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Goldfinger (1964)
The Most Iconic of the Bond Films.
If you only heard of James Bond through the prism of pop culture, you likely heard of the many things that are associated with this installment. Bond strapped to a table with a laser moving up his groin. Oddjob, the henchmen who wears a steal rimmed bowler hat that can decapitate a statue's head. The leading lady named Pussy Galore. Bond's Aston Martin DB5 sported with gadgets. The villain Goldfinger, who plots to break into the U.S. Gold Bullion Depository in Fort Knox. Everything that ultimately made the series what it is, it's all here.
It carries a lot of what the first two films introduced, now mostly refined. This time the pre-title sequence is entirely separate from the main story, as if it were a short film giving audiences an idea of what's in store. The main title sequence now features the song of the film, this time sung by Shirley Bassey. The dynamic between Bond and Q is now defined with banter, as Bond is presented his gadget laden car. These kind of refinements are what would establish the Bond formula that would from this point be used in Bond films in various ways, for better or worse.
This installment is based off of the seventh novel written by Ian Fleming. As an adaptation, it stays relatively true to the source material. However, vital alterations were made for the film and I can say that they were largely an improvement. In the original novel, Auric Goldfinger actually plots to rob all the gold bullion from Fort Knox, which would have been very improbable, even for a Bond adventure. The film finds a more clever solution, which I'll leave unspoiled. Other changes worked in the same nature or were simple novel to film translations in telling the story.
Guy Hamilton directs this installment. Where the previous director Terence Young treated the first two films more as spy thrillers, Hamilton aims for a more comic book flavor with a breezier tone and emphasis on humor, whether through visual gags or interaction between characters. This is another factor that would play a big role into how future Bond films would proceed, some succeeding while others going too far.
Sean Connery is as comfortable as ever in the role of Bond. He plays Bond much more smarmy for a lot of the film, but that's mainly to get under the skin of the villain's boisterous nature. Gert Fröbe is truly fantastic as the villain Auric Goldfinger. What's remarkable is that he was dubbed by a voice actor, because he didn't speak very much English. On set he would actually speak German, but mouth the words close to English as much as possible. Despite being dubbed, he still carries a lot of the performance through his body language and the voice actor Michael Collins does a great job of matching that performance. His character is aided by the henchmen Oddjob, who's possibly the most iconic of all the henchmen that Bond had to face. A simple gag has him crush a golf ball with his bare hand, setting him up as a tough opponent for Bond to fight later in the film. Honor Blackman plays the Bond lady Pussy Galore, who's known not only for the silly and suggestive name but for also for initially not being easily swayed by Bond's charms, telling him "you can turn off the charm, I'm immune."
GOLDIFNGER is often cited among the best of the Bond films, if not the best. While it's certainly iconic, it also known for weaknesses like Bond being mostly held captive for the second half of the film. The argument being that he comes off as someone that doesn't effect the plot so much. That may be true, but then again that same argument is being made about how Indiana Jones wouldn't have changed the outcome of the plot in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. It's an oddity in stories about heroes, but I suppose what ultimately matters is if the film's adventure is fun and engaging. This one definitely is.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Second Bond film that is arguably the best of the series.
When it comes to a film series, there's always a sentiment about how the first film is the best and that every follow up, as great as they can be, never quite reaches the heights of the first that made the series what it was. The Indiana Jones series is a good example, with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK being the best, whereas with the sequels it varies in quality. There are a few exceptions where a follow up film happens to upstage what the first did. MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR is easily a major improvement over the original. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is another of the greats. People still debate on whether THE GODFATHER, PART II is better or less than its predecessor. FROM Russia WITH LOVE is definitely a serious candidate for sequels that improved on what the first film did.
It is debatable whether this should be considered a "sequel". What happened in the first film DR. NO is briefly mentioned, but overall the story is very much its own thing with a new set of characters and location for Bond to encounter, much like the original Ian Fleming books. Still, it's hard to ignore that it's a vast improvement. DR. NO was a solid film, but compared to what would come later it still needed some refining. This film having twice the budget as the first film is helpful, as they're now able to do more elaborate action set pieces to shake things up. DR. NO had a very lousy score. There was the iconic James Bond Theme, but while that was created by the original composer Monty Norman, it was guest composer John Barry's arrangement of the theme that made it what it was. Because of how great his arrangement was, he was hired as the next composer and would be with the series up until the late 80s, solidifying what people recognize as the "Bond sound". Him scoring this whole film is just an example of how much better this was. I could do without the actual title song though.
