Topic: Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar

[GSyren]

Title	GoldenEye (Disc ID: A615-EDE8-2C76-C31E)
Director	Martin Campbell
Actors	Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker
Produced	1995 in United Kingdom
Runtime	130 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	Commentary, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Overview	The effortlessly suave and sophisticated Pierce Brosnan makes his acclaimed debut as Agent 007 in this rip-roaring espionage thriller featuring the most eye-popping opening sequence yet! When an MI6 agent (Sean Bean) turns rogue and plans world domination with a terrifying satellite-borne weapon, Bond must pursue his former ally to Cuba, Monte Carlo, Switzerland and even Russia, all whilst dodging a sexy, deadly femme fatale (Famke Janssen) who will stop at nothing to put the 'squeeze' on the intrepid spy!
My thoughts	I like Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Unfortunately though, he only got one really good script – this one. I don't know if this script was initially meant for Timothy Dalton. It feels more like Dalton's two films than any of Brosnan's following films. I also think that Izabella Scorupco is the best Bond girl of the Brosnan films. Some may argue that Halle Berry is better, and as much as I like her, I wasn't all that impressed by her as a Bond girl. And Famke Jansen! Whoa! And this film introduces Dame Judi Dench as the new “M”. Damn, that woman can outact most of the rest of the cast. I love Judi Dench. The one character in GoldenEye that I don't care for at all is Boris Grishenko. Alan Cumming isn't a bad actor, not at all. I blame the screenwriter, not Alan. Boris is just too silly. Sean Bean is a great, though, as the villain. Joe Don Baker as the CIA agent? A bit too much comedy there for my taste. But not nearly as grating as Boris. Other than that, I like the story just fine, even if there are a few question marks. How come that in the precredit sequence Bond enters the Russians' headquarter at the bottom of that enormous dam, and end up at an airstrip on top of a mountain? But the jump from the top of the dam, that's one hell of a fine stunt. Many people call the other jump a stunt, the jump into the diving airplane. But that's not a stunt. It's an action sequence. So, all in all I really like this movie. Too bad Brosnan's next three were not of the same class.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Tomorrow Never Dies (Disc ID: 027B-F4CB-5E4B-634A)
Director	Roger Spottiswoode
Actors	Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay
Produced	1997 in United Kingdom
Runtime	119 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, Music Only Dolby Digital Dolby Surround
Subtitles	Commentary, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Overview	Pierce Brosnan returns as the fearless, cunning and devastatingly cool Secret Agent 007 in this thrilling adventure! When a ruthless media tycoon (Jonathan Pryce) tries to destabilise the world economy by orchestrating a deadly standoff between world superpowers, in an attempt to achieve high ratings for his media conglomerate, Bond must step in to prevent World War III! Co-starring the gorgeous Teri Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh, this high-tech action-adventure will exhilarate Bond fans of all ages!
My thoughts	Bond marathon #18 I think it's OK that you have to suspend disbelief to some extent in an action movie in general, and in a Bond movie in particular, but there is a limit. If there are too many implausible or impossible plot points, I just have a hard time enjoying the movie. Tomorrow Never Dies goes a bit over my acceptance threshold, but it doesn't totally ruin it. While the script is really weak, in my opinion, there are some nice action sequences. There are some nice minor parts that I enjoyed, like Teri Hatcher as mrs. Carver and Vincent Schiavelli as the hitman Dr. Kaufman. Geoffrey Palmer bitching with Judi Dench was a nice touch reminding me of the great British TV show As Time Goes By. Michelle Yeoh kicks ass, for sure, but wasn't terribly memorable as a Bond girl. Jonathan Pryce as the main villain was a bit too over the top for my liking. Götz Otto as the henchman, Mr. Stamper, wasn't too bad, but just not terribly interesting. As far as I'm concerned Brosnan is still OK as Bond. The real “give me a break” moment in the film is the helicopter hovering at a 45 degree angle. Not just implausible, but abso-f*cking-lutely impossible. But the pivotal idea in the film, misleading the Devonshire by sending a false GPS signal, is also too improbable. First off, GPS positioning relies on many satellites at the same time. If just one of them is off, this should be noticed. Secondly, the Devonshire would not be the only one affected. The rogue signal should have been spotted by others. And those were certainly not the only moments that stretched the imagination. I guess ones appreciation of the various Bond films depend a lot on how you were introduced to Bond; through the books or the films, and if the latter, which film and which actor. Personally I started with the two first films (Dr. No and From Russia with Love) and then read the books. So it's probably not too surprising that I prefer Sean Connery and the early Connery films. As the films go further away from Fleming's style, my appreciation of them diminishes. Still, if I try somewhat disregard that this is James Bond, and overlook some of the excesses, I can still enjoy the film. But I can only give it a fairly average rating.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (5-060020-701641)
Director	Mary Lambert
Actors	Tiffany , Deborah Gibson, A Martinez, Kathryn Joosten, Kevin M. Horton
Produced	2010 in United States
