Necrotongue

Black Sails is a great surprise for me. I’ve always been interested in pirate-themed stuff and this series presents it in a really interesting way. It’s not always about frantic action. Quite the opposite, the plot is full of intrigue and politics, and it works very well. Plus, Captain Flint is played by Toby Stephens, which is another reason for me to be satisfied. I’m not so familiar with the rest of the cast, but I have to give credit to them. They are not trying to act, but really acting, so I have nothing to complain about. I’m just a bit baffled by how suspiciously short John Silver is. On the other hand, he does match the book in terms of sneakiness. This is my review of the first two seasons, I will add the rest of my reviews separately.

A great book turned into an excellent script. I enjoyed the film all the way through. Both the atmosphere and tension escalate really well. It is basically a two-hander between Kathy Bates and James Caan, who were both chosen perfectly. I consider the scene with the hammer and the cracked ankles to be one of the scariest things ever. I usually have a lot of reservations about a film if I have read the book before watching it, but not in this case. I couldn’t be happier.

I'm writing this review after watching four seasons. I knew after the first episode that I was going to like this one a lot. Kevin Spacey is one of my favorite actors, and he's excellent as always. I never thought I’d enjoy a series about political intrigue, but I was wrong. The story completely drew me in, and I always find it hard to turn it off and go to sleep. I think a lot of filmmakers could learn from it a lot about how to create atmosphere. Frank and Claire Underwood can be so cold sometimes that I have to scrape frost off the screen. Edit (December 5, 2019): I rated and reviewed Season 6 separately. It wasn't even part of the series anymore, at least not to me.

Casino Royale is a Bond movie that reminded me of Ian Fleming's books. Although set in the present day, it has such a retro vibe to it. Craig's Bond is a pretty tough guy, so he pleasantly surprised me with his wit when talking to Vesper. Mads Mikkelsen is a brilliant actor in my opinion, and Eva Green was the proverbial icing on the cake. Less action was definitely not a bad move. At least you can tell the difference between a spy film and an action film.

The only Bond film with Pierce Brosnan that I have no major issue with. His Bond had class this time, and the main villain was oozing charisma.

It wouldn't have been such a bad film if it wasn't such a bad film. The running time was excruciating. I wouldn’t have minded if there was something worth watching, but the film was riddled with goofs. Sure, I understand that you probably couldn't get German tanks in 1965, especially PzKpfw VI B, but I don't believe that the Americans couldn't find a couple of Shermans. The writers didn't bother with historical accuracy, which makes this film absolutely incomparable to Battle of Britain which came out only two years earlier and is infinitely better.

Pierce Brosnan finally stopped making grimaces, and the film might not have been bad at all, but the script just didn't work for me. A very nice boat chase quickly turns into an idiotic "cruise" through the streets, followed by an extremely funny scene with Q. All that is topped off by Bond declaring that it doesn't matter if a nuclear reactor explodes because it's flooded anyway. Oh well.

I don't mind Pierce Brosnan, but frankly, I can't say the same about his Bond. He comes across as more of a comedian than an agent and the script unfortunately plays into that. The main villain is played by Jonathan Pryce, and I have to say I remember him in better roles. He was memorable in Brazil, but that was a whole other level.

A megalomaniac plot (which is not a bad thing), but Pierce Brosnan is so desperate to be funny all the time, he reminds me of a stand-up comedian.

Dalton's second Bond film is better in terms of quality than The Living Daylights. Timothy Dalton's Bond remains cool and sharp, the action scenes aren’t blown out of proportion, and the whole film somehow feels more real. I really enjoyed it.