Last Bond Movie You Watched.

CJB wrote:

Part of the appeal is that Koskov and Whitaker are a pair of schmucks motivated by pure greed, rather than supervillains bent on remaking the world.

I'd also restate that Dalton is head and shoulders above any other 007 lead in terms of acting chops - regardless of whether he was the best or coolest cinematic Bond. The man can convey a million emotions with just his eyes. "I got the message."

Agreed, the moment with the balloon at the fair comes to mind (just prior to the message quote). More with that expression than I'd say Craig has managed.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

CJB wrote:

Part of the appeal is that Koskov and Whitaker are a pair of schmucks motivated by pure greed, rather than supervillains bent on remaking the world.

I'd also restate that Dalton is head and shoulders above any other 007 lead in terms of acting chops - regardless of whether he was the best or coolest cinematic Bond. The man can convey a million emotions with just his eyes. "I got the message."

Agreed, the moment with the balloon at the fair comes to mind (just prior to the message quote). More with that expression than I'd say Craig has managed.

I'd agree with that. I see the acting when it comes to Craig, and I shouldn't. Dalton is leagues ahead of Putin.

"You know much about guns, Mr Bond?
-No, but I know a little about women."


Thunderball


out of nowhere a watch of TB. I put this soundtrack and Goldfinger onto my phone for the commute and decided to seek it out. An odd film for me in that it has shot up my intermittent rankings in ten years and yet it formed some of my earliest memories of Bond (chiefly the street chase, Bond going into the toilets to sort out his wound, the plane on the ocean floor and Bond in the shark tank).


On one hand a quintessential Bond and on another, one where you can see why Bond became ripe for parody by even this stage of the sixties. The credits for example remind me of Spy Hard (or vice versa, I guess), the black uniformed goons, the meeting of Spectre and so on.


But as I say it's crept up my rankings from 15 out of 22 (pre-Skyfall/Spectre) in 2009 to 6th out of 24 in 2015. (Rising by three films alone betwixt 2014 and 2015). Tonight I find it a fun film -the underwater sequences do threaten to lose my interest but overall it was a good watch. I was going to wax lyrical about the differences in the GF and TB scores to each other but needless to say the score does the job. The absolute must is Chateau Flight, that sped up Bond theme as Bond lays into the colonel, followed by Street Chase (how the 007 theme starts, stops, gets going) and Death of Fiona (you're sucked into the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang melody then suddenly there's nothing but the drum and culminating in Fiona's shooting).

In spite of my slight fixation on dubbing (of even the RAF chap at the 00 meeting), it's easy to be swayed by Fiona Volpe over Largo. Largo is a menacing, controlling villain but Fiona tops the list. She's as calculating, as cunning, as evil as any Spectre agent in a way. Evil might be too strong a word but as a redhead she has my attention from start to end. Indeed, the street chase scene is a case of Bond looking slightly worried for his future, trying to get away from the goons. He thinks he's gotten away and then, wham, there she is. Connery's expressions in the film are golden and no less in these scenes. Note in the car as the drunk bothers the Spectre goons -just prior to kicking out, it's not quite a masterclass but it's there (and again, when Fiona cuts into the dance. A slight "shit" expression but almost accepting of his fate. Like Bond rinkside in OHMSS). Though after Fiona's shot, there's a grim faced reality- "the bitch is dead".
Ditto, when Bond discovers Paula. For a female agent, who don't quite have pedigree in the films, she holds her own and her demise is a loss felt. Bond's brief acknowledgment, head down get away, seems ideal. No tears shed, no sense hanging round.

I can't help but wonder if Connery did as good as he could for TB despite perhaps tiring of the franchise. I say this, as TB was meant to be the first film and in some interview, Connery stated he read only TB prior to starring as Bond.

It's grand in scope, even if the room for the Double-Oh/M meeting seems far too grand for such a thing. It is good, however, to have the others featured even if not on the nose (the scene, as does later uses of the room, does feature the greats that were Roland Culver and Reginald Beckwith, the latter being his last film virtually).

