Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • Posts: 12,610
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    When I was younger, TND was one of my absolute least favorites - certainly my least favorite Brosnan entry. As the years have gone on, I've gained an appreciation for it, to the point where it's become significantly preferable over TWINE and DAD at least for me. For a while now I've been at the point where Brosnan's four films is just a classic case of diminishing returns. What we get in TND isn't top tier Bond, but still a very good time.

    Brosnan himself in TND, IMO, is probably his best Bond performance. He gets a bit too awkward with some of the dramatic stuff in TWINE at times, and he's mostly good in GE and DAD, but I feel like with TND he peaked in coolness and comfort with the role. Lots of good quips and clearly having a good time (see: one of my favorite ever Bond moments when he laughs as the tires re-inflate in his car). Wai Lin is a strong Bond girl in every way, very much enjoy watching her (the bigoted moment of Carver's faux-martial arts towards her makes it extra satisfying when he bites the dust). Carver himself I used to put right near the bottom of my Bond villains list, but I've grown to enjoy his character more over time too. He's over the top in a lot of the right ways, and delightfully prescient along with the plot that has aged like a fine wine. I think the overall collection of other characters is good too, particularly Kaufman, Paris, and Gupta. Stamper, however, I feel is kind of dull.

    David Arnold rolls onto the scene with a classic Bondian soundtrack, too. While it's not his most creative or best IMO, it's very enjoyable and fitting the whole way through. The title song admittedly is among the series' weakest, though not on the level of DAD at least. The action and spectacle is really at a high in this movie; I adore the car and motorcycle chase sequences in particular. The PTS of course is very good, as are all the Brosnan ones. What does grate on me though is that the third act is a bit over-excessive in action without as much interesting plot left.

    TND is an interesting Bond film in that, from my perspective at least, it doesn't take too many wrong turns, but it also does little to elevate itself to the level of more iconic and unique entries in the series. I think it's a really good Bond movie to just throw on when you want to see all the good stuff you come to expect from Bond, without aggravating flaws, but I can't in good conscience put it particularly high because there's just so many other great ones. I like it very much now though, as compared to before, and wouldn't mind seeing it rise a tad more over time. Also, random ranking change, I'm going to bump TLD just above TMWTGG.

    2022 Alphabetical Bondathon Ranking:
    1. Casino Royale
    2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    3. Thunderball
    4. From Russia with Love
    5. Skyfall
    6. Dr. No
    7. Goldfinger
    8. GoldenEye
    9. The Spy Who Loved Me
    10. Live and Let Die
    11. Licence to Kill
    12. For Your Eyes Only
    13. Quantum of Solace
    14. No Time to Die
    15. The Living Daylights
    16. The Man with the Golden Gun
    17. Tomorrow Never Dies
    18. Octopussy
    19. Moonraker
    20. Spectre
    21. Diamonds Are Forever
    22. Die Another Day


    JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN A VIEW TO A KILL
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    It's November 1st so my 2022 Bondathon finally begins! I'm damn excited for this one. I plan on watching the first two CR adaptations today, then one Bond film a day throughout the month, plus NSNA; that way, I'll reach and watch QoS on Thanksgiving this year, an exciting prospect, before filling out the final few days with the rest of the Craig era and about four miscellaneous Bond documentaries. That should give me at least one film/product a day, all the way until the final day of the month. This is gonna be fun.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,378
    Excellent @Creasy47, I’m planning a new Bondathon myself. Going to go through my current ranking from least favourite to my very favourite, including the non-EONs, but I’m waiting for the Craig ones until the end.

    I’m going to keep an eye on your project :)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Excellent @Creasy47, I’m planning a new Bondathon myself. Going to go through my current ranking from least favourite to my very favourite, including the non-EONs, but I’m waiting for the Craig ones until the end.

    I’m going to keep an eye on your project :)

    Good thinking there. I always want to spice it up with something new but go through them (mostly) in order anyway.

