Bond Movies for Men only?

FromCanadaWithLove

Tuulia wrote:

FromCanadaWithLove wrote:

I think it really depends on the movie

Isn't that the case with most people - male or female - with most movies (Bond or other)? ;)

Exactly! I think everyone enjoys a good movie. (Except maybe @DaltonCraig007 a la Casino Royale)

Tuulia

^^ Good point - though that's not what I meant. :) People simply have different tastes, and liking/not liking a certain movie isn't based on which sex those people are, but on individual tastes. The same goes for books, music, food, drink, etc.

Also, it's like... do I like chocolate? Yes, but that sure doesn't mean I like all chocolate (most isn't very good, in fact). The same with rock, pop, classical, jazz. The same with any genre of movies. And the same with Bond.

Someone upthread mentioned some woman or women hating, for instance the CR PTS. Ok. Some men probably did as well (some hate the whole movie apparently, so...) Well I'm a woman and love it. Really, really love it. The best PTS ever, for me. One of those rare sequences in any movie that is just pure perfection. :x

I remember when The Fight Club came out it was obvious from some reviews that I read that it was not meant for women to watch, never mind enjoy. At all. Stupid critics (men, eh? ;) ). I've seen it a few times and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. Really liked T2 at the time (haven't seen it for ages)... and then the next one was total crap. It's not that I "like" - or not, for that matter - action or violence. It depends. It's not that I like or don't like westerns... but I loved Rio Bravo already as a kid. It's not that I like or don't like big romantic dramas, but Gone With the Wind was bloody boring and awful and I hated the main characters. It all depends on the movie. I don't like to put a genre label on movies, music or books I like, because that's not how it goes for me. I like (or don't) what I like (or don't), and it's not because I'm a woman, for goodnessakes, but because I'm ME. The whole men vs. women in things like this is BS.

myworldisenough

One of the reasons why I love my wife so is because of her taste in movies. She thankfully detests the cheesy chick flick genre etc and would rather watch action movies and thrillers. I agree with Tuulia that it is about personal tastes as opposed to assumptions of what should appeal to either sex.

mdo007

Bond movies can appeal to female audience of all age too. When woman, Teen girl, or college-age girls watch Bond, they wish they've a boyfriend that is charming, handsome like Bond. Also the Bond girls are a good role model for women, I remember Britt Ekland said in an interview citing Ursula Andress as an inspiration to become a Bond girl.

thelordflasheart

myworldisenough wrote:

One of the reasons why I love my wife so is because of her taste in movies. She thankfully detests the cheesy chick flick genre etc and would rather watch action movies and thrillers. I agree with Tuulia that it is about personal tastes as opposed to assumptions of what should appeal to either sex.

And of course, some of us guys like "chick flicks". As long as they're good films it doesn't matter what kind of films they are. I for one loved Bridgit Jones' Diary and Love Actually, two films that most people would call "chick flicks". But then I also loved the film version of The A-Team, which is as much a guy's film as you can get.

SIS_HQ

Can we safely say NTTD appeals to female audiences too?

FoxRox

Absolutely not. My mom casually likes several of the movies, particularly Dalton's, and my sister is a big fan of the whole Craig era minus QOS, and a few of the classics like GE and OHMSS. I really don't see women being "mistreated" more than men in the series, given the men take far more of the violence still and most of the women are 3D characters from early on. I'm not going to sit here and pretend there aren't a few problematic moments in the movies, but one should remember A) Bond is just a character, and his flaws are a vital element of his character and B) Times change, and we've seen Bond change too. I think it'd be a big mistake to have Bond stop sleeping around moving forward, and really hope NTTD was a one-off in this regard. Hedonistic sex has been pivotal to his character and these movies for so long and a big part of the identity, and no one should be offended by it.

Frankly, I hate the idea that any given piece of art can't be for any given group of people. Sure, there are targeted demographics, but the sooner we stop with the mentalities of "this is for girls" and "this is for boys" and so forth, the better off we'll be. Live and Let Die Live!

DarthDimi

I think the Bonds have always been catering to a wide audience. Wasn't the old phrase, "men want to be Bond, women want to be with Bond"?

Of course, we all know "someone who". My mom loves Bond, and my dad and uncle hate Bond. But, at the same time, my wife has an obvious disinterest in Bond, and my best man at my wedding loves Bond.

More generally speaking, I seem to know fewer women who appreciate the Bonds. That doesn't mean they aren't there. Perhaps men are more chatty about Bond, which may also explain why we have more lads in our community. I don't know. That said, I disagree with the argument that Bond films should be made for men. In a gender-fluid world, that statement means nothing anyway.

I think we should also give women more credit. Most women don't seem to struggle with the "blatant sexism" some have accused the films of, nor with the innuendos, double entendres and what have you. Ignoring the few sourpusses we have on all sides, I think male, female; old, young; left, right; ... hardly factors in. The interest in Bond is pretty universal.

Lastly, I regret the inference that the Craig era was more heavily focused on placating the female section of the audience. Why is that? Because Craig showcases his muscles? Because this Bond has emotion? Because we have a more "empowered" Moneypenny? To be honest, I think casts and crews were simply trying to make great films. I doubt they had an agenda...