grownup I had fond memories of the Flint films. I had seen them both on the big screen when I was in Junior High. Probably paid 50 cents, or even a dollar to catch a matinee. To a 13 or 14 year old seeing a bunch of women in two piece swimsuits was pretty exciting and super spy Derek Flint was cool. But 50 years later, this did not hold up. Watch an early (Sean Connery) James Bond instead.

brefane Parts Queen of Outer Space and Deadlier Than the Male, this sluggish and shoddy film reaches it's peak in pre title titillation thanks to the opening montage and titles credited to Richard Kuhn and National Screen Service. That and Jerry Goldsmith's fetching score are the only pluses here. Jean Hale who made an impression opposite Stephen Boyd in The Oscar is given nothing of interest to say or do and as an adversary to Coburn's Flint she's like a firm, but polite flight attendant. Lee J. Cobb is featured as much as Coburn's Flint who's busy with dolphins and the ballet. Coburn is not traditionally handsome and isn't believable as someone women would find as irresistible as the dialog often alludes to. And for a spoof the film is silly rather than amusing or witty. It's easy to see why this film ended the series. The inane plot could be funny like Revenge of the Stepford Wives, but Gordon Douglas' direction and the special effects are on a par with TV's Gilligan's Island and Lost in Space respectively, and the ultimate effect is flat and dull and the same could be said for most of the cast including James Coburn whom I've liked before and since this film. There's no conflict or tension, sexual or otherwise in this dull, camp misfire. Roger Ebert gave this turkey 1 and a 1/2 stars out of 4; chalk it up to generosity.

Uriah43 Somewhere in the Virgin Islands a group of feminists are planning on taking over the world. They kidnap the President of the United States, "President Trent" (Andrew Duggan) and replace him with a duplicate to impersonate him. They hijack the space lab by smuggling in female Russian cosmonauts. Additionally, they also implicate the head of the secret organization known as "Z.O.W.I.E." in a sex scandal in order to minimize his effectiveness. Only the semi-retired secret agent named "Derek Flint" (James Coburn) can stop them. Knowing this the feminists kidnap his "3 weaknesses" named "Terry" (Mary Michael), "Jan" (Diane Bond) and "Denise" (Jacki Ray) and try to brainwash them into joining their organization. And most of this occurs in the first 30 minutes or so. Anyway, rather than reveal the entire plot and spoil the film for those who haven't see it, I will just say that this is a pretty good sequel to "Our Man Flint" produced a year earlier. Good performances are turned in by James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb and the beautiful Jean Hale (as "Lisa Norton"). There is also plenty of humor, action and eye-candy all around. All things considered then, this is a fun movie which should entertain most viewers as long as everything is kept in perspective and not taken too seriously.

Woodyanders This follow-up is much goofier and sillier than the original, but still every bit as amusing and entertaining. This time hip, clever, and dashing freelance spy and playboy extraordinaire Derek Flint (James Coburn in splendidly wry and laid-back assured form) must thwart a dastardly plot by a gang of lovely, yet formidable ladies who have developed a method of brainwashing so they can put arrogant and domineering men in their place and thus take over the planet. Director Gordon Douglas, working from a bright and witty script by Hal Fimberg, relates the delightfully wacky narrative at a steady pace, maintains an engagingly blithe and madcap very 60's camp sensibility throughout, and stages the rousing action set pieces with real skill and gusto (Coburn's fancy martial arts moves in particular are quite impressive and exciting). Coburn's amiably breezy'n'easy persona fits the character of Flint like a fine pair of stylish slippers; he talks fluently to dolphins, romances an endless bevy of beautiful babes, dons various disguises, briefly poses as a ballet dancer (!), and beats up numerous baddies without ever loosing a single ounce of his divinely unflappable cool the whole time. The rest of the cast are likewise up to par: Lee G. Cobb returns as Flint's loyal, but disgraced superior Lloyd C. Cramden, the gorgeous Jean Hale excels as classy and crafty head villainess Lisa Norton, Andrew Duggan does spirited work as both the hearty President and the hammy actor impersonating him, and Steve Ihnat hits it out of the ballpark with his excellent portrayal of the sneaky and cunning General Carter. Yvonee "Batgirl" Craig has a small, but nifty part as fetching, yet duplicitous Russian ballerina Natasha. Moreover, this movie in some ways was uncannily ahead of its time: The cabal of angry women Flint opposes neatly foretells the 70's feminist movement while the premise of an actor as President offers a frighteningly accurate prediction of Reagan getting elected into office as Chief Executive a mere decade or so down the line. Jerry Goldsmith's funky swinging score and William H. Daniels' slick widescreen cinematography are both on the money, too. A tremendously fun film.