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I've found that when I do the live chat, I can find more appreciation (or lack thereof) for a Bond film, but with this one, all of the positives stood out even more. Only one or two complaints, nothing major. Still stands as one of my favorite Bond films.
I can't believe I've been doing blu-ray this long without proper audio.
Gonna give all the Bonds a good ride now, with the new surround sound.
Double bill of TMWTGG and TSWLM is on deck, then I think I will jump ahead to some Broz and Craig films, and then pick up with Rog again.
Working my way through another Bondathon. DN-DAF were already in the can, so those films will have to wait till the end.
The big Sony Soundbar sound makes a huge difference. Its like being in the cinema.
I know this is nothing new to those of you, that are already using enhanced audio systems, but its all fresh to me, especially combined with crystal clear bright and colourful, blu-ray images.
007 home viewing nirvana. Someday I will get a bigger TV too. :D
Also, here's another clueless question: does upgrading a blu-ray player increase any audio/video quality? I've had the same one since 2009 or so, I'd say, and wouldn't mind the upgrade one day if it does, indeed, make a difference.
'Skyfall':
- The first time I saw Bond's entrance in this film, I got so excited. Great way to start it out. His silhouette looks a little funny as it progresses, but him stopping when the light catches his eyes is well done.
- M chatting away on the earpiece. First complaint of the movie: her holding his hand throughout the entire thing. Never happened before, so why now?
- Bond whipping things again. Craig at his finest. ;)
- I love the shot of Bond going down the stairs as the light hits him, and he puts the safety on on his PPK. Great work.
- Hello, Eve, you beautiful goddess.
- "They'll be too bloody late." is a nice line, and Eve's cocky little retort to destroying the side-view mirrors is nice. Took me forever to figure out what he said in the cinemas, though.
- Patrice has one massive Glock. CWATIDIDTHAR? It sounds sexual almost. I'm a comedy riot.
- Bond hops on the conveniently placed motorcycle and the chase has begun.
- "You both know what's at stake here, we cannot afford to lose that list." Well, yes, they know that. That's why they're there, M.
- This bit of editing always bothered me. Bond is stopped by the truck, Patrice takes off, but when the latter starts to go up the stairs, there's Bond, not a truck in sight. How'd it manage to disappear so quickly?
- One of the most beautiful shots in the film: both of them taking off on that very narrow rooftop. Gorgeous.
- I really wish they would've done this entire scene just showing far-away shots of the stunt doubles. The close-ups really take me out of the experience with how fake it all looks.
- The score building up as Patrice rams through the window is great. I also love the little personal shot in the crowd when they both fly past and you see how fast they're going.
- "Use the bumper! That's what it's for." Eve does not hold back getting to the bridge. Well done. That's how passionately she drives when she comes over to my place.
- I also love when Eve yells, the score stops, and she starts firing. But...
-...it's slightly ruined with the motorcycle "jump," of sorts. I've never cared for it. I do like how the last shot we see of Bond's motorcycle, it lands right-side up.
- The short gunfight on the train isn't the best we've seen in the franchise, but it's still pretty nice. Too bad Bond wastes his bullets and (again) throws something. I also like Patrice's very careful ditching of his spent magazine, as if it matters.
- Quick thinking using the digger. Too bad "VW Beetles...I think." kills it. What a terrible line, and sadly, there are more of those to come.
- Why doesn't Eve bother shooting here? She's on a flat, straightforward road with nobody else in sight, she could've tried to shoot at him, or at least thrown him a gun.
- Ahh, that infamous jump that doesn't get old. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Another gripe, though: the train continues on with not a care in the world, even though the top of one of the cars has been ripped off, and before that, cargo was thrown off the side. The conductor couldn't care less, though!
- I really like the dying lighting as Bond checks his wound in the train.
- The thumping around of the jeep is great as Eve continues to pursue them.
- Oh, Patrice conveniently has some miscellaneous chain to use as a weapon. Interesting.
- The fight scene feels weak overall. This was one of my biggest complaints about the film, because Craig's Bond from CR and QoS could've instantly taken out Patrice, but he seems to be a lesser fighter in this, gunshot wound or not.
- Both of them falling down flat before they hit the tunnel is great, and that saves Bond when they exit as he is getting choked.
- I hate the lack of communication here. Why doesn't Bond kick Patrice away and run? Patrice would be all alone. But...
-...she has to take the shot, and Bond is hit, falls a few hundred feet, and lands head first into water...and survives, somehow. Huh.
- I do, however, like the silence as the train passes and Bond floats away and she knows she has failed. Well, she wouldn't have if it wasn't for a horrible lack of teamwork and communication.
- The sound of the rain intensifying as it cuts to Bond floating off is nicely done.
- Ahh, Skyfall. GORGEOUS theme song, one of my favorites. The title themes, not so much. It's okay here and there, but some bits feel rehashed (such as the shot of Bond's eyes in the end of them, looks like it's from CR.) and I don't like them revealing so much about the film throughout. Little hints at the plot or story are fine, but not so much.
- It's been discussed before, but I like to think that the first hand that grabs him before Adele's voice kicks in (the normal sized one) is his lover, and she pulls him out of the water and saves him. The rest is simply part of the title themes.
- The solemn emptiness of this dark, rainy scene as M tries to type up Bond's obituary is so well done. Dark, cold, emotional, it's all compacted and shown in beautiful silence.
- "Bloody waste of my time is what I call it." I love how Dench's M doesn't like dealing with any of this stuff throughout her tenure. It's hilarious.
- Hello, Voldemort. I mean Fiennes. Inevitable M.
- When he first brings up retirement - and knowing how it ends - I wish she would've survived and retired at the end. I know it would result in people saying "Bring Dench back!", but I hate watching this poor woman die.
- M, you're leaving without your purse! Oh, wait, it isn't by the chair anymore. But...you don't have it. Mallory, you slimy thief, you.
- The mocking M laughter gets me every time. It's so eerie as 'THINK ON YOUR SINS' appears.
- M is livid once again. I love this woman. The explosion is MI6 is VERY well done. That's how you do CGI.
- Cut to Bond bedding an unknown, gorgeous woman on a beach. Lucky man. She even kisses his booboo's as he pouts and drinks Heineken.
- I really, really like Bond's outfit here, especially the jacket.
- CGI scorpions. You'd think they learned their lesson, but apparently not. Don't give me anymore CGI animals in B24, please.
- I love his little smirk after they cheer him once he has taken the shot, then we cut to him bitter and broken down at the bar, ready to drink in the AM. Now see, THIS would've been THE perfect opportunity to have Bond start smoking again. It'll never happen now, they missed their opportunity.
- Thank God they have CNN cued up on a TV in Turkey. Bond would've had no idea.
- The emotional bit of score as M looks over the caskets of her fallen allies from the MI6 attack is powerful. Oh, and hello, MGW. I see you hiding back there.
- Okay, here's one thing that I hated when I first realized it, until I looked into the plot and Silva's plan some more: Bond has nothing with him, yet he breaks into M's flat no problem. I initially thought "Wait, why doesn't Silva do the same and execute M? Game over." But, I realized that Silva's initial plan of attack is to completely humiliate her. That's the first part of his goal, the killing comes later.
- I really don't like how Craig says "Enjoying death." Seems very forced, to an extent. His follow up line is great, though.
- I'll never get tired of that drunken, startled gaze Bond gives when she first flicks on the lights. You can tell he has become accustomed to the darkness.
- "Maybe too long."
- "Speak for yourself."
- Very good comeback, M.
- And with that quote, I like them talking about how they're past their prime, to a certain degree, yet they're both sticking through it to the end.
- I really love Bond's snort and "Well I'm here." It's the small things I like in this film.
- "I'll go home and change."
- YES! We get to see Bond's flat! Oh...they sold it? Damn.
- The slight tracking shot as they drive over the bridge is excellent.
- The dialogue between Tanner and Bond is really great here, too.
