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Your reviews have all been very enjoyable and reflective so far, @Birdleson, but I see that we here have entered more of a straight forward fandome mode. Which is completely fine and understandable, I have no problem with it. ;) But I would like to challenge you on a few things:
1) Earlier you described the actions of Tania towards the end of FRWL as ilogical, and a way of the filmmakers to build "empty suspense". Now, what would be your analyzis of miss Galore's behaviour in Goldfinger? Seems to me like a cheap solution by Maibaum in order to make the plot come together. And isn't it somehow 'empty suspense' when the american police, already having been tipped off that some maniac would be attempting to intrude Fort Knox with an atomic bomb and poisonous gas, decides to wait until the very last minute when the bomb has already been placed inside the vault, before they interfere? Why not just stop them at the entrance? They really could have handled that situation more smoothly, don't you think? I'd in fact argue that Goldfinger wouldn't have gotten anywhere at all with his plans if they'd taken the necessary precautions. (I know the same basic plot problems apply to the novel as well, but that doesn't change things...)
2) And then we have the subject of gadgets and gadget cars. I believe you previously said you didn't like them and mentioned them as a negative aspect of TND? But I hope you are still avare of the fact that Goldfinger was the film which introduced these elements to the series, and that the payoff is a pretty forgetable action sequence where Bond's creative output is reduced to simply pushing buttons?
I could mention more negatives of course, but that's not the main point. I like Goldfinger too, and have no special interest in nitpicking it endlessly. But I was somewhat surprised that you couldn't bring yourself to mention any negatives at all after so carefully going through all the other films in the previous reviews.
As for Connery I think he lacked the edge simply due to the lack of Young directing. However, in GOLDFINGER he is perhaps at his most magnetic. THUNDERBALL brings back (in my opinion) a perfect mix of the sexually charged magnetic Connery from GOLDFINGER and the dangerous, lethal Fleming Bond from DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.
In any case, his screen presence, performance, and charisma in GOLDFINGER is through the roof. On top of that almost everything else in the film is excellent as well.
Anyways - A VIEW TO A KILL.
I'm in the minority here. Big fan, partially for its absolute weirdness. An older James Bond (old EVERYONE at MI6 + Tibbit) takes on Grace Jones and Christopher Walken? Really weird, and I think the filmmakers just went with it.
John Barry's score is one of my favorites in the whole series. It's definitely in my handful of favorites. I don't know if I have an outright favorite soundtrack but this would be on that short-short list. Magnificent cues for every situation and the main action cue is incredible.
Yeah, there are flaws but I think they're the "fun" flaws. Roger Moore is doubled left and right (often visibly) but there's still a great charm in his performance. And yeah, the ending (with him and Stacey) is atrocious so I always just try to forget it exists because the rest of the film Bond has this father-like quality and it really works quite well.
So yeah, I still think Moore is good. I don't think Moore gave a weak performance as Bond and this may even be one of his stronger performances. His confrontations with Zorin are all highlights of the film. Speaking of Zorin, he's likely my favorite villain in the whole series. Walken plays him perfectly and I just love how his mask of sanity slips more and more as the sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge approaches. He begins to laugh more and more as the finale continues on until his demise. He and Grace Jones' May Day also make a great team and Jenny Flex is one of my favorite minor characters in the whole series. Mostly because she's absolutely stunning.
The action is a mixed bag. The PTS is great, all of the chases are pretty good, but some of the fisticuffs falls flat because of Moore's inability to do any action at this point. It's humorous but still a negative. Stacey Sutton isn't a very good Bond girl but her screaming JAMES! in the elevator still provides some amazing unintentional comedic relief. Also worth mentioning the action at the end of the film (once it gets to the mine) is great. Excellent climax.
So yeah, I'm a big defender even if Roger himself isn't. I think it's great. It's one of the darkest Bond films, one of the weirdest Bond films, and it's a ton of fun.
"Right on shhhedule!"
Updated Rankings:
Note: I'm getting to the point where a lot of these are really neck and neck so, once this Bond-A-Thon is completed, I'll insert some tiers.
1. DR. NO
2. A VIEW TO A KILL
3. LIVE AND LET DIE
4. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
5. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
6. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
7. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
8. LICENCE TO KILL
8. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
10. DIE ANOTHER DAY
11. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
12. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
13. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
14. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
I dipped into Octopussy last night on telly. Moore looks old as hell, but got a free pass cos at least he didn't have a wig like Connery in the same year. A lot of the India stuff I found boring and heavy going really, the film comes alive when in Germany. Which is why I found AVTAK so good, as in many ways Moore looked less wan and much of the film takes place in a cooler temperature like the last section of OP in Germany, it just goes quicker. The final scene of OP, with Bond pretending to be in traction, is a groaner and for the most part that kind of corny humour, and Moore's awfully arch delivery, seems to be gone in AVTAK, which feels a lot leaner to me.
Mind you, after NSNA, AVTAK seemed particularly good.
