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Comments
It is too dark and violent. It did not feel like a Bond movie at all. A Bond movie is supposed to be light in tone, with humour, charm and understatement, like in For your eyes only (my favourite film). LTK is bottom of my list. Even Skyfail and Die another day is better!
And I do believe it was really worth the wait. I even thought to myself once or twice this could even be the best Bond adventure yet, but still undecided, but a definite improvement on the one before it
Maybe not the place to discuss it, there's plenty of relevant areas that can accomodate, but I am pleased to say I finally got to see the movie after some recent difficulties
I really was quite impressed
Wow, that's everything I wouldn't want in a Bond film.
Not an Austin Powers fan, I take it? :))
Even Dench said it towards the end as Bardem was moving in with his party and they were under Siege. I thought I'd never see the day when that was used in a James Bond movie
How long now before we even hear the C word used. I hope it never sees the light of day. But yes, if indeed that really did occur, bit of a sad day for the franchise
But really, even the Fleming books had their limit.
Wait...What was the second time you heard it??
No, I just don't like seeing one of my favorite characters being treated like a light hearted comedian. :)
Anyhow, hadn't seen CR in about 4 years. It's still the best of Craig's 007 films IMHO. Too bad QOS fell so flat after it.
The first time I saw CR was on TV, and I was shocked to watch it on DVD for the first time and saw the spiked martini and defibrillator scenes. I still have no idea why they are cut in TV screenings of the film.
To its credit, it moves along at a good clip. Essentially, it's YOLT and TSWLM for ADHD viewers.
So they can get more commercials in to try to sell more products. That about sums it up.
Different, but effective
The Man with the Golden Gun:
This movie was ok, Christopher Lee was great, I liked Nic Nac more this time around and Mary Goodnight sure in incompetent. Really love the cork screw jump, but that slide whistle just ruins it a little.
Fav moment: the look on M's face when informed on how Scaramanga had escaped in his flying car. Priceless!!!
Grade: C-
The Spy Who Loved Me:
A fun movie, Roger Moore is in top form, the ski jump still brings tears to my eyes, the action was good, love the title song.
Fav moment: the huge battle in the ship, awesome stuff!
Grade: B+
Moonraker:
I know some people hate this movie, but it does have some good qualities. I like how everything plays out in the first half, most notably prior to cheesy stuff like the gondola chase and space stuff. I find this movie enjoyable and I think it would have worked better if the protagonist was someone else other than Bond. Bond just doesn't belong in space. The "I think he's attempting re-entry sir" line always makes me laugh. On a side note, this film looked fantastic on Blu-ray.
Fav moment: the opening free falling scene, well done.
Grade: B-
For Your Eyes Only:
My fav of the Moore films, I like the serious tone, the characters (I like Bibi a little bit), the action - the car chase and the ski chase, the locations - the ski area brought me back to OHMSS, the music - even though it's dated, it's lots of fun.
Fav. moment: Bond's fall from the mountain. Just perfect as you see him fall with no music in the background.
Grade: A-
Octopussy:
Probably the first Bond movie I saw (still debating if it was this one or YOLT). Good action, good suspense, characters are likable (nice to see Maud Adams again). Although Moore is starting to look old and perhaps he should have left with FYEO, but he does a good job here. A fun movie overall.
Fav moment: Bond hanging onto the Kamal's plane. I hope that stunt man got paid well cause it was neat to watch.
Grade: B+
A View to a Kill:
I got the same feeling with this movie as with DAF - seem tired at times, I wondered why both actors continued when they should have left it with their last movie. I do enjoy Christopher Walken and May Day, both are fun to watch, the fire engine scene seems funner this time, the song by Duran Duran is awesome; otherwise just an alright movie. Really has an 80s feel to it.
Fav moment: the fight on the Golden Gate Bridge. Zorin's laugh as he falls shows a very sick man.
Grade: C-
The Living Daylights:
Wow, this movie certainly felt different from AVTAK. There seems to be more life in it and I think Timothy Dalton does a wonderful job. Yeah, there those that think he can't deliver the humor as well, but I still laughed and I thought he did just fine. Action was good, story was good, I liked Kara, liked the title song, the villains were fine.
