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MI6 Community Bondathon

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  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    I am also going watch DN now, I'll wait for @Creasy47 and @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 to give the instructions on when the analysis of the film will start.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,585
    On page one (part way down) Brady has broken down all elements for discussion covering the whole week.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    @NicNac I am just waiting for either of them to give the green light. ;)
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Yeaaaaahhhh.... I guess I'm in, boys and gals... I don't really want to do it but two gentlemen who looked suspiciously like Sandor and Jaws showed up to my house, probably on order of @Creasy47... so I guess I'm in ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Have at it, ladies and gentlemen! We all fall on different time zones, so if Friday hits for you and you have a chance to watch it, then help yourself. I'll pop in DN in a few hours and give it a go, looking forward to it. All we are doing today and tomorrow is giving everyone a chance to watch the movie and share their thoughts on the first cracking adventure from Sean Connery.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited October 2016 Posts: 15,723
    My first thoughts on DN after watching it just now:

    A perfect 'holiday' film - as the whole film takes place in hot and gorgeous Jamaican locations. Very brisk pace for the the first half until Bond arrives on Crab Key. Connery owns the role from his very first scene - he creates and sells the role with his first line alone ('Bond. James Bond.') I do not like the soundtrack at all - apart from the Bond theme and the songs (Jump Up and Underneath the Mango Tree). Not a single scene or line of dialogue feels out of place, everything flows so well.I cannot put enough importance on Sean Connery, he lights up the screen with huge screen presence, machismo, charisma and sense of danger.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I did watch DN September 10th, 2016.

    But hey, DN is one of those films I could watch standing on my head, the film running backwards, dubbed in Chinese and I still would enjoy it tremendously.

    So I'll watch it again in 6 hours, 22:00 Zurich time and then give my overall thoughts on it.
    I can tell you so far that it features a Dr. named No.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Starting up DN now. I've edited the bottom of the original post, I'll keep that up-to-date with the week-to-week happenings of this Bondathon. I'll post my general thoughts once the movie ends.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I still haven t decided. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. I don t have all the Bond films anyway.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    I still haven t decided. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. I don t have all the Bond films anyway.

    I'm going to go ahead and assume you don't own the Brosnan films. Which others are you missing?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    NSNA, but that isn t included here anyway, is it?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    No, it won't be included. I would've gladly added the other two CR titles and NSNA, but I knew most people wouldn't have the opportunity to watch them if they didn't own them.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I'll gladly send you the Brosnan films @Thunderfinger
    There is a beautiful box set of the Brosnan films or you can have them separately.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    By the time we hit OHMSS, hopefully he's up to 80. That'd be great and would make it much easier for him to hit 100 before the year is out.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    It will hit 100 I will personally see to it.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    I'll gladly send you the Brosnan films @Thunderfinger
    There is a beautiful box set of the Brosnan films or you can have them separately.

    I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. :-j
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited October 2016 Posts: 9,020
    LaserDisc up to TND
    DVD original US releases up to TWINE
    DVD 40th Anniversary silver suitcase up to DAD
    Blu-ray Bond 50 Box up to SF
    Blu-ray single disc CR to SF
    Blu-ray new US 2015 single disc versions up to SF
    Blu-ray STEELBOOKS (11 films plus 5 additional)
    Blu-ray 2015 The James Bond Collection up to SF
    iTunes Extra versions of all 24 films
    NSNA on Blu-ray and iTunes.
    Blu-ray Actor boxes for Connery, Moore (2 boxes), Dalton, Brosnan, Craig.
    Call me crazy, I call it devotion.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I own at least three copies of each film. Some four (including NSNA).

    But do you watch them all, or do you keep them for cover artwork, extras perhaps?
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    I was thinking of kicking of my Bondathon at 8pm GMT. Anyone in the UK is up for that?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Just finished DN, what a cracking, gorgeous classic as always. I'd say it has the least amount of action in the series, and yet it somehow manages to fly by for me every single time. Connery is in top form in his first outing, the characters throughout are well cast and interesting, and I've always loved that we spend a majority of the running time in one beautiful location.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Not a great ending though after all the dinner build up ..
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Not a great ending though after all the dinner build up ..