Runtime	87 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	None
Overview	After doctor and activist Nikki Riley (Debbie Gibson) accidentally unleashes a python into the Everglades, rival doctor Terry O'Hara (Tiffany) is tasked with finding an expert reptile hunter - and when her boyfriend dies in the process, she resorts to extreme measures to create genetically enlarged gators to stop the slithering menace. Soon the swamp is a huge, scaly battleground between colossal gators and pythons - with a charity ball of potential human snacks in their path! Don't miss this mammoth spectacle of teen queens and man-eating monsters in a gargantuan duel to the death!
My thoughts	This is one where you need to be in the mood for a ”so bad that it's good” movie. It's supremely silly. And if any of the performers can actually act, they don't get much chance to show it. My guess is that if there are any that can act, they are the ones that get killed quickly. According to IMDb “Deborah Gibson is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, record producer and actress.” Well, I hope Debbie is a better singer/songwriter that an actress. And in fact, the same thing can be said of the other leading “actress”, Tiffany. But at least Tiffany isn't scrawny. However, to anyone complaining about this movie I say – A movie made by The Asylum for SyFy, what did you expect? And if you didn't check the company credits before you watched it, the title alone should have been a dead giveaway. And to the producers I say – If you're making a low budget horror movie that is supposed to take place in Florida, filming the ending at Bronson Caves may not be a good idea. I mean, Bronson Caves have been done to death in low budget films. And the surroundings don't look even remotely like Florida. The CGI creatures are – of course – horrible. And not in a good sense. But again, you kind of know that going in, so it's no big surprise. If I had expected a serious horror/scifi movie I would have given this half a star. And if I should only rate it by the awfulness that I expected, then I guess it would be five stars. But it has to be a compromise, so I'll settle for two stars. Any more would be misleading. By the way, the overview is grossly misleading. “After doctor and activist Nikki Riley (Debbie Gibson) accidentally unleashes a python into the Everglades...” there is nothing accidental about her releasing the pythons (plural).
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	The World is Not Enough (Disc ID: 8CA9-5291-FAE9-7192)
Director	Michael Apted
Actors	Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane
Produced	1999 in United Kingdom
Runtime	128 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German DTS 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Czech Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	Commentary, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish
Overview	The World Is Not Enough is an exhilarating but sophisticated, action-packed adventure. Pierce Brosnan returns as Bond, charged to protect a gorgeous billionaire heiress (Sophie Marceau) from the ruthless hands of a nuclear-obsessed terrorist Renard (Robert Carlyle), who wants control of the world’s petroleum supply.
My thoughts	Bond marathon #19 I think I have watched TWINE three times before, and for some reason I don't dislike Denise Richards quite as much as I used to. I no longer consider her the worst Bond girl ever. That honor must – I am sad to say – go to Britt Ekland. But Denise takes a close second place. Sophie Marceau is another matter. She's really good. And hot. And Dame Judi Dench can do no wrong in my eyes. Robert Carlyle isn't bad as the villain, just underused and his role just isn't terribly interesting. Robbie Coltrane returns from Goldeneye as Valentin Zukovsky, but it's a rather bland role. The most cringe-worthy, next to Denise, is John Cleese as Q's replacement. Pierce Brosnan is still quite good in the lead, although he's not really Bond for me. The pre-credit sequence is very good. In fact most of the actions sequences are good, as they should be with Vic Armstrong (ex stuntman/stunt director) as second unit director. The problem is more in the script as nothing seems very fresh. The script is better than the one for Tomorrow Never Dies, but it has its flaws. Stockholm syndrome made Elektra King want to murder 8 million people for monetary gain? Thank God none of the people in the real Stockholm drama (a bank robbery in august 1973) went anywhere near that crazy! The head of MI6 going out into the field herself? Hardly! Some good, some bad makes this just a so-so Bond movie. But even so-so Bond movies can be quite entertaining. And it's a step up from Tomorrow Never Dies.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Confessions of a Window Cleaner (Disc ID: 5F58-A69C-43ED-A036)
Director	Val Guest
Actors	Robin Askwith, Anthony Booth, Sheila White, Dandy Nichols, Bill Maynard
Produced	1974 in United Kingdom
Runtime	87 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	Dutch, English
Overview	In this bawdy romp of a film, Robin Askwith stars as Timothy Lea, a recent recruit in the window cleaning business. The laddish young hero soon finds himself 'getting a lot more' than he expected as he learns the 'ins and outs' of his new trade!..
