Spy Day

That title is a pun on spa day, or Spidey.. I'm sorry. That's not funny. Alright, so last Friday I had a spy day. I probably should stop saying spy day. So on spy day, I watched Guy Ritchie's stylish adaptation of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and James Bond's latest Spectre. I enjoyed both of them immensely. This has been a good year for spies. Kingsman: The Secret Service is still one of my favorites of 2015 and then Tom Cruise's Rogue Nation is also this summer's best. And the four of them remind me to get to the gym and work out. Unless Alicia Vikander or Lea Seydoux is also in the gym with me, going to the gym would probably be a dream.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E

The only reason I can think of as to why this movie flopped is that not many people care for this movie adaptation of a 60s TV show. Because, this movie is awesome. Guy Ritchie has been making stylish, cool movies since his first feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. His studio features are also amazing. Warner Bros has been struggling to produce a hit but I must commend them for keep shelling out quality movies like this. The premise is genuinely intriguing. A Russian spy and an American spy team up to stop a terrorist threat. Add that with great (and beautiful) actors at the lead Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill, and Alicia Vikander. Supporting cast include Jared Harris, Hugh Grant and the forever stunning Elizabeth Debicki. It's set in Europe, most particularly in Rome. What more do you need? According to Guy Ritchie and his writers, apparently so much more. The film has the coolest editing, score and soundtrack, costume design, and story. It's just the type of style you have come to expect from Guy Ritchie and I hope he can still maintain and repurpose it for next year's King Arthur. The score by Daniel Pemberton is amazing. The soundtrack is expertly chosen. The movie is a welcome attack of visual and audio that is gorgeous to enjoy. I hope Armie Hammer lands a hit though, he's actually the Taylor Kitsch in movies with two leading men (this and The Lone Ranger). If I didn't enjoy one thing from this film, that would be the half-assed romance between Armie's Ilya and Alicia's Gaby (I'm on first name basis yo). The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: rated 3.5/4

Spectre
I'm a big Bond fan. Casino Royale is royalty and Skyfall set the sky for its standard. Spectre has a lot of pressure to follow the $1 billion Skyfall. But right from the start, from the gunbarrel at the very beginning(!!), and the Day of the Dead sequence, the filmmakers have put us in the very top entertainment quality and they would gladly let us fall down gradually from there. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace might shy away from being 'your dad's' Bond film by doing a different variation of the gunbarrel opening, doesn't give a damn on vodka martini, and drinking Carlsberg. Skyfall tried to embrace the tradition back by numerous easter eggs and that mandatory Aston Martin DB5 cameo and of course the Bond tune all over the movie. Spectre is a full-fledged Bond film. The gunbarrel is at the very beginning, awesome opening sequence with women's bodies, Bond themes, shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, Aston Martins, mono-syllabic bad guy and of course Blofeld and his Spectre supervillain group which is like the white people ISIS in our modern day (is this racist? tell me if it is). The action is amazing starting from the nonsensical helicopter fight, majestic car chase in Rome, and the climactic MI5 maze. Best-directed sequence though is when we first see Oberhauser Blofeld for the first time in the Spectre meeting. It is intense af.

While all the action sequences, direction and acting are on point, the story might be a little unoriginal. It's like Fast & Furious 6 meets Star Trek Into Darkness. I hate to admit that. I hate to say that a Bond film copied Fast and Furious but it's true. Blofeld is the author of Bond's pain through Le Chiffre, Greene and Silva, much like Furious 6 baddie, who is like the big baddie who killed Letty and is the leader of this criminal organization. And Blofeld is Oberhauser but is Blofeld much like Cumberbatch's Khan is John Harrison but is Khan. Daniel Craig is so good at being Bond, that I don't see anyone but Idris Elba is worthy enough to succeed him. Damian Lewis? Come on, I'd be out of breath listening to him speak. Lea Seydoux is born to be in a Bond movie. She's so pretty but her romance with Bond is unlike Bond-Vesper, that when she suddenly says 'I love you' it doesn't make any sense. It's a good plot to see Bond in love again but I wish it would've been done better. And of course, I'd like to see more of Christoph Waltz terrorizing people and oozing menace on the screen more. He's just not given enough stuff to do and say. I hope they do him justice next time. Oh and Sam Smith's song isn't that bad when used in the film, because it fits the theme of the movie. And be happy it's not as bad as Madonna's. I'm giving 3/4 but I like this movie so much (objective reviewer point!). That Day of the Dead sequence alone is enough to guarantee a second viewing (which I will do). Spectre: rated 3/4.

Update December 20 I'm very much convinced that Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey or The Guest or Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb should be the next James Bond.