THE EXPLOSIVE REVIEW

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Melinda Dillion, Cary Guffey, Teri Garr, and Bob Balaban.

Directed By: Steven Spielberg.

Story:
In the opening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, strange things are already happening before our eyes - First, in the Sonoran Desert, a lost squadron of fully operational World War II aircraft are discovered but its crew is still missing; secondly, two airline flights almost collide mid-air with a UFO in Indianapolis, Indiana; then, a three year old boy is drawn out of his home when his toys starting acting on their own behalf in Muncie, Indiana; and if all that wasn’t enough, the state of Indiana undergoes a large-scale power outage, during which an electrical lineman (Dreyfuss) soon finds himself caught up in a motorized pursuit of a group of UFOs.

The electrical lineman, Roy Neary, soon becomes obsessed with UFOs, for better and for worse - the latter especially for his wife, Veronica “Ronnie” Neary (Garr). Before you know it, Roy is making scale models of strange geologic formations he’s never seen before but has become fascinated with - the image in question here is that of a weird looking mountain. It’s not long before Gillian (Dillion), the three year old’s mother, bares witness to a UFO landing herself (to which her son is abducted) and begins doing the same thing as Roy. Roy’s eccentric behavior only gets worse, causing his wife to abandon him, taking the kids with her. Roy and Gillian, at the same time, soon spot something similar to the models they’ve been envisioning on a TV news show: The Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. The both of them, along with a group of others with similar visions, make their way toward the site; meanwhile, UFO activity all over the globe increases, making themselves more noticeable.

Characters:
*Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss): An electrical lineman who becomes obsessed with the UFOs.
*Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffant): French Government Scientist who’s investigating UFO activity in the US.
*Gillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon): The single mother of Barry. She also becomes obsessed with the UFOs much like Roy does.
*Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey): Gillian’s young son who gets abducted halfway through the film.
*Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Neary (Teri Garr): Roy’s wife who’s being driven insane by his obsession and wants nothing but for him to forget about it.
*David Laughlin (Bob Balaban): Mr. Lacombe’s assistant and translator.

Overall:
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was a much long-cherished film project for Steven Spielberg which had been in the works since 1973. The story and elements may sound and seem a bit on The X-Files side, but this is before X-Files and the material in question is handled a whole lot better here by Mr. Spielberg. Rather than putting the main focus on the aliens, he puts it on how life changes for Roy and Gillian because of the aliens and their presence. The script pulls enough strings to draw us into the minds of these two people, particularly Roy, and their life-altering obsession with the visions brought on by the aliens.

The third act is a special effects extravaganza. Yes, we do see the aliens; yes, they look somewhat similar to the ‘grays’ that we are all familiar with and have become accustomed to seeing in media, however, their appearance and execution is handled with much care and uniqueness, once again, a huge thanks to Mr. Spielberg. There is no war, explosions, or fighting to be found here, this is not “Independence Day”, this is the ultimate UFO obsession motion picture.

Rating: ****

Starring: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov, and Farrah Fawcett.

Directed By: Michael Anderson.

Story:
In the 23rd Century, the world has fallen due to overpopulation, pollution, and war. The last survivors continue life inside a giant domed city, putting the world outside behind them. Within their contained ecologically balanced world, the human race lives for the sake of pleasure, the only problem is: Once you turn thirty, you must die or become born again in a fiery ritual known as the Carousel.

Characters:
*Logan (Michael York): A sandman turned fugitive.
*Francis (Richard Jordan): Logan’s best friend, also a sandman, who pursues him.
*Jessica (Jenny Agutter): A woman who holds the secret to finding sanctuary, also on the run with Logan.
*Box (Roscoe Lee Browne): A large cyborg gone insane.
*Old Man (Peter Ustinov): An elderly man living outside of the domed city whom Logan and Jessica meet and partner up with.

Overall:
Welcome to the world of “Logan’s Run”. Based on the novel by George Clayton Johnson, the story centers around Logan 5 (Michael York) who is a sandman - the police, so to speak, of the domed world, although instead of providing ’sleep’, they provide termination for ‘runners’ (the thirty-year old citizens who refuse to become reborn in the Carousel) - He often wonders what exactly is beyond the domed city and what actually happens to people on the Carousel, but his fellow friend Francis 7 (Richard Jordan) always assumes the obvious and reminds him not to bother with such questions.

