Controversial opinions about Bond films

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  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Milovy wrote: »
    TLD constantly veers between Cold War espionage and cartoon adventure. I really like both approaches to Bond, and they are both done so well in the film that I can forgive the fact they coexist a bit uncomfortably. I find Octopussy the same in this regard, too. Sort of like mixing FRWL and TSWLM.
    Yes, Glen was trying to combine Bond DNA with Indy (popular at the time).
    Controversial: I actually like the sound of Lulu's TMWTGG song. It's really snazzy and exciting - as JB title songs aught to be.

    Agreed. Underrated.
    +1. Love it.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,032
    bondjames wrote: »
    Yes, Glen was trying to combine Bond DNA with Indy (popular at the time).
    Agreed, if "Indy" means the original Raiders. One mustn't forget that OP came out almost a year before Temple of Doom, so the Indian mountain palace stuff is the original, not a copy. And I'm saying this as someone who really likes TOD and finds OP rather inferior to most Bond films.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Yes, Glen was trying to combine Bond DNA with Indy (popular at the time).
    Agreed, if "Indy" means the original Raiders. One mustn't forget that OP came out almost a year before Temple of Doom, so the Indian mountain palace stuff is the original, not a copy. And I'm saying this as someone who really likes TOD and finds OP rather inferior to most Bond films.
    Yes, I mean Raiders. It's only recently when watching all the Indy films that I realized that the first few were made around the time of OP/AVTAK. Glen and Spielberg seemed to be trying to one-up each other.

    Of course the Indy character is based partially on Bond, but Glen certainly drew inspiration from Spielberg for some of the sequences in OP, the mine sequence in AVTAK, Afghanistan in TLD and the truck sequence in LTK. Spielberg in turn aped the dinner scene in ToD.

    I always thought that the famous scene where Indy shoots the chap with the knife in the original film was sort of a riff on Roger kicking the guy in the face before the start of the duel at the martial arts school in TMWTGG too.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Controversial opinion: Lea Seydoux can do no wrong. Not with that body.

    Lea is bar none the most attractive woman in the entire franchise history, however that cannot make up for the frankly irritating character she plays in SP.

    I thinks she's the least attractive of the Craig era. For my taste Severine is by far the moat attractive followed by Vesper.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Controversial opinion: Lea Seydoux can do no wrong. Not with that body.

    Lea is bar none the most attractive woman in the entire franchise history, however that cannot make up for the frankly irritating character she plays in SP.

    I thinks she's the least attractive of the Craig era. For my taste Severine is by far the moat attractive followed by Vesper.

    Meh, It's a simple taste thing. Beauty in the eye of the beholder, and all that Jazz. ;)
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Controversial opinion: Lea Seydoux can do no wrong. Not with that body.

    Lea is bar none the most attractive woman in the entire franchise history, however that cannot make up for the frankly irritating character she plays in SP.

    I thinks she's the least attractive of the Craig era. For my taste Severine is by far the moat attractive followed by Vesper.

    Meh, It's a simple taste thing. Beauty in the eye of the beholder, and all that Jazz. ;)

    Very true matey.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited May 2017 Posts: 15,423
    Controversial: I actually like the sound of Lulu's TMWTGG song. It's really snazzy and exciting - as JB title songs ought to be.

    Well, you're in the right thread, I'll say that much.
    My sentiments exactly. It's one of the worst Bond songs out there. Which is a shame because the instrumental cues during the film play rather greatly, so to speak.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Severine and Solange for me. Exotic, sultry and quite stylish.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    bondjames wrote: »
    Severine and Solange for me. Exotic, sultry and quite stylish.

    Cant argue with that. Great taste.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    I think it's a two-way tie for me, Vesper and Severine.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Berenice on Craig Ferguson. Quite a babe. I don't know how he kept his hands off her:
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited May 2017 Posts: 15,423
    I know I wouldn't have!

    Such a shame though, because she was completely wasted in Skyfall.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    I wouldn't say she was wasted at all. Underused maybe, but by no means wasted.
  • Posts: 15,117
    My controversial opinion: I always thought Bérénice Marlohe looked prettier outside SF than in the movie. No idea why. For some Bond girls, it is the other way round.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Thank you @bondjames -- my chest almost broke open from my thumping heart!!
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Ludovico wrote: »
    My controversial opinion: I always thought Bérénice Marlohe looked prettier outside SF than in the movie. No idea why. For some Bond girls, it is the other way round.
    I actually agree with you. She has a lot of thick makeup on in the film to intentionally look almost Elivira'ish. A bit of a Fu Manchu thing going on too.

    I think she goes a bit heavy on the eye liner personally too.In reality she's quite stunning and athletic as well.
    J190MA3.jpg
    peter wrote: »
    Thank you @bondjames -- my chest almost broke open from my thumping heart!!
    My pleasure @peter. She's really quite a cool girl. Very confident and sassy.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    and edible, @bondjames , and edible...
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    bondjames wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    My controversial opinion: I always thought Bérénice Marlohe looked prettier outside SF than in the movie. No idea why. For some Bond girls, it is the other way round.
    I actually agree with you. She has a lot of thick makeup on in the film to intentionally look almost Elivira'ish. A bit of a Fu Manchu thing going on too.

    I think she goes a bit heavy on the eye liner personally too.In reality she's quite stunning and athletic as well.
    J190MA3.jpg
    peter wrote: »
    Thank you @bondjames -- my chest almost broke open from my thumping heart!!
    My pleasure @peter. She's really quite a cool girl. Very confident and sassy.

    She looks like Olga Kurylenko there.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Controversial: I actually like the sound of Lulu's TMWTGG song. It's really snazzy and exciting - as JB title songs ought to be.

