Last Bond Movie You Watched? 2.0

Watched Moonraker today. It's entertaining stuff, and I think as a film it's constructed competently enough. It doesn't drag, the sets, music and colour contribute to quite an atmospheric film, and I'm surprised to say that Holly Goodhead! - she didn't annoy me as much this time round. It's a really interesting relationship they've got, and were so close to getting a proper Bond equal, but I think Chiles just isn't a strong enough actress. It's a shame she's teaching acting nowadays… But back to the film, it's just not what I want for a James Bond film. Lose the gags and space, and it'd probably rank higher. Couple of other points:

- Amazon boat chase is my favourite Moore boat chase.
- Bondola chase could have been great had it stayed in the canals - which would probably mean no double taking pigeons.
- I like how Bond finds alternative uses for a singular gadget, this time being the wrist watch dart gun. Like in LALD using the watch, where it fails with the boat nears the crocs, then uses it to get the pellet and also cut through the rope.
- Corrine is great!
- Manuela disappears… Do wonder if she was considered on reappearing in OP's pre-titles sequence, even though it's Cuba, not Rio.
- Venice is an awesome location for Bond. I'd like to see more locations akin to this and more snooping around at different times of day so we get a good look at the location.
- I like the amount of snooping in this film, and gathering intelligence.

She's probably safer teaching than actually acting :)

Yeah, she's safer but her poor students are learning her "technique".

YOLT

Since I finally got around to buying the br box set, I have the pleasure to work my way throught them one by one. Although work is not the right choice of word. I gave YOLT two watches. The first one had me a bit disappointed, because after the back projection bits in DN looked much better on br than on dvd, these here seemed to look less good because they were much more obvious than on the dvd. But the second time I discovered that the film gets a very own style by that, and viewed thus does not look uncomfortably artificial.

2 YOLT viewings in a row? Not sure I could do that… Timmer, maybe…

Just did FRWL… Bond perfection. Gypsy camp - Krilencu's assassination - Bond meets Tanya still my favourite segment, but of course the rest is top notch too. Connery is brilliant, esp before the famous fight scene on the train!

Watched Casino Royale today… Still feels fresh! Didn't quite remember Craig enjoying himself in this, but it sure had some nicer light moments. Vesper didn't annoy me as much as usually does, in fact, I was quite happy with her, and Eva Green to be honest (sorry Sharky!). Of course there's something beautiful, classical and intriguing about a girl, dressed in red and holding a briefcase, being followed by someone. As said with MR, Venice is a great location for Bond, and I like the idea of the falling house, despite the fanboy in me wanting a more faithful adaptation of the novel's ending. The Madagascar sequence is one of the best James Bond action sequences I believe. Lots of 'wow' moments that still hold up, even in the Miami airport scene (particularly the roll away from the two trucks!!!)

A few minor quibbles:
- Thuggish Bond in parts
- Hulk Bond in parts
- Green's crazy eyes in "You're ego can't take it"
- Moneypenny is a man
- "Whole world is going to know that you died scratching my balls" (first viewing I laughed, subsequent viewings I either laugh or cringe - this time I laughed, but not sure how I feel about it)

--- These aren't enough to detract from the film though.

I might have come to a point where I believe CR is better than QOS, but I don't think it'll surpass SF.

I can't get over Thug-Hulk Bond. And then he was just a wincing, out-of-control pansy in QUANTUM OF SOLACE.

I think the best parts of CR are the casino scenes. Not perfect, but they did alright, considering how they butchered the story in the rest of the film. That ending was out of control, however. Bond's recovery to the sinking house were like scenes straight out of the Brosnan films.

SKYFALL was Craig's first Bond film. The others were just practice.

Telling you, last time I watched CR (a couple of months back) made me wish it had Brosnan in it.

Currently watching SKYFALL.

This should have been Craig's first Bond film. The other Craig flicks are absolute shit compared to this.

Control wrote:

Currently watching SKYFALL.

This should have been Craig's first Bond film. The other Craig flicks are absolute shit compared to this.

Abso-lutely. Though I like sometimes to imagine Dalton in it (forget the fan fiction area), I think Dalton could've sunk his teeth into it quite brilliantly.

