Agent Banks brings action & laughs to the UK
597658
When I saw this movie I wasn't expecting it to be as entertaining as the original.  However, this movie has a solid plot for a youth spy caper and is a bit funnier than the original.  Frankie Muniz is likable as the serendipitous child CIA agent, who begins the film at CIA summer camp.  After the camp director turns out to be a rogue agent who has stolen mind control technology Cody is sent to London to help catch the rogue agent and stop the devious plans that have been made to use the mind control technology to gain control of world leaders.  Seeing dignitaries (including the Queen of England character) dancing to the tune of "War...what is it Good For?" at a "G7" event is amusing, and Cody's CIA "handler" posing as a bumbling chef specializing in Southern cuisine is also suited to this type of movie.  I'm still trying to figure out when Cody's parents will discover he is really a spy - I guess that humorous plot device can be recycled in Cody Banks 3.  Well, anyway, this is a fun, fast-paced movie that can entertain children and adults.
3033111
Hong Kong comedies don't always translate well to a Western audience.  This Stephen Chiau classic does not have this problem.  When I recommend a comedy to Western HK action film fans, this is where I start.
Chiau plays  a lowly fish merchant who is recalled to duty as a James Bond-like secret  agent.  He even sips a martini as he stands behind his sidewalk butcher  stand.  Chiau's character isn't supposed to get to the bottom of the  things, but as stupid and awkward as his character is, he's also dazzling  with a blade and has smarts enough to succeed.  "Spunky" Anita  Yuen is partnered with him.
There's also a Q-like character who is crazy.  He creates a solar-powered flashlight.  There's a fantastic execution  scene toward the end.  And there's much, much more in this excellent  comedy.
Highly recommended (especially to fans of James Bond films).
2678622
This is a Super Fun Brit Sci-Fi classic!
After a number of useless public domain versions of this film I finally found this almost perfectly RESTORED release!
It's very entertaining, much like an old Avengers TV episode.
The story is simple and clich but told in a uniquely stylish way.
Characters are interesting and well portrayed, not boring at all.
The ending is disappointingly anti-climax, annoying actually but I still really enjoy this film.
This is definitely 'B' movie fare, it was produced by the same company who made Daleks Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. and it recycles that film's sets & props, according to Wikipedia.
I can see it.

I like this little film very much, it's truly British and never tedious.
It deserves more attention and this DVD release is excellent, the best available at this time.
It upscales very well with my 4K TV.
Audiovisual quality is easily 9/10.
StudioCanal is my favorite Region 2 DVD publisher, they have yet to disappoint me and I have many of their releases.

If you like classic science fiction this is worthwhile, especially if you are Anglophile!
1713350
A John Digweed soundtrack and some damn good acting make for a very entertaining movie.

From the first time I saw this movie I liked it right off the bat. I had to buy the DVD so I could show my friends. This is not the worlds greatest movie or even the move with the best music but it is very entertaining!

In brief it is about a bank heist movie with an after hours rave backdrop and a little organized crime added to the mix.
1940939
Superbly entertaining! Definitely worth the time, fast action and well-paced, great vision,  creatively interesting characters(although not as well fleshed out as I would've liked) and a natural flow to the story but refreshingly without the typical predictable finish. Will absolutely pick up another Banks novel!
642233
Sacha Baron Cohen is hilarious, this original UK series is definitely the best by far, the early Borat scene are side splitting and still make me laugh
1141407
Is EASILY the funniest run of the BA series! Atkinson's handling of the role as a resentful, scheming butler serving an idiotic Prince regent and dealing with all the vain, odd characters of 18th century England is a wonder to behold! The episodes come off like well done period comedy plays, perhaps written by the likes of Jonathan Swift or Washington Irving. There is definitely a very theatrical look and "feel" to the episodes, and I am put in mind of the field trips to Princeton's McCarter Theatre back in the 60s, where we saw "Faust", "Uncle Vanya" and "Candida". B-II had some of this feel as well, but in B-III, for some reason, it is more pronounced.

