AUSTIN POWERS

       Austin Powers is an agent with the British Secret Service.
       The year is 1997 and Austin Powers is asleep. Really asleep. As in cryostatis. He has been that way for 30 years, willingly so, put there to snooze away until he is needed again. Now that time has come and the greatest secret agent there was back in the day is awake and "ready for action, Baby". That last may or may not have been something he actually said but it definitely sounds like him.
       Back in 1967, Powers was the epitome of suave and cool and oh so mod (slang from back then for "with it", "hip", "rad" and other terms that have also come and gone). He was such a hip cat (little before his time) that no one really noticed how bad his teeth were or how truly un-handsome he was. Guys loved being around him and girls flocked to him. He was Mr. Charm indeed.
       And he was also very, very good at being an agent. He was the best, as just said, and he was also the only man to be able to go toe-to-toe with Dr. Evil. That man, bald-headed, white-suited evil genius scientist and criminal, was the greatest threat the civilized nations had to face. Forget the Cold War. Dr. Evil was who we had to worry about. But Powers bested him again and again and almost had him when Dr. Evil escaped to outer space and had himself cryogenically frozen. Trooper that Powers was, he volunteered to also go into hibernation until Dr. Evil returned.
       Now that Dr. Evil is back, so is Powers and again the two can go mano-a-mano with the fate of the world in the balance.

       How could I not like this wonderfully satiric put-down of all things secret-agent-ish from the 60's and 70's. Sharks with frickin' laser beams. What a great idea. I mean, "Groovy, baby!" Everyone in that first movie was so incredibly spot on for the role they were filling, especially the wonderful Elizabeth Hurley. I laughed so hard in parts my side hurt.
       The second one was not as funny, in my opinion, or I was not so in the mood. Loved Rob Lowe as a younger Robert Wagner. Stroke of genius casting. And other parts were pretty good as well.
       The third is still on my to-watch some day list.