- I LOVE that Tanner brings up tunnels they're still discovering, which is quite fascinating, "if it wasn't for the rats." Great allusion to the fact that two rats - Bond and Silva - will be running through those tunnels later on.
- I know I'm not there yet, but with the way SF ends, I hope we get that beautiful, traditional office. No more attacks, no more warfooting, no more "new" HQ's. Just that office where Bond will get his mission.
- Bond looks really goofy doing those sit-ups...unless I've done them wrong all my life.
- 007 hiding in his pain until everyone leaves must've been extremely painful. I like seeing him fall to the ground in exhaustion.
- I'm also digging his outfit. I remember scouring the Internet for those blue shoes after the film was released.
- His bout of anger as he rushes the target and unloads on it is great.
- The wonderful word association game. It's great how, as soon as Bond walks in, he knows who is behind the glass and he has a carefree attitude.
- "I might say 'Day,' and you might say..."
- "Wasted."
- :D
- "M."
- "Bitch."
- *Tanner and Mallory slowly turn to M*
- When the good doctor says "Skyfall," and Bond's face changes as that score kicks in...I love it so much. There's a very eerie feel to the movie: that moment, the lack of knowing who the villain is and what he is capable of, the part in Scotland when they're driving to Skyfall, etc. It's so nicely done.
- James is looking damn sharp in that suit. Oh, hello Eve.
- I've asked before, but Bond says "It was only four ribs." and then he jokingly rubs his belly. But, Eve hits him in his shoulder.
- I like the walking shot of Bond and Eve chatting. We get our first taste of their flirting and back-and-forth banter of sorts.
- I really, really love what Bond says to her last, as he gives her a look and finishes what he is saying as he begins to follow Tanner...
-...as do I enjoy the 'interior decorating' banter between M and Bond.
- It would seem I have more love for the film than dislikes, but to me, it seems that most of my enjoyment comes from little lines and little scenes, and where it really matters - action set-pieces, plot, etc. - it falters, and most of my complaints arrive during the second half of the film.
- I know Mallory tells M that she's sentimental about him, but if retrieving the hard drive is incredibly vital, why send a man out to retrieve it who failed all of the tests?
- "You're lucky it wasn't a direct hit or it would've cut you in half." Well, what does that mean? Does the bullet not directly hit him? Or is he saying that he's lucky because it contacted with glass first?
- Always pisses me off that when Bond points out Patrice, he taps Tanner's screen. Why was that necessary, my good sir?
- Oh, one or two friends in the CIA? Such as...Felix Leiter? Would've been a great way to have him in the film.
- "Then terminate him, for Ronson."
- "With pleasure." Ooooh, I can't wait.
- Bond's coat in this scene...I would love to own that stunning, urbane attire.
- Here's Bond, thinking some young, artistic punk is chatting his ear off, no idea that he's the new Quartermaster. This is a nice little scene, too bad Q can only talk up his talent and not actually show it off in this film...
- "Oh, by the way, sorry for hurting you in 'Layer Cake,' 007. I do hope you'll forgive me."
- Why isn't the radio transmitter in the case already?
- "Were you expecting an exploding pen?" Ohh, I get it. It's a little jab at GE (for some reason), as if this film is smarter than it. Let's not go for something practical that could prove really, really useful, but instead, here's a gun with one magazine and a radio. Good luck!
- I do like the score picking up as Q spouts off his iconic line (though I hope to hear it with a more bitter attitude in B24), just as we cut to the beautiful, swinging shot of Shanghai. It looks lovelier and lovelier as it cuts into Bond swimming in the pool.
- Why doesn't Bond have a massive cut on his shoulder from where he dug into the scar tissue to retrieve the fragments?
- 007 looks awesome here, but I really wish they would've kept the scene with Severine going down the escalator to drop off the briefcase to Patrice. Helps with continuity and gives us an earlier glimpse of her.
- The cinematography yet again: the beautiful blue and maroon hues as Bond is in pursuit. The rain reflecting off the street as we get massive shots of all the buildings. If there's one excellent consistency in this film, it's Deakins. The man can do no wrong.
- It's the little details that count, and seeing the blood streak on the floor when Bond enters is nice.
- Love the turning shot, too, as he walks through the rotating door.
- There's guard #2 (that Patrice disregarded and didn't bother hiding, for some reason.)
- I like that Craig actually did the running and jumping here when he gets on the elevator. You thought shooting accurately was tough, I couldn't imagine what it feels like having all that pressure put on his shoulder trying to hang on.
- Whew. Imagine falling down that elevator shaft. Game over, man. Game over.
- I really like the score here, and this is Deakins' best playing ground: the jellyfish, the constantly changing lights, the neon signs, the glass, all of it. He makes it work 1,000%.
- I can't help but chuckle when Patrice turns to see Bond (who has stopped), and Bond is definitely visible there, but Patrice doesn't see him somehow. That, or he does, but pretends that he doesn't so he can carry on with no issue, as timing is everything here.
- Why does Bond wait for Patrice to eliminate his target? He doesn't know who he is, so Bond watches this assassin kill someone before he strikes? I don't get it.
- BOOM! Headshot. He must've hit a dummy or a mannequin, as there is no blood that sprays onto that painting.
- The only fist fight I like in the movie. It's mostly one shot and very well done. But, my biggest complaint: how does the rifle keep firing? It's bolt-action, so it makes no sense.
- WHY??? Why oh why did they replace the real fall from the trailer with that horrible looking CGI fall? Another instance of bad CGI that takes me out of the experience.
- Severine, hello hello. You're looking gorgeous, as well.
- Thank God Bond knows the hidden compartments of this suitcase, and also knows to check the side of the coin...what weird luck that is.
- Idiot question time: M finds out that the picture of her from Silva's first hacked video is her next to another man. Is this the man she negotiated with to keep Silva locked up and a few of her agents in return?
- Funny how a YouTube video with seemingly no hits leads to the unveiling of the real identities of the double agents. I guess terrorist networks heavily frequent YouTube.
- "Q's afraid of flying."
- "Of course he is."
- I'll be calling it out if Q arrives in the field in another country in B24, then!
- Really love the flirting between the two here, as well, especially the shaving scene. I don't like the score, though.
- "Now that's bet-tah."
- One of the most beautiful sequences in the film: Bond's arrival to the casino. The lamps, the fireworks, the lighting. Deakins, I love your work, and while I wish you were returning for B24, it'll be interesting to see what the next DP can do, as well.
- "Don't touch your ear."
- *camera pans to Eve, it's actually Carter dressed up as Eve*
- Again, I like the talking between Bond and Eve here, but it seems unnecessary, how she walks through the middle of the casino and he goes around the side. What's the point?
- If I was Bond, and they handed me a briefcase with that much money in it, I'd say "Well, G'BYE!!!" and be out the door.
- Now, does Bond guess the amount of money correctly because that's how much Patrice is charged per hit or something?
- Also, Mr. Fukatu isn't in this scene, is he? I thought I read somewhere that you can see him in the casino at some point, but I never have.
- The iconic "Bond. James Bond." line is done so well in this movie. Quick, blunt, to the point, confident.
- "She's pretty."
- "Now now."
- I always laugh at that.
- That chilled martini looks so delicious.
- But Bond...her dress isn't backless.
- When 007 tells her he wants to meet her employer, and she is shaking as she takes a drag from her cigarette, you know Bond is in for something. We still haven't seen the villain but you can tell he's one for the books.
- "You were a sex slave at the age of 12 or 13. Prepare to have sex with me later."
- "I can help you."
- Uh-oh, Bond, the last time you told a woman you could help her, she sent you falling from a hot-air balloon.
- In case I forget, I'll bring it up now: when Bond wakes up and meets Severine atop the yacht as they are sailing to Silva's island, all the men approach with their guns drawn, but they don't seem alarmed as he walks towards her. Did they just not see him, and he snuck on the boat? I don't see how they would've let him get on, so that's my only assumption, or is having them draw their guns just done for dramatic effect?
