The James Bond Questions Thread

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  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    Birdleson wrote: »
    jake24 wrote: »
    Am I the only one who found that the quality was not HD (even though I spent the HD price), but in fact a lower resolution of 480p?

    There are moments that it seems to pixilate on my television, but I thought that might be my wi-fi connection.

    Are you streaming it or downloading then watching it? The latter case your wifi is irrelevant.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    I don't like to presume sir ;)
    I thought if i bought online it was a direct download that you could watch anytime.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Sark wrote: »
    Creasy: how about nailing that helicopter engine from 200 yards away on a moving boat?

    At night, with a small caliber weapon, against gravity, over a large river (wind!). I don't mind the ridiculous or even exaggeration in my Bond, but that wasn't even exciting or entertaining.

    He would have been more likely to take it down in the way he did if he threw stones at it. If he had taken it down with the Sig I may have been able to buy into it a bit more, if only slightly.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Sark wrote: »
    Creasy: how about nailing that helicopter engine from 200 yards away on a moving boat?

    At night, with a small caliber weapon, against gravity, over a large river (wind!). I don't mind the ridiculous or even exaggeration in my Bond, but that wasn't even exciting or entertaining.

    He would have been more likely to take it down in the way he did if he threw stones at it. If he had taken it down with the Sig I may have been able to buy into it a bit more, if only slightly.

    Well I don't know anything about ballistics but surely the bullet would still have enough velocity to knacker the engine if it went straight in?

    The trouble is the film portrays Bond as being some sort of sharpshooter but the numerous factors involved (movement of the boat and helicopter, short range of the gun, downdraught of the rotors, possible cross winds on the river) make it hitting his target down to about 99.9% luck. In fact I think any one of us would have as much chance of downing the chopper as Bond and that should never be the case.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Sark wrote: »
    Creasy: how about nailing that helicopter engine from 200 yards away on a moving boat?

    At night, with a small caliber weapon, against gravity, over a large river (wind!). I don't mind the ridiculous or even exaggeration in my Bond, but that wasn't even exciting or entertaining.

    He would have been more likely to take it down in the way he did if he threw stones at it. If he had taken it down with the Sig I may have been able to buy into it a bit more, if only slightly.

    Well I don't know anything about ballistics but surely the bullet would still have enough velocity to knacker the engine if it went straight in?

    The trouble is the film portrays Bond as being some sort of sharpshooter but the numerous factors involved (movement of the boat and helicopter, short range of the gun, downdraught of the rotors, possible cross winds on the river) make it hitting his target down to about 99.9% luck. In fact I think any one of us would have as much chance of downing the chopper as Bond and that should never be the case.

    I'm not sure it would have. It's an extremely light round and from what I can remember (haven't got my digital copy of SP yet) the helicopter was a considerable distance away. The PPK/S has pretty low stopping power but is reasonably good for close quarters combat, so I'd have to go out and shoot at a helicopter to be sure. ;)

    Just for comparison, I'm pretty sure the energy discharged (when fired) from the Sig Sauer Bond was carrying in that scene is more than double that of the PPK.

    But then again, it's just a movie.

    Agreed about the final few lines. I think the problem was that they struggled to think of a way to deal with Blofeld in the finale. What they came up with was all down to Bond getting lucky and it was all rather dull.

    I'll be quite happy to not see a single helicopter in the next film after three sequences (including two finales!) in the last two entries having a chopper as a centrepiece.
  • GettlerGettler USA
    Posts: 326
    I always thought Q had to swallow his fear and go after Bond himself since he allowed him to travel to Rome and lied to M. I mean he was doing it for his cats, right?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    The near impossibility of Bond hitting that spot on the helicopter under those conditions is comparable to Bond being shot twice, the second bullet sending him falling a very, very great height, neck first, into water that would've for sure killed him. It's impossible, but it's Bond.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Forgiveness definitely comes into play. I've seen my bias firsthand lately, forgiving things in certain Bond films that I love when I know the same type of situation occurs in one I don't care for, and yet I rip it to shreds when that happens. Still, it's easy to say that one is just as ridiculous and improbable as the other if you simply dissect the scene and take nothing else into account.
  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    edited February 2016 Posts: 3,000
    It's unlikely that Bond would have taken down the helicopter that way, but, how many people here are so confident in that idea that they would be willing to sit in a helicopter while someone shoots at it? ;))
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    edited February 2016 Posts: 1,138
    It's unlikely that Bond would have taken down the helicopter that way, but, how many people here are so confident in that idea that they would be will to sit in a helicopter while someone shoots at it? ;))
    for how much money?