My thoughts	I'm guessing that the producers of this film had taken notice of the success of the Danish sex comedies of the early seventies. That trend started, I believe, with “Mazurka på sengekanten”, or possibly “Sangen om den røde rubin”, both made in 1970 with Ole Søltoft in the lead role. This lead to a whole number of Danish sex comedies with Søltoft. So maybe the producers thought that if the Danes could do it, so could they. This was of course not the first British comedy that toyed with sex, but this one turns it up a notch with unabashed nudity and onscreen (simulated) sex. They were not quite as daring as the Danish comedies where they would throw in hardcore sex with the supporting actors, though never with Søltoft. The jokes are moderately funny. Clearly the appeal with these films was not the humor, but the naked girls. Back in the seventies, before the advent of the Internet, this was probably thrilling for many, especially young men. Nowadays we can watch them with a smile, finding them quite amusing in their innocence, compared to what we get today. Although Linda Hayden was 21 at the time, she looks so young that it almost feels wrong looking at her in the buff. We do get some well know actors in supporting roles; John Le Mesurier, Joan Hickson, Richard Wattis, and Hammer regular Sam Kydd. So watching this today it is nostalgic, rather than arousing. But nostalgia can be quite fun.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Killer Fish (853765-005205)
Director	Antonio Margheriti
Actors	Lee Majors, Karen Black, Margaux Hemingway, Marisa Berenson, James Franciscus
Produced	1979 in Italy
Runtime	101 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview	Death, deception and nature have gone wild, as piranhas protect a stolen emerald cache. Paul Diller (James Franciscus, THE CAT O'NINE TAILS, CITY ON FIRE) is the mastermind of a multi-million dollar jewel heist. The team, including Robert Lasky (Lee Majors, SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, THE LAST CHASE, STEEL) and his girlfriend, Kate Neville (Karen Black, Academy Award® nominee, FIVE EASY PIECES, THE PYX, DAY OF THE LOCUST), steal the gems and hurl them to the bottom of Brazil's deepest lake, which is then filled with deadly man-eating piranha. Soon, all members of the team are pitted against each other in a deadly battle of wits and a deadly battle against piranhas! Starring Margeaux Hemingway (LIPSTICK), Marisa Berenson (BARRY LYNDON) and Gary Collins (HANGAR 18), and featuring songs by chart-topping disco queen Amii Stewart (KNOCK ON WOOD), Scorpion Releasing is proud to present this title from a brand new HD master, in widescreen, for the first time anywhere in the world!
My thoughts	”Killer Fish” is really a bit of a misnomer, because this is a heist movie and a disaster movie with killer fish (i.e. piranha) thrown in for good measure. Is it a good movie? No, but kind of fun if you're in the right mood. US actors, Italian crew, filmed in Brazil; that makes it quite an international picture, no? The miniature effects work is fairly good. A lot more interesting – in my opinion – than today's CGI extravaganzas. The acting, less impressive. But maybe that's because the script doesn't really call for any great acting. I think Lee Majors can do better that this. I know for sure that Karen Black can. And Margaux Hemingway? Well, let's just say that I think she's a better model that actress, and let it go at that. Director Antonio Margheriti (using his favorite pseudonym Anthony M. Dawson) wasn't a great director. He made some crappy movies, some so-so, and a few quite good ones, like "The Inglorious Bastards". This isn't one of his good ones, but not one of his worst either. “Killer Fish” hasn't been easy to find on home video. But now Scorpion Releasing has released a very good Blu-ray. Worth seeking out if this is your kind of entertainment. I liked it.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Fantomas (7-319980-043864)
Director	André Hunebelle
Actors	Jean Marais, Louis De Funès, Mylène Demongeot, Jacques Dynam, Robert Dalban
Produced	1964 in France
Runtime	100 minutes
Audio	French Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Overview	Criminal mastermind Fantômas, a man of a thousand faces, is unhappy with Fandor, a journalist whose written a fictive interview of him. He kidnaps Fandor, threatens to kill him, but first goes about ruining the journalist's reputation by committing a sensational crime in Fandor's guise. Hot on the trail is police Commissaire Juve, so Fantômas commits a crime looking like him. Soon, our intrepid heroes, Fandor and Juve, with the help of Fandor's girlfriend Hélène, are on the mastermind's trail, but who's in control?  (From IMDb)
My thoughts	Apparently rather few people in the US have seen this film. According to IMDb, of those who voted for the film, 190 were US users and 4107 were non-US users. It's a pity, because it's a fun little film. Fantomas is a master criminal that is masterful in disguising himself as other people. It kind of foreshadows the TV show “Mission: Impossible”, except here it's the criminal that uses the disguises. He is chased by a reporter named Fandor, played by Jean Marais (who also plays Fantomas) and the bumbling cop Commissaire Juve, played by the wonderful comedian Louis de Funès. In on the chase is also Fandor's fiancée Hélèna, played by Mylène Demongeot. It's a fun chase, where Fantomas is always one step ahead of Fandor and Juve. It is, perhaps, a weakness of this film (and its two sequels) that it's a bit hard to decide who you're rooting for. It's certainly not Juve. It ought to be Fandor, but Fantomas is so resourceful that you kind of don't want to see him stopped. But he is the bad guy, so you feel he should be stopped. But in the end he isn't, and the ending leaves it wide open for a sequel. So much so that one feels almost cheated. While it isn't exactly a cliffhanger ending, it feels a little like it. Still, it's quite enjoyable, and if you get a chance to see it, you should grab it. It has been released on DVD in (at least) France, Germany and Sweden. None of them, though, have English subtitles, as far as I know.
My rating

