MOVIE REVIEW: The Lovely Bones

I first came to Peter Jackson through The Beatles: Get Back, so I wasn’t prepared for how The Lovely Bones would hit — and wow, it hit.

Movie Poster/Still

Watching it with my lovely one helped me cope, at least a little.

(The Lovely Bones, with my lovely one. Had to.)

The film was a chilling, disturbing, and gut-wrenching trip. Disturbing was watching Susie get led to that underground pit — we had our lungs out screaming at the screen for her not to go. Gut-wrenching was the sister’s tense, heart-racing chase scene with Tucci’s Gacy/Dahmer hybrid of a character. And chilling? Every moment Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz were on screen and just… not vibing.

(Or maybe I’m just used to seeing her spark with Brendan Fraser and real-life partner Daniel Craig. Man, the screen’s gonna miss Craig’s Bond.)

The blend of dreamy fantasy with real-world horror was unexpected, and honestly, a breath of fresh air in terms of storytelling. But what's really striking about the film is how it avoids sexualizing Saoirse Ronan’s character, focusing instead on her emotional depth and journey, which is both rare and incredibly refreshing in this genre.

Needless to say: watch it! 

But make sure you’re not alone, okay? 

Thanks for this recommendation, and of course, watching it with me, lovey!

James Bond 30-Day Challenge: Most Obnoxious Male Character (Day 7)

For a movie series that is dominated by male characters, there will always be that one guy that annoys you the most. That guy can make you cringe more than any of Roger Moore's obvious stunt doubles can possibly do.

For this entry, I'm going to pick Truman-Lodge from my favorite Bond film, "Licence to Kill".

Truman-Lodge was Franz Sanchez's chief accountant. He was in-charge of Sanchez's finances which was a tall order considering that Sanchez is a drug kingpin a la Gustavo Fring of "Breaking Bad". However, this film was made in 1989 so the inspiration from Sanchez was most likely Pablo Escobar.

What made Truman-Lodge so obnoxious was the fact that there was no proper introduction for the character.  By the time Bond.went to the Casino, we started seeing Truman-Lodge talking about some business/financial matters with Sanchez in the office. No other new information about him was presented. It wasn't even revealed why a young accountant would be handling the finances of a drug kingpin (It was revealed actually but the scene was cut from the final output.)

Like Truman-Lodge, Heller who was Sanchez chief security was also introduced to us. However, unlike Truman-Lodge, Heller was given the spotlight for us to know the character.

By the film's end, Truman-Lodge was killed by Sanchez after giving off a sarcastic remark to the drug kingpin about the spoiled finances because of Bond's interference in the lab.

Much better handling of a character similar to Truman-Lodge would be seen in "Goldeneye" through Boris Grishenko. He had a proper introduction and we got to know his motives and intentions leading to his exit. 

However, it would not be the same case for a similar character (Gustav Graves' technical assistant?) in "Die Another Day". As of today, I still have no recalling of that character even though I have watched that film multiple times.

James Bond 30-Day Challenge: Favorite Daniel Craig Scene (Day 6)

"Spectre" was the first film I watched in the theater. Other Bond films were watched only on TV presentations or released copies. And how I loved watching "Spectre", especially when the white dots appeared for the gun barrel sequence, the first proper one for a Craig film!

However, my favorite Bond film wouldn't be from that scene. It would have to be from the scene that led to the events of that film, the very last scene of "Skyfall"!

The scene was just perfectly built up. From the reveal of Eve as Moneypenny and Mallory as the new M to the reveal of Bond meeting M in his office. Although it was a kind of a fan service moment, it was subtle and very much not like the fan service moments sprayed all over "Die Another Day" and "Spectre" through the countless references to previous Bond films.

What made it so memorable was the fact that it was the first time we saw Bond and M talking in the traditional office since "The Living Daylights" in 1987.

In "License to Kill", only Moneypenny's office was shown, while in the Brosnan films and Craig's first two, M's office was always redecorated and changed into something new.

This scene helped build up the interaction between Bond and the new M for the coming films, what's left of Craig's contract, at least. They even have the naval painting in the wall above M to match the details making it easy to accept Mallory as the new M.

This scene was the best scene to close for a great Bond film, "Skyfall", while also transitioning it to the next entry in the series, "Spectre" which would have the established MI-6 regulars - Bill Tanner, Moneypenny, Q, and M.

James Bond 30-Day Challenge: Favorite Pierce Brosnan Scene (Day 5)

Excuse the delay, here's the entry for the fifth day!

I really find the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan eras very much alike. For the films in these eras, you suspend your disbelief high enough so that there's won't be frequent eyebrow raises. 