"Sense & Senility" is probably the funniest ep. here, with Edmund hiring two actors that have caught the fancy of the dim Prince, played by Hugh Laurie. The actors are the very soul and image of foolish, rococo vanity and pomposity, with over-rouged cheeks and reddened lips, ridiculous powdered wigs and the manners of rich old dowagers. Edmund teases them by endelssly repeating the name of the play "Macbeth", which is anathema to the superstitious, foppish men. A series of events seals their doom as they lead Baldrick to believe that they are plotting to kill him and the Prince. Edmund, who hates them, has them wrapped up as traitors.

Another great ep. is "Amy & Amiability", in  which a financially overextended Prince has to marry wealth to be solvent again. Miranda Richardson joins the cast again for this episode as the apparently sweet and innocent intended young lady, who holds an incredible secret. A few scenes involving squirrels and the girl's overprotective father will have you on the floor laughing.

"Nob & Nobility" is probably the weakest ep. here as Edmund and Baldrick get involved with the French Revolution and the Scarlet Pimpernel. "Red Dwarf's" Chris Barrie and B-II and IV's Tim McInnerny make guest appearances in this one, but it doesn't help a fairly gagless story that has a lot of people faking VERY bad French accents.

The rest of the episodes are excellent and make this arc stand out as the high watermark for the series, edging out B-II only by a HAIR...

Buy this and B-II and prepare to laugh yourself silly!
4217285
Hitchcock co-wrote this British comic thriller early in his career and it is very entertaining. Based on a Jefferson Farjeon play about a hobo stumbling across a body at Number 17 on a windy night, Hitchcock compensated for the smaller budget often afforded him during this period in Britain with droll humor and the lighting of photographers John J. Cox and Bryan Langley. The results are fun to watch.

Leon M. Lion is excellent and quite amusing as the bum who has the misfortune of entering Number 17 and discovering the body. John Stuart is also fine as Gilbert Fordyce, a mystery man who comes across the body only moments after Ben (Lion) does. Before they can collect their thoughts a young girl (Ann Casson) quite literally drops through the ceiling into Fordyce's arms. Her father has gone missing and only a telegram regarding a Suffolk necklace traced to Number 17 and a man named Shelldrake offer any clues to the mystery.

Soon there is a flurry of people at Number 17, including a lovely girl reportedly both deaf and mute. Anne Grey is very beautiful in the role and has some fine moments as Hitchcock balances the humor and mystery perfectly, with just a dash of romance on the horizon. Part of the fun is figuring out who are the good guys and who the bad.

Fordyce gives a bus full of tourists a wilder ride than bargained for in an exciting race with a train which leads to an enjoyably romantic finale. The special effects during the chase often cited as cheesy really aren't that bad for this time period in British cinema and hardly scrutinized by viewers caught up in the fun.

It takes a bit to get going but once it does this is very good Hitchcock and compares well to his more heralded films before moving across the pond. No prints of this film are spectacular, but it's definitely worth seeing. Great fun for a rainy night!
1464207
Cute, romantic comedy of a screwball English banker who dreams of a samba dancer, only to rob the bank he works for and fly to Rio to meet her!

"House" fans will be shocked to hear Laurie's perfect British accent and his comedic genius.

Laurie proves he is a very versatile performer.
1345009
For a long, long time this has been one of the most fun movies I've ever watched.  In a recent viewing, it seemed a bit sleazier than I had remembered from the last time but, nonetheless, it still has tons of laughs.

This film has one of my all-time favorite characters: "Sidney Wang," played by Peter Sellers. The late English actor did a fabulous job of imitating Charlie Chan. He is the highlight among a very talented cast that includes Peter Falk, David Niven, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester, Alec Guinesses, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker and Truman Capote.

