tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9771197806762484552008-11-25T00:47:08.738-10:00Armandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00435281238176722479noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-86671949420796000312008-11-23T17:49:00.001-10:002008-11-23T17:51:26.261-10:00

Right off the bat, I’ll say that I really enjoyed Quantum Of Solace. Following up Casino Royale was always going to be a big ask, and the film-makers have fallen short and presented us with a very flawed film. However, the film still has some truly great new Bondian moments, as well as providing a few reminders of the films of the past. Minor spoilers ahead: The film opens half an hour after

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-85603482702760057902008-11-23T17:43:00.001-10:002008-11-23T17:45:21.222-10:00

The World Is Not Enough is not just the title of this movie, it is also the motto appearing on the coat of arms of the Bond family. From Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Glidrose Productions Ltd): Griffon Or broke in excitedly, ‘And this charming motto of the line, “The World is not Enough”. You do not wish to have the right to it?’ “It is an excellent motto which I shall certainly

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-15752349822113153962008-10-14T17:36:00.003-10:002008-10-14T17:41:40.039-10:00

Most reports on the various English language versions of this film that are currently available on the grey market are that they are severely truncated (The Tiger Likes Fresh Meat seems to be missing twenty minutes, and Code Name: Tiger is missing about twelve minutes). This heavy handed editing has apparently rendered the story almost incomprehensible. With that in mind, I have gone to the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-11082201671868913432008-09-28T11:32:00.000-10:002008-09-28T14:07:03.490-10:00

Year: 1966 Directed by Andre Hunebelle Jean Marais, Louis De Funes, Mylene Demongeot, Jacques Dynam, Christian Toma, Michel Duplaix Music by Michel Magne The man with the blue head is back! Fantomas Strikes Back is the second film in Andre Hunebelle's 1960's revival of the Fantomas character. The film is more comedic than it's predessesor, and Louis De Funes pulls out all the stops as he mugs

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-32378036463271787492008-09-24T00:23:00.001-10:002008-09-25T11:44:52.947-10:00

Year: 1972 Producer: Armando Novelli Director: Fernando Di Leo Starring: Mario Adorf, Henry Silva, Woody Strode, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Sylva Koscina, Franco Fabrizi, Cyril Cusack Cimematography: Franco Villa Music: Armando Trovaioli Original Title: La Mala Ordina AKA: Manhunt In Milan, The Italian Connection, Hired To Kill, Black Kingpin, Hitmen The last couple of posts have looked at

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-13698570780280805082008-08-23T09:18:00.001-10:002008-08-24T17:25:55.882-10:00

Release Year: 1964 Country: England Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley, Leo McKern, Roger Delgado, John LeMesurier, Richard Pasco, Eric Pohlmann, Richard Vernon, Amanda Grinling, Noel Harrison, Derek Nimmo Director: Ralph Thomas Screenplay: Lukas Heller; Based on the novel Night of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson Art Director: Syd Cain Music: Angelo Lavagnino Producer: Betty E. Box

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-29686003413352181642008-08-23T07:04:00.002-10:002008-08-23T07:06:58.902-10:00

I hadn't heard much that was good about The Black Falcon, the general consensus seeming to be that it paled in comparison to most of the other 1960s spy efforts turned out by Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers studio. Given that, I was surprised to find that it was actually one of the most solidly plotted and engaging of the lot. I was even more surprised to discover that it was a close remake of Sergio

Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15890338576052689861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-51204023309320143752008-08-04T00:15:00.000-10:002008-08-05T09:14:19.825-10:00

Release Year: 1965 Country: Italy/France/Spain Starring: Horst Buchholz, Sylva Koscina, Klaus Kinski, Gustavo Re, Alvaro De Luna, Perrette Pradier, Mario Adorf, Barta Barri, Jorge Rigaud Director: Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi Screenplay: Luis Jose Comeron, Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi, Jorge Illa, Music: Georges Garvarentz Original Title: Estanbul 65 That Man From Istanbul is one of the most accessible

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-47589593071325593152008-07-14T00:55:00.001-10:002008-07-14T00:57:08.166-10:00

