Last Bond Movie You Watched.

It's interesting, hegottheboot, that despite these criticisms, you still think that LTK is in line with the likes of FRWL and OHMSS, whereas GE isn't. I'd wager that GE and TND (and arguably TWINE) are closer to the very best of the series in terms of scope, production value, music and integrity to Fleming's Bond. 

As for If You Asked Me To, I'd never given the song a second thought until it was mentioned on the forums. I think it's a fine conclusion to the Bond and Pam story, given the "well why don't you wait until you're asked" / "then why don't you ask me" exchange, but their romance is admittedly a little sketchy at times. I guess it's in response to TLD's romance working so well, and If There Was a Man perfectly encapsulating the romance between Bond and Kara. Maybe this calls for a new round of Battle of the Bonds?

At the very least, I appreciate the secondary movie theme that dissipated after TWINE.

I didn't mind If You Asked Me To, but I guess it does have a hokey 80's rom-com feel.

I think it's probably the vocal that used to get me so much. The music isn't bad but it is indeed a bit jarring in hindsight and does feel like some other type of 80's release.
Of course I have the promo 12" with all the extended instrumentals as well so I'm nuts.

Production values, score, photography, editing, sound=spot on beautiful, wonderful. I grew up with these films, I adore them and can quote virtually every line.

Yet for some strange reason I can never hold them in the same regard as everything 1989 and before. I think it comes down to that aside from a few crew members being left such as Arthur Wooster, Derek Meddings, Chris Corbould, John Richardson etc. that so many of the original team were gone that the Brosnan films took on far more of the 90's cinematic landscape. Also it feels as if these films were self aware of being a Bond film and having to maintain the Bond film standard as opposed to even the experiment that was LTK merely being itself and getting on with it.

I prefer GEs tone and style but beyond that and character depth there's really not much to it other than re-establishing Bond in the 90's. I do like what is presented in TND and had they not had all the script troubles I think the film could have been stronger instead of reverting into YOLT/TSWLM land. Both are impeccably edited though I do wish they hadn't added slo-mo in TND. And I think Terry Rawling's work on GE is fantastic and extremely intellectual coming from the editor of Blade Runner. Plus it was the last Bond film to be edited on film which I think makes a huge difference.

Last but not least, a nagging question: I keep thinking about 007 breaking out of the archives. Isn't he mowing down countless Russian soldiers who are simply doing their job and following orders unaware of potential treasonous activities?

With that out of the way, I'm only musing. As someone who quotes these films, particularly Carver and Boris without hesitation on any given day I cherish getting to crank these lovelies up.

If you have an LD player these are marvels for composite video and in the case of Goldeneye is one of the finest all around titles ever produced. In fact the current outdated blu-ray master I'm almost positive goes back to the one used for this. Both of these masters were used for the first DVDs and IMO on a proper setup with a great player these actually best them. And that's on the standard Dolby Digital only releases. Pictured above are my rare DTS versions which replace the PCM Dolby Surround tracks with full bitrate untouched DTS and for my money they actually sound slightly better than the HD lossless encodings on the Blu-ray editions which otherwise sound nearly identical. Plus I get a great pleasure doing the best setup available back in the days when I only had a mono VCR.

Running these in my home theater is the closest I can get to my childhood memories of seeing them on their original run...back during the glorious days of the Dolby-DTS-SDDS wars where everything sounded amazing. But don't think this is an easy hobby to get into or that this comes cheap. I lucked out on a marvelous player and the incredible Sony xbr960 HDCRT which makes standard definition look stupendous. The normal LD releases are cheap and plentiful but the DTS versions are...not at all cheap. It took me years to find both of these.

Binge watching Spiral seemingly left me with a desire to see Paris in a Bond setting and so VTAK for the third time in eighteen months. Just something to pass the time.

I won't regurgitate the aforementioned, but for the first time I noted that when you see the shot of San Andreas Lake (as Stacey drives home followed by Bond) you see a boat out fishing -the same chap we see later high and dry perhaps?

For the film's faults, that moment when Zorin is checking out 007's real credentials at the mansion using his PC is always a good moment, personally. Bond somewhat cluelessly sits there as the bad guy checks him out and openly reacts to the information. Or when the KGB agent is fed into the pipe and minced up -slightly terrifying to a child watching but there we go, easy come easy go.
Somehow Zorin's puns ("Anyone else want to drop out?") don't make me cringe.

And we'll just admire Ms Roberts. Dalton would've gotten flustered one imagines, though I could see him sinking his teeth into the City Hall scene lines.

But, you couldn't do some of this stuff in a Bond film now (particularly the PTS with the agent on the sub).

What this film could've done with, is Shane Rimmer returning in some capacity. Maybe as the SFPD captain, his intonation of "He's sure as hell dangerous" or "I'm Dick Tracy and you're still under arrest!"

As much as you look at an older Roger Moore, a strikingly young Tanya Roberts -the John Barry fanfare and whatnot still makes me wish I could rescue a damsel from a burning building. (And just how did the cop know Chuck Lee was CIA or who he was when Bond said?)