    I'll be looking forward to seeing you progress through yours too!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Curious to see how your ranking ends up this time, @Creasy47 . Not yet sure if I will do mine this year or next.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited November 2022 Posts: 41,111
    Curious to see how your ranking ends up this time, @Creasy47 . Not yet sure if I will do mine this year or next.

    Me too, especially now that I'm more familiar with NTTD and feel like I can rank it properly.

    I think I'm going to rank the initial two CRs and NSNA together, then the documentaries/special feature bits I watch, and then a third list for all the official films.
  • Posts: 2,161
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    It's November 1st so my 2022 Bondathon finally begins! I'm damn excited for this one. I plan on watching the first two CR adaptations today, then one Bond film a day throughout the month, plus NSNA; that way, I'll reach and watch QoS on Thanksgiving this year, an exciting prospect, before filling out the final few days with the rest of the Craig era and about four miscellaneous Bond documentaries. That should give me at least one film/product a day, all the way until the final day of the month. This is gonna be fun.

    I've been thinking of making the attempt, but I don't know if my heart is in it right now.

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    It's November 1st so my 2022 Bondathon finally begins! I'm damn excited for this one. I plan on watching the first two CR adaptations today, then one Bond film a day throughout the month, plus NSNA; that way, I'll reach and watch QoS on Thanksgiving this year, an exciting prospect, before filling out the final few days with the rest of the Craig era and about four miscellaneous Bond documentaries. That should give me at least one film/product a day, all the way until the final day of the month. This is gonna be fun.

    I've been thinking of making the attempt, but I don't know if my heart is in it right now.

    Is that due to your feelings for NTTD? I'm mainly excited to revisit the pre-Craig originals. Been over a year now and I'm really missing them.
  • Posts: 2,161
    I think I just temporarily burned out on all of them. I know them all so well. Even NTTD is pretty much fixed in my head already.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,535
    I plan on rewatching GE and SF this month. But yeah I'm a little burned out on the series itself for the same reason as Birdleson.

    Instead, I'm planning on watching some of the non-Bond films of all the actors. Plenty of first time watches ahead.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I think I just temporarily burned out on all of them. I know them all so well. Even NTTD is pretty much fixed in my head already.

    I've been there several times. I think an entire year of avoiding them entirely, not even seeing clips, helps. I did watch DN on James Bond Day and it was such a treat.

    I don't think we did ourselves any favors that one year when the three of us collectively watched 1,200 Bond films or whatever the final count was.

    @Remington, that's a great idea actually! I'm sure there are ton of non-Bond projects from the actors that I'm really missing out on.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    Casino Royale 1954 - As always, I enjoy it for what it is. It's an impressive production for the time and while I don't agree with all the casting decisions, it's entertaining enough and those final minutes in the hotel room are surprisingly very tense. Barry Nelson has the physicality down for Bond (but his American style as "Jimmy" Bond stands out like a sore thumb) and Peter Lorre, while a terrific actor, isn't the most imposing actor in his portrayal of Le Chiffre. Michael Pate made a great Leiter, though. All in all, pretty solid, and I like how it incorporates some bits of the novel that never made it in the other two adaptations, official and unofficial.

    Casino Royale 1967 - This isn't a film I've seen as much as the official installments, clearly, but I'm honestly shocked at the entirely negative reviews for this. It's not your traditional Bond film but all the satire and subtle comedy and goofball antics and nods to the official series really clicked with me this go around, affording me my best and strongest viewing of the film yet. It's hilarious, working as a unique spoof of the character and his personality, with a shockingly strong and talented cast driving it all forward. It's colorful, musical, zany, and really entertaining. It's probably only my fifth or sixth viewing but easily the greatest I've had so far and it has me already looking forward to visiting it sometime next year hopefully.

    I'm aiming to watch DN tomorrow. If I keep with one official installment a day while also tossing in NSNA and maybe one of the other documentaries I have lined up, I should still reach QoS on Thanksgiving Day, which is an exciting prospect.

