Last Bond Movie You Watched? 1.0

I wonder whose decision it was to score MR sparingly. Barry's? The producers and director? I just don't know who typically makes those sorts of decisions.

DAF is the best Bond film of the last 40 years, no question.

For raw entertainment value, DAF is hard to beat.

It's usually all three. The process is called the spotting session. This is where the composer, director producer (or sometimes the director isn't available) sit on a sofa, watch a cut of the movie, and decide where the music will go.

At the risk of Ambler going mental, this quaint British documentary about John Williams scoring THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK gives a good example.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

For raw entertainment value, DAF is hard to beat.

Absolutely. There is no shame in Bond entertaining. Wish EON remembered that.

God knows we all need a bit of escapism these dark days.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

For raw entertainment value, DAF is hard to beat.

Absolutely. There is no shame in Bond entertaining. Wish EON remembered that.

God knows we all need a bit of escapism these dark days.

The thing is, I think the reason DAF does so well with the entertainment aspect is because it never gets too goofy. With Moore, I like him, but the man didn't know when to stop. Also, I don't mean "going into space" goofy. That kind of stuff never bothered me. I mean "Tarzan yell, California Girls, Jaws falling in love" goofy. If Connery had stayed on for LALD, it probably would have been a better film actually.

Thanks, Sharkus Maximus. You da' man. I believe that's the phrase?

Agreed, Ambleratio. Bond films should entertain, not lecture. Micolli would do well to keep this in mind.

Octopussy - definitely the movie that should've been Rog's Bond swansong; he's still just about 'getting away with it' here in age terms. Some of this still stands up pretty well (the train stuff, the fisticuffs in Octopussy's palace and the climax on the plane, for instance), but too much of the humour now just comes across as cringeworthy to me.

Live and Let Die

In many ways the gentlest Bond of all, I had a blast watching it but there are as many unintentional as intentional laughs and more than a few cringeworthy scene's. The script is nicely cued to the Voodoo theme but lacks the edge and class of DaF's dialogue, while the physical action is rather muted the vehicular sequences still impress imo. 6/10

Quantum of Solace

had this since last January when I got it at HMV, since closed. It was a crisp day.
Having finally whittled my to watch pile down here it is. Alas...it just doesn't sit with me. Be it the Bond girls/women/ladies, the editing, the music (faint flickers of a Bond theme), locations, plot and Bond himself. Don't care really. Look up! Look out! Bond is jumping, running...
I had some weird dream the other night I saw Skyfall but it was starring Pierce Brosnan and the Bond theme was totally absent. Somehow I miss Brosnan but not too much when I think back.
QOS is and isn't a Bond film. Felt that way when I left the cinema in 2008 slightly bewildered and is the case now.

The good point, Mathis but then he barely lasts before being disposed off.

Kicked off my 2012 Bondathon last night. Invited some family friends over for a James Bond inspired dinner, with caviar, camembert, brie, toast, pink champagne, tagliatelli verdi, "the most delicious meal he had had in his life" (crab with melted butter and toast), and finished it off with strawberries, ice cream and butterscotch sauce (I ended up making a sticky date pudding to go along with dessert).

So, as the countdown begins to Skyfall, we watched Dr.No. I still think it's one of the best, and retain the opinion that Connery's best performance of Bond is in this film. He oozes coolness, vulnerability ("I'm glad your hands are sweating too!", the spider sequence), sex appeal - two of the guests were women last night and they fell in love with Connery (They knew who he was, and that he was Bond, but hadn't actually seen DN). The cinematography is excellent. And I love the scene at Pussfella's club, when Bond is talking with Quarrel and Felix. When they show Bond, I only just noticed now that the background of the composition has the dancers. Sort of demonstrates Bond's sense of liveliness - living the good the life, especially when compared to Quarrel, and I thought that the excitement of Bond's lifestyle is something that should be demonstrated in the first Bond film. And well, it was, just in those short shots of Bond.

Honey Ryder is highly bangable, as is Sylvia Trench. The script is sharp, and it adapted the novel very well. Back projection remains some of the best in the series, and I really liked Dr. No (character) this time round. With the short screen time he has, he leaves an impression.

1. Dr.No

Sounds like quite an ambitious wing-ding you hosted there, Fields! You must be quite the chef.

