Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    MayDay, Moore himself has said Maud Adams was his own favourite female lead.

    He has impeccable taste!

    Mostly. He wanted John McEnroe to succeed him as Bond at one point.

    And his FAVOURITE Bond film out the ones he didn't do is apparently DAF.

    I can understand people enjoy and like the film but favourite?

    What is the most Sir Rog-esque outing that Moore didn't do? ;)
  • Posts: 11,189
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    MayDay, Moore himself has said Maud Adams was his own favourite female lead.

    He has impeccable taste!

    Mostly. He wanted John McEnroe to succeed him as Bond at one point.

    And his FAVOURITE Bond film out the ones he didn't do is apparently DAF.

    I can understand people enjoy and like the film but favourite?

    What is the most Sir Rog-esque outing that Moore didn't do? ;)

    Indeed. I'd also say GF has a slightly Moore-ish vibe sometimes.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    It's @timmer's favourite, too.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,129
    Brilliant review of OP @MayDayDiVicenzo
    Might not have made your top five, but I'll take a top ten spot on any list any day. ;)
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    Thanks to reading all your views on OP, @Benny, and yours on AVTAK, @MayDayDiVicenzo, both these films are now in my top 7.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    I didn't think it possible, but my adoration for AVTAK has been surpassed considerably by the author of "Catching Bullets", who happens to be a member on this site! It's his no.1 film in the series.
  • Posts: 1,407
    So I have started my Bondathon in anticipation for Spectre. What I'm doing though is watching every film with somebody who has never seen any of them (except for Skyfall). I'll give you my take and then give you his.

    Dr. No

    My take- While enjoyable, I have always felt that Dr. No got more credit for being the first Bond film then it did for being a good movie. It's obviously more dated then any film in the series but I just find myself bored a lot of the time while watching it. What saves it are the performances. Connery makes a great first impression obviously and the supporting cast (especially Lord as Lighter and Wiseman as Dr. No) are spectacular. Overall, good not great. At least from today's standerds. But I've definitely grown to like it more now than I did as a kid. 7/10

    New fan take- He didn't love it. Liked the performances but it was a little too cheesy for him to get really invested in. Loved how Honey was introduced and the spider scene. He gives it a 5/10

    Will hopefully be watching both FRWL and GF tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned
  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 364
    The Bondathon keeps on rolling. As for where I am in the series, the Sean Connery era is now over with DAF this evening. As with OHMSS, I hadn't seen DAF in a while, and as with OHMSS, my opinion about DAf hasn't shifted.

    Despite everything that happens in YOLT, much of it preposterous, I can't help but feel that DAF is actually the silliest of the films at this stage in the franchise. I think it's because whereas YOLT at least tries to provide a sense of awe in its sets and action set pieces, DAF gives off the impression that everyone involved knows the whole thing is silly. While that tone might work for some films, for me personally it kind of kills the vibe of a Bond film. Yes, for many reasons the Bond films are ridiculous, but when played straight the silliness passes as great escapism. Much of what we get in DAF is like the filmmakers saying 'Yup, this is pretty stupid!'

    There are inklings of interesting ideas, such as the gay duo of Wint and Kid, Blofeld cloning himself, the Willard Whyte character, but even than a lot of is covered in a thick layer of cheese. I remembered Connery looking positively bored throughout the film. Honestly, this time around I actually thought he was having somewhat of a good time, which is of course better than being utterly bored, but even so he's given far better, let's say 'dedicated', performances as 007. It's been written and argued many times, but Tiffany Case starts with real potential before that character's legitimacy goes down the crapshoot by the end.

    Barry's score is at least pretty good, but then again he couldn't write a bad Bond score if he tried.

    1-FRWL
    2-OHMSS
    3-GF
    4-TB
    5-DN
    6-YOLT
    7-DAF (lagging by a significant margin)
  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 364
    I didn't think it possible, but my adoration for AVTAK has been surpassed considerably by the author of "Catching Bullets", who happens to be a member on this site! It's his no.1 film in the series.

