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Ranking 2016
From Russia with love
Thunderball
Dr. no
Goldfinger
You only live Twice (I can't believe I am putting this below Goldfinger it's just apart from Tanaka the characters are very bland and forgettable)
Casino Royale '54
Casino Royale '67
But you still have 2-3 of the Craig movies in your top Ten though.
As much as I love CR, the other Craig movies aren't even in my top 10.
CR is your number 1 now :) ?
I figured. Since i can't see anything passing GF on your list.
Yes i have :)
Many new people have suddenly shooted in with tons of views each! Im glad that so many participates.
Discussion earlier on this thread compelled me to watch this film today for the first time since my pre-SP Bondathon.
This was one of my most enjoyable viewings in some time. TSWLM is firmly entrenched at #4 in my all time Bond ranking and I almost feel like moving it up a notch ahead of current #3 CR based on this viewing.
Sir Roger Moore is just brilliant in this film. He doesn't put a foot wrong in my view. Yes, there's some humour, but he is still very credible here as 007. Determined, focused, and cool as ever, I'm beginning to think that this is Moore's best performance as Bond.
I love almost everything about this film and always have. Claude Renoir's magnificent sweeping cinematography, Lewis Gilbert's excellent direction (this is the best of his 3 imho), Marvin Hamlisch's suspenseful Oscar nominated score (one of the best non-Barry efforts), & Carly Simon's signature Bond anthem Oscar nominated title song (also one of my favourites, & Roger Moore's favourite Bond song).
What's especially impressive about Spy is how it so beautifully combines old school espionage & thriller elements (primarily in Egypt where it almost rivals FRWL imho) so seamlessly with larger than life elements (primarily in the latter half of the film).
In fact, I think the film is near perfect until the Liparus sequence, where it drags a bit (they had to get their money's worth with the rebuilt Pinewood studio massive submarine set I suppose). I can forgive it though, because it gives us a Sir Rog signature Bond kick 'a' moment riding the overhead camera with the Bond theme at full blast. The finale aboard Atlantis is one of the best imho, including the Jaws final shark tank fight.
This is such a great Bond film. Iconic & classic. Nobody does it better. Indeed.
How does Spy have old school espionage in it. Maybe for like 20 minutes near the beginning, but apart from that, I don't see it.
I do agree that the Liparus scene is way too long. From when Bond's sub is captured there is like 40 minutes left of the film. The whole fight, changing the course of the missiles, rescuing Anya, it just keeps going. If they could have cut this whole thing down a bit, Spy would probably make it onto my top 10.
The most Flemingesque Moore film, and my personal favourite. I love seeing Moore trying to fit in in Harlem, the comedy is a lot more natural than later Moore films. Its situational, rather than just gags for the sake of it.
The one scene I don't like is the plane driving sequence with Mrs Bell. That, and the famous Villain pops like a balloon bit.
This film has one of my favourite scenes of the series when Bond puts a gun on Rosie. He is very cold there, very Fleming.
Old school down to earth spy & also thriller elements emanate from that whole section of the film. That's combined with the unrivaled natural beauty of the settings, Hamlisch's suspenseful score, Jaw's lurking menace (in such contrast to his goofiness in MR) & the overall mood that is conveyed. It has always been (since childhood) the most suspenseful & classiest part of a Bond film for me, along with Bond at the Hagia Sopia & on the Orient Express in FRWL. Both films also radiate with a romantic undertone that's intoxicating. It's all in the 'mood'.
SF came close to recapturing that feeling for me with the much shorter Shanghai sequence. Again classy film making that can only come from Bond.
3rd overall viewing, and i'm starting to pick up on things that I might've missed on my first 2 viewings. I now see that crashing the plane into the back of the jeep carrying Madeline wasn't Bonds intention. When he clips the end of the wings off, it was out of his hands then. Alternatively, during the car chase, when Bond is stuck behind the Fiat 500, he passes a number of crossroads, and doesn't turn off until he reach the T junction. He has a number of opportunities to swing into an alleyway, but he doesn't take them.
I do like Spectre, and I will gladly say that Daniel Craig is superb in the film. It's nice to have a proper Bond film from him. But there is no getting around that Spectre is flawed, enjoyable, but flawed. The connection between Bond and Blofeld still doesn't sit right with me. Maybe if I hadn't seen any of the past films with Blofeld, or if I had not read any of the books, than it wouldn't bother me.
Spectre gets a top 10 place in my ranking, coming in at #7.
:-?
My positive experience with TSWLM yesterday whetted my appetite for 'Moore' Bond, so I put on one of my subjective favourites.
It was just as great as always. I love this film, although I realize it's not highly ranked over here. Ted Moore & Oswald Morris's cinematography is fantastic, and the colours pop nicely on blu ray. Roger Moore is in fine form, more of the ruthless bastard than the charmer that he became in later years.
Highlights for me include Barry's score (it's quirky yet charismatic & memorable, like the film), Lee's chilling Scaramanga, Maud Adam's beautiful yet doomed Andrea (reminds me a lot of similar Severine), & Eckland's ditzy yet loyal Goodnight (reminds me a little of Harris's incompetent MP in SF).
While watching this film, I thought about the late Guy Hamilton (RIP) and realized that all of his films are enjoyable, reasonably upbeat & most of all, fun. They also all have several memorable franchise moments and charismatic villains. In this era of somewhat overbearingly somber fare, I commend him for having given us lighthearted entries like this which we can enjoy when we don't want something too serious.
Yeah, some say he wasn't playing too his strengths, but I think he was rather good at it. I love the " I want him there." In Miss Anders Hotel room.
