Would you rather run into Fields at the airport OR Paloma at a bar?

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  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    CR….

    The film itself, the way it was shot and lit has aged, but Craig is so off the charts good, he elevates whatever weaknesses there are.

    He so wholly became this role, from the first scene to the last.

    No matter how great OHMSS (and it is; it only recently got knocked off of my top spot), Lazenby can’t even measure up to Craig’s “little finger”.
  • These questions are so darn difficult to answer some times. I agree with all the cases above that Casino Royale perhaps has certain elements that Majesty’s lacks, but it’s also the other way around as well.

    For how tragic Vesper’s death in Casino Royale is, it isn’t the gut puncher that Tracy’s death was for me. One reason is that Majesty’s ends immediately after that scene, and we never received proper closure for that scene, and another reason is that Lazenby’s Bond is so jovial and upbeat throughout the entire movie that you feel the devastation he’s experiencing at the end. For all his criticisms, I can’t see any other Bond actor pulling off that end scene like George did.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,957
    I still think I would've loved CR even more if they scrapped that final setpiece and went with the novel's ending.
  • Creasy47 wrote: »
    I still think I would've loved CR even more if they scrapped that final setpiece and went with the novel's ending.

    Same here. That final action scene is what holds CR from being in my top 3 films of the series.
  • Posts: 1,858
    I saw them both, first run in theaters. OHMSS would be my choice.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited August 2023 Posts: 16,308
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @SIS_HQ, very well said. OHMSS definitely has the best cinematography to me in the series. I love just how dark the picture is at times without going overboard.

    I would say Skyfall definitely has the best cinematography, but OHMSS is one of the prettier 60s films.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,008
    As much as I think that OHMSS turned out quite nicely, I'd rather watch a good Bond movie without George Lazenby than one that is good in spite of George Lazenby. Therefore, CR definitely takes the cake.
  • Posts: 1,858
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    As much as I think that OHMSS turned out quite nicely, I'd rather watch a good Bond movie without George Lazenby than one that is good in spite of George Lazenby. Therefore, CR definitely takes the cake.

    Regardless of their acting ability I still prefer Lazenby as the character of Bond over Craig.
  • Lazenby couldn't act, so Casino Royale.
  • Posts: 6,709
    OHMSS is one of my favourites. I rank it higher than CR, despite Lazenby. So, not that I don’t love CR and Craig’s first take on 007, but I’d rather watch the gorgeous OHMSS.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,534
    CR, because it's about as perfect a Bond film I'm likely to see (about tied with FRWL, which I consider flawless).

    OHMSS is a very good film, but the combination of non-actor, moments of feeling forced to believe this is the same guy we know and love, and George's behaviour behind the scenes and aftermath somewhat taint the overall experience for me.
  • Craig is best Bond ever imo so no contest
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,571
    CR without a doubt. The only Bond film that when it came out, I couldn't get enough of.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,837
    A tough choice. A real tough one. If I had to choose between the two, it would be OHMSS.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,272
    I also go with OHMSS, slightly.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,394
    Well we certainly had some great fun with good discussion around the debuts of the Bonds. Lets look at the finales of the Bond actors and see what you would rather watch.

    Put me in the OHMSS camp. Although Daniel nailed the performance in CR, I enjoy watching the OHMSS film more than CR.

    Would you rather watch Roger say goodbye in AVTAK OR Pierce say goodbye in DAD?

    I understand these films weren't a finale or written as such, only Craig had a movie with a pre-ordained ending. But which finale performance would you rather watch. Can be from a movie, actor or story perspective? Please pick one, even if neither film interests you!
  • Posts: 12,460
    AVTAK by a long shot - a movie I’ve come to have a soft spot for over time. At one point years ago it ranked dead last for me, I think pre-SP release. But anyways, I’ve grown to enjoy it for what it is a lot more, although admittedly Christopher Walken and Grace Jones carry much of it. Stacey’s still one of the very worst Bond girls, and the action is some of the series’ weakest. But when it comes to the long-running actor finales for me: NTTD > AVTAK > DAF > DAD. The latter two are my worst two ranked Bond films, and the top two still aren’t that close to Top 10.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    edited August 2023 Posts: 2,837
    Malcolm-McDowell_A-Clockwork-Orange_.jpg

    AVTAK .... if I must. Duran Duran's title song, John Barry's score and Maurice Binder's title design are saving graces.
  • Posts: 16,147
    AVTAK
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    Posts: 3,787
    Moore should not be in A View To A Kill, his age was just really showing, his body just wasn't fit for the role.

    Actually, since then, as much as I think Moore is the most handsome actor to play Bond, I think since from the get go, his age did really showed, yes, since maybe The Man With The Golden Gun, he looked a bit young in Live And Let Die, but by The Man With The Golden Gun, his age had started to show.

    And yes, I'm interested to see Brosnan's fifth film after DAD, I mean Brosnan was still game to play the role, physically, Brosnan didn't deserved that kind of ending to his tenure, unlike Moore, Brosnan was still convincing in the role at the time.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,957
    AVTAK. I love Pierce and DAD is still a lot of fun to me but AVTAK holds a special part of my love for the series and it's a personal favorite of mine.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,534
    Difficult decision because I enjoy both films more than most, and I consider Pierce's finale to be EON not DAD, but I'll go with AVTAK for now.
  • Posts: 3,327
    Well considering I have the final outings of 3 of the actors in my bottom 3 rankings - AVTAK, DAD and NTTD, this is a tricky one. How do you compare one piece of dog turd with another?

