In this episode, Dan and Tom decode the 2017 spy movie, UNDERCOVER GRANDPA. This is one of our episodes that has Dan and Tom disagreeing as to whether they thought it was a good movie or not. One of them thought it was ok. The other didn’t like it at all.

The basic plot involves a teenager named Jake Bouchard (Dylan Everett) who is smitten by a girl in his high school class. His Grandpa (James Caan) has a background in special operations and tells Jake about some of his missions. But Jake thought this was just crazy talk until his girlfriend Angie (Greta Onieogou) gets kidnapped.

So, in this episode, we look at:

• The plot
• The cast
• The treatment/positioning of old people
• The plausibility of Grandpa’s stories
• Could Grandpa really know Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame?
• The Pros and Cons of the Movie
• Aspic
• Other movies starring older actors
• Some tie-ins to other movies

This movie has a star-studded cast of octogenarians, or near octogenarians, including James Caan, Louis Gossett Jr, Jessica Walter, Paul Sorvino, Lawrence Dane, and Kenneth Walsh. With this cast, and it being a spy movie, you can bet that the theme of the age of the characters is a main plot point. And, you would win that bet.

Have you seen UNDERCOVER GRANDPA? If not, has this episode encouraged you to watch it? If you have seen it, who’s opinion do you agree with more: Dan’s or Tom’s?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 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/47pe2T5

Pierce Brosnan’s final two James Bond movies, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and DIE ANOTHER DAY had some very cool gadgets. How many of the gadgets do you remember from those movies? In this episode, Dan and Tom decode about 30 of them. Are these gadgets believable? Realistic? Based on any real science?

If you are a fan of this show, you probably know that DIE ANOTHER DAY is one of Tom’s bottom two James Bond movies. Yet, he liked its pre-title sequence in part due to some of the gadgets we’ll call out.

So, some things we decode are:

• How much fun would you have firing a flamethrower from a moving hovercraft?

• The OMEGA Seamaster – ya gotta love Watch gadgets!

• We also saw a very cutting gadget (yes both puns are intended). Once we see it used for its real function. Then later and again in a more nefarious use.

• We talk about a gadget that used to be advertised in the back of magazines. Did any of you ever buy one?

• And even M gets into gadget development.

• Um, if Elektra asks you to sit in a chair, be very afraid.

• A Single Digital Sonic Agitator, really?

• And sometimes you can’t unsee what you can’t see. That one was a lame gadget

So have a listen, getting a better understanding of these gadgets will enhance your viewing experience next time you watch THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH or DIE ANOTHER DAY.

Tell us what you think about the gadgets in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and DIE ANOTHER DAY

Did we miss any gadgets? Which are your favorite gadgets? Did any gadgets strike you as believable? If so, which ones?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com.  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/4e26Rm0

How many of the gadgets do you remember from Pierce Brosnan’s first two James Bond movies, GOLDENEYE and TOMORROW NEVER DIES? In this episode, Dan and Tom decode about 30 of them. We also let you know if we think a gadget is believable!

So, how many different pitons do we talk about in these two movies? Do we think they are believable? Do you?

Tom calls out a favorite weapons/gadgets in any movie and how TOMORROW NEVER DIES enhances that!

How realistic is an exploding pen? How about digital scopes with the ability to transmit data? Would either of those things have worked in 1995 when GOLDENEYE was released or in 1997 with the release of TOMORROW NEVER DIES?

And, what was that thing in Wai Lin’s lab that took the one thug out?

How many different uses did we point out for the remote controlled BMW and it’s remote control?

So have a listen, getting a better understanding of these gadgets will enhance your viewing experience next time you watch GOLDENEYE or TOMORROW NEVER DIES.

In this episode, we mentioned an article about a guy who made a laser watch. Here’s the link to that article: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/home-made-laser-watch-is-real

So, did we miss any gadgets? Which are your favorite gadgets? Did any gadgets strike you as believable? If so, which ones?

Please let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com.  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/4dBH705

Click here to watch the video version of this episode

George Lazenby has announced his retirement from public life. This is a well-earned retirement and we wish him nothing but the best.

In this episode, Dan and Tom bring Mike Reyes back for a salute to the second Eon Productions actor to play James Bond. George had huge shoes to fill in following Sean Connery. We think he filled them very well.