There was Sir Roger's "Moonraker". while there was Pierce's "Die Another Day". In terms of the action, there were "Octopussy" and "Tomorrow Never Dies". In terms of villains who were equal to Bond, there was Francisco Scaramanga for Sir Roger while there was Alec Trevelyan for Pierce. 

With that, we should go to my favorite Pierce Brosnan Bond moment and this would definitely be an action scene since the action, gunfights, brawls, and machine guns were commonly seen in this era of movies. 

My favorite would be Bond going up against Gustav Graves in a fencing match. This happened in the film "Die Another Day". Investigating what really happened in the mission in the pre-title sequence, Bond was led to Graves who was dealing counterfeited diamonds. 

Although this scene gave the Madonna cameo, I had to pick this one as my favorite since it was one of the most memorable and watchable moments of the film. "Die Another Day" was not a very good outing but it was very entertaining while having the potential of a good one. One of the reasons for the film having some rare praises would be due to this fight scene. 

Watching the fight, you would be reminded of Bond and Goldfinger's golf match and also the swordfight scene in Moonraker. Very fitting since it was a 40th-anniversary offering. 

The fight choreography was also done superbly. The actors were believable and not suspicious at all with all the stunts. It was really great to see Pierce Brosnan kicking the butt of a much younger villain who was very athletic and as tough as a Robocop. 

Gustav Graves was also good as a villain. Having a villain that could match up Bond physically every once in a while could be really great for the sake of the action scenes. 

James Bond 30-Day Challenge: Favorite Timothy Dalton Scene (Day 4)

Timothy Dalton is my favorite Bond actor. His two Bond films are easily in my Top 5. Needless to say, this pick is going to be an easy one. 

Of his two Bond outings, I liked License to Kill better. During its time, it was the one among the other previous Bonds. It was the first one not to have an Ian Fleming title. There were no megalomaniac villains, humorous reactions, and ultimately, there wasn't any mission at hand. 

"The Man with the Golden Gun" had the chance of having Bond go out on something that was not a mission. He was out to go after Scaramanga whom he thought was paid to kill him. However, there was also the conflict concerning the Solex Agitator and guess what, the man behind that conflict was also Scaramanga. 

As for "License to Kill", this film had no sub-plots. Bond was out to seek the killing of Felix Leiter's wife and Leiter's own casualty. Plain and simple. No missions, for now, M. Not until I avenge my best buddy, Felix Leiter. 

That made it stand out among the other entries. 

During the middle part of the film, Bond was in the fictional location, Isthmus City, in Franz Sanchez's casino. He posed as a very able player to catch Sanchez's attention and he was right. He was then about to meet Sanchez.

And this next scene would definitely be my favorite. Bond and Sanchez having a conversation. They even threw a very subtle "Bond. James Bond." introduction, although it was left unattended b Sanchez. 

Sanchez wanted to know what Bond does for a living, and asked if he was a "problem solver". Bond, gathering his wits, replied that he was a "problem eliminator". Timothy Dalton's delivery of that scene really caught my attention because it seemed that every aspect needed to make that scene perfectly aligned. The grit was present, the dedication to play the part too, but most of all, the hair was so overly done, it made the scene shine brightly. 

It was also during this meeting that Bond displayed some good spy stuff when he took a glimpse at Sanchez's window to gauge how much of a trouble it would be for him. 

James Bond 30 Day Challenge: Favorite Roger Moore Moment (Day 3)

My favorite Roger Moore moment as 007 would have to be the final showdown with Francisco Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun".

Although there were lots of massive Bond moments during the Roger Moore era, which gave seven films, this has to be the one for me. 

Options included the Crocodile Jump in "Live and Let Die", the meeting with Lazar in "Golden Gun", and the Union Jack moment in "The Spy Who Loved Me." Amazingly, those were just from Roger Moore's first  three Bond films. 

Ever since the Bond movies blew up big time during the Sean Connery era, fans had toyed with the idea 9f Bond being matched up with someone who could be his equal. After numerous extravagant villains from Dr. No to Blofeld, and Dr. Kana nga, it was time for Bond to face Scaramanga.

Scaramanga was Bond's equal in the sense that they were both the best in their field (an assassin versus a secret agent), their towering physique, and their ability to fight for what they'd think would be the best for them. 

Roger Moore inside Scaramanga's fun house in "The Man with the Golden Gun" from onenewspage.com

Scaramanga tried to trick Bond by giving him the advantage of having the Walther's six bullets against his Golden Gun's one. With the help of his fun house, Bond was down to his last possible shot. Thankfully, he thought of making the environment work to his advantage.

