Category Archives: espionage

Entropy Is What It Used To Be: “Tenet” (2020)

       “TENET”   (2020)     Christopher Nolan’s time circuitous action drama “Tenet” has been elevated in critical evaluation due in no small part to a reliance on the assertion that the film’s labyrinthine plotting is frustrating to any comprehensive … Continue reading

Posted in espionage, Eurospy movies, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Movies, Mystery, science fiction | Tagged , | 2 Comments

In Black and White: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2020 Edition, Vol. -30-

In Black and White: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, June 2020 Edition, Vol. -30-    What’s black and white and red all over? Pravda naturally. However, when it comes to Hollywood, the answer would more likely be Panda Tartare (being … Continue reading

Posted in books, Boston, espionage, Movies, Mystery, photography, women, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Spy Who Confused Me: “Superseven chiama Cairo” (1965)

      “Superseven chiama Cairo”  (1965)     If imitation were genuinely the sincerest form of flattery, then Ian Fleming’s most popular creation would have merited the author the Nobel Prize for Literature. As it stands, what is entertaining … Continue reading

Posted in books, crime, espionage, Eurospy movies, Italian cinema, Movies, Mystery, Romance, Rosalba Neri, writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Sometimes a Hero is Just a Sandwich: “Dick Barton, Special Agent” (1948)

“Dick Barton, Special Agent”  (1948)     This first of three film productions attempting to replicate the zing of the popular Light BBC radio serial is more a product of creative corporate accounting than a legitimate attempt at producing a … Continue reading

Posted in British films, comedy, crime, espionage, germ warfare, Hammer films, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “Keeping Up With the Joneses” (2016)

  “Keeping Up With the Joneses” (2016) A comedy which intermingles the movie-fed image of spies (i.e., those who carry on covert operations which seem to bring the greatest attention to themselves) with a Hollywood humorist’s vision of suburban America, “Keeping … Continue reading

Posted in comedy, espionage, Movies, Reviews, Romance, women, writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers : “The Nude Bomb” (1980)

 Television super spy Maxwell Smart makes a tepid motion picture debut in Clive Donner’s “The Nude Bomb”, an aimless exercise in demonstrating how smart (no pun intended) and tightly constructed the original “Get Smart” series was in comparison to the … Continue reading

Posted in comedy, espionage, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, Sylvia Kristel, Television, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “The Holcroft Covenant” (1985)

The resurgence of the Third Reich seems to be popular sport for thriller novelists seeking an easily identifiable scapegoat for global chicanery, and nowhere has this premise been given a more haphazard treatment than in John Frankenheimer’s film of the … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, John Frankenheimer, Michael Caine, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, World War II, writing | 2 Comments

The Spy With Alfie’s Face: “The Jigsaw Man” (1983)

         “The Jigsaw Man”  (1983)     Featuring a story which obviously taking its cue from real-life double agent scandals (just where would half of the British espionage films have found their inspiration without Kim Philby?) Terence … Continue reading

Posted in books, British films, Cold War, espionage, Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Movies, Romance, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Concession Stand Bites: “36 Hours” (1965)

“36 Hours” (1965) Starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters, John Banner, Alan Napier. Written by George Seaton, based on the story “Beware of the Dogs” by Roald Dahl and a story by Carl K. Hittleman & … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, James Garner, Movies, psychiatry, Rod Taylor, Romance, short stories, World War II, writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Chandler’s Trailers: “Zeta One” (1969)

“Zeta One”  (1969) Presumably intended as a spoof of spoofs of the Eurospy film, “Zeta One” is little more than a succession of baffling, tedious scenes whose only connection is the desire to undrape the dozens of shapely actresses who … Continue reading

Posted in British films, Drive-In Movies, erotica, espionage, movie reviews, Movies, science fiction, sex, women | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Floating: “Zeppelin” (1971)

           “Zeppelin”  (1971)     The staggering cost in human lives resulting from global conflicts is reemphasized in Etienne Perier’s World War I adventure “Zeppelin”, one of those myriad cinema fantasies in which the fate of … Continue reading

Posted in espionage, History, London, Michael York, Movies, Romance, war movies, women, writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

When the Chase Is All There Is: “Ronin” (1998)

            “RONIN”  (1998)   Why is it that movies featuring people involved in Intelligence always seem in short supply of that very ingredient? If one were to admire a movie simply for its technical polish, … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, espionage, Ireland, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Paris, writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Looped: “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966)