Some of the topics we decode include:

• How George Lazenby landed the role of James Bond
• The Hulu show “Becoming Bond”
• How his James Bond was introduced in the movie and his “This never happened to the other fella” line in the ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE pre-title sequence.
• The pressure of taking over for Sean Connery who emblazoned his version of James Bond in the moviegoers’ minds.
• Lazenby’s upbringing
• How his work on ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE shaped the role of James Bond for the rest of the series
• What they think the next James Bond movie George Lazenby should have done. Hint, it isn’t DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, which was the successor to ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE

So, once again, we wish George Lazenby well in his retirement. And we thank him for his work on ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE.

You can read Mike Reyes’ articles on CinemaBlend.com.

Let us hear from you about George Lazenby. What did you think of his performance as James Bond in ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE. Do you wish he’d done another Bond movie?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 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/3X8RO4j

What makes a spy movie great? Are they built with common elements? Dan and Tom decode the blueprint that most spy movies use in creating their story. From the protagonist, the villain and a variety of other essential elements we look at how to build a spy movie.

Some of the things decoded include:

• • Obviously a spy movie needs a protagonist or spy. But, what characteristics does that, or those spies have? What does he or she look like? Importantly, do they have different characteristics if the spy movie is gritty, an action spy movie, or a comedy?

• • Next, what are the characteristics of the mission? We look at some examples of different spy movies to highlight some of these.

• • And of course, every spy mission’s protagonist needs a villain. And these villains aren’t all carbon copies. They each seem to have their own physical traits. Again, we look at some examples of successful spy movie villains.

• • If you have a male spy, do you need a femme fatale? What about allies? And what are some examples of how locations influence spy movies? What are some successful locations that we’ve seen in spy movies.

• • One area of contention is around how much of the movie needs to be action sequences and what are some of the ways a studio can blow these for the audience?

• • As we often talk about, there is a moral ambiguity in most spy movies. We look at this ambiguity and how it has two sides.

Of course, there is more that we discuss, but this list gives you some good reasons to listen to this episode: How to Build a Spy Movie.

Are you ready to build your own spy movie? Are there things Dan and Tom missed?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 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/3AiYKCR

“Hogan’s Heroes” was a comedy series in the US from 1965 to 1971. But it was a spy, espionage and sabotage show as well – with plenty of violence. It was based on a group of prisoners of war in World War II who were assigned to Stalag 13. On this show, spy missions rule! Decoding this show, we will show you why!

Dan and Tom tunnel their way into this series by looking at the characters, the actors who played them, and many of their missions.
And yes, “Hogan’s Heroes” is a bit dated with some of its portrayal of Germans and women, but we still think it holds up today. We talk about the German roots of some of the key people involved with the series and what Werner Klemperer required of the show for him to take on the role of Colonel Klink. Klemperer was born in Germany and he had a specific demand.

We also include clips from the show to highlight our points and bring fun to it as well.

With the lunatics running the asylum, there are some classic lines in the series.

Some of the episodes we decode have ties to real-world events or other movies. For instance, did you listen to our episode THE HEROES OF TELEMARK-DECODED? Well, one of the “Hogan’s Heroes” episodes had roots in the underlying mission portrayed in the movie THE HEROES OF TELEMARK. We tell you which one.

Another episode of Hogan’s Heroes had similarities to the 1946 Sherlock Holmes movie, DRESSED TO KILL.

Other episodes paid homage to TV game shows that were popular at the time.

And what did synthetic fuel have to do with the war and this series?

So, take a listen to hear about these and many more fun facts about this comedy spy series.

Have you watched “Hogan’s Heroes”? What did you think? Is it a spy series?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 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/4dzxDSG

In this episode, Dan and Tom decode a movie about some real World War II heroes, namely, the movie THE HEROES OF TELEMARK. This movie stars Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobson, and Michael Redgrave. Plus, many supporting actors in this movie have appeared in other spy movies. We call some of those out for you

THE HEROES OF TELEMARK is a dramatization of some real operations from World War II. These operations were:

• Operation Grouse
• Operation Freshman
• Operation Gunnerside
• And the sinking of the Norwegian ferry Hydro.

These operations all focused on the Allies' attempts at keeping the Germans from getting “Heavy Water”. Heavy Water was used in the process of creating an atomic bomb. The Allies had to stop or slow down the Germans so that the Allies could create the bomb first.

We decode this movie against the backdrop of the real missions, while diving into what “Heavy Water” is and where it comes from.

Have you been involved in atomic bomb development? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the accuracy of this movie’s scientific information.

Have you watched THE HEROES OF TELEMARK? What did you think? Was the romance a negative for your enjoyment of the movie?

So take a listen to hear what we think of THE HEROES OF TELEMARK.

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. 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/3A20ikR