How can you find the end scene of OP "a groaner" yet say nothing about the final scene of AVTAK? There are jokes about Moore's penis and "Pussy" FFS :p
Possible. To be perfectly honest I highly disliked both of them.
I find Bond's last quip in TWINE questionnable aswell. :) Sure, it doesn't compare to the gross-ness of Moore's shower since in AVTAK, but I was so used to great Bond one-liners (even in GE-TND, Brosnan had some pretty badass one-liners), that the 'Christmas only comes once a year' fell quite flat to me.
Another Bond movie I like more than most people. I appreciate it for its sheer spectacle and the absolutely beautiful cinematography paired with John Barry's most beautiful and ethereal score. Some of Ken Adams' greatest sets and as far as I'm concerned Bond can travel to space all he wants as long as we get to hear Barry's "Flight Into Space." That track alone justifies the film moving into outer space in my book.
Other positives include beautiful women absolutely everywhere. Drax's ladies running about and Corinne Dufour is perhaps my favorite "minor" Bond girl in the whole series. The chase through the woods with the dogs is perhaps the saddest sequence in any Bond film, no doubt largely due to Barry's spectacular cue.
Honestly I think there's a lot of great here and, even though it has its flaws, it ends up being a legitimately good movie. Some of the action is quite good (the PTS, Bond's fight with Chang etc.). Speaking of Chang I freaking love him. I love the scene where they smash everything in that museum as they fight. It's humorous but still makes for a pretty cool fight sequence.
It's also worth mentioning that Drax is one of my favorite villains in the series. Lonsdale plays it up perfectly, delivering all of Drax's awesome lines (May I press you to a cucumber sandwich?) perfectly with that presence and menace every good Bond villains should have. I also don't mind Holly Goodhead. Definitely not one of the better Bond girls but I don't mind her.
Ken Adams' last Bond movie, Bernard Lee's last Bond movie, Lewis Gilbert's last Bond movie. This was an end of an era.
Updated Rankings:
1. DR. NO
2. A VIEW TO A KILL
3. LIVE AND LET DIE
4. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
5. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
6. MOONRAKER
7. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
8. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
9. LICENCE TO KILL
10. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
11. DIE ANOTHER DAY
12. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
13. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
14. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
15. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
I inserted some tiers there. Within the tiers the ranking is pretty arbitrary and could switch around easily.
You have no idea how happy it makes me to see some loving for MR! It's my favourite and I'm starting to get tired of always defending it. People have to understand that it's a great movie. It's a bit tounge in cheek but still...
@ThighsOfXenia - I quite agree. MR is an end of an era; two bastions, Ken Adam and Bernard Lee. Besides I can forgive a lot when Adam and Barry are concerned.
@royale65 - Definitely. I also forgot to mention that Roger is at the height of his confidence and swagger in this film. He's a formidable presence here. He delivers his lines flawlessly. Roger Moore can make even poor lines sound expertly written.
But yeah, Adam + Barry + Moore + Lonsdale + all the girls = a lot of fun in my book. It's certainly not for everyone but I love it. It's the pinnacle of escapism.
Probably Craig's best performance in the role. He deadpans nicely and I love Sam Mendes for bringing back that "Bond feel" that was sorely missing from QUANTUM OF SOLACE. He and Craig "get it" I think and SKYFALL is a great example of a Bond film with intense and suspenseful thriller elements married perfectly with a lightness of touch and overall levity. My personal favorite line might be Bond quipping "The whole office goes up in smoke and that bloody thing survives." Roger Deakins' work as director of photography goes without mention but it's so absolutely beautiful that I have to bring it up.
So Craig is at his best, I love the pro-Bond themes Mendes works in throughout, and Newman's score has excellent moments but also underwhelming moments. Overall I like his score but it's not one of my favorites in the series. It is nice to see some freshness musically definitely.
I love it. Humorous, slick, classy, stylish, and above all - Bondian. The climax is just a tad underwhelming but that final scene back at the old MI6 makes me want Bond 24 RIGHT NOW.
Also worth noting: The entire scene at the Macau casino is one of my favorite scenes in the entire franchise. So much style, class, and fun.
Updated Rankings:
1. DR. NO
2. SKYFALL
3. A VIEW TO A KILL
4. LIVE AND LET DIE
5. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
6. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
7. MOONRAKER
8. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
9. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
10. LICENCE TO KILL
11. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
12. DIE ANOTHER DAY
13. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
14. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
15. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
16. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
I would like to say that this is the 3rd Moore film in a row to climb my list, but that isn't the case. Like most Bond films, I can point to aspects that I like such as Christopher Walken, He's Dangerous (a nice little track that Barry works into the film occasionally) and the scenes between Moore & Macnee (though not that pitiful excuse for a fight, in the factory). But the overall feeling I get from this film is tiredness. This was one film to many for Moore, who just looks weird here, thanks to his nip and tuck that he had after OP. When it gets to the point where half of the screentime that Bond has, he is played by Moore's stunt double, you know you've passed the point where a change is desperately needed.