Year: 1967 Directed by Henry Levin Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory, Albert Salmi, Beverly Adams, The Slaygirls Music by Hugo Montenegro Based loosely on the novel by Donald Hamilton Along with James Bond and Derek Flint, Matt Helm is one of the cinematic world’s best known super-spies. As portrayed by Dean Martin, Helm was an inebriated womaniser who consistently saved the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-60203283641436186562008-07-05T15:01:00.001-10:002008-07-05T15:02:57.886-10:00

Year: 1989 Directed by Donald Crombie Simon Dutton, Ed Devereaux, Rebecca Gilling, Richard Roxburgh, Nikki Coghill Max Cullen, Anthony Wong, Ernie Dingo Music by Peter Best (Title theme by Serge Franklin) Based on characters created by Leslie Charteris As an Australian, I am particularly parochial about local productions. I like a good story where I recognise the landmarks and the settings in

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-30266998540293034202008-07-05T12:31:00.002-10:002008-07-05T12:34:42.583-10:00

Year: 1989 Directed by Dennis Berry Simon Dutton, John Astin, Camille Naud, Sabine Naud, Patricia Barzyk Music by Serge Franklin (with additional music by Tony Britten) Based on characters created by Leslie Charteris Umbrella Entertainment have finally released the 1989 The Saint series on DVD. Now this series isn’t particularly good, unsure of whether it’s a comedy, or a gritty crime series.

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-71285893911295465532008-07-05T12:27:00.001-10:002008-07-05T12:29:35.465-10:00

Year: 1939 Directed by John Paddy Carstairs George Sanders, Sally Gray, David Burns, Gordon McLeod, Athen Seyler, Henry Oscar, Ralph Truman, Ballard Berkeley, John Abbott Music by Marr Mackie Based on the short story, ‘The Million Pound Day’ by Leslie Charteris In some ways, The Saint In London is one of The Saint’s most espionage based stories, but to tell you why and how would ruin some of the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-36343585204844766202008-07-01T20:43:00.002-10:002008-07-01T20:46:40.655-10:00

Year: 1968 Directed by Ralph Thomas Rod Taylor, Christopher Plummer, Lilli Palmer, Carmilla Sparv, Leo McKern, Daliah Lavi, Derren Nesbitt, Clive Revill, Bud Tingwell, Burt Kwouk Music by Georges Delerue Based on the Novel By Jon Cleary The book, The High Commissioner, by Jon Cleary, and the film The High Commissioner are two very different beasts. Cleary’s book is more of a police story than a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-80926169611805692462008-06-11T10:40:00.002-10:002008-06-11T10:52:45.122-10:00

Year: 1965 Directed by Val Guest David Niven, Francoise Dorleac, John Le Mesurier, Cyril Cusack, Eric Pohlmann, Nigel Davenport Music by Mario Nascimbene Based on the novel by James Leasor Many years ago, I read one of James Leasor’s Jason Love Adventures. It was Passport To Suspense, and had the hero battling neo-Nazis in South America. It was a rattling good read and I have always intended to

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-30440871822787100182008-05-31T00:01:00.002-10:002008-05-31T12:35:37.025-10:00

Mission Impossible Year: 1970 Directed by Paul Krasny Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Lee Meriwether, Stephen McNally, Ramon Bieri, William Wintersole Music by Lalo Schifrin By the fourth season of Mission Impossible, the IMF team had quite a shakeup. Martin Landau and his wife, Barbara Bain had left the series, and in came Leonard Nimmoy (I am an actor, not Spock), as

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-33371074546508572772008-05-30T21:14:00.002-10:002008-05-30T21:46:19.181-10:00

Mission Impossible Year: 1966 Directed by Charles R. Rondeau Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Martin Landau, Nico Mindaros, Nehemiah Persoff, Vincent Van Lynn Music by Gerald Fried Mission Impossible Theme by Lalo Schifrin Odds On Evil is one of the most popular episodes from season one for spy fans because the story closely resembles Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale. But

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-53492751354469763132008-05-25T21:15:00.002-10:002008-05-25T21:20:24.235-10:00