Now, Felix...not the worst but not the best. I think Van Nutter does all right even if his intro, as Bond sort of points out, is hilariously bad. "I'm sorry Felix...you were about to say 007". Perhaps if he returned in DAF, say, he would not have dressed so loudly. Or maybe he would: "Say James, whose the chick in the swimming pool?"

The final battle is on one side good, on the other threatening to overwhelm. Barry's music lends an air of menace as you see the Marines drop in and then it's all go. Perhaps too long. Though I do like the involvement of HMS Rothesay doing things the old fashioned way (even if the shot of Largo's men, abandoned on the aft section of the DV, seems comical somehow. As I say, kind of thing ripe for parody in Austin Powers for example).

One aside is, is it me or does Connery look quite pale in the early part of the film? The PTS and British-based scenes, in contrast to the Caribbean seem a different man almost (something I did twig properly this time round, was during the chateau fight, when Bond steps back to avoid the colonel's flung objects, completely different looking man to Connery. Not so much a stand in or double, as someone off the street).

But yes, good enough.

FieldsMan wrote:

Hilly KCMG wrote:

CJB wrote:

Part of the appeal is that Koskov and Whitaker are a pair of schmucks motivated by pure greed, rather than supervillains bent on remaking the world.

I'd also restate that Dalton is head and shoulders above any other 007 lead in terms of acting chops - regardless of whether he was the best or coolest cinematic Bond. The man can convey a million emotions with just his eyes. "I got the message."

Agreed, the moment with the balloon at the fair comes to mind (just prior to the message quote). More with that expression than I'd say Craig has managed.

I'd agree with that. I see the acting when it comes to Craig, and I shouldn't. Dalton is leagues ahead of Putin.

Sorry Fields, posted my TB thing as you wrote this. But yes, you do see it with Craig but Dalton makes it natural. Never has a balloon being popped been so fantastic.

Indeed.

Good Thunderball write up, by the by. Again, not a lot to disagree with. Though I assume only in hindsight would one surmise that it's ripe for parody? Such grandness in TB, mostly (not exclusively, mind) in the form of Adams' sets and Barry's music, encompasses much of what makes James Bond so exciting. Parody was bound to happen because such a world, so extravagant and bizarre, would easily lend itself to lighter, comical spoofs, but not due to a perceived excessive nature of the 60s films.

TLD is the most underrated film ever made IMO. No contest. What many fail to realize is that not only is the 25th silver anniversary Bond but also is the one film to effectively bridge the gap between Fleming and the film series-by making the fun and escapism of a Bond film come right smack into the present day Cold War scenario. it builds upon everything the films had been doing since FYEO, and honestly finally nails the tonal balance between light and dark.

Barry's score is a masterwork of film composition and is arguably alongside OHMSS and The IPCRESS File his greatest. It certainly is the most developed and farthest reaching in terms of sheer work. Especially when considering that the score itself has the JB theme, the Main title theme, The love theme built around the end title theme, themes around the THIRD song "Where has Everybody Gone", the themes for the opening, distinct thematics for the middle and third section, a developed climactic resolution theme for Whitaker's comeuppance, new styles of synthesizer throughout, more development of his refined string style that began all the way back on TMWTGG..and did I mention there are THREE songs written for the film, all of which are outstanding!?!?!?!

Dalton is absolutely magnificent in every way. He has the perfect brutal charm necessary and is absolutely spot on in every scene so much so that I adore the way that his tailoring even underlines his devil may care refined attitude. I've always felt those who claim he hasn't charm, humor or isn't the ideal casting have never read Fleming in their life. And to top it all he is absolutely seething with conviction, so much so that he absolutely IS the character onscreen as mentioned previously.

If Bond existed in the real world at that time, TD personifies him perfectly. And the cherry on top is the wistful romanticism that comes directly from the master's Royal typewriter.

