jamesbond Reviews

Honkytonk Man (1982)

A true gem

[30 August 2004]

This film is one of Eastwood´s most compelling and strikes you right at the heart. It tells us a story with such a warmth and compassion about a theme as old as America itself. It is about a man and his love for his nephew, his music and his his desire to make a name for himself before his TB´ll end it all. Though Clint´s voice isn´t the best it does however strengthen our understanding of the motivation of a man that is running against time in a setting that is both harsh and unforgiving. The movie´s depiction of the depression is outstanding and the songs are stupendous. Watch for Marty Robbins who also sings half the theme song. All in all an outstanding movie that will stay in your heart for a long, long time...

Ninja Warriors (1980)

Best Ninja movie of all times?

[8/10 · 1 November 2000]

This is truly one of the coolest Ninja movies of all times. The stunts are top-notch and the action is non-stop. As usual in these films it gets pretty campy indeed, but on a whole it´s out standing. Watch out for hilarious stunts when our hero blocks arrows, Ninjas climb trees as vigorously as Spiderman and digging through the ground as moles. This is the film that made me want to become a Ninja as a kid and it leaves Sho Kosugi way behind. A must-see for any lover of martial arts and action!

Stalker (1979)

Mysticism at it´s best

[1 November 2000]

This film is of course a cinematic masterpiece, being made by the great Tarkovsky. The film is utterly hypnotic although not as spellbinding as Solaris. Just as Tarkovsky criticized Soviet Russia´s obsession with science and reason, he makes a good try at negating objective reality in this film as well. While trying to make a case of the need for spirituality in modern time he erases any notion of objective metaphysics. He then becomes a henchmen for the Soviet´s; not as a mystic of the muscle, but as a mystic of the spirit. The result of his philosophy is (whether he knew it or not), not a satire of Soviet society, but of objective reality. Ironically that leads to the same politics as the one he tried so subliminally to criticize. This fact gave me a bitter aftertaste to an otherwise cinematic masterpiece.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)

Photography puts anything else to shame!

[7/10 · 1 November 2000]

This film´s photography puts any other film´s to shame. How they managed to catch footage of the seagull at those altitudes is amazing. However, photography alone does not make a great movie. The novel is great and the film is almost a page for page filmatization of the book. However it is a tad long and one´s interest in the philosophical bird diminishes near the end. Younger viewers which perhaps are not as blasé as I may find it more enjoyable. For those of you who have not read the book; this is a must-see.

American Beauty (1999)

Truly a multifaceted film!

[8/10 · 1 May 2000]

This film is highly acclaimed and is a great cinematic achievement. Not many of the critics have understood what the film is all about though. Kevin Spacey plays a father and husband that has ceased to live. He is however awakened by the appearance of a young beautiful girl who is a friend of his daughter. Seeking her sexual confirmation he get´s his act together and is rejuvenated for the better-or worse. His wife, who can only control herself (and her neuroses) by controlling her spouse, loses control over herself when he gains independence. She also feels inadequate in her profession and seeks the confirmation of "The King of Real Estate". In the end when Spacey´s total independence becomes clear, she feels victimized-he has taken away her self control by gaining control over his own life. His daughter, uncertain of her sexappeal is confirmed by her neighbor. The neighbor´s father, a Marine Colonel, can only control his desires by beating his son, although his son is aware of who he´s really blowing-himself.

The daughter´s friend, the sexy teenager who´s Spacey´s object of desire, seeks confirmation by bragging about her sexual escapades. Since she is dependent on other´s belief and whim she is devastated when her bluff is revealed. She then seeks confirmation in Spacey´s arms. When he gets the confirmation he has sought for so long he sees no point in fulfilling his fantasy. He got the "final confirmation" and moved on to total independence. This is just a rough sketch of the films message. See it again and remember that the only choice you have is to think.

The Lust Detector (1986 Video)

Typical eighties adult comedy

[6/10 · 23 April 2000]

This film is a vivid example of the adult films trying to combine humor and sex. The story is hilarious. A scientist, played by Joey Silvera invents a "Lust Detector"-a device able to feel the "hornyness" of females in its surrounding. Two Iranian blokes snatch it away and off you go into DP-land. The characters are overacting a bit in their futile attempt to portray muslim fundamentalists but Silvera´s cute crush on Stacey Donovan is worthwile. Need one say the outcome of his charming and pathetic attempts to show his passion for her? The film is a rememberable eighties flick with quite a bit of DP which wasn´t that common back then.

Paris by Night (1990 Video)

Average vehicle with a surprise!

[6/10 · 5 March 2000]

This film is nothing but your average adult vehicle but for a great exception. Joey Silvera plays a movie producer who´s looking for a decent script with his assistant played by John Dough. Of course they have to test the female cast in the usual ways. The film is sometimes downright boring but for one of the best sex-scenes ever! Randy Spears take on the incredible Victoria Paris and they take this movie to porn history as they perform one of the premier acts in adult cinema ever!

Six Soldiers (1974)

Better than average war movie

[7/10 · 21 January 2000]

Six young men get drafted into the SADF (South African Defence Forces). As usual in this genre they have different personalities and respond to their new life in the army in different ways. Their training is hard but realistic (i.e there are neither bad-ass attitudes nor sadistic officers in the unit).They eventually get their baptism of fire under arduos conditions. On a patrol/recon close to the border (presumably Namibia) they get attacked by terrorists and then hunted like prey while trying to get back to base and warn their fellow countrymen of the oncoming threat.

I found this movie enjoyable and a nice break from pretentious war movies with bombastic scores and mighty explosions. This was a quiet more realistic film with a pleasant cast and exotic locations. It ranks as one of the better war movies (yes, better than the pretentious Platoon) and worth checking out even though I noticed a bizarre detail: there were no slings on the rifles!!!

Kungsleden (1964)

A creepy thriller under the midnight sun.

[21 January 2000]

This film in short is about a man who has trekked with his girlfriend in the north of Sweden on a trail called Kungsleden. He later ends his affair but she tells him that they perhaps will meet again on the trail. The whole film concentrates on his search for her on a trek, closing in on her and getting more and more insane as he wanders on.

This film has a creepy atmosphere and you can clearly see a Swedish melancholic vibe here. The tension is slowly rising, until your sitting on the edge of your seat in horror and excitement. Truly an atmospheric horrific thriller Made in Sweden.