Fav moment: the fight between Bond and Necros on the cargo net - simply awesome!
Grade: A-
License to Kill:
I think this is the only time whenever I watched a Bond movie where I felt I was reading one of the novels. They way the characters are written and portrayed, and the story involved made me feel like what I picture when I'm reading one of the Bond novels. It was really weird, but I liked it! Dalton again was good form, the villains were great, the action was cool - minus the bar fight, that was just cheesy.
Fav moment: the tanker chase. Yeah, there were some over the top elements there but they were awesome.
Grade: B+
On a side note: I started to feel sentimental about Timothy Dalton, knowing this was his last film and I was going to miss him. It's funny I felt the same way about Connery (when watching TMWTGG) and Moore (when watching TLD). Even though I had watched their movies back to back, it felt like a lifetime ago when I saw them and those guys would not be coming back. :(
Goldeneye:
I know some people talk about how this movie was written with Dalton in mind and this time around, I could definitely see that. This movie has a different feel compared to the rest of the Brosnan films - it's shot differently like it should be an late 80s/early 90s film that I think could have been Dalton's 3rd. When Bond says "Yes sir", that's Dalton right there as he had said the same line to Pam in the previous film! Anyways, I think Brosnan does all right, I think I like his performance here moreso than his later films (not so smug). The only that bothers me about Brosnan here is his stupid grin especially at the end of the film when he picks up Natalya which I just cannot picture Bond doing! Action is good, characters are great - everyone is in top form - great villains and bonds girls. Good stuff all round.
Fav moment: the scene with the exploding pen, I just like the suspense.
Grade: A-
Tomorrow Never Dies:
A very fun movie - it finally feels like a 90s movie, it shot much clearer, doesn't seems as grainy like GE. Everyone films comfortable in their roles. The action was fun, Carver was good, liked Wai Lin, Paris was all right (I just didn't really like Teri Hatcher's voice - not exactly Bond girl like, too kiddish), the Kaufman scene was great (loved the line "me too"). Touching upon what I mentioned in GE about Brosnan's grin, this time around he does this little wavy thing with his hand during the Kaufman scene that also bothers me (I know I will see it again in TWINE) - I just doesn't fit the Bond I have in mind. It's a minor thing, I know, but it still bothers me.
Fav moment: the car park chase. Probably the only scene I watch often. The action is great and the music really adds to the excitement.
Grade: B
Now onto to TWINE....
This was ok - sort felt indifferent about it. It was an interesting premise (a woman villain, Bond falling in love with her, a villain that doesn't feel pain), but it just didn't work as well. I just don't buy that Bond would fall in love with her. The action was subpar, the characters were all right, nothing really special. The ending was so what you would see in Moore's era, but this time it was just a groaner.
Fav moment: the pre-title sequence, probably the best part of the film.
Grade: C
P.S. Was one of Renard's submarine henchmen in QoS? He looked familiar.
Can't beat the classics.
Yes, the submarine henchman from TWINE you are referring to also played Guy Haines's Special Branch bodyguard in QoS.
Last Bond movie I watched - QoS(!)
Always enjoyable romp. So easy and enjoyable, yes at times a little too OTT in silliness, but overall a great watch.
The tone of the adventure suits Moore well and casting Maud Adams along side him was exceptional casting. Kamal Khan is still one of my favorite "Baddies", some of his lines are Bond perfection.
I feel Octopussy gets unfairly treated sometimes when really it needs to be enjoyed, the film is a million times better than that horrible final Roger flick.
STILL my favorite Bond film. ;)
My background with this film is a little bit of a blurred memory to me. When I was very young, Roger Moore was Bond. I remember my mother telling me he was the third man to play the role and that she liked Sean Connery best. To this day my mother finds Roger Moore’s Bond smarmy, as have most women I have ever spoken to on the subject of James Bond. The men of my family (except me) have always been a bit better disposed towards him. Anyway, that is besides the point; which is that when I asked who the third was, I was told it was George Lazenby, and that he only did one. We were still some years to go until Majesty’s was revaluated into the fan favourite it is today. So, the whole idea of this one-off Bond was something of an oddity, and I was in no hurry to see it. I have a feeling, as I write today, that I may not have seen it until the mid-90s. My initial response to the film was very favourable. I have always found it by far the most beautiful film in the Bond canon – leading me to be somewhat confused in recent weeks when that has been something said widely about Skyfall. Skyfall has beautiful establishing shots, and some nice photography in Scotland, but OHMSS remains, for me, gorgeous in every frame.
