This is one of the coolest shows on TV. I even picked up a legit copy (think its a Japanese import) with subtitles, so I may show it to my classes. They love drama, and it's actiony enough that they won't be missing a lot if they miss some of the dialogue (it goes pretty fast).
This is a good example of how to do TV correctly. Even though I think the series Peters out a bit after the first season (I mean, how long can you maintain 24 hours as a theme? It gets old), and it is a clear propoganda bit for Homeland Security, but even so it is a really fun ride. The action is evenly spaced in the first three episodes, and the plot has lots of twists and turns, but it keeps them simple enough so you don't get too lost. The first time I watched this season, back with Matt in the States, I came in on about episode 5, so I didn't have a clue what was going on. Still, the plot was engaging and the acting good enough it didn't really matter.
Overall summary of the first three episodes: Jack Bauer, head of CTU-LA (Counter-Terrorism Unit) gets a call that an assassination attempt is going to be made the next day on the first potentially successful African-American presidential canidate. Throw in a subplot about his daughter sneaking out for the night and that he and his wife have just recently gotten back together after being seperated, and that Jack had an affair while seperated with his 2nd in command, Nina; and that Nina and Tony (another coworker) are seeing each other, and that there is a conspiracy inside CTU about the assassination, and that there is another corrupt guy in CTU Interal Affairs that dislikes Jack, and that Jack's daughter is kidnapped as part of the conspiracy... you get the idea.
Good, suspenseful spy vs. spy gig. Lots of American bravado (Jack is a bad business man, working for the good guys, and takes no shit from anyone. He also is a Patriot with a serious captial--if the rest of the word was in 12 point font, the "P" is in like 72 point), and a wonderful job of telling a story in a new and interesting way.
The one problem I saw was that in one of the scenes, Jack and Marshall (Jack's soon to be dead boss) are sneaking through a hallway with bad guys gunning for them, and you see a couple of the camera crew for a brief second at the edge of the screen. For shame, 24 production people. For shame.
Showing posts with label Good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good. Show all posts
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Goldfinger (1964) -- Bond 3
They really got on a roll with the early Bond films, announcing the next feature at the end of the current one. Dr. No told us to stay tuned for From Russia With Love, and that in turn told us to stay in our seats for Goldfinger, who didn't want to be left out, so it mentioned Thunderball.
Finally a break from the evil of SPECTRE, Auric Goldfinger is a criminal mastermind obsessed with gold (imagine that). Although he's British, he has a plan to break into Fort Knox and irradiate the gold stored there. In this task, he is assisted by the Chinese, who give him a low-yield nuclear device, and by a number of unwitting American mofiasos (whom are all killed by Goldfinger as part of his plan). The idea is to create economic chaos in the West (which China would dearly love) and to multiply Goldfinger's stockpiles of element Au.
To help in this scheme, Goldfinger has recruited Oddjob, a mute Korean the size of a mountain and twice as strong, with a lethal hat which he throws at his enemies. There is also an army of Asian workers in Goldfinger's factory in Switzerland, and I am uncertain if these are supposed to be Koreans (like Oddjob) or Chinese (like Mr. Ling, the atomic expert sent to help Goldfinger with "Operation Grand Slam"--the atomic bomb in Fort Knox). He also has Pussy Galore (WTF?) and her flying circus of hardbodied femmes.
This movie has it all: the introduction of the Aston Martin (replacing Bond's Bentley from the books) filled with spy gadgets like oil slicks and machine guns, the homing device and GPS tracker, and a laser "that can put a dot on the moon" or cut through metal plating and Bond. There is even a monologue/elaborate death trap for Bond when he is captured by Goldfinger (involving said laser), and the first true moments of the one-liner (which occured in From Russia With Love, but not as a standard device).
Finally a break from the evil of SPECTRE, Auric Goldfinger is a criminal mastermind obsessed with gold (imagine that). Although he's British, he has a plan to break into Fort Knox and irradiate the gold stored there. In this task, he is assisted by the Chinese, who give him a low-yield nuclear device, and by a number of unwitting American mofiasos (whom are all killed by Goldfinger as part of his plan). The idea is to create economic chaos in the West (which China would dearly love) and to multiply Goldfinger's stockpiles of element Au.
