James Bond Movie: ****Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

 Sean Connery uis back and this Bond movie is very good.  Conner is called upon to solve a diamond stealing ring.  Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint (Putter Smith and Bruce Glover) are devious killing those who oppose their diamond business.  Bond inserts himself Peter Franks, who smuggles diamonds.  But the diamonds he smuggles turn out to be fake.  Bond of course is trying to gt to the top of the trade.  He does meet Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) who is a go between.  But the trail takes them to Mr. Whyte (James Dean) but turns out to be Blofeld (Charles Gray)--but there are two of them.  He does kill one, after killing another earlier,  taking the total to one.  Of course Blofeld captures him but he is able to get away.  They track him down again, but this time the real Mr. Whyte.  Turns out he wasn't aware how his company has been used.

Blofeld was able to use the diamonds to make a lazer weapon which he uses to blow up some missiles and holds the world hostage.  However using whyte's knowledge they are able to determine where Blofeld's base is located.  

This movie takes us to Las Vegas.  This is a great Bond movie with the traditional formula, including the intro and the music.  This also includes M, Q and Moneypenny.

Movie Review: ***East of Eden

My interest in this movie stems form my interest in most things John Steinbeck.  This is his classic novel of a family with two sons, and a mother who is supposedly dead; but in the end is not dead but a woman of the world.  The sons realizing this, has different consequences for them.

The younger son considers himself bad, and does everything for his father's love.  The other son, who is considered good, has his father's love and approbation.  However, in the end, it is the younger son who cares for his father after his stroke, and the other son goes to war.  James Dean stars as the younger son, and this movie helps with his reputation of being a rebel.  I would mildly recommend this movie.  It does show two contrasting worlds, that of Monterrey and Salinas, at the time when the country was preparing to go to war.  It also shows racism at it ugliest, as the locals deal with a citizen of German descent.  Finally this movie also confronts the theme of what is right--how do we let others be themselves, while living a good life.