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

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  • Posts: 1,917
    Really enjoyed reading your justification @BT3366 👍

    Thanks, Max and goldenswissroyale. These polls are real geek-out opportunities for me.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    "I think he got the point" gets a point from me. I like the other one, too. The one with Fiona is a bit similar to the one about Mr. Jones in DN, but this black humour works for me also the second time. However, the comment after Vargas' death is perfect. Short but definitely "to the point".

    Funny story: I didn't know this quote for many years!!! I grew up with german dubbing and since I get used to it (and loved it that way) it was really hard for me to change to the original voices. (Don’t get me wrong: I generally prefer to watch movies in the original language for the last 10 or 15 years and I never watched a Craig movie in german except when my Dad wanted to watch SP with me; he doesn’t understand English and doesn’t like to read the subtitles). There are many jokes I really love in the german translation of the older movies and there are even some moments where I was very disappointed when I watched it the first time in english, because the german dub is sometimes funnier in my opinion. However, this is definitely not the case in the scene where Vargas is killed: While the English comment is a great pun, the german translation wasn’t funny at all. Bond says “Einer weniger von diesen Strolchen” which means something like “One less of these thugs”.

    I checked the two Necros scenes again and regardless that the cargo net fight has probably the better stunt work and the more exciting set up, my vote goes to the kitchen fight. I love both scenes and my vote could be different if I had to decide it again another time. Why the kitchen fight? I love a good fist fight in movies and I’m definitely in if it is combined with unusual obstacles as weapons. Another reason is, that Dalton doesn’t have a good fist fight as Bond and the kitchen fight is easily the best fight in the two Dalton films. We never had another great (and unexpected) fight without the involvement of Bond which makes it special and unique.
    Question: Why does Necros grab Bond’s shoe instead of the net? There was enough time to grab the net again in the end but it seems that Bond’s boot was more important for Necros than surviving…
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    He got the point and the kitchen fight. Green Four is one of my all time favorite minor characters in the series.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Question: Why does Necros grab Bond’s shoe instead of the net? There was enough time to grab the net again in the end but it seems that Bond’s boot was more important for Necros than surviving…
    ... I saw this film when I was 14, and I made a rationalization then and never thought about questioning it: Necros knows he's lost the fight and he's a dead man anyways. He grabs Bond's boot to pull him into death with him, so all is not lost (I never thought about grabbing onto the net, lol).
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Only one vote more for the cargo net fight...
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Results of round 32:
    "I think he got the point." wins against "Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She's just dead.": 7:5
    The cargo net fight beats the kitchen fight (TLD): 6:5

    @peter I counted one point for both dead puns (loyal voters are treated very kind)

    Round 33:
    Which of Bond's apartments is more fitting for him: Apartment from DN vs. apartment from LALD
    If you imagine how Bond's home should look like, which interior (women excluded) is more appropriate?

    Feel free to comment, if you prefer the way his home is presented in SP.

    I've learned during the last years that SP doesn't get much love in this forum and the car chase was disappointing for many fans. Let's compare it to another (imo) disappointing action scene with cars and other vehicles…

    Which action scene do you prefer: car action in Rome (SP) vs. moon buggy/cars/three wheeled motorcycles action in the desert (DAF)










  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    For the first round: Definitely DN. Much more classy and in line with Fleming, but I do enjoy Lee in the other scene. Great as always.

    For the second: SP. I am one of the few who love that scene. The one in DAF is just stupid, even though I enjoy the film more than most.

    Good match-ups as always.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Good to have you back again @Thunderfinger.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Good to have you back again @Thunderfinger.

    Thanks, dear brother!
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,807
    Dr No for the apartment. Very classy and suits Bond. In modern days noticing the TV cabinet with legs, I can imagine M scolding 007 that he needs a television. Though it only gets used when he's called by MI6 to turn it on and see what crisis has developed.