After revisiting TB in my annual rewatch, I finally started to enjoy it again. I got so caught up in the analysis of it that I fell into believing it a slog that everyone accuses the film of being and forgot just how fun it is and how much energy it has over GF. Despite GF being an untouchable classic it was such an about face from the previous two in tone that I've never been able to fully 100% adore the way the masses do. I'm admittedly through and through a Terrence Young man, and you can absolutely feel that charge back in TB right off the bat-especially when watching the films back to back. (I adore Hamilton though. This is nothing against his body of work, of which I've seen most of, but he didn't take the stories seriously in the way that Young did.)

That said; the production was too rushed, Kevin McClory had input as producer, the overall story was still hearkening back to the treatment and Maibaum's 1961 draft script, the "including the kitchen sink" mentality was in to go big as it was full spy craze mania throughout the world-and the overall result just isn't the same as it was when they had the freedom to do what they wanted and make pure magic. Partly it's the producer's fault in trying to meet the 1965 release date and not obeying their usual techniques which really wouldn't be stuck to again until OHMSS. Partly it's due to things not being quite the same because of the massive success. Again, there's the problems inherent to the story that drag down the film. Peter Hunt tied a new editing style based around optical wipe transitions that drag the pacing down considerably.

All those aside: the film is still an absolute classic, still works and has dare I say it-more energy and drive to it than GF does. I don't think there's too much underwater material at all. In fact I think it works perfectly and the whole film is integrated with a certain rhythm that it is to me the definitive water film for all times. The only ting is where Hunt was old to go back and make the final battle longer when it was originally cut short.

The photography is exquisite for a 60's scope film. Sharp and colorful. The video transfers do not do it justice. There's still the differing soundmix edits that drive me nuts because I cannot nail down the lineage of them. The mono is head and shoulders above the remix audio, but I grew up with the remix with the different lines and JB theme end cue so I have fondness for it.

FieldsMan wrote:

Thank you for noticing. However the non-negotiability derives from the fact that the reaction is completely out of character for Bond rather than my personal internet badassery.  It's one of Bond's defining characteristics that he is as cool as a cucumber. In the dictionary, under cool, there is a picture of James Bond. Sadly, because of that scene, it is a picture of Roger Moore as Bond rather than Pierce Brosnan.

After the book, the film. Goldfinger

contrasting to TB, this has shrunk down my rankings a little. In 2015 I have it one below Spectre in 11th (and one ahead of DAF). For whatever reason it tailed off in the column. As Fields said in response to my TB review, only in hindsight is it ripe for parody -the reveal of the white tux from under a wetsuit (fantastically watertight suit at that), the Korean goons in their uniform, etc.

But it's an enjoyable enough film. I was going to do a separate thread elsewhere for the music of GF and TB but here it goes. FRWL was a good score but it seems that here in Goldfinger the music reached that next level and the Bond films truly felt part of the sixties. There's something about the scores of Connery's last three sixties films that have a certain feel and if you listened in isolation make you think "Connery's Bond". It's bold and brassy with a jazzy opening ("Bond Back in Action Again"), the song of course is a classic (whereas I'm not overly keen on Thunderball) and the remainder has fantastic highlights of which my favourite is Oddjob's Pressing Engagement. Second to that, Dawn Raid on Fort Knox, both loud in a delightful way.

Connery has the choice of expressions again -the slight narrowing of the eyes as the explosion goes off in the PTS, his look in the DB5 as he drives through the checkpoint, the weariness to the old woman and then...well, the look we must all have had when we first saw it, when he sees grandma suddenly toting. (Surely one of the most bizarre moments in Bond. As Han Solo once said, "where did you dig up that old fossil?")

But sadly, as much as Cec Linder probably was a decent chap in real life, not the best Felix. Forty-three when he played Leiter to Connery's thirty-four there is an uneven dynamic that is perhaps matched by Burton/Connery in terms of the age. (I have a soft spot for Burton. Again, DAF was my Dad's favourite film and so we watched it a lot and you kind of get used to him. Even if his Felix was...well, sub par to say the least). I was tempted to say Linder is the worst Felix but then John Terry came haring into my mind.

