And the Klebbie goes to...Worst execution of a good idea page 147

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  • Posts: 698
    The SP car chase is designed largely to be a comedy/exposition scene. Most people who dislike seem to wish it had been designed to be a different kind of sequence. I quite enjoy it.

    For me it's DN. Sean's driving acting is atrocious, and the zoomed in rear projection was not in any way the best that could be done in 1962. Even if you think the age is the problem, and that's just what movies looked like at the time, then they shouldn't have done the scene at all. It's all horrible.
    +1
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,571
    I'm holding nothing against the DN chase. I understand the driving and the awful use of rear projection. However, it was the first film while working on a much smaller budget. Look how much it had improved to the GF warehouse chase just two years later.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    I'd probably have to say the DN chase too. We've actually been quite lucky with regards car chases in the series thus far; they've all been pretty good and feature some clever touches. Even the DN one I've nominated here has that great quip at the end.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,394
    I am being handed the envelope! The winner of the Klebbie is Bond and Hinx on the empty streets of Rome!

    Bond helping the 3 Blind Mice to a funeral with 6 votes
    A small drop in the ocean with 3 votes
    Taxi Driver loses his car in Paris with 3 votes
    Bond and Tiffany flip flop on the strip with 4 votes
    Bond and Hinx on the empty streets of Rome with 10 votes

    We now give away another Klebbie! Worst actor in a villain role. These were either the main or lead villain in the production. Remember we are judging the actor's performance. Not the role itself! The nominees are:
    • Charles Gray as Blofeld in DAF
    • Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker in TLD
    • Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene in QOS
    • Christoph Waltz as Blofeld in SP
    • Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver in TND

    Now it's time for the academy to vote!
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,571
    Gray as Blofeld.
  • R1s1ngs0nR1s1ngs0n France
    Posts: 2,139
    None of these very fine actors gave a bad performance per se, the fault lies more with the material they were given and bad casting, especially Gray (casting) and Amalric (script).
    For me Pryce is one of the highlights of TND so he shouldn’t even by on that list IMO.
    I pick Waltz as he seems to channel Landa more than anything else and doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, especially in such an anticipated role.
  • edited May 2020 Posts: 3,566
    I quite like Charles Gray as Blofeld and Jonathan Pryce as Eliot Carver. I don't think that Mathieu Amalric was creepy enough or physically imposing enough to be a good Bond villain...but his actual performance wasn't too bad. Let's just say that Christoph Waltz's Blofeld was ruined by the script he had to work with.... so I'm afraid I have to give the stiletto in the shins to Joe Don Baker this time around. He was a much better ally as Jack Wade than he was a villain as Brad Whitaker.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    These nominations again seem kind of random to me. With the possible exception of Jonathan Pryce, it's unlikely that the decisions of any of these actors would account for why someone wouldn't like them.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited May 2020 Posts: 16,320
    thedove wrote: »
    We now give away another Klebbie! Worst actor in a villain role. These were either the main or lead villain in the production. Remember we are judging the actor's performance. Not the role itself! The nominees are:
    • Charles Gray as Blofeld in DAF
    • Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker in TLD
    • Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene in QOS
    • Christoph Waltz as Blofeld in SP
    • Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver in TND

    Now it's time for the academy to vote!

    Hmm that's very tough. I don't think any of them did particularly badly. Not the strongest villains ever but not bad at all.

    Gray is maybe not hugely menacing but he's got decent presence; Baker was pretty imposing and did a nice little bit of madness if not hugely memorable; Amalric I thought was quite convincingly snarlingly mad and dangerous- I liked him; Waltz... not the scariest moment of his career as we all hoped but again, very decent; Pryce was a lot of fun if, like Gray, missing the menace a bit.

    I'll have to go for Joe Don Baker I guess as he didn't really get to be as mad and foregrounded as the rest of them, and I guess I could possibly imagine a different star giving a bigger, perhaps more charismatic performance. I suppose you could picture Jack Nicholson or someone like that (first name off the top of my head so don't overanalyse! :) ) being more impressive with it. Jack Palance, Kirk Douglas. I dunno. James Coburn would have fun in it.

