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Denise Richards is the ultimate Bond girl. Not because her character is interesting, or because she's a good actress, or because she has any kind of chemistry with anyone else on set.
She's the ultimate because she's basically a distillation of the formula down to its most fundamental elements. She's essentially a giant pair of fake boobs on legs, and all the costume work, blocking, and camera work is geared toward that. The directors know it, and everyone else on set knows it, and on those criteria she's the most 'pure' expression of the Bond girl type. The platonic ideal of it, in fact.
I agree, but during the Craig era my criticisms are more related to his fighting skills. Sure, we had him getting beaten to within an inch of his life in SP (a welcome change for him), but then we have him getting it on with Swann shortly thereafter, which doesn't make any sense in the context of how aggressive that fight was. At least the one in the train in TSWLM was less viscious (and hence the bit of 'loving' afterwards was more believable).
Absolutely. that was something that Connery/Moore did so well. The slight arrogance and know it all attitude.
I think it will work very well today, but you need the right actor to pull it off. As an example, one of my favourite film characters is Tom Hank's Robert Langdon in the Dan Brown adaptations. In Angels and Demons, he makes a comment about Pope Paul IV ordering the castration of several statues in the Vatican and also schools the Swiss Guard on La Purga. Loved both bits to death.
Too many times to count, and I really miss his excellence during the snooping scenes. The closest we've got to it lately (imho) has been Arnold's work during the Opera sequence in QoS and Newman's work during the Shanghai sequences in SP (it's modern but in the same spirit).
There is a big problem tension-wise in that the audience, by seeing the downed Vulcan, is in someway ahead of Bond.
I did one a few years ago and TB came out as the clear winner. It's got its flaws but its classier and better plotted. In comparison, TND feels too much like a checklist of Bond clichés.
I think I wanted to do an old one and a more recent one together.
I also did a double-bill of OHMSS and LTK and was disappointed with LTK and a Guy Hamilton double bill with GF and LALD - disappointed with LALD.
Notice a pattern here ;)
Also, I do find it amusing when Q says: "I find this business of equipping you in the field...on the run as it were...highly irregular."
He'd obviously mellowed by LTK.
In terms of the film, I do likes its indulgent cinematography. For the last time in quite a while you actually feel like you are with Bond in the Bahamas.
This. I want to see Bond's hate for tea, his picky tastes in alcohol and foods... I suppose the only problem is that it might paint him as a snob to the general audience, but that's part of the fun of his character anyway.
Same here. Pure Fleming too.
Same here, always loved that scene.
After time spent at Shrublands, doing much cavorting and whatnot, it's time for Bond to leave...
"Oh by the way, what is it you do for a living?"
"Me? Oh, um I'm sort of a...licensed trouble shooter"
Love it.
The Shrublands scenes are brilliant. What I find troubling with TB is that it starts to sag in the second half and never quite gets up a head of steam. I always found this with the novel too.
We had glimpses of it in CR and very little otherwise. Maybe in FYEO too. I think we need more of them.
Interesting. I thought exactly the other way around. I really dislike the whole Shrublands scenes. There is just so much wrong and way to much is happen icidently. Hardly anything really makes sense. However, once they move to the Bahamas, the film improves enormously...
Those suits fit nicely before he started chugging Heineken.
As @Ludovico says, it is quite a common trope. However, I do think it's used a little egregiously in the TB novel, which carries over to the film, but I don't mind the coincidental instances at this early juncture. I really like the pacing, the slow burn, which combined with Barry's score really packs these scenes with intrigue and atmosphere. I feel like they do a really good job of the build, but then there's a mid-point sag and the denouement never really has the energy and excitement to deliver a worthy pay-off. This is also an issue I have with the novel.
Exactly. MR, TB and GF being prime Fleming novel examples.
Are we excusing repetitive and...gulp...lazy writing just because its Ian Fleming ;)
1. It is a too extreme coincidence that Bond is there at the same time as SPECTRE.
2. It is ludicrous that a health spa is built up next to a military base. I can hardly think of a worse place to recover and relax.
3. Why does Lippe not hide that he is a SPECTRE agent?
4. Why does Bond not try to hide his identity?
5. What is the purpose of the challenge between Bond and Lippe trying to kill each other if it goes nowhere.
6. Bond also seems to be more interested in banging Pat instead of investigating what is going on.
7. The reason why Lippe is killed by SPECTRE is ludicrous. Couldn't they think of a better explanantion?
I guess with a few script changes, the Shrubland scenes could have been so much better.
On a more serious note, there are plot flaws in all these films if one really wants to analyze them.
On the contrary, I don't mind that Bond is going into space or SPECTRE having a satelite station in a volcano. This is fiction and part of the fun. But the individual motivations must be feasible and the development of the story must be logical.