Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,120
    Well, where I’m from cities are overcrowded and very densily populated. Those Norwegian cities where I went were a fine blend of nature and housing, which was quite charming :)
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,135
    Well I must say watching LALD, and following up with LTK has given me a unexpected experience. As some of you may be aware I'm going old to new in my Bondathon, so DN,SP,FRWL,SF,GF and so on and so forth. So it transpires that I get LALD, followed by LTK. Having David Hedison as Leiter in both films gives it some sort of continuity. Especially the events in LTK where Leiter is tortured. Strangely enough a scene from the novel LALD, but obviously not the film. Even though there's a long gap, and it's two different actors playing Bond, it kind of works for me. Very much enjoying both these films I must say.
  • Posts: 7,418
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I often pair those two together, particularly in conjunction with reading the novel.

    As do I. It doesn't bother me that it's two different Bonds, as Hedison works really well with both!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    SKYFALL

    First saw this with my son and an ex-girlfriend who had never seen a Bond film. She loved it. Me and my son went back to see it a second time, which was a first for me when it came to Bond. I liked it even more on second watch. This time it dropped a bit.

    Pts is great as is the main title sequence and song. They got a really good cast and crew in all positions for this one as well, as they have for all Craig films, just as they did for all of the 60s films. Silva has always been one of the weak spots in this before, but I take it back. Bardem s portrayal is one of the strong points.

    I am one of the few who like Newman s score, it felt fresh at the time, but I must admit it is nowhere near as good as Arnold s last effort.

    Deakins is of course a genius, and there are two scenes that really stand out and elevate the film as a whole-Bond s fight with Patrice in the Shanghai skyscraper and Bond on the frozen lake in Scotland.

    I also like the introduction of the new MI6 regulars.

  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,120
    Newman’s score for SF has also grown on me. One of the better non-Barry scores if you ask me.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Finishing off my Bondathon with
    SPECTRE
    sam-mendes-daniel-craig-spectre-james-bond.jpg?w=1000
    Saw this too with my son in the theatre, and also saw this twice. I found it less engaging on second watch, but it has grown on me again this time.

    The pts is one of the best in the series, the logistics of it truly impressive. I like how it seagues into the opening bars of the theme which are fantastic. Too bad the rest of the song is among the worst. Main titles are fine, but not among Kleinman s best.

    I like the plot in this film, and the script is for the most part excellent. There are two things that drag it down however-the DNA analysis of the ring revealing so much info and the photographs elaborately hung up in the abandoned MI6 building just to torment Bond. Daft and dafter, but it takes up about a minute, so not a big deal. Everything else is pretty great.

    Everything in Rome is among the highlights of the film. There is excitement, there is fun (car chase) and everything is so well shot. The train fight is second only to the one in FRWL.

    I always disliked the Bond/Blofeld connection before, but not anymore. It is an alternative take on it and it works.

    Hoyty Toityman s cinematography is lovely, and Newman s score for this is outstanding, among the best in the series.

    I prefer this to SF, and as this has been a director themed Bondathon, here is an attempt at ranking the directors output as a whole. I will give a new ranking of the films themselves in the appropriate thread, but you can understand what the top and bottom will be.

    1 Peter Hunt
    2 Marc Forster
    3 Terence Young
    4 Sam Mendes
    5 Guy Hamilton
    6 Lewis Gilbert
    7 Martin Campbell
    8 Lee Tamahori
    9 John Glen
    10 Roger Spottiswoode
    11 Irvin Kershner
    12 Michael Apted
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    The pts is one of the best in the series...Main titles are fine...I like the plot in this film, and the script is for the most part excellent...Rome is among the highlights of the film...fun (car chase) and everything is so well shot...I always disliked the Bond/Blofeld connection before...Newman s score...is outstanding

    I vehemently disagree, however it's nice to see some positive feedback for Spectre, one of the most positive I've seen in a long time

  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Positive words on Spectre. I love it. I agree with much of what you wrote.
  • Posts: 4,044
    @Thunderfinger - which bits of the score did you enjoy for SP?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    vzok wrote: »
    @Thunderfinger - which bits of the score did you enjoy for SP?

    Practically everything. It was a huge step up from SF, which was also fine.
  • Posts: 7,418
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Positive words on Spectre. I love it. I agree with much of what you wrote.

    As do I. A very fair review of a much maligned Bond film. Nice one Thunderfinger.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited June 2019 Posts: 2,252
    This is the rank distribution of Spectre thus far:
    SMfjdpiu_o.jpg
    The blue line is MI6, cBn and AJB
    The orange line is all other sources

    MI6 median and average rank is 15 and 14 respectively
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,120
    Interesting @w2bond, do you have the same stats for the other films by any chance?
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Interesting @w2bond, do you have the same stats for the other films by any chance?