So it has long been my favourite Bond film; largely because it is so different. Although I identify as a Bond fan, I don’t enjoy Bond-by-numbers entries anywhere near as much. I last watched this film in late-September, along with all of the films, and it was not nearly as favourable a viewing as usual: I still found the film beautiful; I still loved a number of the scenes, but Lazenby was a problem this time. The film dropped behind Casino Royale in my rankings.
As it was the first review I wrote, it was somewhat short, and I promised myself I would revisit it and say a little more about it. Having never really had a problem with Lazenby before, I was not really sure how I would react to it this time. Well, Lazenby wasn’t really a problem this time. He looks the part, and delivers his performance adequately for the most part. In fact there are scenes that he is very good in. I enjoy him when Tracy finds him in fear of his life, and I enjoy him at, and after, the wedding. Not so good is his delivery of ‘Bond, James Bond’, where he sounds like he has won a competition to appear in a Bond film. I enjoy Savalas as Blofeld – strange little things like the odd way he holds a cigarette amongst a performance I find menacing. Diana Rigg is now probably my favourite Bond girl along with Eva Green. The Blu Ray shows up her freckled, beautiful complexion and the depth of performance in her eyes. This really is one of the finest acting performances in a Bond film, and it is no surprise that she went on to become such a celebrated performer – British acting royalty. The film almost looks like it was shot 70mm, as it has a depth of colour and detail that none of the other early films, even Thunderball, can match.
On the more negative side, it still ranks below Casino Royale for me. At the 55 minute mark – where he is cracking the safe, I started to feel that the film was moving far more slowly than needed. I am not usually someone to complain about pacing, and I am more than tolerant of slow films. In this case though I am purely comparing to the film that replaced it, rather than suggesting I was not enjoying the experience. Casino Royale never drags for me in that way. Once Majesty’s gets to Piz Gloria, though, the film is a joy. Beautiful, well-written and paced well. Some observations this time: right up until the shooting of Tracy, Irma Bunt doesn’t come off as villainous at all; rather as a stern yet loyal employee trying to ensure the girls act in accordance with instructions. I don’t understand why Bond has to do a vocal impression of Bray. I suppose it is possible Bray and Blofeld may have spoken on the phone, but they have to forward Blofeld a description of Bray, and they could have said anything – given that in this film it seems Bond and Blofeld haven’t met, even if they know of each other. I am surprised Ruby’s nipple slip got past the censors in 1969. It is always nice to have scenes where Bond checks his surroundings for bugs etc; that is a miss from modern entries. The score remains the finest entry in the series for me. So, all in all, it is no surprise it is one of my favourites, as it has my favourite, or near favourite: cinematography; score; leading lady; villain and car. I love this film more than almost any other and, taken on its merits, probably has more stand-out elements that any other entry; even if I think Casino Royale is a more complete film. It remains at number 2 on my list; but I choose not to correct anyone who refers to it as my favourite. Wonderful stuff.
My opinion on Skyfall has been all over the map, though it tends to be a little opposite yours in that I like it a lot more than CR but not on the whole more than QoS (which I enjoyed a lot more than you did).
I thought it would disappoint me this time, but i was wrong. This is my second favorite Bond film, after TLD. The scenes with Mathis are touching, Greene is a wonderfully pitiful villain and Camille is my favorite Bond Girl. The film is also so slick and flawless. Some great scenes are the shootout in the opera house, Bond and Camille after Medrano's death, and every scene with Dominic Greene.
Another QoS lover joins our ranks! Thank you for seeing the beauty in the often binned QoS my dear @LeiterStromberg. Come and join us, you are more than welcome:
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/1117/qos-appreciation-yes-i-said-appreciation/p11