Viewed in
2014
Formats
HDTV
Premise
James Bond (George Lazenby, replacing Sean Connery) woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world.
Disliked
Stiff lead acting, badly-outdated action scenes, constant shout outs to the Connery era.
Hated
Disjointed story.
Thoughts
Stepping into Sean Connery's iconic shoes was pretty much doomed to fail, but even with that lenience, this was a weak movie.
Looking back, pretty much every new actor who took over as 007 had some kinks to work out. But Lazenby truly lacked any good looks or promise of special quality. Lacking in charm, he made up for it in stiffness. Wait. D'oh!
It didn't help that film had not-so-subtle reminders about the Connery era, from familiar props and weapons, to his "This never happens to the other guy" quip. The only silver lining was that this was the first meta-James Bond of the franchise, so congrats!
For 007 nerds, it was interesting to see the hero's Scottish heritage, family shield, and "The World Is Not Enough" motto introduced here.
I guess I should point out the good stuff. The toboggan chase climax was pretty good, given the technology. And it was fun to see more Austin Powers inspiration in the form of Blofeld, his cat, and Fraulein Bunt.
Sadly, this wasn't enough to hide the warts, and the bad film-making of the 1960's era. There was laughably dumb plots involving hypnosis and perfume dirty-bombs. The first half was a creepy Taming of the Shrew tale revolving around a SPECTRE official's daughter. And the ending was just plain lame, as it attempted a shock ending that kept the Bond mythos at status quo.
All this made the technical shortcomings abundant. The movie was littered with bad coverage, editing and continuity. The Benny Hill-like sped up action shots had me chortling the whole way. And not to mention the 30 minute long downhill ski chase "at night" that went on forever.
I tried to give this title a pass; replacing a legend was nearly impossible, and film-making was far from perfect back in the day. But On Her Majesty's Secret Service was forgettable, stiff, and awkward. It ain't Moonraker, but even 007 completionists would find this hard to enjoy.
Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Viewed in
2000
Premise
Robert Redford and Paul Newman, enough said.
Who should watch
Fans of Redford and Newman.
Thoughts
The star power of this film rivaled the power of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in 'Heat'. This was more about the stars and the acting than the plot of two outlaws being chased by mercenaries.
On top of this, there were two memorable scenes: when the two jump a waterfall and the great ending.
What I would change
Get rid of 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head' scene. It was totally incongruous with the rest of the film.
2000
Premise
Robert Redford and Paul Newman, enough said.
Who should watch
Fans of Redford and Newman.
Thoughts
The star power of this film rivaled the power of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in 'Heat'. This was more about the stars and the acting than the plot of two outlaws being chased by mercenaries.
On top of this, there were two memorable scenes: when the two jump a waterfall and the great ending.
What I would change
Get rid of 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head' scene. It was totally incongruous with the rest of the film.
Easy Rider
Viewed in
1999
Formats
DVD
Premise
Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper star as two counterculture bikers who travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America.
Thoughts
Don't remember much, except for a lot of dialogue-less motorcycling scenes, the use of "Born to be Wild", and that it was one of those weird artsy-fartsy 1970's movies. It did not really speak to me.
What I would change
No idea.
1999
Formats
DVD
Premise
Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper star as two counterculture bikers who travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America.
Thoughts
Don't remember much, except for a lot of dialogue-less motorcycling scenes, the use of "Born to be Wild", and that it was one of those weird artsy-fartsy 1970's movies. It did not really speak to me.
What I would change
No idea.
Godzilla's Revenge
Viewed in
1993
Formats
Syndicated TV (dubbed)
Premise
A bullied school boy dreams of hanging out with Godzilla's son.
Thoughts
As a kid, I recall it being goofy and funny. Though I am pretty sure that if I were to re-watch it, I would find it insufferably lame, lacking any resemblance of the Godzilla movies that I love.
What I would change
No comment.
