Last Bond Movie You Watched.

AVTAK's biggest problem is the sense of slowing down, the lowering of stakes and the sedate qualities that are magnified because of this. But if you compare it to anything else of the era it still has intelligence, class, style and is thus still a great picture of its kind.
Not to mention the issues with MGM/UA were growing ever larger and the action film marketplace was becoming increasingly competitive and Bond was already seen as a has been etc.

Taken on its own merits there is a darkness inherent in AVTAK and a richness to the more sedate feel that dovetails with Roger's senior experienced agent that actually works. The darkness is magnified by Zorin, the violence and Barry's going really dark in the score for the first time since OHMSS.

Lowering of the stakes? If we accept the Chantilly scenes as simple characterisation excursions with peppering plot throughout (planting the seeds for Stacey, how microchips could be used, photographing Carl Mortner, reference to Main Strike), once we touch down in San Francisco, that undercurrent of danger increases. By the time we arrive at the mine, I feel the steady build has paid off and the threat becomes one of the more palpable of the series.

About a week ago I did an Asian trilogy with Sean, Roger and Pierce: You Only Live Twice, The Man With The Golden Gun and Die Another Day.

YOLT:
The most consistent thought I had throughout was despite the lack of palpable danger (at least in comparison to the four preceding films) it's still very impressive. Between the space scenes and more alluring, Japan - and all its superbly photographed location work - it would have been an absolute treat in 67. Got me thinking about the travelogue aspect in the 60s. From Jamaica to Istanbul, Switzerland (can't count Kentucky, really), the Bahamas and then Japan, it's no wonder Bond reached mania status. And completely reworked the spy genre in general. As I hinted elsewhere in my levity, the wedding/disguise scenes didn't really detract for me this time round. I liked seeing the Japanese wedding traditions. I don't see it climbing in my rankings however.

TMWTGG:
Was it a conscious decision to try make a FRWL-esque film? The villain(s) is/are targeting Bond while a coveted gadget is being chased. Watching TMWTGG for the first time, the faults in the script wouldn't be glaring. But having seen it as many times as I have, you get to the Andrea hotel scene wonder why she points a gun at Bond since she sent the bullet in the first place. One imagines she'd have seen Bond's statue in the funhouse. Or she'd put two-and-two together. Because up until that point, it works rather well*. Even Q is put to good use (instead of just handing out a gadget or two). Might have been good to see more of Beirut - the colour in the nightclub is great, and the fight, even with the crew reflecting in the mirror, is probably Moore's best. And the Macau scenes in particular are very atmospheric. There are certainly glimpses of a very good film buried in a very confused screenplay, and it's a shame the likes of Christopher Lee is ultimately wasted. And I'll stand by the return of Sheriff J.W. Pepper. By the time he reappears, there's no choice but to sit back and just enjoy it. I liken it to simply vicariously experiencing whatever substance Maibaum and Mankiewicz were taking circa early 1970s.

*I say this but why does Bond need to retrieve Fairbanks' bullet when one was sent to MI6?

DAD:
I still maintain there is a good film buried beneath the cosmetic issues of this film. Because that's what inhibits it - the sci-fi elements. There's so much promise in the first half that the second half does fail to live up to it. Though there are still flashes of it there too. The car chase is fun, I love the ice palace and biodome sets. And the Jinx/Miranda fight is infinitely superior to the Bond/Graves one. But what's set up in the first half keeps me coming back. I wonder if Michelle Yeoh was available, if we'd see more Hong Kong and Cuba and less gimmicky stuff in the second half. Had the search for Zao taken longer than a couple of scenes, maybe we'd get more of the excellent feel of the Raoul/Chang scenes for more of the movie. Maybe if Bond catches up with Zao at the mid point. Who knows. Col. Moon is also superior to Gustav Graves. Maybe Col. Moon going into hiding would have been a better idea. Anyway.

I feel more critical this time round because, I realised, I haven't watched CR, QOS and SP for a few years so I'm not comparing it to them. Maybe I should reintroduce them to my yearly watch lists so I can continue appreciating DAD for what it is. Because as I say, there's still lots to enjoy, from Brosnan's performance, Rosamund Pike, the set design, travelogue feel, Arnold's score and the through line is more compelling than others. It's a missed opportunity, no question. If the second half matched the first, it might just crack top 10. But it doesn't so it's in the middle of the pack for me.

Gave TND and TSWLM a watch tonight. Can someone explain to me why Tanya Roberts is blasted but Barbara Bach is celebrated?

I think in the public consciousness, TSWLM has this kind of aura about it from the song and the parachute downwards. On a level parallel to Goldfinger.

For sure. But Bach is undeniably a weak link. Her character and dynamic with Bond is interesting but it's not deep enough. And I don't buy for a second she is Bond's equal/Russia's top spy. A lot of that has to do with her lack of screen presence.

I can't say I ever saw Barbara Bach being "celebrated". Most of all the acclaim that TSWLM gets has nothing to do with Bach. If anything, maybe the concept of Bond teaming up with a female opposite is commended, but I never hear any praises for Bach's acting.