    @GoldenGun Yes I thought about posting them all here, but imgbox has a gallery function so I'll do that, give me a little time
  • Posts: 7,507
    For all of the issues with Spectre, I still don't understand how so many rank it as the worst in the series.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    It's definitely the worst, in my opinion. It'll take a lot to be bumped from that position.
  • edited June 2019 Posts: 17,756
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    It's definitely the worst, in my opinion. It'll take a lot to be bumped from that position.

    Definitely agree. SP is the only Bond film I found totally unenjoyable upon first viewing, and to me even manages to feel worse with each viewing.

    I'd go as far as to say it's the worst film I've watched since 2015, but that tells more about how much I've enjoyed other films I've seen since then.
  • Posts: 7,507
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    It's definitely the worst, in my opinion. It'll take a lot to be bumped from that position.

    Definitely agree. SP is the only Bond film I found totally unenjoyable upon first viewing, and to me even manages to feel worse with each viewing.

    I'd go as far as to say it's the worst film I've watched since 2015, but that tells more about how much I've enjoyed other films I've seen since then.


    There are definitely scenes in the film I enjoy. The PTS is admittedly a bit silly, but it is still well made and beautifully shot. The scenes in Rome are all good. The car chase was a case of lost potential though... The encounter with Mr White is a great and intriguing moment. The fight on the train is one of the better in the series. The production value is generally very good through out. There are Bond films that have many fewer high lights as well as significantly worse production values.
  • edited June 2019 Posts: 12,466
    Though I can’t quite call SP the worst for myself, it’s neck and neck with my other least favorites at this point even though I once had it ranked fairly high and middle. It does have stuff I like - the PTS, the locations, the return of Mr. White, the train fight, but the story - particularly in the final third - is quite weak IMO. It’s a mostly decent affair (there are some weak spots still) up until they reach Blofeld’s hideout, but after that it’s some of the series’ weakest content. Hoping B25 is nothing like SP.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Finishing off my Bondathon with
    SPECTRE
    sam-mendes-daniel-craig-spectre-james-bond.jpg?w=1000
    Saw this too with my son in the theatre, and also saw this twice. I found it less engaging on second watch, but it has grown on me again this time.

    The pts is one of the best in the series, the logistics of it truly impressive. I like how it seagues into the opening bars of the theme which are fantastic. Too bad the rest of the song is among the worst. Main titles are fine, but not among Kleinman s best.

    I like the plot in this film, and the script is for the most part excellent. There are two things that drag it down however-the DNA analysis of the ring revealing so much info and the photographs elaborately hung up in the abandoned MI6 building just to torment Bond. Daft and dafter, but it takes up about a minute, so not a big deal. Everything else is pretty great.

    Everything in Rome is among the highlights of the film. There is excitement, there is fun (car chase) and everything is so well shot. The train fight is second only to the one in FRWL.

    I always disliked the Bond/Blofeld connection before, but not anymore. It is an alternative take on it and it works.

    Hoyty Toityman s cinematography is lovely, and Newman s score for this is outstanding, among the best in the series.

    I prefer this to SF, and as this has been a director themed Bondathon, here is an attempt at ranking the directors output as a whole. I will give a new ranking of the films themselves in the appropriate thread, but you can understand what the top and bottom will be.

    1 Peter Hunt
    2 Marc Forster
    3 Terence Young
    4 Sam Mendes
    5 Guy Hamilton
    6 Lewis Gilbert
    7 Martin Campbell
    8 Lee Tamahori
    9 John Glen
    10 Roger Spottiswoode
    11 Irvin Kershner
    12 Michael Apted

    What did you think of Craig's performance?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Finishing off my Bondathon with
    SPECTRE
    sam-mendes-daniel-craig-spectre-james-bond.jpg?w=1000
    Saw this too with my son in the theatre, and also saw this twice. I found it less engaging on second watch, but it has grown on me again this time.

    The pts is one of the best in the series, the logistics of it truly impressive. I like how it seagues into the opening bars of the theme which are fantastic. Too bad the rest of the song is among the worst. Main titles are fine, but not among Kleinman s best.

    I like the plot in this film, and the script is for the most part excellent. There are two things that drag it down however-the DNA analysis of the ring revealing so much info and the photographs elaborately hung up in the abandoned MI6 building just to torment Bond. Daft and dafter, but it takes up about a minute, so not a big deal. Everything else is pretty great.

