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Yes, that is what you learn at drama or screenwriting school. Every protagonist has to be John McClane. But even though it can be clichéish that model usually always works. Probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Slick and intense. And it is touching that border you mention that I find especially interesting. Like when Bond deals with Dr.Dent in DN or Kaufmann in TND.
When I’m teasing someone, I always leave an lol. So I do follow my own advice.
Last night I saw you responded with an exclamation point to my little observation. So, I facetiously was asking what was in the water yesterday cuz, apart from your reply, people were getting testy about anything, it seemed.
I, and others, found the “could you…” turn around line humorous. Ii saw the scene as being written with humour.
I said as much; that I think this line was a joke.
You said it wasn’t a joke (!), and I disagree. It wasn’t meant to be taken as Bond being serious. He could care less if Paloma watched him undress (Christ, he even said it with a wry smile).
If you disagree and thought Bond wasn’t making a joke, so be it, Dalton.
And I don’t care if Bond licked his fingers. He was miles and years away from his life in the service. He was living off the grid in Jamaica. I liked seeing the human Bond in his habitat of choice. Licking his fingers after wolfing down street-meat. It doesn’t bother me. I loved it.
You dislike it. You have criticisms. Fine, I ain’t trying to change your mind.
I simply made an observation that you didn’t like: that the scene with Paloma was humorous and his line of asking her to turn around was a joke. You don’t agree and that’s that, isn’t it?
But I agree with you that there’s more to a film than the lead protagonist’s flaws (the big baddie is huge, and is the catalyst to the story, and the obstacle-creator for our hero).
Like you I’m a big fan of the Pushkin scene, and, yes, it bumps up against that line. Wonderfully crafted scene and Dalton is at his best.
EDIT: EXCUSE DOUBLE POST.
I don't necessarily consider making some bad decisions a character flaw unless it has become a trademark for the character. For me Bond was pretty much Bond, the same kind of larger-than-life character, up until the reboot in 2006. But I do welcome those moments of surprise (the scenes I mentioned, and there are several others) that make me reevaluate him, although I never asked for it.
I hear you, @Zekidk , although I do think that even as far back as Lazenby they started to incrementally grow and stretch the character of Bond to be a little more flawed, not quite as superhuman as the very cool and almost unflappable Connery era.
But I can see how by 2006, they really leaned into exploring the various traits of the man, including pinpointing and calling out his flaws (namely his arrogance that is so big, it couldn’t fit in the same elevator as Ms. Lynd).
💯
Humor can be timeless, but also trapped in time. I can still watch a production of Moliere's Tartuffe and laugh out loud. Whether produced as it would have been in 1664 or set in 2024, without changing a line, the play is still funny.
I am a big fan of Airplane and so much of it works well today, but some of what's going on in that film escapes audiences today. Some of us know who the guy in the cab is and why the wait is funny. Once explained, can the uninformed appreciate the humor?
I like absurdist humor, clever and witty, the pratfall, etc. But humor is subjective. Jerry Lewis had his fans, as did Sam Kinison, and Gilbert Gottfried, three comedians I would not have watched if given a free ticket. Scream humor eludes me. But Steven Wright, I find funny. Some of the standup I've seen on Netflix works well.
I didn't find much amusement in the Craig series. But then the entire arc was rather dark and didn't lend itself to amusement. Felix's 'gut feeling' of impending death didn't land well. But there were some good moments in CR.
As Steve Martin has said, "Comedy is serious business." I look forward to a new Bond who's not as psychologically burdened as Craig's Bond. Not looking for the kind of vulgar juvenile humor that would make schoolboys giggle. My favorite kind of humor is that which doesn't immediately land. It's the type of thing that takes a second or two to think about and then it hits you. That may be too much for those who need cheap and easy instant gratification.
And of course there's the clever editing transition from one scene to another. But that's another discussion.
While asking where does Bond go after Craig, hopefully it's NOT with CINEMATIC spinoffs. Keep Bond spinoffs in the literary world. Joker 2 proves this. While I liked it more than most apparently people did, there is a reason it's not getting good reviews/box office. WB and DC should have done a different villain, as this is almost too unique for a mainstream audience. See my full review on the Last Movie You Watched thread. However, my point is that adult Bond should remain EON's main focus for the time being. Even IFP needs some reminders of that if we don't get an adult Bond novel soon. However, I'm still ok with Bond literary spinoffs. Lastly, I can see why fans don't want spinoffs of certain characters. While I hope that Blofeld gets a modern day spinoff novel, I won't debate fans on why my opinions are right. There's a fair reason for why certain characters (from Batman, Bond and various other fictional characters) should just be supporting characters.
Nah, YOLT and DAF did that long before SP came along.
The best Blofeld was the faceless entity in FRWL, but especially TB.
Completely agreed.
Though I’d say that Telly Savalas is really the only version that delivers on the promise of those earlier films, even if my biggest gripe with him is that he’s perhaps a bit too “American” for the part.
Agreed. I love Telly. But he did skew too American.
OHMSS > TB > FRWL > YOLT > NTTD > SP > DAF > FYEO
@FoxRox , 😂 thanks for including FYEO Blofeld— I forgot about him!!
@DarthDimi — you’re a unique man with unique tastes and that’s why we appreciate you!!
We aim to please. ;-)
Seriously, though, I like the fire burning inside Gray. When his Blofeld gets angry, he's giving it his all. "Up! Not down!", he says with a fury rarely seen outside a Greek tragedy.
Let's face it, the water we're swimming here is far from clean. The best Blofelds, in my opinion, can be "seen" in FRWL and TB. When the mystery curtains were dropped next, and Count Orlok's cousin turned out to be Blofeld, I was slightly disappointed. In turn, Telly was excellent because he played the role with a cool confidence that was hard to ignore. Poor Charles Gray, however, a really good actor as well, was given the kind of material that would have sent my bladder into a frenzy. Blofeld stroking his pussy while dressed up like every man's scariest nightmare of a rich and dominant mother-in-law, is an image that inevitably has come up a gazillion times when people converse with their psychologist. Dummy Blofeld from FYEO was a wheelchair bound crazy person whose last words, before being dropped into a large industrial chimney, were "Mister Boooooo---". And Waltz went "cuckoo!", leaving a first impression that no grownup ever could hope for.
That’s an interesting take. To me that sounds like the Blofeld in Fleming’s YOLT, which is in a way quite fitting.
I’d like to see him with his YOLT gold tooth and yes Irma Bunt should appear with him. Just for the sake of something different for the modern day version.
That likely won't be valuable for some time. Or even during the next Bond actor's tenure.
Scar is welcome. Better if we know the source event, even if it's not shown on screen. Irma Bunt would be a requirement I'm thinking.