Last Movie You Watched.

Don't worry about that, it's the story of my life and I'm here in the US! It seems every film I want to see is out of print, unavailable, overseas or stuck in a crummy version somehow.

Day of the Jackal is a great film that had a crummy video history for years. Just an old 1.33 Laserdisc and DVD here where Europe got a widescreen DVD at least. The new Arrow Blu-ray is a godsend and looks incredible by comparison. I think it may even be my choice for best non-Bond spy thriller film of the 70's and Fred Zinnemann was just incredible.

I don't know if you can easily get Warner Archive Blu-rays over in Oz but if so they did immaculate new transfers of both Yakuza and Night Moves that are just staggeringly good. If you can't the DVDs from Warner of both are still very good and were my copies for years. Both are underrated gems and will bowl you over on a first watch. I think in a lot of ways Black Rain is like an uncredited remake of The Yakuza.

X-Men : Dark Phoenix - bit more low-key than Apocalypse, but still fun to watch Marvel's mutants doing their thing.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

Ambler was forced to deactivate his account, hence his posts are now under the guise of 'Guest'.

Huh? Who forced him to deactivate his account?

Apparently he has a new employer who forbids any and all use of social media.

Including B&B under the catch-all "Social Media" is stretching the definition to its very limits. How many visitors do we even have?

Hanna - it's more a bucketful than a pinch of salt that's required for this 'if Jason Bourne was a teenage girl' action-thriller. Pretty daft, but the cast are game enough I suppose.

This has been developed into a series on one of the streaming services, I understand. Good God.

I thought the film was decent. Script needed some work but thought at the time (need to revisit it) that it proved Joe Wright had the style and sense of bizarre perfect for Bond.

Have no problem with female action heroes, but little Saoirse Ronan taking out dudes twice her age and size? Nah.

Maybe, but Joe Wright had very little to do with that, if the script demanded a teen assassin.

Foreigner...Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan



First Brozza film I've enjoyed in a long time, nice story, nice role...

It's great fun, that. Glad you liked it. Hope it spurs a re-evaluation of his era as Bond.

Having seen this article, by Nicolás Suszczyk, I gave The Mask of Zorro a rewatch. Completely enamoured by CZJ. Huge missed opportunity not casting her alongside Brosnan as Bond, perhaps as Vesper in Pierce's CR.





You just don't see chemistry like this between leads in movies anymore. Zeta-Jones and Banderas are fantastic together. Aided, no doubt, by Horner's score and Campbell's direction. One of the last true action adventure movies. I'd watch this over any modern superhero movies, anytime.

If you are to travel the world with anyone as guide, David Niven is the man. Or was.

Around the World in Eighty Days

it lags a little with Spain (something not in the book) but it does a good enough job. On one hand it's a case of spotting the cameos (I still think Kirk Douglas is in this movie and yet, he's not) and on the other, the visages. To someone watching this in 1956, before the internet, more numerous flights/tickets etc, this must've been a wonder to see all those countries (and imagine now if this film was made, surely a furore on all the air miles the production crew et al racked up). And it looks very real- the stunt work is quite something, seeing the main actors doing things like climbing up on trains etc helps seal the deal as does seeing them out in the open, very little is in the studio. (And again, some of the scenes would surely rile people today, especially the fight with the Redskins).
Shirley MacLaine's casting aside, this is a wonderful film to enjoy after a hard week. Niven was born to play Fog -though Cary Grant was sought after by Mike Todd, this is best suited to Niv. If anyone encapsulated the British of old, maybe Niv was that image.

It also boasts Robert Newton in spite of his faults a wonderful actor (his Sikes in Oliver Twist is very level with Oliver Reed's and maybe just that little better).

Bond-wise, Ken Adam worked on it uncredited.

Oh for the golden age of cinema.

What's wrong with MacLaine's casting? I've not seen any version of Around the World In Eighty Days but usually one would be so lucky in hiring such an actress!

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

What's wrong with MacLaine's casting? I've not seen any version of Around the World In Eighty Days but usually one would be so lucky in hiring such an actress!

Nothing by itself but she's meant to be playing an Indian princess. Even MacLaine said she was miscast.

Oh right!

The Nice Guys - this freewheeling 70s-set crime-action-comedy is a lot of fun. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling make for a chucklesome double-act as an 'enforcer' and rubbish private investigator respectively.

I've been meaning to check that out. It being fun seems to be the general consensus.

I just finished Lumet's Murder On The Orient Express. Much sharper than Branagh's version. Must say the scene that stood out most was Ingrid Bergman's unedited interrogation. Expertly crafted and performed.

I felt that THE NICE GUYS was pretty underwhelming as far as Shane Black films go. With that and THE PREDATOR I'm less enthused with his recent output.




ANNA (2019)




Basically Luc Besson playing with his NIKITA concept again, and still proves to be a pretty effective action director. Eric Serra scoring doesn't disappoint, and makes me wish he would do more Hollywood projects to give that distinctive flavor so many in the action genre lacks.

I still haven't forgiven Besson for Lucy. Ugh.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

The Nice Guys - this freewheeling 70s-set crime-action-comedy is a lot of fun. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling make for a chucklesome double-act as an 'enforcer' and rubbish private investigator respectively.  

That film is great fun. It's like a retelling of "Night Moves" through the prism of "The Rockford Files", only more Shane Black-ish.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

It's great fun, that. Glad you liked it. Hope it spurs a re-evaluation of his era as Bond.

Having seen this article, by Nicolás Suszczyk, I gave The Mask of Zorro a rewatch. Completely enamoured by CZJ. Huge missed opportunity not casting her alongside Brosnan as Bond, perhaps as Vesper in Pierce's CR.





You just don't see chemistry like this between leads in movies anymore. Zeta-Jones and Banderas are fantastic together. Aided, no doubt, by Horner's score and Campbell's direction. One of the last true action adventure movies. I'd watch this over any modern superhero movies, anytime.

One small Bond-related anecdote: this is one of the two roles that Izabella Scorupco turned down. The other being Kim Basinger's role in "L.A. Confidential".
For those keeping score at home, the former made CZJ a huge star and the latter earned Basinger an Oscar.

I'd forgotten about LA Confidential. Would love to hear her reflect on those opportunities.

Zeta Jones would have gone on to huge success with or without Zorro.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

I'd forgotten about LA Confidential. Would love to hear her reflect on those opportunities.

Zeta Jones would have gone on to huge success with or without Zorro.

Whilst that might be true, she had been in the business for a considerable time when she got her big break.

Especially if the rumors about her fake age are true.

Fake age? What's that about?

Blunt Instrument wrote:

I still haven't forgiven Besson for Lucy. Ugh.

Hadn't seen that since theaters, but I remember enjoying that a lot for its sheer absurdity.