I won't spoil that for you anymore. You'd be doing yourself a favor watching that final battle between the two assassins. 

James Bond 30 Day Challenge: Favorite George Lazenby Moment (Day 2)

George Lazenby was Bond for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" after Sean Connery chose not to star as the secret agent.

My favorite moment on that film was when Bond called Draco, Tracy's father, after having some disagreements with M for the rescue of Tracy.

The conversation was set in Bond's office which was already shown earlier in the film when he has packed his spy stuff memento from previous missions. Once again, the setting was used as a place for Bond to cool down and clear his mind after a heated conversation with his boss.

George Lazenby as James Bond in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"

Bond dropped the line "Bond. James Bond." in this scene as he was talking to Draco. It was such a cool macho moment for Lazenby's Bond because, for the second time in the film, he has shown that he can go rogue and be against M's orders.

Not that going rogue is highly recommended for subordinates, however, this proves that having a license to kill is also having the license not to kill, as M would say In Spectre. With that, it sends the message that we can still stay true to our duties and responsibilities while being discerning of which things are of high importance.

James Bond 30 Day Challenge: Favorite Sean Connery Bond Moment (Day 1)

While everybody is in quarantine and on lockdown, I thought of giving this challenge a go.

First up is Favorite Sean Connery Scene. With 7 films to choose from, there's definitely a lot to choose from.

Among all the explosive action scenes and pun-filled remarks, my favorite had to be the Moneypenny scene in From Russia With Love.

From Russia With Love started with the new threat from SPECTRE and the defector, Tatiana Romanova, that had been known to M. M.asked for 007's presence through Moneypenny.

Unaware of the tension due to the situation and of M's presence, Bond enters the room playfully.

Moneypenny (left), M (center), and Bond (right) in From Russia with Love from bamfstyle.com

"Now for my next miracle...".as he tossed his hat to the hat stand, completely shocked and quite embarassed seeing M witness his mischievous side.

The scene had nothing more than that fun entry of Bond into the mission. It showed the personality of Bond when he has not yet been handed his mission. I think I like that because it gave us a chance of humanizing Bond and not think of him as an emotionless blunt instrument for MI6.

MOVIE REVIEW: Goldfinger Part 2

(Continued from the previous post.)

Bond was eventually captured and what followed was one of the most iconic scenes, an exchange of dialogue between an antagonist and a protagonist in a film. Goldfinger really had lots of iconic scenes.

Goldfinger (left) interrogating Bond (right) from independent.co.uk

Bond was fixed on a platform before a laser machine as Goldfinger was laying out his evil plans. Bond tried to buy himself some time and maybe convince Goldfinger not to kill him by saying different reasons. One was that MI6 would undoubtedly send 008 to replace him if he would not report about his assignment. Another was that he overheard Goldfinger's evil plan "Operation Grand Slam". This was when Bond asked Goldfinger, "You expect me to talk?" and Goldfinger answered, "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die." Soon after, Bond was released and was just kept as a prisoner inside Goldfinger's lair.

Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore from jamesbondfanon.wikia.com

Bond met Goldfinger's pilot, Pussy Galore, as they were on their way to Goldfinger's lair in the United States. Unlike in "Dr. No", Goldfinger's lair did not have a fancy hotel room and services for Bond, although he would be treated fairly good in later scenes. Bond escaped his guards and overheard Goldfinger's evil plans again, this time in detail because Goldfinger was actually presenting it to a set of businessmen whom would also be all killed by Goldfinger. Although one was shot by Odd Job and not killed alongside his businessmen mates. This scene would be replicated 21 years later in "A View To A Kill".

Bond placed his GPS tracker and left a note in it to be fetched by Felix Leiter. As the day of Goldfinger's plans came near, Bond made Pussy Galore fell for him despite her obvious resistance ever since they met each other.

Pussy turned sides and would be revealed to help Bond stop Goldfinger's plan.

Bond, together with Odd Job and a bunch of Goldfinger's troops made it to Fort Knox and executed the plan. Bond was handcuffed inside the vault and the CIA, and the authorities swooped in to foil the plan. Goldfinger escaped hastily leaving his plan to Odd Job.

Although left for damnation by his employer, Odd Job stayed loyal to the plan and still went on to stop Bond from foiling their plan. After a heavily painful fight with Bond, Odd Job came across death when he was electrocuted after reaching for his metal hat. He came out to be one of those villains who was ultimately killed because of their unique weapon of choice, or characteristic.

Bond diffused the bomb set by Goldfinger and was soon on his way for recognition from the President of the United States. However, Bond's plane to the White House was hijacked by Goldfinger and Pussy. 

