Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

(M) ★★★

Director: Brad Bird.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyqvist.

"Yeah, you missed a spot. There's a smudge... just a little lower."

FOUR films into this franchise based on the old TV show and Mission: Impossible is starting to look like a poor man's James Bond series.

Not that the fourth entry is bad at all - it's actually pretty entertaining - but a certain genericness is creeping in. There's the gadgets, the save-the-world plot, the supervillian, the insane stunts, the cool car... all that's missing is the girls and a hero with an actual personality or some amount of charm or charisma and you've a 007 outing.

Instead, we've got Tom Cruise delivering a serviceable yet increasingly robotic performance as Ethan Hunt, America's awesomest spy when it comes to completing missions of an impossible nature.

This time it's finding out who bombed the Kremlin and why, with the added ingredient being that Hunt and his team are being blamed by the Russians for the attack, sparking a Cold War-ish scenario.

This takes Hunt and co (Pegg, Patton and Renner) to Dubai and Mumbai as they try to clear their names and save the world from nuclear war.

Brad Bird makes the transition from directing animated films (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) to action movies beautifully, particularly in Hunt's heart-stopping and head-spinning crawl up the outside of the world's tallest building. Other sequences, such as the opening prison break, a foot-and-car chase through a sandstorm, and the final showdown in a parking lot, are also riveting.

While Hunt is a more realistic spy than the boozing, womanising Bond has ever been, he's a bit too cold and emotionless to be entertaining, hence we have Pegg on hand for comic relief and the excellent Renner, who plays an analyst with a dark past, which makes for a much more intriguing character.

Overall, M:I 4 is good without being great. It's certainly on a par with number three, and the Burj Khalifa stunt is up there with the first film's iconic "hanging from the ceiling break-in", but the lengthy running time (150 minutes) and the aforementioned genericness prevent it from being a total success.

BlogalongaBond: For Your Eyes Only

Way back in 2011, my favourite film critic The Incredible Suit figured out there were exactly the same amount of months preceding the release of Skyfall as there were Bond films. And thus BlogalongaBond was born, in which international film critics from around the world (hence the international bit) reviewed one Bond film a month until Skyfall dropped.

Being the top bloke that I am, I convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to take part in BlogalongaBond with me, seeing as how she hadn't seen a Bond film before, or couldn't remember having done so.

Me: Wow, that was soooo much better than Moonraker. I know that's damning it with faint praise, but it's hard to believe they came from the same series because this one is so good.

Her: Absolutely. Moonraker is as bad as For Your Eyes Only is great.

Me: Indeed. After the extravagant insanity of Moonraker, this seems like a back-to-basics approach. Just good, old-fashioned Cold War shenanigans with the film following the classic spy formula - none of this "I'm trying to take over the world" nonsense or massive space battles with frickin' laserbeams or stupid sup-plots about giant henchmen falling in love.

Her: And thank the gods for that. But you can tell we're into the '80s for this one, which creates all new problems. I'm not sure that I like Sheena Easton's theme song, and some of the other music in the film is a bit too "holy crap, we've just invented synthesizers" for my liking.

Me: True. And the title sequence under the Easton song was pretty average.

Her: That's an understatement. I would have said it was crap.

Me: So '80s-bashing aside, what makes this a good Bond film?

Her: The stunts were amazing. The chase down the luge track is very cool.

Me: Hell yeah. I'm not sure who did a better job - the Bond stuntman skiing down the luge track with no ski poles or the motorcycle stuntman chasing him.

"I said, 'You can't park here'."

Her: Also the helicopter scene at the start was great - that was some tight chopper piloting.

Me: The stunt that blew my mind was in the mountain climbing scene where Bond is climbing up to the Greek monastery. The stuntman had to take a massive fall halfway down a cliff face and then hope that the rope would hold him - I don't care how many safety wires and back-up plans you have going on, it's still scary as hell. That was a 100-metre plummet, maybe more.

Her: As always, the stuntmen are awesome. And the stunt drivers.

Me: Oh yeah, the car chase is great. And I don't think I've ever seen a car chase where the characters have had to get out of the car, roll it back onto its wheels and then push-start it to get the chase happening again.

Her: Yes, that was very cool.

Me: So what else did you like?

Her: I dunno... it just felt more grounded and less silly. The plot was a lot more believable.

Me: Agreed. The race to recover a piece of secret military hardware is much better and more exciting then repeating the idea of starting a new society in space or under the ocean. Or whatever the hell Diamonds Are Forever was about.