1993
Formats
Syndicated TV (dubbed)
Premise
A bullied school boy dreams of hanging out with Godzilla's son.
Thoughts
As a kid, I recall it being goofy and funny. Though I am pretty sure that if I were to re-watch it, I would find it insufferably lame, lacking any resemblance of the Godzilla movies that I love.
What I would change
No comment.
Midnight Cowboy
Viewed in
2001
Formats
DVD
Premise
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman star as a naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggling to survive on the streets of New York City.
Thoughts
Details are fuzzy, but I recall liking it a lot. The performances by the two leads were fantastic and it had that 1960's artsy vibe to it. Plus there was the famous "I'm walking here!" scene.
What I would change
No idea.
2001
Formats
DVD
Premise
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman star as a naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggling to survive on the streets of New York City.
Thoughts
Details are fuzzy, but I recall liking it a lot. The performances by the two leads were fantastic and it had that 1960's artsy vibe to it. Plus there was the famous "I'm walking here!" scene.
What I would change
No idea.
True Grit
Viewed in
2010
Formats
DVD
Premise
John Wayne stars as a curmudgeonly U.S. Marshall who agrees to help a teenage girl hunt down the man who killed her father.
Liked
The entertaining dialog.
Liked
The outdated feel.
Thoughts
It was a pretty good Western, hailing back to the old days when Wayne used to dominate.
The writing was pretty strong, as it took the time to get to know and care about the characters. Some of the best parts were Mattie using her brains to get what she wanted. There was also some fun dialog as the three main characters did not get along with each other throughout their journey. I liked that the violence was quite realistic and even the heroes did not waltz through gunfights unscathed.
Overall, the cast was likable. Wayne was still a presence, although his attempt at playing nasty flopped. Kim Darby did a good job being the tomboyish and testy Mattie. Singer Glen Campbell was solid. Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper appeared in minor roles.
The pace and sensibilities definitely reminded me of older films of the genre. Some scenes felt silly as they played out more like a sit-com. Those moments made for a weird contrast with realistic violence and modern cinematography.
I could not really compare this to other John Wayne movies, partly because I have not seen enough, and partly because he played it the same way in all of them. But I guess it was a pretty good western, as an odd mix of Wayne's presence, decent performances, fun dialog, a grittier story, and colorful scenery.
On the other hand, I could see why it was worth remaking four decades later.
What I would change
Not sure.
Random
Kim Darby played John Cusack's mother in Better Off Dead. That blew my mind.
2010
Formats
DVD
Premise
John Wayne stars as a curmudgeonly U.S. Marshall who agrees to help a teenage girl hunt down the man who killed her father.
Liked
The entertaining dialog.
Liked
The outdated feel.
Thoughts
It was a pretty good Western, hailing back to the old days when Wayne used to dominate.
The writing was pretty strong, as it took the time to get to know and care about the characters. Some of the best parts were Mattie using her brains to get what she wanted. There was also some fun dialog as the three main characters did not get along with each other throughout their journey. I liked that the violence was quite realistic and even the heroes did not waltz through gunfights unscathed.
Overall, the cast was likable. Wayne was still a presence, although his attempt at playing nasty flopped. Kim Darby did a good job being the tomboyish and testy Mattie. Singer Glen Campbell was solid. Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper appeared in minor roles.
The pace and sensibilities definitely reminded me of older films of the genre. Some scenes felt silly as they played out more like a sit-com. Those moments made for a weird contrast with realistic violence and modern cinematography.
I could not really compare this to other John Wayne movies, partly because I have not seen enough, and partly because he played it the same way in all of them. But I guess it was a pretty good western, as an odd mix of Wayne's presence, decent performances, fun dialog, a grittier story, and colorful scenery.
On the other hand, I could see why it was worth remaking four decades later.
What I would change
Not sure.
Random
Kim Darby played John Cusack's mother in Better Off Dead. That blew my mind.
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