To help in this scheme, Goldfinger has recruited Oddjob, a mute Korean the size of a mountain and twice as strong, with a lethal hat which he throws at his enemies. There is also an army of Asian workers in Goldfinger's factory in Switzerland, and I am uncertain if these are supposed to be Koreans (like Oddjob) or Chinese (like Mr. Ling, the atomic expert sent to help Goldfinger with "Operation Grand Slam"--the atomic bomb in Fort Knox). He also has Pussy Galore (WTF?) and her flying circus of hardbodied femmes.
This movie has it all: the introduction of the Aston Martin (replacing Bond's Bentley from the books) filled with spy gadgets like oil slicks and machine guns, the homing device and GPS tracker, and a laser "that can put a dot on the moon" or cut through metal plating and Bond. There is even a monologue/elaborate death trap for Bond when he is captured by Goldfinger (involving said laser), and the first true moments of the one-liner (which occured in From Russia With Love, but not as a standard device).
Saturday, January 13, 2007
From Russia With Love (1963) -- Bond 2
The second Bond movie is a true sequel to Dr. No. Unbenownst to Bond and MI6, SPECTRE has set its sights on the Russian Lektor cipher machine. The why of this is a little unclear, although No. 1 (Ernst Blofeld, although his actual name is never mentioned except in the credits, with the faceless, cat-petting actor's name an intriguing "?") mentions at one point in the movie that he has made arrangements to sell it back to the Russians. SPECTRE also has another goal: seek revenge on MI6's most elite agent, James Bond, who six months prior had killed their operative Dr. No in Jamaica.
Blofeld has Colonel Krebb (No. 3) and Kronsteen (No. 5) working on this assignment. Krebb (you can see her inspiring the Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers) used to be in charge of SMERSH, the Russian counter-espianoge agency, but has recently defected to SPECTRE. Kronsteen is a world-class chess player and criminal mastermind. Between Kronsteen's plans and Krebb's knack at finding good talent on the ground, SPECTRE believes it can accomplish a great boon: ignite the Cold War into something more dangerous, gain a ton of cash, and kill James Bond.
There are several references to the first movie, including the foiling of Dr. No's plans, and Bond's ability to learn from past (like his use of a code phrase--which later gets him into trouble) but one of the most significant is the reintroduction of Sylvia, a woman that Bond seduces for the simple whim of it at the beginning of Dr. No, and whom he is again spending his free time with in this movie. What's this? James Bond attempting something akin to a normal relationship outside the cigar-smoking, martini-drinking halls of the gentleman's spy club?
Where do all of the Bond girls go? What happened to Honeychile Ryder after she escapes with Bond from Dr. No's island? How about Tatiana Romanova, who unwittingly defects to England with the Lektor machine? Is there a sudden shock of betrayal as Bond vanishes into his next assignment, or is it more subtle and insidious than that? Do they realize Bond's traitorous libido and emotional inconstinenty slowly, as he fades from their lives? Honey, although in some ways an innocent, is a killer in her own right and most probably takes care of herself. But Tatiana, a devout servant of Mother Russia until she is tricked by SPECTRE into betraying her country, falls in love with Bond, clutching at him as the only stable thing in her world. When she arrives in England, forced to adapt to a new life under which she will certainly be scrutinzed for any signs of treachery, especially at first, does she see Bond once a week at first--or even more often--and then gradually he calls on her less and less, until she does not have a means to contact him and she is left alone in a foreign land not of her choosing, abandoned? What does she do when she realizes that she never loved him, really; that all of her pleas and emotions were born from the constant stress of the situation, from Bond's handsome and charming wiles (yes, wiles), or from sheer, simple lust? And what about poor Sylvia, who is perhaps the only legitamite possibilty for Bond? Is she also abandoned as his work wears on him, and the constant travel wears on her?
I digress.
From Russia With Love is actually one of the better Bond films. The plot is not diluted with explosions and "Look, it's the bad guys!" squawk. It is apropriate that the movie is set in Istanbul, a city that has left its mark on history in many names and with many cultures. As the crossroad from Europe to Asia, Istanbul is the perfect setting for a complicated Spy Vs. Spy Vs. Spy, with the Russians thinking the British were behind it, the British thinking the Russians were behind it, and with SPECTRE holding a card up its cat-petting sleeve and actually directing all the shots. There are a lot of minor players too: the Russians use the Bulgars for their dirty work, while the British head of operations in Istanbul, Ali Karim Bey uses his many sons as section chiefs to ensure proper loyalty and a pack of Gypsies to combat the Bulgars.
