Looney Tunes Back In Action

So the situation is the new Space Jam will get a review Saturday, not Friday because of work hence the oddball schedule this week.

I have so much to talk about here. This is one of the most interesting movies not only to watch but to talk about, it is truly a film in it's own world that must be experienced. I'm not even really sure how to start. I owned this movie on DVD all those years ago and watched it often, and seeing it again after 15 years is kind of a trip. So the film is basically an adventure movie with Bugs and Daffy as they assist two employees of the Warner Bros. company, an uptight vice president played by Jenna Elfman and the son of a spy actor played by Brendan Fraser. It goes off the rails quick in terms of story I suppose like any Looney Tunes cartoon, with chases, slapstick, plots of world domination, and more. I genuinely feel it is a worthy movie to see and not just be left in 2003 when it was released, there's a lot I admire and enjoy about it despite the movie being this utter grab bag of different plot elements yet it pulls it off pretty good. It does kinda break my heart that all tellings of the production pointed to it being a disaster with Joe Dante having a rough time making the movie due to executive control, because they did good work. I think they flat out got some cathartic satire of making Warner Bros. and pretty much every studio system look like braying jackasses, it's kind of beautiful actually. The personalities of the Looney Tunes are present and strong, a distinct action by Joe Dante who absolutely loathed Space Jam and how the characters were treated, and it fits perfectly in with the world of those cartoons. It does have that same spirit, it does have that good humor, it's handled mighty well! I laughed often and even when I didn't I still appreciated the humor. I'm trying so hard not to spiral out and just talk about random things but I feel it's kind of a losing battle with a film like this. We get science fiction references galore in Area 52, including the first time I ever saw Daleks though I had no idea what they were called. Timothy Dalton is essentially playing James Bond again which I absolutely loved. Steve Martin, God bless him man, he had to take on a role of a egomaniacal villain in a post Austin Powers world with mixed success. The celebrity cameos in this is off the charts, Dick Miller, Ron Perlman, Joan Cusack, Matthew Lillard, Roger Corman, friggin' Goldberg, it's outrageous how many people they got for this. The animation style looks airbrushed to shit, and it's not as perfectly mixed with live action as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it looks good and still has that good fluidity of motion. It's just a bonkers movie to the max, not to the point of overstimulation but certainly fraking hard to talk about after viewing. I do recommend it, but as for a rating I'm a bit stumped. I did like it, it captured the spirit and fun of the Looney Tunes, Brendan is the best part of the movie period, great references, good comedy, odd yet entertaining. 3 stars, 7/10, and the 90s classic is up next.

License To Kill

Ooh this is a tough call.

I honestly kind of like Licence To Kill just a tiny bit more than The Living Daylights, and I really enjoy that movie! I have no issue saying this is one of the best Bond stories, it's like For Your Eyes Only but incredibly commited and even better. We meet up with Bond on Felix's wedding day after they arrested a drug lord but he escapes and comes after Felix and his wife, leading Bond on a full fledged revenge mission as a rogue agent from MI6. Oh my God. I am so onboard with this story, you don't need to do a thing. I am there and I am loving it. It's a shame Dalton never got one more crack as 007 because he is really really good in this movie, and I know some say his intense attitude was occasionally off in the last movie which is somewhat true, but here I totally buy it. He friggin' wants this guy dead and will do anything to avenge his longtime friend. It kind of cut me a little seeing Bond show such love and kindness to Felix and his wife Della just to have this horrible thing happen to them, and the fact they brought up Tracy made me get misty eyed a little. He just loses friend after friend, ally after ally, and it really makes you get behind Bond's actions all the way through. I think this is a great story and one that was worth telling! The performances really sold me on this story, as I said Dalton is damn good in this movie and I feel people focus too much on the violence to really appreciate his performance. Robert Davi is such a good villain, he does downright gruesome things yet still has an air of charm and likability at times and his death is perfection honestly. Carey Lowell is a very good Bond girl in my eyes, kind of a more action more than words type of character though she certainly doesn't mind calling bullshit when she sees it, she's one of the finer Bond girls of the series. There's a handful of people you may kind of recognize in the story, we have two Mortal Kombat actors in this movie specifically Katana and Shang Tsung which is kind of cool to see, Benecio del Toro is the main henchman and it's really neat to see him in one of his earliest roles, but strangest of all Wayne Newton the famous singer plays a minor part in this movie and I swear to God I couldn't believe it was him even with my own two eyes. The action is pretty great at times, in particular the big rig truck chase at the end I mean damn guys, good show! So well done, and people throw a fit over, "Oh this movie's too dark and violent, I can't take my 7 year old to see this James Bond movie!" yes because clearly the James Bond series was created for pre-teen audiences. I was watching Goldeneye when I was 4 years old, and yes my parents and even grandparents were slightly concerned about that but they let me watch it anyway because I loved the movies for everything they did and not just certain, uh...elements. My point is, the violence should not take away from your experience unless you are really squeamish around blood. It's telling a very realistic and very serious movie, and I applaud the producers for taking that chance and doing something daring with a very formulaic movie series at this point. You need to shake it up occasionally! There was no harm done by this movie, but the production problems made this the last Bond film for 6 years and good God did they make that comeback worth the wait! Next time, this is where the fun begins. 4 stars from me, with a sterling 8/10!

The Living Daylights

I think people are a bit too hard on Tim.

I never really got the dislike for him, and I totally understand and respect the producer's decision to make the next Bond a radical departure from the last. James is more close to how Ian Fleming wrote him in the books, and considering how popular Daniel Craig's Bond potrayal is I feel it's time to give Dalton another shot. And his first story isn't a bad one, with James working his way up through a KGB arms operation after several agents have been killed, as he soon meets a young orchestra player Kara who is caught up in all the double crosses and plans. I quite like Timothy Dalton and always have but it is sort of a toss up as to which movie of his I like better, he plays Bond with a more rough around the edges view like, problems with authority, not hesitating to threaten or kill to complete the mission but still have the charm and gadgets that we know the character so well for. Connery had those qualities too but the films never took themselves too seriously, where as this one does though it still has humor and a touch of silliness. But it works for me, and this is one of my favorites so far. Maryam d'Abo is lovely as Kara, a kind and quite innocent figure that gets swept up in all this spy business and yeah she's a bit of a klutz but neither is she a brainless fool and I quite liked the chemistry she had with Dalton, granted they bicker like a married couple at times but it's nice to see Bond actually spend time with her and get to know her before the adventure really begins which is a rare occurence in this series but when it's done they do it right. I will say that I'm happy Joe Don Baker got a much better role in the Bond series, cause his character Whitaker is so blah he's just a fanboy for war and weapons, and doesn't have an interesting plan though it's probably the most realistic villain plan ever, exchanging weapons for opium and diamonds to further supply his arms dealing. It's really the only weak point of the movie. But the rest is pretty good! The action scenes start strong from the beginning, and I have to give credit for Dalton wanting to do all his own stunts because not many actors are that commited to a role, and it has my favorite gadget laden car chase so far. It feels very new in terms of production, slowly shifting gears from the 70s to late 80s Bond to more modern cinema. It doesn't really feel 80s though A-Ha of Take On Me fame did the main theme which is one of my absolute favorites of the whole series, it just feels like a well made Bond film that I can safely say tops A View To A Kill. 4 stars, 7.5/10, you should definitely check it out, and next time we look at my favorite of Dalton's films. Will it hold up? Only one way to find out as we view Licence To Kill.