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I will join those people....
You're next, then. 100 questions, all private and intrusive.
EDIT: Here are the first ten answers from @PropertyOfALady!
1.) How did you become interested in James Bond?
I think I remember being about 5, and my mother was out of town, and my dad wanted something to watch, so we went to a video store. (This was back in 2000, when they still more or less existed.) Well, he picked out a James Bond film. I think it was a Roger Moore one. For some reason that sticks in my head. So I thought, "Well, I'm going to give this Bond fellow a chance." I watched it and found that I enjoyed it very much. I think the first Bond film that I went to in a cinema was Die Another Day. However, I don't remember it all that well. What I do remember well is Casino Royale. I was 11. I remember very clearly listening to You Know My Name on 007.com. We had dial-up internet at the time, so you could only hear one second of it at time unless you waited, but I knew I'd love it when I heard the first opening guitar chord. It was like "Whoa, the theme is a rock song?" I also remember all the controversy surrounding DC as Bond. Bond is blond, let's freak out! Who could forget danielcraigisnotbond.com?
2.) Of course with any high points in the series, we all have a low point. What are some of the low points for you in the EON series of James Bond films? Also, why do you feel that way?
This is hard for me to say. I love Bond a lot. So much, in fact, that I try not to think about any one moment as a low point. There's not a Bond film that I don't look forward to watching in the EON series. But if I must choose:
I have an immense fondness for Die Another Day, seeing it as the first James Bond movie in the theatre. I do wish they would have toned down the stupid CGI. I suppose at the time that it looked great, but in the age of computers nowadays, it just doesn't hold up too well. Quantum of Solace is a bit too choppy for me editing wise, but I can kind of see where they were going, with the Bourne films being popular just then. Roger Moore's age, to me, isn't a factor in A View To A Kill.
3.) With SP just months away, tell us about your enthusiasm for it: have you followed production every step of the way, or are you still in the dark about things? What're you excited for and what aren't you looking forward to?
I have been very excited for SPECTRE ever since walking out of the theatre from Skyfall. My parents haven't heard the end of it. Sometimes I'll bet they feel like slapping me across the face, because I will be giving them constant updates! I follow production quite a bit. I've read a lot of articles about filming. I do try to stay away from major points, and, as such, have not read the leaked script. There are some minor things that I want to find out and don't really consider spoilers. One of these would be reading about the appearance of Christoph Waltz's character. To some, that may be a step too far, but not for me. It's rather difficult to judge what may be a spoiler and what may not be one according to different tastes. I will say that Waltz's lines in both trailers have given me shivers. He's that good. I literally wanted to scream with excitement and the end of both trailers. I'm a little concerned about MI6 Community from 26 October to 6 November. It'll be awfully hard to stay away from here until I can see the film over in America. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm also not looking forward to the ending because I'll have to wait two-three more years for another! :D The Aston Martin DB10 looks absolutely gorgeous, as do Seydoux, Bellucci, and everything else. Bond returns in a white dinner jacket for the first time since A View to A Kill. When I saw that, I knew it was a return to classic Connery-Young vibe Bond. I think Ralph Fiennes will fill Judi Dench's shoes in a very great way!
4.) What are your thoughts on Sam Mendes returning for SP? This is the first time (since John Glen) that a director has returned to direct back to back Bond films.
Stylistically, I think Mendes was a great director, and I'm very pleased he'll be returning. When he said he wasn't going to, I'll admit I was a bit sad. With most of the same crew returning for SPECTRE, I have a feeling it will be just as good (if not better than) Skyfall.
5.) What would you like to see story wise with Bond 25? And what more do you think Daniel Craig can bring to the role?
I'm hoping that if we don't get it for SPECTRE, that the gunbarrel will be back at the beginning for 25. I hope that we get a traditional "Bond-gets-orders-from-M, goes-on-mission" type film. I have no issue with M having a larger role; I would just be curious as to how Daniel would play that, because we haven't really seen that type of film from him yet. I would also like to see if Craig could do light, Roger Moore type comedy.
6.) What are your thoughts on each of the actors to play Bond? Also, who is your favorite? Least favorite?
