Skyfall

Skyfall (2012)

91% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 230 reviews)

Runtime: 144 minutes

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Finnes, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

From: MGM/Columbia

Finally, last night I was able to check this out in a jam-packed theatre; I had heard much about the movie from messageboards and what have you since it was released in the UK and elsewhere then made its way to North America a few days ago, where I heard mostly strong buzz for it. I was at least hoping it'd be better than Quantum of Solace.

Don't worry, it blew Quantum out of the water.

The plot... I don't want to give too much away (at least what wasn't shown in all the trailers) so I'll just use what the movie has used to describe the plot: “Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter the personal cost.”

The first thing I'll mention is that the threat here has nothing to do with the Quantum organization you see in the first two Craig Bond films. The villain here, Silva (a blonde-haired Bardem, who delivers an incredible performance; I've already heard some compare the movie to The Dark Knight in terms of villain and his plan; it's not the worst comparison as I had the same thought. The character and his motivation are great, but Javier was awesome in the role and made it so memorable) is doing things on his own and his plan is vengeance. In some ways I was reminded of Max Zorin, played by Christopher Walken in A View to a Kill. Both have light blonde hair, act rather crazy, and they happen to use the technology of the time rather well. I'll leave it at that. I won't even say where Bond travels to except you see action both in Europe and Far East Asia.

I wasn't sure what to expect action-wise from the director of American Beauty but it turns out, he films it quite well. No shaky-cam or quick-editing crap. Plus, the action itself is quite great. The opening bit before the famed credits and Adele title song (and that song is much better than that crap you got from Quantum) is tremendous and sets the mood perfectly. The story too... it is more of a Bond film than the first two; 007 is happy to bed women, for example, and as you know from the trailers, the new Q shows up. Yet the story is also mature and deals with the lead characters having to deal with serious conflict and doubts about themselves, looking to the future as well as the past.

So all around, this is one of the best films I've seen this year, let alone in comparison to the 007 films of the past 50 years. I give it my highest recommendation. I'll be back Monday night.

Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Marc Foster

Starring: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Giancarlo Gianni

From: MGM/Columbia

Yep, I saw this for the first time in 4 years (as I mentioned the last time) and at the time I really did not care for the film. It did not compare to Casino Royale, for sure. I figured I should watch it again and give it another go even if I understand you don't need to have this memorized before you check out Skyfall.

The plot: Despite him saying no, 007 is looking for revenge against those who killed his lady Vesper Lynd. He finds out more about the mysterious Quantum organization as he learns about a Eurodouche (the best term for him) known as Mr. Greene who is buying land in Bolivia that appears to be worthless. Bond also meets up with a Russian lady who has an agenda of her own.

Turns out, my opinion of the movie hasn't changed too much from seeing it in November of 2008. The biggest thing which hurts it is that there was the writer's strike which happened right as they turned in the first draft of this script, so of course they couldn't do further drafts as they always do to improve it. It really shows. The story I just don't really care for. The childish feuding between 007 and M, the story being so slight and not really advancing what was presented in Casino Royale, a character being named Strawberry Fields but she's only ID'ed in the film was “Fields”, she wears a trenchcoat for a few minutes as if she was a flasher, her death is a lame version of one of the most famous deaths in the entire Bond franchise... yet on rewatch I thought the first half of the film wasn't that bad, despite the problems and Mr. Greene being a limp and weak villain. But in the second half-when they get to Bolivia-there's just so much stupid it disintegrates like that plane Bond and Camille jump from and they open a parachute 100 feet from the ground but they end up uninjured when they should have been killed instantly... and let's not even talk of the finale with the luxury hotel being built in the middle of nowhere in the desert. That was really bad all around. But, it turns out that the now-famous Stana Katic is the girl in the final scene where Bond gets revenge on a certain guy.

