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.

DC Movie Review: **^ Catwoman (2004)

 Patience Phillips (Halle Berry) is basically a struggling commercial design artist, working for and belittled by her boss, George Hedare (Lambert Wilson) and his wife, Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone).  She happens upon them as they discuss negative reports about their new beauty product; it causes bad skin problems.  Laurel orders her to be killed, and she is.  But she had met a cat who gave her multiple lives, and catlike abilities.  And so Phillips takes on two personalities, as Patience and as Catwoman.  She also has a love interest, a police officer, Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt).  Catwoman had forgotten, but when she realizes she was really killed, she wants to get even with those who killed her.  

This will eventually lead her to Laurel, but after she killed her husband.  She frames Catwoman for the murder.  

This movie was corny through out.  There was some action, but sometimes it really looked fake.  I thought some interaction with Batman may have improved things.  

Animated Movie Review: ****Robots (2005)

 A movie about what happens when profit is your bottom line rather than helping people.  Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent) is intent on melting all the old bots so as to make a money.  Her son, Rachet (Greg Kinnear) has become head of the Robot factory, Bigweld Enterprises taking over for the inventor Bigweld, (Mel Brooks).  Rachet is evil and arrogant and takes pride in sending robots to the scrap heap which his mother runs.  They are going to be so rich; until Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) and his friends arrive.   Rodney is intent on seeing Bigweld to share his inventions.  However Bigweld has been put to pasture playing with dominoes.  So Rodney decides to take on Gasket and Rachet with his friends.  Sometimes you need some good friend to stick to your dream.  Halle Berry portrays Cappy, a business executive who sees merit in Rodney's ideas.  Robin Williams plays Fender, Rodney's friend, and discovers the real motive of Gasket and Rachet.  Robin uses his voice talents to bring the character to life.  And Amanda Bynes portrays Piper who is Fender's sister.  She and Cappy play a big part in defeating the robots of Rachet.

fun show showing us a different world, very human like but robots.

Movie Review: ****X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

X-Men series

This movie is cool and in the same genre as the others; but I think it is a bit over the top.  They bring Jean (Famke Janssen) back form the dead, but she has no control over her powers, and her inability to control turns into a power that can take atoms apart, and basically destroy everything. She accidentally kills her boy friend Cyclops (James Marsden),  Dr. Xavier (Patrick Stewart) tries to keep her in an induced coma, while she heals, but Wolcerine (Hugh Jackman) feels they are imprisoning her and lets her out.  Then all trouble breaks lose.  Xavier becomes a victim of the atom thing and is killed. 
A sub plot is the development of an antidote for the X-men phenomena.  All who want to  be cured of being X-men just need to ask.  This becomes a recruitment tool for Magneto.  Beast (Kelsey Grammar) plays a big part, both as a politician and an X-man.  Storm (Halle Berry) takes over Dr. Xavier's school.  Thus the big battle between X-men under Magneto (Ian McKellen, and those who follow Dr. Xavier. It is fought in San Francisco. 
The last battle is a bit intense.  It is about even until Jean/Phoenix starts dissolving everything.  Then only Wolverine can save the day.
Something I don't understand.  How is Dr Xavier in future movies if his atoms have been scattered all over the place.   Maybe someone can explain.

Movie Review: X2 X-Men United (2003)

X-Men series

This is a movie with lots of excitement.  The part about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) looking for his roots, and finding everything abandoned and destroyed at Lake Alkali was sort of not congruent with the action and was a bit lost.  But he comes back just in time to protect the children at the school from a governmental incursion by our evil enemy, William Stryker (Brian Cox) (who wants all mutants dead) and is actually the creator of Wolverine.  This movie makes good use of Magneto (Ian McKellan) and his side kick shape shifter Mystique (Rebecca Romijn).  Mystique helps Magneto escape by giving one of his guards an injection of iron; which Magneto uses to make bullets and a metal platform on which he can float. It also tells us more about the powers of Dr. Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his machine Cerebro.  However, in the wrong hands, and with the wrong manipulation this machine can become one of great power, capable of killing.  The school is attacked by Stryker's government men, and most of the students escape, but six are taken hostage.  Cyclops (James Marsden) is taken captive with Dr. Xavier.  Stryker has a drug with which he uses to manipulate people.  He used it on Magneto to get information about the school and Cerebro.  He also uses this on Cyclops to make him an enemy to the X-men.  This movie is about team work, and some members sacrificing and protecting others. Wolverine ends up leading the escapees with Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean (Famke Janssen).  They not only have to keep the children safe, but also rescue Cyclops and Dr. Xavier.  This takes teaming up with Magneto and Mystique.

Movie Review: ****X-Men (2000)

X-Men  series

 This movie introduces us to several interesting characters.  It is based on the Marvel Universe.  The reason for all these characters is that some have an advanced genetics as humanity goes through a progression in their evolution.  I was not familiar with the comics when I first watched this, so all the characters were new.  There is Magneto (Ian McKellen), who is the leader of those who want to control everything, and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), on the opposite side who also runs a school for young mutants.  Two drifters are invited to the school, to keep them away from Magneto’s grasp; Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Rogue (Anna Paquin).  Wolverine is almost indestructible, and has long claws, Rogue can take the powers of anyone she touches.  Other important characters are Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) who is a shape shifter and pretty wicked and Magneto’s assistant; Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) are in Professor Xavier’s inner circle. 

The story centers around how the government is wrestling with the idea of registering all mutants, who they are and what they can do.  Magnet is resistant to this, so he is planning a demonstration to prove his point.  He is going to turn many people into mutants, even though the process he has developed is unstable.  He kidnaps Rogue to carry this out, puts her in a machine which will kill her for sure.  The machine of Xavier is sabotaged by Mystique, and almost kills him.  The students have to fight on their own.  They take on the henchmen of Magneto, for the safety of many dignitaries that are discussing mutant issues.  It is a rough go, but they do prevail in the end, Wolverine saving Rogue, and letting her use his regenerative powers.  The first part of this story ends with Xavier’s men on top of sorts.  Magneto is captured, and in a plastic prison (he can manipulate anything of metal) and hopefully there is the possibility for good relations between human and mutant.

The theme of this movie is accepting those who are different than ourselves.  It is hard to do, but possible with patience and understading.