- Bond's toast and downing of the martini to the men he is about to fight is nicely done. It's just a shame that the fight itself is so terrible.
- Bond's drunken act like he doesn't know what's going on is nice, and the score is great, but the briefcase fighting looks goofy. Oh, look, more horrible looking CGI animals. Bond pulls up in fisticuffs, looking unprepared, and oh, CGI animals are spooky, so I can't pay attention. This is a completely different Bond from the last two movies.
- Mendes has to make a nod to every old Bond film, it seems, so animal hopping returns from LALD...only this time, it's CGI. People give DAD a hard time for it, but not this movie?
- Eve has to save the day because Bond can't handle a few men? Nice.
- "Put it all on red." Nice.
- "It's the circle of life." Alright, James, that's too much. I wonder how many more quips he spouted off before he exited the casino.
- The fog effect is done very well to hide a nude Severine (bit of a shame, really), but the whole shower scene is pulled off wonderfully...albeit creepy. Bond hooks up with an ex-child sex slave, then states a cringe-worthy rhyme that always sticks with me.
- I don't like the intercutting scenes with M and Mallory, to be honest. Doesn't help with the pacing.
- What's graphic with the images they show? It's a man being dragged out and put on his knees. We don't even see him executed.
- "...the shadows.' *BOOM*, score kicks in. Probably one of my favorite tracks in the movie. Just another bit of ominous music as Bond finally approaches the man he has been after the entire movie.
- Why do they have this beautiful island to work with, but then they CGI a good portion of it? Again, completely unnecessary, just like replacing Patrice's fall with CGI.
- It also bothers me that three of Silva's men are dressed the exact same, with a fourth only wearing different pants.
- Here we go. Silva's one-shot speech is excellent, concluding right at Bond's feet. Great work by Bardem, who is one of the only shining parts of the film.
- The entire banter between Bond and Silva is excellent. Silva is so eccentric and laid back, I love it. His mannerisms, his sighing, his laughter, all of it.
- The "She sent you after me..." line is horribly executed in this in comparison to the dark, slower version of it said in the trailers.
- The French song playing as they exit outside is great. I don't like seeing Bond casually slip on those shades, though.
- I wonder how many times Berenice moved too much and spilled the shot all over her.
- If I was Bond, I would've shot her in the foot or the shoulder to cause the shot glass to drop. She lives and you win. But, Silva is evil enough, I'm sure he would've shot her again.
- I don't like the taking out of Silva's men, seems way too choreographed and planned.
- "Who says I'm on my own?" *cue CGI helicopters. *sigh**
- Bond lets out that cocky Q-Branch quip. Too bad it'll come back to bite you in a few minutes.
- Everything seems so ancient and old about the 'new' MI6, then they have this state of the art holding cell that's all electronic? You know that he has so much power with his computers, why not throw him in some ancient looking, generic cell guarded by ten guards? This is where my big complaints kick in.
- It's kind of funny how eerie the villain's plan is before we find out who he really is - it's almost like he's a monster or something supernatural - but nope, he's just an ex-agent (Trevelyan) who was wronged by his superiors (Trevelyan). Too good to put in gadgets from GE, but they have no problem taking a nice chunk of the plot from GE, I see.
- Silva bites down on hydrogen cyanide - possibly the most lethal and fast-acting types of cyanide - and it doesn't kill him? Well, no, I don't buy that at all. Why is this even necessary? This is the only time we see the corrosion of his jaw, and it's not pivotal to the plot or scene at all, just opens up another impossibility of the plot.
- When M says "Mr. Silva," this is the first time we hear it, is it not?
- So if his real name is Tiago Rodriguez, where does 'Raoul Silva' come from? Bond is NOT a code name, but it certainly doesn't help by showing another MI6 agent who gets a code name.
- "Look upon your CGI...Mother."
- I do like Silva's psychotic laughter once he puts his teeth back in.
- Q: computer/hacking expert, plugs in a USB cord and gets hacked. Well...makes no sense and adds on to slight incompetency of Q here.
- Q: computer/hacking expert, pulls up the most obscure level of security...which Bond figures out first. Huh.
- Silva's loud stretch/groan is hilarious, followed by him zipping up his suit and smirking.
- Those security doors that open are really, really cool.
- Silva escapes his cell - completely unarmed - and manages to take out two guards quite a few feet away, and not only that, does it with nobody in the adjacent room hearing it?
- I think the shot of Silva running down the stairwell is creepy.
- Love the bitter chat they have about opening the door.
- "Oh, good. There's a train coming." Bond just can't win, yet it's funny.
- It could just be a miscellaneous outfit, but isn't Silva walking through the tube in that outfit a dead giveaway, much like it is in the States if someone was walking around in an orange jumpsuit with a number attached to it?
- Q sure does take his time finding Silva, and then alerting Bond when he does spot him.
- I love the old man's line, and the look on Bond's face when he tells the flabbergasted woman to open the door.
- Bond spots Silva, then lets him get off the train and run. Why not charge him while he has nowhere to go?
- It's the whole 'The Dark Knight' level of escape that bugs me with this scene. The entire thing has that level of convenient timing and required perfection that just wouldn't be able to work flawlessly, yet it does: changing, catching the train, the bomb, ensuring all the doors are unlocked, the timing of the train passing by the bomb, etc. Takes me out of the experience.
- I like how Silva falls on his face and Bond sticks the landing perfectly. But, Bond is maybe 15 feet or so behind Silva, how does he suddenly lose him? There's no way Silva blended in that quickly. And of course, Bond knows exactly where he goes because a door is slightly ajar. Right...
- Bond knows where the light switch is, too. Just narrowly catches Silva, but it's too late. Silva returns the "radio" quip and surprises Bond.
- I'll admit, the entire train derailment is well done. No models or CGI (which is funny, considering they used bad CGI where they didn't need it, but they can create a set where an actual sub-train gets completely derailed.)
- Oh look, Silva's men pull up at the exact time he exits the subway. Nice.
- Silva and his men executes the guards out front and nobody hears it? Not one person hears those gunshots?
- The Tennyson scene overlapping with Bond sprinting down the street. Nothing to highlight here, this gorgeous scene speaks for itself. It's so unbelievably well done.
- And nobody outside hears these shots, either? Well then. I do love Silva's grunting as he unloads and retreats.
- I do love Bond's wink to Mallory as he shoots the fire extinguishers. The score here is excellently timed with the gunshots. However, I'm upset that they got rid of his quick-firing of the three shots from behind the doorway in the trailer, and then the real long shot of him walking out and firing. His little kick-aim as he points to Silva's location is nice, as it shows Eve gathering everyone to escape.
- This will never work for me: Bond kidnaps M so they can fight off Silva and all his men by themselves. How is that one-upping him? You're telling me that they can stop to pick up the GF DB5 (or his Aston Martin from CR that's now outfitted with guns and gadgets...or maybe it isn't? Who knows, I won't even bother wrapping my head around that bit.) but they can't stop to, I don't know, get lots of weapons and explosives instead of driving all the way to Scotland on the off chance that the weapon room is still intact? Or they can't hire some loyal agents to sit in the forest with sniper rifles? Or, perhaps, have a satellite watching them? Or jet/helicopter support? No, nothing? It blows my mind and seems so shoveled in, it kills it for me. M doesn't want anyone else dying for her, that's fine, but the inability to properly equip yourself before the finale is absurd, and telling me that you can't get covert agents on site to help with defense? I'm talking covert, hidden agents that can't possibly be attacked because they won't even know they're there. This will always bug me. "Bond, protect me against Silva and all his men with your PPK. Nobody else."
- "Trouble with company cars is they have trackers." Why does that matter? You're laying breadcrumbs for Silva to follow. Why does it matter if you have a tracker on the car? I guess in case he stops you before you get to Skyfall, but, I don't know.
