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Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Exceptional taste!
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Not with DN and TB being so low.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited October 2016 Posts: 5,080
    Unfortunately, DN doesn't do much for me. It's well paced and is full of iconic scenes, but I always thought FRWL and GF were much tighter Connery adventures.

    It's not unusual to see THUNDERBALL that low btw, if you can even call that low. Thunderball has its vocal critics.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Dr No can't compete on action and thrills but what it does do is an excellent portrayal of the cinematic Bond character which Imo has not been matched
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited October 2016 Posts: 5,080
    QUANTUM OF SOLACE

    Quantum of Solace managed to sneak into my top ten with my previous viewing, and while it doesn't quite make the mark this time around, I love it all the same. Three of my all time favourite scenes are from QOS (Opera scene, showdown with Greene in the burning eco-hotel, confrontation with Yusef), although I do have a little nitpick with the Opera scene- that random four second shot of Tanner (?!) stuck in the middle of it. QOS features my favourite Arnold score, too, and it's the best Bond score in nearly a 30 year period. Camille is a great character, and I like the fact that her relationship with Bond isn't sexual (one of the few "almost Bond's equal" Bond girls I like). Greene also makes for a great villain; granted, not in the upper echelons of Bond villainy, but Almaric is truly creepy and slimy as Greene. My criticisms remain the same- shoe-horned in action sequences (dogfight and boat chase) and the dodgy CGI in the dogfight and subsequent parachute jump.
    So QOS clocks in at a respectable 13th place.

    MayDay's Summer 2016 Bondathon:-

    -Dr. No (1962)
    Inside Dr. No
    -From Russia with Love (1963)
    Inside From Russia with Love
    -Goldfinger (1964)
    The Making of Goldfinger
    -Thunderball (1965)
    The Making of Thunderball
    -You Only Live Twice (1967)
    Inside You Only Live Twice
    -On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
    Inside On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    -Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
    Inside Diamonds Are Forever
    -Live and Let Die (1973)
    Inside Live and Let Die
    -The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
    Inside The Man with the Golden Gun
    -The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
    Inside The Spy Who Loved Me
    -Moonraker (1979)
    Inside Moonraker
    -For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    Inside For Your Eyes Only
    -Octopussy (1983)
    Inside Octopussy
    -A View to a Kill (1985)
    Inside A View to a Kill
    -The Living Daylights (1987)
    Inside The Living Daylights
    -Licence to Kill (1989)
    Inside Licence to Kill
    -Goldeneye (1995)
    -Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
    -The World is not Enough (1999)
    -Die Another Day (2002)
    -Casino Royale (2006)
    -Quantum of Solace (2008)

    Rank order-
    -THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
    -ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
    -FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
    -FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
    -GOLDFINGER
    -CASINO ROYALE
    -THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
    -LICENCE TO KILL
    -OCTOPUSSY
    -A VIEW TO A KILL
    -DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
    -LIVE AND LET DIE
    -QUANTUM OF SOLACE
    -MOONRAKER
    -THUNDERBALL
    -THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
    -YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
    -DR. NO
    -TOMORROW NEVER DIES
    -GOLDENEYE
    -THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
    -DIE ANOTHER DAY
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote: »
    QOS features my favourite Arnold score, too, and it's the best Bond score in nearly a 30 year period.

    That's true x2. And really sad if you put it that way...

  • GBFGBF
    Posts: 3,197
    w2bond wrote: »
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote: »
    QOS features my favourite Arnold score, too, and it's the best Bond score in nearly a 30 year period.

    That's true x2. And really sad if you put it that way...

    I don't mind the score. I think it is good but I personally think that all 5 Arnold scores do not differ very much in quality. I guess the first two had the more memorable action tunes. In QoS I rather like the calm tunes, especially towards the end.

