reason I watched this movie is because it is ranked number 2 on the IMDb top 250. I will further admit that, yes, the movie is great. But #2 of all time? Mmmmm... no. There aren't particularly any flaws with the film, aside from the fact that it spans a 20 year period and nobody seems to age at all. The performances are stellar and it desrves to be lauded as a great film. If you haven't seen it, see it, you will be glad you did. I was.
The Last Samurai (2003)
Impeccable film-making...
It is hard to use enough superlatives to describe this film: epic, mesmerizing, breathtaking, etc. This is how movies are supposed to be. An intense storyline infused with action, emotion, and even a tad bit of humor. The acting is superb by not only Cruise, but also the supporting cast. Ken Watanabe (Kasumoto) is brilliant as the Samurai leader, and Tony Goldwyn once again portrays his despicable character so well that you think he should have a patent on it. Easily the best film so far this year. If Tom Cruise does not finally win the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Capt. Nathan Algren, then the Academy should have it's head examined.