Last Bond Movie You Watched.

CJB wrote:

Tomorrow Never Dies

Been a while since I watched any of the Broz films. Always a good bit of dumb fun (in a good way), something that's been missing from Bond movies for many a year.

Funny that I always thought the BMW 750il was a snazzy looking car as a kid but now I get the whole "Why is James Bond driving a Kraut family sedan?" thing.

Tomorrow Never Dies somehow attains a solid level of fun and joie de vivre amidst a most pressing villain plot and deeper dynamic with Bond and a secondary Bond girl. Strikes quite the balance. Can't say it's "dumb" fun when its social/geopolitical commentary continues to prove frighteningly prescient.

I agree with Thunderpussy. It probably was chosen to accommodate the backseat driving and but creatively it also fits Bond's cover. Perhaps once the car was chosen for its more practical purpose that it inspired them to give Bond such a cover.

CJB wrote:

Mr KKB - Dunno if you ever watched Hey Hey It's Saturday as a young'un but I remembered a segment they had where they played clips of goofs/bloopers etc in movies, often accompanied by a hand-drawn picture parodying said goof. I remember around '97/98 TND got a mention revolving around how long Yeoh's arms must've been to be holding onto the handles of the motorbike while sitting behind Bond; the film clip was followed by a doodle of Yeoh with long spaghetti arms. Anyway I can't remember if I brought up the segment before, but it's just a funny little memory from when entertainment and comedy were still permitted.

I wonder if that clip is on YT?

I do remember Hey Hey-- I actually auditioned as a kid to be in it as one of the acts and got through but it was axed shortly after so never got the chance to record my stuff.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

 I wonder if that clip is on YT?

Not that I can see unfortunately.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

I do remember Hey Hey-- I actually auditioned as a kid to be in it as one of the acts and got through but it was axed shortly after so never got the chance to record my stuff.

Ah, that's a shame!

Guess you would've been too young to get on the beers with Plucka Duck anyway.

Watched Goldfinger the other night.

I wonder if Goldfinger himself hoped to get the gangsters on board but then decided mid-briefing he doesn't want/need them. There's a curious reaction shot around the time Solo decides he wants out and I wonder if the film-makers knew that they needed to justify why he briefs them and then kills them anyway.

Any case, superb film.

CJB wrote:

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

 I wonder if that clip is on YT?

Not that I can see unfortunately.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

I do remember Hey Hey-- I actually auditioned as a kid to be in it as one of the acts and got through but it was axed shortly after so never got the chance to record my stuff.

Ah, that's a shame!

Guess you would've been too young to get on the beers with Plucka Duck anyway.

Venturing into Asia for the next little while.

Skyfall

It's damn good. I found myself grinning from ear to ear for the PTS-- in fact most of the film. But it's not without it's cringeworthy Craig-Bond moments, i.e. I genuinely eye-rolled when he crashes his bike into the fencing to board the train... Why not just jump over it? That aside, there's rich characterisation in the writing for Bond (and the other characters) - Bond's inherent patriotism and his organic personal arc particularly. But beyond that, the world is Bondian - bizarre, dangerous and sexy. Those Shanghai-Macau-Japan scenes are thrilling.

There's much talk about how Silva's plan is in implausible but I don't agree. Considering he's a hacker he accessed all of MI6's contingency plans so he knew where they retreated to if SIS HQ was attacked. Plus, there's a suggestion that the hard drive with the NATO list is forgotten about but that's the very reason why Q accesses Silva's laptop. Further, the list was a mere goose chase- the bait to lure Bond and M into investigating Silva while he finalises the last details of his plan (such as boobytrapping his laptop).

The three main issues I have with this film remain: Daniel Craig's performance, Moneypenny's origin story and Thomas Newman. For the latter, there are still some solid moments in his score, such as Tennyson, Shanghai Drive and Severine that work. Other moments make me wince. The 1st shot of Daniel Craig on the treadmill and Newman's music combined is singlehandedly the most hideous moment in that film. RE: Moneypenny, it's been mentioned elsewhere why I'm not a fan of her origin story. It's no fault of Naomie Harris, who turns in a great performance. And re: Daniel Craig. He just overacts. I couldn't help but wonder how some of Bond's line deliveries would have been so much more cynical yet conversational had Brosnan played the part. Then, putting him alongside the likes of Dench and Bardem makes it glaringly obvious: they steal the movie. It was wise to keep Bond as a peripheral character in the cell scene where M and Silva see each other for the first time. An acting masterclass.

A final word on Severine. She is without a doubt the strongest Bond girl of Craig's era, and one of the best overall. Berenice Marlohe's performance is pitch perfect- even she acts circles around Craig. The sensuality, fear-- the performance within a performance is so wonderfully human and yet perfectly placed in Bond's larger than life world. Best Bond girl since Elektra.

