Kingsman: The Secret Service

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I liked it. Go see it.

Good car chase. Great sword fight in a totally non-traditional manner. Most intense fight scene. And Samuel Jackson lisps through out. Funny. Entertaining. Good story.

[Drunk Monk]

Don't get me wrong. I was amused. The church fight was beautifully choreographed. And I was pleased by the Guinness product placement; the McDonald's placement not so much. Firth, Caine and Jackson were great. And the main henchgal was unique. But I predicted every plot device just prior to its deployment so I wasn't blown away by any means. Although I'd watch a sequel if it had an ex-Bond.

[King Bob]

Just saw this, and I was surprised by how violent it was. The church fight in particular I thought too long, even if well-done. But I guess I am aging out of the taste of people who films are made for. It was enjoyable though. The concept is great.

[Drunk Monk]

I would have liked this better if the whole movie was that church fight. Just one long church fight.

Maybe the sequel will be like that.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Hmmm. Two paths diverged in the wood . . . .

[King Bob]

I liked the Connery-era Bond (homage?) of it, not the mayhem. I felt like that sequence was too "look at what a clever director I am." And I thought Samuel Jackson was terrible. He should retire.

[Drunk Monk]

I like Mayhem so much, I named my dog mayhem. No wait...that wasn't me.

I do like Mayhem tho....

Funny you should mention old Bond flicks as I've been watching a few of the old Sean's. Those are SO
GREAT. They've been getting a lot of play on various networks, surely foreplay for SPECTRE (btw, no one - NO ONE - says SPECTRE as well as Sean)

Saw Dr. No, From Russia with love & Goldfinger all in the last few weeks.

I really want a SPECTRE ring now, and a briefcase with hidden knives.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

You don't have a briefcase full of Knives?!?! I thought that was a Doom requirement.

I think I have to talk to rest of the members who own the aforementioned briefcase .. . . .

[Drunk Monk]

I just don't have one of those Q branch issues briefcases that ejects the knife into my hand (handle side first) for when I'm being attacked by SPECTRE hit men.

I've found plenty of SPECTRE rings available on the web.

But in terms of briefcases of sin (as LB used to call 'em), I got plenty of those.

[Drunk Monk]

...this briefcase is very misleading.

JAMES BOND LEATHER BRIEFCASE

SZS007

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However, if one of those watches had a pull-out garrote...

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Maybe the watches are made from a special polymer that when you apply an electric charge to them, they become knives . . . .

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Kingsmen was just revenge for having nearly all movie Bad Guys in recent years speak with a British accent.

[Drunk Monk]

I want that mala with the pull-string garrote that Jet Li had in Lethal Weapon 4. I can't even figure out how that could really work, but I want one. I have a significant mala collection.

[Drunk Monk]

Kingsman: Golden Circle

I had been putting this one off because the idea of the Statesmen just irked me.  I suppose it was a natural progression from Wild Wild West, but lightsaber lassos in the hands of Mando, no less?  Come on.  But as it turned out, the Statesmen schtick is only a portion of it.  Channing, who I was dreading to enter the franchise and I don't know why as Channing can be amusing sometimes, actually isn't in it enough.  Neither is Hally.  Or Bridges.  Taron is fine and Julienne gets to vamp up her villainess.  PPFY was right - all the bad guys here have 'murican accents.  But who steals the show?  Elton.  Elton rocks.  He Crocodile Rocks.  

This installment is even more absurd than the last on every level.  Bionic arms, dogbots, cyber-secretaries, baseball grenades, and one of the rudest homing device plantings I've seen in a while.  The opening fight scene caught my eye right at the start - wild camera-swirling cgi-stitched cinematography, ridiculous physics, sanguineous splatters and that-would-kill-ya hits, but enjoyable eye-candy and brilliant from a choreo standpoint.  The main conflict was cute and led to some funny bits.  I wasn't one step ahead of this one, mostly because Elton caught me so off guard with what he does here that I was hypnotized.  The final fight is brilliant - a digitally-stitched single shot of exquisite mayhem where the director shows off how clever he is for a very long time.  I was highly amused.

Bob Denver is overplayed.  That's not really Statesman 'country' so you can tell they're mocking.  HP1 - Dumbeldore  

DOOM recommended except for those who've lost their stomach for ultravi. 

Recommended viewing protocol - pout yourself a tall shot of single malt scotch or kentucky bourbon, or even martinis, and every time someone drinks in the film, drink.  I'm so many shots deep I can't quite remember.  And ya know, it's a fantasy shoot out, so you don't have to reload.