Last Bond Movie You Watched? 2.0

Wint and Kidd are superb. Two of my favorite characters in the franchise.

I agree with you on Jill St. John. Looked good in a bikini, though.

DIAMONDS is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It's stupid, but I think it's a hell of a lot more engaging than Brosnan's films and Craig's first two films.

Control wrote:

Wint and Kidd are superb. Two of my favorite characters in the franchise.

I agree with you on Jill St. John. Looked good in a bikini, though.

DIAMONDS is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It's stupid, but I think it's a hell of a lot more engaging than Brosnan's films and Craig's first two films.

that she does, that she does.

And agree about DAF being better than the Brosnan output and CR/QOS. I'm debating to do QOS as part of this. Skipped it last time out.

Forgot to say about Willard Whyte. Good ol' Jimmy Dean responsible for "Bah-yah!?" and "Saxby? Tell him he's fired!"

Relentlessly grinding on into Live and Let Die

Like the previous film my feelings on it seem everchanging. Unlike DAF, it's down. It's not a bad film but it always feels a bit long or plodding in parts. Some things are unchanging like Gloria Hendry. Could've done without her entirely.
I don't know, just not as keen on it as I once was. I like David Hedison through my watching of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea years ago and he's not a bad Felix ("Now Mr Bleeker, I'm sure there's no need for name calling"), he has rapport with Bond which is likely helped by Hedison and Moore being pals. Wasn't even keen on Moore for parts of the film.
Jane Seymour is okay, still a knockout though.

Like Yaphet Kotto, he does his best with what he has.

As for the score, I like listening to it in isolation but sometimes in the film it doesn't seem to sit with the film. Barry's music always felt part of the film, guiding you rather than saying "feel this" or "think that". An example for me is "Bond Meets Solitaire", just before Bond's hauled off outside the music just feels like it's on the surface. Whereas "Bond and Rosie" sits a bit better, the use of the LALD instrumental as Bond says "Make your choice". The boat chase as overlong as it feels, could've had a bit more to it musically.

6.5/10

Is that all it does?-athon
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr No
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. You Only Live Twice
8. Live and Let Die (last rated 7/10, placing 11th)

Seymour was somewhat of a bland Bond girl.




But that's OK...

Forgive me father for I have sinned...

Observe Mr Bond, the instruments of Armageddon...

sort of put together a double bill, started on both at various times yesterday so here we go.

The Man With The Golden Gun

I fear nothing in this film seemed to please me much. Much like the characters and behind the scenes stuff, I was seemingly angry if not frustrated watching it. It goes along and you sort of realise there's no real plot or at least not real attempt at one until the end. Oh wait, a Solex Agitator...sure, we'll go after it...
Not mad on Goodnight, never have been. Irritating and sure she's in a bikini by the end, but not mad at all.
Bond is hither and thither, his best moment might be with Anders in her room.
Nik-Nak, nope.
Now, I like Soon-Teck-Oh in things like The Final Countdown, even TJ Hooker or Ironside and all points in between but here he's a bloody idiot in the Goodnight vein.
The sole redeeming feature is Christopher Lee, perhaps realising what a steaming turd it is film-wise, he goes along with utter style.
(Can't help but try to picture Scaramanga and Nik-Nak getting the dead Miss Anders into the boxing arena. Presumably she was dead before rather than shot from a distance in front of everyone otherwise the body would have been pitched back or whatever as opposed to looking like a model from Madame Tussaud)
Moore's face when he sees Nik-Nak on the junk at the end more or less matched my own by this point.

3/10

The Spy Who Loved Me
It doesn't get better but marginally so. Liked it a lot as a kid but it's started to slip south at an alarming rate recently (a search shows in my pre-2007 Bondathon, so about 2003 I think, it ranked at 3rd only behind OHMSS and TLD). Unlike the previous film there's a bit I still like such as seeing Bond back to his Navy roots (as it were), seeing Shane Rimmer on the big stage in a big way, the supertanker scenes and the odd line or expres​sion(such as Bond as he drops the fish out of the Lotus off the beach) but overall it's been done in YOLT.
(Honourable mention to Bond winding Amasova up as she tries to get the van going and his eye roll at her shaken not stirred remark)
The music always rubs me the wrong way in the sense that much of it (or noticable parts) have never appeared on the releases since '77. Music such as the supertanker scenes (notably when they break into the control room), music for when the subs leave the tanker (and then destroy each other) and bits all over. The CD seems to regurgitate the pyramid stuff.
(Not to take away the Tanker, always underlines the 'This Is It' mood on the Wayne as the tanker closes overhead).