    I've never hid my dislike for AVTAK. Funnily enough, I've been encountering a few people over the past few years who like it lot. I think I need to get out of my little opinion bubble and understand that any Bond film can be somebody's favourite Bond film.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    I hadn't watched DR No in full for a while so when I watched it recently I was amazed by the attention to detail in many of the scenes, and by Bond's performance and mannerisms. So in my current Bondathon it will get a high ranking. When the novelty wears off I expect out will be surpassed by other films with more spectacle
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited August 2015 Posts: 2,252
    The first film I did not enjoy so far...Live and Let Die. From the opening frame to the end, it was a complete visual bore (as with GF/DAF/TMWTGG), in comparison to say YOLT where the cinematography is much better regardless of what you think of the film. The TM script is ridiculous as usual and not in a "so bad that it's good" way like DAF. There are some good lines but most of the plot and dialogue is distracting.

    The lack of audiovisual stimulation gave way to nitpicking details, and most of the film was a mess. What I enjoyed about YOLT is the integration of the score with the action going on screen, and while LALD has a decent score (one of the better non-Barry entries) it didn't flow with the action well. The fights were terrible and Hamilton films have the worst vehicle chases in the series ("I-I can't find the brakes" has gotta be in the running for worst line in a Bond film)

    There are a few memorable characters and moments in Teehee, the
    alligator/bus/boat stunt/Mrs Bell but I was so bored that they did nothing to peak my interest this time around. I still like those scenes and would watch them in isolation but not as part of the entire movie.

    I also felt Moore wasn't in fully in the role, I learnt nothing about him as Bond other than he likes cigars, and haven't got this vibe so far in the previous 7 films.

    LALD has never ranked too highly and will be a strong contender for bottom 3. My prediction for TMWTGG is the same...the advantage it holds over LALD is a Barry score.

    The ranking thus far. I've added in predicted ranks for the next few films because I have surprised myself thus far with a few films

    1. OHMSS
    2. FRWL
    3. DN
    4. DAF

    MR
    TSWLM

    5. GF
    6. YOLT
    7. TB

    TMWTGG
    8. LALD
    Predicted rank in italics
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,959
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    This one didn't sit too well with me again this time, and sadly, I think it's because it lacks punch. I like the parking garage sequence and the motorcycle chase but that's about it. The dialogue is so forced and awkward most of the time, Carver is way too campy and weak for my tastes to take him or his scheme threatening, and the finale is still a little weak to me. I wish I had more explanation on why I'm not a terribly big fan of it lately, but sadly, that's the case.

    2015 Bondathon Ranking:
    1.) FYEO
    2.) DN
    3.) LALD
    4.) FRWL
    5.) TSWLM
    6.) OP
    7.) OHMSS
    8.) LTK
    9.) AVTAK
    10.) TB
    11.) TLD
    12.) GF
    13.) TND
    14.) DAF
    15.) YOLT
    16.) TMWTGG
    17.) MR
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Go ahead boys, dis my third favourite Bond.
    [-(
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    I think it's because it lacks punch. Carver is way too campy and weak for my tastes to take him or his scheme threatening, and the finale is still a little weak to me.

    TND is my No 9 Bond movie.

    I can see what you mean by it lacks punch. Where Goldeneye had many, many spectacular sequences that were very diverse, TND seems to flow steadily from one sequence to the other seemingly without any high or low points (except the PTS which is the typical movie in itself and just bloody awesome).

    As for Carver, he is my favourite villain. I have always like Jonathan Pryce's ability in overacting in a believable way. His Elliot Carver is so fun, every word he speaks is quotable.
    I can't see where the finale is weak. We get one hell of a fight with Bond and Stamper in the midst of explosions everywhere.
    The stealth ship is fabulous too and has a typical villain's lair feel to it.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited August 2015 Posts: 3,675
    Deleted
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I think it's because it lacks punch
    I can see what you mean by it lacks punch.

    "lacks...punch...don't you think?"
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    w2bond wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I think it's because it lacks punch
    I can see what you mean by it lacks punch.

    "lacks...punch...don't you think?"

