That’s what I came away from after devouring the latest (and possible last) techno-thriller penned by Michael Crichton, Micro, which was completed by author Richard Preston (most famous for his chilling 1994 non-fiction thriller, The Hot Zone, about the Ebola outbreak in a primate quarantine building that occurred in Reston, Virginia in 1989).

Mr. Preston thinking "You thought Ebola was scary? Have I got a surprise for you!"

To anyone having doubts about Mr. Preston picking up where Mr. Crichton left off (rumor has it the manuscript was only 73% completed at the time of Crichton’s unfortunate passing due to Cancer in 2008), rest assured it is seamless – you literally cannot tell where Crichton ends and where Preston begins, nor what ideas and extrapolations belong to whom! It is most definitely feels like a Crichton
novel in it’s entirety!

The plot strays a little further away than most of Crichton’s stories in regards to the actual science utilized, in this case, micronization, but what it lacks in size of real physics in makes up for in the biology showed on display, showing a world that literally exists within our own that is a thriving ecosystem within our own!

Seven grad students in an eclectic assortment of fields (Envenomization, Biochemical Engineering, Arachnology, Entomology, Applied Science Philosophy, etc) are invited by a fellow student, Peter Jensen, on behest of his older brother Eric for recruitment into his start-up company, NaniGen Tech, a start-up company specializing in micro-robotic environmental research tools.

It’s not long before tragedy strikes in the murder of Eric and the mystery of what NaniGen actually does and with which find our protagonists shrunk-down into “micro-humans” and abandoned in a vast rainforest on Hawaii’s big island of Oahu.  From here, it becomes a “Lost World” tale of survival as the company of students must somehow trek back to NaniGen and restore themselves, while solving the mystery of Eric’s death.

Mr. Crichton moments before he touched the fossil behind him and merely "willed" it to life, cackling madly!

Fans of Crichton’s work will find this vintage-Crichton at his best with a streamlined plot and enough thorough research and explanation to make even a layman an expert in some of the fields addressed. As well, this always makes the attacks even more frightening when are heroes are confronted by waves of wasps, spiders, and even bats during their journey.

And these attacks are NOT for the feint of heart as Crichton and Preston detail the horrors of the insect world GRAPHICALLY (particularly stomach churning and harrowing is a sequence involving a grub, but I’ll let you discover that on your own).

PICTURED: Mr. Preston's pants-shittingly scary surprise.

The weakest flaw in this book is the seven grad students in the group, which are cardboard at the very best – you have the quiet thinker, the outspoken know-it-all, the tomboy, the promiscuous girl, the girl next door, the take-charge and the whiner. I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not – adding in  that they behave as academic snobs through 3/4 of the book doesn’t exactly you root them on, with Peter being the sole one you care about because of his relationship with his brother. The villain of the piece seems more at home in a Bond film than here and is extremely over-the-top in his actions and swaggering. I did, oddly, wind up growing the fond of the side-characters, particularly the Spam-sushi-eating, easy going and intelligent Honolulu homicide detective who suspects there’s something foul at work within NaniGen.

Some of the tech concepts displayed are intriguing despite the fact they almost seemed to come from an eighties  cartoon-toy line property, with the micro-humans having access to a plethora of miniature tent stations, concrete-brick research labs dotted along the rainforest, six-legged “Hexapod” walkers used to transverse the micro-terrain and even miniature micro-planes! If this gets made into a movie (it’s Crichton so chances are already 60/40 in it’s favor) you could see endless toys taken from the novel alone!

Which brings me to the opening notes from Crichton himself, in which he states some (in my mind, anyway’s) alarming statistics about school children these days, while being aware of insects and animals, couldn’t identify nearly any of the bugs they’d fin in their own backyard, blaming compressed school cirriculums with an emphasis on test scoring to the sad simple fact that kids too busy inside playing video games than playing outdoors in nature. I can’t help but wonder if maybe this was Crichton’s way of hoping kids might pick this up in the same way they read Jurassic Park – inspiring them to get outside and find fascination with the world right in their own lawns? It will certainly help move those bug catching nets and kits you see displayed every spring and summer!

MICRO, while having some small flaws, is MACRO fun!

