Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • edited July 2011 Posts: 1,497
    Hey ho - here we go on to Diamonds Are Forever. May wait a few nights for that though as I want to savour OHMSS a little more.
    That's a tough transition--definitely a good idea to take a break to let OHMSS settle. I personally am a big fan of DAF and feel that it has a lot going for it, but it's best to try to wipe away all knowledge of OHMSS before viewing DAF. I recommend following YOLT with DAF. But if not, it requires a more laid-back, 'just-for-fun' mood to enjoy. Apprectiate that Connery is in it, don't take it too seriously and just go along for the ride! Also, like, OHMSS, DAF has a great appreciation thread as well that you might want to check out to get you excited for it--Timmer's post on page 1 in particular is fantastichttp://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/219/its-gone-berserk-diamonds-are-forever-appreciation/p1
    LTK is too hard-nosed, bitter and grim for me. The elements of LTK I dislike tend to be the same elements most of my esteemed colleagues on these boards like. In fact I'm so much in the minority I'm starting to wonder if I'm wrong about LTK!!!
    You're not totally in the minority there Nic. I also don't rank LTK too high, yet I do like TLD. I enjoy LTK well enough on it's own as an 80's action flic--Sanchez is entertaining, Dario is memorable, and well, the action of course is a ride. But overall it doesn't 'feel' like a Bond film to me. It lacks, like you say the lushness and excitement of OP, or heck ANY of the films prior to it.

  • Posts: 1,092
    LTK is awesome. Get the BD and watch it again.
  • Posts: 4,762
    Just started my Bondathon yesterday with a pairing of Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Those two really go together! I thoroughly enjoyed watching them together, especially the similarites like Sylvia Trench's return and two references (if not more) to Dr. No in From Russia with Love. I can see how there might have been an idea to keep the Bond movies linear, and have recurring elements from past missions. Next I will watch Goldfinger, as part of my Bondathon to watch them in order. I may pair it with Thunderball, but maybe not.
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 11,189
    I'm watching DAD ATM. Up to the part where he's sneaking round the Eden project/Iceland. Hmm it's not THAT bad so far lol. Theres been some crindgy moments but none more so than MR...yet. :">

    Umm Rosamund Pike ;)
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,254
    @00Beast I find DN-FRWL and GF-TB the best pairs too. However, one thing I've successfully attempted over the years is to create my own SPECTRE continuity. That means: DN-FRWL-TB-YOLT. Not OHMSS though, as I find it hard to match this one with the previous five. It feels more like a reboot to me, in some form that it. Anyway, I've thus far always found the suggested SPECTRE 'quadrilogy' quite rewarding. You should give it a try. ;;)
  • Posts: 11,189
    Just had THAT surfing scene - urgh!
  • Posts: 4,762
    @DarthDimi: Thanks! I'll have to give that a try! That sounds better than having Goldfinger randomly inserted between Bond's dealings with SPECTRE. Maybe I'll pair GF up with OHMSS or DAF and see how that turns out.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    @00Beast I suggest you don't watch DAF straight after OHMSS... DAF is a fantastic film, but your views may be shifted to 'bad' if you watch OHMSS just before it... Or maybe let a few days go by !!
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 4,762
    @DaltonCraig007: Actually, I may find OHMSS horrible after watching DAF, which is one of my favorites! It's epicness could certainly ruin OHMSS, which isn't too high on my list.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    DAF is one of your favorite ?? A round of applause for @00Beast !! :-bd How great to have more members in the DAF club !!
  • Posts: 4,762
    @DaltonCraig007: You know it! It radiates with epic Bondness!!!
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    image
  • Posts: 4,762
    Thank you, thank you! And a salute yourself, for being a DAF fan!
  • OnlyManWhoCanOnlyManWhoCan Greater London
    Posts: 202
    I've promised myself I'm going to watch all the Bonds back to back the week before Bond 23. Even though that will take around 2 whole days to do (if I did it with no breaks!) I've always wanted to do something like that; it will feel like a real event! (although I'm gonna need a LOT OF COFFEE!)
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    I've promised myself I'm going to watch all the Bonds back to back the week before Bond 23. Even though that will take around 2 whole days to do (if I did it with no breaks!) I've always wanted to do something like that; it will feel like a real event! (although I'm gonna need a LOT OF COFFEE!)
    Can I join you ? I'll provide the chips and dips !
  • Posts: 4,762
    @DaltonCraig007 and @OnlyManWhoCan: Make that a party of three! I'll bring the sodas!
  • OnlyManWhoCanOnlyManWhoCan Greater London
    Posts: 202
    @DaltonCraig007 and @00Beast: The moore the merrier! \:D/
  • Posts: 1,497
    How great to have more members in the DAF club !!
    I'm a card carrying member myself!