  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited May 2020 Posts: 7,546
    I like them all! I would have voted Gray up until my last viewing of DAF, but I really like him in the two Blofelds scene, and overall as well. I’ll have to give it some thought.

    EDIT: I’ll still have to vote for Charles Gray, only because I love the others so much. Joe Don Baker is a second place, but I do like him a lot and his delivery in TLD is very memorable. “Lies, spread by my competitors!”
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,368
    Going with Christoph Waltz, only because he is capable of so much more. He has the role of Bond's most iconic recurring for and has by far the weakest impact of any of his other recent villainous acting roles.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,320
    I like them all! I would have voted Gray up until my last viewing of DAF, but I really like him in the two Blofelds scene, and overall as well. I’ll have to give it some thought

    Yeah I was trying to think if someone else would have been better: mostly folks think of Savalas as being the best Blofeld, and although I think he could have done it I don't think he'd have been necessarily better in DAF.

    I must admit though, I'm really liking the idea of Coburn as Whittaker! :D He'd have given it some power and real madness...
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  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    I think villains is one area where the series has never mucked it up honestly. There's a few I like less than others (none are on this list), but I can't really imagine any of them being worthy of the title "worst" anything...
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Controversial opinion: I like these villain portrayals better than most of the Moore era villain portrayals.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,320
    Controversial opinion: I like these villain portrayals better than most of the Moore era villain portrayals.

    Which are you thinking of? Stromberg was bit average, and Julian Glover wasn't hugely memorable, but I rather liked Louis Jordan and the rest. Certainly not much wrong with Chris Lee.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Chris Lee I loved. Moore’s henchmen I think really shined, thinking of Jaws and Samedi. Don’t really care for Stromberg, Khan, Drax, Zorin. FYEO does have a great set of actors on both sides I’ll concede.
  • Posts: 7,401
    JamesStock wrote: »
    Am I the only one who finds the QOS chase thrilling? Love the location and Bond's quick thinking in the tunnels. And cmon... that intro!!!

    As far as the worst goes, Dr. No makes me cringe the most followed by AVTAK. I can handle technology limitations (rear projection), but I can't accept things like squealing tires on gravel roads or a car chopped in half and functioning without issue (at least leaking fluids or something!!). I agree SP is dull and perhaps my favorite part is where the old guy is pushed to his parking spot, however it is very clear they weren't going 70+ mph. Having to spell out things like "music enabled for 009" kinda ruins it for me as well.

    No, i'm with you there, the QOS IS thrilling, and really well constructed!
    Agree about the BMW chase as one of the worst, terrible idea and poorly shot!
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    JamesStock wrote: »
    Am I the only one who finds the QOS chase thrilling? Love the location and Bond's quick thinking in the tunnels. And cmon... that intro!!!

    As far as the worst goes, Dr. No makes me cringe the most followed by AVTAK. I can handle technology limitations (rear projection), but I can't accept things like squealing tires on gravel roads or a car chopped in half and functioning without issue (at least leaking fluids or something!!). I agree SP is dull and perhaps my favorite part is where the old guy is pushed to his parking spot, however it is very clear they weren't going 70+ mph. Having to spell out things like "music enabled for 009" kinda ruins it for me as well.

    No, i'm with you there, the QOS IS thrilling, and really well constructed!
    Agree about the BMW chase as one of the worst, terrible idea and poorly shot!

    I think I voted to give the Bondie to QOS in that category as well, really like that chase.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2020 Posts: 6,273
    I also have to go with Waltz because he showed me nothing new or distinctive (which all the other Blofelds did). Blofeld, if nothing else, is a shapeshifter but it felt like Waltz was doing a "greatest hits" version of his previous roles.

    Come to think of it, Eon has never gotten the various disguises of Blofeld right.

    Graves should be on this list.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,472
    @thedove you should change the thread title for the new round.
    Charles Grey gets my vote.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    echo wrote: »
    I also have to go with Waltz because he showed me nothing new or distinctive (which all the other Blofelds did). Blofeld, if nothing else, is a shapeshifter but it felt like Waltz was doing a "greatest hits" version of his previous roles.

