For Your Eyes Only [Blu-ray]

One of my all-time favorite Bond movies in a nice package
THE MOVIE
There wasn't much further 007 could go as far as sci-fi wizardry and fantastic characters after the cartoonish MOONRAKER that had seen James Bond propelled into space.
What was called for was a `back to basics' approach that emphasized realism, exotic locations, less gadgetry, down to earth villains and a return to the ruthlessness that Roger Moore had exhibited in movies such as THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. What better way for the filmakers to return Bond to his roots than to tap into original Fleming source material.
Taking characters and situations from not only the Fleming novel FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, but also the keel-hauling sequence from LIVE AND LET DIE writers Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson wove together a complex and enticing cold war spy drama that included some of the staple setpieces underwater and on the slopes that had served the character so well in the past.
As the late John Brosnan noted in his review of the...

One Of The Best Bond Films
After MOONRAKER's excesses, it was a wise decision to bring Bond back to earth, and back to basics with FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. FYEO features one of the best casts of any of the Bond films, including standout performances from Topol (playing one of the most likeable rogues in all of the Bond films), Julian Glover, and one of the best (and most beautiful) Bond women of all in Carole Bouquet. Lynn-Holly Johnson IS a little annoying as a spoiled young olympic hopeful, but the character is SUPPOSED to be annoying, so she actually was a bit of inspired casting. The story brings Bond back to the style of the films of the 60's, as Bond once again squares off with the Soviets in a race to recover a sensitive piece of computer equipment. Roger Moore gives his best performance as Bond in FYEO, as we finally see him show some toughness as well as his suave sophistication. Humor is present, but not so much as to distract from the film. The pre-credits sequence is a fun bit of...

Disappointing Special Edition DVD can't mar Moore's best
The new range of special edition DVD versions of the Bond films are being released in groups from 1999-2002, and fortunately this fine effort was in the first batch. Others have remarked on what most fans regard as the very best of the Moore Bonds, and I won't dispute them here. From it's nifty nod to the George Lazenby performance in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" to the fine ensemble acting, to the sheer style of the non-traditional ending, FYEO succeeds because it marks one of the few times the producers took special pains to incorporate Fleming into the script. For that effort, a full five stars are well-deserved.

Where this product fails, however, is in living up to the standards this Special Edition series has set for itself. Like other entrants in this series, FYEO has audio commentaries by the filmmakers. As with all the Special Editions, the Ian Fleming Society, perhaps the most 'serious' of the Bond Fan Clubs, provides a narrator who ties...

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Dr. No [Blu-ray]

The Bond That Started It All
A landmark film, "Dr. No" (1962) introduced Ian Fleming's 007 to cinema audiences. Despite the author's initial objections, Sean Connery defined the character of James Bond with his remarkably self-assured performance. Ursula Andress' iconic beauty and Joseph Wiseman's restrained villainy were equally memorable. Thanks to the contributions of director Terence Young, set designer Ken Adam, editor Peter Hunt and composer John Barry, the 007 style was immediately established in this Jamaican adventure. Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli should be applauded for getting the most out of their limited budget. "Dr. No" succeeds as an unpretentious spy thriller - minus the gadgetry and gimmicks in later Bond outings. The film's impact on popular culture cannot be underestimated.

Bond on Blu.....at last!!!
My comments apply only to the newly released Blu Ray version.
I will not review the film it's self since everyone has no doubt seen it at least once.
I have waited 2 years for the Bond films to be released in a HD format, and the waite was worth it.
The picture quality of this old film is simply awesome. The color saturation, the "depth" and contrast are very film-like.
I felt like I was discovering the film for the very first time.
Watching it on my 60'' display, it looked like I was seeing a brand new, fresh from the lab, film print in my own living room.
And it gets better, I am told (but havent viewed my copy yet) that Thunderball looks even better.
If you are a Connery James Bond fan, and own Blu Ray, this is a no-brainer.
Highest possible recommendation, and Amazon has it for a good price.

Great first EON outing for legendary spy
Outside of Bond fandom very few people know that Sean Connery was actually the second actor to play the character of James Bond. In the 1950s there had been a television production based around Ian Fleming's first spy novel "Casino Royale" in which American actor Barry Nelson had played 007 as a US spy with Clarence Leiter as his British counterpart. Fast forward to the early 1960s and work is once again getting underway to bring the fictional spy to the screen. Cast in the lead role is what one UA executive referred to as a "lorry driver" and with a small budget (a measly $1 million) there seems to be little hope for the fledgling franchise. Yet when Doctor No (the final choice for the first of the series) hits screens it changes the film industry, sending reverberations the likes of which are still being felt today. Staying largely faithful to the Fleming book of the same name (something that was not to last) the rather modest movie set screens afire, helped enormously by the...

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Bones: Season Three

A shortened third season still packs chemistry and some shockers...
**Plot SPOILERS alert**

BONES keeps on keeping on. Two excellent seasons under its belt, and a truncated Season 3 (damn you, writers' strike!) finally all wrapped up, and predictably, these are good episodes, as well. But only fifteen of them! As Season 3's first episode ("The Widow's Son in the Windshield") opens up, we learn that Bones has been reluctant to go in the field with Booth and she won't say why. However, a head flung off a bridge forces her to reconnect with Booth. This episode also begins a new serial killer arc, this one being particularly even more gristly and diabolical than most, and of which resolution later down the season would have tragic consequences.

Season 3 doles out several other subplots. As per the startling news learned at the altar from Season 2's finale, Angela is already married. An ongoing story arc becomes Hodgins and Angela's search for her long-time but vaguely remembered husband. "The Secret of the Soil" introduces Dr...

Bones deviates from the quantifiable morphological norm
What CSI tries to do with unreal science, Bones does right. Every word is pronounced correctly (!) a biggie for us physicians - they push the science, but believably so - 87 complex murders in Vegas per year? No way-50-60 per year under FBI special unit, sure - with the budget to do it. The characters have geek chemistry, and I'm so happy David Boreanaz is bopping w/o Buffy -was afriad he'd die, and he's too good. If you're uneducated, it will lose you - if you want to learn, or already know science, it's a thrill - hot chicks, cool cops, nerdy geeks all together.

Bones Just Gets Better and Better
This season of Bones was as fantastic as it's two predecessors... Ok, the writers strike didn't help and there are only 15 episodes in the season, but the scripts were still fantastic and the chemistry between Brennan and Booth was palpable and very nicely portrayed by the actors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to buy it!!!

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