Last Bond Movie You Watched? 2.0

FieldsMan wrote:

And Pushkin's girlfriend in TLD during his interrogation, and during Bond and Elektra's love scene.

Must say that I've tried to sneak a glimpse during the AVTAK one, but to no avail. You must have an even keener eye, BI.

Am almost certain nip can very briefly be glimpsed as she removes her leotard while passing the camera.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

As always, a delight to watch. What struck me most this time is how atmospheric it is, especially once Bond reaches Switzerland. The girls drinking egg nog and receiving their "gifts", the night market, the ski and rally chases - all create a rounded, authentic experience. Along with DN, FRWL, GE and SF, OHMSS succeeds in creating the series' most generous ambience.

Hunt was right in surrounding Lazenby with experienced actors. Whenever Rigg, Savalas or Ferzetti graced the screen, it showcased why Bond has endured five and half decades - everything just works. They shine as their respective characters and cements Tracy as the best Bond girl, Draco as the best ally, and Savages as the best Blofeld. This trio is perhaps the strongest of supporting cast to ever grace a Bond film - maybe rivalled by that of Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya and Pedro Armendariz in FRWL, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco and [take your pick of the excellent Gottfried John or Famke Janssen] in GE, and Judi Dench, Javier Bardem and Berenice Marlohe in SF. It's a mystery why on some occasions that they don't prioritise acting ability since it really does enhance the film.

I'm not sure I'll have time to fit in the other Bond films for this year's Bondathon. SPECTRE left such a sour taste in my mouth regarding the state of the series that I have been largely apathetic about returning to the other films. OHMSS has revived it, but I may as well wait until next year and kick things off afresh.

Does anyone else watch the early films with Blofeld and try to block the thought that Bond and Blofeld are made to be brothers? Sigh.

FieldsMan wrote:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

As always, a delight to watch. What struck me most this time is how atmospheric it is, especially once Bond reaches Switzerland. The girls drinking egg nog and receiving their "gifts", the night market, the ski and rally chases - all create a rounded, authentic experience. Along with DN, FRWL, GE and SF, OHMSS succeeds in creating the series' most generous ambience.

Hunt was right in surrounding Lazenby with experienced actors. Whenever Rigg, Savalas or Ferzetti graced the screen, it showcased why Bond has endured five and half decades - everything just works. They shine as their respective characters and cements Tracy as the best Bond girl, Draco as the best ally, and Savages as the best Blofeld.

Absolutely agree here, and the other key to OHMSS enduring quality is the balance between drama and action which works to make it still seem modern yet also echoing that golden era of cinema adventure and drama.

FieldsMan wrote:

This trio is perhaps the strongest of supporting cast to ever grace a Bond film - maybe rivalled by that of Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya and Pedro Armendariz in FRWL, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco and [take your pick of the excellent Gottfried John or Famke Janssen] in GE, and Judi Dench, Javier Bardem and Berenice Marlohe in SF. It's a mystery why on some occasions that they don't prioritise acting ability since it really does enhance the film.

Ironically I always recall the build to the release of NSNA and the this was a core stated ambition/sentiment of NSNA - in many ways that does enjoy a superlative cast for its vintage yet sadly somehow ends up being less than the sum of its parts.

FieldsMan wrote:

Does anyone else watch the early films with Blofeld and try to block the thought that Bond and Blofeld are made to be brothers? Sigh.

[/quote]
Thankfully I have no problem in leaving CR, QoS and SP (and tangentially DAF, LALD, TMWTGG) as a totally different and self contained timelines....one of the things I like most about SF is that it is almost easier to regard it as a continuation of the pre CR series than it is to connect to its immediate predecessors.

OHMSS - the more I see it the more I think Lazenby did a hell of a job, considering ... sure there's the odd rough edge, but for someone with precious little acting experience thrust into probably the most high-profile 'leading man' part in the world he's bloody good.

I think it's rather nice that the Bond series has its own "Christmas movie," and luckily it's one of a high calibre.

FieldsMan wrote:

Does anyone else watch the early films with Blofeld and try to block the thought that Bond and Blofeld are made to be brothers? Sigh.

Just remind yourself that these things were dreamed up decades after the fact. Similarly, it's best not to picture a big-headed child podracing whilst watching Empire Strikes Back.

Well, it's clear that TWINE is meant to be set during the festive season-ish of '99. But Majesty's is the vastly superior film.

With TWINE you wouldn't know it if they hadn't thrown in the "I thought I only came on Christmas once a year" gag.

lachesis wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

As always, a delight to watch. What struck me most this time is how atmospheric it is, especially once Bond reaches Switzerland. The girls drinking egg nog and receiving their "gifts", the night market, the ski and rally chases - all create a rounded, authentic experience. Along with DN, FRWL, GE and SF, OHMSS succeeds in creating the series' most generous ambience.

