TheRetroCritic

Hey, remember when James Bond was about as PC as Speedy Gonzales? Sean Connery being the John Wayne of the franchise, you can imagine how a little trip to Japan in the 1960's turned out... You Only Live Twice sees 007 fake his own death before travelling to Japan where he's hoping to find out who has been sending a mysterious Pacman -style space bullet to gobble up the US and Soviet Union's satellites, almost kick-starting a nuclear war between both countries. Kind of like the plot to Tomorrow Never Dies in a way but instead of China it's Russia, instead of a media mogul it's a cat-strokin' menace and instead of boats... it's SPACE. On location, Bond meets the usual mix of bad guys, sultry gals and sumo wrestlers. It's all a bit hit-and-miss plot wise with Bond not actually doing much besides letting himself be bathed by half-naked ladies, flying an ever so slightly absurd-looking foldable helicopter and... getting an "Oriental make-over&q

Although it's based on a true story, I Love You Philip Morris feels about as real as Avatar . The gay Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor pair-up is surreal enough but the conman story itself is pretty unbelievable and would be right at home in a Coen Brothers film. The tone of the film is extremely whimsical and goes for a lighthearted, modern feel mixing a Jim Carrey-type comedy similar to Fun With Dick and Jane with a gay prison rom-com setting. Although the film is undeniably funny in places thanks entirely to Jim Carrey, who clearly has a ball pretending to be a lawyer, jumping down escalators and being generally camp, it just doesn't feel sincere on the whole. The twists and turns of the compelling story are well handled and unpredictable but the dialogs feel ridiculously artificial. Characters speak "movie speak" instead of speaking like real people and it makes the Carrey/McGregor love story hard to believe and truly care about. It doesn't help that, once again,

No less than 5 years after their last release, The Red Hot Chili Peppers are back this month with a new album, I’m With You , which should no doubt satisfy hungry fans.  But how does the album fare minus long-time guitarist John Frusciante, who officially left the band back in 2009? Throughout the years, The Red Hot Chili Peppers have undergone changes and reinventions aplenty whilst always keeping their own brand of funky rock perfectly intact. The biggest switch came in 1999 with the release of hit album Californication which showed the band in a darker, more melancholic light. This meant the usual anarchic fast-paced funkiness increasingly gave way to an altogether more atmospheric and melodic approach. This was clearly the beginning of a new era for the band. The next album, By The Way , really made the most of Frusciante’s creativity and excelled especially with some of the best, most nostalgic ballads the band ever attempted. The album showed real heart and maturity but it wa