We are treated to a carousel sequence early on in the film after the first scene - While the effects and such seem a little dated here (as it does in other places), the whole concept depicted here actually seems pretty scary - It is never mentioned whether the carousel brings survival or reincarnation to its members, but it takes place inside a large circular arena where the participants are decked out in white hoods, face masks and bodysuits painted with flames. The floor rotates while the participants float upwards toward a huge rosette on the ceiling of the arena. While floating up, they are each vaporized one by one while everyone watching cheers and chants “Renew!”

Sometime later, Logan finds himself ‘in the mood’ so he looks for a woman on what’s known as “the circuit”, a teleportation-like device which (by remote control) can summon someone from the circuit - Here he summons a beautiful girl named Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter). She, unfortunately, is not in the mood but happens to be wearing an interesting collar with an ankh pendant hanging from it. Later, at the Sandman headquarters, Logan returns the personal items he gathered from the runner he and Francis killed at the beginning, which includes another ankh, the computer informs him that it is a symbol for an underground railroad ran by a group assisting runners who are trying to reach a safe haven known as “Sanctuary”. Here, the computer assigns Logan a special mission: Find Sanctuary and destroy it. In order to do this, there’s a catch: The computer advances Logan’s life clock to thirty so that he can qualify as a runner (runners are identified by the red blinking light in the palm of their left hand).

Logan is reluctant to accept but has no choice. He confronts Jessica again and before you know it, they’re both on the run, through the domed city to the sewers and to the mysterious caverns beyond. This is a great cult film which became often overshadowed by “Star Wars” which came out a year later. The special effects may look a bit on the cheap side, but as far as entertainment and fun goes, “Logan’s Run” certainly delivers. Also, Jenny Agutter is such a gorgeous babe to watch here. It should also be noted that a remake has been in development hell since 1994. While I am not a huge fan of remakes (many of them stink), I think this film could use one - especially the carousel sequence, picturing what could be done with that today is even scarier than what’s seen in the original here.

Rating: ****

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy, Olivier Rabourdin, Holly Valance, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Nathan Rippy, Camille Japy, Nicolas Giraud, Gerard Watkins, and Leland Orser.

Directed by: Pierre Morel.

Story:
Retired CIA agent, Bryan Mills, ventures to Europe in search of his daughter whose been kidnapped by slave traders.

Characters:
*Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson): Retired CIA agent.
*Kim Mills (Maggie Grace): Bryan’s daughter who gets kidnapped.
*Lenore (Famke Janssen): Bryan’s ex-wife whom often disagrees with him.
*Stuart (Xander Berkeley): Lenore’s newly married husband who is a millionaire.
*Amanda (Katie Cassidy): Kim’s best friend who gets kidnapped with her.
*Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin): One of Bryan’s old allies who works for the French authorities.
*Sheerah (Holly Valance): A pop singer whom Bryan is hired to protect.
*Peter (Nicolas Giraud): One of the kidnappers; a charming Frenchman who deceives Kim and Amanda.
*Saint Clair (Gerard Watkins): One of the main villains.
*Sam (Leland Orser): Bryan’s best buddy and former co-worker.

Overall:
“Taken” is steroids-paced kidnap/crime/thriller that takes one too many camera shooting ideas from “The Bourne Identity” films instead of paying attention to effective films of this nature like “Ransom”. It has a protagonist that is very intelligent and professional at what he does, so percise down to the final detail. He is a very relentless killing machine who is capable of counteracting against every move, punch, kick, weapon, and vehicle. He may be a little too counteractive though.

There is simply not enough challenge set against the hero in this film. Every time the bad guys come up with a new trick up their sleeve to throw Neeson’s character off, he’s already a step or two ahead of them because he had figured it out beforehand. This happens quite often in the film and while it is entertaining to watch him do this, it feels a bit cheated in the end. It’s almost as if he gets the villains too easily.

I can guarantee that you will definitely route for Liam Neeson in this film as he outsmarts, batters, and bruises up every bad guy he comes across here. The first act is perfect but the rest of it is a breeze. Try “Frantic” or “Ransom”, two films which handled this type of plot much better.