Spot on, once again, Birdleson.
Maybe the general perception that he didn't portray those hard moments to his strenghts is precisely because of how vocal Moore was against it and how often he said he felt very uncomfortable doing those scenes.
Yes he is a very sensitive chap but that worked on his favor at the end. Its what made him truly original and he is actually the most different from the other Bonds.
That hate for violence helped him recreate the character.
Sleek, explosive, hi-tech and pacy. Roger Spottiswoode does well in the directors chair; one can tell he was an editor, not one wasted shot. A quite breathless experience! Reading @Murdock's excellent thread, “Bond Movie Cover Art Discussion Thread”, got me in the mood for some VHS action, so I booted the old VHS up and watched TND, with all its nostalgic goodness and supreme cover art. Despite the drawbacks to an outdated format, I found myself getting more and more involved with TND. Maybe because it wasn't the pristine experience of Blu Ray and more of a rough and ready thing?
Which was lucky, as previous to TND, I felt a certain disconnect between the Brosnan's films and the rest of the canon. Mainly as there is scant Fleming feeling/style and more of a cinematic style, that permeates the Brosnan era. But with TND, and its classic tropes plus Arnold's score, reversed that feeling. Ironically it was the Craig era that I felt disconnected too. Two things have helped, one quite a minor, superficial thing – CR has the same intro as the rest of the classic 20 films found on the UE editions and the Blu Ray - the scantily clad lady and the GB*. And the other is SP.
Anyway, Pierce Brosnan cements his role as the legendary 007, giving us a more complete, and composed performance. TND has a good cast, namely Michelle Yeoh, who is the best of Bond's "comrades in arms", other strengths include the plot, reworked from Spy, hence why it follows Spy, but giving it a more modern twist to keep it relevant - more so today methinks.
Worse Bit - Teri Hatcher was disappointing - stunt casting. More to the point, what does Bond see in her? “Too close for comfort” my ass.
Best Bit – Brosnan glad in his white dress shirt and gun holster.
Royale's Ranking
From Russia With Love – 10/10
Casino Royale – 9.5
Dr. No – 9.5
Licence to Kill – 9
The Living Daylights - 9
The Spy Who Loved Me - 9
Goldfinger – 9
Octopussy - 8.75
Thunderball – 8.75
Tomorrow Never Dies – 8.75
For Your Eyes Only – 8.75
Spectre – 8.5
Quantum of Solace – 8.5
GoldenEye – 8.5
Live and Let Die – 7.5
A View To A Kill - 7
Moonraker - 7
Diamonds Are Forever - 7
Die Another Day - 7
1. CR
2. LALD
3. MR
4. DAD
5. DAF
6. FRWL
7. DN
8. GF
9. AVTAK
10. LTK
11. QoS
12. GE
13. FYEO
14. TLD
15. SP
16. OP
17. TB
18. Spy
19. TND
20. OHMSS
21. YOLT
22. TMWTGG
23. TWINE
24. SF
*
I decided to watch a Glen 'Moore' film tonight, and FYEO won out. I've had an up and down relationship with this film and it's never been one of my favourites. I've begun to enjoy it more over the years though. .
Impressions:
It was one of my better viewing experiences this time. Key notables include the colours, which are absolutely magnificent on blu ray. Everything is so crisp, starting with that great funeral pretitles scene (I never realized before that Blofeld looks like he did at the end of OHMSS - he's still got the neck brace and outfit from that film - is it meant to be Telly?).
Bill Conti's score continues to impress and annoy equally. Some of the music is terrible imho (eg. during the Citroen chase and during some of the ski sequencing). Those scenes definitely would have benefited from something more orchestral. However, in other areas, I think his work is as good as Barry, especially the cowbell gunbarrel, that lovely part when Bond arrives in Cortina and goes up to his hotel, and the parts during the submarine sequence.
Performance highlights for me include Carole Bouquet, who impresses as the grieving daughter out to avenge her parent’s murder. She is more convincing to me than the similarly described Kurlyenko in QoS. Underneath her icy cold demeanour is smoldering emotion, which comes out during the carriage ride in Cortina. She is just stunning (almost painfully so) to look at as well. Topol's Columbo is also a great character, in the Kerim mold.
Moore is very good here, but I still rank his work in LALD, TMWTGG & TSWLM higher. In fact, I think he was actually better in OP as well. While his signature Locque kill is in this film, there is something a little 'too serious' about Rog in this one. Like he's not being himself - holding back. This could be on account of the scriptwriting (see below).
Disappointments include Julian Glover's Kristatos, who I've just never found all that interesting. Quite forgettable imho. Lynn Holly Johnson as Bibi is also absolutely awful.
The underwater scenes are well filmed, and the keelhauling sequence remains one of the better ones in the franchise in my view. The ski chase is excellent (previously mentioned score notwithstanding) as is the mountain climb, although I found the actual finale atop the mountain very underwhelming - actually one of the franchises worst imho.
Summary:
There's something about FYEO that lacks spark. The dialogue is muted and without energy. Everything just moves along in a somewhat pedestrian way. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with Michael Wilson, as this was the first film he shared writing duties on, or if it has to do with the fact that FYEO was originally conceived for a new actor (and not Moore), and perhaps they had a different path in mind.
There's something a little too down to earth about the film for me as well. In fact, it fits in nicely with the Craig era due to its somewhat realistic take, but lacks that 'larger than life' spectacle of some of the grander Bond films. Having said that, it is a beautiful film to watch on blu ray, and is definitely much more impressive cinematographically than any of Glen's other efforts imho.
It will never be a favourite of mine, but I enjoy it for what it is.