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Then LALD (which too, even if I kind of like it, I didn't like much this time around) then TMWTGG today, which I immensely liked. Even though some of it felt hokey and fake. The statues in Hai Fat's garden. The Goonsquad in Scaramanga's funhouse. Since when have robots blinked when firing a gun or when dropping an arm. Even professional human beings in the line of duty don't blink. At least that's what they tell all the action stars. Anyway, liked it. I have to say from now onward, and if my memory serves me right, every Moore film until AVTAK is enjoyable.
This has easily been the Bond movie to climb the rankings the fastest for me. I don't know what happened to change my mind, but I had a fantastic time watching TMWTGG! I really enjoyed the centerpiece plot of Bond tracking down Scaramanga in order to save his own skin, and what a performance Roger gives us for this interpretation of Bond! He's brutal, gritty, and no-nonsense, especially when interrogating Lazar or Miss Anders. Still, there's always time for jokes, and TMWTGG is no exception for Roger's one-liner humor perfection! Even though the solar energy plot is distracting and takes away from the key focus at hand, I still found it particularly engaging, what with Gibson being assassinated by Scaramanga, and Scaramanga setting up a solar energy power plant with the Solex in partner-ship with Hai Fat. Plenty has been said before about Christopher Lee's outstanding performance, and he really does rule the movie as much as Roger Moore's 007. Such scenes as him killing Hai Fat to take over his business and eliminating Andrea Anders due to her cheating on him are ruthless and cold-blooded, proving that Francisco is a force to be reckoned with! The pacing, in my opinion, is very well done, leaving equal time for action and plot. My only regret on this note is that the action is very low-key, with the only big thing being the car chase through Bangkok. Anyway what action there is is really good, nothing to complain about really. The location work is one of the best things going for TMWTGG, it's extremely eye-popping and works well with the plotline. As for the soundtrack, well, it's just meh. There are some good tracks like "Let's Go Get 'Em" but that's about it really, though I also like the eerie music played during the final part of the funhouse duel. All in all, TMWTGG is a lot more enjoyable than previous outings I had with it, and I must say that I look forward to watching it again very soon!
Well, what can I say. Thing's started rolling for Moore's Bond in TMWTGG and reached the peak in TSWLM and the tip would keep up until 1985's A View To A Kill. Once I reach to TSWLM I'm always in the same predicament in which I have to think who is the better Bond ; Moore or Connery. TSWLM is excellent escapist entertainment and Moore is perfect in it. I've kept close eye to Moore this time around ; how he balances with the drama and eyebrow raising moments. And darn he's pretty excellent now that I think of it. The movie was good and Moore was good in it. Just like he was in TMWTGG. Sir, I salute you. I'm thinking of revamping my Bond ranking, and Moore, if not better, then he's at least as good as Connery was in the role. But which one is my favorite? I should say Moore. Definitely.
The film represents Bond before the excess started to take hold. For those who have read the novel it does not disappoint and remains largely faithful to the source material. While some of the book’s details are changed, this is (IMO) done for the better. A perfect example is the sequence on the Orient Express which in the book see’s Bond outwit Grant in the most preposterous manner possible. In the film however we are treated to one of the best fight scenes ever featured on celluloid.
All the staples for a solid espionage thriller are in place. The crucial ingrediant being atmosphere. The murky underbelly of Istanbul is wonderfully captured especially when Bond and Kerim are wandering through the sewers on their way to spy on the embassy. A tougher thriller it may be but Russia never loses its sense of style, brilliantly shot and edited it must have been a treat for people eager to visit Istanbul in 1963 - proudly interweaving the glorious architecture of the city into the plot.
Connery is demonstrating he is the king of cool – so much so that he almost looks bored, emphasis on “almost”. While I don’t consider Russia to be Connery’s best performance it’s easy to see why he has constantly been voted the sexiest man alive. When he casually claims at the gypsy camp, “I’ll take care of this filthy stuff” before taking a swig of the champagne in his hand, who wouldn’t want to be him at that moment?