                   “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?”  (1966)     “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” is an  unwatchable, ungodly mess of a film that is the product of dishonesty and arrogance, with an added dash … Continue reading

Posted in comedy, espionage, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, Woody Allen, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Trapped in Midair: “The Eiger Sanction” (1975)

      “The Eiger Sanction”  (1975)      If the opening scene of “The Eiger Sanction” is any indication, one would expect to be seeing a straightforward espionage drama. However, when we are soon introduced to a black agent … Continue reading

Posted in book reviews, books, clint eastwood, espionage, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

“All Aboard!”: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2017 Edition, Vol. 3:10

“All Aboard!”:  Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, Dec. 2017 Edition, Vol. 3:10 With the exception of the horse, the automobile, the airplane and the whore with the heart of gold, there is, perhaps, no mode of taking a ride more … Continue reading

Posted in animation, book reviews, books, espionage, Hitchcock, movie reviews, Movies, Musicals, Reviews, Romance, westerns, women, writing | 5 Comments

Build the Wall: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2017 Edition, Vol. 1812

Build the Wall: Classic Film Images Photo Quiz, July 2017 Edition, Vol. 1812 Walls are structural. Walls are decorative. It seems that, lately, talk of building walls has become in vogue, as the attractiveness of just thinking about constructing barriers … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, History, horror, humor, movie reviews, Movies, Musicals, Mystery, Reviews, women, writing | 6 Comments

Shrinkage: “Fantastic Voyage” (1966)

          “Fantastic Voyage”      (1966)      Has anything given science fiction a worse reputation than the movies? Beyond the obvious necessity of conceiving original ideas to stimulate a movie audience (speaking in general non-genre … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, espionage, Film, Film Reviews, movie reviews, Movies, Raquel Welch, Reviews, science, science fiction, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chandler’s Trailers: “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” (2014)

      The problem with the rebooting of a franchise is that it presumes both an interest by an already built-in audience (those who patronized the initial film efforts) to follow a new incarnation that is non-linear to the stories … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, espionage, Film, Film Reviews, Kenneth Branagh, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, Romance | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chandler’s Trailers: “Last Embrace” (1979)

     Such is the continuous flow of discontented comment expressed about what constitutes a “bad” film (nobly assisted by a film industry which strains to give a new voice to every emergent theory on a weekly basis) that when … Continue reading

Posted in 1970's movies, espionage, Film, Film Reviews, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews, Roy Scheider | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

In a Maze: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011)

     Vintage le Carré, a restrained, almost meditative spy drama, the antithesis of the Bondian formula, with myriad shades of indistinguishable grays separating the intelligence enemies, as opposed to the more formulaic black and white morality of the blockbuster spy … Continue reading

Posted in books, British films, espionage, Film Reviews, John le Carre, London, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Reviews | Tagged | 1 Comment

MONTHLY PHOTO QUIZ VOL. 8

“THE OUTLOOK IS DOUBTFUL”- MAGIC 8 BALL EDITION: JUNE 2014  CLASSIC FILM IMAGES QUIZ, VOL. 8 Welcome to another edition of the monthly Classic Film Images quiz. Today we are doing a bit of Spring cleaning by shaking out the … Continue reading

Posted in art house cinema, Entertainment, espionage, Film, horror, Movies, Puzzles, Sean Connery, silent movies, war movies, women | 2 Comments

The Spy With Cold Feet: “Ice Station Zebra” (1968)

Patrick McGoohan’s cryptic “Mr. Jones” may be a bit of a know-it-all, but his razor sharp eccentricity is one of the few pleasures to be had from John Sturges’ disappointingly frigid “Ice Station Zebra”, a movie desperate for additional touches … Continue reading

Posted in books, Cold War, espionage, Film Reviews, Jim Brown, movie reviews, Movies, Reviews, writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Infinite Shades of Grey: “Three Days of the Condor” (1975)

FOR PERSONNEL WITH PROPER SECURITY CLEARANCE ONLY: The following review may contain references which could be considered spoilers. For those who have yet to see the film- shame on you and don’t dare call yourself a cinephile until you do … Continue reading

Posted in books, espionage, Film Reviews, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, New York City, Reviews, Robert Redford, women, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Blue Eyes, Cold Fish: “The MacKintosh Man” (1973)

     One of the problems of being a major figure of a cultural form is that you’re expected to produce major works commensurate with your public status. John Huston’s spy thriller “The MacKintosh Man” puts new meaning in the … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, espionage, Film, Film Reviews, John Huston, movie reviews, Movies, Mystery, Paul Newman, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment