Weekly Bond Poll: Round 59: secondary Bond girls & helicopter flights

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  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited January 2020 Posts: 4,483
    Round 19: Scary Jaws & brief TSWLM moments

    Jaws knows how to scare his victims in at least some scenes. His first kill (Fekkesh) stands out because of the smart combination of music, voice and light and the first time where we see his tooth in action (biting through the chain). The last time where Jaws was (surprisingly!) spooky was at the carnival in Rio. For the vote only think about the first half of the scene (stop the clip at 1.25), before Jaws tries to bite Manuela (this part isn’t scary, it is almost a bit ridiculous how slowly and friendly Kiel is acting there)

    A) Which “scary” Jaws scene do you prefer: murder at the pyramids vs. giant clown

    Pyramids From 1.00 – 3.05


    Giant clown From 0.00 – 1.25 (forget about the rest)


    Although the movie is famous for its “big ambitions” with much more action compared to its predecessor, there are also some brief moments that I love. Let’s see what you think about two of them: One is a catchy image/music combination and the other is an unusual Bond theme treatment:

    B) Which brief moment in TSWLM do you prefer? Bond's silhouette in Cairo* vs. Bond theme stops**

    *I only found this clip: I mean the image, when Bond stands “next to” the tower in combination with the score. (0.12-0.20…). (If you watch the whole clip: the music isn’t the original one after the first 30 seconds.)



    ** I couldn’t find the clip on youtube. If someone finds it, feel free to post it! I hope you remember the scene I have in mind without the clip: During the action on the Liparus, Bond is sitting on the “camera ball” while the Bond theme can be heard, he turns off the camera and sets the detonator in front of the operating room. The sudden stop of the Bond theme gives it a very special and unexpected atmosphere.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    Great film, love all the scenes so very little to choose between them. However I’ll got for Pyramids - I love the use of colour, sound and music to create a wonderfully weird and suspenseful scene, there’s nothing else quite like it in Bond. Interesting fact that most of you probably know but the Roger you are seeing at around the 1:54 Mark is a still of Roger inserted to avoid reshoots (some say it is a photo, some a painting - do we know for sure which it is?) Pretty sure I also heard most of the audience watching the presentation were created using a painting as well.

    I’ll also go for the Bond theme/camera ball - really tense scene that still works for me no matter how many times I’ve seen it - top Roger moments! Moore Moore Moore! 😉
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    For the first match, deafanutley the TSWLM scene, elevated by some wonderful music.

    The second is also easy-Bond silhouetted. The whole Egypt sequence is terrific, while the whole climax sequence is bad as hell.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    For the first match, deafanutley the TSWLM scene, elevated by some wonderful music.

    The second is also easy-Bond silhouetted. The whole Egypt sequence is terrific, while the whole climax sequence is bad as hell.

    I'll have the same as @Thunderfinger.

    Indeed Bond silhouetted against the vibrant desert sun, framed beautifully in front of the minaret, is one of my favourite small moments in the series. Wonderful artistry by Gilbert.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Pyramids
    Bond Theme
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,589
    Clown Scene and Silhouetted in Cairo
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    I'll go with the Pyramids as up till this point, Jaws is still a menacing and terrifying character.
    And, the Bond theme cuts out as Bond pulls the plug. Very inventive.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,369
    Pyramids and Silhouette
  • Posts: 1,917
    For the first, Sandor, if you will: Pyramids. Benny above put it best as Jaws was still a scary character at that point and not yet revealed to be the cartoon character he'd become as the film wore on and slammed home by MR. The clown scene is also scary, but the comedy to follow takes away from it.

    I like the silhouette. A very atmospheric and underrated, although very brief scene. A criticism of the bomb-planting scene is having this suspense come so soon after the excitement of the battle scene affects the pace, which I agree with, although it's refreshing to see Moore have to sweat a little and show some fear, a relative rarity for his characterization.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    Pyramids
    Silhouette (always found it a pity that that little tune here on the soundtrack wasn't on the album.)
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    Pyramids

    And

    Bond theme

    Easy round but some great choices to pick from.
  • Posts: 631
    Pyramids but that’s a tough one. I love creepy clowns, so it’s hard for me to vote against the clown here.

    Silhouette, much easier.

    The mosque is Ibn Tulun I think, one of the largest and oldest mosques in Cairo.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    I wouldn't say that I love creepy clowns in general, but the giant clown in MR certainly leaves an impression. The pyramids scene is the more obvious choice as it is more spectacular (always liked it) while the clown scene is a short but surprisingly creepy moment which I like more with every time I rewatch it (of course only the part before it changes back to MR standard comedy).
    The first shot of the giant, lonely clown, when he is still far away, is pretty cool because it is a great contrast to the loud crowd in "party mood".
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited January 2020 Posts: 4,483
    I vote for the giant clown: I like it for it's "simplicity", completely different to the over-the-top-spectacle the film delivers most of the time. Great atmosphere is generated and you wouldn't expect it there. (As I wrote above, I only talk about the first part of the scene before Jaws is transformed back to a figure of fun.