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Loved the Fantomas Trilogy as a child and therefore ordered the Blu-ray release when it originally came out here.
Sadly the films couldn't quite keep up with my memories of them.

[GSyren]

Yeah, I guess I'll have to agree that they're not quite as fascinating as when I first saw them, but I still enjoy them. Especially the first one. I had a huge crush on Mylène Demongeot, by the way. I always had a thing for blondes, as long as they didn't look vulgar. Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, Sylva Koscina, the list goes on...

[Achim]

Loved the Fantomas Trilogy as a child and therefore ordered the Blu-ray release when it originally came out here.
Sadly the films couldn't quite keep up with my memories of them.

Same here! They were quite the rage when they ran on TV (in the mid-seventies...?). Unfortunately I had the same experience as you, when I rewetted them on DVD a while back. Not bad, but certainly not what my memory had promised me...

[GSyren]

Title	Godzilla (5-051892-163750)
Director	Gareth Edwards
Actors	Aaron Johnson, CJ Adams, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen
Produced	2014 in United States
Runtime	123 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1, German DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	English, German, Portuguese, Spanish
Overview	This spectacular adventure pits Godzilla™, this world's most famous monster, against malevolent creatures that, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
My thoughts	I hate special effects that's only there for the sake of special effects. And CGI lends itself very well for that. “Look at what we can do” doesn't impress me at all. I want my entertainment to come from the story, not from the effects. For me, overuse of special effects detracts from the story rather than adds to it. I much prefer old time practical effects that are there to support the story, not to overwhelm it. The feel of this film is more “Pacific Rim” than “Godzilla”. And I hated “Pacific Rim”. In defense of this film, at least Godzilla doesn't look just like an overgrown lizard, like it did in the 1998 film. Even though some of the Toho films in the Shōwa series (1954–1975) were supremely silly, I prefer the Japanese take on Godzilla. I would rewatch the worst of their films, probably “Son of Godzilla”, before I watch this one again. The only reason that I give it even 2.5 stars is that I knew what I was getting into. If I had had any kind of expectations for this film, my rating would surely be even lower.
My rating

[Achim]

I am quite glad I saw Godzilla at the cinema, IMAX at that. It was a fun movie-going experience that I wouldn't want to miss. While the film was running, it's flaw weren't as important, that only came upon reflection later on. Seeing Godzila on the BIG screen really impressed with its size and made the audience go WOW. But that impression cannot be replicated on a small screen, so I will not get the Blu-ray of this film...