Sean Connery:
Sean originated it all. Long before I was born, mind you. I don't feel obligated in any way to like him and yet I do. You can tell that he's really got a hand on the role from the start. There's a certain way he moves. Someone once said (here, I can't remember who) that he moves like a panther. I tend to agree with that. Bond is a hunter, and so he should be on the prowl. Sean is also able to blend comedy with ruthlessness. I think that is what makes him appealing to most Bond fans, women and men. One thing about Sean is, he looks way older than his 30 years in Dr. No. If we had a thirty year old actor in the role of Bond today, I think Bond would lose a certain amount of believability. 30 is young for an agent defending Her Majesty's Government. I will say also that I don't get how Connery looks bored in Diamonds Are Forever.
George Lazenby:
George was a one-hit wonder. I wish he could've done more. When I was a young kid, I will say that I based my opinions off those around me. George only did one picture, so he couldn't have been that good. From the moment I saw On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I thought he was a great Bond, and, from there, ceased to understand the hate he received. He looked great in his fight scenes. When he punched, he punched. Don't forget how he broke George Leech's nose! Yes, he may have been arrogant and stuck up, but he was a dang good Bond.
Roger Moore:
Roger is great fun as Bond, but you can tell he likes to make jokes more than beat people up. I think he's the funniest Bond we've had! He was superb with his one liners. You can tell that Bond films definitely got lighter when he was Bond. They lost a bit of the ruthlessness they had in the Connery/Lazenby years. They tried to get some of it back in The Man With the Golden Gun, but Roger has said that it made him very uncomfortable to be slapping women around. I often times wonder if we will see another actor play Bond for 12 years.
Timothy Dalton:
Tim was a classically trained actor, and I think it shows a bit. This, however, does not detract from me liking him. He is the closest (in my imagination) to the literary Bond. A few words to describe Dalton's films (for me) would be dark, violent, and ruthless. Tim is a Bond who has feelings. You can tell he wants revenge for Felix in Licence to Kill. Tim once said that Bond is human, he isn't a superman, and he wanted to portray that. He can go from humour to killing in a flash. His two films are great, but I think he should've done at least one more.
Pierce Brosnan:
I think Pierce is a very interesting Bond. In GoldenEye, he does really carry himself as if he were a secret agent! He looks awesome when he runs, too. A lot of people criticise Brosnan's films as having terrible scripts and the 90s Bonds lacking something. I don't know. I think they're fine. I like the bit of Irishness Brosnan brings Bond. I think Brosnan's films really began the modern Bond era. His mix of humour and action is perfect. You believe Brosnan would be right at home working for MI6. I remember being very disappointed when he left the role.
Daniel Craig:
"A blonde Bond? Ugh. What's happening to the world?" That was the opinion of at least some of the world. Not me. When I saw Casino Royale, and even before, I thought Daniel was a great choice for Bond! The only thing I do wish was that there was more humour in the Craig era. Take the Tube scene in Skyfall. The two older people "He's keen to get home." That is the kind of humour that has been mostly absent from these films. He carries himself as a suave, confident spy should. With SPECTRE having a classic feel, it'll be interesting to see how he performs.
I'd prefer not to chose one Bond over the other that's such a hard question. In my world, the Bond's are all tied as greatest. But if I had to figure out a ranking for those who wish to know (and this fluctuates literally day to day)*:
1. Craig
2. Connery
3. Dalton
4. Brosnan
5. Lazenby
6. Moore
*They fluctuate wildly. My rankings are like water.
7.) What is your absolute favorite Bond film and why? What is your least favorite and why does it sit at the bottom of your ranking?
Again, this is hard* as I don't like to give one film the edge over the other. But I really enjoy The Living Daylights. Dalton is a refreshing change from the comedy of Moore. Aston Martin returns and it's just an all around good film.
I would say that my least favourite Bond film would be For Your Eyes Only. It seems like it drags in parts. (In more ways than one)
;)
I'm looking at you, Tula.
*Once again, like water!
8.) What are some of your thoughts on the other areas of Bond: Favorite novel? Favorite games? Favorite song and soundtrack?
I've only read the Ian Fleming novels, so can't judge the continuation novels, but as far as Fleming goes, it'd have to be Casino Royale. Thinking about it, Casino Royale is actually much like a Shakespeare tragedy. Bond loses the girl he loves, and is emasculated, humiliated, and defeated. It's a way we'll never see Bond again. After his experience with Vesper he puts up emotional walls and keeps everyone at arm's length. This is what forms the 007 we know and love. You wonder what would have happened if he married Vesper. The Young Bond books are good, too. I'm working my way through those (I'm on Hurricane Gold right now). I love all the little Bond Easter Eggs in there. The bird singing the Bond theme, the chapter in SilverFin called "Thoughts in a Bamford & Martin". The plots are generally great too.
