James Bond Movie Review: ***Casino Royale (1954)

 This is not one of the Bond Movie franchise, but it is based on the book by Ian Fleming.  It actually predates the Bond movies is a made for TV movie.  The main character goes by Billy Bond (Barry Nelson) rather than James Bond.  The film focuses on the gambling, and the desire to Bankrupt Le Chiffre (Peter Lorre) who is an active spy but also has a bad gambling habit.  The West is hoping that by bringing him down at gambling his handlers will eliminate him.  An ex girlfriend, Valerie Mathis (Linda Christian) stakes Bond with additional cash when he is running out.  With the extra stake he is able to bankrupt Le Chiffre.  Bond also looks to Clarence Leiter (Michael Pate) for support.  

After the gambling Bond hides the check he received as quickly as possible.  Le Chiffre and his goons show up to get hi to sign over the check.  Otherwise Le Chiffre knows he is dead.  SO he kidnaps the girl, and Bond.  He begins torturing Bond and threatens to torture Mathis as well if he doesn't say where the check is.  However fortunately he is able to free himself, and over power one of the goons, and gets the drop on Le Chiffre.  He forces Bond to shoot him.

Music Review: Bing Crosby Christmas: The Very Best of Bing Crosby

 Bing Crosby Christmas MCA Records, 1999 has 18 songs, all sung by Bing Crosby and all sporting his clear vocals.  Often there is back up choir with the harmonies of the era.  He includes many of the all time favorite Christmas songs: Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Adeste Fideles, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells, Silent Night, The First Noel, I'll Be Home for Christmas, and of course White Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

There is plenty to enjoy with this CD.

Christmas Movie Review: *** Lost Christmas: The Miracle of Holiday Magic (2011)

 This is a movie out of the BBC made for TV.  IUt is a bit confusing, but maybe purposefully so.  It presents two Christmases, the first and its effect on the second.  A young boy hid his father's keys when he was called out to work on Christmas.  He was an emergency responder.  His wife had to take him, and they both died in a car accident.  Next Christmas all is messed up.  Our young man meets a stranger (Eddie Izzard) with amnesia but an ability to find things that are lost.  A bangle is lost, stolen by the boy.  But the boy loses his dog,  A couple lost their daughter last Christmas.  Sometimes Christmas brings second chances.  our mysterious stranger is an adult version of the boy, and he receives a chance to change last Christmas, which prevn\ents the accident, and is father is there to ave the little girl, and he no longer has need for a youth authority.  And finally the strange man fades away.

James Bond Movie Review: **** Die Another Day (2002)

 James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is really in for a ride, and it is not all good.  He starts by thwarting an arms deal, with diamonds for arms, but he blows up the diamonds into the face of Zao (Rick Yune) who works for Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee) of North Korea, the son of General Moon (Kenneth Tsang).  He chases him on a boat and sees him go over a water fall.  He is presumed dead.  Bond was betrayed in this as the North Koreans were looking for him.

Bond comes upon the same diamonds in the Caribbean at a plastic surgery center where Zao is trying to have his face changed.  There Bond meets Jinx (Halle Berry) who is also after Zao.  Together they rouste him out but he gets away.  He is able to track the diamonds with their signature to Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens).  Graves is in Iceland where he runs an ice hotel.  

Bond pursues them to Iceland.  Miranda Frost  (Rosamund Pike) is ordered by M (Judi Dench) to go with him.  Q (John Cleese) arms him with a sonic watch and a really cool car that can be invisible.  Moneypenny (Samantha Bond) still is infatuated with Bond, who instead pursues other ladies.  

Graves in truth is Colonel Moon who has been altered via DNA change.  Frost is a double agent, resulting in Bond and Jinx being captured.  Graves has developed a satellite weapon using the sun.  It can cause great destruction.   Of course Bond gets away and with his special car comes back.  He is able to thwart Zao who drives his car into the ocean.  Graves has directed the weapon at the ice castle which is melting and causing flooding.  JInx is in the flood but Bond crashes the care into the castle to save her.  

As the weapon becomes known to the intelligence community the Americans try to blow it up with nuclear weapon.  However the weapon destroys the rocket.   It is left to Bond and Jinx to save the day.  There is a great scene where they fight on a plane, Jinx against Frost and Graves against Bond.  

Lots of action with chases and fights.  Very enjoyable.

Movie Review: ***^ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

 This continuation is suppose to be 17 years later (14 years in actual time) with the daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris) of the Millers (Nia Vardalos and John Corbett) now preparing to graduate from high school.  She has to decide where to go to college, in New York or close to home in Chicago.  This is a concern, but not the biggest concern.  Turns out that Toula's parents were not legally married.  It was during the war and they were married quickly by a priest who wasn't really a priest.  Now father Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) must go through several hoops before they are actually married.  

This movie captures the same spirit of the original.  

Marvel Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk

 This is the Hulk before the Avenger's version of the Hulk.  Hulk/Bruce Banner (Lou Ferrigno/Edward Norton) is staying off the radar in Brazil.  Howe ver some of his blood gets into a bottle where he works, and his location is revealed.  General Ross (William Hurt) is determined to bring him back as he himself is a weapon.  As a result of this confrontation Banner decides to head north, hoping for a "cure."  He sees his girlfriend, the general's daughter Betty (Liv Tyler).  Of those trying to capture Hulk, Emil Blonsky/ Abomination (Tim Roth) is the most determined, even to the point of attempting to dupicate Hulk's results and make himself a monster.  This leads to some pretty intense fight scenes.  Hulk tried living with his girlfriend, but in the end decides he is better living alone.

Movie Review: ****My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

 I remember seeing this film in theaters in 2002 in San Jose.  It was a. very big deal that year; the surprise movie success of the year.  It was very good, and introduced me to a whole different culture I had not really considered.  Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in the movie) is floundering and getting older as her father (Michael Constantine) reminds her.  She exerts herself, going to school and working in the family tourist agency.  This leads to her meeting a man, Ian Miller (John Corbett) who is not Greek.  They fall in love and want to be married.  But a nonGreek?  This film is humorous as it probes Greek culture, with lots of people and chaos always around.  

Fun movie.  Windex cures everything.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3