Bond was shocked to see Goldfinger pointing his golden gun at him inside, but he managed to distract Goldfinger by asking where Pussy was. He tried to grab the gun from Goldfinger, however, a shot was fired during the process and led to the breaking of the airplane window. Goldfinger got sucked out to his death as Bond and Pussy tried their luck in landing the airplane.

Goldfinger and his golden gun from wikipedia.org

They did land down safely, and Bond told Pussy this cool one-liner, "this is no time to be rescued", as the film shifts into its end credits.

As what would happen over the next 50, or more, after this film, the next Bond actors would get to their top Bond form by the time they would be in their 3rd movie (The Spy Who Loved Me, The World Is Not Enough, Skyfall). They would be in their best shape, and they would be more confident than ever by the time they would reach their 3rd Bond outing. This film, Goldfinger, started it all. Sean Connery was the epitome of coolness and suave spy action hero. Although the plot was not the best, the gadgets, the action scenes, the chase scenes, the characters, and Bond were all top-notch.

Top Bond Blonde Henchman

One of the trademarks of a Bond film is the henchmen/woman of the Bond villains. Together with the movies main villain, they plan and execute elaborate plans to kill James Bond.

With lots of henchmen/women over the course of the Bond movies, only one was successful in directly inflicting a tragedy to Bond. That was Blofeld's henchwoman, Irma Bunt, when she fired a machine gun that hit Tracy Bond just moments after James and Tracy were married. Aside from Bunt, most have been unsuccessful in doing that task laid out by their boss.

However, we have seen Bond hurt in some of his fights against this specific category of henchmen.

Necros (left) and Bond (right) in The Living Daylights from moviemarmiteman.blogspot.com

They are what we fans call "the Blonde Bond henchmen" and they are tall, muscular, strong, often silent, and of course, Blonde. Those are what sets them apart from other henchmen.

6. Edmund Slate portrayed by Neil Jackson

Edmund Slate in Quantum of Solace from http://jamesbonddatabase.blogspot.com 

Since the reboot that gave us Daniel Craig and Casino Royale, the henchmen of the villains have not been a big deal and have been more realistic ones. Starting off this countdown is a minor henchman in Quantum of Solace. Slate is just another lead that Bond needs and meets in a blade fight to get to know more about Quantum.

5. Erick Kriegler portrayed by John Wyman

Erick Kriegler in For Your Eyes Only  from pinterest.ph

In the film For Your Eyes Only (1981), Erick Kriegler was a KGB assassin working for the main villain, smuggler Aris Kristatos, posing as an athlete and was a marksman. What made his portrayal memorable was the ski chase scene while Bond was skiing with Bibi Dahl, niece of Kristatos. However, the final showdown with Bond was not quite exciting. He fell to his death.

4. Hans portrayed by Ronald Rich

Hans in You Only Live Twice from jamesbond.fandom.com

Hans in You Only Live Twice (1965) was the first reincarnation of the Blond Bond Henchman, two films after Red Grant in From Russia With Love. He had limited screen time and did not say much throughout the film but the final fight in Ernst Stavro Blofeld's volcano lair was a feast for our eyes indeed. Bon Appétit!

3. Richard Stamper portrayed by Gotz Otto

Richard Stamper in Tomorrow Never Dies from die-hard-scenario.wikia.com

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) was one of the Bond films that followed the fundamental formula of the earlier Bond films. Part of that fundamental formula was the main villain and his henchman. Elliot Carver (portrayed by Jonathan Pryce) had a henchman who was just as theatrical as him. Although Stamper was mostly silent, he had time to exchange quips with Bond every now and then. He took pride in being trained by Dr. Kauffman, who was coldly killed off by  Bond.

2. Necros portrayed by Andreas Wisniewski

Necros in The Living Daylights from tvtropes.org

Necros in The Living Daylights (1987) was one of the coolest and lethal Bond Blonde Henchman. He disguises himself in order to blend in and be left unnoticed for him to do his orders. He disguised as a milkman delivering to an MI6 safe house in England to capture Georgi Koskov and bring him to Brad Whitaker. The second time he was in a disguise was when he killed off Saunders, MI6 contact in Vienna, with a triggering explosive. That time, he was a balloon seller in a carnival. Saunder's death enraged Bond and was acted very convincingly by Timothy Dalton.

The final fight between Bond and Necros was high above the sky in the opening of a plane, while hanging for their lives. Bond ultimately won the tight match by outwitting Necros, cutting off the laces of his own boot which was being held by Necros.

