Rating: 
Summary: 1960s Hipster Fun
Review: If you're actually expecting a sensible plot you're likely to loathe this strange-and-stranger 1960s send-up of 007 mythology that is as much a document of the swinging-60s as it is a fictional film. An extremely episodic movie, the amazing cast features David Niven, Woody Allen, Ursula Andrews, and Peter Sellers, ALL playing James Bond, assisted in their efforts by the likes of Deborah Kerr and Orson Wells. Entertaining 1960s art designs and special effects and an impressive Burt Bacharach soundtrack featuring "The Look of Love" complete the package. Very uneven, but very sophistocated fun.
Rating: 
Summary: The best of movies, the worst of movies...
Review: This is a bloody disaster of a film. Incoherent, nothing fits together, obviously stapled together from the usable bits that remained after the truly disastrous stuff was tossed. As a movie, it really doesn't work. But taken as a collection of skits, it's a treasure. The cast is spectacular, the writing shows moments of acid-induced genius, and then there's that soundtrack. If you think of it as a Bond-themed Monty Python episode, you won't be too far off the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: the ultimate acid trip
Review: Watching this movie was probably the closest I'll ever come to experiencing what it's like to be on LSD. I knew it was a bad sign when I couldn't understand the plot as it was described on the back of the box! Woody Allen does the most he can with his 20 minutes of screen time, and I'll always watch Peter Sellers, but the film is just so confusing that these great performances are lost in a mishmash of bright colors and bizarre visuals. Stay away and check out the far superior Austin Powers.
Rating: 
Summary: James Bond is back...
Review: I first saw Casino Royale when I was 7 years old. (Wow!) This was the film which caused me to fall in love with Joanna Pettit and believe that someone other than Sean Connery could be a credible Bond. The highlight of the film is the opening score featuring the horn of the late Al Hirt. That's not to say that the film doesn't have it's moments. Various conventions and mores of the time are parodied, some rather hysterically, and Woody "sleeper" Allen and Orson "Citizen Kane" Welles are quite good in their roles. When veiwing Casino, this has to be done from the perspective of the "swinging 1960's." If taken with a piece of good 'n' fruity candy and tongue against cheek, the film is quite enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Casino Royale
Review: I saw Casino Royale when I was five years old and have seen it over 30 times. I absolutely love this movie and would recommend anyone seeing it too. The photography is wonderful and Herb Alpert's music is catchy throughout the movie. If you don't like the movie, then get the soundtrack. The soundtrack is awesome and it was a favorite tune of mine way back when I was five. I still play it to this day. The movie is funny,hysterical, and just plain enjoyable. Mike Myerson got the idea of Austin Powers from Peter Sellers' Evelyn Tremble character. The goofy glasses and that awful chest hair. When Sellers is in the shower, you can see his awful physique and chest hair. Sellers is a comic genius although not the best looking leading man. David Niven is always a class act with his wonderful wardrobe and accent. The movie is not clear in the beginning with M's death. He is killed by SMERSH, but he gives a signal with his cigar to blow up James Bond's house. Is he with SMERSH or just trying to get Jams Bond out of retirement? That is the only thing I can't figure out after 30 years..... Enjoy the psychodelic 60's.
Rating:
Summary: Keep it in context
Review: I saw this film when it first came out and was horrified! The fact that five directors had at it was clear. Too many cooks spoiled this broth. HOWEVER, it is now a wonderful example of a period of time when movie makers often had a lot a money to spend on films, but didn't have much to say. That's OK, as we would get pretty tired of every film being anotherheavy handed masterpiece. Similar to a film of the same year (or very close), "Candy," it had a huge number of stars who were in it for laughs and (of course) the money. Probably a few parties at night as well. It does manage to capture a certain sillyness of the time that some later movies try to recreate, but fail. (The best recreation was in the opening scene of the first Austin Powers movie.) So don't judge it too harshly, jut sit and watch it. Be there. It grows on you.