    B-)
  • Posts: 4,762
    @JBFan626: Excellent!
  • Add me into the DAF fan club as well!
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 321
    Well, got to Part 7 of my Bondathon last night. After the emotional ending of OHMSS, it was on to the camp, tongue in cheek, innuendo-laden Diamonds Are Forever. As OHMSS was a complete change of what came before that, DAF was a complete change from what OHMSS was and (kind of) back to the Bond we had in Connery's first 5.........but with added campness.

    Not keen on the pts. If we are meant to believe that Bond is going after Blofeld for revenge (after OHMSS) and that 007 gets the man who killed his wife (well at least the man who drove the car that Bunt fired from) then surely that should have brought out some sort of emotion. But no, we got Bond welcoming Blofeld to hell and a slight grin on his face. Anyway, may just be me but hey ho.

    On from that we have Charles Gray as Blofeld. As has been mentioned elswhere on the board that's 3 Blofeld's in 3 movies, but then the same could be said about Bond. Would have been nice to see an actor, possibly Savalas, play the character more than once. Gray is ok but I don't think he gives the same menace as Pleasance or Savalas.

    Bond girls - well we have the money grabbing, in your face, Plenty O'Toole who doesn't really last too long yet makes a memorable appearance and we also have Tiffany Case. Never known what to make of her really. She's quite a beauty but there is something that doesn't quite connect with me, yet I can't put my finger on what it is.

    Wint and Kidd bring something different than any other henchmen before them. I love the way the go about their business and are a very welcome addition to the movie. For me, they are one of the best things about the movie.

    And who can forget about Bambi and Thumper?

    Connery, while putting in more of a performance than he did for YOLT, doesn't seem to be in the form that made him great in the first 4 Bond films. From what I have read on the board it seems that he only came back for the money?

    The actions is ok and the effects I guess for the time are passable (yet I think that there were better in earlier movies). One thing that does make me chuckle every time I watch this movie is later on when Blofeld's laser satellite destroys the nuclear weapons in China and we have a randon guy just run on to the screen and he's burning up. Makes me laugh every time.

    There are some good thing to savour in this movie but there is also the not so great. I guess it can be said that after the excellent OHMSS that they missed out on what could have been a great follow up but that's by the by. As a standalone Bond movie it still doesn't hit all the right buttons.

    Unfortunately, after the first 7 movies watched, this will probably be at the bottom of the pile at the moment.

    Just one thing that puzzles me when Bond is being car chased through the streets of Las Vegas and he drives the car on 2 wheels, how through a very tight squeeze, how does he then manage to turn the car on to the other 2 wheels? (Please accept my apologies if this is obvious and I have missed something).

    Please also accept my apologies once again for not being as great with the words as other members of the board but I think I get down what I think in an understandable way. Cheers. :-S
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    edited July 2011 Posts: 7,584
    Just one thing that puzzles me when Bond is being car chased through the streets of Las Vegas and he drives the car on 2 wheels, how through a very tight squeeze, how does he then manage to turn the car on to the other 2 wheels? (Please accept my apologies if this is obvious and I have missed something).
    Well, the makers didn't realise themselves until all the shots were in the can. I believe they inserted a short moment where Bond and Tiffany lean the other way in the car to suggest their shift of weight altered the dynamics of the car totally. I can't recall exactly but that appears to be it.
    Please also accept my apologies once again for not being as great with the words as other members of the board but I think I get down what I think in an understandable way. Cheers. :-S
    Look @007JamesBond, no one here is going to beat you up for not being able to express yourself as well as others. Your posts are great, so keep it up. ;-)
  • Posts: 321
    Cheers NicNac, just very conscious of it that's all. And thanks for the explanation of how the car changes from one set of 2 wheels to the other. Just find it very strange how they could do that when the car only just managed to squeeze through on 2 wheels anyway.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,584
    Cheers NicNac, just very conscious of it that's all. And thanks for the explanation of how the car changes from one set of 2 wheels to the other. Just find it very strange how they could do that when the car only just managed to squeeze through on 2 wheels anyway.
    Yes, it makes no sense, but the shots were already done, the car went in one way and came out another.

    They had to do something, but nothing they did could actually make sense of it.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    The entire scene, both the entrance and exit, was done by an American stunt crew but the exiting shot had traffic in the distance which rendered it useless (it's a deleted scene on the UE DVD if you have it).