As for Ms Bach. Must confess I raved about her years ago. Always been weak for long haired brunettes and somehow it pressed upon her. Sadly acting skills and accents are much beyond her ("Give me the key!") though again, her in that uniform on the Liparus...Ahem.

Applause to Mr Meddings and the production team. The sheer scale of the supertanker inside reflected by the mock-up of the USS Wayne big enough to have Moore and Rimmer atop the sail in a long shot.
(Royal Navy sailors and officers take a pasting in the gunfight but I always wonder about the fact all the survivors packed into that SSN.)

6/10

That comes from the top!-athon

1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr No
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. You Only Live Twice
8. Live and Let Die
9. The Spy Who Loved Me (last rated 6.5/10, placing 16th)
10. The Man With The Golden Gun (last rated 4/10, placing 22nd)

Hilly KCMG wrote:

Forgive me father for I have sinned...

Observe Mr Bond, the instruments of Armageddon...

sort of put together a double bill, started on both at various times yesterday so here we go.

The Man With The Golden Gun

I fear nothing in this film seemed to please me much. Much like the characters and behind the scenes stuff, I was seemingly angry if not frustrated watching it. It goes along and you sort of realise there's no real plot or at least not real attempt at one until the end. Oh wait, a Solex Agitator...sure, we'll go after it...
Not mad on Goodnight, never have been. Irritating and sure she's in a bikini by the end, but not mad at all.
Bond is hither and thither, his best moment might be with Anders in her room.
Nik-Nak, nope.
Now, I like Soon-Teck-Oh in things like The Final Countdown, even TJ Hooker or Ironside and all points in between but here he's a bloody idiot in the Goodnight vein.
The sole redeeming feature is Christopher Lee, perhaps realising what a steaming turd it is film-wise, he goes along with utter style.
(Can't help but try to picture Scaramanga and Nik-Nak getting the dead Miss Anders into the boxing arena. Presumably she was dead before rather than shot from a distance in front of everyone otherwise the body would have been pitched back or whatever as opposed to looking like a model from Madame Tussaud)
Moore's face when he sees Nik-Nak on the junk at the end more or less matched my own by this point.

3/10

Agreed in full here, the really sad part is that you so want the confrontation between Bond and Scaramanga to be great, but this film just fizzles every time you want or expect it to spark, Christopher Lee is on great form but everything just seems designed to undermine him and the final showdown is morea case of adding insult to injury.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

The Spy Who Loved Me
.... but overall it's been done in YOLT.

I always wonder why this is so often given a pass by fans, I know Bond is guilty of sticking to a formula but no where else is this so blatant and lazy a case of storytelling (tbh even NSNA feels more distinct from Thunderball than these two). Like yourself I find this one sinking over time, but it does imo herald Moore finally hitting his stride in the role.

Agree, Moore hit his stride with TSWLM but what a film to do it in. Sounds like TSWLM had a troubled background what with McClory and change of directors. Maybe if Hamilton had directed or someone else but Gilbert, there might not have been a reliance on the YOLT storyline.
And lord knows what happened with auditions if Bach turns up expecting some role but not the main one.

I can still enjoy Spy ... OTT Bond done just about right, whereas Moonraker feels like it all taken that bit too far.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

I can still enjoy Spy ... OTT Bond done just about right, whereas Moonraker feels like it all taken that bit too far.  

on this note.

Moonraker

the film doth confuses for halfway into it I find myself liking it. There are the traces of a good film in here, buried amongst the one-liners, gags and so on. What perhaps pushes it over the line in this regard is John Barry. The hijacking of the shuttle, the anaconda attack...when it comes to the punch Barry delivered. Especially in a scene that in theory has no right to be in a Roger Moore movie at this point. That of the death of Corinne. Put the shivers up my spine as a kid watching these dogs chase her down and all the while reinforced by Barry's relentless music, steady and determined and ultimately tragic. There's the centrifugue scene where Moore's Bond seems particularly vulnerable as he steps out of the machine -yes he's been put through the ringer but Connery or Lazenby might have shrugged it off or not seem so rattled. Liked Bond's brief taking of Goodhead's hands to reassure her.
Goes without saying about the flight into space. In spite of the fact by now we're over the top, Barry's music takes the edge off this. Bond's in space but the music accompanying the lens flare shot (and the shuttle emerging from the darkness) and the reveal of Moonraker (after that ghostly, chilling sound of wind) overrides all. Even when we get to the space laser battle, something about the music makes it quite serious.
But moments we could do without mostly involve Jaws. A faint figure of terror in TSWLM turned in a comic one sadly. The waterfall, Venice, the cable car...
or Chang somehow getting through the streets of Venice dressed as he was. And where was Drax going? Returning to Earth and his globes going off...well, who knows.