* Words in red are danger words – Google Image them at risk to your own sanity, or to **know-your-enemy…

**…at which case I suggest a can of Lysol and a lighter; distance is your friend!

Holy Hot Damn… those are the first three words that came to mind after seeing this film this evening. As I mentioned prior, I minored in History and have researched Hoover in many instances and I must say, Clint Eastwood did a magnificent job with this film.

I know many people are going to moan and groan about Leonardo DiCaprio playing the former FBI Director, and the only thing I have to say to that, is watch your tongue. This is an Oscar worthy performance which he surely deserves and probably will get. Hollywood gets a stiffy over Bio Pics and this is one of the best I have ever seen.

Eastwood tells the story through both avenues of the story of the troubled director.

::SPOILER ALERT::

We get the story from the viewpoint of Hoover and then the audience is shocked to learn that Hoover’s story he has been telling throughout the whole film is not all reality. Those of you who know your history will pick up on this right away. The scenes of major historical importance are done wonderfully.

::END SPOILER ALERT::

The only complaint I have is the actor who plays President Nixon at the end of the film. Could have been cast a bit better, but that’s okay. I know many others have criticized this movie for its makeup and lighting and the such, and I must admit, there was some bad makeup, but not in the case of Hoover or Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts). The story is not confusing unless you’re a complete idiot and not following what’s going on. That was another argument against this film that I had read, simply untrue.

Regardless if you are on the fence with this film, drop the money and see it, you won’t be disappointed, and don’t be cheap! Many theaters have discount nights or whatever if you want to take advantage of that, but I even would have spent the ten bucks on this film and I’m super cheap!

Enjoy!

-Jim

Live-size, live-action “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots?”

Yes please!

The premise is pretty basic: a down-on-his-luck former boxing champ Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) needs cash for a new robot so he can make some $$$ in the ring as the sport of boxing has been outlawed and replaced with robot fighters. In debt to a lot people, he gets stuck with the child he fathered from a previous relationship. Discovering a robot buried in a scrapyard, it turns out there might be more to it (the robot’s name is ‘Atom’) than meets the eye (pun intended).

So how was it?

Very good flick!

Sure – it borrows heavily fro

m “Rocky,” “Over The Top” and a bit of “Short Circuit”  (is or isn’t the robot ‘Atom’ sentient?) but the movie hits it’s story beats perfectly and the film is well-crafted so you actually enjoy it despite the seeing the story outcome from the very beginning.

PROS:

The row-buts – very well-designed and executed. This one of those rare occasions where the CGI and the Puppetry / Animatronics is seamless (the last time I couldn’t tell when I genuinely knew there was an even mix was 2001′s Jurassic Park 3 with the Spinosaurus / Tyrannosaurus Rex brawl – I still can’t really separate the two technologies)!

The cast – especially the kid. 99.9% of the time you can’t stand the kid; the kid here is genuinely likable, smart and the story treats him as an equal to Jackman’s character.

Danny Elfman’s score – a very non-Elfman score, which so far, I’ve only heard once and that was 2003′s Hulk. You know what I’m talking about – Elfman’s Tim Burton mesh that is distinguishable and in the majority of 90% of film scores. This is a good thing as I like it when composers venture out into unfamiliar territory (Compare the Spider-Man score to Men In Black and you’ll see what I mean…).

One other thing I like – the date in which the film takes place is never mentioned; closest we get is the fact that one of the robots was manufactured in 2014. One of the thing I hate most that sci-fi flicks are esp. guilty of is “dating” their future. Nothing kills the escapism of a film than seeing a date, esp. a current “future” date which hasn’t quite turned out the way predicted (SeaQuest’s “guv’ment banning of beef” in 2004, anyone?). The only thing fanciful are the robots and the sleekness of some of the tech; but just like the swingin’ 60′s fifty-years past, people still wear business suits, jeans, sweatpants, sneakers, dresses, etc. and all the daily shenanigans of life play out as normal.

CONS:

The only real “con” I see is the story is a cobbling of already familiar plotlines…

The “champ / underdog” and “over-the-hill sportsman gets another shot of glory” of “Rocky…”

The “son travels with father to questionable locals while dealing / betting with shady characters” of “Over The Top…”

The “bad father who truly loves his son / discovers love for his son” from just about any family drama…

…but like a said – the film is so well made and adds some new tracks to the well-beaten path that you just follow along happily.

What I’m saying is…

…the movie was good – better, in fact, than some (most) of the mega-budget summer popcorn flicks!

Support it and go and see it!

