Reviews

This first part of the incredible gendarme-series sets the tone for the follow up. Funes and Galabru are the stars, but the lovely Geneviève Grad as Cruchot's daughter Nicole has a fine performance including singing a catchy tune. She's is trying to make a good impression at her new friends by claiming she's the daughter of a famous businessman instead of a gendarme. This is the start of a fine mess, which includes a kidnapping,some hilarious impersonations and a Rembrandt painting. Cruchot puts himself in some awkward positions to save him and his daughters ass. Surely 4 out of 5.

In the serie of gendarme-pictures is this one of the funniest. Cruchot and his men are on a tour down memory lane. They are playing with their young successors. Hilarious are the scenes when they visit a hippy community. This is some fine piece of facial improvisation. The cast is as always superb! This is how comedy should be. Really overdone but with typical style and some fine performances by two of the funniest French actors ever. Funes and Galabru makes this one incroyable! 4,5 out of 5.

The gendarme-series are all my favourites. This story is taking place in New York where there's is hold an international police-conference. Cruchot is searching for his daughter, who is matched up by a tabloidreporter with an Italian policeman. Hilarious are the chases in the cab and at a building construction. A tribute to the Westside story is the scene at the playground, where Cruchot gets involved with some streetgangs. Funes is as always the eyecatcher, but his daughter played by the lovely Genieviève Grad is also very funny. A typical European sixties comedy, with some Hollywood elements. 4 out of 5.

Not better then the golden sixties area, but still refreshing and different from other action movies. This picture sees the arrival of Brosnan. In my humble view Connery is still the one who did the best job. Brosnan isn't doing it bad either. All though he can't compete with the performance of lovely but lethal Xenia Onatopp, who enjoys with great almost erotic pleasure, gunning people down or - her specialty - crushing men with her thighs. In the pre-sequence (teaser) we see Bond on a mission with oo6, who gets killed when Bond escapes. This is the start of a great action packed movie, with some sharp dialogues and some incredible stunts, without getting grotesque. In the middle we see an interesting twist, when Bond is finding out that his former partner and friend isn't really dead and now is operating under the name Janus. Making it more a personal vendetta than a mission for queen and country. Bonds is being assisted by the charming intelligent Russian multi media expert Natalya Simonova, who's also hurt by Janus and his people. Memorable are the scenes in historic St. Petersburg - giving it a taste of nostalgia - where Bond is chasing a villain by Tank in the center of the city and crushing everything which comes his way. Also the final clash between Bond and janus on a satellite dish in the Caribean is breathtaking. In between we see some fine acting by Judi Dench as M and the re-entree of Joe Don Baker in a small role making this a joy to watch.

I'm an exponent of the eighties so I can identify it well. It's not in the same league as the early Connery flicks like From Russia with Love and Goldfinger but it has its charm. Dalton is a rather serious Bond, like Fleming's character. He misses the toughness and humor and isn't a womanizer.

He actually falls in love and has to put aside his feelings to complete his mission. The story refers to early work, like the cold war setting in Prague, where Bond follows his intuition, instead of his orders to kill the girl. Original is first the escape by general Koskov by pipeline and after that the revival of Austin Martin gadgets followed by the romantic crossing of the Austrian border. This is the best part of the picture. After this the film goes slowly downhill and becomes more a action packed late eighties adventure. The final is grading up it up again, while we see a confrontation in a cargo airplane, with a bomb in it and Dalton showing some punch after all. The score is catchy and typical eighties with tracks from AHA and The Pretenders. throughout I give it 3,5 out of 5.

This is the best Bondmovies in the worst decade of the series. The late seventies films were filled with action but lacked a good story. Gladly this is compensated by a fine performance of Moore, with his touch of humor and the return of a megalomaniac villain Stromberg with his seemingly scary but funny aid Jaws. The gadgets are fine like a car turning into a submarine. Bach is playing an intelligent Russian major, who has sex-appeal and a who's beside Bond instead of under him. 3 out of 5 because of the solid music score and the lovely Bach.

The return of Connery in a witty adventure more suitable for Moore. The beginning promises a great spell with the killing of Blofeld to revenge his wife´s dead. But after this it al goes downhill. Las Vegas isn't the place for Bond, okay it´s exciting but that doesn't make it a good setting for a Bondmovie. To say that Connery is looking too old is a joke because today he´s looking better than ever, so that's not the problem. Also the girls are looking fine in their top and the fighting scenes between Bond and the elastic black girls are entertaining. The final taking place at sea isn't so bad either. The music score is one of the best, especially the giant song by miss Bassey. I think its the high expectation of the return of Connery, which is not entirely fulfilled. 6 out of 10, because Bond can't be bad.