    Oh easily Spectre and the car chase. Smoothly executed, with humour. A nice nighttime Michael Mann feel to it. Fun to watch, and all things considered medium amazing they were able to film such a thing at all. Well done, and brings to mind they should be searching out some locations while they can, before locales become even more constricted or off limits.

    As far as Spectre not getting much love, sure that's the appearance. There's a lot of over over the top hyperbole and complaints regularly leveled at it. On the other hand, that noise is not much of a measure of popularity--for a person here who likes the film, why respond to that at all. It goes without much response by design, the complainers are a sort of protected class somewhat recalling the Quantum days and how that played out. But really, the loathers doth protest too much, methinks.

  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited May 2020 Posts: 4,483
    Dr No for the apartment. Very classy and suits Bond. In modern days noticing the TV cabinet with legs, I can imagine M scolding 007 that he needs a television. Though it only gets used when he's called by MI6 to turn it on and see what crisis has developed.

    I'm not even sure if I ever spotted the TV(!) I'm usually attracted to another part of the screen.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,807
    Agreed! I happened to notice it above, @goldenswissroyale. Maybe to see what the YouTube play button covered.
  • Posts: 698
    Given the option between DN or LALD I would say I prefer LALD, although I like his apartment in SP more. It seems to suit Bond's character more, and the line saying he hadn't just moved in says a lot about Craig's Bond.

    I think I'm in the minority in that I really like the SP chase. Sure it's not as dangerous as it could be, but I like the humor and it looks beautiful. I don't think it's intention is to feel particularly dangerous, but to have a few good laughs in and progress the plot forward. Where as with the moonbuggy I'm just sitting there thinking 'what on earth am I watching'.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Thank you @goldenswissroyale for giving a point each in the last round!

    Onto Bond's flats-- for the past 30+ years I would have said DN... but, in the last few years I skew to LALD since it looks more "lived in" than staged by a real estate agent. Saying that, and for the same reasons, SP is my favourite Bond flat.

    And I will take the SP chase through Rome over DAF's moon-buggy chase. I agree with @Thunderfinger (welcome back!), DAF was just silly, a filler, and; although SP wasn't the best car chase in the franchise there was more of a point to it. In DAF, it's faceless security guards chasing Bond; in SP, Hinx was established as a killer moments before he went after Bond, so there is more of a threat (albeit only a slight one), over faceless mall-cops.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    For the first round: Definitely DN. Much more classy and in line with Fleming, but I do enjoy Lee in the other scene. Great as always.

    For the second: SP. I am one of the few who love that scene. The one in DAF is just stupid, even though I enjoy the film more than most.

    Good match-ups as always.

    +1
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Round 33: Going with both of the Sean options this round.

    Which of Bond's apartments is more fitting for him: Apartment from DN



    and


    Which action scene do you prefer: moon buggy/cars/three wheeled motorcycles action in the desert (DAF)


  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited May 2020 Posts: 2,426
    I think I’d go for LALD it’s definitely of its time and gives Roger’s Bond those creature comforts he’s in need of. And of course ... that coffee machine!

    Spectre car chase, it’s not my favourite chase by a long way but I do like the cinematography and the location, plus the ‘Sunday driver’ in the way is a rare moment of humour in a Craig Bond movie.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    I first thought that my vote would go to Roger's Apartment: Like Max, I'm a fan of this coffee machine. After rewatching the scene, I realized that the living room looks very dark and looks more fitting for an old couple.
    Bond's home in Dr. No looks brighter and somehow more stylish. It looks a bit too big (we see several doors when Bond enters his foyer). The car pictures are nice (but would Bond really put so many pictures on the wall? I doubt it. May perhaps…

