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@tanaka123, what did you tape over it?
Zulu, I think, a much better film.
My dad (who I really bought it for) watched it and said it was excellent. I think I'll actually go ahead and watch it tonight.
@bondjames you should watch it it's great, and I'm sure it'll be great on Blu. I got it cheap on DVD and then realised why - they brought out a new edition of it, with a new 5.1 mix, my DVD just as a 2.0 Dolby track.
I'll check it out tomorrow. I remember some absolutely stunning battle scenes (without CGI garbage). It's always been a film I vaguely recall from tv during my youth that I've wanted to come back to some day (like 55 Days at Peking) because I think I'll have a different view of it now.
I know the score is absolutely brilliant and I have the double CD. If anyone doesn't have this, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's a 'recreation' by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and is out of this world. The 'b' side also has some superb rare Barry creations from throughout his career including The Tamarind Seed suite, The Specialist suite, The Cotton Club suite, The Girl With The Sun In her Hair, The Deep suite, Midnight Cowboy, etc. etc.
<a href=https://amazon.com/gp/product/B004AE0ON0?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 target="_blank"> click here to see the Zulu soundtrack on Amazon with sample tracks</a>
@bondjames you must be an American? I still have to wait for Spectre to come out here in the UK.
That film's release in '83 along with OP and the ABC Sunday Night airings of the earlier films is what really made me a fan. I had seen some of the others and certainly liked them, but when Sean came back after 12 years it was such an event I wanted to learn more about Bond, the films and history.
Quality-wise I tend to overlook many of the complaints this film tends to get: not being an official entry, the somewhat TVish look, the limp ending and so forth. The filmmakers did actually have a decent budget, but were extremely limited in what they could and could not do. The music was always criticized and rightly so, but I'd rate the Lani Hall theme song about the same as the Rita Coolidge All Time High.
It became trendy to blast the film for not being an Eon production and for a period of time it was lower on my Bond scale, but recently I've gone back to appreciate the film for what it was and enjoy Sean'e comeback. Now if only we could get Timothy to return for one more outing...................
Spectre
Then – Before each film I go into “spoiler lock down”. No spoilers for me. Apart from watching the Spectre trailers, of course. I viewed the final trailer, with the OHMSS theme blaring out. Golly, was I stoked! The trailer set it up to fall even at this stage – with such a legendary piece of music, Spectre had to be bloody good. And, judging by the trailers, it was. Certainly given the talents – both cast and crew – Spectre could be one of the finest James Bond movies.
But there was one slight reservation. “The author of all your pain” uttered by Waltz’s mysterious character, Oberhauser. I had a sneaking suspicion that Oberhauser killed Bond’s parents. (If that was the case, I would've walked out of the cinema, screaming “heresy, sacrilege and blasphemy!" Of course I wouldn't as I'm a stingy, tight little so and so)
I didn’t believe that Oberhauser was Blofeld for a couple of reasons -
1) Hannes Oberhauser was a character in Fleming’s Octopussy, in which he has a wife, and “family”, so I guess either a son or a daughter, or some such thing. I wasn’t too impressed with Logan and co. going into Fleming’s creations like this. To my mind, it was like John Gardener "inventing" Blofeld’s daughter, or Leiter’s daughter. Damn near sacrilege! But I held my misgivings over the character Franz, due to the good will that Skyfall endowed.
2) I couldn’t believe that they would make Fleming’s Blofeld and Franz the same person. Bond didn’t even know about Blofeld prior to Thunderball, let alone knowing him as a child.
3) I initially thought that Spectre would be about Spectre the organisation, and Bond 25 about Blofeld, with maybe the final scene of Spectre being the white cat, the chair, and an unseen Blowers.
With these thoughts whirring in my subconscious, it was with great excitement and a little trepidation that I went to see Spectre. Not before having two major things spoilt for me, however, despite my stringent spoiler avoidy methods. David Walliams let slip that indeed Blofeld and Oberhauser were the same person on his red carpet tour. (Last time I’m ever going to watch the premiere live). And the second occurred on this fine forum – someone revealed that the gunbarrel was at the start. I wanted to be surprised God damn it! Maybe I should’ve been off the internet, or certainly MI6, but there are spoiler-riffic threads one can go into if one is not bothered about those type of things. The rest of the forum, however, is No spoilers. Rant over.
Where was I? Ah yes. Spectre. Me and my chums – four of us this time – saw it on a Friday. Most displeased about that. I went round and asked my friends which date they would like to see it. Only one person didn’t say “whenever” and, insisted, instead, for a Friday. That particular smeghead cancelled on Thursday, incidentally!
First things first -
1. Yay the Gunbarrel!
2. Loved the opening tracking shot. Even if it’s made up of a few shots/edits.
Funny that @Birdleson had a “visceral” reaction to Bond’s sashaying up the stairs in his skeleton costume. I thought it was because of the costume – the hips of the skeleton costume exaggerated Craig’s gait - which gave me an unintentional larf.
3.Then that swagger as Bond walks over the roofs. Plus the James Bond Theme!
From then on, with my doubts about Blofeld/Oberhauser buried, I loved Spectre. We had all sorts of action, be it a more stylized car chase in Rome, the over blown plane scene in Austria, which reminded me of the Brosnan's era chases, then the typical Craig era fight between Bond and Hinx. It was so unusual for Craig’s Bond too be completely outmatched. I was – and still am – genuinely afraid for Bond in that sequence.