Part of me wishes they kept the saw from the book and not make it a laser. Yes it's 1964, lasers are cool and hi-tech but the saw packs a certain potency to Bond's gentleman's area that the laser somehow lacks. Do like how when Bond is throwing out words, Goldfinger is just not bothered. Even when Bond blurts: "OPERATION GRAND SLAM for instance"...he has time to debate it, clearly Kwouk is more bothered and rightly our Auric says two words you've heard by chance. I still wonder how much English Gert Frobe spoke (as of course he's dubbed and presumably by the same chap for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). I only say this as I'm always curious when these actors are dubbed (Largo in TB, Draco in OHMSS) how it affects the interplay acting wise. Like how I read that for Wrath of Khan, Montalban had to read his lines (directed to Kirk across the viewscreen) to a script girl who read Kirk's back and then Shatner did his part of the dialogue later and to the script girl, again.

Anyway. Sorry chaps. Somewhat glad I never kept my blog going.

Please tell me you've reorganised GF and TB to be well away from SP in your ranking, Hilly?

I know what you mean re: the identity of the Connery era Bond music. Just like Barry giving Moore the lighter string and brass arrangement of the Bond theme whereas Connery had the darker guitar riff along with the sexier brass and string elements.

I do think it was a bit of a mistake giving Dalton the same (or remarkably similar) gun barrel music of TMWTGG/MR/OP/AVTAK in TLD. A Connery-esque sounding gun barrel would have worked a lot better- or even something with the 80s electronica that accompanied the action cues during the PTS and car chase.

OO7 wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

Thank you for noticing. However the non-negotiability derives from the fact that the reaction is completely out of character for Bond rather than my personal internet badassery.  It's one of Bond's defining characteristics that he is as cool as a cucumber. In the dictionary, under cool,  there is a picture of James Bond. Sadly, because of that scene, it is a picture of Roger Moore as Bond rather than Pierce Brosnan.

Well there's enough room for the 'cool as a cucumber' Bond in the rest of the film. I like it. Brosnan sells it.

I meant to say that a piece of music that seems typical of that Connery comes at the end of "Golden Girl" (on the expanded release) accompanying the shot of the Houses of Parliament. Makes it seem much more menacing or important.

Er, I don't think I've had a rehash of my rankings since 2015. Such is life since, moving house, longer working days and sporadic days off it's been tricky to find the time to string together a Bondathon (long gone were the days of 2002-04 where I could cram most in between Dec 1st and Xmas Day). Needless to say Spectre has sunk in my mind, indeed I've become so fed up of the Craig era bar Skyfall (I watch it as little as possible, as Brown once said, to keep it as fresh and good as long as possible).

Trouble with Dalton is his two films. There's not long enough to give him an ID musically. Lazenby is lucky for much of what is in OHMSS is more or less specific to his tenure, the instrumental for We Have all the Time in the World, the main theme of course, the sound of Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway etc. Dalton has on one hand Barry's score which has shades of his latter Moore scores and on the other hand, Kamen's score which though good has great shades of Die Hard.

Though debatable would he have had other composers had his tenure continued unhindered. Might Kamen have done a third Dalton film? Would Eric Serra have done a Dalton Bond circa 1995...?

Easiest answer would be Kamen since he did Lethal Weapon 2 and 3 in the same interim. Barry would have come back at some point because it was before he was being kept out in 1997 for TND.

Barry does give Dalton a sonic identity in the TLD gunbarrel despite it being classically styled and in his later string style that was on OP and AVTAK. If closely scrutinized each one of those three is totally different.

Having finished The Gulag Archipelago, I was interested in rewatching the Russian James Bond film so I popped in Goldeneye, which has given me a renewed appreciation of one of my favourite films. No longer am I (either) nonchalant or critical of Bond's mowing down Russians in the PTS, but rather satisfied. The extent of communist sadism was only known through statistics but this book highlighted the senseless torture they put their own people through, so if Bond was a bit trigger friendly during the Cold War than more power to him. It should have happened sooner in the series.