    The car chase in Rome is a very easy win. It's far away from great but it is solid: The talk to Moneypenny destroyed the tension (as many wrote in other threads). The scene looks fantastic and it is entertaining (yes, the "Sunday driver" works for me, too) and the atmosphere joke puts a smile on my face. The last part, where they drive next to the river, is very cool (except for one image of Hinx, which doesn't look real).
    The only big disappointment is the fact that Hinx seems to be a fan of both cars and obviously doesn't want to damage one of them. He isn't allowed to be mean and threatening here, that's a shame.
    The desert action in DAF is probably the worst action scene in the bond history. Boring, stupid, ridiculous, embarrassing. Bikes for babies! The moon buggy! Is it really so difficult to drive a car in the desert? Especially when it isn't a problem for the moon buggy?!
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    The M scene in LALD is one of the best scenes in the film, love the comment he makes about Bond's coffee machine: "Is that all it does?"
    So I'll take that one.

    Rome is the most beautiful place in the universe, even a middling chase wins this one when pitted against the embarrassing moon buggy chase.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,369
    LALD seems more Bond to me. I have always wanted that coffee maker! Bond's apartment in DN felt more like a hotel to me

    SP car chase is one of the highlights of the film for me and one of the only highlights from Newman's score for me. While I've greatly warmed to DAF the moonbuggy chase has been one of my very least favorite sequences of the franchise.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Almost missed this.
    I'll go with Bonds apartment in DN. I like his flat in LALD, but the kitchen tiles are very seventies dated. Along with the coffee maker. Though it does have a great pay off line.
    The DN apartment is stylish and somewhere you could believe Bond might live. Though to be fair both are fine.

    As to the chase, I'll go with the Moonbuggy action in the desert in DAF.
    Yes, it's silly, ridiculous and not really that exciting. But DAF is a Bond film like any other. It's a one of a kind, and the Moonbuggy chase couldn't be a better fit.
    The SP chase is dull, and lifeless. For some reason there are no other vehicles or people in central Rome in the wee small hours. The less said about pushing the old man in the Fiat the better.
  • Posts: 1,917
    Just realized I hadn't voted yet. Could've sworn I did a week ago when this came out. Life in quarantine is getting to me.

    For the first, I'll take the DN apartment. It feels classic and a place I can see Bond in. Also key is we don't see too much of it, just enough.

    The LALD apartment is nice. I like the bedroom and its step up. But I recall James Bond in the Cinema author John Brosnan pointing out Bond's taste had deteriorated with that wallpaper. Although he made a point that Ken Adam wasn't on this film or TMWTGG, which I wasn't sure was a big deal.

    The coffee machine was cool for 1973. But looking at it with modern eyes having just brewed my own java in a Mr. Coffee this morning it's kinda laughable. M has it right: "Is that all it does?" It just seems like they wanted to mix classical with modern and it's more of a mishmash, which we didn't get into in the DN apartment.

    Up front, both of the vehicle chases are silly and just for spectacle. It's clear in both cases the filmmakers said "We need a vehicle chase here" and insert one. My choice is the DAF moon buggy.

    Part of it is nostalgia. DAF was the first Bond film I saw as a preschool kid when it was new in the cinema and I remember my parents and uncle being thrilled by it. It also makes me sad I never had the Corgi version of it since I remember seeing it in the store.

    I also award points in that it's different. The Bond films have always been about getting him into an unusual vehicle and watching how he uses it to escape or pursue and there has never been anything quite like the moon buggy since (maybe that's a good thing, but it still stands out). It also give exposure to the 3-wheeler things the guards pursue on. I'm sure those were new and different to 1971/72 audiences.

    That said, it's a mess of a scene, not much drama and shoddy editing what with the wheel clearly coming off of the moon buggy. I know they were pressed for time trying to meet a deadline, but even in 1971 that had to look bad. And that guy with the goofy voice "They went that way." Let's just say thanks John Barry for helping make it better. And knowing the upcoming chase through Vegas makes up for it.

    I'm surprised how much love the SP chase is getting here given how most fans have trashed it the last 5 years. I look at it like this: DAF is a bonkers film and the moon buggy chase fits. SP is a follow-up to the much-praised SF helmed by its critically acclaimed director. You have the incredible atmosphere of the SPECTRE meeting followed by this lame chase.