Hunt was right in surrounding Lazenby with experienced actors. Whenever Rigg, Savalas or Ferzetti graced the screen, it showcased why Bond has endured five and half decades - everything just works. They shine as their respective characters and cements Tracy as the best Bond girl, Draco as the best ally, and Savages as the best Blofeld.

Absolutely agree here, and the other key to OHMSS enduring quality is the balance between drama and action which works to make it still seem modern yet also echoing that golden era of cinema adventure and drama.

FieldsMan wrote:

This trio is perhaps the strongest of supporting cast to ever grace a Bond film - maybe rivalled by that of Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya and Pedro Armendariz in FRWL, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco and [take your pick of the excellent Gottfried John or Famke Janssen] in GE, and Judi Dench, Javier Bardem and Berenice Marlohe in SF. It's a mystery why on some occasions that they don't prioritise acting ability since it really does enhance the film.

Ironically I always recall the build to the release of NSNA and the this was a core stated ambition/sentiment of NSNA - in many ways that does enjoy a superlative cast for its vintage yet sadly somehow ends up being less than the sum of its parts.

FieldsMan wrote:

Does anyone else watch the early films with Blofeld and try to block the thought that Bond and Blofeld are made to be brothers? Sigh.

Thankfully I have no problem in leaving CR, QoS and SP (and tangentially DAF, LALD, TMWTGG) as a totally different and self contained timelines....one of the things I like most about SF is that it is almost easier to regard it as a continuation of the pre CR series than it is to connect to its immediate predecessors.
[/quote]

Yeah, the action organically sprouts from the drama. It's interesting how the film really isn't action heavy until Bond escapes Piz Gloria, and what we do get is entirely warranted because it's been superbly set up.

I'll have to try harder with keeping SP15 at the door when watching DN-DAF. And you're right. SF feels more like a follow on from DAD than it does to the CR-QOS storyline. Especially considering that Brosnan wasn't a spring chicken in his last film.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Well, it's clear that TWINE is meant to be set during the festive season-ish of '99. But Majesty's is the vastly superior film.    

Is it though? If anything, I think it was more concerned with setting up the new millennium, and Christmas was a byproduct. And of course, having its title derive from OHMSS, along with a ski chase homage, a couple of references to Christmas makes sense.

But you're right. OHMSS is superior - but only just in my book.

My Bond drought continues.

Enjoying my Bourne Boxed set collection though....

Live and Let Die (1973)

Oddly enough this is a Bond I don't watch all that often anymore and after watching it tonight as the first film of the year I can't imagine why this one dropped in favor for me. Alongside Diamonds Are Forever it feels a bit oddball compared to the other Bond films centered around international intrigue but it's still a blast to watch. Like DAF it feels like it has elements of the crime films of that era such as seedy locales, car chases and some heavy 70's gangster lingo this time in blaxploitation fashion. Also like DAF there is an eerie element to this one although instead of the intimidating presence of Wint and Kidd we get the voodoo and tarot card elements which added a bit of creep factor to the film especially the demonic-looking scarecrows with cameras and guns which I remember being pretty scary as a kid. Yaphet Kotto's performance is still great especially in his scenes with Solitaire. Roger does a solid enough job for his debut as Bond and David Hedison is still probably the better Felix Leiter of the pre-Craig era. The only real problem I have is how the second half does feel a bit too chase-focused and while the chases themselves are great they seemed to come in too quite succession after each other which hinders the pace a little bit. Also odd that this and the following TMWTGG would be shot in 1.85 instead of the Bond standard 2.35 aspect ratio. Granted it works perfectly and isn't a distraction but still odd and noteworthy nonetheless.

I'd say it still remains a 9/10 though, a point still docked for the pacing of the second half.

Oddball is a good way to describe LALD, though unlike DAF, I feel like any attempt at humour was overshadowed by the weird voodoo overlay (and I find Sheriff Jay Dubya Trump to be more of an irritant than anything else). Also, I suppose LALD's villain is actually sinister and not a camper-than-a-row-of-pink-tents Englishman. LALD has just never struck the right tone for me, as I can't take it seriously and nor do I find it charming or amusing.

It's rather hard to believe only a mere decade separates FRWL and LALD. The art of filmmaking and that thing we broadly call culture changed immensely.

Bond vs. a heroin dealer is an unusually low-key plot for the series, although it's possible they were doing that 'palate cleanser' thing where a more down-to-Earth entry follows a string of over-the-top ones.