Jason Statham vs Clive Owen? Check.

80′s rock music? Check.

Robert DeNiro? Check.

Somebody getting punched in the balls to 80′s rock music? DOUBLE CHECK!

I am here to tell you, this trailer is misleading.

OVERALL: This is a movie about ex-military. It’s about mercenaries, killing for money. It has a secret society of shadowy men, pulling political strings. It’s based on supposed true events in the early 80′s, and was inspired by the book The Feather Men. It is NOT, as the trailer suggests, Statham vs. Owen for 2 hours. It’s a shame because that was the movie I wanted to see. But that blame rests on the marketing department, and not on the film itself. The film itself is pretty dang good. It feels almost like a sequel to the 1998 film Ronin, also starring DeNiro.

The one thing I had displeasure with was the use of “shaky cam” during the action scenes.

I liked shaky cam back in the 90′s. It worked for Gladiator, it worked for the Bourne films.

But it’s over now. If you are making an action movie I want to see what the heck is going on!

ACTING: The whole cast is great. Statham and Owen are great as always, DeNiro isn’t in it much (he probably had three days of shooting) but gives a nice comfortable performance. The supporting cast of Dominic Purcell, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje all did a great job as well.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and violence abound in this flick. There is a tiny bit of nudity and a whole buncha murdering happening.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you dig action flicks, mercenary flicks, and/or Jason Statham. Just be aware it’s not what the trailer suggests.

…Or maybe not. It’s “artsy”.

OVERALL: I didn’t like this movie. It’s more notable to me for the camera they built to shoot it with which gave the film a unique feel.

I don’t want to be mean, because I’m not about tearing people down, especially when I know how much work goes into a film.  I heard secondhand that this cost just shy of $20k to make. That is amazing and admirable.

This movie would have worked well as a short. The story only picks up and gets interesting over halfway through and then only about the last 20 minutes or so breathe any sort of life on the screen. I heard someone describe this style of indie film as “mumblecore”.  I think that fits perfectly. It’s kind of interesting to look at for a little while, but the acting, directing and dialogue are so unfocused and sloppy that you quickly lose interest. It’s like when you find that you have a voicemail from someone you know that was left inadvertently. You can hear people talking, and you sort of have a challenge trying to figure out what they are saying and if they are actually talking to you, but then you realize it’s just a boring everyday conversation about something mundane and you stop listening and delete it. That’s what 80% of this movie feels like.

I was excited at the prospect of fire and guns and cars that shoot fire and the whole “Mad Max” obsession. I am also into all of those things. But this movie wastes them and tries instead to make you realize how much it sucks for a young man in today’s world with love and betrayal and friendships and blah blah blah. I kind of expected Woodrow to stop and say “I’m just so angry and young and angsty and confused!” while shaking his fists at the sky. These types of “youth in turmoil” statements work in movies where you care about the characters and the drama is set against some other forward moving factor: a war, a civil movement, a change in family (divorce, death, remarriage), going to college, etc. But this angst and aimlessness is the focus of this movie, which means it crawls along at a snails pace for the viewer. It’s like watching the channel in some apartments where you can see who is down at the lobby door.

But on the plus side, the car (Medusa) is pretty sweet.

This trailer actually makes it look really cool and action packed. Well done, marketers!

ACTING: I give respect to the lead Evan Glodell (he is also the director). He is a likable chap and I could see him playing both a good-natured everyman and a darker more sinister character, both of which he kind of gets to play in this movie. The rest of the cast is OK for this indie type of movie. Nothing great or amazing, but they show up and do the job.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and brief bursts of violence abound in this flick. There is a bit of nudity and sexual situations. It’s not a movie for kids by any means.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you like to support indie cinema. I think Evan Glodell has a future in movie-making, even if this film didn’t really gel into something interesting.

Bellflower is running in limited engagement all over the country RIGHT NOW. Check here for where it is playing near you: http://www.bellflower-themovie.com/theaters/

Dwayne hates his overbearing Marine father (Fred Ward) and wants to kill him so he gets the rest of the 10 Million in lottery money his Dad has won. It seems that dear ol’ Dad is burning through the cash so that he won’t have anything to leave his do-nothing dreamer son after he kicks the bucket. Dwayne and Travis (who is some sort of pyrotechnic genius) hatch a plot to get someone to rob a bank for them so that Dwayne can pay a hitman to kill his Father. Enter the pizza man and the bomb.

