Review: Dr No

I've decided the next 2 weeks will be James Bond themed and I know what you're thinking 'But Zara you can just do a post talking about your favourite James Bond films!' Yeah you're right I probably could but I'm not going to, as well I haven't seen that many James Bond films, which is ridiculous because I'm British you'd think we'd all be bought up on James Bond, I wasn't but also I wanna talk about James Bond properly, I mean if you're gonna get into James Bond you my as well go right in there. 

So we're gonna start at the beginning because that's a good place to start, with the first James Bond film and official actor Sean Connery. It starts with Agent 007 on a mission in Jamaica during an investigation going into stealing documents known as 'Crabkey' and 'Dr No', and when he's in Jamaica he's faced with people trying to kill him, and take him down obviously, along with the women he sleeps with. I've only seen 2 James Bond films before this and they were Skyfall and Spectre. The difference I saw was that 60s version experimented with colour but I guess that's a given for 60s films. But the films now its all very grey, white and neutral, and black colours, which isn't a surprise because the Bond films I've seen were both mainly set in England. 

Bond films are weird in a sense, its a feel to them like there isn't really a sub-genre added to it, like I know its an action film with a gorgeous man with an English accent holding a gun, added with him sleeping with a beautiful girl. But I mean there isn't a comedy element to it, and its all abit predictable in a way I am on the first day of my James Bond Journey so things could change, but from the first Bond film to the current Bond film its basically James Bond is on a mission to kill a bad guy and along the way people try to kill him and he ends up sleeping with an impossibly beautiful woman who he's either in love with or not and he ends either defeats the bad guy or we don't know.  Again its the beginning of my journey of the Bond so I'll admit I'm wrong definitely, I love Jamaica and that's another reason it looks so colourful its a beautiful tropical island.

I love Sean Connery he is just fantastic, I was charmed by him which surprises me as I always imagined David Niven being James Bond because he's charming and wonderful plus Ian Fleming actually thought and wanted David Niven to be James Bond. But Sean Connery is still good, one moment of the film I wanted to cringe and scream at him though was the bit where he is in bed and a giant tarantula comes down and sits on his arm crawling up to him and the whole time he knows this spider on his arm and isn't going crazy and about to kill it and he just sits there looking at this spider for atleast 5 seconds and I know that doesn't sound bad but it felt like 5 minutes I wanted to scream at him like 'THERE'S A FUCKING SPIDER ON YOU! GET RID OF IT!'. He just let it chill on him and I'm like you're in your bedroom you can be a wuss and scream like a girl, you don't have to Agent 007 all the time. 

I like Ursula Andress, but I'm annoyed that they didn't give her much character development, but that's the writers fault but her as an actress I wasn't that crazy about her, but films have improved in terms of castings and writings particular on female characters since. This film has been named as one of the best James Bond films ever and completely understand why its so iconic and with the music its got the theme song that we all know, love and have heard a thousand times but back then it was new and exciting, so that makes me happy. 

                                                              
Overall its a fantastic film you should watch it if you're a fan or not of James Bond because it really is good would of preferred it to have some other genre to it, like it being an action and abit of a comedy but I understand that its James Bond and has its own genre entirely and I guess that's why I never really watched them. But what I want from this week is going through James Bond decades review by review, so today is 60s and Wednesday will be 70s and Friday 80s and so on till now. Who knows in the future I'll do a post talking all about my favourite Bond films. I'll speak to you all soon and have a wonderful day/evening!

Peppermint Friday Film Review #9: Lolita

I watched this film last night just after I did the post of 'Kubrick Vs Hitchcock' and I knew this film, and of the book. Plus I knew it would be easy to do a review of a Kubrick film that I've seen countless times. As this is a film that's still fresh to me, I thought it be nice.

Everyone knows the story of Lolita, its about a man called Humbert who needs a place to stay, so he becomes a lodger for this woman called Charlotte, she has a daughter called Lolita. Soon over time Humbert becomes infatuated with her, he then marries Charlotte problem being that Humbert is in his 40s and Lolita is a teenager. We all know the story, and its one of Kubrick's most memorable films. 

This film is something, its incredibly done for what it is as the story in itself is not exactly easy to film and create because the book is very graphic. I loved the film as it was done because it was made with such charm, and that sounds weird but I enjoyed it because it's so unlike any film I had ever seen before. I loved Peter Sellers in this film, as he was brilliant in it I loved it when he started talking to Lolita about the facts of life, it was just so creepy, and amazing. This film makes you feel like its creepy and weird, and thats good but also it makes you feel that its normal. One of the scenes that freaked me out was when Lolita was hula-hooping in the garden, and Humbert just sat there watching her. 

I gotta admit this film does go on not that, thats a bad thing its just very thick and dense. I mean lets face it theres not happy smiley songs and dance in this film is there? its very serious and intense which is good, because with a story like this you can't make it fun, you can try but that would hard. I also love both Sue Lyon who plays Lolita, who I'd like to point out was 14 at the time of filming this and Jason Mason who plays Humbert they did the job of the characters and the book wonderfully. I know that the Kubrick film version is different from the book, but the characters are still there. 

There are two versions of this story, the 1997 version which is more accurate to the book and obviously this version the 1962 which is based of the book but it has the Kubrick element to it. I love the fact that its in Black and White and I know films back then were mainly in Black and White, but there were loads of films in colour and it wasn't exactly weird. I loved the Black and White colour to it because for me it makes everyone neutral. Not saying everyone's innocent just feel that everything is neutral, its muted and I feel its free but intense at the same time. I feel this film is something you need to watch regardless of what you think of the story or the characters but, you will not forgot this film that does sound very corny but there honestly isn't really a film like it. 

Peppermint Friday Review #2 A Hard Days Night.

Seeing as I did my favourite Musicals this week, I thought to end this week, with a Movie Musical (ish). I love this film and is seriously needing to be said.

Hard Days Night is about the Beatles and them on Tour, like an 'Off the Wall' Film. Its sort of like the first documentary film about a Band or something thats typically Mainstream. I love this film because its just them as a band and members but exaggerated, for entertainment purposes. I love anything to do with the Beatles, it has all there songs from the first album Hard Days Night. 

The Beatles are the only band that I would happily take my bra off and throw it on the stage, basically all the things you'd see One Direction Fans do, I do it too...Probably not. Anyway I've seen the Beatles interviews, and they're just a bunch of Liverpudlian Lads who, are having a laugh and not taking themselves seriously. It feels like there was no set script for them its was mainly improvised, and I loved it. 

You all see what they get up to, Paul having a 'Grandfather'' which I find very funny, and for everyone else its like they have a script and what to do, but whereas for the band its a improvised situation but, its not totally unpredictable, but they know what to say, but not feel held back. John being a complete weirdo, and scaring girls, but also charming girls. Ringo being a bit of an outsider, and having to babysit Paul's Grandfather. Then Ringo going for a walk and getting into a Police Station. George getting involved in a questionnaire for a Teen Magazine, and just being brutally honest.

The songs are amazing, obviously 'Hard Days Night' 'If I Fell' Shoulda Known Better' 'Dance with You' 'And I love Her' Just all the songs, because they have such poetry and story, and feeling behind it its just wonderful. 

They're also incredibly witty, and everyone else who's there managing team are the straight people. Which is what you need in this film. Overall I'm going to do something abit different which I've never done before, and thats. I'd give this film a 10 Peppermints out of 10