I think Roberts gets a lot more flack in AVTAK because the film itself is already not recognized as being one of the good installments. Also, a lot of the complaints seem to stem from how annoying she is with her seemingly constant screaming, which I have to agree sounds very annoying to the point I wish Bond had left her to burn in the lift.

Sorry KKBB, but Roberts deserves a lot of the flack she gets. However, we can always agree over one actress who gets more flack than she deserves: Denise Richards.

I see Anya included in many 'top 10 Bond girls' lists, hence why I say she is celebrated.

I think Roberts is much stronger than Bach but I'll happily leave it at Richards is unduly criticised.

Checking out Thunderball for the latets runthrough. As I did a review for the athon, I'll not go into detail but noted two little 'bits that tickle'.

One is that it says "HANDLE LIKE EGGS" on the nukes.

But in the last bit filmed in the Whitehall briefing room, as M and the HomeSec are talking behind them Penny and a RAF bod are sat at a table. He squiggles something, hands pen to Penny, she squiggles and hands it back. They way they pass the pen back and forth, what odds they were playing noughts and crosses?

Ha I'll have to go back and look at that. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the actors were doing.

Watched Dr no on telly the other night (record and watch later...ad free) of-course i have the dvd collection but i don't like the aspect ratio on them, it's like watching through a letter box.
So yeah Dr no has been fairly low in my rankings of the films for ages, so much that i have given it a wide berth for years but as stated it was on telly and i decided it was time to face my fears, i settled down with my pint of John smiths and a packet of skittles and of-course it kicks off with the worst titles of the series (maurice binder?) and no theme song (i don't include three blind mice)straight into some of the worst dialogue and acting courtesy of strangways secretary, but after all of this negativity i really started to find myself getting drawn in by a film i have always been quick to dismiss.
Yes it is certainly very dated but it was probably considered cutting edge in 1962 and i was enjoying it with that in mind. Jack lord is probably my favourite Felix and is almost as cool as Connery, i mean the casino scene is the coolest thing ever aint it?..." i admire your luck mister?"...Bond, James bond.
cigarette hanging off the bottom lip, cool as fuck!
What i diden't get was why was the doc "toppling" American missiles?.was this ever explained in the film and i missed something? .so after a very enjoyable two hours and far to many skittles i came away with a new appreciation of Doctor no which has gone from my bottom five to my top ten

Glad to see people getting a fresh appreciation of DN which I think is supremely undervalued.

The toppling means that Dr. No is using the radio beam from Crab Key to interfere with and essentially redirect the missiles once launched to go and do whatever he deems fit. So at Cape Canaveral mission control they will suddenly lose all control much like what happens in DAF when Blofeld assumes control of the diamond satellite. This is why M in the briefing refers to something going wrong with US launches and missiles crashing way off course. Then he asks 007 about toppling to which Bond replies the he knows of it being about throwing off the controls of a missile with radio beams.

hegottheboot wrote:

Glad to see people getting a fresh appreciation of DN which I think is supremely undervalued.

The toppling means that Dr. No is using the radio beam from Crab Key to interfere with and essentially redirect the missiles once launched to go and do whatever he deems fit. So at Cape Canaveral mission control they will suddenly lose all control much like what happens in DAF when Blofeld assumes control of the diamond satellite. This is why M in the briefing refers to something going wrong with US launches and missiles crashing way off course. Then he asks 007 about toppling to which Bond replies the he knows of it being about throwing off the controls of a missile with radio beams.

Thanks hegottheboot, i was referring to the motive for toppling..what was the illustrious doctor planning? The only thing close to an explanation was that the U.S had refused his services and he was a bit pissed about it...again i may have missed something here

I love Binder's DN titles sequence. One of his best, if I'm completely honest. Draws you right into a world that is perhaps closest to that of Fleming's vision for James Bond. I'm not bothered by the lack of a proper title theme. And I love the Strangways/Trueblood scenes too.

But as HGTB mentions, good that you had a reappraisal of the film. I gave it a rewatch myself last week It probably rounds out of my top 5 these days. I'm so taken by the location work, especially the first half in Kingston. Not that that's the sole reason for my enjoying the film, but it's one of the film's biggest strengths in my eyes.

Dr. No himself is motivated by his hatred of the East and West but he seems to be a mere operative of SPECTRE, carrying out the toppling mission to further their goals and ambitions.

Rewatched DAD.

My God, 2002 feels a lifetime ago. I'm still not hot on Jinx, I feel in this age of various movements that I should be but no. I think Brozzer, for his faults, had one more film in here. DAD shouldn't have been any Bond's final entry. It should certainly be minus Madsen. Sooner Jack Wade having a promotion.

"Jinx! I told you to stay in the office!"

