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Reviews
No Time to Die (2021)
Its essential problem is it tries too much to be a serious drama film, and comes off as pretentious
Watching all the Daniel Craig films back to back, you realize that with each successive installment, it strays farther and farther from the tried and true joyous formula of Bond films. By the time we reach the 2021 outing, that formula is all but completely lost.
The essential problem of No Time To Die is that for the first time the series 60 year history, this film tries to be some kind of serious drama - and it of course doesn't work. It comes off as pretentious. This isn't what audiences want from a Bond film - they want the traditional formula.
Yes films like The Man With Golden Gun, Moonraker and Die Another Day were stupid - but they never took themselves too seriously. Bond films always have this spirit of fun and lightheartedness to them. No Time To Die is so dark and melodramatic - whatever happened to the good old days of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace?!....
Daniel Craig's Bond archetype becomes weaker and weaker with each film. Unlike previous iterations of the character over the decades, Craig's character is always too impulsive, lacking clarity, and questionable mental stability since 2006. By this film he is just this mopey angry fool - and needy and obsessed with this woman.
All that said, it is still a relatively entertaining romp with nothing really insulting to long time fans of the series. But Bond as this serious melodrama just doesn't work. They're not supposed to be serious films.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
The best Bond film and a fantastic film in its own right. If you're a lover of great films, give this one a go.
This is an absolutely beautiful film. For me it really stands out as something quite different from the rest of the franchise. There is a high artistic quality and loving care about this film which isn't present with most of the rest of the series. Outstandingly suspenseful action, some lovely introspective moments, and a beautiful romance awaits.
The thing that I find truly remarkable throughout the entire film is the direction by Peter R Hunt. Every single shot is discerningly and lovingly composed, so beautiful to look at. A beautiful romantic energy permeates the experience of this film. Cinematographer Michael Reed deserves much credit for his role creating these beautiful shots as well.
What's more, when the action scenes begin there is a wonderfully fierce powerful energy surrounding Lazenby's Bond and his enemies. The action scenes, including the car chase and skirmishes across the snow, have this fantastic nervous tension to them. We really feel as if we're part of the seriousness of Bond and Tracy's situation.
Adding to creating the experience of this movie is the gorgeous soundtrack from John Barry. I can't overstate how it really contributes enormously here. The music on offer really feels outstanding from the rest of the series.
Diana Rigg's Bond girl character Tracy is used wonderfully well. Unlike seemingly many Bond films where the girl is barely given anything to do apart from stand around half-naked, Tracy is an instrumental part of the story. She's there in the first act and the third act, and when she's absent during the middle of the film she is in our thoughts (perhaps as she is also in Bond's thoughts). We learn much about her and her family, and her character really has some kind of halfway decent development here. Bond isn't the only character who cares about her in this film either.
Perhaps many people do not like Lazenby's portrayal of Bond. The reality is however is that Bond is a different character in this film compared with most of the others. He is more introspective and meticulous. Perhaps a more respectable and relatable gentleman than many other Bond films too - he has normal human weaknesses and imperfections, yet manages to remain composed whatever the situation.
Telly Savalas as Blofeld is also greatly rewarding this time round. He's wonderfully charismatic and a great gentleman counterpart for Bond. His presence in this picture never gets old.
As we cross the 2 hour mark the film grows a little tiresome for a short while, but there is still so much to enjoy in the composition of every shot, at the very least we can just sit back and enjoy the beauty.
While in many Bond films the finale just seems to drag on and on and the film seems too long even with the standard 130 minute runtime, in OMHSS the finale carries some really powerful emotional weight. It's a seriously stressful scenario (not simply the cliche "bad guys take over the world") There's a lot immediately at stake as the characters are deeply personally vested in the outcome here.
The pacing of the film in general is very well balanced. Introspective moments and suspenseful action very elegantly flow between each other.
If you're a film lover you should give this movie a go. All the James Bond stuff aside it is a beautiful cinematic experience in its own right.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Most beautifully moving moments of the saga cumulate to make ROTJ still the best SW film to date
SPOILERS AHEAD: - if you have not seen this one yet, best to wait until after you've seen the film.
This review is mostly intended to offer some fresh commentary for those who have already seen the film. Regardless of whether you've seen it 0 or 50 times, I hope this review can add to your appreciation of the film.
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The most beautiful moments of the saga are to be found in Return of the Jedi. The power of these good moments more than make up for the film's flaws.