The famous Q is introduced in this movie as well, with the first James Bond spy-gadget. Although still in the realm of possible science (no rocket-launchers in the headlights here), Q brings Bond a special briefcase which contains 50 gold soveriegns, a concealed throwing knife, two ammunition strips, a disassembled sniper rifle, and a tear-gas booby trap. Bond puts all of these items to use in ways that make sense too, so that the gadgets do not appear to be a cheap trick and seem more a part of how a spy does business.
Speaking of how a spy does business: Donovan 'Red' Grant, the primary henchman of Krebbs is a SPECTRE agent of supreme skill, a professional like Bond. He is a blonde, blue-eyed giant, who seems as equally skilled at hidding in plain sight as he is with his obvious physical prowess. He impersonates a MI6 operative and gets the better of Bond. That is one of the cool things about this movie that seems to be missing from the later Bonds--he is falliable. He is a mortal, not a superhero, even if Bond is driven to commit superhuman feats in his efforts to save the world. The early movies portay a possiblity of failure, a "Shit, he's just a guy," sort of attitude. He might be the best of the best, but he is human. SPECTRE's plot fails because of Bond though, because he is the primier agent in MI6 for a reason. He out-thinks Kronsteen (which costs the man his life--No. 1 does not tolerate failure) and out-matches both Krebbs and Grant.
A good watch.
Blofeld has Colonel Krebb (No. 3) and Kronsteen (No. 5) working on this assignment. Krebb (you can see her inspiring the Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers) used to be in charge of SMERSH, the Russian counter-espianoge agency, but has recently defected to SPECTRE. Kronsteen is a world-class chess player and criminal mastermind. Between Kronsteen's plans and Krebb's knack at finding good talent on the ground, SPECTRE believes it can accomplish a great boon: ignite the Cold War into something more dangerous, gain a ton of cash, and kill James Bond.
There are several references to the first movie, including the foiling of Dr. No's plans, and Bond's ability to learn from past (like his use of a code phrase--which later gets him into trouble) but one of the most significant is the reintroduction of Sylvia, a woman that Bond seduces for the simple whim of it at the beginning of Dr. No, and whom he is again spending his free time with in this movie. What's this? James Bond attempting something akin to a normal relationship outside the cigar-smoking, martini-drinking halls of the gentleman's spy club?
Where do all of the Bond girls go? What happened to Honeychile Ryder after she escapes with Bond from Dr. No's island? How about Tatiana Romanova, who unwittingly defects to England with the Lektor machine? Is there a sudden shock of betrayal as Bond vanishes into his next assignment, or is it more subtle and insidious than that? Do they realize Bond's traitorous libido and emotional inconstinenty slowly, as he fades from their lives? Honey, although in some ways an innocent, is a killer in her own right and most probably takes care of herself. But Tatiana, a devout servant of Mother Russia until she is tricked by SPECTRE into betraying her country, falls in love with Bond, clutching at him as the only stable thing in her world. When she arrives in England, forced to adapt to a new life under which she will certainly be scrutinzed for any signs of treachery, especially at first, does she see Bond once a week at first--or even more often--and then gradually he calls on her less and less, until she does not have a means to contact him and she is left alone in a foreign land not of her choosing, abandoned? What does she do when she realizes that she never loved him, really; that all of her pleas and emotions were born from the constant stress of the situation, from Bond's handsome and charming wiles (yes, wiles), or from sheer, simple lust? And what about poor Sylvia, who is perhaps the only legitamite possibilty for Bond? Is she also abandoned as his work wears on him, and the constant travel wears on her?
I digress.
From Russia With Love is actually one of the better Bond films. The plot is not diluted with explosions and "Look, it's the bad guys!" squawk. It is apropriate that the movie is set in Istanbul, a city that has left its mark on history in many names and with many cultures. As the crossroad from Europe to Asia, Istanbul is the perfect setting for a complicated Spy Vs. Spy Vs. Spy, with the Russians thinking the British were behind it, the British thinking the Russians were behind it, and with SPECTRE holding a card up its cat-petting sleeve and actually directing all the shots. There are a lot of minor players too: the Russians use the Bulgars for their dirty work, while the British head of operations in Istanbul, Ali Karim Bey uses his many sons as section chiefs to ensure proper loyalty and a pack of Gypsies to combat the Bulgars.