Got to love the redhead, that mane of hair in slow motion on the shuttle...
...Ms Goodhead is ultimately useless sadly. She has skills (piloting a shuttle) but just above Goodnight in secret agent marks.

so there we go. Hilly took a step beyond.

7/10

Play it again Sam-athon

On Her Majesty's Secret Service
From Russia With Love
Dr No
Thunderball
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever
Moonraker (last rated 7/10, placing 12th)
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Man With The Golden Gun

Good write up on MR - and I agree on most points. Jaws could have worked as well as he did in TSWLM had they not portrayed him so comically. And I do feel as though Britt Ekland had more charm about her than Goodhead, but I think my opposition to Lois Chiles is well noted on these forums.

That post G-force simulator scene is something MR does absolutely right ... Moore's Bond being genuinely unsettled was a rarity, and a one-liner would likely have spoilt it.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

That post G-force simulator scene is something MR does absolutely right ... Moore's Bond being genuinely unsettled was a rarity, and a one-liner would likely have spoilt it.

"Well that's put a spin on it…"

FieldsMan wrote:

Good write up on MR - and I agree on most points. Jaws could have worked as well as he did in TSWLM had they not portrayed him so comically. And I do feel as though Britt Ekland had more charm about her than Goodhead, but I think my opposition to Lois Chiles is well noted on these forums.

I've always been fairly neutral to Lois Chiles. She's probably less than Ekland in charm but she's not as bad as some of the other Bond girls but I see your point.

Jaws in TSWLM is still terrifying to an extent. The fact he takes on a Great White Shark at the end should be reason enough but as you say, in Moonraker he's wasted. The only good bit in a way was his turning to Bond's side.

Always like how after Jaws pulls him from the water, Bond gives him a thump in a "hell with it" kind of way. One chuckle is Bond's face after he knees Jaws in the crotch and you get that metallic thud.

At least like JW, Jaws was limited to two films. Imagine if he reappeared in A View To A Kill. Him and Dolly living in blissful harmony in San Francisco running a florist's and giving Bond the clues about Zorin's well.

And yes Blunty, an one-liner from Moore would've ruined the centrifuge moment. Though I bet Bond's too winded to even get a letter out never mind a word

Hilly KCMG wrote:

I've always been fairly neutral to Lois Chiles. She's probably less than Ekland in charm but she's not as bad as some of the other Bond girls but I see your point.

To me Chiles has always been the best Moore Bond Girl, and one of my all-time favorites. Yes, the performance is somewhat limited, but I can forgive that if they seem to be having fun with it. Famke Janssen's accent was slippery in GOLDENEYE, but it never bothered me to the point where I couldn't enjoy her.

Chiles is stunningly drop-dead beautiful..I've always loved a Southern accent (even if she's trying to hide it a bit)....and her performance is passable. She's meant to be icy and aloof, and that's probably the best and only way Chiles could have played it. The role isn't deep, but she makes the most out of it and it's right on target for the type of film they were trying to make. Certainly more believable than Denise Richards or Tanya Roberts.

Moonraker is probably one of the handful of 007 movies that I wouldn't mind seeing remade. There's a really good, interesting, important, deep storyline about Drax, eugenics, the environment, God-complexes, religion, etc...that is totally thrown away by Maibaum and Wilson. The movie is generally great fun, but not so sacrosanct that I would reject having it remade. The film could have been so much more that it's a shame it settled for being disposable entertainment, I suppose.

Another great moment that I think is missed by some on the board is the scene where Drax's beauties watch Bond being stalked by the anaconda...almost totally emotionless as Bond is being drowned, and then you see a slight flicker across their face(s) as they realize Bond has won the encounter. Also really liked Bond's bumping into Goodhead in Venice, spying on her as she cases out the Venini Glass company, the way the blonde tour guide is distracted by Bond...and all the dialogue between Bond and Goodhead as he blows her cover.

Moonraker is my favourite Moore Bond and I too consider Chiles one of his best leading ladies. Excise Jaws and you might have a contender for top 3 Bonds with great moments like the parachute swap, the tour of Drax's mansion, Corrines death, the accident in the lab, the escape from the rocket silo etc.... and the work of Barry and Meddings really is top knotch.

The other wonderful thing is that the book/story of Moonraker (one of my favourite Fleming's and one of the most cinematic imo) could still be a valid basis for a film with just a few strategic name changes.

lachesis wrote:

The other wonderful thing is that the book/story of Moonraker (one of my favourite Fleming's and one of the most cinematic imo) could still be a valid basis for a film with just a few strategic name changes.