    I've never had a problem with it. I love seeing Bond navigate his way through the tunnel of hell, and doing battle with Dr. No/attempting to rescue Honey amidst the chaos of everyone trying to escape. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing Bond fight the giant squid from the novel, either.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Oh no the squid was a no go but the Bond vs No fight should have been better ......
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    All prepared for my viewing of Dr No in about an half an hour's time.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited October 2016 Posts: 5,080
    And so it begins! Starting of this Mi6 Community Bondathon with a viewing of the first James Bond adventure, 1962's DR. NO!

    wgrqtu.jpg

    Before I give my initial reaction to Dr. No, I'll share a picture of the set up I'm using to watch the films. Nothing fancy, just a Samsung UltraHD TV connected with PS4 in order to watch Blu-Rays. No sound bar as I had to sacrifice that when moving into my uni accommodation (been here 4 weeks now- interesting tidbit; one of the roads Miss Taro directs Bond to take when getting to her house has the same name as my accommodation's road- Wentworth Road!).

    2rggr2q.jpg


    Initial reaction to Dr. No:

    I want to love it more than I do, but I just can't get into it as much as some people. Don't get me wrong, I love the plethora of classic scenes in this film, Connery's uber cool performance, great villains and locations, but I ultimately find myself enjoying other entries more. Still, it was a pleasant way to pass two hours between my lectures today.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    :-bd

    I dislike using them, but an emjoi is what you are going to get @MayDayDiVicenzo!

    Off to watch the DN. I'll see you chaps back here in a little under 2 hours.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited October 2016 Posts: 45,489
    I hate emojis ~X(
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    Just finished watcging Dr No. A treat from start to finish. Connery is confidential from the off in a very cool spy thriller. This does set quite a high benchmark for others to reach. Some will/some won't. Joseph Wiseman is great as a sinister Dr No and, of course Ursula Andress. A while since I watched it, enjoyed it immensely.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Dr. No

    Magnetic. Malevolent. Predatory. Outstanding.

    There is only three films that top Dr. No after 54 years of Bondian adventures. And that is From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Casino Royale. And that is one hell of a statement for this marvellous film.

    Norman Wanstall said that the crew erupted into spontaneous applause after seeing Ken Adam’s masterful circular room set, in which Dent picks up the spider, in the rushes: sheer artistry.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,266
    DN is one of the best Bond films ever made in my opinion. First of all, it's got the formula already well established, even without a pre-existing template. Folks like Binder, Barry, Adam, Hunt, Young, Connery, ... had it right the first time! In the following couple of films, certain elements would be added, such as the PTS, theme song, "funny Q" and cars, but DN is barely "incomplete". I respect that!

    Next, we have some of the best scenes in the history of Bond in this film. In fact, I'd argue few films have as many iconic scenes in them as DN. The introduction of Bond, the shooting of Dent, the introduction of Honey, the dinner scene with No, ... I can't think of any scene from another Bond that would replace any of these in their respective departments.

    Furthermore, DN bears that early 60s "Technicolor" charm which, from the POV of nostalgia, is an added bonus for the older Bond films. Sure, there's some old fashioned visual trickery involved, like when Bond is frantically driving away from a movie screen, but it would be most unfair to hold that against a 1962 film made for one million dollars.

    DN's exotic feel has a powerful attraction on me. Jamaica's looking so darn great in the film! Perhaps that's one of the reasons I sometimes prefer it over FRWL. Istanbul is just not a place I fancy visiting, whereas the (non-existing?) Jamaica from DN hits my sweet spots.

    The story is simple enough but is that a bad thing? Surely it isn't. What matters is what DN does with it. By comparison, TWINE's story is deliberately complicated and AVTAK's story anything but coherent. DN at least takes us from point A to point B to point C in a logical manner, connecting the dots as it does so, not worrying about keeping things light and simple, merely trying to make sense and give us a cool Bond adventure.

    I too, when much younger, had some obvious biases to overcome when watching that relatively old movie called DN. But I fell in love with the movie eventually and now, as I have just watched it for the - what? - 40th? 50th? time, I can honestly say, it still works the magic for me. I love DN.

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