With a greater understanding of the Lienz Cossacks I have a clearer understanding of the scene between Bond and Valentin - even the unrelated trade-off Bond suggests in order to set up a meeting between Bond and Janus. While it proves futile (Xenia clearly beat him too it. I would have liked to have seen this played out) it lends the film such insight into the old and new Russia.

While the titles sequence has always been my no.1 in the series, if it was ever in doubt of being replaced, it's been cemented as the best. It's such a striking yet sexy sequence. I'm a big fan of Kleinman's titles, and hope he sticks around longer than Binder did, but it's going to be very difficult to top his first.

If You Only Live Twice is the Japanese Bond film, and From Russia With Love the Istanbul Bond film, Goldeneye truly is The Russian Bond film. I caught glimpses of Octopussy while it was on TV the other night, and I was struck by the Russian's statement: 'We will achieve worldwide socialism peaceably". Sorry old boy, but clearly that wasn't even working in your own country. How do you propose to do that worldwide? Berkoff's General Orlov suddenly doesn't seem all that farfetched, to be honest. I think it was a missed opportunity to really highlight the Russians' ruthlessness which could have culminated in some great James Bond films during the Cold War. Even From Russia With Love, by switching SMERSH to SPECTRE. It could mean Rosa Klebb defected either because SMERSH was too sadistic or not sadistic enough. Won't know until I pop that film in again.

After Goldeneye, I watched Die Another Day. What? I was in the mood to watch a communist scheme be undermined.

One thing that film got right is James Bond himself. The writing for Bond was great. I'm not sure Bond himself has ever been as cynical as he is here. Bond was great in Goldeneye; Brosnan's incarnation will always be a perfect balance. But watching DAD directly after GE, there's definitely a greater cynicism that I can only surmise to be the product of Bond's incarceration. And that lasts the entirety of the film-- even Iceland.

Even the first scene with Jinx doesn't grate either because Brosnan delivers such a world-weary performance. The scene could have ended with Bond's "nothing to see until the morning. Not out there anyway". Cue Arnold's music and into the sex scene. I can only assume the dialogue was Tamahori's efforts in his rewrites. Anyway. It's really not that bad. Bond gaining access to Los Organos was very well done. Part of me still wishes for Arnold's alternate track to have been used instead. Maybe there's a fan edit somewhere...

Of course, I would have preferred a more focused film, but it wasn't to be and this it what I consider 'middle of the road' in terms of Bond films. Probably sits around 14.

One of the real tragedies of this film was the green Jaguar. It would have looked a lot better if that car wasn't such an ugly green and maybe a jet black? The green against the ice never sat well with me. Minor gripe. A cosmetic one. Just like the CGI. Just like the dialogue for Jinx. As for Halle Berry, she's easy on the eyes and she's a convincing agent. Makes me wonder how she'd have turned out were it not for the mediocre dialogue. Probably better remembered.

As for the CGI - not even the tidal wave annoys me. It's charming like some of the very worst 60s era effects. Why? Because the integrity of Bond's character is still there. He's using his wits to get out of a situation and the CGI last mere minutes. I'd much rather watch that then some of the later films scenes that compromise James Bond himself into something he is not. Plus, it has Arnold who wasn't told not to use the Bond theme. In a Bond film. And Newman who is as dull as dishwater.

PB's Bond performance is excellent in DAD-it's the film that lets him down and makes a number of moments fall flat. There's a lot of nuance there he puts in that many don't notice. My favorites are the Bond on his own bits, all the scenes with Raoul who was setup to be a sort of Cuban Kerim Bey and is painfully underutilized-but most of all the shaken confidence of Bond here and the elements of him being out in the cold away from the fold at MI6 which of course hadn't been done onscreen since LTK.

I can agree GE is the most Russian feeling of the series, but moreover it takes much inspiration from the 90's Eurothriller genre. GE has such a rich style that defines the entire picture and I think is it's greatest asset.

