Reviews

This movie is without a doubt my favorite action comedy ever. It is a hilarious and action-packed piece of entertainment. Fred Ward plays the title character. Remo Williams is the name he is assigned after being kidnapped and force to work for a quasi-government agency known as CURE. Initially, Remo is reluctant to become CURE's trained assassin but eventually acknowledges the noble nature of the task given to him. As an ex-cop and ex-marine with no family, Remo is the perfect man to act as an assassin and spy for the American government.

Remo is then trained by the Chiun, the Korean Master of Sinanju. He learns how to meditate, run well, light fires, and dodge bullets. The dialogue between Remo and Chiun in this movie is absolutely hilarious. This movie has big laughs and big stunts. There are some scenes involving dogs as well as an incredible scene atop the Statue of Liberty that have to be seen to be believed. The action in this movie is nothing short of phenomenal, the characters interesting, and the humor on target. The music is also tremendous. Remo Williams is a cross between the Karate Kid and James Bond but with a better sense of humor than either of those characters. Go see this movie or rent it. 4 stars out of 4.

Roger Moore, my favorite 007 by a lot, stars in this spectacular Bond outing. This is a relentlessly entertaining, stunt-filled joyride filled with beautiful women and great humor. All of the Bond ingredients are in top form. You have Moore, my favorite Bond. Also, the film has the best opening with the ski jump. Not to mention the best finale with the battle on the Liparus and Bond rescuing Anya from Atlantis. The submarine car was awesome as well. I cannot think of a bad thing to say about this movie. Roger delivers his humorous lines well and Barbara Bach is the best Bond girl of the series. She's gorgeous but, at the same time, a capable woman who represents an interesting companion for Bond. The villains are top-notch. Curt Jergens is excellent as Stromberg and Richard Kiel's Jaws is one of the most memorable henchmen of the series. The action in this episode is incredible and, interestingly enough, far superior to the scenes found in the latest entry Die Another Day. Moore also has some very good dramatic scenes in this film as well, most notably while telling XXX that he killed her former lover. This is a tremendous film and should not be missed. 4 STARS out of 4.

Roger Moore's last outing as the venerable secret agent is immensely entertaining. There is nothing special or spectacular about this episode but the characters are sufficient and the film entertains for its entirety. Both Walken and Jones are excellent as villains Zorin and Mayday. The action scenes are decent as well. The finale atop the Golden Gate Bridge is short but suspenseful. Moore also makes sure to get in a few good fights before hanging up the spurs. His trademark tongue-in-cheek humor also is present. The opening scene of the movie could have been better. It's basically that of The Spy Who Loved Me without the great mountain jump. Also, Tanya Roberts is a far-from-memorable Bond girl. She is too much the damsel-in-distress. Her whiny "oh, James" while City Hall is burning, is quite irritating. Nevertheless, this Bond episode is good fun. It's sad to see Roger Moore in his final outing but, at the same time, I think he will always be my favorite Bond. 3 stars out of 4.

2 Fast 2 Furious is the perfect early summer diversion. The movie has no real depth and the plot isn't exactly what one would call "complex". However, anybody who goes to see this movie hoping for good drama is on a fool's errand. This movie is about fast cars, action, and beautiful girls. It delivers the goods. Whether or not you are impressed with the acting, I can't imagine people saying they were not immensely entertained. Paul Walker's character Brian O'Connor is recruited by the cops for a special mission. Using his impeccable drag racing skills, he is to infiltrate the money-laundering world of villain Carter Verone. Walker is joined on his quest by boyhood pal Roman Pearce and a Customs Agent played by Eva Mendes. As fate would have it, Verone needs an excellent driver to make a money run for him. O'Connor and Pearce display their skills in a "test" where they race several other drivers to obtain a cigar Verone has hidden in a car.

After they prove themselves, they are hired for the job. At this point, the movie just roars to its conclusion with breathtaking chase scenes and fights. I especially loved the moment in the final scene where O'Connor and Pearce have their drag-racing subculture buddies pull out of a garage and cause all sorts of confusion for the police. In conclusion, this movie is excellent. It's a very well-done, highly stylish no-brainer action picture. I thoroughly enjoyed it as it was one of the first movies in sometime to live up to the hype. 3.5 stars out of 4.