He is backed up by a brilliant supporting cast including Daniela Bianchai, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya and Pedro Armendariz who excels as Kerim Bay, the cheerful but tragic ally for Bond. This is all the more remarkable given that, in real life, the actor was gravely ill and would commit suicide shortly after his filming was complete. The fact that he was able to show such energy and charm even in desperate circumstances shows what a trooper he was and he subsequently created one of the most memorable characters in the series.
Like the other sixties films (and unlike subsequent entries) FRWL holds up remarkably well, largely due to it’s cinematography. The film is rightly regarded as one of the very best entries in the cannon. It’s classy, elegant yet equally brutal on occasions. FRWL is Bond at his best.
9/10
This is such a great Bond movie, everything falls into place here. The mission was big, the villains are classy, the locations are exotic, the soundtrack in places is very funky epic, the action is explosively dangerous, and the pacing is excellent! Only things lacking here are Barbara Bach's weak excuse for acting and some annoying moments in the soundtrack. Really, that's it!
The first Bond film I watched, on the then newly re-released VHS tapes back in 1996. Being my first Bond, I have a certain affection for YOLT that I don't have for any other Bond film.
It's not exactly perfect (Japanese Bond is laughaable), ad Conner lacks that edge he had in DN/FRWL (though he never had that in GF and TB either) but it's got a lot going for it; the score, locations, that Volccano set, Karin Dor ( 8-> ) etc..
1. You Only Live Twice
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr No
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
Next up: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Yes, she's often overlooked because of her small part and the fact that she's a bit of a Fiona copy. But she's quite nice and I've never seen someone look so sexy in a pilot's outfit.
Bond: "Well, enjoy yourself."
*SLAP*
I love that scene.
I was going to watch QOS but this just appealed to me more as I enjoyed it last time I saw it.
Still a good film. I don't think we needed a reboot for this to work, and even if it is a reboot why not have Q (giving Bond a gun maybe) and Moneypenny anyway? Still, a good film. The action scenes are great (would've liked a better, longer car chase though), and Craig plays the part well. I love the hotel fight scene. I don't like some of the Bond/Vesper dialouge though, the whole "you stripped it from me" thing :-&
The poker scenes are tense and not too boring at all. The free running at the construction site is still my favourite part of the entire film. Solange is really hot, hotter than Eva and the hottest of Craig's girls until Berenice showed up for SF. Dench as M is ok in this one. She's overused but this was before it got to the level it did in QOS ("I need to know I can trust yo- SHUT UP!!!) One thing though, the ending is misleading. It kind of makes you think he's become the Bond we know, then in QOS he's basically still the rookie he was in CR.
Overall, a good film. The reboot wasn't needed but they pulled it of well and it's still no 9 on my list. This turned out good but I kind of want to see the Tarantino version with Brosnan that he talked about wanting to do. Anyway, this is a real top 10 Bond film, and even though imo Craig doesn't live up to Moore, Brosnan, Connery or Dalton, he really does well showing the rookie Bond (looking forward to seeing if he can handle the classic Bond in SF). This was ALOT better than QOS.
7.5/10
I feel the same way. The action scenes still hold up really well, but the love story gets worse for me with each viewing. I don't want to say it's on the level of SW prequel Anakin-Padme bad, but it feels close. Still a stunning looking film. Great shots of Lake Como.
Four weddings & a funeral is the movie for you. :D
Been on MI6 little over a fortnight now and the most shocking and surprising thing is the esteem Goldeneye is held in. It is genuinely loved and almost consistently ranked as one of the best Bond by reviewers who know there stuff and are both knowledgeable and interesting in there views. Goldeneye had never been a favourite of mine. I mean, it was alright. Always though it was the best Brosnan and the best of the 6 films since LTK (i.e. the modern era of Bond). But compared to most of the other films, it just didn't make me click. I ranked it 16th in my most recent revision of the Bond films, below AVTAK (the much derided AVTAK, something unfair imo). To sum it up, when I fink of GE, the game, the classic N64 game that revolutionised gaming and defined mine and other childrens childhood, is my abiding memory. But I am open to review and bowed to the views of others and re-watched it.