    My biggest problem with QoS are the poor and boring villains. They are extremely slimy and dislikable stereotypes but at the same time extremely boring and not menacing at all.
  • IncompetentHenchmanIncompetentHenchman
    Posts: 1,817
    GBF wrote: »
    w2bond wrote: »
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote: »
    QOS features my favourite Arnold score, too, and it's the best Bond score in nearly a 30 year period.

    That's true x2. And really sad if you put it that way...

    I don't mind the score. I think it is good but I personally think that all 5 Arnold scores do not differ very much in quality. I guess the first two had the more memorable action tunes. In QoS I rather like the calm tunes, especially towards the end.

    My biggest problem with QoS are the poor and boring villains. They are extremely slimy and dislikable stereotypes but at the same time extremely boring and not menacing at all.

    Agree on both points. Particularly about the villains. Despise Greene.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited October 2016 Posts: 2,252
    GBF wrote: »
    w2bond wrote: »
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote: »
    QOS features my favourite Arnold score, too, and it's the best Bond score in nearly a 30 year period.

    That's true x2. And really sad if you put it that way...

    I don't mind the score. I think it is good but I personally think that all 5 Arnold scores do not differ very much in quality. I guess the first two had the more memorable action tunes. In QoS I rather like the calm tunes, especially towards the end.

    My biggest problem with QoS are the poor and boring villains. They are extremely slimy and dislikable stereotypes but at the same time extremely boring and not menacing at all.

    I like the QoS score. Arnold's other efforts are mostly generic aside from a few cues (the ones that incorporate the theme song and action themes, such as '007 your time is up' and 'backseat driver').
  • sunsanvilsunsanvil Somewhere in Canada....somewhere.
    edited October 2016 Posts: 260
    New, larger display installed in the 007 Theater at my house. Spent the past 3 weekends calibrating. That means its finally time for another Bond film festival. :) As is my tradition I run through the catalogue in chronological release order at a rate of no more than one a week. I'll usually try to screen the McNee narrated docs after the feature (sometimes next-time if time doesn't permit).

    I'd like to complete the experience by running the trailer for next week's at the tail end of the current week's feature, but switching blu-rays takes too dam long. I'm thinking of ripping the trailers and accessing them of a NAS for quicker access...
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited October 2016 Posts: 2,252
    sunsanvil wrote: »
    I'd like to complete the experience by running the trailer for next week's at the tail end of the current week's feature, but switching blu-rays takes too dam long. I'm thinking of ripping the trailers and accessing them of a NAS for quicker access...

    At least you won't have to load the disc for the next week :-)

  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I still need to start the last third of my Bondathon.

    But I have a great idea for a possible future Bondathon.

    Do it in order of your favourite scores/soundtracks.

    For me that would for instance mean I'd start with THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS which is overall my favourite score.

    DN, SF and SP for certain would be the last three for example.

    Has anyone done this before?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Shouldn t you do it in the reverse order?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited October 2016 Posts: 9,020
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Shouldn t you do it in the reverse order?

    Now that you say it...yes another possibility for sure.

    And it just happens that I did watch Dr. No and Skyfall last and I'm in the middle of Spectre right now, just taking a break, the film is too overwhelmingly good.

    So I could do this Bondathon!
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    I still need to start the last third of my Bondathon.

    But I have a great idea for a possible future Bondathon.

    Do it in order of your favourite scores/soundtracks.

    For me that would for instance mean I'd start with THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS which is overall my favourite score.

    DN, SF and SP for certain would be the last three for example.

    Has anyone done this before?

    I would really dread it towards the end then....since score is one of the most important things for me

  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited October 2016 Posts: 2,252
    Thunderball

    The underwater scenes really are that boring. Maybe innovative for the time, but much of the film is so pointless that much can be skipped without missing anything. The score is the usual Barry standard and the humour is top notch Bond, not in your face or cheap gags.