Then, there's the action scenes. There are cool things done, but it's hard to make out as it was filmed with the “hip” and “cool” style of it being both shaky-cam and way too quick editing, making it really hard to enjoy and watch. I really hope that trend dies soon. It ruined things here.

So, with the crap story and the badly filmed action scenes, the movie still isn't any good in 2012. And speaking of no good, the opening credits song from Jack White and Alicia Keys... I've never thought that Jack White was any good and he did not change my opinion of him with that garbage tune. Thankfully Skyfall sounds much better. I'll be back Sunday night to talk about that motion picture.

Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006)

Runtime: 144 minutes

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelson, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench

From: MGM/Columbia

This wasn't exactly how I planned on doing it, but I do plan on seeing Skyfall within the next few days; the exact date, I am not sure yet. I figured it would only be appropriate to talk about the first two Craig Bonds before I go see the third one. Plus, it's a nice refresher; although, I have heard the new one is more of a stand-alone thing than a flick that directly follows the last one.

You should know the plot by now: The dude who now has the code name James Bond (hey, that's the theory to explain the different guys with the same name and how he's been alive for so long) has to deal with Le Chiffre, a banker for a mysterious terrorist organization. Chiffre enters a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro in order to win back money that was lost after Bond thrawted his stock-related scheme. 007 has to stop him by winning the game, all while trying to find out more about his group and falling in love with the lovely Vesper Lynd.

While you could carp about some things with the film, like how there's seemingly a 4^th act that isn't as awesome as the first three, how the big game was changed to poker from baccarat as the former is easier for people to understand and because-unfortunately-poker on American TV was a huge deal back in the day, how the narration of the game wasn't really needed, or even that it isn't that much of a traditional Bond movie. All of those points aren't unwarranted; despite that, I still really enjoyed the film, especially compared to what was to follow two years later... the story was certainly engrossing, the action scenes were really well-done and nicely filmed (especially the parkour vs. Bond chase where that dude jumps and flips around in a fancy way using the environment where 007 uses his brains and his brawn and the entire Miami sequence), the settings of Madagascar, Montenegro, and Italy were all nice-even if they weren't all filmed at those locations-and yeah, Eva Green isn't bad-looking either. The fact that for the most part it is real nicely-paced (even with the long Montenegro stuff) is another bonus.

I am glad the movie still holds up well and I still dig it a lot. I do know that Friday night I'll rewatch Quantum of Solace for the first time in 4 years. Maybe I'll think a little higher of it with time, but I have a feeling I'll have quite a few negative things to say about it.

The Man With The Iron Fists

The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)

55% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 40 reviews)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: RZA

Starring: RZA, Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann

From: Universal

Here is what I did late last night instead of watching the latter half of the election results. I decided to go to the cinema to forget about all of that for a few hours and to try and have a good time. I had heard rather mixed things about this film, and even the people who I suspect would hold the most interest in it had differing opinions. My knowledge of this sort of movie is rather limited as I haven't seen too much in the genre; Lord knows that RZA has like a million times more knowledge of it than I do, so I hope he would deliver something appropriate. To steal a line from somewhere, it was more like a movie you would see in a Grindhouse 2 that will never happen rather than a classic Hong Kong film from the 70's, but...

The plot isn't exactly complex: there are various clans in China in the 19^th century. A bad man known as Silver Lion takes over his Lion clan and they look to hijack a shipment of gold from the Emperor. They try to do it in a small village (Jungle Village... oh-e-oh-e-oh) where RZA is a blacksmith (and yes they actually do explain how he ended up in China), he has a lover (Jamie Chung) and there are other personalities that get involved, including a huge ripped dude with magical powers (Bautista), the head of a brothel (Lucy Liu) and a British soldier (Crowe).