Rating: ***

Starring: Roger Moore, Michael Lonsdale, Lois Chiles, Toshiro Suga, Richard Kiel, Corinne Clery, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, Walter Gotell, Emily Bolton, and Blanche Ravalec.

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert.

Story:
In “Moonraker”, Bond must stop the billionaire owner of a space shuttle-manufacturing company, Hugo Drax, from proceeding with his plot to wipe out the whole world via nerve gas and re-create mankind in the form of a master race. Aiding him this time is Bond girl Holly Goodhead, who turns out to be a CIA agent who is also trying to foil Drax’s genocidal plans.

Characters:
*James Bond (Roger Moore): M16 agent 007 investigating theft of a missing space shuttle, Moonraker.
*Sir Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale): A villainous industrialist intent on poisoning all of mankind so that he can begin civilization anew in space.
*Jaws (Richard Kiel): Now Drax’s right hand man, afflicted with gigantism.
*Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles): CIA agent working undercover for Drax, ends up joining 007.
*Chang (Toshiro Suga): Drax’s bodyguard and martial arts expert.
*M (Bernard Lee): Head of M16 Secret Service.
*Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell): M’s secretary.
*Q (Desmond Llewelyn): Bond’s master of gadgets.

Overall:
At this point in the Bond franchise, it seemed as if each and every film was tailored for a certain style or theme rather - Caribbean Bond (”Dr. No”), Railroad Train Bond (”From Russia With Love”), Gold Bond (”Goldfinger”), Aquatic Bond (”Thunderball”, “The Spy Who Loved Me”), Asian Bond (”You Only Live Twice”), Swiss Alps Bond (”On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”), Las Vegas Bond (”Diamonds Are Forever”), Voodoo Bond (”Live And Let Die”), Midget Bond (”The Man With The Golden Gun”), and now we have Space Age Bond - “Moonraker” - the eleventh film in the series and the fourth time with Roger Moore as 007.

At the end of the previous film, “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the credits stated that James Bond will be back for “For Your Eyes Only”. However, after the success of “Star Wars” in 1977, “For Your Eyes Only” was delayed so that the sci-fi space-tailored Bond adventure “Moonraker” could cash in on the whole “Star Wars” craze which consisted of green-lighting every sci-fi script on the studio desk at the time, from “Alien” to “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

“Moonraker” comes off a bit silly in some parts and many people (and fans alike) will tell you this, however, the film itself has more than enough exciting and exhilarating moments to make it very redeemable and enjoyable. It doesn’t hold up to “The Spy Who Loved Me”, which is one of the best, but it certainly is no “The Man With The Golden Gun”. One big plus is the return of the 7 ft. tall henchman from the last film, “Jaws”, who later sides with Bond in the film’s climax (don’t worry, it’s rather clever how this was pulled off in the script). “Moonraker” has more than enough memorable action sequences in it, ranging from an opening skydive battle from an airplane to the huge laser battle on Drax’s space station which happens to hold the world record for the largest number of zero gravity wires in a single scene. Cringe at the silliness if you must, but whatever you do, don’t skip “Moonraker”.

Rating: ***1/2

Starring: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, and Walter Gotell.

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert.

Story:
The story of “The Spy Who Loved Me” has practically nothing to do with the novel by Ian Fleming and is instead focused on a reclusive megalomaniac known as Karl Stromberg - a madman who is hellbent on destroying Planet Earth in return for a new civilization beneath the oceans He plans to do this by capturing Soviet and British nuclear submarines with intentions of having them fire intercontinental missiles at two major cities. 007 joins forces with the gorgeous Russian Agent Anya Amasova in an attempt to stop Stromberg.

Characters:
*James Bond (Roger Moore): M16 agent 007 who is assigned to investigate missing submarines.
*Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach): Agent XXX, a Soviet KGB who is investigating the same case as 007. She falls for Bond not knowing that he unknowingly killed her lover.
*Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens): A megalomaniac villain who wants to initiate World War 3 so that he can start a new civilization underwater.
*Jaws (RIchard Kiel): Stromberg’s right hand man who was born with gigantism.
*M (Bernard Lee): Head of M16 Secret Service.
*Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell): M’s secretary.
*Q (Desmond Llewelyn): Bond’s master of gadgets.