    2016 Bondathon (2015 brackets) [score/86]
    1. OHMSS (5) [78.5]
    2. CR (3) [50.5]
    3. DN (10) [50]
    4. OP (2) [47]
    5. TSWLM (8) [44]

    6. DAF (31.5)

    7. TMWTGG (19) [36]
    8. LTK (13) [17]

    9. TB (26.5)
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I've been putting this off for too long now but it's time to finish it. I've done a double feature of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace back to back. What a fun romp both were. I enjoy them both greatly and think they serve each other quite well. The editing of QoS wasn't so bad this time and went slower than normal. I really got to absorb everything this time around. Can't wait to finish with Skyfall and Spectre tomorrow.

    2016 Ranking.
    GoldenEye
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Casino Royale
    The Spy Who Loved Me
    For Your Eyes Only
    Dr. No
    Quantum of Solace
    Tomorrow Never Dies
    Licence To Kill
    Moonraker
    The World Is Not Enough.
    Live And Let Die
    Octopussy
    From Russia With Love
    Thunderball
    Goldfinger
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    The Living Daylights
    A View To A Kill
    Diamonds are Forever
    You Only Live Twice
    Die Another Day
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Don't take the positioning of the films in my rank as...non impression my dear @Birdleson. I enjoy All the Bond movies of old. With varying degrees. However, as I'm much younger, my tastes are quite different but I enjoy all the films. I love them all in their own ways but this is strictly based on entertainment value. I'm impressed by all the Bond films. I love reading about their rich history, especially watching the old behind the scenes documentaries on the older films. The only Bond film I could say I don't really like is Die Another Day but I love the first half of it at least. I'm sure next year's ranking will be very different. My fiery passion for Bond is an undying one. Perhaps I'm biased towards the Bond films of my generation, but I do in fact love and appreciate all that came before. :)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @Murdock, I know a few years back you got a newfound appreciation for the Dalton films. How do you feel about his Bond and films in light of this new Bondathon?
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7, Licence to Kill is still one of my favorites but in my recent viewing of TLD I just wasn't invested in it. Koskov and Whitaker are just lame "Main Villains" and several attempts at humor just make me roll my eyes. Especially the Cello case sled scene. I wish they could have just skied down to the border instead. Dalton is also hit and miss for me in TLD. There are times he's quite good and times he's awkward and not quite nailing the role. He's much better in LTK though.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    My heart is bleeding at such comments about my beloved TLD
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited October 2016 Posts: 9,020
    Double Oh Post
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I'm sorry Jason, it's just not one of my favorites anymore.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited October 2016 Posts: 45,489
    Wrong thread.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    It'll be interesting to see how I view TLD and LTK coming up in the MI6C Bondathon. Love Dalton and love those films (in my ranking they're both just inside my top 10).
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Time again for a bold and simple statement:

    DALTON RULEZ
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited October 2016 Posts: 5,080
    SKYFALL

    SKYFALL always makes for a great watch. Technically, the film is stellar. While I have a great fondness for the cinematography in OHMSS, MR and CR, I have to admit that SKYFALL is in a different league when it comes to cinematography. It's gorgeous. Every shot is sublime. SKYFALL often gets criticised for its lack of action and/or the action being poor. I disagree- the action ratio in SKYFALL is spot on and the PTS, the inquiry room shootout, the finale at Skyfall and Silva's escape are all excellent and engaging action sequences. I have in the past been a critic of Newman's score, and while I still have my reservations about large swaths of Skyfall's score, I have begun to warm to it with recent viewings of Skyfall. I think Newman does a great job scoring the PTS, the finale in Scotland and the Tennyson scene (which I like very much, even if it is a bit poncy). Craig is excellent in Skyfall, probably my second favourite performance of his after CASINO ROYALE; he's very comfortable in the role. Bardem is equally great as Silva; although he might not be one of my personal favourite villains, his zaniness and his benign bizarre traits make him so entertaining to watch (ps I love the ''mommy was very bad'' line!). So what does it do wrong? CGI mars some scenes so much so that I feel totally disengaged (i.e. the komodo dragons in the Macau casino, Silva showing M his deformed mouth), something that's irked me ever since I first watched SKYFALL. Although the plot holes don't take away from my enjoyment of the film per se like they do some, there are some plot points that pull me out of the film sometimes (i.e. Bond surviving the shot+100m fall+waterfall in the PTS, all the tech mumbo jumbo). So as usual, SKYFALL takes up the tenth spot in my ranking. I like it very much, but just not as much as other entries.

