Dan and Tom give you their no-spoiler review of the just released Netflix spy movie BACK IN ACTION.  And they don’t agree on this one.  Listen to hear why.

This is the movie where Cameron Diaz returns to acting after a 10-year hiatus.   So, she’s now back in action. And like in her last movie, she’s teaming up with Jaimie Foxx.

So, without giving away the movie, we talkthrough what we thought worked and didn’t work.

Some of the details we examine include:

·         What worked

·         What didn’t work

·         The marketing tagline

·         The cast

·         The soundtrack

·         The chemistry between the two lead actors and their characters

·         Some of the good lines of dialogue in the movie

·         In what other movies have we seen some similar scenes to the ones we see in BACK IN ACTION?

·         Areas of disagreement between Dan and Tom as to if we thought this was worth your time.

·         And more ….

 

There is a lot to examine, so take a listen to enhance your viewing experience as you watch this new spy movie. Is it worth a watch? Are you in?

Tell us what you think about our review of BACK IN ACTION.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think.  Have you seen BACK IN ACTION?  If so, what did you think of it? Do you agree with Dan or Tom?

 

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4jn4nC2

Join Dan for our Spy Movie News January 14 2025 edition.

First, a mystery we’ve mentioned in the last couple of Spy Movie News briefings about the upcoming Christopher Nolan Project is resolved!  Then we talk about some issues between EON Productions and Amazon, take a look at spy series that have been cancelled or renewed, some upcoming spy movies and series, and then wrap with a tip of the hat to some industry workers who have passed in the last month.

Some of the shows we discuss include:

• ·         “The Old Man”
• ·         “A Man on the Inside”
• ·         “The Day of the Jackal”
• ·         “Mr. And Mrs. Smith”
• ·         “Black Doves
• ·         "The Night Agent”
• ·         "The Agency”
• ·         “Citadel”
• ·         “The Recruit”
• ·         BLACK BAG
• ·         "The Secret World of James Bond”
• ·         And more …

Tell us what you think about the January 14 2025 edition of SPY MOVIE NEWS.

Do any of these upcoming shows excite you?   If so, let us know which ones.  Also, if you have any thoughts about the format of Spy Movie News, we’d love to hear those thoughts.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4gTtB9w

Dan and Tom give us their 2024 year in review for SpyMovieNavigator.com and their podcast Cracking the Code of Spy Movies. 

They talk about some of the spy movies they decoded last year.  In some cases, they give a synopsis of the movie.   You may discover an episode that decoded a movie you are interested in, or didn’t know you were interested in until you heard this episode. Remember their goal is to provide you with information that will enhance your movie viewing experience.

Some of the items they discuss in the 2024 year in review include:

• ·       How many spy movies they decoded in 2024 and since they started
• ·       Who some of the people they interviewed are
• ·       Some of the spy movies of which Dan and Tom had differing opinions
• ·       The episodes they call out about specific movies a spy movie fan should see
• ·       What is a character spotlight, and which ones have they done
• ·       What Luciana Paluzzi told Dan and Tom about their interview after it was over
• ·       What old TV series they decoded
• ·       What’s new on the website
• ·       Events they attended
• ·       And much more ...

Tell us what you think about our 2024 Year in Review

What did you think of this episode?  Did you hear about any episodes you missed that you now want to listen to? Are there other spy movies you’d like us to decode?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!   

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.   

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3PvY1m5

Netflix released the series “A Man on the Inside” which was based on the Oscar Nominated Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent”. In this episode, Dan and Tom decode these two shows. In both of these shows a “spy” is on a mission in a retirement community.

Besides discussing the shows themselves, they also break down the similarities and differences between them.

In this episode we discuss:

• What was real in the documentary?
• What wasn’t?
• Who Sergio is in real life?
• How the documentary was filmed
• The spy gadgets used in both shows
• The role of the family in both shows
• The actors in “A Man on the Inside”
• Some of the emotional impact of the story
• How the cinematography differed
• And More …

Dan and Tom disagree about whether this is a spy story.   Take a listen to find out why.

Tell us what you think. Have you watched A Man on the Inside or The Mole Agent?

If you’ve seen either or both of these shows, what are your thoughts? Do you think this a spy story?  Should Dan and Tom release similar decoding episodes?  Which order did you watch them? Did you like the documentary or the series better?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!   

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.   

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4frZ8xP

Dan and Tom decode what makes James Bond the best MI6 Agent. We’ve heard M refer to James Bond as the best agent, but what are the reasons he is the best? 

Is it his training? Loyalty? Survival skills? Or is it something else? Listen to find out!   We cover it all, with examples from the James Bond movies where the attributes discussed are displayed! 

 From: 

• James Bond’s combat proficiency 
• His marksmanship  
• Driving expertise 
• Technical skills 
• Survival skills  
• Bond’s resourcefulness  
• His loyalty and patriotism  
• And much more … 

We touch on some of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels as well.  Find out what makes Bond best! 

Tell us what you think. What makes James Bond the Best MI6 Agent? 

We gave you our list.  Did we miss any?  Are there any on our list that you disagree with? What’s your list? 

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!   

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.   

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3BlEQIA

Luciana Paluzzi joins Dan and Tom for a wide-ranging interview. This is an interview we've been working to arrange for a while, and we are honored Luciana spent this time with us. And we're happy to be able to share this discussion with you.

