Articles by Ronald Panarotti

I’m not sure I’d call this “great Bond,” per se, but it is definitely great entertainment — a roller coaster ride that starts with a stunt that remains jaw-dropping even by today’s standards, and keeps up the pace while giving us all the formula elements, done especially well this time out. It probably is Roger … Continue reading →

Roger Moore’s sophomore outing as 007 is a maddening experience because it has so many things that could have made it a great movie, but some unforgivable lapses into silliness just sink any effort at good storytelling.It’s a shame, because for roughly the first hour and 20 minutes or so (barring some sequences that should … Continue reading →

Here’s a movie that deserves to be ripped a new asshole. Let me just pause for a moment to crack my knuckles before I get started…Okay. This movie is shit. Ironically, the one good thing about it (aside from the theme song) is Roger Moore, who played it relatively straight and low-key here before graduating … Continue reading →

Ever since seeing “The Dark Knight,” I have been shying away from revisiting the Tim Burton “Batman” films. Partly because the new movies are so good, it would almost seem blasphemous to go back to how things were before. And besides, how well could those old clunkers ever hold up now?But then, I thought maybe … Continue reading →

This particular Bond film is something of a guilty pleasure for me, because I find it to be lots of fun even though it admittedly has problems. Lots of problems.In a nutshell, the tone of the movie veers too much into silliness, especially when compared to its immediate predecessor. The storyline can be hard to … Continue reading →

This is one of those Bond movies that divides people. Many make the mistake of letting George Lazenby ruin it for them. That’s a shame, because so many other things about the film are pitch-perfect — and in all fairness, Lazenby was not that bad. He just suffers from having to follow Connery. Given time, … Continue reading →

What a piece of shit.Chronologically speaking, it’s the first movie in the Bond series I can say that about, although sadly it will not be the last. The big difference between this and the four previous films is that their plotlines were at least set within the realm of the possible, even at times the … Continue reading →

Sometimes, what one person considers a great James Bond movie may be another’s ideal cure for insomnia. Case in point: “Thunderball.”I happen to think it’s a great Bond film, very well made, and I’d even go so far as to say that the first 30 minutes merit comparison with ”From Russia with Love” in terms of quality. … Continue reading →

To gush about how “Goldfinger” is the greatest Bond film ever (which it isn’t) and how it set the formula and standard for subsequent Bond films has been done to death. So, I want to specifically focus here on things that are wrong with the movie.Don’t misinterpret this as me saying I hate the film. I … Continue reading →

It’s a pretty easy call to say that FRWL is one of the best Bond movies ever made; if not THE best, then certainly within the top three. Like one of Bond’s martinis, every ingredient here is mixed perfectly. The villains are first-rate. The plot gives us a terrific Bond adventure. And (for the time, … Continue reading →

As we start counting down to “Quantum of Solace,” I’ve decided to do a series of reviews looking back at all the previous Bond movies, starting from the very beginning and culminating in my opinion of the new film when it is released in November. I’ll be doing these at least once a week, probably … Continue reading →

My wife and I have been having an ongoing argument over whether “The Dark Knight” is a suitable movie for kids. It started, I think, over the idea of taking some of our nieces and nephews to see it (which we never did), because after we went to see it ourselves on opening day, I … Continue reading →

I’m sure the smartass answer to that question is a simple “uh, yeah,” but there are some films that it seems you simply never get tired of, no matter how many times you’ve seen them or how many wasted hours of your life you could have spent doing something else more worthwhile that it adds … Continue reading →

To say I was a bit disappointed in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” is an understatement.I’ll refrain from making wisecracks using the words from the actual title of the film, which so many reviewers have done already. (As in, “I wanted to believe this would be a good film,” etc.) But I went to … Continue reading →

The departure of Roger Ebert from the TV show he launched with the late Gene Siskel nearly 35 years ago has me thinking about how the role of the movie critic has changed with the rise of the Internet.For those not up to speed, Ebert and Richard Roeper (who became his partner on the show … Continue reading →

I don’t know … somehow I just can’t get myself all that excited about J.J. Abrams’ upcoming “Star Trek” movie. Mainly because “Trek” is so over with, to me, and we’ve been indundated with so many permutations of it over the years that my reaction has reflexively become “Enough, already!” But now that several posters … Continue reading →

Words cannot sum up how utterly I was blown away by “The Dark Knight” at the first showing this morning, and yet I am going to try to describe it — without spoiling anything.This film demands repeat viewings, to take in everything, and I am sure it will get plenty of return trips from moviegoers. I am still … Continue reading →

If you want to talk about iconic, milestone TV shows, few can claim to be more so than “MASH,” which has now been finished with its run for 25 years but of course lives on in both syndication and now DVD availability.It’s amazing to think that an entire generation has passed since Alan Alda and … Continue reading →

I saw “Get Smart” not long ago, and was surprised to find that it was enjoyable and not terrible enough to make me regret paying to see it in a theater. Granted, it was a $5 early morning showing. Though Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway got all the press, one of the main reasons I … Continue reading →

With the tidal wave of good movies we’ve had this summer already, it’s easy to forget that there actually is another “Star Wars” movie coming — albeit an animated one. And yet the excitement and anticipation level clearly is not what it has been for all the previous live-action installments — this one does not … Continue reading →

I recently saw trailers for a couple of the remaining movies of 2008 that I am really looking forward to. “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” due out later this month, and the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.”To be honest, even after viewing the X-Files trailer, I could not get much of a sense … Continue reading →