    2022 Bondathon (Official Films) Ranking:

    2022 Bondathon (Unofficial Films) Ranking:

    1. CR'67
    2. CR'54
  • Posts: 2,161
    I’m pretty much in agree with with you on the first two!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    We're off to a good start then! I know it's been a while since we've seen the two together but I'm happy to hear you enjoy CR'67 as much as I do.
  • Posts: 2,161
    We watched it together over text and both enjoyed it, remember?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    Birdleson wrote: »
    We watched it together over text and both enjoyed it, remember?

    Of course, I just couldn't remember how much you enjoyed it. Even at that time, I don't think I loved it as much as I did when I watched it earlier today.

    I knew you liked CR'54 and mentioned you had snagged a blu-ray version of it off eBay.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited November 2022 Posts: 41,111
    Dr. No - I never get tired of this film and will forever be grateful that it exists in the cinematic world. I saw it a month back for James Bond Day and it was just as exciting to revisit yesterday. Atmospheric, brilliantly paced, packed with great characters from the top down, and the action delivers in its short bursts. I've said it before but we'll probably never, ever see another Bond film like this, and for it to be the first official one in a series that we're all still discussing in depth and loving over 60 years later? What a stunning achievement. I can't wait to see where this one lands in my ranking this go around.

    From Russia With Love - I've always seen this as objectively one of the strongest and most classic installments but it's only after some viewings in the last year or two that I really, really clicked with how tremendously paced and flawless this one is. It oozes everything cinema should be and is a real product of its time in so many ways. Beautiful locales, a fantastic cast, an enticing thriller of a plot that doesn't rely on too much spectacle or wild action. It's got it all and I love it.

    Goldfinger - For me, this will always be the most iconic film in the series, from the names and faces to the weaponry and dialogue. It's classic perfection through and through and this is one of the strongest viewings I've had with the film recently too. The globe-trotting chase, the unique time spent as captive, and that rousing finale help make it a real fine work of art and Connery is in top shape once again, as are Hamilton, Barry and co.

    2022 Bondathon (Official Films) Ranking:

    1. DN
    2. FRWL

    2022 Bondathon (Unofficial Films) Ranking:

    1. CR'67
    2. CR'54
  • “I thought Christmas only comes once a year.”

    I took a week off from Bond due to Halloween and I finally got around to watching a follow up to Live and Let Die.

    I’d like to just start by saying this is a film I cannot help but look through nostalgic-tinted glasses. The World Is Not Enough was the newest film in the franchise when my fandom blew up in the 90’s. I would have been six, and I vividly remembering thinking how cool Pierce Brosnan was. Suave, charming, sophisticated. He was my Bond growing up, and despite him getting dealt a bad hand as far as the quality of his scripts go, he was never the issue to me. He looks impeccable in every scene, and I think he’s great. In general I think The World Is Not Enough is somewhat underrated. I see a lot of hate for this one, and while I don’t think it’s one of the greatest or the best, I still enjoy this one quite a bit.

    I like that the plot attempts to do some new stuff here, and you can see how this film was used as a blueprint for some of Craig’s films like Skyfall… but I feel like the movie wants to both deviate from the formula and adhere to it at the same time. The action is good throughout. I love the banker’s office, boat chase and caviar factory sequences but find the ski chase and the ending on the sub to be a bit mediocre.

    Renard has a great setup as a villain but they really don’t do a whole lot with him. Electra is clearly supposed to be the main villain of the film, and she’s great. I think Sophie Marceau is really good, and I think her and Brosnan have some really good chemistry. I don’t find Denise Richards to be anything other than a pretty face here, but I think I still like her more than Jinx or Stacy Sutton. The late Robbie Coltrane turns in another great performance as Valentin, and I love the idea of him only having the cane gun at the end because Bond shot him in the knee previously.

    I really dig the 90’s aesthetic and soundtrack. The film also has one of my favorite gunbarrel tracks in the series. I really hope David Arnold gets to make a return to the series at some point.