[GSyren]

Title	Good Guys Wear Black (Disc ID: 5679-D6E2-A5EC-0B9B)
Director	Ted Post
Actors	Chuck Norris, Anne Archer, James Franciscus, Lloyd Haynes, Dana Andrews
Produced	1978 in United States
Runtime	96 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview	Undefeated six-time world karate champion, Chuck Norris, stars as John T. Booker, an ex-Vietnam commando whose war actions have landed him at the top of the CIA's hit list. Secret negotiations, dirty tricks, State Department cover-ups, a politically inspired murder plot. The headlines of the recent past come to life in "Good Guys Wear Black." Aided by a beautiful Senate Investigator, Norris unravels a devious scheme of treachery and intrigue in this stunt-filled, action-packed thriller, filmed against the backgrounds of championship auto racing, the ski slopes of Squaw Valley and the backrooms of Washington, D.C.
My thoughts	Good Guys Wear Black isn't a very good film, but it's interesting because it's an important film in making Chuck Norris an action icon. It's not his first starring role. That would be in Breaker, Breaker. But it's his first successful starring film. Chuck was, of course, discovered in Way of the Dragon in 1972, fighting with Bruce Lee. But that was a minor part that didn't call for much real acting. Six years later, Chuck has improved his acting skills, but still has a way to go. Good Guys Wear Black was still being written while they were shooting it, according to director Ted Post in later interviews. Maybe that's why the script seems kind of clunky. Chuck and his brother Aaron did the fight choreography, and it's painfully apparent that they haven't figured out yet how to do this for a movie. The fight scenes just aren't very interesting. The most interesting stunt is that when Chuck finishes off the bad guy by jumping through the windshield of an oncoming car. And even that isn't handled especially well. And it's actually not even Chuck doing it, but his brother Aaron. I guess the producers didn't want to risk Chuck getting hurt, even though he was certainly capable of doing the stunt himself. This film is also noticeable for having one of the least convincing airplane explosions in cinema history. It's a pity, because up until then the film didn't look that cheap. Ted Post had mostly directed TV shows, but he also had a few very good feature films under his belt, like Hang 'em High, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and Magnum Force, so it's a bit disappointing that this one didn't turn out better than it did. So, apart from the film's historical interest, the only reason to watch it is a young Anne Archer, who looks gorgeous, and who does a good job acting, too. I wouldn't say that Chuck was ever an outstanding actor, but if you just want a Chuck Norris movie, there are a lot of better ones out there.
My rating

[GSyren]

Title	Casino Royale (Disc ID: 1BF9-8B0C-13B0-DFCE)
Director	Martin Campbell
Actors	Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Produced	2006 in United Kingdom
Runtime	149 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Japanese DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	Chinese, Commentary, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Overview	James Bond, on his first mission as 007, faces off with a ruthless terrorist financier in a high stakes poker game that will teach him his most important lession: trust no one.
My thoughts	Bond marathon #21 Casino Royale is a very good Bond movie. And Daniel Craig is a very good Bond. If I hadn't grown up with Connery's Bond I might even have thought Craig was the best. There are two things about Casino Royale that I don't like, however. When they decided to reboot Bond they should have wiped the slate clean. As much as I love Judi Dench (and that's a lot), I think it was wrong to keep her as M. Secondly, I find the film too long. As technically impressive as the Venice segment is, I wish they had found a good way to end the movie before that. But that said, this is way, way better than Die Another Day. And way better than almost all Moore films. Not that Roger Moore was a bad actor, quite the opposite, but he got shitty scripts if you ask me. Pierce Brosnan was good in Goldeneye, but then he got shitty scripts, too. Is it a coincidence that Goldeneye was directed by Martin Campbell, just like this one? Probably not. I give this a strong 4 stars, same as the four first Connery films.
My rating

[Piffi]

Since both of us have been watching a few Bond movies lately.. Let me just ask you, wich Bond movie is your favorite? If you have a favorite that is.
And i will agree with you on Daniel Craig as Bond. Him and Sean Connery is my two favorites