1. Red Grant portrayed by Robert Shaw

Rosa Klebb (left) and Red Grant (right) in From Russia With Love from flickriver.com

From Russia With Love (1963) was one of the greater Bond films, if not the greatest (it is, for me). One of its strength was the plethora of villains that it had. There was Blofeld's Number 1, Rosa Klebb, Kronsteen, and Red Grant. Grant's strength was first shown in the pre-title sequence, defeating a Bond-like agent with a garrote watch. Before he was selected for the mission, Klebb hit him in the abdomen with a knuckle and he did not move a bit. Strong guy indeed.

Grant killed off Captain Nash who was supposed to be Bond's contact in the Orient Express. He did a good impersonation that Bond did not notice he was an impostor. He only did when he drugged Tatiana Romanova, leading to their exciting exchange of words and brutal fight in a dark and tight space. Thanks to Q Branch's goods, Bond made it out alive.

As far as I am concerned, only George Lazenby's Bond was not able to experience the Bond Blonde Henchman. What he had was a redhead henchwoman in Irma Bunt, and that would require a different blog post.

MOVIE REVIEW: Reprisal

Did you come across this film thinking that Bruce Willis will display a John McClane-like performance? Well, you were tricked which was what happened to me, too.

Movie poster from teaser-trailer.com

Willis portrayed James, an ex-cop, who is a neighbor to the lead character played by Frank Grillo, Jacob. The glorious Olivia Culpo had a  supporting role as Jacob's wife.

Jacob encountered a bank robbery in the bank where he was working in. The robbers killed one from the staff who tried to retaliate.

Jacob was haunted by the events and soon after, sought help from the friendly neighbor, James. Along with his wife, was his sick daughter. (Spoiler alert: You know it. There is a hostage scene later in the film.)

Willis' part was limited, as he was just the "inside man" that Jacob needed to overcome his dilemma since James was an ex-cop. They teamed up to identify the culprit from the robbery. Eventually, an intense car chase commenced, however, with  Jacob and the culprit. James was only on comms and did not do any sort of action.

In the film's end part, the identified culprit took Jacob's family hostage. James helped, and showed up with a shotgun as his weapon of choice. But again, he did not do much for the sake of action, except perhaps for some clever decision-making which helped our main man, Jacob.

A shootout with a couple of undercover police, contacted by James, and the culprit, and Jacob occurred as James and the wife looked for the hostaged daughter. Jacob needed some time to disarm the culprit because he wanted to catch him alive, for the sake of the whereabouts of his daughter. James entered and shot the culprit dead.

Jacob rushed to the dead body confused and worried that he might not know where his daughter was.  Little did he know that James came into the scene and had already rescued his daughter.

Overalll, the film was a good heist film. However, the takeaway for me was the billing of the actors, specifically for Willis. Of course, they made that as part of their marketing strategy. And for that matter, I could say that it was effective. I could only speack for myself though. They wanted to let people know that the hero of the Die Hard movies woold star in a movie so they gave him the second billing. However, his part in this film was just a supporting one. That might make movie watchers be disappointed with the film. 

If you're  into plain action, this one would be a good pick. It had some thrilling moments and an interesting plot, especially with Jacob's dilemma of being traumatized, and his switch from being a family man into a vigilante.

MOVIE REVIEW: From Russia With Love Part 2

*Continuation*

Despite scheduling their plan on the 14th, they executed their plan on the 13th. From what I believe, this was some sort of decoy made by Bond to fool those who might be listening to them, if there was.

Upon their arrival at the Orient Express, Tania noticed Benz, a Russian security agent. Along with them on the train were Kerim. They were Mr. and Mrs. David and Caroline Somerset, a newly married couple on their way to England. Unfortunately, Kerim was killed in his encounter with Benz along the way and this made Bond think suspiciously of his Mrs. Somerset. The interrogation was such a good scene and it showed how Bond was still putting the mission first. The Lektor was the mission, not the girl. I loved it most when Tania's answers were all "I love you, I love you. It's true," and Bond's reply was just a cold "Sure."

Bond finally met his rival, Grant, who was posing as Captain Nash, Kerim's contact. With probably the same coded signal that Bond has been using with his allies, Grant convinced Bond that he was Nash.

In their scenes together, Bond and Grant exchanged some clever lines. Grant was even using Nash's voice. After dinner, Tania was drugged by Grant and soon after, they had to return to their room for Tania to rest. By that time, Bond was so sure that Nash was no ally. Upon entering a separate room, Bond asked grant, "What was it that you put on her drink?"

Bond had the situation under control until Grant tricked and knocked him out. Bond responds to his current situation by saying that he should've confirmed he was not an ally immediately after Grant's "Red wine with fish" order.