    I may get some flack for where I rank it, maybe not, but nostalgia definitely plays a part in this.

    Ten down, fifteen to go…

    1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
    2. Goldfinger
    3. GoldenEye
    4. Dr. No
    5. The Living Daylights
    6. The World Is Not Enough
    7. Live and Let Die
    8. For Your Eyes Only
    9. Tomorrow Never Dies
    10. Diamonds Are Forever
  • edited November 2022 Posts: 12,610
    A View to a Kill

    I’ve taken a ton of long breaks during this Bondathon, but I have two left now to scratch off before the year is out! Hopefully I’ll just get it done sooner than later. AVTAK was not put off for reason of disinterest, even though it’s commonly referred to as one of the worst Bond movies. I suppose in most objective senses it has to rank pretty low, but for me this has lately been and still is a pretty fun ride.

    Obviously, Moore is getting pretty old to still be playing Bond, and even though this isn’t one of his best performances, I still enjoy seeing him very much throughout it and wouldn’t replace him as many have thought about with Dalton. Stacey is definitely one of the weakest Bond girls, getting kind of obnoxious when she screams and plays a more damsel-esque role than the usual Bond girl throughout. However, the film really excels in the villains department. May Day, Mortner, Scarpine, and of course Max Zorin, are all great baddies.

    Christopher Walken as Zorin really is what elevates this film beyond being stuck right near the very bottom. The action and locations are certainly some of the least exciting by this series’ standards, but Walken absolutely dominates every scene he’s in and proves he is an elite level Bond villain in every way. The mine shooting scene could be the most brutal and nasty single moment this entire franchise ever had honestly. Moore’s best moments in this movie always come when he’s around Walken too, with some noticeable anger and tangible chemistry.

    When it comes to music, AVTAK is king. The title track is a series highlight, and Barry’s score is exquisite. The PTS isn’t a favorite, but it’s still classic Bond fare, with a most interesting Beach Boys moment. I’d be remiss to not mention Sir Godfrey Tibbett being one of my favorite ally characters in the franchise; he and Bond and great together! Lois Maxwell’s last turn as Moneypenny is mildly amusing, but like Moore it was time to hang it up. A lot of people point at TLD as being the last “classic” Bond movie with formula and execution, and though there’s an argument to be made for that I think of it more as being AVTAK. A lot of it admittedly feels a bit old and tired, and with a lot of things bowing out and being halfway through the six actor tenures, it makes itself a noteworthy point in the franchise. I think TLD breathed new life that was needed when it arrived.

    AVTAK doesn’t get a whole lot of respect from Bond fans or the general public, and while I’m not going to argue it’s anywhere near the series’ best, I really do like most of it. Some of the comedy is absolutely ridiculous and over the top, but I’d be a liar if I said I don’t laugh my head off at the part the bridge gets lifted with the cops freaking out and great Roger Moore facial expressions. There’s a lot that isn’t particularly impressive about the movie, but thanks to a stellar Walken performance and simply carrying a decent overall level of entertainment, I consider AVTAK the best last entry to a long-running Bond actor until Daniel Craig’s NTTD. For those who don’t like it, I encourage giving it another chance; AVTAK once sat at the very bottom of my Bond ranking, and now it’s set itself comfortably above the bottom few.

    2022 Alphabetical Bondathon Ranking:

    1. Casino Royale
    2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
    3. Thunderball
    4. From Russia with Love
    5. Skyfall
    6. Dr. No
    7. Goldfinger
    8. GoldenEye
    9. The Spy Who Loved Me
    10. Live and Let Die
    11. Licence to Kill
    12. For Your Eyes Only
    13. Quantum of Solace
    14. No Time to Die
    15. The Living Daylights
    16. The Man with the Golden Gun
    17. Tomorrow Never Dies
    18. A View to a Kill
    19. Octopussy
    20. Moonraker
    21. Spectre
    22. Diamonds Are Forever
    23. Die Another Day

    JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
  • edited November 2022 Posts: 12,610
    The World Is Not Enough

    Almost done, just one more to go now! TWINE was actually a Top 10 Bond film for me when I was a kid, but boy that was a long time ago now. For several viewings now, I can't see it as anything other than a bottom-tier entry, and though there are several factors for this, two stick out most: it's largely bland and lacking identity.