Die Another Day

It's an inverse Skyfall. Where SF mostly succeeds in plot and characterisation, it lacks in the lead performance and music. DAD however, succeeds in the lead performance and Arnold's excellent music, but most characterisation and plot doesn't quite match up. Bond (and Brosnan's) cynicism is very well done, and it's this Bond that should be in SF. As with SF I was grinning from ear to ear during the PTS though this time there was no real eyeroll moment for me as there was in the 2012 film. It efficiently establishes the story--- or rather, what the story should have been. It veers too far into sci-fi territory later in the film, which diverts away from the film it so desperately wants to be. Fortunately, the strength of Brosnan's performance, Miranda Frost, Arnold's music, the car chase and the Ice Palace/biodome elevate the film's second half to something more than watchable.

The dialogue is truly the film's greatest flaw particularly in the second half. The effects don't annoy me anymore but I'm not crazy about them. Even in the parasurfing scene-- since Bond uses his wits to get out of a hairy situation, Bond's character is in tact.

I read recently there's a deleted scene with Raoul. Any one seen it? He and Frost are by far some of the most intriguing characters in the film (Bond aside).

Final thoughts: Die Another Day and Skyfall exist in the same world. They aren't worlds apart. Both feel authentically Bondian, which might come as a surprise to some. Which is better? SF, on the strength of the story and characterisation of most characters. But I'd happily sit through DAD for the superior lead performance.

Good stuff, MKKBB.

Skyfall is definitely the most interesting Bond film in years, but I'm with you on Newman; rather forgettable score, by and large. The only tune I can remember is the beep-booping one when (I think) Bond is tailing the bad guy through Shanghai and I don't even like that number.

DAD is, err, DAD. But yeah, the PTS is fun for sure.

I enjoyed Newman's score for Skyfall but was really disappointed in what he turned in for Spectre

CJB wrote:

Good stuff, MKKBB.

...I'm with you on Newman; rather forgettable score, by and large. The only tune I can remember is the beep-booping one when (I think) Bond is tailing the bad guy through Shanghai and I don't even like that number.

Thanks CJB! Yeah, Shanghai Drive. I do like it but it's not entirely original nor unique.

TP wrote:

I enjoyed Newman's score for Skyfall but was really disappointed in what he turned in for Spectre

I've never been a fan of Newman's work so when he was announced to be composing SF, it was a letdown. His compositions tend to be too clinical for my tastes so by extension he's the antithesis for Bond. Bond music should be vibrant, mysterious and/or sexy but Newman's music is mostly anaemic. That said, his Bond work is a step up from everything else he's done but I can only count five tracks across his two films that I truly like: Tennyson, Shanghai Drive, Severine, Donna Lucia and that patriotic, brassy punctuation he uses to accent some moments with Dench's M.

The Man With The Golden Gun

I had such a blast with this one when I watched it last year, but this time round not so much. I was absolutely exhausted when I sat down to watch it after a week of early starts and late finishes so I could potentially attribute it to that... or the strength of my Vesper that I made. I just felt confused when processing the story.

That said, I may have a newfound appreciation for Lee's Scaramanga in this film. I picked up on some little things that he did throughout. The presentness of his observation of the mausoleum, the swift processing of it as he exits Hai Fat's office and turning back to the goon to quip about it, for example.

John Barry's score is underrated for this one, even by the man himself.

The car chase is also underrated.

And a final note: JW Pepper's appearance here is so welcome. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud at his antics.

I don't think I could whistle you a single tune from SPECTRE.

What did Fleming say about men who can't whistle... oh... never mind... yes, I can whistle the whole damn soundtrack.

Anyway, yes indeed TMWTGG is a lot of fun and Lee is a superb villain. Also the little fella is underrated. Never watched that show where he was obsessed with plane-spotting though. However, I did catch a bit of a biopic of him, played by the GoT little fella, where he offs himself at the end. Fucking grim. But anyway, TMWTGG always makes for cheerful viewing.

If Sir Rog's memories of Golden Gun were anything to go by, Villechaize was literally a horny little devil. There's that story about him propositioning Maud Adams with 'What if I were to make love to you right now?' and her answering 'If I ever find out you've done that Herve, I'll be very angry' .

Yeah, didn't he regularly have orgies with prostitutes during production?

CJB wrote:

I don't think I could whistle you a single tune from SPECTRE.

What did Fleming say about men who can't whistle... oh... never mind... yes, I can whistle the whole damn soundtrack.

CJB wrote:

Anyway, yes indeed TMWTGG is a lot of fun and Lee is a superb villain. Also the little fella is underrated. Never watched that show where he was obsessed with plane-spotting though. However, I did catch a bit of a biopic of him, played by the GoT little fella, where he offs himself at the end. Fucking grim. But anyway, TMWTGG always makes for cheerful viewing.

Nick Nack is memorable, sure, but hard to take him seriously as a true menace. Perhaps we aren't supposed to.

I wouldn't mind checking out that biopic. I remember reading about it a few years back, that it was Peter Dinklage's passion project, but I never heard anything about it since. Good to know it's out there.

Moore said that Villechaize told him that even the hookers turned him down sometimes, due to his diminutive size.