The famous Q is introduced in this movie as well, with the first James Bond spy-gadget. Although still in the realm of possible science (no rocket-launchers in the headlights here), Q brings Bond a special briefcase which contains 50 gold soveriegns, a concealed throwing knife, two ammunition strips, a disassembled sniper rifle, and a tear-gas booby trap. Bond puts all of these items to use in ways that make sense too, so that the gadgets do not appear to be a cheap trick and seem more a part of how a spy does business.
Speaking of how a spy does business: Donovan 'Red' Grant, the primary henchman of Krebbs is a SPECTRE agent of supreme skill, a professional like Bond. He is a blonde, blue-eyed giant, who seems as equally skilled at hidding in plain sight as he is with his obvious physical prowess. He impersonates a MI6 operative and gets the better of Bond. That is one of the cool things about this movie that seems to be missing from the later Bonds--he is falliable. He is a mortal, not a superhero, even if Bond is driven to commit superhuman feats in his efforts to save the world. The early movies portay a possiblity of failure, a "Shit, he's just a guy," sort of attitude. He might be the best of the best, but he is human. SPECTRE's plot fails because of Bond though, because he is the primier agent in MI6 for a reason. He out-thinks Kronsteen (which costs the man his life--No. 1 does not tolerate failure) and out-matches both Krebbs and Grant.
A good watch.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Dr. No (1962) -- Bond 1
The 6th Bond book, Dr. No was the first time Ian Flemming's signature character was presented to the big screen.
This is actually one instance where I like the movie more than the book. The plot of the two is very similar: James Bond is called to Jamaica to resolve the disapperance of Strangeways, an undercover MI6 operative.
Dr. No is missing most of what would later be signature tropes of the Bond franchise: no special spy gadgets and no daring car chases. Sure, Dr. Julius No has a nuclear reactor, a flamethrower tank, and mechanical hands; but Bond does not have these himself.
No himself is a classic example of the supervillain. He has a tragic backstory, a brilliant mind, and a God-complex. Like a good classical villain, there is something about him that is horribly wrong. Often with this sort of character it is a normally virtuous trait turned extreme. For No, his attention to the most minute detail is a defining characteristic, and especially since it is turned to evil pursuits. Dr. No's evil is reflected in the physical too, with his mechanical hands.
The main differences between the novel and movie are in the complexity of the plot. This is pretty normal for adaptations. Also, there is a lot about "Chigros" (Chinese-Negros in Jamaica) in the novel, which isn't really dealt with in the movie. One good thing left out of the movie is the "Death Gauntlet" scene from the novel. In this, Dr. No places Bond through a rigorous test to determine his problem solving capacity and his pain threshold. Pretty stupid sequence, if you ask me.
All in all, a solid movie. A good start to a powerful franchise, and it is understandable how this could have spawned a generation of movies.
This is actually one instance where I like the movie more than the book. The plot of the two is very similar: James Bond is called to Jamaica to resolve the disapperance of Strangeways, an undercover MI6 operative.
Dr. No is missing most of what would later be signature tropes of the Bond franchise: no special spy gadgets and no daring car chases. Sure, Dr. Julius No has a nuclear reactor, a flamethrower tank, and mechanical hands; but Bond does not have these himself.
No himself is a classic example of the supervillain. He has a tragic backstory, a brilliant mind, and a God-complex. Like a good classical villain, there is something about him that is horribly wrong. Often with this sort of character it is a normally virtuous trait turned extreme. For No, his attention to the most minute detail is a defining characteristic, and especially since it is turned to evil pursuits. Dr. No's evil is reflected in the physical too, with his mechanical hands.
The main differences between the novel and movie are in the complexity of the plot. This is pretty normal for adaptations. Also, there is a lot about "Chigros" (Chinese-Negros in Jamaica) in the novel, which isn't really dealt with in the movie. One good thing left out of the movie is the "Death Gauntlet" scene from the novel. In this, Dr. No places Bond through a rigorous test to determine his problem solving capacity and his pain threshold. Pretty stupid sequence, if you ask me.
All in all, a solid movie. A good start to a powerful franchise, and it is understandable how this could have spawned a generation of movies.
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