This third JB movie is one of the best exponents of the series. It´s in the same league as From Russia With Love and Thunderball. Like this last one, the story is great until the final, which is disappointing. Otherwise everything is falling into place. Connery is filling in the perfect Bond. Hard, sometimes charming and always cynical. Goldfinger is a sophisticated bully, with some fine one-liners. Odd-job as his Japanese aid is one of the best casts ever. Pussy Galore is a seemingly cold bondgirl, but she defrosts in the hands of Bond. The brilliant Austin Martin gadgets and the laserscene are memorable and will always be a tribute for the series. The score is one of the finest. 4,5 out of 5.

This is one of the best in the series. The story is about revenge for the cruel dead of his friend Leiter and not about saving the world. It has some fine thriller elements in it and an actual theme namely drugs. Bond is played by Dalton like a human agent and not a supernatural one.

The action is just enough and well thought out and the Bondgirl is not one-dimensional. Sanchez is a real villain and underlines this with some fine one-liners. ¨Laundry it¨! As a reaction to the question what to do with bloodshot money. The difference between good and superb lies in the fact that Dalton is not in the same league as Connery and Moore. All though 4 out 5 is not bad.

This is one of the best in the serie. The story is about revenge for the cruel dead of his friend Leiter and not about saving the world.

It has some fine thriller elements in it and a actual theme namely drugs. Bond is played by Dalton like a human agent and not a supernatural one.

The action is just enough and well thought out and the Bondgirl is not one-dimensional. Sanchez is a real villain and underlines this with some fine one-liners. ¨Laundry it¨! As a reaction to the question what to do with bloodshot money. The difference between good and superb lies in the fact that Dalton is not in the same league as Connery and Moore. All though 4 out 5 is not bad.

This picture is in my opinion the best Bondmovie. Not because all the elements for a good Bondmovie are in it. We miss an amount of packed action and some cheek in tongue humor. But this is compensated by the realistic story line and the fine casting. Connery plays - as he always claims - his best role and Bianchi is a witty and sophisticated bondgirl. Shaw and Lenya team up as the best villain combination: shady sharp and brutal finesse. The supporting roles are the finishing touch. Nobody deviates or is misplaced. The romantic scenes, which take place in breathtaking Istanbul and Venice and the action scenes, which take place in the mountains of Yugoslavia and the Adriatic sea - are an example of the right setting. The journey through the Slavonic states by train gives it a real cold war atmosphere. The final confrontation between Bond and Kleb is as good as any spy movie can get. Bond plays the role as Fleming sees him in the book. Hard and sometimes romantic, but always at the edge and with some cynical humor. The Bondmovies have gone downhill after this one.

This Neil Simons adaption is a funny sometimes hilarious piece. The 4 stories handle mainly about misfortune in a Beverly Hills hotel. Funny are especially the last two. In the third story Pryor and Cosby want to settle their difference by playing a tennis double, with their wives, which ends up with a hospital visit. In the last Matthau gets a surprise present (call girl) by his brother, but is not so happy with it, when his wife is showing up. The movie has in my opinion no weak points and has enough alternation. The star-cast with actors like Matthau, Pryor, Caine, Fonda and Alda is a guarantee for quality.

Altman is one of my favourite directors, so this isn´t really an objective comment. He has in my point off view an eye for subtlety and gives his actors almost enough freedom so they can rise above themselves. This is also the case in Short cuts. Almost all characters have a link between each other and storylines are overlapping in this fine dramady about seemingly common L.A. inhabitants in the nineties, who are not so ordinary and sometimes react a bit odd to things that are happening in their life. Love and hate, failure and success, sanity and madness have a thin line between them. Altman doesn't need to ask his actors to play in this picture. They´re all enjoying the opportunity to perform in this 4 hours lasting masterpiece.

When I first saw this film I was amazed by its simplicity but also surprised by its competence. Its a cheerful and really funny piece of a great French actor and director, with some fine and really original scenes in it. This comic masterpiece about a day in a picturesque little French village, in which the postman Francois is being followed, on his daily tour, when a carnival is taking place. The speed of the modern way of life is brilliantly compared by the typical easy calm French way. Francois symbolizes this old way by doing everything slow and wrong on and off his bicycle. The little but creative stunts are really figured out for that time and are inspired by Buster Keaton and have a little touch of Chaplin in them.

The uniqueness of the film is that the story is creating itself. As the day follows we get to know the village and it's inhabitants and we are also learn a small lesson by a little old lady with a goat.

Surely a must see!