Year: 1998 Directed by Jeremiah Chechik Ralph Feinnes, Sean Connery, Uma Thurman, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Izzard Music by Joel McNeely ‘Avengers Theme’ by Laurie Johnson Song ‘Hurricane’ performed by Grace Jones You know I loved the original Avengers TV series – c’mon, we all do!. It is with a heavy heart that I report that The Avengers movie is a major disappointment. All the ingredients are there

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-15970482535801566482008-05-21T21:33:00.003-10:002008-05-21T21:43:20.151-10:00

Year: 1966 Directed by Mario Bava Vincent Price, Fabian, Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, Francesco Mulé, Laura Antonelli, Movana Tahi, George Wang Music by Les Baxter Programmed For Love And Destruction Now this one is really hard to explain. In fact I needed it explained to me a few times before I really got it. Firstly in the United States, in 1965 there was a film called Dr. Goldfoot and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-64083287987347426092008-05-20T11:08:00.003-10:002008-05-20T11:19:48.794-10:00

Year: 1984 Directed by Irvin Kershner Sean Connery, Kim Bassinger, Max Von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Bernie Casey, Rowan Atkinson, Edward Fox as M, Alec McCowen as Algernon (Q Branch). Music by Michel Legrand Title Song performed by Lani Hall James Bond is back! Never Say Never Again has a long tortuous production history which in itself could fill a book, and in fact has done so. For the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-27488849119744398112008-05-19T11:26:00.003-10:002008-05-19T11:33:30.014-10:00

Year: 1974 Directed by Guy Hamilton Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Hervé Villechaise, Demond Llewelyn, Bernard Lee Music by John Barry Title song performed by Lulu Based loosely on the novel by Ian Fleming The Man With The Golden Gun is the most psychedelic of the Bond series or at least tries to be. The villains lair, which is revealed in the opening sequence, and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-67912227396597831632008-05-16T12:23:00.002-10:002008-05-16T12:32:10.445-10:00

Year: 2006 Directed by Martin Campbell Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jefferey Wright, Caterina Murino, Judi Dench as ‘M’ Music by David Arnold Title Song performed by Chris Cornell Based on the novel by Ian Fleming This is the first official (EON Productions) version of Casino Royale, and it is the twenty-first film in the series. Before I launch into my review, I’ll state my opinion

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-55033647540878523182008-05-15T10:18:00.002-10:002008-05-15T10:30:10.986-10:00

Year: 2002 Directed by Lee Tamahori Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, Judi Dench as M, John Cleese as Q, and Samantha Bond as Moneypenny, Colin Salmon as Robinson. Music by David Arnold Title Song by Madonna Based on characters created by Ian Fleming Is Die Another Day the worst Bond film ever made? In a word, YES! That’s not to say it doesn’t have any good

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-37702110681342694002008-05-14T11:35:00.002-10:002008-05-14T11:45:20.467-10:00

Year: 1987 Directed by John Glen Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Joe Don Baker, Art Malik, John Rhys-Davies, Jeroen Krabbé, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown, Caroline Bliss Music by John Barry Title song performed by a-ha Based on a short story by Ian Fleming I must sound like a parrot when I say ‘this Bond film had a troubled production history’. I start each Bond review with that sentence. It

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-31791312674675181962008-05-13T10:25:00.002-10:002008-05-13T10:42:53.139-10:00

Year: 1985 Directed by John Glen Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Patrick MacNee, Robert Brown, Lois Maxwell Music by John Barry Title song performed by Duran Duran A View To A Kill was the fourteenth official James Bond movie, and the seventh (and last) film to feature Roger Moore as agent 007. Quite frankly, Moore was too old for the role by this time. He knew it and the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977119780676248455.post-89630978263997431872008-05-12T20:15:00.003-10:002008-05-12T20:18:28.681-10:00

Directed by John Glen Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jordan, Kabir Bedi, Kristina Wayborn, Steven Berkoff, Vijay Amritraj, Robert Brown as M, Desmond Llewelyn as Q, and Lois Maxwell as Monneypenny Music by John Barry ‘All Time High’ performed by Rita Coolidge Based on a short story by Ian Fleming Christmas 1983 was a tense time for Bond fans. Octopussy was released starring Roger Moore as Agent

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948368009550868974noreply@blogger.com1