In the 1960s, spies were everywhere! They were in novels, comics, on the big screen, and had spread to television. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart debuted on 18 September, 1965 and introduced us to CONTROL’s agent 86, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). Filled with goofy gadgets, like the shoe phone, Smart is…
Tag: goldfinger
Trigger Mortis (2015) – Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz takes over the 007 mantle with his novel Trigger Mortis. Using some material written by Ian Fleming, Horowitz sets his novel two weeks after the events of Goldfinger, the book not the film, in 1957. James Bond has returned to the UK, accompanied by Pussy Galore, though that’s not going to turn out…
The Cannonball Run (1981) – Hal Needham
They don’t make cast-packed comedies like The Cannonball Run anymore. That doesn’t mean it’s all good, but it is damned enjoyable. Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds were coming off Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper, and this road movie was a fun next step. Originally designed as an action film for Steve McQueen, when the…
Goldfinger (1959) – Ian Fleming
This week’s 007 is the seventh novel in the series, and while it bears some similarities to the film that would eventually spring from it, it is also very much it’s own thing. Secret Agent James Bond finishes up a mission in Mexico, like a pre-credits adventure, which does get alluded to in the film…
Catch Me If You Can (2002) – Steven Spielberg
Spielberg gives us a film inspired by true life events, and puts Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Walken through their paces as I dig into another title mentioned in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro. DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, Jr., the youngest counterfeiter and fraud in American history. Before his nineteenth birthday, he’s cashed…
Chuck (2007) – Versus the Sizzling Shrimp, and Versus the Sandworm
Professional, spycraft, and personal get more mixed up for Chuck (Zachary Levi) this week as he tangles with a Chinese agent, and has his first stakeout in this episode written by Scott Rosenbaum. Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp first aired on 22 October, 2007, and sees lots of humour and trouble arising as the stakeout…
Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (1965) – Ken Annakin
The comedic slapstick romp recommendations from Great Movies – 100 Years of Film for Le Vacances de Mounsieur Hulot continue with this enjoyable look at aviation in the grand old year of 1910. An opening sequence with a journey through time features the comedic legend Red Skelton, and from there we join Richard Mays…
True Lies (1994) – James Cameron
The 101 Action Movies list gave me a chance to revisit a James Cameron movie that I seem to constantly forget about, but love to watch every time it is on… True Lies. Cameron directs this actioner which has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, and amps up the action sequences that come…
Goldfinger (1964) – Guy Hamilton
James Bond returns in the installment that created the mold. With the third James Bond film, director Guy Hamilton perfects the Bond formula, as we see in this welcome addition to the 101 Action Movies list. We have the incredibly suave Connery as 007, beautiful women, including The Avengers star Honor Blackman as Pussy…
Skyfall (2012) – Sam Mendes
By the end of Skyfall there are some very familiar pieces returned to the board that is the James Bond playing field, which leads us to a bit of a cross-roads for the next Bond film (would you believe the story is already in development?!), I quite enjoy the grit and feel of Craig’s…
The Mind Reels 