    That is exactly what I was thinking.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    I love Carver... >:)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Birdleson wrote: »
    His death was lame, with no poignancy.
    But it gave the audience what they (I) wanted. =D>
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,959
    You don't even see him get mauled or run into by the drill, yet they had no problem showing the streaks of blood of the guy that Bond throws into the newspaper machine earlier on. I just don't care for Carver that much. I can believe his scheme, but him as a character? Doesn't cut it for me.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    They forgot the first rule of mass media?
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited August 2015 Posts: 12,480
    TSWLM is one of my favorite Bond films, @Birdleson. I was totally swept up in it in the theater when I saw it, first released in the U.S. A complete blast of excitement, elegance, fun, and delicious storytelling. The locations! The Ken Adam sets! The total assurance of Moore as Bond in this one - he rocked. And I actually really like Barbara Bach in this; I do not feel she is so blatantly "wooden" as people keep saying. I liked them together. This films sparkles and still shines; just totally enjoyable start to finish.

    This is the film I usually say I'd like to live in - if one could jump into a Bond film and really experience it. I was overwhelmingly thrilled with it because it really saved the series for me, in a way. I had been truly disappointed with TMWTGG (disappointed and annoyed with it, for several reasons). The whole atmosphere, attitude, spectacle and adventure that is TSWLM was like a strong breath of fresh air for this series. Everything abuot it makes this stay as one of my very favorites.

    To this day, I love it. I also love the theme song. I love Roger's humor in this, and he was never more handsome or winning. Only FYEO comes close to it out of the Moore era (which I appreciate for other reasons, including a more dramatic turn by Roger). It did hit me hard, in every positive way, when I saw it in the theater. Just so beautiful to watch and so much fun! And I saw it as many times as I could (which back then, was either 3 or 4). I loved it, my friends who were not Bond fans loved it, and it became a classic Bond film for sure.

    ***

    And I see you will soon watch another Bond I truly love, Tomorrow Never Dies. I love Pierce in that, and Michele Yeoh, and its flaws just do not drop it down much for me. I like it almost as much as Goldeneye and Brosnan's Bond is perfect in TND, his best turn. So I'll tune in to see what you think of that later ... :>
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Just finished Quantum of Solace. I liked it when it first came out and like it still. My only gripes with the film are the rushed story (which was understandable due to the writers strike.) and very quick editing but I noticed after the Boat chase, that the quick cuts slow down considerably. It's a good Bond film but not a great one and that's not a bad thing. It's certainly atmospheric and uniquely bizarre in a way. I' m very excited to see where Quantum will fit in with the upcoming SPECTRE. Greene is a decent villain but not very intimidating. Even when he's swinging an axe around I never felt that Craig was in danger. Medrano is certainly more menacing and cruel. He make a good villain for Camille. Who is one of the better Bond girls. M really confuses me in this movie. She's too quick to jump to conclusions and will believe almost anything without asking Bond otherwise. Not very competent though we all know what happens to her eventually. Now it's time to conclude my first ever Bondathon with Skyfall in preparation with SPECTRE. QOS isn't bad, It could have been better but due to the circumstances, It's understandable. On one last note. I really love Another way to Die and the main titles by MK12. It kinda looks like a modern attempt at Maurice Bender's work. I don't like the gunbarrel but that's it really. Until next time my friends. :)

    MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
    GoldenEye.
    For Your Eyes Only.
    The Spy Who Loved Me.
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
    Casino Royale.
    The World is Not Enough.
    Thunderball.
    Dr. No.
    Live and Let Die.
    From Russia With Love.
    Quantum of Solace.
    Tomorrow Never Dies.
    Licence To Kill.
    Moonraker.
    Octopussy.
    Goldfinger.
    Diamonds Are Forever.
    Die Another Day.
    The Living Daylights.
    A View To A Kill.
    The Man With The Golden Gun.
    You Only Live Twice.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    The Living Daylights is the only Bond movie (beside LTK) that I had watched only once (back in 2012, when I became a Bond fan). I had forgotten how good it is; in fact, I had forgotten pretty much of the plot (except the PTS, Koskov's escape, the ice chase and the airplane fight), and for me it was like watching it for the first time. The Living Daylight is a perfect cold war spy story (except for the car chase which seems to come from a Moore movie), and it's enough for me to rank it pretty high in the list.
    Dalton is a great actor and delivers several scenes excellently (I loved when he tried to hide his anger after Saunder's death, one of the most Flemingian moments of the series).