- Oh, M knows about the ejector seat, somehow. Okay.
- Mallory knows about it now, but he's just letting them go off without doing anything about it? What's with these people all of a sudden?
- Finally, something to enjoy after 20 minutes of disappointment: beautiful Scotland and these long landscape shots that look lovely. However, Bond's "You know the whole stor-ryyy." quote is just awful.
- "Orphans always make the best recruits." Yeah, Alec Trevelyan was a real good agent!...
- "Storm's coming, Mr. Wayne...I mean, M."
- Here it is, possibly my favorite part of the whole film: the 'Skyfall' track (no, not the theme song) as we get these silent, long shots of Bond driving to Skyfall, and how I like to put it, driving towards their inevitability: M's death, Silva's defeat, and Bond's crumbling to his knees in tears.
- They pull up:
- M: "Christ."
- Bond: "Mhm."
- M: "No wonder you never came back."
- It's so hilarious, yet very rude. Is his place really awful by Scottish standards or something? I think it looks beautiful, but that's coming from a guy who has never left the east coast of the US.
- I love Kincade, and his assumption that 'M' stands for 'Emma.' "Pleased to meet you, Emmaaaa!"
- "Some men are coming to kill us. We're gonna kill them first." I love it.
- Oh, so you don't have a gun room. So you drove all the way to Scotland on a whim (like I said) and it proved to be a bad idea. Now you're left with a PPK, a rifle, some dynamite, and a knife. Once the camera accents the knife, with the "Sometimes the old ways are the best." line (yet again), you know that's how Silva will meet his demise...unless you read about it on these forums like I did before the film came out!
- Bond is an expert in weapons, so why go out and practice firing, therefore wasting shells on nothing? And...what happened to Bond in the last 48 hours? He couldn't hit a shot glass off of Severine's head from twenty yards (if that), but he can use a hunting rifle to hit two bits of glass from double (or perhaps even triple) that distance with no problem at all? Just seems like a character inconsistency throughout the entire film. He's either weak and damaged or he's the old, flawless James Bond. Pick one. And why did he walk all the way out here to shoot those two glass cups/plates? Just to surprise Kincade or something?
- Here we go, the beginning of the house defense. An adult version of 'Home Alone' is how I see it. M can rig up traps with nails, but can't shoot a stationary goon in a few minutes.
- Anyone else notice Bond's gleeful walk after he places some of the wood up against the second window? Also, where did this new outfit come from? If Bond hasn't been here since a child, does he just keep a spare outfit in the DB5, I surmise?
- Atta boy, Kincade, waste more shells.
- "I fucked this up, didn't I." I LOVE this line. The first usage of the word in the Bond film, and it beautifully sums up the entire actions of M throughout the film. One line. Excellent.
- Here comes the first wave of Silva's men. See, if they had just listened to me, you could have snipers trained in the woods, ready to take them down. Or claymores/mines set up in the front. Or an AC-130 trained in the sky. Alright, perhaps that last bit is quite extreme, but you get my point.
- The amount of men has never lined up with me in terms of how many are killed, but I might be wrong, so let's count it out. I count twelve men (definitely) as they are walking towards Skyfall. The machine guns in the DB5 take out three, so that's nine left. Silva fires and three men are thrown, but one survives, so that leaves seven men left. The one that was thrown (but survived) steps on the rigged floor and dies, leaving six. M turns on the rigged light switches, and the nails go off, killing two, leaving four left. Bond gets out, takes out one guy, reloads, and takes out the other. That leaves two men. (I also love Bond kicking the rifle off the floor and grabbing it). Bond rushes in and kills one, leaving one left, who hits M and Bond rushes in and kills. Okay, so 12/12, good.
- "Always gotta make an entrance." Witty, but you guys aren't friends. Seems too silly given the situation.
- The lighting continuity error also bothers me here. It goes from slightly dark out to completely dark in a matter of a minute or two.
- I love 007's head flick as the bullets whiz past his head. Reminds me of GE...
- If Silva doesn't want anyone taking out M ("She's mine!"), why unload on Skyfall in the first place? Bond was firing with a machine gun from a very long distance, surely that wasn't going to do any damage to the helicopter.
- "Go to the chapel. Make sure you shine your flashlight in the middle of the dark so they know where you're at." They enter the tunnel and the helicopter lands. There's still light out. (Also, Bond has a clear look at Silva and doesn't take the shot. He does a sweet roll from the explosion, though.) Now, it's suddenly pitch black outside. This has always bothered me in films.
- I dig Silva's casual grenade whip into the window after Bond fires upon him.
- Bond scooting the explosive tanks along the floor as the explosion rips behind him is awesome.
- Uh-oh, his DB5 gets destroyed. Bond's bitter and out for revenge now.
- "I always hated this place." *cringes* Why? It's about to explode, they just destroyed your DB5, and you aren't 100% sure where M and Kincade are and whether they're alright, but thank God you have time to stop and say that to yourself. Another quip shoehorned in that takes me out of the scene.
- It's slightly saved by the amping score as Bond takes off through the tunnels.
- Why stop and look, Bond? Just keep running. Get to M, that's your mission, I don't know what you're looking at. However, the helicopter crashing into the mansion and the ensuing explosion is very nicely done.
- I really like seeing Silva trip as he turns back to look at Skyfall. The cinematography and lighting is done so very well here.
- I wonder if Bond tripping was accidental or on purpose, too.
- The illumination of James running is awesome.
- I like to believe that Bond just broke Silva's goon's neck with that kick. If so, it's one of the coolest kills Bond has acquired.
- "It's ex-HAUSTing!"
- Here steps Silva's last man, completely out of nowhere. He must be a ghost.
- The score playing as Silva looks at the chapel is so creepy.
- Bond's underwater kill doesn't work with me. Does he really choke him out that quickly?
- I love the quick look at Bond's parent's gravestones. Nicely done. Yet Silva thinks it's hilarious.
- I'm so happy that Kincade doesn't die. Would've been damn upsetting. Silva's simple "Don't. Please. Don't." is tired and sincere. He made it all this way, he just wants to do what he has come to do.
- Also, his caring and worry for her when he finds out she has been shot seems very genuine, just to give her the opportunity to kill them both. Then, he would have succeeded and wouldn't need to live any longer.
- Bardem does well with acting like he has just been stabbed. His big growl at Bond is hilarious because it isn't that he killed him, it's the fact that he came in and ruined his plan seconds before he achieved it. Well done, Bond. "Last rat standing." is nice, as well, as his body thumps coldly to the floor.
- I can forgive Bond's quip here, as he doesn't know that M has been injured. But, it just seems uncharacteristic of his Bond.
- M accepts her fate, saying "I did get one thing right." Honestly, I always thought she said "I should get one thing right," which is dying, but the way she looks at Bond, I suppose it means her hiring Bond as an MI6 agent was a right choice. Our sweet old Judi Dench is now gone in the films after almost 20 years. Bond sheds a tear and kisses her forehead as she passes away. So sweet and sad.
- Now, probably one of the most iconic shots in SF, as Bond looks out along London while standing on the rooftop. Beautiful work. I do wonder, though, why Bond didn't attend the reading of her will, but if you pause it at the right time, you can see M's name: Olivia Mansfield.
- M's office, so we know where this is going. But, the film has to leave me with one last thing that bothers me: "We haven't been formally introduced." How? You've been sent out into the field with a woman whose first name is the only thing you know? *sigh*. Cue the iconic theme as Bond meets a new M in a beautiful office. I love how Bond is beaten and battered when he first meets Q, as they look at an old, destroyed warship in the painting. In one of the last shots in M's office at the end, we see a grand warship that looks to be going out to battle. This signifies that Bond is back, I suppose?
Well, that's my live chat for SF. There are things I like, but what really matters (plot, action, character development, the finale, etc.) is what fails for me in this. Definitely my least favorite Craig film.