Still with me? I’ll leave it at that as I don’t need to spoil any more of the plot for you. On to the usual thoughts by me!

OVERALL: Thanks to the inclusion of Danny McBride and the overall action/comedy feel, this feels a lot like Pineapple Express with fewer pot references, but directed by the same guy that did Zombieland.

ACTING: This is a solid comedy cast. Jesse Eisenberg puts in a decent – if forgettable –  performance. He is a well liked “everyman” in this. Aziz Ansari is quite funny as Nick’s neurotic best friend Chet. Danny McBride plays Dwayne like every character Danny McBride ever plays. Nick Swardson was a stand out for me and I enjoyed his conflicted portrayal of Travis.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and comic violence abound in this flick. There is also a scene in a strip club. It is rated “R” for a reason. Even if it’s funny.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you like Danny McBride, or if you want to see the action on the big screen. There are some fun action sequences that were enjoyable with the sound thumping and the picture large.

30 Minutes or Less hits theaters August 12, 2011.

One thing to note is that this is really my first time trying to take a bunch of pictures of figures in the 3 3/4 inch size. It’s frickin’ harder than doing the larger figures and my pics kind of suck because of it. I started to get the hang of it towards the end of my shoot, so hopefully future entries will be better.

SCULPT and PAINT:

They are both pretty evenly matched here. The textures on both outfits is great, the little details are there for both Cap and Sinestro. Cap is based off his “Ultimates” World War 2 appearance, no there is no movie likeness to compare it to. He looks very similar to the larger Hasbro Marvel Legends version from a few years back, but they are clearly different sculpts and it’s not just a re-sized version. The paint is nice with no glaring issues that I noticed, besides Cap’s shield. What the hell happened to the stars on that thing? The “aspect ratio” is off and they look all skewed. That bugs me a little, but I’ll get over it someday after long sessions in therapy and a bottle of Jack.

Sinestro is from the movie, and based off his appearance there. The GL suit has nice texture and you can see Mark Strong’s creepy likeness in there. It’s not the best, but it’s not terrible either. The paint is minimal but it works.

So far, things look pretty even right? Both look like decent figures? Oh wait, now we get to:

ARTICULATION:

Did Mattel just give up? Was it like the end of the day and they had to get the GL figure designs out the door and so they quickly added some POA and tossed it to the next guy? Sinestro has 6 points of articulation. SIX.

Swivel head

Ball arms x2

Waist

Peg hips x2

WHAT?

That means your Sinestro figure can do this:

Oh, and this:

And don’t forget this!

Mattel, stop being lazy. McDonalds HAPPY MEAL toys have at least the same points of articulation, and those come free with a crappy cheeseburger and fries. There is really no excuse in today’s market to justify this. You use one body for the majority of the Green Lanterns, so tooling is shared across multiple figures. You can at least add pin elbows and knees so that the figures can sit down in other 3 3/4 inch-scaled vehicles!

Cap has 5 points of articulation.

IN HIS ARM.

I’m not going to associate POA with quality, but a modern action figure should have enough to be playable and to make some cool poses with, which Cap does. If you are going to limit your articulation, at least put the figure in a cool pose! Poor Sinestro looks like he’s nervously waiting for the proctologist to enter the room.

For the record, Cap has:

Ball neck

Ball shoulder x2

Shoulder/arm swivel x2

Double elbow x2

Wrist swivel x2

Waist/chest

Ball hips x2

Hip/thigh swivel

Double knee x2

Boot swivel x2

Ankle pin/disc x2

ACCESSORIES:

At least Sinestro comes with some accessories!

He has two sword constructs, cast in a translucent green plastic that actually look pretty neat. One can fit in his hand and the other snaps over his fist. He also comes with a plastic replica Green Lantern ring which is actually pretty cool, even though it doesn’t light up or anything. I don’t have pictures of it because my kids took it to play with and I’m pretty sure it has vanished into their stuff.

Captain America comes with his Helmet, his Shield, a rifle and a pistol. His pistol can slide into a side holster and the Shield can either clip to his arm or you can flick the clip over and peg it into a hole on his back. You need to make sure his straps are pushed out of the way of the hole for it to fit all the way in. Otherwise it keeps falling off, which is slightly annoying.