What followed was the classic fight scene between the two in a darkened and narrow room. The camera work and editing that made the fight become one of the most brutal fight scenes in the series. Bond won the fight using the knives that were hidden in Q Branch's modified attache case.

James Bond and Red Grant from Den of Geek website

This very scene from FRWL was what made every train in every Bond film thrilling. When you mix Bond, a Bond girl, a henchman, and a train - that would surely end up in a fight scene. Hello, Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Spectre!

Bond and Tania left the train, however, Spectre's thugs waiting for Grant were there. Bond easily disposed of them and took control of their vehicle on their way to the films two grand chases. In the first, Bond was chased down by a thug from a chopper a la Cary Grant in North By Northwest, and in the next one, Bond and Tania were chased down in a boat. However, these two chase scenes were not convincing enough, majorly due to the SPECTRE thugs' decision to slow down and stop eventually altogether. Bond had scattered his boat's gas tanks in the same exact area where the thugs stopped. Boom!

"Slow down. Slow down all boats."

Kronsteen was eliminated after his plan has failed, while Klebb was on her last hurrah against Bond.

While Bond and Tania were dressing up in a hotel room, Klebb enters the room, posing as a helper, to get the Lektor. Bond recognized him and it was one of the most suspenseful fights because, during the course of the film, we knew that Klebb's pointed shoes were lethal. Bond was totally no match for Klebb. Bond was obviously struggling.

Rosa Klebb pointing a gun at Bond from derekwinnert.com

Klebb's lethal shoes aiming at Bond from Sky.com

Fortunately, love won! Tania shot Klebb, ending Bond's agony. 

The couple took their time riding on a gondola while Bond disposes of their recorded sexual encounter, and the film's end credits appear.

That was the end, or better said by the film itself, "not quite the end" because there would be more James Bond thrillers!

FRWL easily became my favorite Bond movie. It showed the real spy that James Bond should be and the James Bond spy genre that the Bond movies should get inspiration. Sadly, the formula used in this film would only be used again after 18 years via "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). Despite using the modified attache case from Q Branch, the movie was not yet the cartoonish movie that it had become due to its gadgets. Simplicity was the key for FRWL.

I also have the nicest things to say about the villains. The villains were great, and had a good team, if not the most perfect team, to deal with Bond. Wit, tenacity, and strength went hand in hand to beat Bond. As for the Bond girl, Tatiana Romanova was one of the most beautiful Bond girls in my opinion. She had the young, innocent look that Solitaire had in Live and Let Die. She also did great in the acting department, even if it was her first stint in acting.

MOVIE REVIEW: From Russia With Love Part 1

"From Russia With Love (FRWL)" was the second Bond film for Sean Connery, for EON Productions, for the franchise, and for the fans. This movie was so good, the scene that had been the audition scene for screen tests of possible incoming Bond actors was taken here. That was the scene where Bond found Tania in his hotel room bed.

Movie poster from Illustrated007 website

According to sources, American President John F. Kennedy spoke about how much he liked the novel FRWL by Ian Fleming. This development boosted the sales of the book which eventually made it inevitable for the said novel to be the next one to be in the big screens.

Aside from James Bond, Moneypenny, M, and Sylvia Trench made their return to the Bond films reprising their roles. Major Boothroyd was also in FRWL and was tasked to supply Bond of the standard issue attache case (with its secrets and surprises, of course) for the mission, however, he was bearing a different name in the movie. He was called Q, being that he is the Quartermaster of the Q Branch and he was also played here by Desmond Llewelyn instead of Peter Burton.

The villain in this movie was the sinister organization SPECTRE. After Dr. No was killed by Bond in the previous film, SPECTRE was out for revenge, utilizing a brilliant plan by SPECTRE No. 5 Kronsteen, who is a chess grandmaster. SPECTRE No. 3, Russian General Rosa Klebb was tasked to help Kronsteen, along with the henchman of this movie Red Grant. Moreover, the SPECTRE bad guys were headed by their No. 1, who was left unnamed in the film's end credits.

The mysterious head of SPECTRE and his white cat from michaelmay.online

Kronsteen at a chess battle from 007  Under the Mango Tree website

Of course, we all know now that he is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who apparently is Bond's step-brother, as per the 24th Bond film, Spectre.

The film opened with a gun barrel sequence, which featured Bob Simmons again. After the shot and blood-dripping, the film commenced with the very first pre-title sequence of the film series with Red Grant and an agent looking a lot like James Bond. They were looking out for each other, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The thrill was present, the feel was a lot different from the previous film. However, the mystery continued further after Bond was seemingly strangled by Grant's garrote watch. After this, the film went on to the title credits.