Solid film

Skyfall is a bloody good film by any criterion. First time I've been able to say that about an 007 flick since the 1960s.

By way of tribute to Richard Kiel, The Spy Who Loved Me ... 'silly' Bond done right, IMHO (Moonraker kinda blows it by going too far OTT). Just a fun, fast-paced romp in which Moore finally 'nails' his particular Bond persona - famously lightly humorous, but there's nothing wrong with how he plays the scene where Anya realises he killed her lover or the one where he's extracting the detonator from the nuke, either.

Oh, Shane Rimmer after "I'm going to disarm a nuclear missile..."

Full Scott Tracy right there.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

By way of tribute to Richard Kiel, The Spy Who Loved Me ... 'silly' Bond done right, IMHO (Moonraker kinda blows it by going too far OTT). Just a fun, fast-paced romp

Really? I find TSWLM to be one of the few Bond films that drag for me… Maybe that'll change this year when I watch it, but I doubt it.

2 hours that just breeze by, in my book .

TSWLM is quite fun. Even better with a few beers.

A little more exciting than YOLT, which dries out towards the middle.

Well fuck a duck I enjoyed TSWLM more than I ever have - just like GE this year, just like TB this year. Watched it in memory of Richard Kiel and I have to say his presence in TSWLM just makes it that little bit better. Very high production values and a good script. Jurgens gets the job done as a villain, but compared to Dr No, Klebb, Goldfinger, Largo and Scaramanga who came before him, then of course Max Zorin, Sanchez, Alec, Carver, Elektra and Silva, he doesn't quite reach the heights that franchise has reached in other films. The PTS continues to impress, as does the car chase, Naomi and the final shootout. I think Max Kalba is one of my favourite supporting characters to appear in a Bond flick, and of course the whole Egypt section (except maybe Bond and Anya on the boat) is great!

I do believe it has shot passed TMWTGG, LTK, CR and potentially OP, AVTAK and DAF in my ranking for the year.

FieldsMan wrote:

Well fuck a duck 

And I thought it was 'Australia ... where men are men and SHEEP are nervous' ;) .

Blunt Instrument wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

Well fuck a duck 

And I thought it was 'Australia ... where men are men and SHEEP are nervous' ;) .

I thought that was Wales.

There too .

Every month I do a classics night with an old friend, so I learned she never saw a Bond film starring Connery. That had to be fixed. Couldn't think of a better way of introducing a Connery Bond film than with DR. NO. First time I've watched it since the marathon leading up to SKYFALL's release. Such a delight to watch. I always preferred the novel though, and remember the decisions for the film bugging me a lot regarding how long it took to get to Crab Key and the way Bond escapes his cell. Still does today, but I was able to slide appreciate this more as its own kind of film divorced from the novels. Young's direction, the production design, casting, ect. The only thing that's truly pants is the score beyond the Bond theme. It's always jarring to hear something as low rent when accustomed to Barry. Still, a quintessential Bond film.

Makeshift Python wrote:

and remember the decisions for the film bugging me a lot regarding how long it took to get to Crab Key .

Heh I enjoy the first half of Dr. No more than the second half, even though Andress' entrance and the dinner with the doctor give the first half a run for its money.

Enjoyable as always and definitely a top 5, if not top 10, entry.

Recently did GF… The second half didn't drag as much as I remembered after a lightning speed first half. Pussy has shot up in my ranks as one of the best Bond girls of all time… I always thought she was good but liked others better - not anymore! The film is classic Bond, and I think it's as camp as I'd like Bond films to go…

Did another movie night, this time revisiting FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. That whole Orient Express section is my favorite of any Bond film with so much going for it. Kerim Bey's death being upsetting. Bond being conflicted over Tanya's true nature. The fight between Bond and Grant being properly brutal. Only thing wrong in the whole film is that there's one too many chase sequences during the third act, particularly the whole boat show. Could have snipped that off, but it's not at all damning enough to hurt the film overall.

Live And Let Die, by way of tribute to Geoffrey Holder. One of 3 of Moore's (the others being Spy and FYEO) that I out-and-out like, without any of the issues I have with the other 4.