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I always watch bits and pieces of the films, but I have not watched the movies from beginning to end, without interruptions, for quite a long time.
I dreaded it because I thought it would be slow, but I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. The film nails Bond's every mannerism. The snobbery, the sadism, all the little details are there. The way he sniffs the vodka after he knows his room has been searched, taking down the sail of the boat in case the radar picks it up, taking his shoes off when Sylvia is in his apartment. There's so many little details, the way Quarrel drinks rum while headed to Crab Key, the positioning of set pieces, the movie just flows very well.
My only criticism which I've had from the first time I watched it is his treatment of Quarrel, and other people to a lesser extent. When he kindly agrees to take them to Crab Key, he simply says "Fine" in an annoyed way. And don't have to mention the shoes scene.
All the Bond trademarks are there. The allies, villains, treatment of martini, love of drink, even throws in a quip about funerals.
It's not a film I'll put on often, but it sure is one of the best quality ones. Perhaps the best Bond performance. Unless the following film tops it.
I'm going to have a very difficult time ranking these. At the moment FRWL is 5 and DN 17. I now feel they complement each other and should sit close in rankings. Does this mean DN goes up to top 5? We shall see.
Anyway, Licence to Kill was a good showing. However it's no longer my second favorite Bond film. It was very good but in this viewing it seemed a bit cheap. Not that that's a bad thing but it's lost a bit of it's charm for me. Dalton really delivers in this film and Sanchez is a unique and great villain. I think Robert Davi played him very well. The third act does get a bit silly but not as silly as in The Living Daylights. Next I shall treat myself with the Brosnan era and up next is my favorite film GoldenEye. until next time.
MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
For Your Eyes Only.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Thunderball.
Dr. No.
Live and Let Die.
From Russia With Love.
Licence To Kill.
Moonraker.
Octopussy.
Goldfinger.
Diamonds Are Forever.
The Living Daylights.
A View To A Kill.
The Man With The Golden Gun.
You Only Live Twice.
My last attempt to do a Bondathon, with my dad, was cut short and ended with LALD. Let's see if I can convince him to watch the rest with me from TMWTTG onwards... He really wanted to see all the films in its original English version. He's used to subbing and wanted to try the OV.
This is what my most up to date ranking looks likes, so I'll be curious to see what changes will occur, as they inevitably do:
1) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2) For Your Eyes Only
3) The Spy Who Loved Me
4) From Russia With Love
5) Octopussy
6) Goldeneye
7) A View to a Kill
8) Licence to Kill
9) Live and Let Die
10) The World is not Enough
11) The Living Daylights
12) Goldfinger
13) Thunderball
14) Skyfall
15) The Man with the Golden Gun
16) Casino Royale
17) Moonraker
18) Diamonds Are Forever
19) You Only Live Twice
20) Dr. No
21) Quantum of Solace
22) Tomorrow Never Dies
23) Die Another Day
This movie was awesome, A non stop thrill ride, The ultimate Bond movie. Words cannot describe how much I love this movie. Ever since I was six years old, I have loved this movie from beginning to end. This was my introduction to the world of James Bond and what a wonderful introduction it was. I watched this film for the first time with my dad, god rest his soul. This film has a lot of wonderful memories behind it for me personally. Though, I played the GoldenEye videogame not too long before I saw the movie, so I was very happy to see the movie behind the game. Which also was something me and my father played together. This Bond movie is the transition between Classic Bond and Modern Bond. This viewing made me realize how strange and interesting this film is. It has some things we've seen before and things we haven't. All the characters are so unique and have their own specific qualities that stand out with a nice ensemble cast this film carries. It really makes it stand out for the better. This film is so memorable, The dialogue is sharp and quotable. The action sequence and stunts are good, and while many will disagree with me here, I just love Serra's score. It adds to the strangeness to this film. And when I say strange, I don't mean that in a bad way. It gives the film character and GoldenEye has tons of it. That is why I love it so much. I was actually kind of afraid to watch it given my reanalysis of the films. Some I've loved have gone down in rank, Others I didn't hold in high regard or had mixed feelings on have gone up considerably. But I'm happy to say, GoldenEye didn't disappoint and is still my #1 favorite Bond film. I've started the 90's with a blast and I can't wait to continue. Until next time. :)
Oh and lastly, Brosnan kick ass! Deal with it. \m/
MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
GoldenEye.