    SPECTRE

    This is my fifth viewing of SPECTRE, and it is my fifth disappointing experience with this film. This film is so muddled and confused as to what it wants to be, and it is the fourth Craig film in a row where it gets needlessly personal. And perhaps most importantly, the film is a bore, the worst thing a Bond film can be. The only action scene that is even remotely exciting is the PTS (which is the best part of the film). Otherwise, you've got an underwhelming car chase through Rome (if you can even call it that), complete with cuts to the contents of Moneypenny's fridge, the dull action sequence in Austria, the lame London finale, the blink and you miss it shootout at Blofeld's Moroccan base and, uh, yeah, that's it. SP does not excel in any one element- it has probably the worst score in the series, the cinematography is good, very good occasionally, but is marred by the yellow filter in some of the early scenes (it's too much at times); I do like Waltz as Blofeld, despite the brother issues, but he is nowhere near the likes of Grant, Goldfinger, Scaramanga, Zorin or Le Chiffre, same with Seydoux as this film's Bond girl- a looker no doubt, but not very interesting. It would have been better if Swann's final scene was her walking away from Bond in the London street (or rather, walking away from what Bond's life entails).
    I'm not going to go over the infamous step-brother angle again, but what I will say that for me, that is imo, it tanks the film and it is one of the very worst things to come out of the Bond series. It is so utterly inane.
    Some other observations that I noted whilst watching the film:
    -Kleinman's titles are probably his weakest yet
    -the M/Bond dynamic is wrong, Bond comes off as rude and, for want of a better word, bitchy (that understated respect for M isn't there)
    -the conversation with Moneypenny in Bond's apartment is rife with clunky dialogue, and Dench's cameo is gratuitous
    -the smartblood scene with Q is silly considering they already did this in CR (well, sort of)
    -some of the humour just doesn't work- the wave at the funeral, the Mickey Mouse line (utter shit, to be honest)
    -the Bond, James Bond to Lucia doesn't sit well- bit awkward
    -the DNA examination of Sciarra's ring is just ridiculous- actually, this is probably the worst plot point in the film.
    -pictures to remind Bond of Vesper and M get boring after a while- yes, we get it

    However, as with all Bond films, there is good to be found in SP:
    -as I said before, the PTS is really quite excellent
    -Q has some good lines- especially like how he corrects himself when Bond gives him a dead stare (''...48 hours'')
    -I love Moneypenny's ''that was last week'' line, nice little scene
    -Bond killing the two guys sent to kill Lucia is a great scene, and the stuff beforehand with Lucia walking through her home to reveal the gunmen in the shadows
    -the fight with Mr Hinx on the train is brutal- top tier stuff
    -the talk with Mr White is excellent- a great character, too
    -''and now we know what C stands for''- loved it in the cinema, still love it now
    -I do actually like Andrew Scott as Denbigh- just wish the story did the character justice
    -the SPECTRE meeting is quite good, just a little overlong

    And that concludes my 2016 Summer-Autumn Bondathon. A shame it had to end on a low note, but another Bondathon is just around the corner as I will be participating in the Mi6 collective Bondathon.
    This Bondathon has been ongoing since June owing to my starting uni and all the things that that entails. It was great to accompany the '62-'89 films with their INSIDE documentaries, which compliment each viewing.