    The silhouette combined with the music is a perfect brief moment. I love it!
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Pyramids and Silhouette for me please, although I do enjoy the other sequences as well.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Results for round 19:
    Scary Jaws: Pyramids have an easy win against the giant clown 11:2
    Brief moments: Silhouette in Cairo wins against the sudden stop of the Bond theme on the Liparus 9:4
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,483
    Round 20:

    It is often said that the Bondgirls are "more" than only "girls" in the Craig era. Stronger women with better written characters etc... Vesper Lynd? For sure. Camille and Eve? Okay. But the shower scene in SF (after learning Severine's background as a victim of sex trade) and the passionate kissing of her husband's murderer in SP are somehow awkward to me...Don't get me wrong: I don't want another #metoo debate here. I have no issue with the general representation of women in Bond films at all. Nevertheless, after all the "Bond Women" talk during the last years, I'm surprised that these two scenes exist.

    A) Which sex/love scene do you prefer? (Or in other words: which one is less akwkard?): Bond and Severine vs. Bond and Lucia

    Madonna's song doesn't get much love. 2015 Sam Smith's song arrived and wasn't appreciated either. While I defintely prefer Smith's song for itself, I'm not so sure anymore when it is embedded in the film...

    B) Which song combined (!) with the title sequence do you prefer? DAD vs. Writings on the wall
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,589
    Lucia scene. I've always loved that drawn out rendition of "Bond, James Bond" and with throwing the glasses on the floor.

    For songs I guess Writings on the Wall
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    I actually don't mind either love scene. I think Severine has a tragic past, but she's a grown woman (albeit one with the "broken wing"), and considering she was ready with the chilled champagne, she wanted Bond, and she needed Bond... she was using him because he may have a shot at killing Silva. And he was using her to bring him to Silva. Another transaction, of course, but there's a theory I read that all coupling has some transactional quality to it... (even in the most innocent of ways);

    As far as Lucia goes...: did she ever love her husband? I imagine she probably had quite a few lovers by the time Bond's turn came up. By the sounds of it, the Sciarra marriage was in name only.

    However, the win to SF.

    I don't like Sam Smith's wailing, and I find the title sequence dreary and... gross. The weakest of the Craig era, by far-- and the poorest theme song in the franchise's history. It is, and was, embarrassing to listen to the shrieked whininess of it. Plus-- the song has nothing to do with the film, which still boggles my mind...

    DAD actually used a stupid song and gave it some depth-- the entire title sequence to me was dark and eerie and flowed beautifully from the PTS into the credits.

    DAD never wins anything in my book, except now! DAD for the win-- and by a wide margin!
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,483
    Thanks @peter for your detailed thought. Interesting! I can completely understand all your points. And the "Bond, James Bond" is definitely something special in SP @Last_Rat_Standing
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited February 2020 Posts: 2,426
    I’ve got to be honest I really don’t care for either ‘love’ scene, and I think it’s more to do with Craig than the Bond lady. I prefer the good old fashioned ‘passion without the pressure’ technique as perfected by Roger - he would have no problem drinking his McDonald’s extra thick milkshake through a paper straw. I’ll have to go for SP with no particular enthusiasm, nice scenery and architecture.

    DAD I absolutely love the song, it’s in the top 5 ‘most played’ Bond title tracks - great to sing along to in the car. Always wait in anticipation for the ‘Sigmund Freud’ bit. Great. And I think combined with the visuals it’s a winner (I love scorpions!) ... Call me weird, I’ll take it.

    I actually quite like the visuals of the SP title song, but the song itself I still find very hard work, it’s my least played according to iTunes, and unlike every other Bond song, I’ve never sung along to it, and I don’t know most of the words. Bring on Billie!
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Personally Spectre wins over Skyfall and I really enjoyed the scenes between Craig and Bellucci, despite the yellowish hue that plagues this film is really noticeable in this particular scene.

    I think that while I prefer Sam Smith's 'The Writing's on The Wall', I'm not a fan of Octopus porn. Die Another Day while without question being a terrible song, I feel is the lesser of two evils taking into account the more dark and gritty titles that accompanied it.
  • SF and DAD for me.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Thanks @peter for your detailed thought. Interesting! I can completely understand all your points. And the "Bond, James Bond" is definitely something special in SP @Last_Rat_Standing

    Thank you @goldenswissroyale for making this game challenging, fun and thought provoking!
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,369
    Lucia in SP
    Sam Smith in SP
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    SP
    and
    DAD
    Please
  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    Lucia in SP

    WOTW in SP. I actually like this song.
  • Severine & SP- I do like all of the options available, I don't know what that says about me as a person.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Glad you like it! @peter
    @2Wint2Kidd : the first pairing is definitely nothing to worry about: the most obvious reason would be that you are a fan of stunning women. Liking both songs/titles shows once again that your taste differs from the average, which is a good thing, too.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    Severine
    DAD, which I quite like to be honest.
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