Father Knows Best..."The Foreigner"

The Foreigner (2017)

Rated R

Starring Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan,

Directed by Martin Campbell

The Story:

When his teenage daughter is killed in an alleged terrorist attack, Quan (Chan) wants answers. That leads him to the desk of politician Liam Hennessey (Brosnan) a former IRA member who is attempting to keep the peace after nearly 20 years, and trying to keep the British Isles from erupting in violence again. However, Quan is determined, and will do anything to keep pushing Hennessey to reveal what he really knows.

Acclaimed action-director Martin Campbell returns after a too-long hiatus since the doomed Green Lantern movie.

Totally not his fault, DC still doesn't know what it's doing with their movies.

Reteamed with an older, wiser James Bond, Campbell puts much more drama into this thriller and lets the action come in bits and pieces, but always turning up the pressure on the characters to find out who is really committing these bombings and how much the government did or did not really know.

Chan still has the moves that has dazzled audiences for decades, but at an older age, the sequences are dialed back a bit so it's not non-stop Kung Furious action spectacles.

If you passed on it thinking you were getting a subpar, direct-to-dvd fare, try this one again, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Final Grade: B-

Kicking The Tires On The Old 007 Franchise... "Spectre"

Spectre (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Dave Bautista, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Belluci, Naomie Harris,

Directed by Sam Mendes

The Story:

Bond (Craig) discovers that there is a secret organization named SPECTRE that has been behind much of the assignments that he's had over the years. He works to infiltrate their headquarters and meets the mastermind, Blofeld (Waltz). However, if he can't prove anything, it is quite possible that this will not only be his last mission as 007, that all of MI6 will be taken offline thanks to technology that shows spies to be horribly outdated.

The sweeping epic reboot of the Bond franchise comes full circle as Blofeld and SPECTRE finally arrive.

Thankfully, not a moment too soon.

For me, this is the best of the Craig Bond films since the stellar Casino Royale. I was underwhelmed with both Quantum of Solace and Skyfall was an improvement, but this felt more like it.

Apparently Craig is getting bored or tired of the role of James Bond, and it's been showing onscreen for some time as his Bond is beginning to not have the ruthless edge of a killer spy, but that of a bored actor who seemingly can't believe he's making another one of these films.

I don't know, the Bond Actors club is a pretty exclusive set, and I would think most actors would love to be known for playing the role.

We'll see what happens going forward with the franchise.

Waltz said he'll come back if Craig does.

Craig seems to no longer prefer suicide to another outing as James Bond, so I guess we'll find out in about 2 more years.

Otherwise, they've cobbled together a great support team for Bond, whoever is sporting the tux, going forward.

Final Grade: B

Now That's A Spy Movie! "Kingsman: The Secret Service"

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Rated R

Starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson,

Written and Directed by Matthew Vaughn

The Story:

An underground spy network needs to recruit their newest member when one of their own perishes. Harry Hart (Firth) chooses Eggsy (Egerton), the son of the man who saved Hart's life years earlier. Eggsy is very rough around the edges, and not the gentleman spy that typically serves as a Kingsman, but Hart has high hopes. As the process of choosing the newest member moves forward, so does a credible threat from a multi-billionaire (Jackson) with nefarious plan to extinguish much of society.

I thought the film looked pretty good from the trailer.

It exceeded any and all expectations that I had, and will wind up on my Best of the Year list when all is said and done.

This one even gets a nod from the Mrs. as she not only watched it the first night, she sat through it again the next night when the kids moaned about having missed it.

That tells you the film must be pretty good.

And I have an extremely odd taste in what can be considered a family movie!

:)

Thoroughly British, utterly enjoyable, it's an updated take on the spy game that takes a lot of Bond and adds a dash of Bourne and spits out a wonderfully fresh and fun look at the world's 3rd oldest profession.

Give or take.

An amazing cast that has a blast with the material they are given is on display from the very opening of the film. If you think Colin Firth is only a dramatic or comedic actor, get ready for a revelation of Colin Firth: Action Star!

Seriously, he pulls if off in a way that defies any expectations you have of him.

Samuel L. Jackson appears to be having a blast as the villain of the film, and is both frighteningly evil and hilariously funny at the same time.

That said, hats off to Taron Egerton who gets to carry much of the film when Firth and Jackson aren't doing their things.

The franchise, should they choose to turn this into one, is his to enjoy for the next decade or more.

Vaughn, who notoriously stays away from writing or directing sequels to his work, is actually onboard for at least a second chapter of Kingsman.

Works for me!

Final Grade: A-

The Reinvention of the Spy Wheel... "Skyfall"

 

The franchise gets shaken... and stirred.