The pre-credits sequence is a good one. The bungee jump is an amazing piece of action to kick off the Brosnan era. The silence accompanied by this jump really does make for a "wow" moment. The initial conversations with Alec and Bond are good although Bond asking for a pint is weird haha. Brosnan shows what Bond he is going to be in his opening scenes, a man of action laced with humour. The younger version of Moore's incarnation of Bond is how I have always seen Brosnan's Bond. Once Trevelyan is shot, though the action is good, it is somewhat unrealistic. But the jump of the cliff is epic though there is no way he should have got in that plane. But it's a Bond film, I love those moments. I enjoyed the PTS more than I had done. In the past, I had merely been irritated by Ourumov, who I thought was camp and obviously in the same graduation class of "Bond Generals" as Medrano in QOS and Koskov in TLD. But I didn't notice that, instead paying attention to the action and in particular how Brosnan handled the humour and action and the Bond persona.
The music of Goldeneye is a very mixed bag indeed. The theme tune is good but not an instant classic in the class of GF, LALD and TSWLM though it is very good still and the opening bars of instrumental music is memorable and instantly recognizable, which is a bonus. Tina Turner is a great singer and her voice evokes the memories of Shirley Bassey and she was a great choice for this song. The soundtrack, on the otherhand, is easily the worst in the series by a million miles. I hate it. Hate everything about it. It's not Bond music imo and I was surprised that they chose Serra to do it. I think I hated it more on this viewing than any other viewing. The gunbarrel music is a travesty. Though the scene with Bond and his assessor, the music actually does go. I think the producers dropped a massive bomb when they chose to do the music to the tank scene...if the composer was good enough to do the rest of the movie his way, let him do this scene his way aswell.
The actual plot of Goldeneye I found just so more interesting than in previous viewings. It introduces James Bond to a post cold-war world whilst paying homage to the world of communism which the Bond films were made against a backdrop of. The plotline has it's influences in previous Bond epics such as DAF and is about a satellite which has the capability to bring down a civilisation. It is an interesting idea, especially the way it suggests that the finances of the world would be wiped off, something that is relevant in this day of recession. It's a nice plot that introduces Brosnan's portray of Bond into the series.
Brosnan himself throughout the movie is actually much better than I remember him. I don't rate Brosnan that highlight in my listing of bond actors (5th out of 6th, beating only Lazenby) but have to admit in this film, he is very good. The standard of writing is of the highest quality and allows him to shine and lay claim to the title of Heir to Moore. Brosnan looks very comfortable performing the action sequences though I did notice in this viewing that his interaction with the Bond women, with the exception of the assessor, isn't as strong or confident as in other Brosnan or, indeed, bond films. Brosnan does deliver his lines very well and looks more than comfortable with the one liners and says them with a sparkle in his eye. His scene with M is a highlight of the film and it's only with my recent bashing of Dench that I have appreciated this scene and tonight's viewing showed just how much missed potential not only in M and Bond's relationship but also Dench and Brosnan as characters in the series. Brosnan certainly has a good grittiness in the movie in respect of his attitude and approach to Trevelyan. The disdain grows throughout the film and Brosnan does well, in an understated way, to carry it off.
The villains are also better than I remembered them. My hate for Ourumov will never fade though admit in this viewing, I felt he brought for to the film than I had previously given him credit for. Alec Trevelyan is a safe villain for bond in a brave new world. Revenge and hurt drive along with the old desires of bond villains past and his relationship with Bond is also interesting, I did feel it could have been explored slightly further but this would be a minor qualm. Trevelyan has a quiet sinister approach about him that makes him by far the most memorable of the 90's/00's villains. I sensed for the first time in this viewing that he was jealous of Bond incredibly and that this drove his betrayal as much as the betrayal of his parents. Special mention though must go to the impressive Xenia Onatopp, who is an outstanding Bond henchwoman in the vain of previous memorable henchvillains such as Oddjob and Jaws. Onatopp is a key component to the film and also, along with bond obviously, keeps the whole story together and drives. She is also stunning in looks, which also helps.
