Goldfinger (1964)- improved

Back when Goldfinger (1964) was released, the success of the previous Bond movies - Dr. No and From Russia with Love - generated enough pre-release hype. The director, Guy Hamilton, was different from the previous director (Terence Young). Did his direction match up to Young? Yes! Because Goldfinger introduced several elements into the franchise that weren’t earlier there (substantial female roles, cheeky humour, multiple foreign locales, a pre-credit sequence that might not always relate to the rest of plot) whilst continuing what the previous installments started (gadgets saving the day, larger-than-life villain, Bond rewarded with romance after saving the day). 

Gentleman secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is assigned with following multi-millionaire businessman Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) on suspicion of him smuggling gold. This mission takes him from Miami to Switzerland, from Jill Masterson to Pussy Galore (yes you heard right!). During the mission, it's never clear what Goldfinger's aims are nor why he is so obsessed with gold. Now it’s up to Bond to lift the lid on Goldfinger’s plans and stop him before he becomes a threat to Queen and Country. 

Before he gets to meets Auric Goldfinger face to face, Bond knocks a girl unconscious, kisses one and gets one murdered. At one point, you have to ask yourself a question - are women safe around him? Sean Connery was always the best Bond for me and this movie proves why. Towards the second half, he effectively brings out Bond’s helplessness without making him like a coward or an unintelligible fool. He’s convincing in the action scenes and his self-deprecating humour always lightens the proceedings.

The Aston Martin DB5 owes its cult status to this movie and the special effects expert John Stears, who turned this luxury grand tourer into a faster, sleeker, comfortable version of an army tank. The DB5 scenes are enough to make anyone’s eyes melt and the chase sequence in Goldfinger’s factory was highly enjoyable due the car’s secret weapons come to the forefront. There’s oil, smoke, water, an old lady firing an assault rifle - it’s all delightful chaos. Those wondering when the ejector seat will come in handy, believe me it’s a well scripted move. However the culmination broke my heart what with Bond being captured and the DB5 battered to smithereens.

Goldfinger provides enough information for the audience to familiarise themselves with Auric Goldfinger since we learnt enough about Bond in the previous movies. If Goldfinger leaves you on a table with a laser coming to cut you in half, don’t expect sympathy from him. If a character betrays him, their death will become a cinematic moment to remember. His method of execution via skin asphyxiation is one that’s incredibly imaginative and one that flows with the plot. He’s one of the richest villains in the country (and cinematic history), due his immense wealth and assets. Every facility he owns makes for an enjoyable action playground. When Gert Fröbe was called in to play Goldfinger, he spoke little English and whatever English he spoke it was very slow. So the producers redubbed his voice, leaving his acting limited to facial expressions and body language. Might I say, he does a marvellous job! His expressions during the above mentioned laser scene were fantastic. He creates a great sense of danger through his performance which is the greatest mark for an actor who couldn’t English very well.

The second half of the movie had a certain Hitchcock-feel as it reminded me of North by Northwest what with the hero being just as clueless as the audience. Goldfinger’s plan isn’t revealed all at once. We receive slight hints and most of these are only noticeable in the second viewing. The viewer doesn't know how Goldfinger will steal all the gold from Fort Knox. Neither does the viewer know an alternative to Goldfinger's plan, if not stealing gold. I applaud the writing for not handing the entire masterplan at the start because it creates suspense and curiosity. It also helps develop the main characters in terms of Bond's helplessness and improvisation, and Goldfinger's intelligence and threatening presence. 

As mentioned earlier in the introduction, this film provides a stronger female role for its leading lady Pussy Galore played by Honor Blackman. The previous installments had the Bond girls playing sex dolls that constantly needed rescuing and becoming his reward for saving the day. Blackman’s character is appropriately introduced into the second half of the film, where the layers on Goldfinger’s plan are slowly uncovered. Unlike other Bond girls, her arc serves necessary material for the plot as she’s one of the pillars in bringing Goldfinger’s operation to fruition. Without her cooperation, Bond doesn’t stand a chance of stopping Goldfinger. This time, his charm doesn’t stand a chance as she dismisses any love-at-first-sight thoughts in their first meeting. Her expressions bring out the required "playing-hard-to-get" coldness and her judo skills aren’t to be missed!