Die Another Day is pretty OTT but I enjoyed it well enough in the theatre. Bond surfing into NK is silly, specops frogmen do use surfboards but they don't stand up on them and actually surf. The Vanish is silly but not overused. The most unbelievable aspect is that it repairs itself, the invisibilty part is demonstrated so well with Q walking behind it  that suspension of disbelief is easy. And the henchman crashing into it was good, even invisible cars can be found the hard way.
Probably the worst part for me is when Bond tries to shoot Frost with an empty gun. He's a professional, there's no way on earth he wouldn't have automatically checked that it was still loaded when he picked it up in the morning.
The sonic ring is used so well that I can forgive it, too.
Bond meditating to slow his heart rate to escape from MI6 and apparently to help him survive torture was nicely done. Two birds with one stone.
I rather like DAD, all told. John Cleese was good as Q, too bad they dropped him for the reboot. Too bad they dropped Pierce, for that matter.

I like that Cleese has now slagged off the series for losing its sense of identity. I thought he was a worthy successor to Llewelyn and look forward to his scenes when watching the films.

Shame he also didn't discuss his time on the series when I saw him live a few years back.

Brosnan in DAD is what I wish we had in all four his films. He's no Jason Isaacs, but he (performance wise, at least) he went off on a high note.

FieldsMan wrote:

I like that Cleese has now slagged off the series for losing its sense of identity.

More like sour grapes, but I can't blame him feeling that way after being dumped after two films.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Brosnan in DAD is what I wish we had in all four his films... but he (performance wise, at least) he went off on a high note.

All four films were a high note. GE showcased Bond at the top of his game, and DAD showed Bond after being through hell. Both great performances. There's too much good stuff from Brosnan to ignore in his first film: the graveyard, interrogation and beach scenes, Bond meeting Wade, M briefing, Bond on the train, his fight with Alec and his death scene for all the dramatic stuff. And for the lighter stuff, any scene between Bond and Natalya, Bond during the tank chase, Bond's car chase with Xenia... It's all top stuff.

I forgot to post this with the original write up, but I've always thought this short scene was Brosnan arguably at his coolest (rivalled by many, including Bond in the hotel room in TND): https://screenmusings.org/movie/blu-ray/Goldeneye/pages/Goldeneye-0461.htm.

FieldsMan wrote:

I like that Cleese has now slagged off the series for losing its sense of identity.

I'd have to agree. The whole idea of an origin story for Bond was misguided.  Bond knows which wine to order with which dish, dresses well, is comfortable in a London club or a casino  because he's an English gentleman. He learned all that from his parents and from being a public-school boy. His lethal skills would have been learned in the navy.  There's a type of man who goes into that sort of work and they are born, not made, but they do need training. No doubt he is commando qualified, was  trained as a swimmer/canoeist and mountain leader and served in the SBS, the naval/marine equivalent of the SAS. So all that emo shit and lectures from some little old lady are face-palmingly silly.

FieldsMan wrote:

Makeshift Python wrote:

Brosnan in DAD is what I wish we had in all four his films... but he (performance wise, at least) he went off on a high note.

All four films were a high note.

Don't try to fool me, I've seen TND and TWINE.

OO7 wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

I like that Cleese has now slagged off the series for losing its sense of identity.

I'd have to agree. The whole idea of an origin story for Bond was misguided.  Bond knows which wine to order with which dish, dresses well, is comfortable in a London club or a casino  because he's an English gentleman. He learned all that from his parents and from being a public-school boy. His lethal skills would have been learned in the navy.  There's a type of man who goes into that sort of work and they are born, not made, but they do need training. No doubt he is commando qualified, was  trained as a swimmer/canoeist and mountain leader and served in the SBS, the naval/marine equivalent of the SAS. So all that emo shit and lectures from some little old lady are face-palmingly silly.

And Vesper dressing him. Priceless!

There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets, dinner jackets and dinner jackets. I need you in a dinner jacket that is different to your dinner jacket so that my dinner jacket becomes synonymous with James Bond, suggesting that your dinner jacket was wrong because a grown man wouldn't know how to dress in terms of dinner jackets because it's the 21st century, and we women have to signal how men dress in dinner jackets, to highlight the great women behind the questionable men. In dinner jackets. #DinnerJacketsToo.