The story is a mess and you can tell RZA is not what you'd call an experienced director at all, this being his first feature film. But, despite its warts, how the action isn't always filmed the best (although thankfully it isn't that shaky-cam crap) and overall it does seem slight and not as awesome as it could have been, I did manage to enjoy this wacky, strange film where judging by the performances and the story they had to be going for camp and silliness. I certainly wasn't bored, which was a complaint I heard on a site. It was so weird, I had no idea what to expect next so that kept my interest. It was a colorful world, for sure, and also a bloody one. You see a #lot# of blood throughout. As others have said, Crowe is the highlight as the brash opium-smoking Jack Knife. Yes, that's what he calls himself. Then again there are people known as Silver Lion and Brass Body, so there you go.

I do not know if I'd recommend seeing this on the big screen in a first-run theatre but maybe it's best for a dollar joint or a Redbox rental. I am glad I did not hate it after some of the bad reviews I heard. Even the odd mix of songs/score work for it for the most part. I could have done without hearing a Kanye West song but that is mostly because I've always thought of him as a loathsome human being. I am surprised a 20 million dollar wacky kung-fu film got made and released by Universal in 2012; that was a ballsy move and I don't know if it'll work out in terms of the box office. I am glad it happened given that most of what the big studios put out I could not care less about.

I'll be back tomorrow night.

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert

Starring: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Richard Kiel

From: UA

As Skyfall is coming out in a matter of days in the United States, I figured I should talk about another Bond film. I do plan on rewatching both Casino Royale (which I am looking forward to) and Quantum of Solace-I am not looking forward to that-before seeing the new one. I've heard mostly good things about that so that makes me happy.

Now, onto talking about this film, which many people rate highly... me included. The plot is pretty similar to You Only Live Twice, but I do say this does it better. A megalomaniac known as Stromberg (Jurgens) set up a scheme where Soviet and British submarines disappear and each side blames the other. His scheme is to cause nuclear war so the world would be destroyed and his Atlantis underwater base would be the start of a new civilization. Bond has to team with a sexy Soviet agent (Bach) to try and stop the madman... along with his famous pal Jaws.

The movie started off on a good note with the groovy disco-esque score from Marvin Hamlisch and the ski scene opening with the incredible jump off the cliff into the Union Jack parachute opening. The opening also sets up the relationship with the agent XXX (not Vin Diesel, thankfully) as Bond unkowingly kills her lover. The action goes from Austria to Egypt to Sardinia and then the Atlantis base and the giant ship which has captured the submarines. The locales all look nice and I enjoyed the action throughout. The battles between Bond and Jaws are still classic today. Sure, it's ridiculous how unstoppable he is but that's part of the charm. Also classic is the scene with the white Lotus where it went underwater. There are many memorable scenes, come to think of it. There are hot women in Barbara Bach and Caroline Munro, the plot is cartoony but still a blast... it's great.

While I understand when I heard some people slag it for being like a “best-of Bond” movie due to the elements from earlier films being brought in here-including the basic plot to a film from 10 years ago-I still rate this rather highly. I just find it tremendous in the entertainment category. I especially like that epic-long battle between the British/Soviet/American forces and Stromberg's forces in the giant ship. That was sweet all around.

I'll be back tomorrow night with a review of something completely different.

Left to Die

Left To Die (2012)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Leon Ichaso

Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Barbara Hershey, Nicholas Gonzalez, Emily Foxler

From: Sony Pictures Television

Yep, another Rachael film. This time, it is one that just made its debut last night... on Lifetime. Yes, I watched something on that network. I was not expecting this film to already have aired, as I know this was filmed just a few months ago in August, mainly in Colombia of all places. As it's Lifetime it's about a woman in peril, there's romance, and it was based on a true story. I think that at least one of those qualities can be seen in all the programming seen on that channel!

Unfortunately, this is based on a true story as it involves an older lady (Hershey) vacationing in Ecuador and she gets set up in a drug bust and gets jailed and her daughter Tammi (Cook) has to try and get her out of there. It took 22 months (!) and many false starts but it finally happened.