    And with that said, this is now my current Bond film ranking-


    MayDay's Summer-Autumn 2016 Bondathon:-

    -Dr. No (1962)
    Inside Dr. No
    -From Russia with Love (1963)
    Inside From Russia with Love
    -Goldfinger (1964)
    The Making of Goldfinger
    -Thunderball (1965)
    The Making of Thunderball
    -You Only Live Twice (1967)
    Inside You Only Live Twice
    -On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
    Inside On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    -Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
    Inside Diamonds Are Forever
    -Live and Let Die (1973)
    Inside Live and Let Die
    -The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
    Inside The Man with the Golden Gun
    -The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
    Inside The Spy Who Loved Me
    -Moonraker (1979)
    Inside Moonraker
    -For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    Inside For Your Eyes Only
    -Octopussy (1983)
    Inside Octopussy
    -A View to a Kill (1985)
    Inside A View to a Kill
    -The Living Daylights (1987)
    Inside The Living Daylights
    -Licence to Kill (1989)
    Inside Licence to Kill
    -Goldeneye (1995)
    -Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
    -The World is not Enough (1999)
    -Die Another Day (2002)
    -Casino Royale (2006)
    -Quantum of Solace (2008)
    -Skyfall (2012)
    -Spectre (2015)

    Rank order-
    -THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
    -ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
    -FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
    -FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
    -GOLDFINGER
    -CASINO ROYALE
    -THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
    -LICENCE TO KILL
    -OCTOPUSSY
    -SKYFALL
    -A VIEW TO A KILL
    -DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
    -LIVE AND LET DIE
    -QUANTUM OF SOLACE
    -MOONRAKER
    -THUNDERBALL
    -THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
    -YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
    -DR. NO
    -SPECTRE
    -TOMORROW NEVER DIES
    -GOLDENEYE
    -THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
    -DIE ANOTHER DAY
  • 007Blofeld007Blofeld In the freedom of the West.
    Posts: 3,126
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Shouldn t you do it in the reverse order?
    . now that be cool start with spectre and go backwards to Dr.no that would also be messed up too
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited October 2016 Posts: 2,252
    Quantum of Solace

    When I watch a James Bond film, I expect escapism, fantasy, great stunts, a cracking soundtrack. I get almost none of that in QOS. The beginning car chase has grown on me thanks to Arnold's score and the beautiful camera angles. In fact the whole film is filled with great camera placement. It's a shame it doesn't linger long enough for us to appreciate it. From the main titles onwards there's really nothing enjoyable and characteristic of a Bond movie - you could rename the characters and you would struggle to tell it's 007. I don't think this will be at the bottom - Arnold is at his best, and at least the movie is over soon.

    And people who can't hear the Bond theme...it's not in abundance but you need your ears checked if you can't hear it:
    - End of PTS
    - Arriving in Haiti
    - End of boat chase (similar cue to para surfing in DAD)
    - She's seasick
    - Arriving in Italy
    - Can't find the stationary
    - Escape from CIA in hotel

    Sony
    - Tanner's Vaio personal organiser
    - Bond's phone (only noticed one model throughout) - Bond tracking Dominic in Haiti and to the air field.
    - TV on CIA plane
    - Elvis's flip phone
    - Monitors at M's house and Tanner's monitors in the same scene

    I've been expecting you
    None

    2016 Bondathon (2015 brackets) [score/92]
    1. OHMSS (5) [84.5]
    2. CR (3) [56]
    3. DN (10) [54]
    4. OP (2) [53]
    5. TSWLM (8) [49]

    6. DAF (12) [35.5]

    7. TMWTGG (19) [41]
    8. LTK (13) [22.5]

    9. TB (18) [30.5]

    10. QOS (24) [16.5]

    Next up is 1979's Moonraker. I used to dislike its superficial nature. But now I appreciate the sheer spectacle of it, and it's the end of an era being the last Ken Adam film and boy have the sets been lacking ever since. If TSWLM is Mario, then MR is Luigi and being two similar films they will also rank around the same
  • sunsanvilsunsanvil Somewhere in Canada....somewhere.
    Posts: 260
    If anyone is interested, I'm going to be doing wine parings with this winter's Bond Film Festival.

    Foolish? Perhaps. But I'll take any excuse to talk about Bond and Wine in the same paragraph. :)
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