    Brosnan himself seems to be by far at his most uncomfortable acting here in his four movies, just felt way more natural in his other three movies. Some of the melodrama around Elektra is pretty cringey, like the "drop the act" scene. Elektra King, played by Sophie Marceau, is my single favorite element of the movie, however. Her performance and character are just very entertaining to watch. She greatly outshines Renard - who IMO is subpar for a main Bond villain - and makes me yearn for more main female Bond villains. Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, on the other, hand, could be the single worst performance / lead Bond girl in any Bond movie. A big yikes all around. In the rest of the characters / actors department though, two shining stars emerge: Desmon Llewelyn's final turn as Q and Robbie Coltrane as Valentine Zukovsky; watching both is really bittersweet now, as they belong to the ages, and left behind wonderful Bond legacies.

    The PTS, longest before NTTD, is pretty good and fun, though I can't say an all-timer (IMO, all of Craig's movies really hog that honor!). I do like the title song, and Arnold's score consistently sticks the landing. One of the most hit-and-miss aspects of the movie is the action in general. Some of it is cool (I happen to love the caviar factory madness) and some of the series' blandest (the ski scene and submarine climax do nothing for me). Unfortunately, my interest just evaporates after Bond kills Elektra, so the last twenty minutes or so are a drag. Much of the drama that film goes for simply doesn't work, as it's either not interesting enough or executed questionably.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: TWINE is one of the most frustrating of all the Bond movies, maybe even the single most frustrating one. It's been pointed out how the film is something of a SF prototype, which certainly accomplished what it set out to do far better. I feel like with script tweaking, a recasting of Jones, and a few crucial decision changes that this one could have easily become Brosnan's second-best after GE. As it is, however, it represents a big case of missed opportunity. That being said, I can rate it just a little higher than my bottom three, which all include elements that upset me a little more. Brosnan most certainly deserved a better run as Bond.

    2022 Alphabetical Bondathon Ranking:
    1. Casino Royale
    2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    3. Thunderball
    4. From Russia with Love
    5. Skyfall
    6. Dr. No
    7. Goldfinger
    8. GoldenEye
    9. The Spy Who Loved Me
    10. Live and Let Die
    11. Licence to Kill
    12. For Your Eyes Only
    13. Quantum of Solace
    14. No Time to Die
    15. The Living Daylights
    16. The Man with the Golden Gun
    17. Tomorrow Never Dies
    18. A View to a Kill
    19. Octopussy
    20. Moonraker
    21. The World Is Not Enough
    22. Spectre
    23. Diamonds Are Forever
    24. Die Another Day


    JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
  • Posts: 12,610
    You Only Live Twice

    With the chunk of free time I had available, went ahead and finished up this year's Bondathon. YOLT is the final Bond film alphabetically, and it's not a shabby one to finish up on! Watching this one separately instead of chronologically amid the superior 60s movies also benefits it quite a lot.

    As noted many times by me and others, Connery's performance is far less energized this go around, but his presence is still always legendary. YOLT felt like his biggest-scale Bond adventure, and would have been a superior note to go out on over DAF. Tanaka is one of the best non-MI6 allies to ever come from the franchise, and Aki is an amazing Bond girl; it's a shame Aki dies, very sad and I found her much more interesting than Kissy. Blofeld's first face reveal is still an awesome moment to rewatch, and though Pleasance's interpretation isn't my very favorite, it's a classic depiction for a reason. Helga Brandt is alright but is basically a discount Fiona Volpe, and other villains like Osato and Hans don't particularly stand out for me.