Overall, it's a standard cable TV movie. I don't mean that as an insult. I am just stating fact. It's a fine way to spend a few hours and it's also educational... it doesn't really make you want to visit the lovely country of Ecuador, though! Sure, I understand the laws there have changed which makes it harder for the sad case of Sandra Chase to take place, but it still makes you want to visit another country in South America instead... maybe even Colombia. Don't ask why I know all this knowledge of the film, I just do.

Besides the deal of someone being jailed, she is also ill, Tammi's sibling less than reliable, the prison is a craphole (it's open-air but it still isn't a place for an American lady to be), Tammi has a romance along the way... so no wonder it was made for this channel. The performances are all fine and the reason why I checked this out... she looked pretty hot and she should wear white pants more often! That is a nice look for her. Her dressing up like a nun in order to secretly visit her mom in jail was a rather interesting look.

I tell you, this movie has to be better than the one I saw advertisement for on that channel; it'll debut soon and it is The Christmas Consultant and stars both Caroline Rhea and... David Hasselhoff! He gets shoved into a Christmas tree and both tumble over; for some reason, I unfortunately think that he's drunkenly fallen into a Christmas tree before...

I'll be back tomorrow night.

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Freddie Francis

Starring; Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barbara Ewing, Barry Andrews

From: Hammer

My apologies for this being up late. I was preoccupied with other things. I figured I should continue with the horror theme for tonight, before I move onto other things and then Bond next weekend.

I watched this via a 4-pack of Hammer Draculas from Warner Brothers. They are four random ones in the long series due to how scattered the rights are to Hammer films in the States. Many different companies have put out their films here over the years, so the rights are all screwed up.

Last year I watched Horror of Dracula. A few years later there was Brides of Dracula, which did not actually have Dracula but Peter Cushing returned as Dr. Van Helsing. Two years before this movie came out there was Dracula: Prince of Darkness, where Lee returned (someone bled on his ashes so he was revived) and it was about some students who got stuck at his castle. I heard that was a mixed bag. Now, onto this film...

The plot: I do know that the climax of Prince of Darkness revolved around Dracula literally being put on ice. There apparently was also a scene where a girl was killed and put inside a church bell. The beginning here was that girl being found. A year later, no one wants to enter the church due to that, the castle's shadow being cast on the church, and everyone still being scurred of the Count. The priest of the church and the monsignor go up to the castle... or rather, the priest only goes up halfway before wimping out. Something happens and the priest falls and busts himself open; that blood seeps through the ice and revives Dracula.

No, really. That's actually what happens.

While that's going on, the monsignor does a sort of exorcism on the castle (again, really) and puts a giant cross on the front door. The Count is PISSED about it so he seeks revenge... it involves such people as Paul and his lady friend Maria; there's also a saucy redhead (is there any other kind?) named Zena who loves to show off her “dumplings” and her cleavage.

I heard elsewhere the movie be described as “sloppy but fun” and that seems like a good take. Note that despite some flaws I did enjoy this as a wacky yarn of a tale. Sure, there are some continuity things that are distracting if you are on the look out for them (for example, Dracula's reflection is seen more than once; that shouldn't be the case); that said, it was not offensive and while it isn't Horror of Dracula, it still is fun to watch. It is also filmed well. The director's main forte was cinematography and among his work there was Glory, The Elephant Man, and the Cape Fear remake.

Dracula is a real bastard again, and this time acts sadistic. He's great at getting revenge at those who wrong him. Maria is a very pretty blonde, Zena is a memorable trampy character, there is a member of the clergy who is conflicted (to say the least) and Paul is hilarious in that he might as well be Paul Asperger. I am not saying that as an insult. Rather, he's just rather blunt to the point of thinking it's OK to tell a monsignor that he is an atheist. A wacky yarn, and quite enjoyable.

Also, this movie is rated G but LOL to that. There's blood spurting out of wounds, a lot of cleavage, the sadism, and the overall sexual nature... rather comical.

I'll be back Monday night.