The soundbar I bought from Sony is just two pieces. Its the exact width of a 40" TV. You just plunk in front of the tv or you can wall mount it. The sound bar creates a surround sound effect, if you sit directly in front of the tv, and I guess anywhere else.
Subwoofer sits on the floor. Simple connection. Connect the optical cable that comes with the bar to the optical-digital-audio-out on the TV, which is a little tricky to find, but its there, if your tv is new enough. Mine's 4 years old and I eventually found it.
Subwoofer connects to the bar. Bar has its own AC, so you need yet another outlet.
Best thing about the bar though is you get big sound and you don't have to set up speakers all over the room.
Sound is awesome. You can control bass and treble from remote. Turn surround on or off. Control volume. I zeroed the TV volume control and run all audio thru the bar. To watch a movie though, three machines now need to be turned on - TV, soundbar and blu-ray. Tedious.
I don't know about blu-ray players. I think an old one is as good as a new one. I only bought a new one because the old one broke. Only took 2 and a half years. Some machines are not built to last. Newer machines though are wifi smart-enabled, ie you can stream stuff through them.
My opinion of it hasn't really changed, it's flawed (awful score, bland cinematography, etc) but it's saved by some good action sequences, a fantastic villain (way better than the original Largo), some great dialouge, a great performance from Connery, two great Bond girls and some original, interesting ideas (an older Bond, Q getting bored without 007 being around, etc).
Not a brilliant film but a decent one and a much better send off for Connery than DAF.
@Creasy47 Great job with these live review things you've been doing. They're funny and well thought out, and it's enjoyable reading what you think of the film as it progresses.
While SF is my favourite Craig film I agree with some of your thoughts on it, especially the exploding pen line. That always pissed me off because it seemed to be Logan, Mendes , etc poking fun and saying "see, no gadgets, the films are all intelligent and clever now, not like back in the Brosnan era!" when like you said, SF is really no more intelligent than GE (in fact I'd argue it's less intelligent because GE is more self aware and light hearted, SF takes itself really seriously despite the silly, hole filled plot) and then they go and wheel out the DB5 with machine guns and an ejector seat later on. So an exploding pen given to Bond by MI6 is far too dumb and unsophisticated for this modern era but a Bond owning a 40 odd year old sports car with machine guns and an ejector seat isn't? I loved seeing the DB5 back with all it's gadgets* but it just seemed really inconsistent.
*although I wish we'd actually seen the ejector seat used, especially since they had the perfect opportunity: when Bond shoots at the goons using the Aston's machine guns, have them start shooting back, forcing him to use the ejector seat to escape.
Agreed, and it's not just because it's a low-blow to GE, because I'd defend just about anything because SF seems to have the gall to bad mouth it in the gadgets department, then it inexplicably brings about the DB5 from GF, AND manages to copy a good portion of GE's plot. It's ridiculous to me.
Once I'm finished with the movie I'm watching, I'll make a new post and do one for TND, I think.
'Tomorrow Never Dies'
- The gunbarrel (how I miss it) cuts into a Russian arms bazaar filled with jets and missiles. If this was my first time seeing it, I'd already know I'm in for some fun.
- Robinson. Amazing addition in the Brosnan era, I loved his character.
- Scanning bad guys and reading quick biographies on them. Reminds me of the Tosca scene in QoS.
- I like Robinson's chuckle to M when she makes a quip about the CIA.
- Never fails to make me smile, seeing Palmer and Dench on the screen together after their work together on 'As Time Goes By.'
- Roughly thirty years after DN and people still doubt the fine-tuned skill of 007? Pfft.
- Uh-oh. The missile can't be destroyed. Time is ticking, James!
- I don't know if people enjoy it, but the occasional POV shot of the missile flying towards the bazaar is great.
- Bond is introduced and he is looking great. Now, tiny complaint: I know it's a quip, but is the soldier he punches smoking weed or a rolled cigarette? Because if it's the latter, Bond smokes, and that's totally hypocritical. And sure, Brosnan's Bond hasn't smoked, but he will be smoking that cigar in Cuba soon...
- From here on out, it's balls-to-the-wall explosions. Also, Bond's outfit here is sleek and badass. He makes quick work of the gons here to get to that jet.
- I love the panning shot as Bond stands atop the jet and unloads his rifle at the men.
- I think this might be Bond's biggest killcount in the PTS. The amount of rounds and missiles he fires out of the jet is astounding. He is going to town on these guys.
- That explosion is massive and very, very well done. It's so sad that Bond dies...
-...HA! Bond will never stay dead. He flies through that explosion like a champ, and preps to let out goofy sounding choking noises as he gets strangled and flies about like a drunken Irishman. I can't help but laugh.
- Smart thinking by Bond gives him one of his most creative double kills. Then he follows it up with the cool, casual "Backseat driver.", and a smartass quip to the Admiral. Well done, James.
- The jet's afterburner shattering the screen, leading us into the theme song/titles is amazing. Both are great: TND by Sheryl Crow is really good, and I don't know how to explain it, but I think it fits so damn well with the entirety of the film. Really hard to explain, but it does. The themes are great, too: the Bond girls composed of bits of computer, the shattering television screens, along with the X-ray visions of all the guns, though the X-ray bit would've been better suited for TWINE, with Bond's X-ray glasses he uses at the bar. Still, great work.
- SIDE NOTE: You should hear me belt out to this song alongside Sheryl Crow. Bond was right: who's strangling the cat?
- I love the shadowed first look at Carver. Nicely done. So is our first look at the massive stealth ship and the damaging drill.
- I like watching the drill cut through the floor of the cafeteria, as debris and tiles fly around the room.
-Silence, and "Now they're wondering why the torpedo hasn't exploded." Intense.
- Hello, young Gerard Butler!
- It's very eerie, the angelic music playing as it goes into slo-mo as everyone tries to get off the sinking warship. Their fates are inevitable and saddening.
- Elliot and Stamper's big plan is actually very smart when you think about it. Playing both sides against one another.
- Oh, and hello, Mr. Wilson! "Inspired, sir. Consider him slimed."
- I think Elliot's ego is so large that he is sexually attracted to himself. Look at how massive those pictures of his face are in his Media Network building!
- "I haven't seen it myself, but I'm told...the footage is excellent." Stamper, you stood a foot or two from the camera and executed everyone yourself. You technically DID see the footage. Silly goose.
- Elliot's speech concluding with "There's no new like bad news." is wonderful. Slimy bugger.
- Bond taxing his professors. Ahhhh, reminds me of my college days. And by "reminds me," I, of course, mean the college days I'm still going through, and by "my college days," I mean that never, ever once happened to me, sadly.
- The professor is beautiful, and I love the slight distress in Bond's voice when he tries to explain the situation to Moneypenny.
- "You always were a cunning linguist, James." Ohh, I see what you did there, MP, you sly devil, you. I like your style.
- M's 'balls' quip is cold and good. I love that woman.
- Bond has already pieced together Elliot's involvement. Smart man.
- M, bluntly: "Use your schlong to get information." Well, that'll do it!
- I love Q in this scene. The dialogue between the two about coverage and damage is lovely.
- Bond, to the GPS voice: "I think we've met." I wouldn't put it past him.
- "Talk here. Listen here."
- "So that's what I've been doing wrong all these years."
- What I love about the hilarity between Brosnan's Bond and Q is how often Bond is incredibly sarcastic with him in the usage of simplistic things, such as the belt quote in GE.
- It's hard for me to figure out how you can manage keeping the car driving at a constant speed with such a small trackpad.
- I'd be messing my pants up if I had a car driving at me that fast. Wonder how hard it was to time the car stopping with their exact position.
- Carver's media building is nicely constructed, and the party looks great and believably filled with people.
- Not my favorite of Brosnan's "Bond. James Bond." introductions, but I do like seeing Wai Lin silently appear behind him.
- The cheesy elevator music fits well with Bond's sexual grunt after he gets slapped by Paris. "Unghhgnh."