The Bond girl is somewhat underwhelming and rather forgetable still. I mean she's good looking enough but nothing spectacular. A return, if you were, to the 60's era of Bond girls who looked to Bond to save them, rejecting the approach, by and large, taken in the 70's and 80's where the Bond girl became a strong figure in her own right and didn't need Bond so much, generally speaking. In Goldeneye, the Bond girl is designed, maybe, to evoke an older time simply because of the circumstances of the character, seeing her friends shot and people out to get her, an army out to get her.
The actions sequences are amongst the best for the modern Bond of which Goldeneye is the first film. The tank scene in particular is a highlight and is really a great way to reintroduce Bond to the cinema after the hiatus. I have spoken of the great action in the PTS and this is a solid PTS in the series. The finale is also very good and is filled with tension and twists and turns and solid moments of good, decent action.
Overall, I feel that I have been too harsh on the film in the past though it still don't rank in the top 11 of Bond films. I believe though that Goldeneye is the best Bond since LTK and that the producers struck the right note by updating the character and setting whilst sticking to the Bond formula. It's a good film and cracking little Bond film that I believe is Brosnan's best and harks back to an age where Roger Moore was 007.
A perfect Saturday afternoon selection when all I was after was some light-hearted good fun.l
As people know I'm a major fan of that film. In fact its my most watched Bond film hands so far down they smash through the floor.
I will admit though that, while I like Brosnan in GE, compared to his other films, he's not quite as comfortable. That said he does have a slickness about him thats fun like the way he gets up to walk out of M's office, the way he gets up from under the floor in the PTS and how he gets out the car after bashing Xenia in the statue park ("sweet dreams").
A lot of credit has to go to Campbell too for his fast paced, stylistic direction. The quick cuts for instance when Natalya realises the satalite is going to fire, the shot of all the soldiers entering the military archive and spreading out, the shot looking up at Bond and Natalya as they run ("trust me), the shot of Bond and Natalya sprinting towards the camera as the train exploades in the background (I LOVE that shot and could watch it all day on a continuous loop).
Yeah...that movie is great :D
BUT I do think CR is better.
It actually surprised me, but NSNA wasn't that bad. It entertained me and held my attention for its run-time, so I was pretty impressed actually! The best thing about it is undeniably Sean Connery's performance. I'm not sure why, but he just has it in his 7th outing. There's almost some renewed energy about him, as if he was trying to make up for YOLT and DAF. I also enjoyed the locations and the plot pacing very much. Yes, it was a recycled plot taken entirely from TB, but I still found myself eagerly anticipating the next scene. The action was pretty decent, I love the Shrublands fight with Lippe and the motorcycle chase with Fatima. The finale sort of disappoints me somewhat, it's not that big or large-scale, and it doesn't last too long either. It's okay, what with Felix and the CIA gunning down SPECTRE thugs in the Tears of Allah cave, but certainly not up to speed with TB's ending battle by any means. Surprisingly so, I actually liked Bernie Casey's portrayal of Felix, it was very much buddy-buddy with 007, instead of the more professional approaches of, say, GF and DAF. The villains were really weak though, Fatima Blush gets on my last nerve, and Maximillian Largo is rather akward and unmemorable. As for the soundtrack, it's pure '80s, but gets rather tiresome, boring, and very annoying. All in all, it's about mid-range with me, not horrible or fantastically spectacular.
Exactly, "Maximillian" Largo was simply a pansy...just a pansy. I neevr believed he had the killer instincts like Emilio did! And what was with this line? (sips water from the Allah well) "Mmm...tastes sweet...like money!" That ruined the entire character for me.
Max von Sydow was a missed opportunity for the EON films. Like christopher Lee, he is sinister without even trying. Best bit of NSNA IMHO
Yeah, I enjoyed Sydow's Blofeld interpretation quite a bit. Too bad he only had...what was it...three scenes maybe? And only the first was major, the rest were just "oh, just checking in, here I am, don't forget that I'm the one running the entire operation!"
That was enough
Last movie I watched all the way was QOS. One of these days I'll do a scene by scene review and share my thoughts. Which are still for me that while not a great top 10 entry, not far off and certainly not a #21 or #22 bottom feeder. I think 11-14 is about right as far as what I think.
Hahaha, I can see that you don't care for DAF that much, do you?