:)

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Back projection remains some of the best in the series

I rate Dr No and FRWL very highly, but the back projection does not remain some of the best in the series. The hearse literally taking up the full screen behind Bond's car is worse than the faked Miami poolside in Goldfinger and the abominable 'High Speed Disco Volante Bow Shot' from Thunderball.

FieldsMan wrote:

Kicked off my 2012 Bondathon last night. Invited some family friends over for a James Bond inspired dinner, with caviar, camembert, brie, toast, pink champagne, tagliatelli verdi, "the most delicious meal he had had in his life" (crab with melted butter and toast), and finished it off with strawberries, ice cream and butterscotch sauce (I ended up making a sticky date pudding to go along with dessert).

Well done, FieldsMan. That's tempting me to kill my diet.

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So, as the countdown begins to Skyfall, we watched Dr.No. I still think it's one of the best, and retain the opinion that Connery's best performance of Bond is in this film.

Personally, I think it's his best performance of his career.

Gorgeous film. Fun, sexy, exciting, and it's aged well.

Seanery is flawless in DN. Simple as that.

I'll also mention that the early Bond films created an atmosphere for the viewer quite well. From the smoky casino in the beginning of DN (someone did their homework, referencing Fleming quite well), to the cramped room on the train in FRWL, to Slumber's musty funeral parlor in DAF. The new films (I'd say this officially ended with TLD) don't create that for me at all. They're always cold and/or generic. That takes a lot away from the films.

There's almost something quite 1950's about that casino scene in Dr No. I know it was not long after but the rest of the film feels sixties, the elaborate set, bright colourful locales but there's a certain feel from that opening shot of the outside of the casino to the chap who goes in to find Bond and the inside of the casino. Think I called him a very 1950's looking actor, nothing remarkable just a feel about him and the location/casino.

:*sm*:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Sounds like quite an ambitious wing-ding you hosted there, Fields! You must be quite the chef.

:)

One tries :)

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I rate Dr No and FRWL very highly, but the back projection does not remain some of the best in the series. The hearse literally taking up the full screen behind Bond's car is worse than the faked Miami poolside in Goldfinger and the abominable 'High Speed Disco Volante Bow Shot' from Thunderball.

No, I think it's quite good compared to them, along with Moore skiing in TSWLM and the little Nellie back projection.

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Well done, FieldsMan. That's tempting me to kill my diet.

Thanks. It was easier than I expected. Try it!

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Gorgeous film. Fun, sexy, exciting, and it's aged well.

It is indeed! Definitely up there with the best.

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There's almost something quite 1950's about that casino scene in Dr No. I know it was not long after but the rest of the film feels sixties, the elaborate set, bright colourful locales but there's a certain feel from that opening shot of the outside of the casino to the chap who goes in to find Bond and the inside of the casino. Think I called him a very 1950's looking actor, nothing remarkable just a feel about him and the location/casino.

Even that scene before hand, in the situation room when they lose Trueblood's signal. It feels very 50s - the hair, costuming, sets. And that scene when Bond returns to his apartment, the music is beautiful!

Watched DAF last night. Pure eye candy, humor and Benign Bizarre. Short on plot and tension.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Watched DAF last night. Pure eye candy, humor and Benign Bizarre. Short on plot and tension.

You could say the same for every Bond film between 1971-1985, and 1995 - Present.

For Your Eyes Only

Haven't enjoyed a Bond film as much as this for a long time. Bond's climb of St.Cyril's really stood out for me this time. And Conti's score. 8)

TedHeath wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Watched DAF last night. Pure eye candy, humor and Benign Bizarre. Short on plot and tension.

You could say the same for every Bond film between 1971-1985, and 1995 - Present.

Don't agree. Gun, Spy, MR, FYEO, OP, AVTAK, GE, TND, TWINE, CR and QOS all have a reasonably strong plot and/or generate a certain amount of tension. None of them, however, can match DAF in its areas of strength.

I wouldn't say TSWLM or MR have much tension in them.

The nuclear bomb diffusement in TSWLM? The end raid? Sandor watching Bond?

G section wrote:

The nuclear bomb diffusement in TSWLM? The end raid? Sandor watching Bond?

You know Bond's going to succeed in all three of those. I don't believe anyone thought the nuclear bomb had a chance of blowing up and killing Bond, along with everybody else there.