nealmcgrath's reviews

If flawed look at the five families of New York. For those that have taken a more than a casual interest in all things Mafia, then a lot of this will be part of the endless regurgitation of the same old stories that we've heard many times. There is also the same commonly held mistakes repeated here-the Gallo's killing Anastasia for example. Fortunately, they throw in a lot more rare footage here to render this show a bit more interesting for the long timers: we get Vito Genovese playing bowls, we get Joseph Colombo chatting away on the Dick Cavett show, etc. We also get a detailed look at Joe Massino, someone who I wasn't overly familiar with. So, worth a watch, but lets throw this energy at some lesser known mob stories: Chicago, Roy Demeo- I mean, even Carlo Gambino doesn't get a whole documentary to himself while John Gotti has a million. Someone obviously thinks these things are worth making, so let's mix it up a bit.

Unlike most people,I actually quite like the plots of the prequels;I think the political intrigue and the way Emperor Palpatine gains control of the senate,is clever in the way it mirrors real world despots and it helps add an air of realism which is an important and underrated quality in sci-fi/fantasy films.

However,none of that can really make up for the films many faults:the CGI is excessive,cheap looking and cartoonish,the acting way below standard and the script wooden and awkward.

Only Darth Maul and his two-on-one lightsaber duel reaches the levels of entertainment we've come to expect from the Star Wars universe.

A much richer second offering here(with a bigger budget too),FRWL lacks the slightly corny final third of Dr No,whilst adding better characters and actors;it also contains the first decent Bond quip ("shocking".

The action sequences are more exciting and Connery's Bond is slightly less dark and more debonair this time round;the film feels more like a Bond film and less like a standalone thriller.

The Villains here are truly the standouts (although,to be fair,the plot isn't bad for a Bond film),with Kronsteen,Klebb and Grant all vying for attention.

Special mention however,must go to Robert Shaw for his performance as Grant and 'that' train fight sequence;a roughhouse melee that helped consolidate Connery's reputation(at least until Daniel Craig popped up) as the most raw of the Bond actors.

Undoubtedly up there with the best of the franchise.

The first Bond film begins fantastically;the casino scene in particular is iconic. In this first film Connery's Bond is dark and brutish;misogyny is rife and his "charm" here is superficial;a surface and smokescreen that when scratched reveals a stone cold killer(which we see in one of the few scenes were Bond kills in cold blood).

I must admit as the film enters its final third and Dr No himself makes his appearance,the movie does start to look slightly dated and corny but nether the less Dr No is an admirable beginning to one of the greatest movie franchises of all time and good stand alone thriller.

A glorious,paranoid,gory mess;whose special effects are still-to this day-utterly disgusting.

Heaven knows what this was like back in the 80's.

Absolutely top tier horror.