- Here's another complaint: okay, so when Paris tells her husband that he dated her college roommate, he doesn't buy it. Okay, fair enough. But that story would also fit with her knowing how he had a gun under his pillow, which should make her story seem a bit more credible, I would think. Now, why is this the part that Gupta continuously replays for Elliot a little later on, and not the part where she slaps him, essentially admitting that they had a thing and he left her? It's like saying "We used to be lovers, and I love a good pair of heels.", then only replaying the latter half of that sentence to Elliot, with it somehow being the "dead giveaway."
- Bond's uncomfortable grunt after sipping his martini is a great way to break that cold, awkward silence in the air.
- Carver's assistant is gorgeous. No, not Stamper.
- Silly James, they didn't have a call for you, they had a bunch of bats ready to decimate your body!
- "Make him...un-com-for-ta-ble."
- I like this fight scene, but it's just three old, fat men and some slim older man beating on Bond. Doesn't scream threatening to me. Bond makes quick use of the instruments at hand. I don't care for the cheesy punching sound effects, either. But, that's saved when Bond pats the ashtray and smashes it into the guy's skull, and sabotages Carver's speech. Quick, smart work.
- Thank God they added German subtitles for the German his assistant speaks. I would've been lost without them!...
- The shot of the front of the Atlantic Hotel is beautiful, and Bond quietly pouring shot after shot of Smirnoff while he applies the suppressor to his Walter is excellent, as he awaits someone to come through the door.
- Elliot is so threatening in the scene with Paris. Offers her up to have sex with him, just so he can kill her afterward. Poor Mrs. Carver...
- Alright, James, time to start pumping for information. With your wiener.
- I like Bond's slight flick of the shot glass after he takes his last shot.
- After James and Vesper first kiss, he shivers a bit. You can tell he really wants her. This scene is very passionate and sexual. It's beautiful. The angry shoulder biting always stands out to me. "GRRRRR RAWRRRRRR!"
- After Elliot hears the clip, I like him hinting at Dr. Kaufman (one amazing character) making his appearance shortly.
- It has never stood out to me before, but I like how Paris reveals the secret lab information to Bond, betraying her worthless husband before he has her murdered.
- I also like the panning shot of the guard smoking, as Bond makes his way across the rooftop.
- This might be my favorite cellphone of Bond's throughout the films: works as a taser, of sorts, a universal lockpick, fingerprint scanner, an automated car remote control, etc. It's awesome.
- "And be careful, it's worth $300 million." I've always laughed at how goofy Gupta sounds when he says that, and just how terribly tacky the thing looks. Looks like a 6th grade science fair project.
- Bond finds the safe behind the painting. This part took me FOREVER to figure out in the game on the PS1. Took me forever.
- I love the heightening of the score once 007 hears someone trying to break in. The tiny exchange between Bond and Wai Lin is great before they both take off.
- And of course, Bond has to destroy that satellite. I love it!
- Bringing up the aforementioned score, though, I'm not a huge fan of it here. I do love Bond taking out the guard after he lands, though, followed by him running across the bridge as bullets whiz by him.
- He questionably checks out Wai Lin casually walking down the side of the building. How does nobody else see this?
- The fight scene here is a little weak. I like the death of the guy falling into the printing press, though.
- Classic Bond score as he makes his escape. Though, it's cut short when more guards arrive. I love his escape on the tiny cart, it's awesome, especially when it's followed up with him rolling under the gate. Too bad this was an obvious stunt double, though.
- They bring a tow truck, why not hitch the car up once they can't get in and take it elsewhere to work on it?
- Ahh, so tense: Bond hearing the early videotape of the news alert announcing Paris' death. He finds her body - he's distraught - but it's not over, because he hears of his death on the tape, as well. This was really, really well done.
- Hello, Dr. Kaufman. I love this man. "Kick it towards me, ja?"
- I love Kaufman's relaxed sigh as he finally sits down.
- "Aaaaghhh, Stamperrrrrr! Stop yelling in my ear, ja?" The embarrassed exchange between Kaufman and Stamper is nice.
- How are they so sure that the encoder is in the car? Kaufman hasn't once asked 007 if he has it on him.
- Boom. Bond blows his brains out. You were short-lived, Kaufman, but Bond had to get revenge.
- I like the last big smooch he gives her before he leaves. Brosnan's Bond has a thing for kissing dead women, though, as does Craig's Bond.
- I love this action sequence. His car gets destroyed but the remote control in his phone really helps him out.
- Bond hitting the red car with the missile is badass, especially when it flies back and lands atop the other car.
- Ahh, road spikes. I miss these as gadgets/defense weapons in Bond's vehicles.
- 007's beyond impressed by the self-inflating tires.
- That extravagant dive out of the way by the rocket launcher-firing bad guy is...majestic.
- It bothers me that the cable cutter attached to the hood of the car is PERFECTLY aligned with the cable laid in his path.
- I also love Bond's roll into cover after he dives out of the car.
- The score heightens, the horn honks, Bond gently throws his hand up, and boom: the car has been returned. He gleefully closes his phone and walks off.
- "Yo! Jimbo!" I missed you, Wade. Happy to see him return.
- "I have a small favor to ask. And by 'small,' I mean, the HALO jump."
- Haha, I love Wade's marriage joke. Poor guy.
- One minute to jump, yet I count less than 40 seconds until Bond jumps. Oops.
- The HALO jump looks so beautiful on blu-ray, especially when Bond passes through the last cloud and we get the big glimpse of the ocean.
- Bond gives Wai Lin a finger-wagging "No" from 'Terminator 2' while they're underwater. I'd be freaking out if I got locked in there. Thankfully, there's another way out.
- If I had to swim up that far, I'd have either died, or gotten the bends really bad.
- Why does the guy who gets harpooned look so awfully stereotypically Vietnamese?
- Oh, Wai Lin, you can play hard-to-get all you want. Bond will have you soon.
- Carver definitely has an edifice complex.
- Uh-oh, Elliot is already writing their obituaries.
- Small complaint: Elliot's typing couldn't possibly be any more fake. It's cringe-worthy how fake it looks, actually; 'dead this morning in Vietnam' = 100 keystrokes.
- Wai Lin quite likes Bond's "TV shows were torture enough" quip.
- I like their cooperative work together to take out Elliot's men and escape, along with Bond's single-handed SMG work. He smokes those clowns.
- Well good thing you paid attention on the ride in, Bond, or your adventure would be short lived. Just imagine them jumping out the window, and there's no ledge at all. They plummet to the ground, aaaaand roll credits.
- I also like the urgency of the score picking up as they go to jump in the window. Bond smirks, brushes himself off, and off they go.
- Their bitter banter about getting a vehicle is rich.
- You really have to appreciate the stuntwork of two people driving one motorcycle, trying to coordinate their efforts while popping the clutch simultaneously. Very well done, and puts an excellent spin to a simple escape scene.
- Quick work with the barrels and the cart, combining the propane tank with the fireworks. Bond thinks so, as well: "Very gooood."
- Hahaha. When they first go up on the pile of trash that is the "highway," Wai Lin gives out a very faint "Hiiiyah." So out of place, it's hilarious.
- All of the shots of them hightailing it across the rooftops as the machine gun fire patters the area around them is great looking.
- Here it is, this gorgeously timed motorcycle jump over the helicopter. Ends with dust and a choked-up "Pop the clutch." I also love the smirk given by the woman in the midst of what appears to be sex.
- Those are some flimsy balconies if they can't handle the weight of a motorcycle and two people.
- I really like seeing the crowd sprint and disperse as the helicopter blades stroy everything in their path.
- The trap they set and the sliding underneath the helicopter is too damn cool, followed by the immediate jump into the well to avoid the explosion. I like the quick shot of the helicopter going into the building, too, because you get to see a few very obvious dummies. :D
- I could stay in that shower, handcuffed to Wai Lin all day.