The 2014 00Heaven
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. For Your Eyes Only
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Octopussy
6. Dr No
7. Thunderball
8. You Only Live Twice
9. Live And Let Die
10. The Man With The Golden Gun
***11. A View To A Kill***
11. Goldfinger
12. Moonraker
13. Diamonds Are Forever
I also agree with you on a LOT of what you mentioned in your review. The Bond Family stuff in particular is something I don't want to become a habit and I'm also a bit tired of the "this time, this time, no this time, it's personal" stuff. I also agree about the final church scene. Squeezes the air right out of the film.
I used to see Craig and Connery as being equals but the more I watch the films (Connery's first four) the more I realize (for me) it's easily Connery. Craig is a fantastic Bond though, there's no doubt about that.
I might be doing a bit of tinkering with this list as I near the finishing. There are several that are so basically tied the ranking is totally arbitrary.
:-?
I can't speak for your son, but It is possible he could be trying to put himself in your shoes and could be curious to see what you enjoyed at that age.
Another fellow MR fan here! It use to be in the bottom portion of my rankings, but this movie is just so full of over the top fun. The movie knows exactly what it is setting out to do and accomplishes it admirably. Nothing makes me happier than Jaws finding Dolly amidst the wreckage of the Moonraker base.
B-) :)) @-)
A View To A Kill
Roger Moore returns for his seventh and final film in the role of James Bond. I find AVTAK to be a film that could've been better than it actually is. The biggest issue with the film is the age of many of its actors. No matter how well he's aged, and how much I love him in the role, I really think perhaps it's one film to far for Roger Moore. His age shows, although his commitment to the role, and his enthusiasm clearly does not. He still has his moments, and never looks uninterested or bored. Pairing him with Patrick Macnee as his ally, Sir Godfrey Tibbet is a great choice. Macnee and Moore share a good chemistry. But their ages hinder them. Along with the rest of the Mi6 stalwarts.
Up against Chris Walken's villainous Zorin and his henchwoman, May Day played by Grace Jones, the good guys look rather old compared.
The story is a clear reproduction of the Goldfinger story, but instead of Gold we're using microchips. The story moves along well, and is never misleading in what is happening or why. John Glen returns for a third time as director, and plays it safe. A little too safe. Where FYEO and OP gave us a veteran Bond but also a few good scenes showing a different side of Moores Bond, in AVTAK we get none of that. Bond appears to be an aging playboy for the most part, and when coupled with the obviously far younger Tanya Roberts as the lead Bond girl, Stacey Sutton, it almost looks creepy. Speaking of Stacey, she's one of the better looking ladies to grace a Bond film. Ms Roberts was always a favourite of mine in that department. Though the same cannot be said in the acting area. To compensate for a weak lead actress, luckily we have Christopher Walken as our villain. Max Zorin is an interesting character, the product of experimentation using steroids on concentration camp inmates during World War 2. A clear psychotic who has genius level IQ. And it turns out, was trained and financed by the KGB. (Always a nice little add on that conveniently gives him more of an attitude gone bad.)
Walken is always a joy to watch, with his mannerisms and funny little laugh. He's the perfect villain in every sense, but never takes the pantomime route as some would. It's a pity he couldn't have been used in a better film.
The locations are well used, especially Paris and Zorins nearby Chateaux at Chantilly. Beautifully shot and Paris and the Eiffel tower are part of a well staged, although silly car chase as Bond destroys and potentially cause more harm than the villain he is chasing. San Francisco is the other locale that is used for the second half of the film, and is again well utilised. The city hall and a fire engine chase through the city streets makes full use of the location. The finale set in Zorins mine is a beautiful set. But for me lacks any excitement. It has to be said that most of the action in AVTAK looks very tired. When factoring in Moores age, it's clear when the stunt team take over. Which is often
On a plus side I really love the score by John Barry. It's well used and one of his best imo.
Some of the better aspects of AVTAK would include:
The Chantilly setting.
Bond and Tibbets chemistry.
The Steeplechase is well staged and one of the better action scenes.
Zorin is a great villain.
The fire and scenes at City Hall.
Barry's beautiful score.
The cinematography is beautiful showcasing the locales.
Bond spying on Zorins pumping station.
The climax involving Zorins blimp is a great stunt.
As with all of the previous films, the transfer to Blu-Ray is exceptional. All the colours and locations really shine.
AVTAK ticks all the boxes and has some great moments, but as I said, it looks tired and as if ideas are running out. A mediocre film with a dash of greatness at times.
Benny's Blu-Ray Bondathon ranking:
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Octopussy
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. For Your Eyes Only
6. Goldfinger
7. Thunderball
8. Doctor No
9. Live And Let Die
10. You Only Live Twice
11. A View To A Kill
12. Moonraker
13.The Man With The Golden Gun
14. Diamonds Are Forever.
Also I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a fan of the song.