The climax is every action movie buff’s dream for its explosions, gunfights and a face-off between Bond and Goldfinger’s indestructible henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata). Had Bond been shown as a Schwarzenegger-type-indestructible beefcake, the impact of this fight would have suffered as I believe the mismatch in strength helps create tension. The excitement in this fight is only strengthened by Sakata’s facial expressions as Bond’s punches prove ineffective. The culmination of this fight is quite interesting as once Bond stops using his miniscule brawn, he realises there’s a more logical approach to defeating his superhumanly strong opponent. 

You must have heard this film being praised or mentioned at some point in your life. Any list made on the top five Bond films and you can always bet Goldfinger will be on that list. The film is worthy of all the praise it deserves for its sheer spectacle, escapism, action and excellent performances extracted from Connery and Fröbe. Folks, this is one to remember for the record books.

Scream (revised) [Spoilers]

During the 1990s when Scream was first released, the horror genre was practically dead. Most popular horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th) were churning out sequel after sequel where the supposed killer keeps coming back and it was getting repetitive. The rapid increase in gore and violence couldn’t overshadow the weak writing, and the fact that each film is indistinguishable from the previous instalment. Scream revived the genre in multiple ways.

Scream takes place in Woodsboro. College student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is still struggling to cope with her mother’s death. The fact that her mother’s one year death anniversary is coming closer doesn’t help either. Suddenly her classmates are receiving threatening calls from a masked killer. And later getting murdered by them! With the body count increasing and the finger of suspicion being pointed at everyone, it’s almost impossible to guess the killer or his/her motives. Suddenly the killer drops a clue about Sidney’s mother’s death and Sidney realises she is the killer’s target and no one in her close proximity is safe.

The killer of this movie is called Ghostface. People accustomed to the indestructability of Myers and Voorhees will find it refreshing this is a man in a mask made obvious from the first scene. This killer is highly intelligent for his trivia on horror movies being far more advanced than the entire cast’s knowledge put together. His killings have reasons behind them. A more logical subversion of Myers’ approach who butchers anyone for no rhyme or reason.  

The suspense in this movie is mind-blowing! My finger of suspicion was flying on everyone by the time of the climax. Scream could have easily made the mistake of having a huge cast and make a movie about the killer knocking each cast member down like a bowling pins. Instead they’ve kept the focus on suspense rather than gore and given the film that classic Agatha Christie-murder mystery vibe. There’s several hints in the film that misdirect the viewer as to who the killer is and there’s several hints that make it obvious who the killer is. The beauty of these hints is that they warrant a second viewing so the viewer can make out where he/she went wrong or what he/she didn’t notice the first time. If anyone remembers the infamous shower scene from Psycho, it was firmly established killers can come anywhere and shower time isn’t a safe place after all. Scream reinforces this same ideology - this time it’s the college bathroom! 

Although I believe the murder mystery set up of the slasher film is the film’s biggest asset, most cinephiles have the opinion that Scream is a subversive deconstruction of the genre. The characters are aware the events in their life have the similar happenings of a traditional scary movie. They know all the rules (virgins aren’t victims, characters who say they’ll be back won’t be back) but knowledge isn’t enough to survive the killer’s hit list.

Neve Campbell showed a certain amount of vulnerability as this movie’s "scream queen" Sidney Prescott, especially the last forty-five mins of the movie. My heart went out for her, especially when she gets stabbed by the killer. Courtney Cox’s character Gale Weathers will immediately be hated for repeatedly bringing up the untouched topic of Sidney’s mother’s death as an attempt to unravel the truth. This detective side proves crucial in the third act when it seems the narrative is going on Ghostface’s favour. Reading about David Arquette’s character Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley gives the impression he’s a six foot, muscle-bound strict yet morally correct middle-aged man. Watching the movie, one realises it’s a boyish skinny slightly cowardly yet courageous young man, who’s every bit as vulnerable as the body count of college students.