There's also a stronger variety of characters. Kerim Bey, played by Pedro Armendáriz, is Bond's ally in Istanbul, Turkey. He's one of my favorite allies that Bond has adventures with in this film because he's so full of life and just seems like the kind of guy you want to hang out with at a bar. Bond girl this time is played by Daniela Bianchi, who plays Tatiana Romanova, a Russian cipher clerk who wants Bond to help her defect to the west, but is actually on orders to set him into a trap. There's a cat and mouse play with Bond and Tatiana, using each other's sex appeal to get the upper hand, and you're never sure how much she means what she says when expressing her feelings for Bond until it comes to the moment of truth.
The villains all come in a variety. In the book, they're Russians working for the government, coming up with a plan to assassinate Bond. In the film, they were changed into agents of SPECTRE so that it wouldn't carry political overtones (thus give it more broad appeal worldwide). Because SPECTRE is used to replace the Russians, we get our first appearance of Bond's eventual arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld, although his face is kept hidden. He assigns the film's villain Rosa Klebb to execute the plan to kill Bond. She's played by Lotte Lenya, who really brings the cutthroat character to life straight from the book, even down to the lesbian overtones that makes her unique among Bond villains. The best of them all however is Red Grant, played by Robert Shaw. He's the man assigned to watch over Bond so that he makes it to the trap the Russians set up, and then by Klebb's orders, kill him. He's easily among the best henchmen in the series, bringing out the kind of controlled frenzy in his eyes as he watches Bond and tries to savor the moment of killing him.
A lot of the same filmmaking crew from DR. NO returned for FROM Russia WITH LOVE and a lot either improve or keep up the great quality they showed the last time. Terence Young proves himself to be very effective when directing suspense and would make use of that in future films like WAIT UNTIL DARK with Audrey Hepburn. Some of the same scriptwriters returned to do the adaptation of the original Fleming book, even polishing it up a bit to give it a much better transition into cinema. Ted Moore, the DP for the first film, is back and once again making great use of the locations and sets to make some very appealing photography.
Overall, as I said, a major improvement over the first and the series would only continue to grow from this point on. Connery has grown very comfortable into the role. Is it the best of the series? It might be, depending on what you want out of a James Bond film. If you want intriguing espionage adventure, this is the best to offer. For the longest time it was ranked high at #1 as my favorite in the Bond series. I now favor another film, but I'll get to that soon. 10/10.
Fun fact: While FROM Russia WITH LOVE is the second Bond film produced, it is based on the fifth novel which immediately preceded the sixth novel DR. NO, which was the first film produced. Might sounds like a huge flub the filmmakers to not go in chronological order, but since the novels were relatively standalone, it didn't matter that they went a different route at the start of the films. It certainly wouldn't matter when they started to ignore the source material, but that's only a few films away.
Chocolate City (2015)
Rated SC for Sexual Chocolate
What's for breakfast? When Mike Aka Sexy Chocolate looked into the camera, I thought he was looking right at me. All oiled up and raining dolla bills, this epic chronicle of urban dancers put the D in delicious. Whitey Soderbergh should be all over this piece of chocolate cinema. Black Dynamite? Nah. Trouble Man? Nuh uh. Shaft? Not enough! This has it all with Genuwine, BOLO the entertainer, Darrin Henson, MICHAEL JAI WHITE, and even Carmen Electra gets to shout out to the boyz! Vivica A Fox is amazing as Sexy Chocolate's mother, the only thing disappointing about this is that she doesn't deliver her chocolate milk. OH WELL. Michael JAI White plays the mentor that leads Sexy Chocolate the way to the stage and helps fulfill his dreams of good pay and hysterical black women with a few whiteys peppered in. If you take your coffee black, you will not be disappointed! Highest of recommends!
Dr. No (1962)
"That's a Smith & Wesson, and you've had your six."
Dr. No is the real deal. Director Terence Young is a major contribution to how Bond is who he is in the films. Fleming gets credit for starting it all with the books, but Terence Young deserves credit for shaping the character for cinemas. Connery wouldn't be a major star without Young's help, and he shows that on every interview he is on when discussing Bond, trying to make sure no one would forget how vital Young was. His leaving the series is also another possible reason why he'd eventually have a falling out with the Bond producers that lead to his departure.
It's definitely a Bond film, but it's much different from all the follow ups. It has less action and Bond is more of a detective here. That's mostly because this film is low budget. Some of that shows such as Bond featured in a car chase where he's obviously in front of back projection. However, despite instances like that it overall doesn't feel low budget because of how well made it is. The script is solid and a great with Sean Connery who just oozes charisma, already playing it cool on his first frame. The locations and elaborate sets are made to full effect, leaving a big impression onto viewers.
There's a reason Sean Connery is most popular Bond. With his natural charisma and cool attitude it's no wonder his films were the biggest and most hyped of the series. Connery is cool, tough as nails, dangerous and when he needs to be, ruthless. In Dr. No, Bond was at his peak when it came to being ruthless. A scene between Bond and a henchman named Dent really elaborates on that idea.