    I guess AVTAK wins, because it had a great title song, and a John Barry soundtrack. DAD by comparison has one of the worst songs of the franchise (along with QoS, SP and NTTD).
  • Posts: 6,709
    Well considering I have the final outings of 3 of the actors in my bottom 3 rankings - AVTAK, DAD and NTTD, this is a tricky one. How do you compare one piece of dog turd with another?

    I guess AVTAK wins, because it had a great title song, and a John Barry soundtrack. DAD by comparison has one of the worst songs of the franchise (along with QoS, SP and NTTD).

    I quite agree! Those are my three bottom films as well.

    I’d watch AVTAK, just because I love Brosnan too much.
  • Posts: 7,401
    AVTAK easily.. no contest really!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,308
    My head tells me AVTAK is one of the lesser 007 films, but my heart tells me that I love it.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    Posts: 3,787
    Between Die Another Day and A View To A Kill, I''ll go with Die Another Day:

    Sure, the villains are better in A View To A Kill, Gustav Graves is a caricature of a Bond villain, and wasted Toby Stephens (who's a good actor) in such a comical role, meanwhile Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are chewing every scene that they're in, and Barry's score was also great, and Duran Duran's theme are far better than the one with Madonna.

    And there's the CGI, which tends to bother a lot of people regarding the film.

    But that's where it all ends:

    The Plot: I'll take Die Another Day, sure, it's bizarre and silly, but at least it's trying to do a different thing, shame as there are some elements of the Moonraker novel into it, but got it glossed all over the place, there's a potential for it to have a great plot but became inconsistent.
    Meanwhile, A View To A Kill was just a lazy rehash of Goldfinger, and in a lot more convoluted, worse way possible.
    So, I would take the plot of Die Another Day which was at least trying to be different, than to a Bond film that's lazily written it literally recycled a plot of another Bond film to a tee.

    Bond Girls: Man, for all of Jinx's flaws, I would still take her over Stacey Sutton any day of the week, while both have flaws in the way that they're written, at least, Jinx was trying to be a decent Bond Girl despite of her shortcomings, and there's Halle Berry who's ten times a better actress than Tanya Roberts (well, both have won a Razzie, anyway), but I just couldn't stand Stacey Sutton, she's helpless and poorly written that the actress playing her just decided to just go on the rails, like what I've said in the other thread, the Bond Girls of the Moore Era were all poorly written and been given such a premise but failed upon the execution, and Stacey Sutton is an ultimate victim of that sentiment (neck to neck along with Goodnight), at least Jinx was still trying hard, sadly, the same couldn't be said for Stacey Sutton who's really hopeless.
    And for me, Halle Berry is still a genuine and real actress, compared to all of the Bond Girls of the Moore Era (which were all models hired for their looks), so, I'd still take Halle Berry than to those models who played Bond Girls of the Moore Era (beautiful as they are, but acting wise, they're meh).

    Add one disadvantage for Moore's age hinging on every scenes of the film, sorry, but the man's already old and I couldn't take him seriously in this, with all of the obvious stunt doubles.

    Cinematography: Die Another Day, just trumps out A View To A Kill in this aspect, everytime.
    Die Another Day, for all of its flaws, was still shot beautifully, all of the scenes in the film really looked good, meanwhile, A View To A Kill was just bland and dull to look at, like someone had said here before, it's very anemic, and lacking in style, it's like a cheap 80's children action movie without the style, without the fuzz, it's like Spy Kids being filmed in 80's.

    Action: Again, for all of the complaints regarding CGI, I'd still take it over the ones in A View To A Kill, again, like in the cinematography, it's very bland to look at and yes, I really agreed with the one who'd said it looks anemic, nothing much interesting, and doesn't helped that it's hampered by a lot of obvious stunt doubles, the action scenes in Die Another Day are still enjoyable despite of the CGI.
    A View To A Kill was just incompetent in this aspect, nothing stand out and very bland looking.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    This is an easy choice: AVTAK.

    Moore may've been looking creaky, but he still had plenty of charisma, much moreso than Brosnan, plus, seeing Gramps Bond vs a cackling maniac in Walker's Zorin and his incredible sidekick, May Day, is just too fun...

    AVTAK by a country mile.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    DAD.

    It might be utter tosh, but so is AVTAK. And AVTAK has the added disadvantage of being dull as hell.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,308
    peter wrote: »
    This is an easy choice: AVTAK.

    Moore may've been looking creaky, but he still had plenty of charisma, much moreso than Brosnan, plus, seeing Gramps Bond vs a cackling maniac in Walker's Zorin and his incredible sidekick, May Day, is just too fun...

    AVTAK by a country mile.

    Yeah, although View has some genuinely good bits like the Golden Gate finale, I must admit that some of the joy of watching it comes from the unintentional humour of watching Roger looking terrified every time he's with Grace, fighting Big Ron from EastEnders, his increasingly-dissimilar stunt doubles, a howling zeppelin somehow creeping up on Stacey, or seeing all of Rog's wrinkles consolidated up into his scuba mask. It's a lovely warm bath of a Bond flick.

    I don't hate DAD: it's fun, although in a slightly trashy way. And it's possibly the cheapest-looking Bond film of the lot.
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