    Everything in Rome is among the highlights of the film. There is excitement, there is fun (car chase) and everything is so well shot. The train fight is second only to the one in FRWL.

    I always disliked the Bond/Blofeld connection before, but not anymore. It is an alternative take on it and it works.

    Hoyty Toityman s cinematography is lovely, and Newman s score for this is outstanding, among the best in the series.

    I prefer this to SF, and as this has been a director themed Bondathon, here is an attempt at ranking the directors output as a whole. I will give a new ranking of the films themselves in the appropriate thread, but you can understand what the top and bottom will be.

    1 Peter Hunt
    2 Marc Forster
    3 Terence Young
    4 Sam Mendes
    5 Guy Hamilton
    6 Lewis Gilbert
    7 Martin Campbell
    8 Lee Tamahori
    9 John Glen
    10 Roger Spottiswoode
    11 Irvin Kershner
    12 Michael Apted

    What did you think of Craig's performance?

    I thought it was fine for the most part, and excellent in many scenes.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    There are two things that drag it down however-the DNA analysis of the ring revealing so much info and the photographs elaborately hung up in the abandoned MI6 building just to torment Bond. Daft and dafter, but it takes up about a minute, so not a big deal. Everything else is pretty great.

    I guess the ring thing was actually a trace of some material that was found in the autopsies of the other villains. It's not so bad, really. Certainly communicated poorly in the film though.
    I always disliked the Bond/Blofeld connection before, but not anymore. It is an alternative take on it and it works.

    I'll never be glad per se that they did that, but I think you're right. It's actually a lot like the 1989 Batman film where they made the Joker the guy who had killed Bruce Wayne's parents. It's wrong in some way, but it works for the film.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Yes, exactly. Well put, professor.
  • edited June 2019 Posts: 17,756
    jobo wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    It's definitely the worst, in my opinion. It'll take a lot to be bumped from that position.

    Definitely agree. SP is the only Bond film I found totally unenjoyable upon first viewing, and to me even manages to feel worse with each viewing.

    I'd go as far as to say it's the worst film I've watched since 2015, but that tells more about how much I've enjoyed other films I've seen since then.


    There are definitely scenes in the film I enjoy. The PTS is admittedly a bit silly, but it is still well made and beautifully shot. The scenes in Rome are all good. The car chase was a case of lost potential though... The encounter with Mr White is a great and intriguing moment. The fight on the train is one of the better in the series. The production value is generally very good through out. There are Bond films that have many fewer high lights as well as significantly worse production values.

    Actually, the bit with Mr. White is the only thing that did anything for me. Would have loved it if they'd found a way to make Mr. White the main villain instead of Blofeld.

    Other than that, there aren't any highlights for me. There's just "scenes". The production values are high of course, but they're really just icing, as @Birdleson writes. If the overall content doesn't impress, the cinematography and sets only works as a slick "wrapping" around the package that is the film.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    I don't believe there's one sequence in the film that I wholeheartedly enjoy - the train fight, I suppose. The sequence with Mr. White didn't wow me as much as it did others. I think I initially loved it from the outset of the trailer, but knowing the final product and what White was fearing (a weak and unimpressive performance of Blofeld, Bond's "brother") sucks a lot of the tension and mystery out of the scene, for me anyway.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited June 2019 Posts: 2,252
    The films highlighted in purple means a film ranked noticeably higher among Bond forums than All Other Sites and vice versa. Red means it's noticeably lower.
    Eg: OHMSS and OP are much higher in Bond forums than Non-Bond sites.
    TLD and QOS are noticeably lower on Non-Bond sites.

    Interestingly, the coloured tiers haven't changed much since the release of Casino Royale, on MI6community at least (unfortunately I can't access the KTBEU ranks, although the AJB and CBN date back to DAD). The biggest change is the drop of Skyfall.

    The total ranking of all sources almost matches MI6Community with more positive sentiment for GF, SF and LTK from "general sources" and less for TLD and OHMSS.

    The individual film ranks are below. % of people who have ranked it at each position.
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    On the topic of Spectre, there's certainly a much higher % who have ranked it last.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Haha! Look how DAD and CR are almost mirror images of eachother. Interesting stats.
  • Posts: 7,507
    The DAD chart looks like the profile of tomorrow's stage in the Tour de Suisse ;) As Roger would say: "Quite revealing"
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Poor DAD. It gets no respect from anybody!
  • Posts: 12,526
    Well last night myself and stepson who is 13 started to watch the films in order. So last night we watched Dr No. I warned him the effects are not to todays standards. :))

    Overall he enjoyed it though. From Russia With Love I think will be Friday's viewing.
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