After some time, you might start asking yourself this: Why would a movie starring Sean Connery who plays James Bond kill off the character in the films first minutes? This would be teased further as Bond would only appear 20 minutes into the movie after the whole plethora of villains were introduced. 

It was a great introduction for the villains. We saw that Kronsteen was the brains of the organization, Klebb was loyal not to Mother Russia but to SPECTRE, and that Grant was strong AF. Klebb punched his abdomen with a knuckle and he did not move a bit. That was how strong he looked like. No. 1 was creepy, and in this film, we knew that failures in the executions of their plans would lead to the execution of the ones who failed. Quite tragic.

Bond was sent to Istanbul for a supposed Russian defector, Tatiana Romanova (the Bond girl),  and a Lektor, a decoding device that M badly wanted. M sent Bond despite having doubts that the defection was only a trap.

Bond's ally in this film was Kerim Bay. He was one of the greatest allies that Bond had and could be even ranked higher than most of Felix Leiter's stint. Unfortunately, he was the sacrificial lamb of this film. He would be killed once Bond, Tania, and himself would board the Orient Express.

Before meeting Tania, Bond and Kerim go out on adventures with the gypsies and also taking out one of Kerim's nemesis. Tania and Bond crossed paths in this very intriguing scene. 

"But I think my mouth is too big."

"No, it's the right size. For me that is."

Unexpectedly, Klebb would be seen watching the flirting and other activities of the couple from a two-way mirror while also recording it in a video, and puffing a cigarette. (Get a room, Klebb! Better yet, get a separate room!)

Bond and Tania went on to discuss matters about the Lektor on the next day, with Tania still flirting with Bond. Bond should be given credit for being so focused on the mission despite Tania's flirting. Perhaps because he had already banged her during the previous night.

*Continuation on my next post!*

Four Movies That Killed Bond in the Pre-Title Sequence

    EON Productions has always assured to us Bond fans that there will be another James Bond film after the last one by stating that "James Bond Will Return" in the end credits of the films. But what they have not assured us is that whether the superspy would be killed or not in the Bond film, not until we reach the end and Bond would be seen with his lady.

Bond's 50th Birthday

    During the earlier Bond films, up until Octopussy, the next film's title is even stated already. Take for example this in the film "From Russia With Love".

Make way for Auric Goldfinger

    Another notable one is seen in the end credits of "The Spy Who Loved Me" wherein the stated next film is "For Your Eyes Only. However, due to the rise of the sci-fi era, "Moonraker" had to rise instead.

Where's Moonraker?

    With that, let's get to the main topic. In earlier Bond films, for some reason, the viewers were always hinted that James Bond - 007 would die in the film. But if you would think about it deeper, why would be the lead character of a rising franchise kill its main lead? Funnily enough, this trend has reached the Daniel Craig era in one of his outings.

    Here are four Bond films that tried to scare us about Bond being dead.

1. Thunderball. 

This is the least effective one in this list. The pre-title sequence starts off by showing a casket with the initials "JB".  However just seconds after, Bond is seen with a girl on a floor above the funeral rite. The one in the casket is revealed to be SPECTRE Number 6, Col.  Jacques Bouvar, who apparently died in his sleep. However, spoiler alert, the colonel is still alive.

"JB" for Jacques Bouvar snapshot from film

2. You Only Live Twice

From the title itself, you can easily think that this movie has a deal with Bond being close to his death. His apparent death happens in the pre-title sequence wherein a lady is shown aiding in killing Bond. Bond fakes his death for a mission. The reveal is made after Bond's "dead" body was buried at sea which leads to the remote MI6 office. 

Bond dying on the job from cinemaviewfinder.com

3. Skyfall

In this film, Bond has to get a file from Patrice containing a list of their agents in the pre-title sequence. The chase leads them into a train and then to a fight on top it as the train is moving. Bond is assisted by a woman agent (later to be revealed as Miss Eve Moneypenny, major spoiler alert!) who eventually unintentionally shot Bond in the chest after being pressured by M to "take the bloody shot". Bond falls and is swallowed down by the waters. Agent down.

Bond waiting to be rescued by Adele's swooning from businessinsider.com

4. From Russia With Love

In the pre-title sequence of this film, a Russian agent is seen waiting for this apparent James Bond.  The scene is intensified by the background music, as they make their way in the darkness of the area. The Russian agent sneaks up and reveals his garrote watch. Upon seeing Bond, he strangles him to his death. The British superspy is now dead! But wait, no. Another Russian agent takes off from the face of this dead Bond a mask. It's just a mask. Relax.