    Well, you're in the right thread, I'll say that much.
    My sentiments exactly. It's one of the worst Bond songs out there. Which is a shame because the instrumental cues during the film play rather greatly, so to speak.

    On a similar note, I don't mind the instrumental of AWTD. It's the lyrics that kill the song
  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    w2bond wrote: »
    Controversial: I actually like the sound of Lulu's TMWTGG song. It's really snazzy and exciting - as JB title songs ought to be.

    Well, you're in the right thread, I'll say that much.
    My sentiments exactly. It's one of the worst Bond songs out there. Which is a shame because the instrumental cues during the film play rather greatly, so to speak.

    On a similar note, I don't mind the instrumental of AWTD. It's the lyrics that kill the song

    I agree wholeheartedly. The opening guitar riff and trumpets are fantastic. Then some moody emo teenage garage band starts singing. Am I the only one that thinks the lyrics sound like they were recorded with poor quality audio equipment?
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I've mentioned this before, but to my ears, AWTD sounds like a mangled version of YKMN. There's even a bit at the start which sounds like the opening riff from the earlier song, but it's more frenzied.

    I believe this was intentional, to suggest Bond's confused and agitated state of mind post-Vesper. It replicates the mood of the film itself, which is also frenetic and feverish. The earlier song was more melodic and structured. This one is jumbled.
    echo wrote: »
    She looks like Olga Kurylenko there.
    Yes, I agree.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    jake24 wrote: »
    I wouldn't say she was wasted at all. Underused maybe, but by no means wasted.

    Yes, I believe it was the scotch that was wasted.
  • Posts: 230
    bondjames wrote: »
    Controversial opinion as a follow on: Both of Dalton's entries suffered from not knowing quite what they wanted to be, and it hurt the films (both box office and overall critical perception).

    I think TLD balances both well and that's why it is a close to perfect Bond film for me. Just about everything good about the franchise in one package.

    I agree on LTK, though, although I like it. A lot of the humor comes off as awkward or forced given how dark most the film is (particularly the televangelist/cult leader stuff) and the ending should have been more serious.

    And since this seems to be a popular topic today, Craig's most attractive Bond Girls-

    1. Fields/Arterton (specifying the character because it was really the red bob, trench coat, and boots combination that did it for me. Should be controversial)

    2. Sciarra/Bellucci (both in her prime or in the film)

    3. Vesper/Green

    4. Madeleine/Seydoux

    5. Solange

    6. Severine

    7. Camille

    Of course all the ladies are lovely and there are no bad choices, though.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    CountJohn wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Controversial opinion as a follow on: Both of Dalton's entries suffered from not knowing quite what they wanted to be, and it hurt the films (both box office and overall critical perception).

    I think TLD balances both well and that's why it is a close to perfect Bond film for me. Just about everything good about the franchise in one package.

    I agree on LTK, though, although I like it. A lot of the humor comes off as awkward or forced given how dark most the film is (particularly the televangelist/cult leader stuff) and the ending should have been more serious.
    I have never seen such a divergence of opinions on an actor's two films as I have on Dalton's two. I personally prefer LTK, but I find many feel the same way you do. I might be wrong, but I notice that those who like Dalton a lot tend to prefer TLD, whereas those like myself who don't rate his run all that highly tend to prefer LTK.
    CountJohn wrote: »
    And since this seems to be a popular topic today, Craig's most attractive Bond Girls-

    1. Fields/Arterton (specifying the character because it was really the red bob, trench coat, and boots combination that did it for me. Should be controversial)

    2. Sciarra/Bellucci (both in her prime or in the film)

    3. Vesper/Green

    4. Madeleine/Seydoux

    5. Solange

    6. Severine

    7. Camille

    Of course all the ladies are lovely and there are no bad choices, though.
    Agreed. Physically, they have all been quite lovely. It's probably one of the better runs. Arterton was outstanding too, I agree.
  • Posts: 15,117
    @bondjames I think they tried to make her look more Asian and like a high class prostitute. She ends up looking fake and doll like at least in the casino scene. Overall I think Craig's era had had the best looking Bong girls since 1980 and even Berenice's look I can justify. But she is much better in real life.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Ludovico wrote: »
    @bondjames I think they tried to make her look more Asian and like a high class prostitute. She ends up looking fake and doll like at least in the casino scene. Overall I think Craig's era had had the best looking Bong girls since 1980 and even Berenice's look I can justify. But she is much better in real life.
    Yes, I completely agree @Ludovico. Arguably the same can be said (to a lesser degree) of Eva Green. I always look forward to that hotel scene (the one where Bond puts on the dinner jacket) in CR because we get to see her without all that thick eye liner which she wears all the time. I'm a fan of a more unadorned look personally.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Agreed. But I prefer her to look more Asian and like a high class prostitute.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Controversial opinion: I find the entire Spectre meeting scene in SP to be highly tedious and banal rather than suspenseful. I felt this way even on first viewing in the theatre. The main speaker at the meeting isn't very expressive or clear, and speaks in a monotone voice. I initially was confused as to whether it was him or Waltz/Oberhauser who was speaking after the latter entered the room. The tedium is momentarily interrupted by Mr. Hinx's appearance and brutal killing of Guerra, but it's not enough to elevate this entire sequence for me. Primarily it's a pacing issue, but it's also performance based.

    I was actually quite surprised by all the plaudits it received on this forum shortly after the film was released.

    The QoS Tosca meet and other classic situations like the one in TB are far more memorable and interesting to me.

    The similar environment situations in The Ninth Gate & Eyes Wide Shut, which it apes, are far more compelling as well.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    Agreed. It came of quite awkward and staged.
  • Posts: 19,339
    It's not my most favourite meeting scene in the series either.
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