I've never thought too highly of LALD. It has consistently occupied a spot within the bottom five of my ranking. However, there are highlights - the crocodile farm, Bond's assault on voodoo island (until he heads down to the Ken Adams-lite set), the end of the boat chase (the whole chase should have been scored and/or trimmed in the editing room), Yaphet Kotto and Julius Harris. Plus, the score is excellent - I always enjoy listening to the soundtrack more than watching the film...

And Live and Let Die's title sequence - the music and the visuals click so well that it's perhaps the best combination of any Bond film - maybe rivalled by Goldeneye, A View to a Kill, From Russia With Love and The World Is Not Enough.

The song is a cracker, but I'm afraid the Dayglo guns firing shoddily-animated lasers and shots of Moore culled from previous title sequences don't exactly distinguish AVTAK'S for me.

Fair enough. It's part of the charm for me. And the opening shot of the zipper and boobs and later, the streamers and the fluorescent colours on the girls do it for me.

I remember after we got the Bond's on VHS (ah, glory days) and I said about watching LALD. My Dad got all stinky about it. Turns out back in the day it was shown as half of a double feature and he had to sit through LALD to watch the other film.

On the other hand, LALD has the odd moment I don't mind but it's not top 10 sadly. Jane Seymour notwithstanding.

I'm often surprised when LALD is in one's top 10. It has it's highlights, but overall it's just... dull.

LALD will always have a special place for me in that it was the 'latest' Bond when I was first becoming a fan...it was the first full film soundtrack I had too albeit I had already got a couple of compilation albums from the previous films however it was in effect also the film that kick-started my appreciation of film music as a whole. All that said its stock has fallen greatly the last few times I saw it, and now its certainly bottom 10 if not bottom five for me no where near as quirky or sharp as its immediate predecessor but thankfully not as off key as its successor.

Even viewed as an absurdist black comedy, I can't put DAF ahead of LALD. It has its moments (the dialogue when Bond meets Plenty and the glass-panelled elevator fight, for instance) but too much of the rest is sloppy and lacklustre.

DAF is ahead for me simply for the Las Vegas setting, a more interesting character in Tiffany Case (than Solitaire), Connery, and sharper dialogue. Still, they're neighbours toward the bottom of the list.

Casino Royale (2006)

God. That was the most painful sitting of this film. It doesn't flow. It's definitely a film divided by three set pieces. It really could have been something, with Fleming's novel as the source material, but they really stuffed it up.

- Why does Bond fall in love with Vesper?
- Why do they decide they are going to psychoanalyse each other when they first meet?
- Why does Bond suck her fingers? People hate how Bond touches the screen in TWINE, but this is another level of perverse sentimentality.
- Why doesn't Mollaka shoot Bond?
- Why does Bond break into M's apartment? Can't it take place in the office?
- Why is Moneypenny a man?
- Why does M (and Villiers) fly to the Bahamas? Villiers doesn't say anything. Does M fly out to see all collateral damage caused by an agent's operations? Perhaps she wanted to buy Dimitrios' house now it's available. Using state funds, I'm assuming.
- How does Vesper know how to use the defribulator?
- I thought Bond's womanising and detachment stemmed from Vesper. Why is this constantly referenced prior to Vesper's suicide?
- Why the change to Montenegro?
- Why is a 38 year old man playing a rookie agent? Why is he a rookie agent? Why the promotion then? Why is he so adverse to authority? Doesn't his naval background count for anything? It's such a stupid film.
- Craig's performance isn't even all that. I mean, he stares blankly into people's eyes and his tonality is all over the place. The scene with Vesper on the beach, and Solange with the DB5 epitomise this. When he says "very", it sounds like he's reading for the first time.

Hard to argue with some of those points. Most striking perhaps is the fact that Bond is made to be a rebellious near-middle-aged man with an anti-authoritarian attitude despite previously having been a Commander in the Royal Navy.

I don't know if Bond's womanising necessarily stems from Vesper. I just assumed it had to do with his daddy issues or whatever.

Can't recall if it was ever stated why they picked Montenegro over France. I presume it had something to do with the fact they filmed it in the Czech Republic and therefore thought they had to go with somewhere east of the Iron Curtain as the setting. Odd choice really.

CJB wrote:

I don't know if Bond's womanising necessarily stems from Vesper. I just assumed it had to do with his daddy issues or whatever.

Can't recall if it was ever stated why they picked Montenegro over France. I presume it had something to do with the fact they filmed it in the Czech Republic and therefore thought they had to go with somewhere east of the Iron Curtain as the setting. Odd choice really.

I wonder if France was used, if Vesper's death would be more akin to the novel. Not that the impact would have been better anyway - if the relationship isn't there to begin with how she died wouldn't have mattered.

Yep, CR's issues for me are definitely its pacing and length and Bond's attitude being more befitting of a man who's at least 10-15 years younger.