- Here we get to see Michelle Yeoh channel her martial arts expertise.
- I don't know what it is, but they picked obviously cheesy sound effects for the blows dealt during the fight scenes in this movie. I'd say that's one of my big complaints.
- I love Bond's casual trickery with the lighter. It's so...cool. I remember mimicking that move he does when I was younger.
- The entire hidden computer/armory setup is very cool, too.
- I like the subtle score playing as the new Walther is introduced and Bond and Wai Lin share a slight gaze.
- "And they say Communists don't know how to have fun." I love that line.
- I'm not sure why Bond's "right, decadent, corrupt, Western agent as a partner." line takes so long for him to get out.
- The look of the stealth ship is incredibly impressive.
- I enjoy how livid Carver gets when he finds how incompetent his security guard is.
- More quick thinking my Bond: use a corpse to pretend it's you, so they momentarily think you're "dead."
- Bond is going to TOWN on those guys with his knife.
- "He's my new anchorman." So cheesy. I love it.
- One final cringeworthy scene: Elliot's mocking of Wai Lin's kung fu. It's so terribly cringeworthy.
- 007 spots Gupta making his way to him, and he's about to set up that awesome grenade trap with the mason jar.
- Carver is prepared to start WWIII, just so he can have broadcasting rights in China. Psycho. Bond will point out how absurd this is shortly. ;)
- I don't know what it is, but the initial shot of Bond on the radio talking to Carver for the first time is so good. Not sure if it's the cinematography or what, but I love it.
- "Sorry about that, I, uhh, tuned out there for a moment, Elliot." *smirk*
- One of my favorite Brosnan lines in the series.
- Let me go ahead and say I love the constant destruction Bond and Wai Lin are causing, making Elliot more and more furious.
- Wai Lin's playful little smile before she destroys the guard with her legs and kills another with a throat shot with a ninja star. Mmm.
- I really like finally seeing the British and the Chinese realize what's going on simultaneously, and they finally team up.
- Bond shatters the control panel with dual-wield MP5's...and the shattering makes this cheesy plate-shattering noise.
- Bond smokes a few more bad guys before taking control of this massive handheld missile machine. More chaos and damage ensues, and I love it.
- I really like watching Stamper slowly walk as he reloads his grenade launcher, then rains hellfire down upon Bond.
- Here we go, one of my favorite scenes: the score here is perfect, and it builds and builds as a sweaty, exhausted Wai Lin checks her magazine and takes out two guys with two hits using the steam in the pipes. Beautiful.
- The editing gives Bond this confused grin before the explosion goes off and takes him out of frame.
- Bond's swing across the gap is great as the background explodes behind him.
- Bond's going to give this drill one last use by ripping Elliot into thousands of pieces. Well done.
- I don't like Bond's eye squint as he says "Let her goooo."
- Bond is getting rocked by Stamper! Big, scary bastard.
- That psychotic, deranged quick glance that Stamper gives Bond after Bond stabs him never fails to make me laugh.
- That sexy, passionate underwater kiss as Bond gives Wai Lin more air and protects her from the ensuing explosion. Gorgeous. Well, Bond, looks like you'll be getting laid after all.
- "Let's stay undercover." BUT YOU'LL BE LOST AT SEA FOREVER!! Oh well. ;)
Now there is the TND I've always known and loved. Not sure what it was about it last time - perhaps it was because I watched it immediately after my favorite Bond film? Who knows, but I enjoyed it so much more this time around, as I almost always have.
Licence To Kill
I still really, really love this film. It takes James Bond and dumps him in a violent revenge fuelled 80s action movie and it's brilliant. Amazing stunts and action sequences, fantastic performances by everyone (especially Dalton and Davi), great supporting characters, great Bond girls, great score and a fantastic story that's really clever, emotional and well written; and that has quite a bit of Fleming in it, which is always a plus. I think the only real flaws are the theme song (not bad, just bland imo) and the fact that it does seem a bit cheap at times.
Still my favourite Bond film.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Now I first got to see Majesty's on my eleventh birthday, and it had the same effect on me then as it does today. It blew me away.
After growing up with Roger Moore, and knowing most of the Sean Connery films, here was another bloke playing Bond. Some chap I've never heard of. Who was this George Lazenby guy? Well to be honest I think he's rather good. In fact I think he's a very good Bond. A more human and believable Bond. A man you could imagine really being James Bond. Despite a few areas of weakness here and there, I think George does a remarkable job considering the limited acting ability he had at the time.
Director Peter Hunt a long standing part of the EON family from the beginning where he served as editor on Doctor No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, and moved on to Second unit director on Thunderball and You Only Live Twice is promoted to director. Sadly this would be Hunts final collaboration with the Bond films, and like the wonderful Terence Young, his services are sorely missed.
The pre titles is a simple one, but sets up what follows beautifully. Giving our new OO7 a chance to show he can handle himself in a fight. With editorial duties taken on by future Bond director John Glen, who's editing style can at times be a little dizzying. There are times during the movies when it's hard to tell what is going on, but it also gives OHMSS a unique look.
The story begins with Bond in Portugal continuing his hunt for Spectre #1 Ernst Stavro Blofeld as part of his mission Operation Bedlam.
There he saves Tracy from suicide in the pre titles sequence but she flees before Bond can continue to find out more about her. Upon taking a hotel and a visit to the casino that night, Bond once again crosses paths with the mysterious Tracy, and again rescues her from trouble. They agree a rendezvous but Bond is assaulted when he enters Tracy's room by an unknown thug. Bond returns to his room where he finds Tracy waiting for him. A night of lovemaking but Bond awakens to find she has once again gone. Bond is stopped as he leaves his hotel by several men who take him to an appointment with an unknown person. The man in question is Marc-Ange Draco, head of the Union Corse. A crime syndicate with legitimate business fronts. He is also Tracy's father and has been informed of Bonds involvement with his daughter. Draco sees this as a kind of therapy for his daughter. Bond although interested, denies Draco's offer of a million dollars to marry his troubled daughter. However he does realise the potential information Draco may have and asks the whereabouts of Blofeld.
Draco will never assist the British government, but he will help Bond if he agrees to see Tracy some more.
Bond returns to London where a disgruntled M relieves Bond of Operation Bedlam for failing to track Blofeld down after two years. Whereby, Bond leaves the office and dictates his resignation from the service to Moneypenny. Unknown to both M and Bond, Moneypenny changes the resignation to a fortnights leave. Much to the relief of M.
I love the tension and anger in this scene and it's one that Lazenby and Lee play so well. Add to that the scene where Bond retires to his office to pack away his things and it goes down as a real classic.
Bond returns to Portugal where he is a guest at Draco's birthday. Once again he is reunited with Tracy who after a small disagreement over Bonds intentions toward her, they become lovers once more. And a romance begins to grow. All wonderfully set to the beautiful Louis Armstrong song 'We Have All The Time In The World'
Draco's information connects Blofeld to a lawyer in Switzerland named Gumbold.
The scene in Gumbold's office gives us some Hitchcock like tension as Bond raises against the clock to break into the lawyers safe and copy the documents he requires before Gumbold can return. It's a nice scene and one that shows Bond at his job as a spy.
On returning to London, Bond visits M at his home to ask to reassigned to Operation Bedlam. The documents Bond has found involve a mysterious figure claiming to be the Count de Bleuchamp - French form of Blofeld, and require the College of Arms in London to verify his claim as the reigning count.
Bond uses this opportunity to pose as Sir Hilary Bray on the College of Arms assistance to follow up on the claim, and track down the arch Spectre villain.
Bond arrives in Switzerland where he is collected by Irma Bunt, the counts assistant and taken to the mountain top facility known as Piz Gloria.
The reveal of Blofeld's mountain top hideout is beautiful. It's a stunning location straight from the words of Fleming.