This scene shows to us how far can SPECTRE go just to destroy its enemies. What follows is an equally satisfying film with a great roster of villains.

Red Grant strangling a deep fake of James Bond from cinemablend.com

*Photos are grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you for understanding.

MOVIE REVIEW: Dr. No Part 2

Welcome to the second part of the Dr. No movie review.

Bond is welcomed to Jamaica by an uninvited guest. Bond learns that the driver was not sent by the government, but was from the man who wanted Strangways dead. Bond tried to dig information from the driver, however, he sacrificed himself opting to be kept silent through a cigarette filled with cyanide poison.

Bond learns about Strangways’ colleagues in the island, the most notable one being Professor Dent who also tested Strangways’ samples from Crab Key. Now, Crab Key is a secluded portion where fishermen and the likes do not dare to come near. They were scared of the dragon that is guarding the place. (Bond will know later on that the dragon they are afraid of is just a mechanical robot dragon, perhaps placed by the mastermind of everything that has happened on the island.)

We also meet Felix Leiter, Bond’s friend and ally from the CIA. He will occasionally pop in and out of Bond movies, often played by different actors. In this film, he is almost equal to Bond. They both look cool, wearing suits on sunny beaches, neatly-combed hairs, and menacing physiques that complete the package of being the ultimate spy.

Being an ultimate spy can give you ultimate danger. James Bond is in deep trouble in Jamaica. The Three Blind Mice tried to have a shot at Bond, but for some reason, they did not try at all. Professor Dent becomes bothered by Bond’s investigations leading him to go to Crab Key himself, revealing the lair, and the voice of the main villain Doctor Julius No. We learn here that the doctor does not tolerate failures, which explains the cyanide death scene earlier. Dr. No gives dent the deadliest creature that can possibly end James Bond – 007, a tarantula.

Waking up to a tarantula

Of course, James Bond survives the tarantula with a help of a cartoon-like musical score.

The next few scenes are building up to probably the second best scene in this film – the cold-blood shooting of Bond at Professor Dent. Bond discovers that the secretary, Miss Taro, is working for Professor Dent. He arranges to meet up with her, making her believe that hey we’re going out on a date. Bond insists that they meet.

Before reaching Miss Taro’s house, Bond was disturbed again by the Three Blind Mice in an effort to finish the spy off. Bond survives the very first car chase of the series which, to be honest, has not dated well. It still looked magnificent and massive, though. Bond bangs Miss Taro and then, gives her to the police. He then waits for someone to reach Miss Taro. He has his suspicions proven right after seeing Professor Dent at the door.

Bond, being the spy that he is, creates a decoy on the bed and waits behind the door. Dent shoots the decoy, using up all of his bullets. Bond takes advantage as he says, “You’ve had your six.”

Shooting Dent

Bond, Leiter, and Quarrel, the fisherman friend of Strangways, meet up at the docks. Bond opted to go with Quarrel to help him reach Crab Key, the forbidden island. Reluctantly, Quarrel agrees despite his fear of the dragon. They wait up until the next morning before they make their move as Bond wakes up to the very first Bond girl’s song. 

Honey Ryder

Bond meets Honey Ryder who was looking for shells, while Bond was just looking, at her in her swimsuit. Who wouldn’t?

The next scenes do not do much except that Quarrel is burnt alive by the fire-breathing mechanical dragon, and Bond and Honey Ryder are caught leading to their stay in the Doctor No Hotel.

Yes. A hotel.

Dr. No and Bond

They are treated very well in the villain lair, complete with bed, bath, breakfast and new clothes for their dinner with Dr. No. Dr. No reveals that he is not alone in his evil schemes. He reveals that he is a part of the group SPECTRE – Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. Bond is not happy with his plan, so then he is locked up in a dungeon, or a room which is very escapable.

Bond foils Dr, No’s plan after a lousy fight due to Dr. No’s metal hands. Yes, he has metal hands. And as we go deep into the Bond movie franchise, you will get to know more villains who have physical irregularities.

Dr. No

Honey Rider rides with Bond at the end of the film away from their audience from the theaters, and their rescuers for privacy.

Do I like this film?

 Yes, no reason not to, but to be fair, this film has its flaws. Aside from its technical aspects, there are also scenes in the movie that can really be unaccepted by today’s audience. An example is when Bond tells Quarrel this, “Fetch my shoes.” And of course, another one is the womanizing antics of James Bond.

It is the perfect Bond movie to jumpstart the franchise, this film actually has the right ingredients. Not too much and not too dull. Shaken, not stirred.

This review will return with From Russia With Love.

*Photos are grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you.