Her: So what did you like about it?

Me: Aside from the slightly more realistic Cold War intrigue of it all, I liked that Bond was a little more ruthless and the film was less jokey... except for the ridiculous Margaret Thatcher post-script. Also, the Bond girls were better developed. Melina had her whole revenge plot, and even the ice-skater, for all her annoyances, felt like a fresh and unique character.

Her: The ice-skater wasn't a Bond girl. You're only a Bond girl if you shag Bond.

Me: I think you're a Bond girl if you get a decent-sized role in a Bond film.

Her: Nope. He's gotta shag them. That's the rules.

So none of these are Bond girls?

Me: Umm... OK. Anyway... overall, I think For Your Eyes Only was a strong, solid Bond film.

Her: I've got a couple of questions though. Bond visiting the grave at the start of the film - what was all that about?

Me: That was the grave of his wife who died in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Her: Hmm, I thought so. But why put that in there?

Me: I dunno. I've always liked the theory that James Bond was a persona... like a position that you got promoted to at MI6. "Yeah, I started here on work experience, worked my way up to field agent, and now I'm James Bond."

Her: The grave scene doesn't fit with that theory.

Me: Unless this James Bond was doing it as a sign of respect to the previous Jame Bond....

Her: Wouldn't he just visit the previous Bond's grave?

Me: Ok, I think my mind's slowly blowing... let's stop talking about that.

Her: Another question: why the hell did Melina leave an oxygen tank on the bottom of the ocean?

Me: Lazy plotting?

Her: Final thought: my favourite bit was the villain dragging Bond and Melina behind a boat to kill them. That was cool.

Me: Yeah, but I wish villains would just shoot people, like in the wild west. Those were the days....

BlogalongaBond will return in Octopussy.

BlogalongaBond: Moonraker

Way back in 2011, my favourite film critic The Incredible Suit figured out there were exactly the same amount of months preceding the release of Skyfall as there were Bond films. And thus BlogalongaBond was born, in which international film critics from around the world (hence the international bit) reviewed one Bond film a month until Skyfall dropped.

Being the top bloke that I am, I convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to take part in BlogalongaBond with me, seeing as how she hadn't seen a Bond film before, or couldn't remember having done so.

Me: Wow, that sucked.

Her: Hey, don't I usually say that?

Me: Sorry. You go then.

Her: Wow, that sucked.

Me: Much better.

Her: Thank you.

Me: But that was just terrible. It's as if they forgot they were making a Bond film.

Her: Yeah, I mean, what's with the whole "Jaws falls in love" subplot? Seriously? They actually had them running to each other in slow motion. It felt like they were making a Bond parody. Although there was one scene I really liked.

Me: Let me guess - it was the sequence with the woman running through the forest while being chased by dogs?

Her: Yes, how did you know?

Me: I don't know, I just knew you'd like that bit. It was like something out of a horror movie, but it was beautifully shot and looked great, even if it was the result of a stupid idea.

Her: I know! Why the hell didn't she get back into the golf cart instead of just running into the woods? That was infuriating, but at least the bit where she ran through the woods looked pretty.

Me: I can't remember a film that isn't a horror movie where so many characters have made so many stupid decisions. "Hi, I'm James Bond. I know I'm on a super-important mission for Queen and country, but gosh I really want to ride in a centrifuge machine-thingy right now. What could possibly go wrong?"

Her: That wasn't terribly flattering for Roger Moore's face.

The face of someone who is too old for this shit.

Me: He's starting to look a bit old in places during Moonraker - maybe it was because of the centrifuge.

Her: How many more Bond films does he do?

Me: Three more.

Her: Good, I still like him. He still looks good.

Me: Did you like anything else in the movie?

Her: No, not really. Although, surprisingly, I thought the plot was quite good - the whole "destroy mankind and start again" thing. I liked that idea. But it was all sewn together terribly.

Me: Agreed. It's as if they had a shortlist of things they wanted to do and linked them all haphazardly. "Ok, parachute stunt, centrifuge machine, woman chased by dogs, gondola that turns into a car, Star Wars. Done. Print it."

Her: I'm surprised they didn't bust out lightsabres during the finale. They may as well have. I kept thinking I was watching one of your stupid Star Wars movies again.

Me: Wow, here I was impressed that you used the word "lightsabres" in a sentence and then you had to go and ruin it....