    This meant the exiting shot had to be filmed again but the American crew were unavailable so a French stunt team was brought in but they happen to drive on the other side. This of course was only realised in the editing room (how I have no idea), so the shot in the middle was put in. Now who thought that up I can't recall, I think Hamilton or Mankiewicz.
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 1,497
    The re-shot sequence was done at the Universal backlot in fact and not at Fremon St., Las Vegas as the original shot had been. As Samuel001 mentions, this was due to the crowds at the Vegas location.
    After the emotional ending of OHMSS, it was on to the camp, tongue in cheek, innuendo-laden Diamonds Are Forever....If we are meant to believe that Bond is going after Blofeld for revenge (after OHMSS)...then surely that should have brought out some sort of emotion. But no, we got Bond welcoming Blofeld to hell and a slight grin on his face.
    I tried to warn you! :)]


    ...we also have Tiffany Case. Never known what to make of her really. She's quite a beauty but there is something that doesn't quite connect with me, yet I can't put my finger on what it is.
    I know what you mean. I've had the same feeling too. For me, I think she is an older actress like Honor Blackman was, compared to all the other Bond girls who were in their early 20's--there was more of an innocence to them. Tiff and Pussy seem like they have been around the block a little more if you know what I mean.
    Connery, while putting in more of a performance than he did for YOLT, doesn't seem to be in the form that made him great in the first 4 Bond films. From what I have read on the board it seems that he only came back for the money?
    Yes, tis' true: $1.2 million salary. In a 2008 interview, he stated that he would also impose fines for going overtime during filming. But I interpret his attitude at the time more towards trying to have more business control for himself and not be taken advantage of. He had a bad experience filming YOLT with long extended hours, going overtime and then to have hoards of Japanese press and public follow him everywhere including the liue. He obviously enjoyed the role enough to come back, but I think he wanted to ensure the circumstances were to his liking. As others have commented on here, Connery has more of a breezy, carefree demeanor in DAF, as if he's just the enjoying ride, which gives him a looseness to his portrayal and makes the movie more 'fun' in that regard. He does even comment in the 1971 interview included on the DVD, that one of the reasons he signed on was because he thought it was a good script.
    I guess it can be said that after the excellent OHMSS that they missed out on what could have been a great follow up but that's by the by. As a standalone Bond movie it still doesn't hit all the right buttons.
    Again, though you gotta watch DAF completely on it's own. It requires a certain state of mind.

    You can't start your meal off with oysters and champagne and then follow it up with a hamburger and chips--it could very well be a delicious hamburger with great fixings, but it just doesn't compliment the fancy hor d'oeuvres
  • Posts: 251
    Rolling on with my Bondathon, I arrive at OHMSS....
    This movie really benefits from an amazing score by John Barry, and a welcome introduction of one of the first synths heard in a film score, I think. I just love the slides on that bass...!
    Dame Diana Rigg, class class class. She really does the role justice, and I really felt she believed she had little to live for at the start of the film.
    Obviously the big thing with this film is no Conners, and an actor with no record as a replacement. No doubt Lazenby gave it his best, but it just doesn`t cut it. The funny thing is, watching the extras, he comes across in the interviews really well! I suppose this is what got him the gig.
    My misses watched it with me, and couldn`t believe people on this forum put him infront of Connery, I couldn`t agree more! I really don`t see the appeal of his Bond, his line delivery is clumsy at the best of times. It takes more than looks to pull off the role.
    Example, when Bond is picked up by Dracos goons, Lazenbys smug line delivery is nothing but irritating.
    On the plus side, the barn scene is fantastic, and shows his potential the best, I think. Also, the ski scenes are very cool to watch, along with that fab score.
    The plot is pretty comic book too, and not my favourite Fleming...
    I feel it is from this point, the films moved drastically away from Flemings ideal.
  • edited July 2011 Posts: 251
    Next up DAF...
    How the producers got from Dr No to this point is beyond me. This is not what I want from Bond. This flick actualy sucks. Sorry guys, I know there are lots of you who like this film, but come on, following the gold standard of the first four.......THIS??
    Tell me....when Bond runs across the "moon", why are the men in suits moving as if there is no gravity???????
    This film aint even funny like The Pink Panther films, which it clearly wants to be.
    Voice box phones? Next, they will put invisible cars in.......
    Crap.
    Good title song though!
  • Posts: 1,497
    Tell me....when Bond runs across the "moon", why are the men in suits moving as if there is no gravity???????
    Because they are in space suits. There's not much flexibility there. The atronauts in that scene weren't there for security purposes afterall... anyway it's mostly just a gag, like the moonbuggy antennae. I personally think it's all hilarious, but that's my tastes, and I understand those that find it silly. But then again, the jetpack in TB was pretty hilarious too, so was Little Nellie, and the ejector seat, etc.

    I agree on the voicebox though, that was a bit of a stretch. But voice simulation is a real thing.

  • Posts: 4,762
    I actually find the whole Moonbuggy scenario quite funny, really! Who wouldn't crack up watching 007 hunched over in a worthless piece of junk trying to escape his pursuers which are far worse drivers? It's all so great, especially when Bond ditches the Moonbuggy, ambushes the security officer, and steals his motorbike thingy. Certainly interesting to watch Bond improvise his means of escape, considering he didn't have the DB5 handy! And honestly, do you think he wanted to escape in that thing? No, but he had to, so in some way, it's pure Bond!
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