Value:

Both figures will run you about $8 bucks right now. I predict this price will remain consistent with the Captain America figures for the next year or so. Iron Man figures are still on the shelf at that price, all this time later. It’s an OK value. I remember when Marvel Legends ran 8 bucks, had a base or Build-A-Figure part and a comic.  That was a good deal. This is an OK deal.

The Green Lantern figures will soon go on clearance, and in some places already have. I told my kids they can get some of them when they hit a dollar, which they most likely will. That is about all I’m willing to pay for them. Mattel deserves to lose money on these sub-par figures.

Final Verdict:

Well, I think both toylines reflect their respective movies quite well.

Green Lantern is behind the curve with a couple cool things but just ultimately disappointing in the end.

You can also use the decent accessories for your other more well-liked toys.

Captain America is nothing groundbreaking, but is solid, it works and is well-rounded and fun. He fits in well with the other Hasbro lines like G.I. Joe, Marvel Universe and Star Wars.

Like our Minimate mascot? He is fresh from Luke’s Toy Store, where you can get your own custom Minimates, learn how to customize your own Minimates, or get Luke to make you a 10mfH one just like the one here!

They also sell standard Minimates and LOADS of awesome Minimate accessories and  Minimate dioramas!

IN A NUTSHELL: It’s like Indiana Jones mixed with Star Wars viewed through the “Marvel Studios” lens.

I guess whether or not you will like it depends on how much you like those movies. It 100% fits with the Marvel Studios Universe established in Iron Man 1 and 2, Incredible Hulk, and Thor but feels more like Indiana Jones and the original Star Wars trilogy in tone and style. The film is set mostly in the 1940′s but has very sci-fi elements thanks to the “Magic Tech” originally explained in this summer’s Thor movie also from Marvel Studios.

THE ACTING: Chris Evans is great as Steve Rogers/Captain America. He brings compassion and thoughtfulness to the role, showing lots with his face and body language. Evans also handles action quite well, also displayed by his previous movie roles. He displays natural charisma and leadership qualities as the good Captain. The various supporting roles were well acted and believable, from the Howling Commandos to Peggy, Bucky and Arnim Zola. I hope we see Zola again sometime is his bizarre Marvel-Comics look. Howard Stark is totally believable as Tony Stark’s Dad.

I actually thought the weakest link was Red Skull, which I personally wasn’t expecting. Hugo Weaving was decent as always, but didn’t really get all that much to do. He was more interesting in the film when he looks “normal”. I think buried under the Skull makeup some of his acting nuances got lost.  Unfortunately, the makeup is probably the most out of place thing in this movie. It’s so bright and colorful in an otherwise fairly muted color scheme. I hate to say that, because it’s so SPOT ON to his comics appearance.

THE EFFECTS: Lots of CGI – as is expected. It is a standard in modern movies, and here it’s very good! There were a couple shots where I lament the loss of traditional stunt work, but that’s more of a personal hang-up. Steve at the beginning where he looks like a 90 pound asthmatic is quite stunning.

THE DIRECTION: Joe Johnston worked as the art director on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and this movie feels like it inhabits the same world Dr. Henry Jones does. It’s no doubt intentional, and there are even a couple nods to Indy in there. Johnston handles both the action and the drama deftly and the movie clips along at a brisk pace pausing briefly from the action from time to time to reflect on events or for humor. This movie is infused with a sense of fun that modern audiences aren’t used to.  I heard lots of people in the theater snickering at the wrong times, mostly around the Hydra/Red Skull scenes. Captain America isn’t jaded and he has no “personal demons”, just a sense to want to do what is right and to be the best person he can be whenever possible. It’s extremely refreshing to see a superhero movie where the “super” is actually a “hero”.

Oh, and Cap’s shield! He gets to use it and HOW! It’s great to see on the big screen bouncing around knocking over HYDRA goons.

CAN KIDS SEE IT? I don’t know about all children, but my kids seeing this are going to be as blown away as I was seeing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for the first time as a kid. It really feels like an 80′s Spielberg/Lucas flick, with the “best parts” from other movies staged one after another. There is plenty of sci-fi action violence, mostly bloodless. There is light cursing, like “Hell” and “Ass”. No sex or nudity to speak of, besides some cloy dialogue that’s very 1940′s and some brief kissing. Red Skull may be frightening to little kids, but I kind of doubt it.