Her: Anyway... did you like anything about the movie?

Me: The parachute stunt was pretty cool. Strangely, I only just watched Point Break a couple of days beforehand, where they did the exact same stunt and thought it was cool then, so to know they got the idea from James Bond makes it even cooler. Also, the special effects in the final showdown on the space station were impressive. The moment when the gravity is turned off was pretty spectacular. But the whole thing is just too absurd. The Jaws romance, the centrifuge, the gondola-car, Q's "re-entry" double entendre, the double-taking pigeon....

Her: Oh come on, the double-taking pigeon was kinda cute.

Googled "Moonraker pigeon" and wasn't disappointed.

Me: It was ludricrous. And Lois Chiles was good as Holly Goodhead, but once again she wasn't given much to work with. And as far as villains go, Drax was kind of underwhelming.

Her: I liked his dogs. I thought his display of control with them was intimidating.

Me: Yeah, but he was an idiot. Drax tried to have Bond killed before Bond even had a clue that Drax had anything to do with the theft of the Moonraker. Talk about dead giveaway.

Her: So we're in agreeance that this was a crap 007 movie.

Me: The crappest. Which means things can only get better from here.

Her: Here's hoping. If any more of them feel like a lost Austin Powers movie, I'm outta here.

BlogalongaBond will return in For Your Eyes Only.

BlogalongaBond: The Spy Who Loved Me

Way back in 2011, my favourite film critic The Incredible Suit figured out there were exactly the same amount of months preceding the release of Skyfall as there were Bond films. And thus BlogalongaBond was born, in which international film critics from around the world (hence the international bit) reviewed one Bond film a month until Skyfall dropped.

Being the top bloke that I am, I convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to take part in BlogalongaBond with me, seeing as how she hadn't seen a Bond film before, or couldn't remember having done so.

Her: Well, that was terrible.

Me: Oh no - is the Roger Moore love affair over?

Her: No, he's still all right. But the movie was terrible.

Me: Really? I thought it was quite good... at least as good as The Man With The Golden Gun.

Her: Wow. I'm surprised to hear that.

Me: I'm equally surprised by your response. This is actually considered one of the best of the Moore years. And we all know how you feel about him....

Her: I can't see how it's highly regarded. It was just so stupid in places. I mean, look at Jaws. How dumb is this guy? He's trying to kill Bond and Triple X and all he decides to do is start tearing the panels off their truck. And whenever he goes to bite someone with his stupid metal teeth, he takes forever, like he's in slow motion. Jaws is a rubbish henchman.

"Cuddles!"

Me: Are you serious? Jaws is the first henchman that represents a proper threat to Bond since Red Grant in From Russia With Love - no hat-throwing, no mechanical arms, no acrobatic hot chicks with stupid names. Just a big powerful colossus who looks like he could squash 007 in one hand then bite his head off with his metal teeth.

Her: Yeah, a big powerful colossus with the IQ of wet towel. He doesn't pose a proper threat. The guy with the hat was more formidable. The guy with the mechanical arm was more imposing. The acrobatic hot chicks were... well, they were rubbish. And Jaws is equally rubbish.

Me: But he wrestled a shark! And then bit it to death! A freakin' shark!

Her: Whatever. Rubbish.

Me: Well, he's in the next one, so... ah... enjoy that.

Her: Oh great.

Me: Was there anything you liked about The Spy Who Loved Me?

Her: There were four good things, and only four.

Me: Ok....

Her: Number one - the theme song was really good.

Me: Indeed. Nobody Does It Better is one of the best.

Her: Number two - Triple X is the hottest Bond girl so far.

Me: Really? She certainly has the coolest codename, but I don't know if Barbara Bach is hotter than Ursula Andress or Jane Seymour or Britt Ekland. I mean, she's hot, don't get me wrong, but is she the hottest?

Her: Yes. And she's got the best wardrobe. That dress she wears in Egypt is amazing.

Me: That's all well and good, but her acting is terrible.

Her: Yeah, but who cares when you look that good in a great dress?

"Out of the way, Bond, we can't see the dress."

Me: If you say so. What's the third thing?

Her: Number three - the set design was pretty good. Stromberg's lair looked pretty cool and inside the supertanker was good.

Me: Agreed.

Her: And number four - the car that turned into a submarine? Awesome.

Me: Somehow I found that more believable than the car plane.

Her: But other than that, the movie was crap. Bad dialogue, bad story, Jaws, bad rear projection in the opening chase sequence... just bad.