I am happiest...when in the saddle

View to A Kill

much like Moonraker (and I suppose all Bond's), VTAK's pre-titles sequence is the film in microcosm. Some ruthlessness by Bond, pesky and feckless villains, on the nose gadget (the British flagged iceberg sub) and er, a Beach Boys (albeit cover) song plus hot young woman that is at least half Sir Roger's age.

It's a guilty pleasure film. This and DAF have been knackered into submission through years of an old VHS (that still bore the old ITN/ITV bits) and then the fact this was one of three we owned on 'proper' VHS.
Not the worst film but coming after FYEO and Octopussy it feels in parts, tired and worn. But for all that is written about our Roge, would Dalton have done any better? I've theorised before how good it would've been to see Walken/Dalton square off (even if Walken/Moore is still quite enjoyable to see such as at City Hall) but imagine if Dalton had gotten the gig and VTAK remained much as we see it. Not quite the debut you'd want.

For me, part of the joy about VTAK is Moore/Macnee. Even if when they break into the facility below, they are dressed like two middle-aged chaps out on a bender from the pub. Though of all the years I've watched it, today was the first time I've noticed that when Bond goes to face the goon (who's just seen off Macnee), quite clearly visible with eyes shut is Macnee's double/stuntman. I mean he's clearly on camera face visible. Usually you're drawn to the hulk but yes...little things. I still chuckle at 'St. John's effort to 'lighten' Tibbett's load when they turn up. "Let me help you.../"Oh thank you sir".
Maybe a shame he was not able to return for Living Daylights. Or even Licence To Kill. Bond's somewhat put upon man on the ground in Isthmus City. "Tibbett what the flaming hell are you doing here?"
His death, like Vijay's before and the Countessa etc, does give Moore's Bond the perfect reason to look quietly pissed. Something Moore could do quite well, right out of The Saint.

Moore does well, I always skate past his physical look, the work done etc, the hair...er, having a second life, but he does admirably. Walken is of course a delight. Moore truly was blessed with at least three or four well acted villains.
Stacy, well, as previously noted, I don't watch Tanya Roberts for her acting chops. I've had a crush on her since I saw this film when I was small and it persisted into That 70s Show.

Musically it's great -the great shame is that much of it does not appear on the official release. The arrival at Walken's stables (quite similar to Barry's Robin and Marian music "Ride to Sherwood"), the fight at Stacey's house (the use of the Bond theme reminiscent of Thunderball's "Chateau Flight"), the horse chase, the very end piece of music for the shower, etc. That said, what's left on the OST is not bad. He's Dangerous has been a favourite forever and a day.

It's a silly film and yet you have the mine massacre which has never bothered me -Zorin is a psycho and that's how he does his job (i.e dropping man into a blender). Mayday is not bad - I don't know whether it's me getting older but she's a good enough character, skip the bed scene. And it does have the City Hall ladder moment. Epitome of some kind of hero.

So, yes

FieldsMan wrote:

OO7 wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

I like that Cleese has now slagged off the series for losing its sense of identity.

I'd have to agree. The whole idea of an origin story for Bond was misguided.  Bond knows which wine to order with which dish, dresses well, is comfortable in a London club or a casino  because he's an English gentleman. He learned all that from his parents and from being a public-school boy. His lethal skills would have been learned in the navy.  There's a type of man who goes into that sort of work and they are born, not made, but they do need training. No doubt he is commando qualified, was  trained as a swimmer/canoeist and mountain leader and served in the SBS, the naval/marine equivalent of the SAS. So all that emo shit and lectures from some little old lady are face-palmingly silly.

And Vesper dressing him. Priceless!

There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets, dinner jackets and dinner jackets. I need you in a dinner jacket that is different to your dinner jacket so that my dinner jacket becomes synonymous with James Bond, suggesting that your dinner jacket was wrong because a grown man wouldn't know how to dress in terms of dinner jackets because it's the 21st century, and we women have to signal how men dress in dinner jackets, to highlight the great women behind the questionable men. In dinner jackets. #DinnerJacketsToo.