My favourite Bond video game would definitely be "NightFire"! Great story, action, and good old fun. Not to mention the countless hours my brother and I spent on multi-player. Of course, at that point, we were too young to understand what names like "Pussy Galore" and Xenia Onatopp were. Everything or Nothing has great driving levels, too. I remember playing the level where Bond goes to New Orleans in the Vanquish. I'd get out the EMP, slam another car into the church at the end of the street, and fire the EMP at the car, which was now sitting by the fire hydrant on the corner. The fire hydrant would then hit the car, sometimes blowing it up, and send it into the air like a big flaming rocket. Sometimes, you'd hear a crash, and you'd drive to the park area to find it sitting there burning! That provided hours of fun. Not to mention that great title song by Mya.
Anything John Barry is perfect for music. I love "Ice Chase" from The Living Daylights. I once remember falling asleep with "Try" from On Her Majesty's Secret Service in my head! I like Thomas Newman's "She's Mine" too. I have a Spotify playlist of James Bond title themes! "You Know My Name" is perfect for Craig's interpretation. "Another Way to Die" has grown on me as well. I used to hate it, but it's not so bad anymore! One of my favourite Christmas songs, and I'm not kidding, is "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?". Nina fits right in with the Piz Gloria Schilthorn girls.
Truth be told, I love ALL Bond music.
9.) What are your favorite aspects of the Bond film series? And if you were able to bring something to the films/character what would you add to the series if you could? Or, rather, what would you bring back that we haven't seen in a while?
I love Q. Desmond Llewelyn was not the original Q (appearing first in From Russia With Love), but he was the best, with John Cleese right behind. I always thought Desmond was great because he was a technophobe in real life and yet, he was completely believable as someone who knew how to operate the gadgets and look like he'd done it billions of times. Love the banter between Roger Moore and him. Roger used to mess with his script lines. I'll be very curious to see more of Ben Whishaw's interpretation of the role. I think having a younger Q is a splendid idea! I loved the gadget-filled cars, and gadgets in general. I think Bond writers should come up with some more sexually-tinged names. Pussy Galore, Stephanie Broadchest, Xenia Onatopp, that kind of thing.
10.) If you could put yourself in one Bond film, which film would it be and why is that?
GoldenEye! I think it's a great film. It's got one of the best Bond cars with the DB5, all sorts of exotic locations, a tank chase, a boat drive... and er,.... Oh, yeah! Famke Jansen squishing people with her thighs.
Well, I had a wonderful, fun time answering these questions and I hope this clears them up for you and gives you a little insight into what I like in the world of Bond! Thanks for having me!
Well done @PropertyOfALady and @Creasy47
Damn, someone remembers that. And you are nearly right Commander, I'm sort of big and grey. A mix of both
And you're driving a submarine, I know. Was a great interview then! Pity all the posts of the old forums got lost, they'd make interesting reading nowedays I presume.
I would only add that I think it would help to get to know the person first, so the non-Bond questions should come before their answers to Bond stuff.
11.) Who is your favorite director in the series and why?
Martin Campbell is great. I love both Casino Royale and Goldeneye. The way he films is quite good. It's funny when you watch the interviews with the cast and they say that he's almost constantly yelling. I also like Young. He really knew where Cubby and Harry wanted the series to go.
12.) Let's get into the smaller bits of the Bond universe: what are some of your favorite scenes throughout the films? Favorite allies and henchmen? Favorite PTS/finales? Favorite lines? What about your least favorites and why?
I love the Q scenes. The way they trade barbs at each other is perfect. I think is was Goldfinger that Desmond greeted OO7 on the first take in a kind and grateful manner, and one of the crew told him- it might have been Terence Young or somebody- that he should hate OO7 because he never returns his stuff unscathed. All of Roger's smart-alecky moments. I like Wai Lin as an ally. Brosnan and Yeoh have chemistry. As for hechmen, I'd have to go with Jaws. He's pretty dang terrifying. I do wonder how Bond will handle Hinx in SPECTRE. For the best PTS, it's probably the boat chase at the beginning of The World Is Not Enough. My favourite finale is probably Skyfall. A real sense of tension was there in the cinema. My favourite line would have to be Moore's "Butterhook!" in Live and Let Die. My least favourite line is definitly the Tarzan scream, if that counts. My least favourite henchman would probably be Elvis.