Me: Well, I thought it was good. Even though there was a sense of deja vu with a lot of elements, I don't think the series has gotten too tired yet. Sure, the plot and villain are similar to You Only Live Twice and the idea of working and sleeping with the enemy has been done a fair bit and instead of a car-plane we got a car-sub, etc, etc... but overall I think it hangs together well. The film flows nicely, there are some great stunts such as the opening parachute escape and the car-vs-helicopter firefight, plus the locations are cool, Moore's still doing a bang-up job, and, although things are getting a bit cheesier, the campiness is generally kept in check. Plus, despite what you may say, I believe Jaws brings a real sense of danger. All in all, it's a solid outing.

Her: Well, I think that one's down near the bottom of the pile and they better start improving from here or else I don't think I can get through another 12 films.

Me: The bad news is that the next one is considered the nadir of the series.

Her: And it's got Jaws in it? How about we give it a miss and just tell The Incredible Suit that we watched it?

BlogalongaBond will return in Moonraker.

The Cup

(PG) ★★

Director: Simon Wincer.

Cast: Stephen Curry, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel MacPherson, Tom Burlinson, Shaun Micallef, Colleen Hewett, Martin Sacks.

"Calm down, Olly - we're only just leaving the mounting yard."

ON paper, The Cup seems like a sure bet.

Wincer has past form with a Melbourne Cup movie - his 1983 film Phar Lap is an Australian classic and also starred Burlinson - and the emotional story at the heart of this horse-racing drama seems prime for the big screen treatment.

But thanks to an absolutely atrocious script and some truly dire performances, The Cup barely gets out of the starting gate. Only the the real life tragedy and the spectacle of The Race That Stops The Nation drag this film across the finish line.

The Cup is the tale of Damien Oliver (Curry), who rode Media Puzzle to glory in the memorable 2002 Melbourne Cup just one week after the tragic death of his brother Jason (MacPherson) in a training accident.

Sadly the first hour of the film, which leads up to Jason's horrific death, is largely unengaging. It's obviously intending to show the close bond shared by Damien and Jason - something achieved in the first 10 minutes - but it goes well beyond that and deep into tedium. They go to a footy game. Characters watch TV. There are endless montages of horse training with little context. The Cup's first hour commits that most grievous of movie crimes - it's boring.

Things pick up once the accident takes place, but the film doesn't maintain it's momentum thanks to an agonising build up to the big race, which is the only other highlight. Equally frustrating is a poorly used subplot about the Bali bombings and an over-reliance on media soundbytes to tell us what's going on... when we already know what's going on.

While the pacing is slower than a Shetland pony stopping for a rest, it's the script that is the real problem. The dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who has heard all about conversations but never taken part in one. And when the script has a point to be made, it makes it again and again and again to the point of frustration. Yes, we get that Damien Oliver's father also died in a racing accident - it's an important part of the story - but the film feels it needs to remind us of this fact about 10 times.

The dodgy script and its tin-ear dialogue don't help the cast. Gleeson, playing Irish trainer Dermot Weld, is the only one to rise above it and give a decent performance - further evidence of him being one of the most under-rated actors going around.

Sacks and Hewett are also admirable given they have little to work with, but Curry struggles, mostly because he cops the most lines and is further hindered by a screenplay that doesn't develop his character at all. The Cup gives us little idea about who Oliver is as a person or what drives him.

Worse though is MacPherson, whose terrifyingly bad performance threatens to drag the whole film down with it. And it pains me to say this about one of my comedic heroes, but Micallef (as trainer Lee Freedman) is almost as terrible. Even the late great Bill Hunter, in his last role, struggles with the dialogue as Bart Cummings.

The only thing saving this from a one-star review is that there is a couple of big-hearted flashes of emotion amid the mawkish melodrama and sub-soapie script. Also there will probably be an appreciative audience for this film - one that doesn't care about things like story, dialogue and acting but just likes watching the horsies run around.

But personally, I wouldn't back this donkey.

BlogalongaBond: The Man With The Golden Gun

Way back in 2011, my favourite film critic The Incredible Suit figured out there were exactly the same amount of months preceding the release of Skyfall as there were Bond films. And thus BlogalongaBond was born, in which international film critics from around the world (hence the international bit) reviewed one Bond film a month until Skyfall dropped.

Being the top bloke that I am, I convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to take part in BlogalongaBond with me, seeing as how she hadn't seen a Bond film before, or couldn't remember having done so.