Rating:
Summary: Casino Royale
Review: This movie is just too much! And that's not necessarily a good thing in the case of this film. Sir James Bond (played by David Niven) is brought out of retirement to battle the forces of SMERSH after the death of "M". Only now, all secret agents have the "007" mantle in an effort to confuse the enemy. Unfortunately, its the viewer of this film that ends up confused. This film suffers from having too many directors, too many screenwriters, and too many star actors. The story itself seems like a series of plot turns that have been smashed together to fill the runtime of the movie. However, it isn't completely horrible. There are some clever sequences that can be found amongst the chaos of this film. Peter Sellers is great in the role of Evylen Tremble, and Woody Allen really stands out as Sir James Bond's nephew and villain, Little Jimmy Bond. His plot for worldwide domination is absolutely fantastic! The visuals in this film are also very appealing (great Mod attire on all the female agents!). If you're looking for some mindless silly entertainment, then grab this film. But if you're looking for a plot, just walk away
Rating: 
Summary: Uggh
Review: My parents took me to see this when it was in the cinemas in 1967. We were expecting an actual BOND movie, with suspense, etc. And then we ended up watching this poor attempt at slapstick satire. It's "What's New Pussycat" warmed over. (And I don't even like "What's New Pussycat," even though Peter O'Toole is my favorite actor.) I will say Herb Albert's theme song is brilliant, and almost worth the price of the video, alone. I love that theme song!!
Rating:
Summary: ABSULUTELY "SHAGADELLIC"
Review: Shgadellic, if I may say. You can definately see the Austin Powers influence in this movie. It starts as an aging James Bond is coaxed out of retirement after M is killed to smash a spy ring known as SMERSH. He travels to Scotland to give M's remains (his toupee) to his widow and several daughters (all between 16 and 19). All of these women are double agents for SMERSH and are trying to smash Bond's celebet (yes, you read right) image, they failed. Bond continues on to London where he takes over his spy agency. Moneypenny's daughter is there (same name) and they get an AFSD (Anti Female Spy Device) to help them. This is to me two of the most funny scenes of the 60's when Moneypenny 'goes for broke' picking out AFSD hopefuls and then when they're training this AFSD. All the spies are known as James Bond 007 including the girls. Another spy they recrute is Urusla Andress as Vesper Lynd she's assigned to get a professsional gamber, Evylen Tremble (played perfectly by Peter Sellers) to play a card game with the notorious villian Le Chiffre (Orson Welles) After recruiting Bond's daughter with Mata Hari, Mata Bond and a few others, they set out to destroy SMERSH. Toward the end Bond and Moneypenny are kidnapped by SMERSH and it turns out the leader is Bond's nephew (Woody Allen) His diabolical plan: to make all women beautiful and all men shorter than 4' 7", as Bond put it, "A world full of beautiful women and all the men shorter than you." Tremble (now 007) is captured and tortured by Le Chiffre. During this mind torture there's a bunch on kilted Scotsman playing bagpipes. One of them stops Tremble and asks him, "Are you Richard Burton?" Tremble replies, "No, I'm Peter O'Toole." The Scotsman returns, "Then you're the finest human being that ever lived." I would bet my life that that Scotman that asked Peter Sellers if he's Richard Burton IS Peter O'Toole. There's a big fight at Casino Royale, and after Woody (he plays Jimmy Bond) swallows a thing that "looks like an aspirin, tastes like an aspirin, but it's not an aspirin" and is designed to blow someone up he ends up blowing up the entire Casino killing James Bond (the original) Vesper, Mata Bond, Vesper Lynd, Moneypenny, Cooper (the AFSD), and Evylen Tremble. They go to heaven while Woody Allen goes to a "place very very hot." Casino Royale is great fun. It's my favorite spy spoof (2 kinds of 60's spy flicks, spoofs like this and serious ones like Goldfinger and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold). It wasn't based too closely on the book because after 5 Bond movies, everything from the book had already been used, except the card game between Tremble and Le Chiffre. So the producer Charles K. Feldman decided to spoof the whole thing. The end result is a hilarious, weird at times, entertaining, hypnotic, and worthy of the Bond list. It's not on there, I don't think. Here is a movie that is far above many of the films made in the 60's or made ever. It possesses so much more than meets the eye, but special effects too (Sellers was angry with Welles after Princess Margaret said hi to Welles before him so he refused to do any scenes with him, the card game and everything else is the result of mirrors and doubles) It's like the most beautiful ruby in the world, but only a few people have the sight to see it.
Rating:
Summary: tour de force!
Review: a perfect period piece! wonderful cast, witty script, and delightful farce of the spy genre. a must, for cultural literacy.
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