More importantly, it shows Captain America/Steve Rogers as a leader with strong ties of friendship, loyalty, honor, and self sacrifice. He does what he does to help and save people, and can put his ego in check when needed. This is the type of hero I want my kids to emulate. I consider it counter programming to the disturbing selfish behavior of Hal Jordan in WB’s Green Lantern movie.

AFTER CREDITS SCENE? Of course stay after the credits. AMAZING Avengers teaser at the end. I have goosebumps. Going to see this again this weekend with my boys in tow.

OVERALL: It’s a plot that’s been done before, and it’s a plot that’s been done very recently with even a “That 70′s Show” star. Yet, this was still an enjoyable romantic comedy. My biggest issue is that it tries to make fun of romantic comedies but still falls into the same predictable cliches that all romantic comedies fall into. It tries to rise above them, but ultimately just becomes one. If you like romantic comedies this is not really a bad thing, but this movie is not as clever as the excellent “500 Days of Summer”, even thought it tries really hard to be.

ACTING: Justin Timberlake did an admirable job as the lead, but I personally have a difficult time seeing beyond that “OMG, it’s Justin Timberlake”! He was just too big of a pop star for me to shake that off and believe he is some other guy. Mila Kunis was enjoyable as always, and her natural charisma and spunkiness plays well here.

FAMILY FACTOR: There are STRONG sexual themes and situations in this movie, so be warned if you have children or teens you are thinking of bringing. Prepare for uncomfortable questions afterward if you choose to do so.

SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN: If you need to see Justin Timberlake’s butt 10 feet wide.

Friends With Benefits opens nationwide on July 22. See Captain America First, though.

…this never happened to the other fellow!

Having a film as GOOD as ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ that is.

With that line spoken, we immediately know that we, the audience, are in for something completely unique in this picture.

In a series riddled with cliche`s-a-plenty even into the third film, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (referred to as ‘OHMSS’ from here on out) breaks the mold and is arguably the best in all twenty-two movies to date!

Why?

Well let’s start with George Lazenby…

Who, you ask, is he?

Exactly my point.

An Australian actor known previously only as “The Big Fry Man”  from a series of chocolate bar commercials. With a new face, an unknown, we finally get to focus on James Bond and not merely watching Sean Connery going through the motions.

He is a human Bond; he has emotions on display. For the first time in the series he is a Bond in true jeopardy; after a brutal ski chase he attempts to hide during a Christmas celebration in a small village; he’s tired, he’s being hounded, he’s genuinely afraid and it is all shown gloriously!

The world is our world. No outlandish fantasy. No secret volcano bases. Just a compound on a mountain side.  No mustache twirling here. Granted the villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is portrayed with charm and relish by Telly Savalas (taking over from Donald Pleasence in the film prior), but never once is he over the top or maniacal – he is calm and calculated. No lasers aimed into the Earth’s crust; no nuclear detonations threatened for a ransom. No, Blofeld is content at crippling the agricultural livestock via germ warfare and bacterial sterilization.

Henchmen a plenty show up in this film, adorned in orange jackets and black fatigue pants and boots, and while they are sent to dispatch Bond during two thrilling ski chases (particularly effective is the first which takes place at night and utilizes flares among the Swiss forests as well as some jaw-dropping vistas), our villain isn’t merely seated behind a desk. No, Savalas’ Blofeld is proactive in his search to capture or kill our hero, getting his hands soiled out in the field along with his men. I can’t ever remember such a thing in a movie of this type!

Did I mention the jazzy film score provided by John Barry? A pulsing theme fueled by electric organs and synthesizers – a film-first in 1969. I could talk more about it, but, why not listen for yourselves:

This Never Happened To The Other Fellow!

On a closing note there is no tidy ending…

The villains escape. Oh sure – Blofeld’s plan is thwarted, his compound destroyed, his men disbanded, but he survives and escapes custody.

Bond does the unthinkable – marrying the young and vivacious Countess Theresa (also a Bond girl who holds her own against her adversaries and even manages to be the saviour of Bond after his escape from the Piz Gloria compound.

You see why Bond had fallen in love and you fall in love with and for the couple…

…which is why it is a literal punch in the stomach when the ending of the film comes and the credits roll. You’ll shed a tear.

Promise.

It’s for all these reasons why no other Bond film will EVER live up to OHMSS. Casino Royale came close, but truly, it will never be outdone.

It’ll never happen to the other fellow.