Die Another Day is the worst film of the Bond series. The action scenes are lame, the characters uninteresting, and the plot makes no sense. Going to the multiplex to see this movie was quite a waste of 9 dollars and also one of the most diasppointing moviegoing experiences I've ever had. Halle Berry, although beautiful, is just not interesting as a Bond girl. Her character Jinx is instantly forgettable and I can't believe they're thinking of making a spinoff movie with her character. Toby Stephens as villain Gustav Graves is neither threatening nor amusing. Die Another Day starts out with considerable promise as Bond is captured and imprisoned in North Korea for several months. He then becomes a rogue agent. However, after about 20 minutes the movie becomes a pointless and uninteresting succession of CGI action sequences.

I enjoyed Brosnan's first three outings immensely. Each was action-packed but, at the same time, each was its own movie. Die Another Day really has no personality whatsoever. It's a first-rate bore. I wouldn't even recommend watching this movie on a rainy day if you are locked in your TV room and it is the only movie you can watch. You'd experience more excitement just looking at the walls. There is one excellent sword duel in the movie but that comprises only 10 minutes of a 2 hour 15 minute movie. So, do yourself a favor and skip this episode. It will make you wonder what you ever found appealing about Bond in the first place. Instead, rent GoldenEye or Moonraker. You'll have a dandy of a time. I give Die Another Day a generous 1 star out of 4.

The World Is Not Enough is another entertaining James Bond adventure. Pierce Brosnan's third outing as Bond is a good one. He has eased into the role and this film, although possessing all the traditional Bond elements, manages to exist as its own movie. The usual supporting cast is back, including Judi Dench as the female M and Desmond Llewelyn as Q. The World Is Not Enough opens with a thrilling boat chase along the Thames River. Bond does all sorts of extraordinary things while piloting the boat. Some of the action scenes in The World Is Not Enough are somewhat clumsy and awkward. However, there are still a couple of fantastic stunts.

The female leads in this one are played by Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau. Marceau is delightful as a seductive villainess who forms a kind of love-hate relationship with Bond. Despite the evil nature of her character, she still manages to exude sensuality. Denise Richards has a more tame role that makes her nothing more than eye candy. This particular film also returns to showing the cold-heartedness of Bond's job and reverts to some of the seriousness of GoldenEye that was completely absent in Tomorrow Never Dies. As for the plot, it's the usual world domination shtick. Robert Carlisle was an acceptable but far from noteworthy evil mastermind. In addition, the finale of this picture is among the weakest of all the films of the series. Nevertheless, Brosnan is once again in top form as Bond and the action, humor, and beautiful women make this movie well worth 2 hours of your time. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Tomorrow Never Dies is a great movie and one of the best films of the series. It puts the petal to the metal from start to finish. Pierce Brosnan is great as Bond and the rest of the cast, especially Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, is excellent as well. The film pits 007 against Pryce's Carver, a media mogul who plans on causing wars and dominating the world by manipulating the news. Carver is aided in his quest by muscular henchman Stamper who, of course, gets into a rather entertaining altercation with our hero at the end of the film.

Michelle Yeoh and Teri Hatcher are both good in their roles. Yeoh plays Wai Lin, a Chinese agent who eventually teams up with Bond to stop Carver. Hatcher, ever the attractive woman, plays Carver's wife and also happens to be a former flame of Bond. Contrary to what others have said, I felt her scenes with Brosnan were very good.

As for the action scenes in this episode, they are nothing short of phenomenal. They include a car chase involving a remote control BMW supplied by Q, an awesome motorcycle chase through the streets of Saigon, and a shootout aboard a stealth boat. In conclusion, Tomorrow Never Dies is a great movie and not only one of my favorite Bonds, but one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a furiously entertaining thrill ride filled with gadgetry and beautiful women, and laced with humor.

Out of 4 stars - 3.5

Bond is back and better than ever. OK, he may not be better than ever but he's better than he's been in some time. GoldenEye has a great opening scene that is more entertaining than most entire movies. It involves bungee jumping, guns, motorcycles, planes, and nerve gas among other things. Pierce Brosnan's first effort as Bond is a remarkable one. The movie has good acting, good action, and humor. It's great escapism from start to finish. The women are beautiful and Famke Jannsen and Sean Bean play their roles well. GoldenEye also boasts one of the best finales of the series in which Bond must take on the villain atop a gigantic satellite dish. As stated earlier, Brosnan is terrific as Bond. He's suave, witty, charming, looks good in a suit, and has a capacity for action. In conclusion, this is a thrilling Bond from start to finish and should not be missed. Out of 4 stars - 3.5