    Movies ranking:
    01. OHMSS
    02. FRWL
    03. TLD
    04. DN
    05. FYEO
    06. TMWTGG
    07. TSWLM
    08. GF
    09. MR
    10. OP
    11. DAF
    12. TB
    13. LALD
    14. AVTAK
    15. CR '54
    16. NSNA
    17. YOLT
    18. CR '67

    Actors ranking:
    1. Roger Moore
    2. George Lazenby
    3. Sean Connery
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Would you agree is was the last of that ilk?
    I would. I was 10 when it came out, and remember very well how much I wanted to see it due to all the buzz from everyone. Never experienced that again until the current Craig era.

    You also make some excellent points about those scenes indicating Stromberg was meant to be Blofeld, @Birdleson. Never thought about a couple of those.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    This is the end. The end of a fun exciting journey. For the last month I've been around the globe seeing what the world has had to offer in the last 50 years. It's been great fun and I'm excited to see what comes next after finishing SKYFALL.I loved it when I first saw it and I love it now. Though It's gone down six spots. It has it's flaws but nothing that ruin the movie for me. Newman's score wasn't that bad...in the film, but it doesn't make for good car ride music. For the 50th anniversary Bond film, It's a smashing success. I expect SPECTRE to be even better with a capitol B. So while it's it for me, I've had a fun ride. No doubt my final ranking will be somewhat controversial. Thanks for reading my thoughts, It's been fun. :)



    MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
    1.GoldenEye.
    2.For Your Eyes Only.
    3.The Spy Who Loved Me.
    4.On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
    5.Casino Royale.
    6.The World is Not Enough.
    7.Thunderball.
    8.Dr. No.
    9.Skyfall.
    10.Live and Let Die.
    11.From Russia With Love.
    12.Quantum of Solace.
    13.Tomorrow Never Dies.
    14.Licence To Kill.
    15.Moonraker.
    16.Octopussy.
    17.Goldfinger.
    18.Diamonds Are Forever.
    19.Die Another Day.
    20.The Living Daylights.
    21.A View To A Kill.
    22.The Man With The Golden Gun.
    23.You Only Live Twice.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited August 2015 Posts: 2,252
    @Murdock The main anomaly is FRWL being so low....?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @Murdock

    Your ranking is one of the most interesting I've seen yet. You have 5 actors in your Top 10 (I have all 6 in it).
    It shows you clearly judge the movies unprejudiced without pushing your favourite actor a few ranks up. (If you have a favourite actor...just saying)

    Skyfall seems a little high, in this list I'd place it No 11 (it just can't be before FRWL :)) )
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Pierce Brosnan is my favorite Bond actor as well as GoldenEye being my favorite Bond film. I went into this Bondathon completely unbiased. Having not seen a Bond film in about a year or so I needed a refresher. My ranking is based on enjoyment order. Flaws in movies tend not to bother me. My reviews were honest, and unbiased as previous rankings might have been.

    What I care about is a fun movie that entertains me. For example, many hate Moonraker for being very very derivative of Bond. Which is understandable. However, as a lover of film and fun cheesy romps from time to time, I find the film very charming and entertaining, Even if it would drive Fleming bonkers.

    Same with SKYFALL. It's not perfect by any means but it's not terrible either. I like Craig's performance as well as Bardem's. Perhaps he's a bit off the rails in London, but there's just something about Silva that makes me chuckle. He's mad yet scary at the same time. Perhaps he should have visited with Dr. Hall first.

    As for From Russia With Love. I think it's slightly weaker than Dr. No. It's a good film don't get me wrong but Something about it just didn't feel right. Perhaps it was the lack of color but in terms of entertainment, LALD just beat it to #10.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Except for your Goldeneye love and Goldfinger loathing, you have pretty good taste, @Murdock.
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