Return of the Jedi is a film that has really benefits powerfully from all the back story of the prequels. Despite all the happy and silly moments of the lovable characters throughout the previous films, the Star Wars saga is set against a pretty dark backdrop. In every film there is always this threat of impending darkness and a society and culture that is falling apart. Or we are in the depths of a very dark evil tyranny, where it is a thought crime to suggest that what the Republic has slowly morphed into has become very wrong.
In ROTJ however, we finally come out of that darkness and we know the good guys will win. There is a celebratory vibe to the whole film, somewhat of a homage to everything that came before it. We know that everything is about to get resolved, we're going to come out of that darkness.
We firstly have what for me is the best moment of the Original Trilogy, at least, for sheer exhilaration: - We find out that Artoo is holding on to Luke's brand new lightsaber (we were thinking does "Luke even have a lightsaber anymore? Didn't he lose it in the previous film"), which Artoo fires high into the sky, for Luke to use The Force to pluck from the air. Yes, Luke now has own lightsaber which he was powerful enough to construct himself. It is green, not blue; Luke is his own man now, not in the shadow of his father. Luke instantly activates it and goes on to make easy work of about a dozen different enemies. After years and years of darkness, the Jedi have returned! And like Qui-Gon, Ob-Wan, and Anakin before Luke, the bad guys are powerless to do anything against a Jedi.
What follows soon after for me is the most powerful and beautiful moment in the whole saga, thanks to John Williams and one of his very best pieces "The Death Of Yoda". Luke returns to be with his mentor, wanting to continue to grow as a Jedi. But it seems it might be too late, for Yoda's time has come. Luke is there for his great friend and mentor when Yoda passes away.
At the moment of Yoda's passing, the strings of Williams' score swell in such a beautifully harrowing way, as if to hold back tears.
As those strings swell, all of these happy and powerful moments of the past 5 movies flash through our minds. Yoda has been with us through it all, all those happy moments and happy times with the characters throughout the saga. The last of all that goodness and joy passes away with him. Luke is left alone, the last hope of what represents that good of the past, and he is left with a difficult task indeed. Those moments where it is just Luke and Artoo alone (before Obi-Wan appears) are so beautiful.
On recent viewings these days, that moment when Yoda dies, I always choke up and shed a few tears.
Later on we have that quiet private moment between Luke and Leia. Once again this scene is stolen by John Williams' beautiful score "Luke and Leia". During this scene, all the puzzle pieces of what has conspired over the past few decades are falling into place for Leia and Luke. This maniacal tyrannt Palpatine has been relentlessly tormenting the Skywalker family for decades, singling them out to subject them to such terrible evil. What have they done to deserve that?
Yet another powerful harrowing moment is the finale, where Palpatine has decided he will kill Anakin's son in the most horrific way possible. Hamil's acting range is on display here, as he plys his trade to portray the extreme agony that Luke is in. Iit is difficult for us to watch.
Meanwhile Anakin watches on as his son is being tortured to an extremely painful death - still relentlessly loyal after all this time to his friend Palpatine.
Loyalty to this madman only led to the death of Anakkin's beloved wife. Now is Anakin just going to stand by while Palpatine murders his child?
Then, something happens that the Emperor never predicted.
One more lovely moment. At the end of the film, even though the future may be unknown, we are reminded that Luke is not alone as he moves forward into this new future. His mentors, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and now Luke's own father, will always there to guide him. Despite everything's that's going on, Luke's personal growth will always be what is most important for him.
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For me this is really Hamil's film, with his wonderful portrayal of the boy who has now become a man. Luke is an introvert, intuitive, highly emotionally intelligent, deeply introspective and self-aware, deeply considerate of his friends, and ruthless towards his enemies. When the gang all head off to hang out with the Rebels, Luke goes off by himself, to work on himself as a man with Yoda and Obi-Wan. Luke really has his head screwed on straight. I am hard pressed to think of another hero on film who embodies this archetype so well as Luke and Hamil do in ROTJ.
One area where the film is flawed of course is that the final battle between Luke, Vader and the Emperor is pretty rushed, considering so much time and effort throughout the saga went into it's context. Luke's training started late and his training was kind of rushed through. He's probably the one chance Obi-Wan and Yoda have got. Yet Luke is now expected to be powerful enough to defeat both his own father and Palpatine, all alone. More time could have been given to this battle given its weight - and less time to the Ewoks.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read.