I even loved the Moroccan sequences. Even though a few people in the audience were starting to get fidgety.
That feeling of “this is a proper Bond film” lasted until the infamous torture sequence. This was it. The reveal of Blofeld. When he wasn’t behind the death of Bond’s parents, I felt such relief. The the foster brother angle didn’t really register until a few days after. Yet is was a shame that Bond didn’t suffer any repercussions over his torture. It would've been nifty to see Dr. Swann rescue Bond a’la Tracy at the ice rink.
The third act was a bit of a letdown – although Bond and M driving the Jag to the “almost Bond theme”, being rudely interrupted by the villains van was great – but I felt the rest of the movie more than made up for it. But all in all, I loved Spectre.
Now – Curiously, Spectre has stayed relatively consistent for me in my rankings, peaking at 7, and dipping at 12ish.
Like Skyfall before it Spectre is perhaps superficial – i.e. I got everything on my first run through, as opposed to Quantum of Solace, for example.
Spectre, is for me at least, a return to the big, fun Bond outings of yesteryear. With an admittedly ropey script.
But Blofeld. I’m not sure about his part in Spectre. Do I hate it, or merely ambivalent about it? Who knows. Until I find the answer to this question Spectre is in a state of flux, a state of Schrodinger's Blofeld, if you will.
What isn’t in doubt however, is Daniel Craig’s performance as 007. It may be heresy to some, but Craig delivers a performance worthy of Sean Connery. A bit arrogant, a bit flip, yet still with the earnest portrayal that we’ve come to expect from Craig’s Bond. Before Spectre I asked for Craig’s Bond to portray a bit more gentlemanly behaviour and some joy de vivre. In that regards, Craig done good. Personally it refreshing to see Bond at the top of his game, kicking bottom and having fun. I enjoyed very much having Craig’s Bond go on a character arc, from the rookie, brash newbie in Casino Royale, to his thoughtful take in Quantum of Solace, to being forcibly resurrected in Skyfall, to being unburdened in Spectre.
I guess it'll be...
Then - 1
Now -
Tie -
I'm aware that people are still touchy over Spectre. This has been a good thread thus far, I would hate to spoil it when discussing Spectre. Please be nice to one another
Then: Bloody perfect cinematic experience. All 13 viewings of it.
Now: Bloody perfect "small" screen experience.
It went straight to No 1 for me de-throning GoldenEye after 20 years!!!
After one year I know it will stay there.
Every experience I had with it during the last 12 months have been nothing than pure joy.
Even if I will be able to recognise in the future that it is objectively speaking not No 1 in the series, it'll stay No 1 for me.
The same goes for GE, TLD, which are also in my Top 3.
Only FRWL, GF and OHMSS I can accept as real contenders for the top spot in an objective ranking.
Glad to see someone else rank SP as highly as I rank it. I'm more and more thinking it might be my number one. I just really don't like the third act, even though I like the whole nine eyes angle (part of the reason I like the movie so much). One might ask how I could not like an entire act and still consider it a possible number one. Well, after forty years as a Bond fan, I'm still waiting for the perfect Bond movie. My other contenders for number one have serious issues too.
1. I loved TWINE and it could be my number one except for, again, a weak third act (something many Bond movies suffer) and some really silly plot elements.
2. LTK is also a contender for my number one. Dalton was a great Bond. The third act of LTK was one of the best in the series (if not THE best third act of the series) and the action is the most integrated into the story of any Bond movie (in my opinion). The very last scenes though, kinda ruin the movie... Leiter suddenly being happy even though he his no leg, no arm and his wife is still dead after being raped & murdered. Also, even though I loved the movie, I don't really like Bond motivated by revenge. I like to see him as being cooler than that.
3. FYEO would be my number one had it starred Dalton. Moore is too old and I can't take him serious as a real spy in this one, after having seen him play it totally camp for all of the 70s (and he was great for the 70s). FYEO was a series reboot movie and deserved Dalton in the role.
4. TSWLM is a pretty darn-near perfect kid's Bond movie -- and it was my favorite as a child. It's just that I've long been an adult now, so prefer a movie like SP. TSWLM is an oxymoron to me because, honestly, it's the most quintessential Bond movie ever (until, perhaps, SP), even more than GF, but it's still basically a kid's movie.
5. FRWL could be a number one but, as an extremely classic Bond movie, it lacks the excitement of the action, stunts and gadgets of later Bond movies.
SP has that classic intrigue of FRWL combined with those truly Bondian elements of TSWLM and the intensity of LTK. So, my new number one is a toss-up between TWINE and SP. They both strike a very good balance between a serious espionage thriller with some personal drama, and a fun, slightly camp action adventure. However, they also both suffer weak third acts. TWINE has better action but also more sillyness. If SP starred a more Bond-like actor, it would be number one. I'm not a huge fan of Craig in the role even though I consider SP to his best, most Bondian performance. I just don't know if SP is actually my number one.
So I guess the verdict should be then for me.
You're right - the scene with Mr. White is the best one in the film.
...and the train fight...
...and the Spectre meeting in Rome...
...and the PTS in Mexico...
...and the plane chase...
...and the L'Americaine sequence...
...you get the picture...
some of us just love this movie, as some of us love SF. It just seems there are almost no people who love both, that's saying something.
@PropertyOfALady loves both too.
Me, too.
But I don't want to make this into a running gag now.
It is just my impression of reading so many things about those two on this forum, that a majority (let's call it that) doesn't like both films.