Overall:
Roger Moore returns for his third round as James Bond in the franchise’s tenth entry. Also returning is Director Lewis Gilbert, who also directed “You Only Live Twice” starring Sean Connery as James Bond; surprisingly enough, this film depicts a plot that is almost similar.

The plot elements borrow quite a bit from other James Bond films - Destroying mankind with captured nuclear subs and aiming them at major cities was done in “You Only Live Twice” and “Thunderball”, and destroying the human race to start a new civilization was done in “Moonraker” which happened to be the next James Bond film following after this one. On the other hand, “The Spy Who Loved Me” is very sexy, smart, dangerous, and lavishly designed.

It is one of the better Bond films out there and this is Roger Moore at his best as James Bond. Both he and Barbara Bach shine immensely together with their chemistry; and Bach was the Jessica Alba of the 1970s, a true hottie.The gimmicks and sets are the most spectacular seen in the franchise thus yet. The characters appear more realistic than in other Bond chapters, there’s also a minimal amount of slapstick humor used here, just the right touch. It’s nice to know that there other worthwhile films to see in the Summer of 1977 besides “Star Wars”.

In addition, we have two very well-thought villains - The reclusive Karl Stromberg and his tall, gigantic henchman Jaws. Jaws encounters Bond and Anya on several occasions throughout the film, narrowly escaping him each time, until they face off in the film’s explosive and aquatic climax involving submarines, a tanker, Stromberg’s Atlantis hideout, and plenty of water. Gadget seekers will be satisfied with the Espirit car which has aquatic capabilities, making it the best thing to happen since the Aston Martin DB5 in “Goldfinger”. “The Spy Who Loved Me” makes up for the lackluster previous entry that was “The Man With The Golden Gun” and actually makes use of its big budget.

Rating: ****

Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Herve Villechaize, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Clifton James, Richard Loo, Soon-Tek Oh, and David Hedison.

Directed By: Guy Hamilton.

Story:
As the ninth film in the franchise and the second to star Roger Moore, “The Man With The Golden Gun” sends James Bond after a device known as the Solex Agitator, which is capable of harnessing the sun’s powers. The villain who has this device is Francisco Scaramanga (cough *Count Dracula* cough, Christopher Lee) and his little sidekick (and by little, I mean literally… little) Nicknack. 007’s sidekick, err Bond girl, this time around is Mary Goodnight.

Characters:
*James Bond (Roger Moore): Agent 007 who now seeks out the source of a golden bullet which happens to be Scaramanga.
*Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee): A villainous assassin who enjoys gun duels and plots to misuse solar energy.
*Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland): The Bond girl who assists him in his adventures throughout the Far East.
*Andrea Anders (Maud Adams): Scaramanga’s dissatisfied mistress who helps Bond track him down.
*Nick Nack (Herve Villechaize): Scaramanga’s little servant.
*M (Bernard Lee): Head of M16 Secret Service.
*Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell): M’s secretary.
*Q (Desmond Llewelyn): Bond’s master of gadgets.

Overall:
Performances by Christopher Lee and Roger Moore light up this Bond adventure and give it some flair. Beneath that all, however, is a Bond film that feels rather boring or uninspired in some ways. There are fantastic concepts behind the two villains here, but the movie’s overall script lacks a sense of invention or freshness, elements that the previous entry “Live And Let Die” had.

The film pays a rather tedious comedic return visit to Sheriff Pepper from “Live And Let Die” but it goes on longer than it should, it worked for that film but here it just feels like they’re trying to remake that sequence all over again. The movie does contain one of the coolest car flips ever captured on cinema however. In addition, the film doesn’t really get remotely interesting until the last 30 minutes when, after a long car chase which he loses to, Bond tracks the villains down to their private island and goes there in a Seaplane. He is greeted by Scaramanga and Nicknack, shown around the facility, and even has lunch with them. Scaramanga then challenges Bond to a gun duel in his funhouse fortress which was carefully crafted by him.

While the end of the Gun duel doesn’t have a satisfying finish, the film makes matters worse with a tacked on “the whole place is going to blow” sequence (in how many Bond films have we seen this before?). “The Man With The Golden Gun was fairly successful box office-wise, but it was also the lowest earning Bond flick. Perhaps releasing it within a week of “The Towering Inferno” and “The Godfather, Part II” wasn’t the smartest idea on the studio’s behalf.

Rating: *1/2