13.) In 2012, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of 007. Where do you think we'll be in another 50 years in terms of James Bond?
Well, I often times think about the future of Bond, actually. Where we will be in another 50 years is awfully hard to grasp. I think it'll be weird because I'm 20 now, so I'll be 67 when the franchise turns 100. It's kind of worrying to think "Will the 60s films look too dated?" I guess we'll find out what happens when it gets here. There might be a black Bond, there might be Bond in a wheelchair. I don't know. One thing I do hope stays constant though is that the franchise is run by Cubby's family like it still is today. I think they have a really good grasp of the type of person Bond is. One question I constantly have is "Who will be the next Bond?" Is he lurking down below, off-radar, or have we seen him before and we just don't know it yet? I do have moments when I wonder how many cars stuffed with gadgets they can come up with. Hopefully many more though. That's one of my favourite aspects of the series.
14.) Share your dream Bond film: director, soundtrack, cast, plot, set pieces, whatever you'd like to share.
It would be very interesting to have someone like Spielberg or Nolan come in and do a few. You also kind of wonder how different it would be if directed by someone like Wes Anderson or Baz Lurhman. I've always wished that The Beatles would've done a title song. Or for someone current Muse, Lana Del Rey, or Arctic Monkeys. I think Mathew Goode would be a good Bond. I think everybody wants Bond to visit where they live. I live in Minnesota. The only good thing we have is Mall of America, so that kind of eliminates that. I'd like a return to the big, Ken Adam style sets.
15.) This doesn't have to pertain to your favorite and least favorite films, but which of the movies is easiest for you to rewatch? Hardest to rewatch?
I love rewatching all of them but I will say that Casino Royale is great and the one it seems I have the most trouble with is probably For Your Eyes Only, but I do love it still, especially Sheena Easton's title song.
16.) Tell us about yourself. (Of course, if you don't want to share anything too personal, you needn't.) What are your hobbies, outside of Bond interests, your occupation, etc.?
Not too many of you (if any of you) know this, but I was born 24 weeks premature and, as a result, have cerebral palsy, which is, in simplest terms: a brain bleed. I can't walk, I was born with it and I've lived my whole life in a wheelchair, along with a crippled right side. My right hand doesn't work at all, really. When I was born I weighed 1,5 lbs. (,68 kg). I feel very lucky to not have any cognitive issues, so that I can enjoy and talk about my favourite secret agent with you guys! For hobbies, I love airplanes, reading, TV, and video games. I am 20, and currently going to college for a degree in IT with an emphasis on Web Design.
17.) What is your favorite non-Bond film, TV show, and novel?
I love the Back to the Future Trilogy, BBC's Sherlock, and am a big fan of Harry Potter (both the films and novels.)
18.) Favorite artist, band, or genre(s) of music?
I like pretty much any music from the 1920s-the present. I'm more of a rock music kind of person. The Beatles are up there. As well as any Bond artist pretty much. When Skyfall was announced as being by Adele, I was very disappointed, but after I heard Skyfall she grew on me.
19.) You can meet any three people to have ever existed, who are they and why?
1) James Bond
2) Ian Fleming
3) Vesper Lynd
Because they're awesome! :D
No, in all seriousness
1) JFK - I've always looked up to him
2) Ian Fleming- Be great to hear about his war experiences
3) The cast of Top Gear- It was (up until recently, before Jeremy got sacked) my favourite car show. Oh, did I mention I love cars?
Well, in all fairness, I'd love to meet all Bonds too, but I think we all would.
20.) Let's end this with something random: I hand you a box and a check for $100,000, but you may only select one. The box may contain anything you can possibly imagine, from a rock to a private island that will forever be yours in Italy, from a lollipop to a check for $1,000,000, and you will only know what is inside if you select the box. Which do you choose and why?
I'd go with the box. I like to take chances. I don't think I could ever stand not knowing what was in there, even if it contained poop, that would be better than leaving it.
I've added you to the list, as well.
Now that the initial 20 questions are over, I'll go ahead and open this up to anyone who would like to ask @PropertyOfALady anything to get to know him better, perhaps some questions I may have missed that you wanted asked. The next person to be interviewed has been selected, so I'll get that started at some point this weekend!
The "box of poop" comment made me laugh. Really?! Awesome attitude.
In that case I will give it a go. May take time in answering when my turn but I'll certainly try. Cheers....