The Story:

Bond (Daniel Craig) is back as 007.  This time around he must save M (Judi Dench) and all of MI6 from the threat of one of their own gone rogue (Javier Bardem).  Meanwhile, as things go from bad to worse for MI6, the British Government is holding hearings on possibly dismantling the section altogether.  It seems that the spy business is a bit outdated, so if the bad guy doesn't do it, the Brits might dismantle it themselves. 

Best. Bond. Ever?

No.

It's good.

Which for this franchise, is good enough.

The title of the film refers to the Scottish home of the Bond family, where Bond makes his final stand against the enemy.

Not everyone makes it out of the film intact and ready to film the next installment.

However the new director, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) takes over as M, bringing with him a young secretary named Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) whom Bond will be able to flirt with.

In a cute turnabout, the franchise has gone full circle so that the M that Connery had is the same M that Craig put in the seat.

Of course this can only mean that SMERSH, SPECTRE or whatever acronym they devise for the bad guys in the next film can not be far away.

Don't think about it too much, it will make your head explode.

So yes, it's nice to have the franchise hit the reset button, it's just odd to think of the Brosnan and Craig years as the prequels.

As for the opening song, absolutely dreadful.  I cannot stand Adele, and this theme song, as with every theme song that came after A View to a Kill, is utter rubbish.

Academy Award winning rubbish, but rubbish nonetheless.

Otherwise, not a bad effort from all involved.  This is Craig's best outing in the tuxedo since Casino Royale.

Which if you want to make an argument for best Bond film ever, you will have an easier time convincing me of that film, over Skyfall.

But as we all know, Goldfinger is the best of them all.

Final Grade: B-  A B+ film marred by a screechingly bad theme song! : )

Would I Own It:  Yes, because I own every other Bond film, why stop now.  ; )

"Everything or Nothing" ~ 50 Years Behind the Scenes with Bond

Happy Anniversary Mr. Bond.

This documentary focuses on the overall relationship of bringing Bond from the book to the big-screen and the turbulent ride that franchise has taken and endured over the last 50 years.

The movie itself focuses  on the behind the scenes of Fleming's life and how he came to know Saltzman and Broccoli and their desire to bring their favorite literary hero to the silver screen. 

50 years in 90 minutes, so there is a lot to gloss over, but the majority of the triumphs and downfalls that the series has endured are touched on.

Just about everyone who is still around is interviewed for some portion or another.  Notably absent is Connery, however they use archival footage of his comments so you don't miss out too much.  Otherwise, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan and Craig are all interviewed with their desire and trepidation of following in Connery (and then each preceding Bond!) to take over the franchise.

It's well worth the viewing, especially if you are a fan, hardcore or casual, of the 007 franchise.

Looking forward to the next 50 years!

Available for streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime as of this writing.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/70256292?strkid=1372494473_0_0&trkid=222336&movieid=70256292

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Nothing-The-Untold-Story/dp/B00AW73FH6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358005114&sr=8-2&keywords=everything+or+nothing

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 26 ~ Goldfinger

As we get ready to reveal the Top 25 movies, we say farewell to the first 75 with one of the Silver Screen's most enduring characters.

Bond.

James Bond.

The series has had many highs and lows over its cinematic history, and Casino Royale did a great job in rejuvenating the franchise.  However, I'm going with the best Bond, ever.

Sean Connery.

And to me, Goldfinger gets all the pieces of what makes for a great Bond film and puts them together in the finest offering of the franchise.

It's Bond vs. Goldfinger for the fate of all the gold in Fort Knox.  It appears as though Goldfinger has come into possession of a dirty bomb, and intends to detonate it, tainting the American gold reserve for the next 58 years.

This of course would plummet the American economy into chaos during the height of the Cold War.

It would also increase the value of Goldfinger's stash of gold bullion as it would multiply tenfold overnight.

Ingenious.

And it's up to Bond to save the day.

Thank heavens for the British!

Yes, this movie has it all, the gadgets, the guns, the girls.

It's everything that is right (and wrong!) with the franchise done in magnificent style.  From the exotic locations to the use of great henchmen...

Who can forget Oddjob and his bowler hat?

Plus, you have the single greatest "Bond Girl" of all time, Pussy Galore.  She's got the most over-the-top name, is tough as nails, and has no interest in Bond...

But even she is unable to resist him by the end of the film.

Is there nothing James Bond can do?

Apparently not.

And for that, I thank him (and every film in the franchise for that matter...yes even the worst Bond movies have some merit, even if it's only the theme song!)  : )