The supporting players are all good as well. Jack Lord is the best of all the Felix Leiters. It's a shame he couldn't reprise the role. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder is gorgeous, adding to the exotic nature of this film. If any flaw, the characters do not feel as well rounded as they were in the novel the film is based on. The lead up to Dr. No's lair, Crab Key, arguably takes longer to get to in the film than it did in the novel. It's not damning to the film, but it's always been something on the back of my mind.
In many ways this is the quintessential Bond film. It doesn't have staples the next films would play with like gadgets, but there's enough here to surprise anyone who's familiar with Bond on how Bondian it was from the start, such as the beginning with the gun barrel having the signature theme music blasting. All that said, it's a pretty laid back picture compared to what would come later in the series. It's best described as a "hang out picture", where viewers are asked to settle down and take in the atmosphere, characters, etc. I'd say that's an accurate description of most Bond films starring Sean Connery.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
For the most part a good car action flick.
The first film was BREAK POINT with cars. The second one was Miami VICE with cars. This is REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE... with more cars. To be honest, I kinda liked this one better than the last two, despite Lucas Black somehow beating Paul Walker as the least charismatic actor in a starring role. What I mainly like is the direction by Justin Lin. The focus on police undercover stories is dropped in favor of the street racing culture and its connections to the mob. Was actually delighted to see Sonny Chiba appear, I must have missed his name during the opening credits. Purely as a movie about car action, I think it succeeds better than the first two. There's a goofy quality to it that kinda helps one go along with things. Best to sum that up is Lucas Black smiling like a dork with blood on his teeth, living for the thrill. That's probably what this film series needed, and less soap opera/undercover drama. Consider me surprised.
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
More entertaining and colorful than the first.
Ah, the one with the infamous sequel title. Directed by... John Singleton? Odd choice, but I'll take him over Rob Cohen I guess. Where the first film was POINT BREAK WITH CARS, this one is Miami VICE WITH CARS so... Aw, to hell with it. This was way better than the first. Like the title implies, it's bigger, more colorful and more absurd. Once again Paul Walker isn't the most charismatic leading actor to grace the screen (Ludacris has more charisma, let's put it that way), but at least they're not trying to give him some dramatic soap opera nonsense. Now he's just a guy who drives really good, a cypher that audiences can easily project themselves to. There's some conflict between him and Tyrese Gibson, but it's more banter than anything else. The whole thing is brainless, but there's a measure of color and absurdity that makes it watchable, certainly more than the last one.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Not really all that good.
Last year I rented FAST FIVE despite not really caring about the previous flicks. I had only seen the first film when it came out and some of TOKYO DRIFT on TV. I gave the fifth film a shot anyway because the trailers made it look really fun and it got good word of mouth. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. It was a nice fun stunt car heist flick with no pretensions of being anything other than it was.
So here I am, watching the first film and I quickly realize why I didn't embrace the series during its initial films. This first installment is basically POINT BREAK with cars, but without The Buse. The first race is pretty fun at first but after that it just didn't do much for me. It takes itself too seriously and Paul Walker isn't really much of a leading man to carry the drama this flick tries to inject with the whole thing with him being torn between friendship and duty. Boring.
Fast Five (2011)
So far the best and most entertaining of this series.
This is the film that single-handedly got me to give the rest of the series a shot, for better or worse. It's a nice change of pace from the previous films where it abandons the street race angle (how far could you have taken that anyway?) and goes into the direction of a heist action flick with cars. Dwayne Johnson is a great addition and really adds to the series embracing the goofiness of its premise. So yeah, still the best this franchise had, and that's kind of rare for a franchise on its fifth film. The action for the most part is really handled well and a lot of fun to watch. The cast as an ensemble are very charismatic which no doubt makes it more fun for audiences to see a cast that has so much diversity and it's not done with generic stereotypes but just a bunch of people with a common interest. Overall a very entertaining action flick.
Fast & Furious (2009)
A more dramatic turn, yet not as compelling as it should be.
Well, I didn't really care for this one. Some of the action is good but beyond that I wasn't very swayed by this installment. The big mistake was the way Dom finds out about Letty's death, via phone call. That's what sets up everything for the rest of the flick and you can only see his interpretation of the events through his imagination at the site of her supposed death. For anyone who knows what happens in the following films, this just no longer holds a lot of power. The only truly good moment is where Dom decides to do the right thing and let those responsible be handled by authorities rather than taking another life with vengeance, knowing that it would have never made him feel any better. It's a nice attempt and easily more interesting than the first film, but it just doesn't hold a lot of power.