Today, the character oddest for me to view is a young James Cromwell who speaks with a French accent! I've never seen him in any role remotely resembling this. The other actors play roles typical of them, such as Niven and Smith's dapper "Thin Man" couple and Falk's, Columbo/Mike Hammer-style American detective.

This spoof of  great fictional writers and detectives  has a purposely exaggerated amount of twists, particularly at the end. Entertainment-wise, start-to-finish it is fun with absolutely no lulls. It's a classic!
1107123
This movie is laugh out loud funny from beginning to end.

The luxurious villa of Mark (John Larroquette) and Jessie Bannister (Kirstie Alley), a yuppie couple, is overrun by loads of uninvited guests who turn the house up side down. (courtesy IMDB)

So glad that it's on Blu Ray - needed this in higher quality and it's fantastic!
2719175
I love this show for its witty, unique style of comedy.  The cat burgler style of the bulk of episodes is unique and fun.  Dark gets involved in a lot of heists that seem to always spell extra trouble.  The supporting cast is well fleshed and fun as well.

The overall love story aspect is wonderfully written and I for one was very happy to see the two 'true lovers' end up together.  Packs a lot of nightime heist action with some supernatural elements and a lot of fun.

Pros: Fun, funny, interesting, great characters
Cons: Cartoony at times, can be cheesy

Viewing preference: Japanese with English subtitles
61013
This Norwegian film is such great fun. We open with a man who is a headhunter by day and an art thief the rest of the time.  He uses both to maintain an absolutely lavish lifestyle. He then steals a painting from one of his headhunting clients who was a tracker and killer for the military,  This is where the fun begins, a cat and mouse game where there is one audacious attempt to kill after another.  The pace is electric on this and the adventure is first rate. There are multiple twists and turns. This film shows that action adventure films can be done with creativity and intelligence.

note: my husband also viewed this on netflix instant. he liked it but was complaining about its being so violent.  i seem to have a higher tolerance for graphic violence than he does. so if violence really bothers you, you may not like it as much as i did.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star Amazon reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
2570469
Nick Park has created masterpieces of animation with these characters, as he pokes affectionate fun at British mannerisms that had me rolling on the floor.  Subtle, yet absurd.  My family has quoted scenes from these movies quite often over the years, which I think is a measure of truly memorable films.  Don't miss his Creature Comforts series if you enjoy this style of British humor.
4445246
What a fabulous quirky series - if you understand the wonders of comedy and nuance from the UK. Adore this series.
918924
If you are an aficiando of British comedies, you have to buy this series.  If you're looking for Monty Python style comedy, this isn't for you, but if you have a dry sense of humour and enjoy  a good laugh, this series is it. If you've already seen Yes Minister and/or Yes Prime Minister, this is right up your alley! The clever dialogue is amazing in both series.

Being English (I will not be called a Brit!) now living in the U.S.,I really enjoy seeing these classic series.  In Chef there are no really British in jokes, so you won't worry about understanding the dialogue!  Lenny Henry is at his best when he is blasting his kitchen staff.  Some of his rantings are extremely funny,but also very clever and he's always very erudite.  He is definitely not a man most women would want to live with: driven, some say obsessed, with his profession; very much a perfectionist.  Do we hear OCD here? He'll literally go to the ends of the earth (or the forest) for the best ingredients.  He's also a snob!!  This is very definitely one of the best series the British television has ever put together and it's worth every penny. Buy it and have a wonderful time!!
3384637
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost of the BBCs SPACED hit the genre nail on the head with their over"blown" cop buddy flick HOT FUZZ, with a stellar cast rounded out by Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, and Edward Woodward to name a few, and a dead on screenplay that takes the long way around the obvious gag style jokes.  Nick Frost is affable and bumbling in his unique way and the while the movie starts to stretch on toward the finale this is done as an ode to all of those gloriously overwrought action movie endings.  Well thought out and executed this film should have done more at the BOX OFFICE hopefully it finds its following on the extras packed REG 1 DVD here in the states.  Solid entertainment "By the Power of Greyskull".