    Come to think of it, Eon has never gotten the various disguises of Blofeld right.

    Graves should be on this list.

    Stephens did alright with what he was given, IMO.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited May 2020 Posts: 16,320
    echo wrote: »
    I also have to go with Waltz because he showed me nothing new or distinctive (which all the other Blofelds did). Blofeld, if nothing else, is a shapeshifter but it felt like Waltz was doing a "greatest hits" version of his previous roles.

    Yes, that's a fair observation. But what he was hired to do, I guess. In a way I'm sort of surprised he took it because, as you say, he'd already done that sort of thing. Sam Mendes is an appealing name I guess and Bardem had just been very successful in the last one.

    I rather like that they hired Jonathan Pryce on that train of thought: I'm not really aware of much on his CV that suggested 'Bond villain' (although it is an extensive CV and very wide ranging!).
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,320
    Thank you for this thread, by the way, @thedove it's very enjoyable.
  • Posts: 631
    Joe Don Baker is the worst out of that choice, for me.

    Back to the car chases, as I missed the voting:

    1. Am really glad the Lotus won the vote as it’s a great chase. The shot where the Lotus drives into the sea with the helicopter just inches above it is one of my all-time favourite shots in any movie. No CGI there. Presumably only one opportunity to film it, so they had to get it right first time. Perfect cinematography, preceded by a perfectly cool Bond line too (“can you swim?”). Just wonderful.

    2. Understandable that Spectre’s chase through the deserted, post-apocalyptic streets of Rome won that vote. Objectively DN is worse but hey it’s 1962 and the budget is tiny. SP though has no excuse. But I don’t think SP is the worst chase out of the franchise.

    Fiona in TB on her motorbike “chasing” Bond’s car at slow speed in a straight line on an empty road is the worst chase.

    I love the DAF chase, continuity error and all
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,041
    Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver in TND, easy choice for me.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,394
    Great discussion here with the votes this time. I struggled to come up with a list of 5 villains and chose ones that I seem to see lots of people bash on here. :)

    I actually came to like Mathieu's performance on the watch-along. I guess the villains have been well cast and acted over the years.

    I was going to put Renard on the list, but then thought people would say he wasn't a lead villain. I was tempted to put Pleasance on the list too but that might have caused a revolt. LOL!
  • Posts: 631
    Mathieu is ideal casting for the character he has to play, I think.

    “Everything he touches seems to wither and die.” I like how he snarls that line.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Mathieu is ideal casting for the character he has to play, I think.

    “Everything he touches seems to wither and die.” I like how he snarls that line.

    Yeah he was great in the role. I think the role is what people took issue with; for me, though, Greene was a great villain in a more down to earth plot.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    thedove wrote: »
    Great discussion here with the votes this time. I struggled to come up with a list of 5 villains and chose ones that I seem to see lots of people bash on here. :)

    I actually came to like Mathieu's performance on the watch-along. I guess the villains have been well cast and acted over the years.

    I was going to put Renard on the list, but then thought people would say he wasn't a lead villain. I was tempted to put Pleasance on the list too but that might have caused a revolt. LOL!

    Ha! Pleasance is the one guy where I would have felt comfortable voting on this. But yeah, there would have been a revolt!
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited May 2020 Posts: 2,426
    thedove wrote: »
    I was tempted to put Pleasance on the list too but that might have caused a revolt. LOL!

    ++PRESS RELEASE++
    The DRP hereby announces their immediate withdrawal from the Academy and issue a statement strongly distancing themselves from the disgraceful comments that have been made regarding Donald Pleasence and his definitive portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

    *”Number Two dispatch our top operative to ensure the Academy President realises the error of his ways“*

    tumblr_ot7u5zN7t51trihgbo1_400.jpg

    Oh hang on, you NEARLY put Pleasence on the list? Yes well, just remember, you only live twice @thedove!! 😉🦜
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