Review: A View to a Kill

John Glen, 1985

James Bond investigates a suspected horse-racing scandal, which leads him to attempt to foil the plans of a megalomaniac East German refugee entrepreneur to utilise the disadvantageous geography of northern California to destroy Silicon Valley and create a worldwide microchip monopoly.

Positive: Solid entertainment. Christopher Walken’s character represents perhaps the final classic and memorable Bond villian. Stunning stunts throughout.

Negative: Roger Moore’s age, especially in terms of his physical appearance compared to 1983's Octopussy. The baudy, slapstick and outdated humour. Too much emphasis on blood and violence.

7/10 

A View to a Kill @ IMDB

A View to a KIll @ Amazon

Review: Fast and Furious

Justin Lin, 2009

The main characters of 2001’s The Fast and the Furious overcome their differences and return to what they know best - driving expensive cars at high speeds, this time in an attempt to infiltrate and topple a heroin importer.

Positive: Better than 2 Fast and Tokyo Drift in terms of this film having a plot with some kind of weight behind it. In the previous two instalments the plot seemed to be little more than an uninspiring vehicle for scenes of car chases.

Negative: A lot of scenes, and the action within them, seemed quite pointless and served only to attempt to provide the (presumably adolescent male) audience with cheap titillation, such as a great deal of women’s backsides completely filling the screen, and groups of girls ‘making out’ with each other. Too much focus on this kind of thing. 

5/10
Fast and Furious @ IMDB 

Fast and Furious @ Amazon UK

Review: Haywire

Steven Soderbergh, 2011

An ex-marine working for a private security company seeks to clear her name and obtain vengeance after she is betrayed by her colleagues.

Positive: Enjoyable jazz soundtrack providing a tense yet energetic mood.

Negative: The basic plot elements were not made clear and therefore the film felt as though it were merely a vehicle to demonstrate over-choreographed fight sequences.  The unthinking man’s Le Carre.

5/10

Test

Testing some sync feeds, m'kay?

Review: For Your Eyes Only

John Glen, 1981

After an undercover British spy ship sinks carrying a secret encryption device, James Bond is dispatched to recover it and ensure it doesn’t fall into Russian hands.

Positive: Roger Moore’s portrayal as a relatively mature Bond. The straightforward storyline, lacking any of the eccentricities of the previous two Bond films. The action maintains the high standard expected of the Bond series and is of a good quality throughout.

Negative: A rather bizarre opening sequence, although aesthetically impressive, fails due to its outlandishness. A somewhat uncomfortable soundtrack tends to disrupt the film’s flow.

7/10

F**k Yeah Product Placement

You know how on Tumblr there are a ton of websites devoted to one particular topic, whether it be youth culture of the 1990s or scientific illustrations published in the 19th century, all with titles starting with 'Fuck Yeah'?

Well, a little while ago I decided to combine the popularity of such blogs with my obsession with finding product placement in films and television shows.

The result of this was Fuck Yeah Product Placement, which can be found right here.