Well, I finally tried to give SPECTRE a second viewing. It was the first time I wanted to walk out of the Theater during a Bond movie, so I didn’t have high expectations for the second watch and yeah...my opinion has not changed. I turned it off after about an hour. I’ll try and finish it tomorrow but still stands out to me as one of the worst Bond films. Perhaps the worst. Even AVTAK (bridge fight, city hall rescue) and TMWTGG (scene with Lazar) have at least one or two cool scenes even though overall they are not great but I really struggle to even find one scene like that in SPECTRE. Hell even DAD has the great scene with Raoul.

Ended up turning it off to watch TND. TND is my comfort food Bond movie. No, it’s not the best. It’s okay. But it’s just fun. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. There’s a charm to it. I don’t know.... a swagger, a confidence to it that I love about the film... that hasn’t been present in a lot of Bond films. Always a fun one to watch for me.

Popping SP out to watch TND... I can do with more of these type of posts around here. One of TND's greatest strengths is indeed it fully embracing that it's a James Bond film. It doesn't undermine itself by being embarrassed by its sense of identity, which I think has plagued the Craig era films. Except Skyfall, which like TND, is very self-assured.

I'm curious to read your thoughts on SP once you watch the second half. If anything, the strongest section (relatively speaking, to reiterate) is indeed that first hour so to think that was enough to turn you off the film is amusing - I don't blame you!

AVTAK also has a superior score, title song and more memorable characters. Iconic, even. Same with TMWTGG with Scaramanga. SP takes an iconic character in Blofeld and pisses on him.

A lot of love around here for TND and yes it's a decent film but Jonathan price camping it up as Carver is not for me and his motives are...well lets just say silly, in fact almost as silly as trying to monopolise water supplies or whatever the fuck is going on in QOS .

I disagree about Pryce's Carver. Not only is he excellent in the role but he's one of the series' best villains. As for his plan, well... time has proven it's all too plausible.

You're bang on about QOS, though.

I really wish the film had at least matched with Pryce's performance. He knew what kind of film he was in and swung for the fences, yet the film doesn't exert that same energy. I don't think another Bond film would until DAD.

Rubbish. It's the perfect balance of real world geopolitical tensions combined with the ostentatious, bizarre nature of Bond's world, both which characterise Fleming's vision of his character, too. Overtly, Pryce's Carver represents the latter but strangely captures the former too, particularly in his virtual meeting scene. His scene with Paris after the party grounds him, too.

Between the urgency of the plot, combined with his forceful, showman-like charisma (and Bond's response to both), it's a great marriage. Layer in Elswit's photography, Arnold's score and Spottiswoode's robust direction, there's a pulse pounding energy to the film, and Pryce factors perfectly in that.

But that must be because Brosnan smooths out the rough edges or something.

I wish I could feel that enthusiasm you have for TND and all those elements, but they never really come together for me. Not in the way GE does in such a palpable way, for certain.

In spite of it not being too long since the last viewing, For Your Eyes Only

the PTS is quite fine until the appearance of faux Blofield. Makes me wonder if they could've done it slightly different, set it up like the end of a mission akin to Thunderball.

Nothing much to add otherwise, the sinking of the St. Georges if you really focus is slightly horrifying. Men screaming, water flooding in relentlessly, sheer chaos in just a couple of minutes. And though there's a few wince-worthy one-liners ("Take the low road!/Not that low!"), it's a solid affair. Melina might not be the best Bond girl but somehow she works well with Bond. It's the kind of film, kind of mission that he doesn't need to hop in bed with the girl straightaway or at all. She's a bird with a wing down, albeit a bird of prey.

I noted or reaffirmed my liking of certain facial expressions of moments Bond has. There's of course after Liesl's ran down but also when he and Melina are about to be carried off into the water. Her "I didn't think it would end like this" followed by Bond's quiet grim assurance: "It's not over yet."
And when he kills Kriegler, Bibi holds her face looking stunned and he has that set expression after he goes after Kristatos.

It's a shame that Glen didn't do Moonraker first. Though I guess he would've had to follow the route it did go.

Freddie Gray is in uumph mood in this film. Huge fan I am of Geoffrey Keen, I can't help but think he made fame late in his career by playing a man over six films with a handful of lines, half of which are grunts.

I wonder if it may have worked better for FYEO to start with the sinking of the St. Georges as the PTS, then titles, Bond summoned at Tracy's grave, cut to the death of Melina's parents, then briefing, with word just getting in about their assassination as Bond is briefed. It might up the urgency and keep the tone consistent throughout, as opposed to being bookended by more comical scenes (though the Thatcher epilogue I'll always enjoy!).

That said, the transition from the watery titles to the shot of the St Georges works a treat!

Hilly wrote:

Huge fan I am of Geoffrey Keen, I can't help but think he made fame late in his career by playing a man over six films with a handful of lines, half of which are grunts.

The only other film I recall him being in is Doctor Zhivago. Even if he only did that and Bond, it would be a career many actors wouldn't mind having!

Indeed, Geoffrey Keen could give Marge Simpson a run for her money in the 'annoyed grunt' stakes in his Bond appearances.