    The PTS is one of the series' weakest ones unfortunately, but the good news is that it's followed up by an excellent title song. John Barry is in top form throughout the movie, too. YOLT consistently excels at terrific action, from the brawl at Osato Chemicals to the all-out war in the crater. Some bits in the middle drag a tad, but most of the beginning and end are some of the strongest bookends to a Bond movie.

    Guess I don't really have much else to say other than YOLT is a pretty classic Bond movie that's a nice, explosive showcase about what the series is all about. I probably am going to take a long break from this movies as I suffered a little bit of burnout during this marathon. Coming back to them in a long while with fresh eyes will make it more interesting! I'll have to figure out another order for them. Thanks to anyone who read along, and hopefully some eagle eyes can catch my ending reference!

    2022 Alphabetical Bondathon Ranking:
    1. Casino Royale
    2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    3. Thunderball
    4. From Russia with Love
    5. Skyfall
    6. Dr. No
    7. Goldfinger
    8. GoldenEye
    9. The Spy Who Loved Me
    10. Live and Let Die
    11. Licence to Kill
    12. For Your Eyes Only
    13. Quantum of Solace
    14. No Time to Die
    15. You Only Live Twice
    16. The Living Daylights
    17. The Man with the Golden Gun
    18. Tomorrow Never Dies
    19. A View to a Kill
    20. Octopussy
    21. Moonraker
    22. The World Is Not Enough
    23. Spectre
    24. Diamonds Are Forever
    25. Die Another Day

    JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN... ??? ???????? ?? ? ???? (BOND 26)
  • “To us, Mr. Bond. We are the best.”

    So I watched The Man With The Golden Gun last night. This one has always been towards the bottom of my rankings, at one point being in my bottom three. Last night was probably the most I’ve ever enjoyed the movie.

    Roger Moore and Christopher Lee play off of each other perfectly. The film really needed more scenes of them together, because they are easily the best parts of the movie. Scaramanga is one of my favorite villains in the series, and the scene where the two eat lunch together is a highlight of Moore’s era.

    Nick Nack is a pretty interesting henchman, although the ending fight between him and Bond ends the film on a relative low note for me.

    I didn’t mind Goodnight this time around. Her and Bond have an interesting dynamic. She’s a bimbo and Bond is either annoyed with her because of it or just trying to get her in bed and I think it’s hilarious stuff. I don’t think there’s anything quite like it in any other Bond flick. The whole stretch from Bond getting offered “Phuyuck” to Goodnight leaving his room after being shoved into a closet so he could have relations with Anders is some of genuinely funniest stuff in the series. I really love Moore’s facial expressions, he doesn’t get enough credit for his performances.

    There are a lot of goofy things here, like Bond grabbing that sumo wrestler’s ass or the slide whistle, but I feel like a lot of it didn’t really affect the time I had. It has a very unique feeling in comparison to the rest of the series, with the kung-fu and martial arts influences from the time period on full display. There is some really great dialogue in here, too. Even at his worst, Tom Mankiewicz writes some hilarious dialogue, and Moore delivers it with perfection.

    One very little thing I’ve always loved…when Pepper notices Bond for the first time, Barry uses a couple of notes from the Live and Let Die theme, and it always puts a smile on my face. The rest of the score is hit or miss for me.

    It was really hard for me to rank this one. The production values, editing, and direction may not be as good as what is seen in No Time To Die, but I think the Bond vs. Scaramanga conflict is enough to elevate The Man With The Golden Gun above it.

    Fifteen down, twelve to go…

    1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
    2. Goldfinger
    3. GoldenEye
    4. Dr. No
    5. The Living Daylights
    6. You Only Live Twice
    7. The World Is Not Enough
    8. Live and Let Die
    9. For Your Eyes Only
    10. The Man With The Golden Gun
    11. No Time To Die
    12. Spectre
    13. A View To A Kill
    14. Tomorrow Never Dies
    15. Diamonds Are Forever
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    Posts: 1,812
    I recently started listening to an older podcast called "James Bonding." They go through all the films one episode at a time and talk about them. So that finally got me in a mood to do a marathon. Particularly the Craig era. I haven't seen SP and NTTD since they were in theaters, so I was eager to get to them.