Hilly KCMG wrote:

But, you couldn't do some of this stuff in a Bond film now (particularly the PTS with the agent on the sub).

I'll reply to the other stuff in time (short on time right now) - as well as hegottheboot's post, which I thought I had already responded to...

But as for the above quote, why not? As far as I know the world is criminalising workplace abuse-- and rightly so if it's not solicited-- but the world surely isn't criminalising sex. The idea is that Bond has a way with women; they want it just as much as he does (even Pussy Galore). It always has been.

And after all, it is five days to Alaska..

If I have to watch a Bond movie soon, it will most likely be LTK.

It might be a bastard to many but I adore it. In fact it's in my current Top 5.

I can't get laid to this shit though...my only bitch about the film.

FieldsMan wrote:

Hilly KCMG wrote:

But, you couldn't do some of this stuff in a Bond film now (particularly the PTS with the agent on the sub).

I'll reply to the other stuff in time (short on time right now) - as well as hegottheboot's post, which I thought I had already responded to...

But as for the above quote, why not? As far as I know the world is criminalising workplace abuse-- and rightly so if it's not solicited-- but the world surely isn't criminalising sex. The idea is that Bond has a way with women; they want it just as much as he does (even Pussy Galore). It always has been.

And after all, it is five days to Alaska..

Hmm, it would likely all look more than a little cheesy in this day and age I'd have thought.

More than likely. Five days to Alaska would be spent with Bond getting a Metoo tattoo. He'd walk funny when he got there at any rate.

From the silliness of the sub itself to the 30 year age gap between the actor playing Bond and the girl ... yeah. Cringey.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

From the silliness of the sub itself to the 30 year age gap between the actor playing Bond and the girl ... yeah. Cringey.  

Hmmm. The women you post in the Tits and Arse thread seem to be a good 20 years younger than you, BI.

It's a fair cop, guv. In my defence, I've never said that I'm not a hypocrite .

The Spy Who Loved Me

the final of the Gilbert marathon. I won't go over most of it needless to say it's one of the movies that you can't take too seriously. It does have certain scenes like Bond at Faslane (the Navy link- I chose to believe Robert Brown's Hargreaves goes on to become M in Octopussy/LTK), Bond and Amasova at the hotel discussing the death of her lover and the tanker gunfight. Certain moments still tickle such as Bond mercilessly winding Amasova up as she tries to get the van going (could Bond do this today? "Women drivers"), through to his eye roll at her shaken not stirred line.

Didn't really think until now, how off to todays eyes, it must be when you have Shane Rimmer sat in his cabin with Amasova showering virtually on display. Dirty old man, Rimmer.

Everything about the tanker is impressive, the modelling, the set, the action (especially the fact that once Bond turns up, the Royal Navy lot leap into action without hesitation and do the job). It also has the best part of the score that serves up some tension as the Liparus slips over the Wayne.

But above all, my childhood hero Shane Rimmer getting to do a fair bit right down to letting Bond climb off his back en route to attacking the bridge.

Gave YOLT and Spy a spin as a Gilbert tribute myself these last 2 nights. Amusing to note how much of a remake of YOLT Spy is, right down to the virtually identical 'Bond hides in monorail cab, gets driver to call over fellow 'heavy' and then chins them both' bits.

Yeah I thought about that bit in the car. Even the cells in which they're all kept is vaguely the same as where the astronauts are kept in the volcano.

Recently, FYEO and Goldeneye. Unexpectedly, got more of a kick out of Eyes ... Brosnan's debut remains my favourite of his 4, but I found some of it quite slow this time round.

Nothing unexpected about getting a kick out of FYEO - Conti's score and Glen's chase sequences are enough to do that.

And let the soft wisps of Carole Bouqet's moustache do the rest.

CJB wrote:

And let the soft wisps of Carole Bouqet's moustache do the rest.

Even more noticeable on BluRay, God love her.

No matter the times I see it, 'Runaway' does it everytime. Conti's music, Bond flying down the bobsled run, the camera work -to the point when using the music on old MI6 for equally old stories I'd end up trying to work a ski chase into my stories.

Currently watching GOLDENEYE on BBC America. Haven't seen this in years.

Pre-titles sequence is neat, I guess. Gottfried John was a fucking good actor. Shame he didn't have more of a role in this film.

Goldeneye probably has the best supporting cast of any Bond film. Particularly striking because Bond himself is absent for decent stretches of screentime.

Control wrote:

Currently watching GOLDENEYE on BBC America. Haven't seen this in years.

Pre-titles sequence is neat, I guess. Gottfried John was a fucking good actor. Shame he didn't have more of a role in this film.

Flipped the remote on BBC America, Casino Royale is on right now and GEye is after.

Have the telly on in the kitchen while I whip up some things for tomorrow (Walking Dead season finale) so the Bond fest comes in handy.

Can only imagine if Dalton had been able to do Goldeneye say a year or two before. His scenes with Gottfriend John would've been quite something.