Her: This may be controversial, but I think Roger Moore might be the best Bond so far. Maybe it's just the films have been better or that I haven't seen a bad one with Moore in it yet, but he's my favourite.

Me: Are you just saying that 'cos you think Moore is sexier than Connery?

Her: Hmmm... I don't know which is sexier. Let's just say I wouldn't mind being the guest of honour in their threesome.

Me: Umm... ok... anyway... I'm taking it that you liked The Man With The Golden Gun then?

Her: Definitely. Moore's two from two in my book. I don't think he's as cheesy as Connery, or he doesn't have as many cheesy lines. Either way, I found this more enjoyable because it had fewer groan-worthy moments.

Me: I know you loved Live And Let Die - is this as good as that one?

Her: No, probably not, although I found it more believable because it didn't have the voodoo stuff or people walking over alligators.

Me: But this one had a flying car... which is either the coolest thing ever or the lamest. I can't decide.

Her: Yeah. Ok, except for that.

Me: It also had some of the worst kung fu fighting I've ever seen, which was obviously just thrown in to capitalise on the Bruce Lee craze.

Her: True. But do you know what was even worse than the crappy martial arts?

Me: Yes, I do - it was that stupid fucking sound effect they put over the barrel-roll car stunt. Perhaps the coolest stunt in the history of Bond, spoilt by some ridiculously infuriating whistle noise. It was like George Lucas making Darth Vader say 'Noooooooo!' on the Blu-ray edition of Return Of The Jedi. Way to spoil the moment.

"You know what this incredible car stunt needs? The dumbest fucking sound effect you can find."

Her: Correct, Star Wars nerd. Great stunt, well ruined.

Me: So what did you like about The Man With The Golden Gun?

Her: I really liked Tic-Tac.

Me: Nick Nack.

Her: Whatever. He should have been called Tic-Tac. Because he's little, like a Tic-Tac. And that guy from Lord Of The Rings was good - Saruman.

Me: Scaramanga.

"Your love of the Halfling's leaf has clearly slowed your mind."

Her: Whatever. And I thought the plot was pretty good. Nice and believable, flying cars aside. The title sequence was certainly better than Live And Let Die.

Me: Indeed, but that has to be one of the worst Bond themes ever - certainly the worst so far.

Her: Yeah, you're right. On the plus side, the set design was fantastic.

Me: Definitely. I think this was probably one of the best-looking Bonds yet. Scaramanga's lair was awesome, even his funhouse killing floor was great, and the skewed shipwreck-turned-secret base was stunning.

Her: I also liked the return of JW Pepper.

Me: Really? I found him barely tolerable in Live And Let Die, but just painful in The Man With The Golden Gun.

Her: It's starting to sound like you didn't like this one very much.

Me: No, I actually did. But it's weird - this was one of my favourites when I watched most of them as a teenager. I loved the barrel-roll car stunt, I loved the golden gun, and I thought Scaramanga was a cool villain, but I think I was blinded to a lot of the faults. Such as some of the plot-holes - MI6 doesn't test the golden bullet that is sent to them at the start of the film, yet Bond travels to Beirut to find another bullet connected to Scaramanga so it can be tested. Or how Andrea Anders doesn't tell Bond when they first meet that she sent the golden bullet and that he was the only man that could save her and only tells him much later in the film. Things like that bothered me this time around. Having said that, I still think The Man With The Golden Gun is good, despite its many flaws. As you said, the set design is great, Moore does a good job, Scaramanga is a great villain because he's Bond's equal and Lee plays him with subdued style, and the Bond girls are quite good. Maud Adams gives Andrea Anders the right amount of vulnerability and inner strength, while Britt Ekland's Goodnight is endearing because she's obviously trying hard to be a good agent yet is clumsy and clearly smitten with Bond.

Her: Yes, but how dumb is the bit where she hits the button with her button? How could you not know when you've hit something with your butt?

Me: Maybe she has a desensitised arse?

Her: You're gross.

Me: Whatever. Look, my point is that for all its flaws, The Man With The Golden Gun somehow works. It never quite tips totally into stupidity or campiness, but it never quite achieves the greatness of Live And Let Die or the better Connery films.

Her: Well, I liked it. It's one of my favourites.

Me: Many Bond afficianados consider it to be one of the worst.

Her: They're obviously jerks.

BlogalongaBond will return in The Spy Who Loved Me.