Rose McGowan essays the role of Tatum Riley. Despite being saddled with the stereotypical best friend role which receives a predictable outcome, she immediately gets in the viewer’s good books for sticking up for Sidney. Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard play Sidney and Tatum’s boyfriends Billy Loomis and Stu Macher. Anyone who’s seen horror movies knows that boyfriends never have a substantial role other than getting sliced before intercourse with their girlfriends. Billy plays the ideal red herring, confusing the viewers whether he’s good or bad. In contrast, Stu exudes a great amount of energy and always seems to carry a buffoonish smile on his face, an otherwise difficult job in a slasher movie.            

Jamie Kennedy gets the character everyone will remember after they leave the theatres. As the film geek Randy Meeks, he displays vulnerability and comic timing. His scene in the video store made me laugh the most. He doesn’t bring the boisterous approach to his character that Lillard does with Stu (which I think would better his performance) but his subtle taunts and his comical style of referencing movies in conversation provide a counter-balance to Lillard’s over-the-top antics.

If I’m allowed to make a spoiler other than the killer’s identity, it would be Drew Barrymore’s character’s length. Since it’s been two decades since the movie came out, everyone is aware she isn’t the main character of the movie as she was publicized at the time. At the time the film was released, Barrymore was the most recognisable face (everyone else was a newcomer or a TV actor). When she was signed on for the script, it was for Sidney Prescott’s part. However she chose the role that gets sliced in the first ten minutes, convincing the director that if she dies then it leaves an air of uncertainty whether who else will survive. 

If you enjoy racking your brains to solve mysteries or you’re eager to "watch the knife cut and scrape the bone beneath the skin", then I suggest you head for the nearest DVD store and purchase a copy of Scream. The underlining of the word "purchase" reiterates… you will see this more than once

Goldfinger

Back when Goldfinger was released, the success of the previous Bond movies - Dr. No and From Russia with Love - generated enough pre-release hype. The director, Guy Hamilton, was different from the previous director (Terence Young). Did his direction match up to Young? Yes! Because Goldfinger introduced several elements into the franchise that weren’t earlier there (cheeky humour, multiple foreign locales, a pre-credit sequence that might not always relate to the rest of plot) whilst continuing what the previous instalments started (gadgets saving the day, larger-than-life villain, Bond rewarded with romance after saving the day). 

Gentleman secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is assigned with following multi-millionaire businessman Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) on suspicion of him smuggling gold. This mission takes him from Miami to Switzerland, from Jill Masterson to Pussy Galore (yes you heard right!). During the mission, it's never clear what Goldfinger's aims are nor why he is so obsessed with gold. Now it’s up to Bond to lift the lid on Goldfinger’s plans and stop him before he becomes a threat to Queen and Country. 

Before he gets to meets Auric Goldfinger face to face, Bond knocks a girl unconscious, kisses one and gets one murdered. At one point, you have to ask yourself a question - are women safe around him?

The Aston Martin DB5 owes its cult status to this movie and the special effects expert John Stears, who turned this luxury grand tourer into a faster, sleeker, comfortable version of an army tank. The DB5 scenes are enough to make anyone’s eyes melt. The chase sequence in Goldfinger’s factory was highly enjoyable because the car’s secret weapons come to the forefront. The chase involves oil, smoke, water, an old lady firing an assault rifle - it’s all delightful chaos. Those wondering when the ejector seat will come in handy, believe me it’s a well scripted move. The culmination, however, broke my heart what with Bond being captured and the DB5 battered to smithereens.

