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Comments
I wouldn't say QOS got crushed. It got a fair amount of votes.
As for this next round of films were Bond sports his naval uniform Im going with YOLT. This round actually will have a film crushing the other. Even though Connery seems bored YOLT is a classic.
All of those are without a doubt in my top 10.
Plus..."you have a doctorate in that (torture) too?"
"No no no...zis is more like a hobby...but I'm very gifted"
"oh I believe you (smiles)"
Should I consider changing my opinion?
Hmm...
Nah, Twice is better put together as a whole ;)
9. You Only Live Twice (1967) - 7.5/10
10. License to Kill (1989) - 7.5/10
11. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - 7/10
Both films are a major letdown, dull, bland, mundane, uninteresting, devoid of vigor or life often enough etc, and Connery just stays marooned in Japan for the duration but there are some redeeming factors there, plus it has the Nancy Sinatra sound track, one of the best Bond intros
Tomorrow Never Dies is almost on par with Die Another Day for Brosnan actually, but not quite so bad. Apart from a great teaser at the Russian arms fair, Cheryl Crow song and Bond sneaking around Hamburg, it quickly degenerates into the same boring banality of the above film, as Bond and Yeoh work together in Saigon against an insipid Johnathan Pryce who just looks as disinterested as everyone else. I usually switch off by then. Pity really as Brosnan did so well in the two films on either side of this, but it's not a release that I acknowledge with any real passion or interest
This film is the Bond team at the top of their game.
TND is abit of a mess with the cardinal sin of Bond tearing around like Rambo in the last ten minutes. And a truly misjudged villain performance by Jonanthan Pryce. Excruciating.
Apparently there was a lot of problems production-wise with TND. Pryce's character was changed and a lot of scenes were re-written or cut out. I remember reading in Judi Dench's biography that she was expected to learn a lot of new dialogue at very short notice and that she didn't get on with Roger Spottiswode.
I can never resist the Bond team from that era - it had Connery, Peter Hunt editing, a John Barry score, and, of course, not just a Ken Adam set, but THAT Ken Adam set - the most outrageous, exuberant, creation of its time (perhaps of all time) - the extraordinary volcano lair. I love Ken Adam. He is probably the figure from Bond history I admire the most. His work was just jaw dropping. Nobody has come close to topping him, since his last effort in 1979, in my opinion. YOLT is his masterpiece.
Not my favourite Bond movie by a long shot, but it has enough ingredients to overcome TND.
I guess i'd pick... YOLT, but only just.
Which is exactly the same thing that QoS gets cudgled for..
Regarding Pryce, I remembered being stunned on first viewing by his performance. Its abit like Dr Who the performances must be played straight and not sent up. If its sent up the whole thiing collapses and Pryce was definitely sending it up or not taking it seriously. The menace disapears.
Along with Gustav Graves my least favourite Bond villlain of all time.
"the difference between insanity and genius is measured only by success"
"when you remove Mr Bond's heart there should just about be enough time to watch it...stop..beating".
You have a vivid imagination...for a banker.
Brosnan's not-too-subtle quips about being "adrift" and "lost at sea" remind me of Connery's smug "spectre of defeat" remarks in TB.
M ore spectacular then Ted Moores cinematography of the Japanese island at sunset? Of Tokyo? Of Henji castle? Of Hong Kong harbour?
TND whizzes through Hamburg and we only see the outside of a hotel. It could be set in Billericay. Bangkok stands in for Ho Chi Minh City and Phang Nga bay stands in for Halong bay. They dont even go to Vietnam.
Sorry, cant agree sweetie.
I just really find YOLT's cinematography at times to be rather bland and blah, as if someone threw up on the camera after eating a bad meal or something. Not saying anything about Japan or any of those locations, I'm sure they're fascinating, but I just don't see YOLT as a stunning Bond movie locations-wise.
Roald Dahl was a great choice for Bond. His books are suprisingly dark and creepy at times, more so than people think. I used to love him as a kid and still do as an adult. Dahl also wrote a fair share of short stories for grown ups - several of which I've read ("Lamb to The Slaughter" being a particularly good one).
Plus, don't forget Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - a book for children ;)
He's superb with the books and I agree their dark/creepy impact can still be felt by adults. However, I think he was out of his depth in the Bond universe. The biggest key contributers to YOLT for me are John Barry and Ken Adam.
The climax there is out of this world. Amazing!
Yeah, I also didn't find the Little Nellie helicopter battle that exciting. For me, it was just a way to cram in some more gadgets, and the battle itself is rather badly shot and lacks energy. I'd easily take TND's airplane PTS over the Little Nellie stuff.
Still picked YOLT though. Not by much, but still.