That’s your evening viewing sorted out for the new month and a bit…
It was reported in 2021 that Amazon had bought out MGM Studios, the folks who own the James Bond franchise, and the pay-offs of that purchase are beginning to show this week, with a glut of 007 movies arriving on the streaming service.
But there are also plenty of other big, non-Bond movies added to the Prime Video library this week…
A VIEW TO A KILL
Roger Moore tries to stop Christopher Walken. The incredible theme song is by Duran Duran.
APOLLO 13
Based on the true story of a cursed mission to space. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Pullman are astronauts trying to use their wits to get them back home in a busted spacecraft.
CASINO ROYALE (1967)
The unofficial one with Woody Allen. Avoid.
CASINO ROYALE (2006)
The official one with Daniel Craig. It’s great. The incredible theme song is by the late, great Chris Cornell.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)
A remake of a sci-fi classic sees Keanu Reeves playing an alien visitor foretelling the end of days for planet Earth. For such an interesting premise, it is inexplicably boring.
DIE ANOTHER DAY
Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as 007. The incredible theme song (it is, don’t @ me) is by Madonna.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
One of the best Roger Moore outings. The incredible theme song is by Sheena Easton.
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Depending on who you ask, this Sean Connery movie is the best 007 movie ever. We actually forgot it had a thing song, to be honest.
HANNA
Saoirse Ronan is raised away from civilisation to become the perfect hunter by her former secret agent father (Eric Bana), but when he gets into trouble, she must finally put those killer skills to the test.
THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR
The prequel to the gritty live-action Snow White movie adds Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain to the mix, but subtracts… any kind of interest.
THE INVENTION OF LYING
Ricky Gervais discovers he is the only person capable of lying in a world where everyone tells the truth about everything at all times. It actually is pretty funny, but not as funny as its stacked cast (Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tina Fey) would suggest it could have been.
LIAR LIAR
And now a movie with the exact opposite plot: Jim Carrey plays a lawyer who finds himself suddenly unable to stop telling the truth, about everything, at all times.
LICENCE TO KILL
Timothy Dalton took Bond dark ‘n’ gritty decades before Craig did. The incredible theme song is by Gladys Knight.
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
Dalton again, in a slightly-less-dark action movie that the one above. The incredible theme song is by A-ha.
LONE SURVIVOR
Based on the true story of a group of soldiers who find themselves abandoned behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and find themselves being hunted by the Taliban. Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana and more star in the incredibly tense thriller.
LUCY
Scarlet Johansson is a regular woman who is forced to take an experimental drug, which slowly begins to expand her brain and body to their full potential. An absolute bonkers and highly entertaining sci-fi action movie.
MEET JOE BLACK
Ooooft, where to start with this. Brad Pitt plays Death (as in… yeah, Death) who decides to spend some time on Earth with a rich guy (Anthony Hopkins) so he can learn about love and loss and what peanut butter tastes like and stuff. It’s not a good movie, but holy moly, will you be crying by the end of it.
MOONRAKER
Roger Moore takes Bond into space. The incredible theme song is by Shirley Bassey.
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
A sorta unofficial Bond movie, with Connery back 12 years after his last time in the role, with Kim Basinger, Max Von Sydow and Rowan Atkinson co-starring. The incredible theme song is by Lani Hall.
NO TIME TO DIE
Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, and a film that was just released in cinemas a few months ago. The incredible theme song is by Billie Eilish.
OBLIVION
Tom Cruise’s vastly underappreciated sci-fi thriller sees him as the last man on Earth before all of humanity finds a new home elsewhere in the galaxy, but discovers some disturbing truths that makes him question his mission.
OCTOPUSSY
Roger Moore has to recruit the head of a weird circus to stop a nuclear attack. It’s… not great. But do you know what is great? The incredible theme song, which is by Rita Coolidge.
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
Often seen as the singular worst Bond movie, but hindsight has been very kind to this oddity, with George Lazenby’s one and only outing as 007 named by none other than Christopher Nolan as his favourite 007 movie. The incredible theme song is by Louis Armstrong.
PAUL
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite once again, this time as sci-fi nerd BFFs who happen across a crashed alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) who is looking to get home before the authorities find him and lock him up in Area 51.
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Daniel Craig’s second outing is a great action movie, but not a great Bond movie. The not-great theme song is by Jack Black and Alicia Keys.
ROBOCOP 3
This is just awful. Avoid.
SNATCH
Guy Ritchie’s fast-talking crime-comedy has an all-star cast – including a scene-stealing Brad Pitt – all revolving around a missing diamond and some fixed boxing matches.
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN
That gritty live-action Snow White movie we mentioned above, with Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in the title roles, and Charlize Theron acting a hole in the screen, constantly dialled up to 11 as the Evil Queen.
SPECTRE
Christoph Waltz joins the ranks as the big baddie in Craig’s biggest, messiest Bond movie. The good-but-not-incredible theme song is by Sam Smith.
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
Arguably Roger Moore’s very best 007 movie. The incredible theme song is by Carly Simon.
THUNDERBALL
Sean Connery in another very good Bond movie. The incredible theme song is by Tom Jones.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as Bond has him fighting, and we can’t believe we’re saying this, fake news. Michelle Yeoh steals the whole movie. The incredible theme song is by Sheryl Crow.
WANTED
James McAvoy is a regular guy who discovers he is the super-powered son of a world-class assassin, and he’s soon signed up by Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman to their killer club.
WATERWORLD
Remember how Mad Max was all sand? This is that, except it’s all water. Kevin Costner is this movie’s version of Mad Max. Much better than the bad box office results would have you believe.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Brosnan as Bond again, with Denise Richards as the worst Bond love interest in Bond history. The incredible theme song is by Garbage.
XXX
Vin Diesel thinks he can be James Bond but cool, cos he solves global terrorism with skateboarding and skiing and stuff.
XXX: STATE OF THE UNION
Ice Cube thinks he can be Vin Diesel thinking he can be James Bond…
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Sean Connery’s worst Bond movie is still a very good Bond movie. The incredible theme song is by Nancy Sinatra.
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