    Casino Royale
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    This movie just makes me happy. Almost like it's a comfort film for me. I love everything about it. From it's simple and grounded plot, to it's pacing and action, to it's locations and boldness to give us a fresh Bond. And "You Know My Name" blasting during the opening credits really sets up the tone for the whole movie. Craig's first outing set the bar high, not just for the rest of his era but for future Bond's as well. Sadly Craig couldn't quite reach that bar with the rest of his Bond films but still had a damn good run.

    Quantum of Solace
    p170973_p_v8_ah.jpg
    I have a love/hate relationship with this one. I remember leaving the theater feeling extremely underwhelmed. It felt like CR had set the bar so high that this one didn't even try to reach it. I know there was a writer's strike when the movie was in production, so that's half of it's problem. That's no excuse for the editing though. It felt so terrible that I actually felt nauseous during one of my viewings. However, this one has grown on me a bit over the years. I really enjoy the foot chase that ends in a rope fight at the beginning. Camille is a great Bond girl and I kind of wish she had more screentime. The climax is solid too.

    Skyfall
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    SF is sort of a middle ground movie for me. I enjoy the hell out of it but I'm not sure how to have fun with it. It's so damn gloomy that it has an overall depressed feeling about it. Thats not to say it's bad, it's actually really good. Adele's "Skyfall" is one of my favorites and Silva is easily a classic Bond villain. The action is topnotch throughout and M's death hits me every time. And we finally get Moneypenny and Q (along with some well grounded gadgets). I love how we finally get M's old office back.

    Spectre
    CAUISw8WAAA-O9O.jpg
    When this first came out I was in love. I even saw it twice in theaters. Having finally watched it at home I can see why so many have issues with it. I still enjoy it for the most part but once Bond and Blofeld finally meet the film takes a nose dive. The two of them being stepbrothers killed the movie for me and the climax just feels dull. I still love the "Writings on the Wall" song even though a decent amount of fans don't.

    No Time To Die
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    I had one viewing of this in theaters and haven't watched it since. I enjoyed it the first time but really ended up loving it the second time around. This is the first time I really had fun throughout the whole movie since CR. Of course the ending is a bit sad but it doesn't ruin the overall experience of it. Safin felt like a wasted villain though. His screen time was far too short. Nomi was great and I absolutely love Paloma (she stole the show for me). Both are a great example of how to show strong women without telling us they're strong women. Billie Eilish's "No Time To Die" is a highlight for me.

    Overall I really love the Craig era and I'm a bit sad to see it end. This may be my favorite era overall. Whoever our next Bond is, he certainly has some big shoes to fill.

    Casino Royale
    No Time To Die
    Skyfall
    Spectre
    Quantum of Solace
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited October 2023 Posts: 41,111
    It's almost November, which means it's just about time for my yearly Bondathon. I couldn't be more excited. We're moving to a bigger place about half an hour down the road on Monday, so I'm really hoping we can get settled in and have everything unpacked by the time Wednesday hits so there are no interruptions in this schedule.

    I usually try to stretch it out over a month with other non-official installments, so this is what I'm working with this year. I've never seen Bond Girls Are Forever so I figured I'd toss that in this go around so I had something new to watch too.

