moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (05/25/85)
Between breaks in the Seattle Film Festival, I snuck down to the local
theatre and saw _A_View_To_A_Kill_ at the early matinee prices, which is
just about right for this. I remember I used to get quite incensed when
reviewers used to give their standard Bond review, i.e. "It's just like the
others". Well, about halfway through this, I noticed that, By God, this one
IS just like the others. In fact, this film seems to be a collection of
other Bond film scenes, strung together to play a new plotline. I mean, look
at the scenes here. Zalkon's (Zalton? I keep thinking of Dr. Zarkov...
anyway, Christopher Walken's character) estates are right off of Drax's
palace in _Moonraker_; the opening ski sequence resembles the opening ski
sequence in _The_Spy_Who_Loved_Me_ to no small degree; the car chases could
have been copied from _For_Your_Eyes_Only_ and _Diamonds_Are_Forever_ (the
later with the cops after Bond). The big-budget set looks *remarkably* like
that of _Indiana_Jones_and_the_Temple_of_Doom_. Finally, the whole premise
of the film reminds one of _Goldfinger_, with Fort Knox replaced by
(snicker, snicker) Silicon Valley. And the standard plotline is the same:
infiltrate, discovered, falsely presumed dead, catches up with villain,
caught again, escapes again, and then the slam-bang shutdown and
kill-the-villain at the end (with an optional additional scene killing
villain's henchman). In summary, this should have been titled
_A_View_To_Recycle_.
Which is not to say it's not worth $2.50. I think it's worth about $2.
Going to see a James Bond film is like going to see the circus -- you know
he's going to live through it, but it's fun to watch a fire engine jump a
drawbridge, as it's something you're unlikely to ever see again... And it's
interesting to place Bond in a position and then try to figure out how he'll
get out of it. Sure, the double-entendre's are terrible (on the other hand,
some insane geek was sitting in the same row with me talking to himself, and
even James Bond sounds good next to that). I had a bit more hope for the
villains, Grace Jones and (especially) Christopher Walken, and the idea of
having two somewhat (it is never clear to what extent) superhuman
antagonists, one mentally superior and the other physically, is intriguing,
but the matter is played down through the film, especially with Jones.
Also, both actors seem repressed, though Walken's constant psychotic
laughter is interesting. Still, I like a villain who prefers airships, the
last hour is engrossing, the stunts are excellent, and the idea of wiping
out a quarter of Usenet when Silicon valley goes bye-bye is an interesting
proposition (I live in Seattle, see...).
See it at a discount, and only if you like action without much plot.
"My dear Admiral, where would Russian research be without Silicon Valley?"
(Anyone who remembers the exact wording of the above attempt at a quote (and
the line preceding it) would receive my everlasting gratitude by mailing it
to me)
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
UUCP:
{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsri}!uw-beaver \
{allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
ARPA:
fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPAalan@cae780.UUCP (Alan M. Steinberg) (05/29/85)
In article <651@vax2.fluke.UUCP> moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) writes: >and the idea of wiping >out a quarter of Usenet when Silicon valley goes bye-bye is an interesting >proposition (I live in Seattle, see...). > > "My dear Admiral, where would Russian research be without Silicon Valley?" > In San Jose, this was an audience particapation film. James Bond wasn't saving the world or all of humanity. He was saving my job! At every mention of Silicon Valley, and with the (too few) shots of it, the crowd cheered. And the views of San Francisco, especially with the Golden Gate Bridge, were spectacular on the big screen. You may be right with your Bond criticism, but I bet that if Bond was saving Seattle, you'd feel differently. -- __ / 0_____ Alan Steinberg | .\ {ucbvax}!decwrl!amdcad!cae780!alan | )----' / | \ X "The wind doth taste so bittersweet, | | | \ Like Jaspar Wine and sugar. | |__/ | It must've blown through someone's feet, \_____/ Like those of Caspar Weinberger." |____) -- P. Opus, distinguished flightless water fowl