For Your Eyes Only.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Thunderball.
Dr. No.
Live and Let Die.
From Russia With Love.
Licence To Kill.
Moonraker.
Octopussy.
Goldfinger.
Diamonds Are Forever.
The Living Daylights.
A View To A Kill.
The Man With The Golden Gun.
You Only Live Twice.
Although it doesn't do very much for me, I can appreciate for what it is- a nice little film that kickstarts arguably one of the biggest film series of all time.
This time around, I didn't find very much that I dislike, although I didn't find very much that I love, either. Just indifference for a large part of the film. I didn't mind the score this time around. Although I certainly wouldn't rank it among the Barry efforts and some of the finer "one-off" scores later on. However, the film starts of nicely, particularly the iconic scenes within the Le Cercle casino, and the last twenty minutes or so, the scenes with Dr. No and the climax, are very good, too. The films loses me a little within the middle portion, as not very much really happens, and some scenes, such as the car chase and the tarantula scene, seem a little complacent. All in all, an enjoyable watch, but not one I would make often.
Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that the film looks damn gorgeous on Blu Ray.
Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015- The Run-up to SPECTRE
DR. NO (1962)
Isn't that wild how it works? When I was a kid, I'd confidently say that TMWTGG was one of my favorites, and now I think I would stretch and say it's my least favorite in the series.
And why would Lt Hip take his nieces in a paupers car to drop off Bond disguised as Scaramanga to Hi fats home??? He's supposed to be a millionaire assassin.
I have to say that a few years ago I couldn't watch more than 1 Connery outing a day because they felt 'slow', but now I just can't get enough of Connery Bond!
2015 Bondathon Rating:
1.) DN
Well, I'm going to do that. September 12th to be precise. And we're going to show these films. Take also into account that some visitors are not die-hard Bond fans ;-). And off course, the films are to prepare for "SPECTRE":
Yeah, it's pretty much perfect, isn't it? Connery is uber cool in perhaps my favourite performance as Bond, Daniela Bianchi is delicious as Tatiana, the villains are cunning (Klebb always stands out for me, despite the little we see of her), the score is atmospheric (a loose term, but I can't think of another word to describe it- it is just so evocative of Istanbul), the locations are beautiful (especially on Blu-Ray!) and the pacing is a tenfold improvement on Dr. No. Although there are still some things that niggle me, such as the random placement of the Bond theme while Bond is checking his hotel room (another member pointed out in another thread that it is oscillating, too, which I've only just realised) and the rather unnecessary helicopter scene at the end (I do like the boat chase, however, with the iconic moment when Bond shoots the flare, despite the destruction and men shouting going on a little too long), From Russia With Love has once again reaffirmed why this release is a top five Bond film.
Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015- The Run-up to SPECTRE
-FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
-DR. NO (1962)
Next up- GOLDFINGER
Let's see if it can reclaim it's top ten position.
Doctor No
This is, I believe, the 5th time I've seen it this year so far. Do I get tired of it? No! The film keeps surprising me at how fast it moves a long, and shockingly, the film feels shorter and shorter. Also, the soundtrack greatly improved in my liking. The songs (Underneath a Mango Tree and Jump Up) are very good, but this time I found myself humming the actual soundtrack. Sure the music is very basic and dated, but it's simplicity is its strenght, it's very easy to remember and it makes you humming cues as the film goes along.
Connery seems better and better in this outing. He is an absolute alpha male here, not one line of dialogue he says or movement of the body seem too much or awkward. I also noticed how much he enjoys himself, when looking at his face you can see his eyes glowing like a kid who has just entered a candy store.
All in all, this film is now a solid 10/10 from me and may very well have entered my top 5 once this Bondathon is over.