Luciana’s acting career spanned 3 decades. Although she appeared in multiple spy movies and TV shows, her performance as Fiona Volpe in THUNDERBALL – a stand-out James Bond villain - is her most famous role in the eyes of spy movie fans.

Die-hard Paluzzi fans will know that she retired from acting at the age of 41 when she married her husband, Michael Jay Solomon, Did you know that they have been married for 46 years?

What’s the original spelling of her last name? Why did she change it? How has Barbara Broccoli been to her?

How many grandchildren does she have and what do they call her?

In this episode, we discuss:

• Her amazing career
• Much about her experience filming her role as Fiona Volpe
• The “good news” and “bad news” that Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman relayed to her after her audition for THUNDERBALL
• Some of the James Bond actors she acted with in other movies and TV series
• What actor from THUNDERBALL she liked working with
• Conversely, what actor from THUNDERBALL that she didn’t
• How she got her first acting role
• How important Terence Young was to her life, not just her career
• Her family
• And more ….

So, take a listen to this interview.  Even if you thought you knew Luciana Paluzzi, you will learn something new in this interview. As she tells us: "I think you're analyzing this to obsession". That’s our goal, learn something new about this wonderful actor.

Tell us what you think about our discussion with Luciana Paluzzi

As always, let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage:  https://bit.ly/41nO9C4

Dan and Tom are joined by board members from James Bond Club Ireland.  They discuss the club, its inception, activities, James Bond insights, and more. It’s a fun listen.

Many locales have James Bond Clubs.   For example, in Ireland, there has been the James Bond Club Ireland for four years.

In their discussion, Dan and Tom talk with Club President Paul Lally, Joint Vice-Presidents Kevin O’Callahan and Sean O’Hare, and Treasurer Andy Watson.

In this episode, we discuss:

·         How James Bond Club Ireland was founded.  (We think that the way they did it is a good blueprint for other nascent clubs).

·         The varied activities the Club delivers

·         The coverage of Ireland (and Northern Ireland)

·         Club discussion hot-topics like: NO TIME TO DIE, what should be the criteria for the next James Bond, where EON Productions should take the series

·         Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels

·         Other spy movies that a James Bond fan may enjoy

·         And more ….

So, take a listen to find out more about this group and find out what a James Bond club is all about.

You can find more information about this group on Facebook, YouTube, Bluesky, TikTok, and Instagram. Just search for "James Bond Club Ireland".

Tell us what you think about our discussion with James Bond Club Ireland

So, are you a member of the James Bond Club Ireland? Can you give us your input on the club? 

If not, are you a member of a James Bond club anywhere else?  If so, what group?  What would you like to see your group do differently?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/49kA6PC

Join Dan for our November 26, 2024, edition of Spy Movie News. 

We start this episode talking about some news on two existing spy series, some upcoming spy movies and series, some movies that aren’t likely to be getting sequels, and then wrap with a tip of the hat to some industry workers who have passed in the last month.

Some of the shows we discuss include:

• “The Night Agent”
• “The Day of the Jackal"
• BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN.
• “The Agency”
• “Paris Has Fallen”
• HARBIN
• BACK IN ACTION
• Jack Ryan movie
• “Ponies”
• BY ANY MEANS
• “The Spy Coast”
• BADH
• Two untitled projects, including a Christopher Nolan movie
• And more …

Tell us what you think about the November 26 2024 edition of SPY MOVIE NEWS.

Do any of these upcoming shows excite you?   If so, let us know which ones.  Also, if you have any thoughts about the format of Spy Movie News, we’d love to hear those thoughts.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3CGdYD8

Johnson and Kevin Hart. 

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE is a comedy/spy movie.  As we’ve talked about in the past, that is a combination that often falls short.  It is rare to get an AUSTIN POWERS, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE, or UNDERCOVER BROTHER and you often end up with a wreck like ARGYLLE or NO 1 OF THE SECRET SERVICE.

So take a listen to find out which CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE is.  Does it work?

Here’s the intelligence we decode in CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE:

·         A high-level look at the plot without giving too much away

·         Bob Stone’s fanny pack

·         How earlier movies influenced CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

·         Bob Stone’s watch

·         Why the movie is called CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

·         How they were able to give us Dwayne Johnson’s character as a much heavier and 20-year younger version of himself

·         What works in the movie

·         What doesn’t work

·         And more ….

There is a lot to decode, so take a listen to enhance your viewing experience as new things are discovered – worth a watch?  Take a listen!  Are you in? 

Tell us what you think about our CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE decoding episode

So, take a listen and let us know what you think.  Have you seen CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE?  If so, what did you think of it? Were there any other movies you think influenced this one that we didn’t mention?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/3CLCPFy

Can we be defending Denise Richards’ performance in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH?

Denise Richard’s performance has garnered a very wide range of opinions.  There are some people who loved her in the role of Dr. Christmas Jones.  Others have problems with her casting and her performance.

So, Dan and Tom decode her performance in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and look at what worked and what didn’t.

Some of the areas we examine include:

• Her character’s complexity

• Was she a believable nuclear physicist?

• Was she the right age for the role?

• Did the script and direction work for her role?

• Was her character fully developed?

• What is the correct pronunciation of “nuclear”

• Did her previous movie and TV roles hinder the public’s acceptance of her in TWINE?

• How did she do in her action sequences?

• What did Denise Richards think of the role of Christmas Jones?

• And more…

Tell us what you think: How were we at defending Denise Richards' performance in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. What are your thoughts on Richards’ performance in TWINE? Do you agree with Dan and Tom?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4hUO5zQ