On whether we were meant to take Nick Nack as a threat, a back-in-the-day review of Gun asked 'Is it even possible to have a dwarf onscreen without accompanying 'amusing' bassoon music?' ... ah, very different times.

Pound for pound Hervé probably put away as many as George "The Clungebane" Lazenby.

In fact he probably comes out on top if you adjust the, err, score for height handicap.

CJB wrote:

In fact he probably comes out on top

If a step-ladder or similar was provided, sure.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

CJB wrote:

In fact he probably comes out on top

If a step-ladder or similar was provided, sure.

Here comes... ze plane!

Open ze 'angar doors!

This week's title was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I saw this one so many times, I lost the count. It's amazing to note that, despite being one of the longest entries in the series, it has very few locations (Portugal and Switzerland are the only ones where you actually get to see the scenery and thus where you actually feel "there") and most of the action happens 90 minutes in (before the ski chase kicks in, the only action in the movie comes from Bond's quick melee fights with Draco's henchmen), yet the movie never fails to entertain. Credit goes to the engaging story, a great pacing and what I consider John Barry's finest score. It's quite ironic that the movie was met with mixed receptions at its time of release and is now rightfully considered among the best in the series.

I remember someone on these boards saying that they found odd how the movie switches the order of some events in contrast to the novel: the beach scene is indeed the first sequence in the book but it actually occurs after the casino scene, since the book proceeds to flashback to a few hours earlier (Fleming used to love in-medias-res beginnins). The movie presents the events in chronological order and makes the beach scene Bond and Tracy's actual first meeting. Which is kinda odd, since it makes Bond chase and save Tracy for no reason (besides considering her beautiful). Still, it's a great pre-title sequence and possibly my favourite Bond actor introduction.

Honestly I believe that this is the only movie that got Blofeld right; until YOLT Blofeld had been a secondary villain and when he finally revealed himself to Connery's Bond he had a short screentime and didn't do much to impress me. Then we had Blofeld in drag, begging Blofeld and, the worst offender of all, Bro-feldhauser, which all paled in comparison to Savalas' menacing depiction of Ernst.

The ending of the movie is heartbreaking and moves me every time. It is even more touching now that miss Rigg has passed away.

Excellent write up Walecs. The ending is always wrenching and Dame Diana's passing makes it more so. Like the book I find myself hoping Bond realises but there we go.

Moved your post here Walecs. More relevant in this thread.

Can't disagree with anything you say, Walecs, except that perhaps Pleasance's Blofeld does resonate with me. But Savalas' does have a bit more character and overall is more interesting. And yes. Waltz should have been the definitive Blofeld but sadly he's comes off worse than von Sydow's!

Savalas' Blofeld surely runs away with the 'Weirdest Way To Hold A Cigarette' award.

Agreed, almost like it was a piece of chalk

Tomorrow Never Dies

A Bond film that so gladly embraces what the character and his world is all about. In equal parts are sex, danger, thrills, humour, heart, bizarre and social/geopolitical commentary. The only film that perhaps balances all facets so perfectly in the last 25 years. A film that, often criticised as being formulaic, subverts expectations in more nuanced, understated ways without uprooting the character of James Bond himself. Take, for instance, when Bond and Wai Lin board the stealth ship. Ordinarily, it is Bond who is captured and becomes an ear for the villain to clarify his plans. But not here. While Wai Lin assumes that role, Bond is afforded the opportunity rarely given in other Bond films. We see that skill we're often only told about but rarely witness in the final moments of a villain's plot because usually it is he who is captured.

And for all of our appraisal of Spottiswoode's handling of the action sequences, he finds the time to include the character moments we crave. The often referenced vignette of Bond in the hotel room seals the deal, but those with Carver at the end, witnessing the mayhem unfolding before his eyes, the shots of a concerned Paris as Bond is escorted away, Elliot's reflection after signing his wife's death warrant...

But that tension is often eased slightly, momentarily in the way only a good Bond film can manage. The film offers that signature humour that not only makes Tomorrow Never Dies one of the genuinely funnier films, but also one of the most quotable. Lines, as Hilly suggested recently from Moneypenny, but Carver, Bond and even the likes of Stamper, Wade and Kaufman.

And a final word on Paris. I still firmly stand by the hotel scene between Bond and Paris as being one of the standout scenes of the series. Dripping with sex and cynicism, the actors' understated performances, so charmingly shot - almost classical in its presentation - and with Arnold's gorgeous, heartfelt score, it's a scene I'll never tire of. Brosnan's "Always sounds good" and "Sorry I keep disappointing you" particularly make the scene. And Hatcher's legs.

* * *

If I were to rank Bond's Far East adventures, I'd rate them as:

1. Tomorrow Never Dies
2. Skyfall
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Die Another Day
5. The Man With The Golden Gun

Fantastic review.

Can't fault your enthusiasm for TND, MKKBB. Very nicely written.

TND is a very fun film which will always hold nostalgia value for me as the (IIRC) first EON Bond I saw. Anyone else have the VHS which opened with Desmond spruiking the PlayStation game?

Excellent review indeed. I sincerely believe TND is an underrated Bond movie.