    1. Casino Royale 1954
    2. Casino Royale 1967
    3. Dr. No
    4. From Russia With Love
    5. Goldfinger
    6. Thunderball
    7. You Only Live Twice
    8. Becoming Bond
    9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    10. Diamonds Are Forever
    11. Live and Let Die
    12. The Man With The Golden Gun
    13. The Spy Who Loved Me
    14. Moonraker
    15. For Your Eyes Only
    16. Octopussy
    17. Never Say Never Again
    18. A View To A Kill
    19. The Living Daylights
    20. Licence to Kill
    21. Goldeneye
    22. Tomorrow Never Dies
    23. The World is Not Enough
    24. Die Another Day
    25. Casino Royale
    26. Quantum of Solace
    27. Skyfall
    28. Spectre
    29. No Time To Die
    30. Bond Girls Are Forever/Everything or Nothing

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,111
    I suppose this thread's fairly dead now, or perhaps not as fun to follow if you aren't also doing a Bondathon, but I've made my way through an unofficial set of five films now before the official rankings begin, and here's where they stack up:

    1. Never Say Never Again
    2. Becoming Bond
    3. Casino Royale 1954
    4. Bond Girls Are Forever
    5. Casino Royale 1967

    I've already had a couple of changes this go around. It's the second viewing of 'Becoming Bond' for me, and I didn't love it like I did the first time, but I still admire it's dramatized approach and Lawson as Lazenby.

    The biggest twist for me was CR '67, which I loved on the last viewing but one that didn't connect this year. I dig its theatricality, colorful cinematography, set design and more, but for the most part it's like a bad Mel Brooks production and most of it makes no sense whatsoever. It also juggles too many high profile actors and characters at once for my tastes. I found most of my enjoyment derives from the smaller characters, such as the MI6 crew. All in all, I still liked it, but it's no 4/5 star rating like I gave it in my Letterboxd review last year.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,317
    So I started a Bondathon about a year ago. I can't watch these films as quickly as I used too. Not because I don't want to though.
    So I conducted my Bondathon like this...

    Round 1:

    Dr. No
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Live And Let Die
    The Living Daylights
    GoldenEye
    Casino Royale


    Highlights, I think each of the actors give a fine debut performance and start their tenure with a bang!

    Round 2:

    From Russia With Love
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    Licence To Kill
    Tomorrow Never Dies
    Quantum Of Solace


    FRWL is the clear winner, though LTK, TND and QOS are great second entries. GG could've been so much better than it is.

    Round 3:

    Goldfinger
    The Spy Who Loved Me
    The World Is Not Enough
    Skyfall


    Odd one out. TWINE. Each of the others is a highlight for the actor and a memorable film of the series.

    Round 4:

    Thunderball
    Moonraker
    Die Another Day
    Spectre


    Bigger is better? Well not always. You could call these outings the OTT of the Bond series. Though SP at least doesn't get quite as out there as the others. One thing is for sure, they're all fun films. TB remains a favourite for me.

    Round 5:

    You Only Live Twice
    For Your Eyes Only
    No Time To Die


    A mixed bag of outlandish, down to earth and divisive.

    Round 6:


    Diamonds Are Forever
    Octopussy


    Two fun films, but OP will always be a winner for me.

    Round 7:


    A View To A Kill

    Every journey must come to an end, and AVTAK is it. Probably one film to many, but Rog doesn't let me down.

  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,378
    Interesting appeoach @Benny! I think it might also be nice to do it the other way around, starting with AVTAK (and maybe NSNA) and go all the back to DN.

    I am also working on a Bondathon, fairly slowly, this time the order is determined by my last ranking before I started. So in theory I should go from my least favourite to my absolute favourite. But there are bound to be entries that get reappraised and others that may not hold up as well...

    I am halfway through and the following entries have been rewatched:
    (most of them were very positive rewatches while this is supposed to be the lower half of my ranking...)

    Goldfinger 9/10
    You Only Live Twice 6/10
    Diamonds Are Forever 9/10
    Live and Let Die 9/10
    The Spy Who Loved Me 10/10
    Moonraker 8/10
    Never Say Never Again 7/10
    A View to a Kill 8/10
    Tomorrow Never Dies 8/10
    The World Is Not Enough 9/10
    Die Another Day 7/10
    Quantum of Solace 9/10
    Skyfall 5/10
    No Time to Die 7/10

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