Plot wise, the first half of the movie is all about the audience familiarising with Auric Goldfinger, since we learnt enough about Bond in the previous movies. If Goldfinger leaves you on a table with a laser coming to cut you in half, don’t expect sympathy from him. If a character betrays him, their death will become a cinematic moment to remember (gold paint). He’s one of the richest villains in the country (and cinematic history), owning a factory, golf-club, stud-farm, expensive cars and the most loyal henchman you can ask for. Every facility he owns makes for an enjoyable action playground.     

The climax is every action movie buff’s dream for its explosions, gunfights and a face-off between Bond and the indestructible henchman Oddjob. Had Bond been shown as a Schwarzenegger-type-indestructible beefcake, the impact of this fight would have suffered. I’m glad they showed Oddjob physically superior to Bond because it created an enjoyable fight scene and the culmination of this fight makes me love how the "final kill" weapons are coincidentally placed in front of Bond.

The second half of the movie had a certain Hitchcock-feel as it reminded me of North by Northwest what with the hero being just as clueless as the audience. Goldfinger’s plan isn’t revealed all at once. We receive slight hints and most of these are only noticeable in the second viewing. The viewer doesn't know how Goldfinger will steal all the gold from Fort Knox. Neither does the viewer know an alternative to Goldfinger's plan, if not stealing gold. I applaud the writing for not handing the entire masterplan at the start because it creates suspense and curiosity. It also helps develop the main characters in terms of Bond's helplessness and improvisation, and Goldfinger's intelligence and threatening presence. 

Sean Connery was always the best Bond for me and this movie proves why. Towards the second half, he effectively brings out Bond’s helplessness without making him like a coward or an unintelligible fool. He’s convincing in the action scenes and his self-deprecating humour always lightens the proceedings. When Gert Fröbe was called in to play Goldfinger, he spoke little English and whatever English he spoke it was very slow. So the producers redubbed his voice, leaving his acting limited to facial expressions and body language. Might I say, he does a marvellous job! His expressions during the above mentioned laser scene were fantastic. He creates a great sense of danger through his performance which is the greatest mark for an actor who couldn’t English very well.

Honor Blackman’s character Pussy Galore only comes into prominence in the second half of the movie. Plot wise, she is one of the pillars in taking down Goldfinger’s operation and the fact she doesn’t give into his charms gives Bond something to think about. She brings out the "playing-hard-to-get" coldness and her judo skills aren’t to be missed! Unlike other Bond girls who were used as sex dolls, her arc serves necessary material for the plot. Harold Sakata doesn’t get much speaking lines as Goldfinger’s mute henchman Oddjob. His role is mainly limited to carrying Goldfinger’s bags though he bags the spotlight in the climax when Bond needs to stop a ticking bomb and Oddjob is the only obstacle in his way. I liked his facial expressions especially his smiles when Bond’s punches prove ineffective on him.

You must have heard this film being praised or mentioned at some point in your life. Any list made on the top five Bond films and you can always bet Goldfinger will be on that list. The film is worthy of all the praise it deserves for its sheer spectacle, escapism, action and excellent performances extracted from Connery and Fröbe. Folks, this is one to remember for the record books.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

I’m probably the last person in my generation to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). After its release, the film spawned several sequels in the following fifteen years (and it’s likely they’ll be more). When the film first released, let alone sequels, film journalists and pundits predicted this film wouldn’t be a success. Why? The pirate genre was no one’s idea of a summer blockbuster and the lead star Johnny Depp wasn’t considered box office gold. Yet this film proved everyone wrong.  

Young lad Will Turner is recovered from a shipwreck by Governor Weatherby Swann (Jonathan Pryce) and Lieutenant James Norrington (Jack Davenport). The mysterious medallion around his neck finds its way into the possession of Swann’s daughter Elizabeth. Many years later Elizabeth has blossomed into a refined and elegant young lady (Kiera Knightley), Norrington is expected to be promoted to commodore and Governor Swann is hoping the pair get married. This alliance faces three hurdles. Firstly there’s Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) who carries a burning torch in his heart for Elizabeth. Secondly there’s the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who ends up incurring the wrath of every character in the movie. Thirdly and most frighteningly, there’s a group of undead skeleton-resembling, zombie-looking pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who have old scores to settle with Jack, Will and Elizabeth.       