It is at Piz Gloria that Blofeld has set up a clinic to cure allergies from a selection of girls from around the globe. The actual use of the facility is so Blofeld can bribe the world once again after perfecting Virus Omega, causing sterility to plants and livestock forever in any given location it is dispatched. Using the girls who are being treated for their allergys and who have been hypnotised by the Spectre chief. Blofeld intends to use these 'angels of death' to distribute the virus.
Bond quickly beds at least two of these girls during his stay, and it's not long before his cover is blown as Irma Bunt takes the place of one of them as Bond arrives for some nocturnal activities.
Bond is locked in a cable car wheel house (which seems like a pretty easily escapable situation for OO7) and after knocking out a Spectre guard is making his escape on skis.
The ski chase in Majesty's is easily one of the films highlights. Never before has a Bond set piece been so well done. Beautiful photography combined with amazing stunt work. Stunning.
As Spectre track Bond to the small village of Murren, Bond tries to avoid them by hiding in the local Christmas fair, where he discovers Tracy has followed him to the area after gaining information from Draco.
Bond and Tracy use Tracy's car to attempt to escape Irma Bunt and Spectre so he can contact London and alert them to Blofeld's plan, but they are spotted and Spectre give chase. A brief car chase takes place, culminating in the two cars entering a stock car race which results in the Spectre crew crashing and their car destroyed. (A small observation I made. During the stock car rally, try and look how many times the red #11 mini makes an appearance. Some very iffy editing, that doesn't ruin the scene somehow.)
As Bond and Tracy make their way out of the rally a snowstorm develops causing them to take refuge in a barn for the night. It is here that Bond takes the step that many thought impossible, Bond proposes marriage to Tracy in a scene that is well played and written.
Once again Bond and Tracy make an attempt to reach safety and contact London, but Blofeld and his men are fast on their trail. Blofeld causes an avalanche that stops Bond and Tracy from escaping and leads Blofeld to capture Tracy and leaves Bond as far as Blofeld is concerned buried under the snow. Bond though escapes the avalanche and returns to London.
Whilst awaiting any news concerning Blofeld's demands Bond pleads with M to make an attack on Piz Gloria, Bond reminds M that it was Tracy who rescued him from Spectre, and Mi6 owes her. M rejects these pleas as they're deemed to risky. Blofeld demands seem like a valid choice considering his evil past. The Spectre #1 asks for amnesty, a full pardon for all past crimes and recognition as Count De Bleuchamp when he retires into private life.
With M un-willing to act, Bond contacts Marc-Ange Draco in a deal to stop Blofeld and rescue Tracy. An aerial assault follows with Bond and Draco arriving at Piz Gloria in helicopters for a showdown with Blofeld and his men. An all out battle takes place as Blofeld flees with Bond close behind. Tracy is rescued and Piz Gloria is destroyed as Blofeld watches, before the evil genius attempts to escape using a bobsled.
Bond gives chase in a bobsled and yet another exciting chase occurs as Bond and Blofeld fight to the death. As with the ski chase before, some wonderful photography and stunt work make this exciting and unlike anything seen before in a Bond film.
Bond finally dispatches Blofeld by causing Blofeld to be caught in the branch of a tree. Seemingly to Bond causing the villain to break his neck and supposedly the villain is killed.
The film draws to a close with Bond and Tracy marrying. A tearful Moneypenny catching Bonds hat one last time as Bond and Tracy set off in Bonds Aston Martin for their honeymoon. The car is covered in flowers and Bond pulls over on a mountain road to remove some of them. As he does so, a car speeds by showering the car in gunfire. Bond avoids injury, but as he realises it is Blofeld at the wheel, he looks across to see Tracy has been fatally wounded. A police motorcycle arrives as Bond cradles his dead bride in his arms. And the credits roll.
It's a truly sad ending that I still find hard not to get caught up in the emotion displayed.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is unlike any other Bond film before or after. Not only in the lone performance of George Lazenby, but in it's style, photography, editing and direction. It's almost faultless in my opinion and easily ranks as one of the best Bond films of the series. At least for me it does. Lazenby has his fair share of critics, and whilst his acting is not always perfect, it is a very, very good performance. He gives a very real and warm take on Bond, and he is also very good at the action and fight scenes. His proposal to Tracy and later during the films end, shows off genuine emotion that is believable and emotional. I wish he had made more Bond films, but alas it was not to be.
Diana Rigg is fantastic as the spoilt Tracy, who wins over Bond and becomes the only woman to wed Bond. I had never been a big fan of Tracy, but with this viewing I saw the complex yet troubled character that she is.
Blofeld gets his best incarnation in the form of Telly Savalas. Charming, cunning and utterly ruthless, he is a good match for Bond in this film, and again, it would've been nice to see Lazenby tackle this Blofeld again in Diamonds Are Forever. Oh the thought of that.
The rest of the casting is on par, with even the smallest role well played.
One of the best elements of Majesty's would have to be John Barry's score. It's hauntingly beautiful and in my opinion his finest work.
This is easily one of my favourite Bond films, and the transfer to Blu-Ray only brings out the stunning photography and locations even more. With an epic story this is a hard act to beat.
Benny's Blu-Ray Bondathon ranking:
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Thunderball
5. Doctor No
6. You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
After the wonderful OHMSS, the Bond series took it's first big step backwards. What could've been an excellent follow up and revenge movie after Majesty's, is a weak and silly film with many, many flaws.
Yes it has a return of Sean Connery. But this is not the Connery of old. It's hard to imagine this is the same man who battled, Dr.No, Red Grant and Goldfinger. He's aged considerably since we last saw him. And gained a few pounds as well.
The film looks cheap. The budget does not reflect what we see on screen. The action is dull, the special effects are embarrassingly bad. The story is not only weak, but also poorly edited and incoherent. We are never told why Plenty has managed to find Tiffany's residence. She merely ends up dead in the pool. Bond's belief that his charm will see Tiffany deliver the diamonds is also silly. Tiffany case is introduced as a diamond smuggler and has promise. She's confident and independent. As the film progesses, she becomes a dumb bimbo who gets more an more annoying. Felix Leiter has become a joke, and is miscast. Wint and Kidd are well played, and even rather fun. But this is the only time in the series where the henchmen never share a scene with the main villain. And onto Blofeld as played by Charles Gray. This is again the weakest portrayal of the character. It's hard to imagine this is the same man we first met in From Russia With Love and later Thunderball. A man who eliminates underlings like he's swatting flies. He's far to fey and charming. He also has an unsatisfactory end. We do not see him perish. Bond merely swings him to and fro in his Batho-sub as the oil rig they're on explodes. If the Bond films had any continuity (they don't by the way...spoiler) then Bond would exact a better revenge for the death of Tracy. The films only saving grace is some of the wonderful one liners, and a semi decent supporting cast.
I used to really like Diamonds, and it does have a certain charm that makes it easy to watch, and there really are some great lines. But this is a Bond film. Not an action-comedy. It's about as far removed from Fleming's Bond as you can get (in my opinon).
Connery's return is not worthy of this mess. A disappointment.
Benny's Blu-Ray Bondathon ranking:
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Thunderball
5. Doctor No
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Diamonds Are Forever.
I share that opinion, @Benny! Easy to watch, but as a Bond film a travesty. An outrageous travesty. But there is fun to be had for sure. ;-)
My biggest problem with Diamonds is that its dull to me. Yes there's some good lines in the first half but as a whole film it feels utterly tedious.
Connery's performance either sardonically fits the scene perfectly or ruins it. Mixed bag again.
@Birdleson - I too have done a great job holding off. I bet I'm going to cave before too long, however.
Wai Lin is the girl Bond will retire to a beach with...
No Bond has moved around my ranking as much as this, and lately it been enjoying a renaissance near the top. One criticism I still have, is Lazenby's inexperience, it does show through especially with some of his line readings. But what he lacked in acting experience, he made up for with his physicality and confidance.
2014 Bondathon
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Dr No
4. Thunderball
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Goldfinger