Change Your Image
jgfrvyg
Reviews
Dr. No (1962)
Welcome to the 60's spy craze!
This is a solid spy thriller and the first of to date 25 EON produced 007 movies. Described by a prominent YouTube Bond expert as rather 'vanilla' . I know what he means. Compared to the more bombastic and expensive later entries in the series, you can tell this one has been done on a lowish budget. Some creaky editing cuts here and there, and some awful back projection during a car chase down a mountain in Jamaica are dead giveaways. However, the story is taut and interesting, quite suspenseful in parts and Connery does a great job as Bond, though he would really stamp his name in the next three movies. Thoroughly recommended to see where many of the Bond tropes that would recur throughout the series began.
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Bond back down to earth.
The first Bond film I ever saw as a 7 year old, this is a solid action thriller, with some very good action set pieces not least the treacherous rock climb up to the monastery, the bob sleigh ski sequence, and the haul and keel sequence where Bond and Melina are roped together. It's Moore's second best outing as 007 following the Spy who Loved Me (1977). The story is a bit on the weak side though with the ATAC MacGuffin provided few thrills, and Bibi Dahl (Lynne Holly Johnson) is a poorly written character with some cringe-worthy dialogue. In the plus side though, Topol plays Colombo perfectly and the scenery in Greece and Northern Italy is beautifully captured. Billy Conti's score is a highlight and don't miss the gun barrel music, which is probably the best of the series. All up, a solid 7 out of 10.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Decent sequel.
It doesn't offer a lot we haven't already seen but it's great to have Sarah Connor back, played by Linda Hamilton and as feisty as ever. Grace (Mackenzie Davis) the augmented half human from the future is sent back to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) from another super-enhanced Terminator played by Gabriel Luna. It's got a nice twist when Arnie, the original Terminator turns up, now a fully integrated member of society and married with a kid, while living in a log cabin and running a drapery business! Grace's back story is interesting and the acting is all pretty top notch. The special effects get a bit over the top towards the end but it's an enjoyable, though strictly speaking unnecessary sequel in the long running series.
Hotsureru (2023)
Good slice of life movie.
This is a typical Japanese movie in the sense that it moves fairly slowly and takes its time to set up the characters, their relationships and the scenarios. But the payoff is mostly worth it. Anyway, a young unsatisfied wife is off with her boyfriend when he is suddenly killed in an accident, and she chooses not to intervene given their illicit relationship. Mugi Kadowaki is great as usual, as the young wife, and her acting ability, often just expressions and glances is top notch. The other actors do a good job too, as the film explores the theme of marital infidelity and betrayal. It's great practice for one's conversational Japanese, and I would recommend it.
Jack Ryan: Druz'ya I Vragi (2022)
Dark and edgy.
This was the best episode of the series to date. Lots of high stakes, cat and mouse scenarios, with nuclear radiation and booby traps for the characters with shifting loyalties to contend with. The flashback elements of this season add a level of intrigue and help unravel the motives of one of the main Russian characters quite well. The Czech President proves to be quite adept at escape and espionage herself after being imprisoned in a remote log cabin. Fortunately her captor has moved his family elsewhere so bargaining chips can be used. All in all, this is a great episode and I can't understand why its average rating is relatively low.
Reacher: New York's Finest (2024)
Gripping action
Quite an engaging episode with a lot of shooting and a tragic death towards the end! This series continues to please with its muscle bound titular character and supporting ensemble cast. There's a lot of shooting action and violence in this one but it's still an enjoyable ride, with even a sex scene thrown in where a female character wants to reduce some "pent up tension." The lead baddie, played by Robert Patrick of Terminator fame is fairly menacing but you just know Reacher is going to avenge his friend's death by throwing him out of a helicopter. All in all, a good episode though felt sorry for the traffic cop just doing her job who became collateral damage.
Jack Ryan: Cargo (2019)
To Venezuela!
Season 2 of Jack Ryan kicks off with a new premise and new location, and not one that would be expected, Venezuela. With echoes of the Bay of Pigs (1961), and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), most of the main characters are back: Ryan, now sporting some designer stubble; Greer, now struggling with a heart condition but no spunky Mueller from Season 1. Still it's great to see Noomi Rapace on the screen again. My only minor quibble with this episode is overuse of the 'F' word. I mean are F bombs really necessary, or could the script writers have utilized their imagination a little more? I look forward to seeing where this season takes us.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Great movie.
A gripping thriller with excellent location photography and a distinctly Hitchcock feel. Brosnan and McGregor are particularly good, and the musical score is pretty decent too.
No Time to Die (2021)
A Wonderful finale.
This nostalgic movie has a lot of surprises, including an ingenious play on the female 007 that has been touted in the media for years previously. In Daniel Craig's finale as Bond, his past again comes back to haunt him, with the theme of secrets and inability to trust coming to the fore. The plot is flawed in places with the lead baddie somehow surviving multiple bullets in the opening scene, and the Nanobots MacGuffin being pretty implausible. However, certainly the 3rd Best of Craig's five movies and in the top 7 or 8 in the series.