LOL and yes, spot on!

Hilly KCMG wrote:

For me, part of the joy about VTAK is Moore/Macnee. Even if when they break into the facility below, they are dressed like two middle-aged chaps out on a bender from the pub. Though of all the years I've watched it, today was the first time I've noticed that when Bond goes to face the goon (who's just seen off Macnee), quite clearly visible with eyes shut is Macnee's double/stuntman. I mean he's clearly on camera face visible. Usually you're drawn to the hulk but yes...little things. I still chuckle at 'St. John's effort to 'lighten' Tibbett's load when they turn up. "Let me help you.../"Oh thank you sir".

"Stop wheezing, Tibbet"

Hilly KCMG wrote:

I am happiest...when in the saddle

View to A Kill

much like Moonraker (and I suppose all Bond's), VTAK's pre-titles sequence is the film in microcosm. Some ruthlessness by Bond, pesky and feckless villains, on the nose gadget (the British flagged iceberg sub) and er, a Beach Boys (albeit cover) song plus hot young woman that is at least half Sir Roger's age.

It's a guilty pleasure film. This and DAF have been knackered into submission through years of an old VHS (that still bore the old ITN/ITV bits) and then the fact this was one of three we owned on 'proper' VHS.
Not the worst film but coming after FYEO and Octopussy it feels in parts, tired and worn. But for all that is written about our Roge, would Dalton have done any better? I've theorised before how good it would've been to see Walken/Dalton square off (even if Walken/Moore is still quite enjoyable to see such as at City Hall) but imagine if Dalton had gotten the gig and VTAK remained much as we see it. Not quite the debut you'd want.

For me, part of the joy about VTAK is Moore/Macnee. Even if when they break into the facility below, they are dressed like two middle-aged chaps out on a bender from the pub. Though of all the years I've watched it, today was the first time I've noticed that when Bond goes to face the goon (who's just seen off Macnee), quite clearly visible with eyes shut is Macnee's double/stuntman. I mean he's clearly on camera face visible. Usually you're drawn to the hulk but yes...little things. I still chuckle at 'St. John's effort to 'lighten' Tibbett's load when they turn up. "Let me help you.../"Oh thank you sir".
Maybe a shame he was not able to return for Living Daylights. Or even Licence To Kill. Bond's somewhat put upon man on the ground in Isthmus City. "Tibbett what the flaming hell are you doing here?"
His death, like Vijay's before and the Countessa etc, does give Moore's Bond the perfect reason to look quietly pissed. Something Moore could do quite well, right out of The Saint.

Moore does well, I always skate past his physical look, the work done etc, the hair...er, having a second life, but he does admirably. Walken is of course a delight. Moore truly was blessed with at least three or four well acted villains.
Stacy, well, as previously noted, I don't watch Tanya Roberts for her acting chops. I've had a crush on her since I saw this film when I was small and it persisted into That 70s Show.

Musically it's great -the great shame is that much of it does not appear on the official release. The arrival at Walken's stables (quite similar to Barry's Robin and Marian music "Ride to Sherwood"), the fight at Stacey's house (the use of the Bond theme reminiscent of Thunderball's "Chateau Flight"), the horse chase, the very end piece of music for the shower, etc. That said, what's left on the OST is not bad. He's Dangerous has been a favourite forever and a day.

It's a silly film and yet you have the mine massacre which has never bothered me -Zorin is a psycho and that's how he does his job (i.e dropping man into a blender). Mayday is not bad - I don't know whether it's me getting older but she's a good enough character, skip the bed scene. And it does have the City Hall ladder moment. Epitome of some kind of hero.

So, yes

Good write up, though I don't agree with the 'tired' critique of the film. And I personally prefer the term 'bizarre' than silly, especially for this film, considering tonally it's rather dark. A full soundtrack release would be fantastic... Hear that, LaLaLand Records?

And May Day is brilliant. Grace Jones is a great presence, and her final scene is fantastic.