BlogalongaBond: Live And Let Die

Way back in 2011, my favourite film critic The Incredible Suit figured out there were exactly the same amount of months preceding the release of Skyfall as there were Bond films. And thus BlogalongaBond was born, in which international film critics from around the world (hence the international bit) reviewed one Bond film a month until Skyfall dropped.

Being the top bloke that I am, I convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to take part in BlogalongaBond with me, seeing as how she hadn't seen a Bond film before, or couldn't remember having done so.

Her: I dug it.

Me: Really?

Her: Yep, best one so far. Hands down.

Me: I enjoyed it too and think it's one of the better Bond films, but I'm intrigued as to why you liked it so much.

Her: It's just great. All the characters are great, the plot makes sense, the action sequences are strong and Roger Moore is an excellent Bond.

Me: You like Moore?

Her: Absolutely. I mean, Sean's hotter, but Roger's perfect in this. He slots in perfectly.

Me: True. From that very first scene, you just accept him as Bond. He seems so comfortable in the role - he has that right blend of suave coolness and physicality that 007 needs.

"Bond. James motherfucking Bond."

Her: Absolutely. When we watched the one with George in it (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) you had to get use to him, but think I just went 'oh yeah, he's Bond' within a matter of minutes of Live And Let Die opening. In fact, I don't think I even thought about it.

Me: He does get a few too many goofy puns though, but that's not his fault and he delivers them pretty well.

Her: Oh yeah, there's still a bit of cheesiness there. But I like Moore already.

Me: Well, just so you know, he's responsible for some of the most poorly regarded Bond films.

Her: Don't tell me that! You're ruining the surprise! La la la, I can't her you!

Me: Sorry. But I did really enjoy Moore's work and I'd rate Live And Let Die as one of the best so far - up there with Goldfinger and Thunderball, maybe just ahead of You Only Live Twice.

Her: I think it's my favourite. But why do you think it's so good?

Me: Well, for starters: Best. Bond theme. Ever.

Her: Is that your sad love of Paul McCartney shining through there?

Me: No. What are you talking about?

Her: Nothing... Paul lover.

Me: Shut up. Look, Paul gets a bad rap for his post-Beatles work, which is totally unfair... I mean, look at Baby, I'm Amazed or Band On The Run... just because he wasn't as edgy as Lennon, but....

Her: Ok, ok, yes, we've all heard your "stop hating on Paul McCartney" speech.

Me: Sorry. But it is the best Bond theme ever. That's a fact.

Her: Whatever. What else do you like about the movie?

Me: I thought the plot was good. Just a bit of good, old-fashioned heroin smuggling. And the film moved along nicely. The boat chase through the bayou perhaps went on for too long - I swear that lasted 20 minutes - but even then it was still enjoyable. Some of those stunts involving the boats sliding across roads and lawns and back into the river were outstanding. But the best stunt has to be Bond running across the crocodiles.

Her: Yeah, that was incredibly cool. Do you think they were all real crocodiles?

Me: The last one was definitely real. I suppose you could fake the other ones, but either way it was very cool.

Her: What about the Bond girls?

Me: I think that in Solitaire and Rosie Carter we have two of the best Bond girls to date. I mean, Jane Seymour's acting was probably a bit sub-par, but both characters were actually interesting and given a bit more to do than just be a bit of tail for 007. Rosie gets a few good lines and funny moments and Solitaire is a really intriguing character who adds more depth to the voodoo side of the film and Kananga's character, while being well fleshed out herself.

Her: Well fleshed out, eh? Wink wink, nudge nudge. Wait a minute, what was wrong with Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman's acting?

"I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war."

Me: I dunno - she just didn't cut it for me. Her delivery, her emotional display... I didn't buy it sometimes. Still - great character.

Her: I thought all the characters and performances were good. Actually, that's probably a contributing factor as to why I liked it so much. I didn't cringe as often... or at all. I thought Felix Leiter was quite good.

Me: And the villians. So many great iconic villians - Kananga, Baron Samedi, Tee Hee, even Whisper. They were all unique and had a sense of danger too them... except Whisper. Although it was pretty damned funny when they blew up his couch.

Her: Ha, yeah! That was great.

Me: So, overall, best Bond film so far?

Her: Undoubtedly! Bring on the next one - I can't wait!

Me: Ah, yeah, about that....

Her: La la la, I can't hear you!

BlogalongaBond will return in The Man With The Golden Gun.