Jack Sparrow is a talking point for obvious reasons. He’s the subject of the spin-off novels, video games, a song and a constant mention in the the various "Greatest Movie Characters" / "Best Action-Adventure Heroes" polls. He displays a lot of characteristics we don’t associate with heroes. He’s deceitful in the sense that not only the bad guys, even the good guys aren’t spared from his trickery. He isn’t the hero because he does the rightful deed, he’s the hero because he claims the title without doing anything heroic. He fights his enemies using non-violent negotiation, only resorting to violence when he runs out of options. He’s essentially a rebel without a cause and it’s quite clear he’s not actively trying to look for a cause.

In contrast to Sparrow, Will Turner’s cause/mission is to see to Elizabeth’s safety. He represents more of the traditional characteristics we identify heroes with. He’s the lower class good guy whom we sympathise with, has morals, actively engages with every opportunity to combat the pirates and gets the girl in the end. He doesn’t have any grey shades which makes him less complex than Sparrow though it’s helpful in establishing a noticeable difference between him and Sparrow.

Elizabeth Swann’s character surprised me, in a pleasant way. Her role is written as a damsel in distress but for half the movie, she’s portrayed as a damsel that doesn’t submit to helplessness. Any opportunity she sees to grab a weapon or point an escape route, she takes it with full power! Her character helps bring two important events to the forefront; the clash between Jack and Norrington, and the initiation of the Barbossa’s crusade for the medallion.        

As with every other film, there are shortcomings. The second half isn’t as easy to follow as the first half, what with the protagonists constantly becoming hostages to Barbossa and Norrington. This slightly bothered me as it went against their heroic stance built by the film’s first half. I’d look forward to watching this movie a second time and seeing if these "hostage situations" bother me again. My other complaint would be with Jack’s character as he felt short of my expectactions. No doubt, Jack Sparrow was engaging to watch and the best character of the movie. However I believe the writers could have smartened the writing behind his character because at times I felt he was trying to be witty just for the sake of it.

In terms of other aspects, the settings and production design were great. They really brought me to their time period without making me root for the modern technology. The authenticity of the pirate ships reminded me of my primary school history books. Barbossa’s cave is the hideout every megalomaniac supervillain dreams of. There’s enough room to accommodate the villain’s army, the heroes can get in and out with ease and it’s all visually appealing at the same time. Port Royal made me extremely comfortable because it serves as a playground for the exciting chase scene at the start.

The action scenes are a major highlight. Jack quickly becomes Norrington’s enemy and "challenge of the day" which leads to an engaging chase scene between Jack and Norrington’s men. Though it’s only a minute long, it quickly establishes Jack’s dexterity, the Royal Navy’s inability to match his pace and most importantly, the film’s swashbuckling vibe. This scene follows on with a swordfight between Jack and Will which is expertly choreographed and just as engaging to watch. I couldn’t make up my mind who was going to win. Towards the climax, the swords make another appearance but this time, Jack’s opponent is Barbossa. This scene holds an extra appeal because the culmination of the fight is another example of Jack’s trickery.

The background score deserves a special mention as it impressed me in a particular scene where Barbossa offers Elizabeth as a sacrifice. I usually don’t feel like this about other movie scores but I felt this score in this scene really helped increase the tension.      

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a great first time watch. The second half’s pace drops slightly yet it’s enough to sustain interest. As for the film’s legacy, the successive sequels have given the film journalists food for thought. Even though I’m not enthusiastic about the pirate genre, Depp’s comic performance received so much adulation that even I had to give this one a viewing. If you haven’t done so, go ahead!