Yes!

Moonraker would probably rank in my top 3(ish) Moore outings. I meant to go through all of the Bond films before Spectre was released, but I don't think I'm gonna' make it (have about 8-9 down, and I started awhile ago). Just been busy.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

Hilly KCMG wrote:

I've always been fairly neutral to Lois Chiles. She's probably less than Ekland in charm but she's not as bad as some of the other Bond girls but I see your point.

To me Chiles has always been the best Moore Bond Girl, and one of my all-time favorites. Yes, the performance is somewhat limited, but I can forgive that if they seem to be having fun with it. Famke Janssen's accent was slippery in GOLDENEYE, but it never bothered me to the point where I couldn't enjoy her.

Chiles is stunningly drop-dead beautiful..I've always loved a Southern accent (even if she's trying to hide it a bit)....and her performance is passable. She's meant to be icy and aloof, and that's probably the best and only way Chiles could have played it. The role isn't deep, but she makes the most out of it and it's right on target for the type of film they were trying to make. Certainly more believable than Denise Richards or Tanya Roberts.

Moonraker is probably one of the handful of 007 movies that I wouldn't mind seeing remade. There's a really good, interesting, important, deep storyline about Drax, eugenics, the environment, God-complexes, religion, etc...that is totally thrown away by Maibaum and Wilson. The movie is generally great fun, but not so sacrosanct that I would reject having it remade. The film could have been so much more that it's a shame it settled for being disposable entertainment, I suppose.

Another great moment that I think is missed by some on the board is the scene where Drax's beauties watch Bond being stalked by the anaconda...almost totally emotionless as Bond is being drowned, and then you see a slight flicker across their face(s) as they realize Bond has won the encounter. Also really liked Bond's bumping into Goodhead in Venice, spying on her as she cases  out the Venini Glass company, the way the blonde tour guide is distracted by Bond...and all the dialogue between Bond and  Goodhead as he blows her cover.

Indeed, Chiles is more believable as a scientist than Richards and Roberts. And as I say, I've been partial in respects to brunettes growing up. I think if it was remade some kind of balance could be struck between the original film and book. I guess the book is too static location wise like Casino Royale to do it faithfully. Tack on extra scenes in foreign countries and move the Moonraker to somewhere else.

As for the anaconda moment, always noted the blonde's reaction to Bond being choked. Totally at odds with her being distracted at the glassworks.

Otherwise I agree with Xenia and Lachesis. MR is a top three Fleming book for me and I dare-say based on my rankings thus far it's rounding off FYEO and Octopussy as a top-3 Moore film.

I just don't see it with Chiles. She's so wooden and has no personality. At least Denise Richards brings a bit of sassiness to her role and Tanya Roberts brings a bit of vulnerability to hers. Sure, Chiles looks great - especially in her first scene in her uniform - but her performance is so grating to me.

Chiles gets to shag Roger Moore in space, that's more memorable than whatever Roberts and Richards ever did.

Luck of the draw really. Had Halle Berry done it I'm sure she'd shoot up in people's rankings as well… Shame that.

Anyway, I prefer both Christmas and Stacey's initial cold reception of Bond over anything that Chiles did.

She might have, but she's stuck with DAD, like Roberts and Richard are stuck with their films.

For Your Eyes Only - once again, the series opts for a more down-to-Earth 'palate cleanser' after a possibly overly fantastical predecessor (see also YOLT being followed by OHMSS and DAD being followed by the complete rethink of CR).

The stuff with we're-not-calling-him-Blofeld-McClory's-lawyers-are-watching in the pre-credits sequence and the Thatcher/parrot stuff at the end are a touch cringeworthy now, but the rest of this mostly makes for a fine Bond film. Particular highlights for me include Moore's most ruthless moment as 007 (the kicking off the cliff-edge of Locque's car), the genuinely suspenseful ascent to St. Cyril's and one of the finest endings to a Cold War-era Bond ever ('That's detente, Comrade. You don't have it, I don't have it').

Good write-up, Blunty. I'm working my way through it in bits what with work. Ignoring the PTS it's not a bad film, well, even the PTS has its moments (almost like John Glen had fallen asleep after 1969 and only woke up in 1980). That scene with Bibi where she kisses him, half wished for a look to camera afterwards as he follows her out. Though I wonder if like that outtake from VTAK, Moore made a joke afterwards.

Rog should've licked it til it melted.

The ice cream, that is.

So long as it wasn't a Mr Softee.