    The Bond series is famed for its car chases and in an age when films like (although I don't care for them) Fast and the Furious and Mission Impossible set new standards for chase action, we got a tepid pursuit through Rome. It doesn't work like the FYEO chase did and the humor detracts (although I kind of like the Moneypenny banter).

    Somebody mentioned Hinx is more of a threat as opposed to faceless guards but the guy who just became frightening as hell in the meeting becomes Jaws of the 21st Century by walking unscathed from a car that caught on fire. I guess we have an Aston Martin and we have to have a chase. Yuck.

  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Sorry for the delay.
    Despite of the justified points mentioned by @Benny and @BT3366 why they prefer the desert action compared to the Rome scene, it was a surprisingly clear win for the latter.

    Results of round 33:
    Bond's Apartment in DN wins against the one in LALD: 7 : 5
    The Rome chase (SP) wins against the desert action (DAF): 9 : 3

    Round 34:
    Which death scene is the stronger moment? Aki's death vs. Saunder's death

    And another duel between a YOLT scene and a Dalton scene:
    Which "fishing" scene do you prefer? Helicopter "fishes" the car with an electro magnet vs. Bond "fishes" Sanchez' plane.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Saunder's death is such a highlight for me and Aki's death is incredibly underwhelming.

    Dalton fishing Sanchez's plane is awesome.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    The first one is tough... Aki's death was quite eerie-- shot at night, the anonymous assassin approaching from above the sleeping couple, the poison slithering its way closer and closer to the intended victim, the accidental change of events... It's plotted very well.
    Saunders' death though is brutal and really gave 007 a swift kick in the ass to speed up his investigation. And Dalton's rage while he murders that balloon and accidentally aims his gun at a child was some of his best work.
    Nice one @goldenswissroyale ... I will go with Saunders' death (by a hair).
    Although there's a great idea behind the car magnet, the blue-screen and the pantomime-type performances of the villains being snared, have always bothered me; Dalton's fishing of Sanchez is a fantastic practical stunt-- my only criticism of it is I wish the actual "fishing" sequence had a few more beats to it (just to stretch out the dangerousness off it all). Bond fishes Sanchez's plane for the victory.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Aki-it leaves more of an impact.

    Sanchez s plane-the YOLT scene is kind of silly.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited May 2020 Posts: 2,426
    Great choices this week!

    Arghhh I think this is the first time I absolutely don’t want to vote one against the other, Aki’s death was tense, palpably tense for me, mesmerising watching the entrance of the assassin, hardly dare breathe as he unwound the thread and dropped the poison, tormented by the fact that Bond couldn’t die and you knew it was going to be Aki as the poison slowly tumbled down, and yet I really didn’t want Aki to die, willing her not to move into its path .... argghhh. And yet we have Saunders, such a memorable scene, really unexpected and inventive death, genuinely shocking - like something out of A horror film, say Final Destination not James Bond, and the whole Prater section is one of my all time favourite Bond sequences.

    If you FORCE me to choose I will say Aki but you are a bad man! ☺️😇

    And I appreciate all the arguments, but hey, I love Moonraker, I love a bit of daft Bondiness and the electromagnet scene always brings a smile to my face regardless of all it’s flaws. Make me a t-shirt with it on and I’ll happily wear it! 👍
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Thanks for the votes so far and I enjoyed to read your detailed and well observed descriptions @peter and @Max_The_Parrot.
    I planned to use Saunder's death for a while and wasn't sure which other scene I should add. I'm glad that some of you had a hard time to choose. I take your "bad man" as a compliment :) and order a second shirt for me, please!
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    Saunders and Sanchez for me.
  • Posts: 698
    Saunders and Sanchez's plane. With the Bond theme blaring, the plane fishing is such a great moment which almost always gives me goosebumps.
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