    In SF, why does M say "it was the possibility of losing you vs the certainty of losing all those agents."? It seems she's saying she was certain Bond would fail to recover to disk from Patrice, is that right? So she chooses to place her trust in an inexperienced Moneypenny to make a difficult high risk shot vs her best man? Am I misunderstanding something?
  • MrBondMrBond Station S
    Posts: 2,044
    Does anyone have an actual answer to why the actor who plays M are credited as such in the title sequences? This goes as far back as to Dr. No where Bernard Lee was credited "as M". It is odd that the actor who plays M are the only one that is cited as the character they play.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    MrBond wrote: »
    Does anyone have an actual answer to why the actor who plays M are credited as such in the title sequences? This goes as far back as to Dr. No where Bernard Lee was credited "as M". It is odd that the actor who plays M are the only one that is cited as the character they play.

    I believe Robert Brown was not credited 'as M' in his films (OP-LTK).
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    MrBond wrote: »
    Does anyone have an actual answer to why the actor who plays M are credited as such in the title sequences? This goes as far back as to Dr. No where Bernard Lee was credited "as M". It is odd that the actor who plays M are the only one that is cited as the character they play.
    Just a case of tradition.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited February 2016 Posts: 7,553
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    The near impossibility of Bond hitting that spot on the helicopter under those conditions is comparable to Bond being shot twice, the second bullet sending him falling a very, very great height, neck first, into water that would've for sure killed him. It's impossible, but it's Bond.

    Bond knew where to shoot the helicopter, where it's weakness was, and it took him like 11 shots to hit it. What's "near impossible" about it?

    I'd say surviving the two shots into the river is much less likely, but even then, far likelier if the second shot knocks him unconscious, which it appears to, as his muscles wouldn't be tensed so he'd be less likely to break any bones from the surface tension of the water.

    There was a story awhile ago about a woman who went skydiving while (unknowingly) pregnant, and there was a problem with her shute and fell to the ground, and survived (along with the baby) because she went unconscious.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    It's nighttime, they're on a fast moving boat (not steady whatsoever) while he tries to hit a tiny spot on a fast moving helicopter (also not steady) in the middle of the night. Then again, the inconsistency with Craig's Bond makes anything he does rather unexpected; sometimes he kills anyone from any range with one shot (which was perfectly displayed in his compound escape, where the head drilling obviously gave him no issues with instantly nailing targets a good 100 yards away or so), and other times he spends a few magazines and never hits his target. Still, a rather hard shot for anyone to make.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,553
    All good points :P
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    It's a Bond film.
  • GettlerGettler USA
    Posts: 326
    They're all Bond films, but it feels like they go for gritty and part way through they add a little cheeky Bond-fun to get on with the movie. Like they almost forgot. Hence the inconsistencies. It's safe to say SP was a messy script but it was still fun to watch.
  • GettlerGettler USA
    Posts: 326
    Oh dear...I'll wear a helmet then
  • You know that data that gets mixed in your head and at the end of the day you don't know whether you read it or you're making it up without even noticing? Well, I have a problem with this regarding Bond movies and Paul McCartney's involment in them:

    First of all, was Macca considered at one time to write/perform a song for DAF? And secondly, did he consider at one time to do the whole LALD score himself?
  • edited February 2016 Posts: 3,236
    Creasy47 wrote: »

    EDIT: (Wait...why is Bond suddenly a master marksman again? Can't hit a shot glass off Severine's head when she's that close, but now he's dropping people in the court room and nailing the cans (from a much longer distance) with his father's rifle with absolute ease.)

    Well, seeing as Wiz nailed your question about Q flying, I think this one isn't too difficult. At the inquiry, he's aiming at a much bigger target (center of mass vs. glass on head), so that's a bit easier. He's also acting on instinct, rather than in his first mission back on what amounts to a shooting range. Maybe you don't think that should bother Bond, in which case scrap that, but a major theme of the movie is Bond (and old-fashioned British espionage) getting his mojo back. Why they decided to rerun that plot in half-assed fashion for SP, I will never know.

    Also, a question of my own: How do Xenia and Ourumov sneak into the helicopter showing in GE? I remember them flashing Admiral Harper's identification card, but I don't think that would work, given that the two of them are very obviously not him. Is there something I missed?
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    How did Bond get into the helicopter showing? If Bond can I assume they can.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited February 2016 Posts: 9,117
    Creasy47 wrote: »

    EDIT: (Wait...why is Bond suddenly a master marksman again? Can't hit a shot glass off Severine's head when she's that close, but now he's dropping people in the court room and nailing the cans (from a much longer distance) with his father's rifle with absolute ease.)

    Well, seeing as Wiz nailed your question about Q flying, I think this one isn't too difficult. At the inquiry, he's aiming at a much bigger target (center of mass vs. glass on head), so that's a bit easier.

    Well I don't know about you but I've always assumed because he's not 100% and due to the lack of accuracy of such an antiquated pistol he deliberately aims high when he shoots at Severine. For all we know Silva was trying to hit the glass himself but a gun like that is going to rather unreliable when it comes to precision shooting.

    As for the rest: Silva's goons are all barely more than 2 or 3 metres away and the enquiry could be another week or so later (during which the Bond has spent 4 hours a day at the shooting range) and all biggish targets. Factor in a burst of adrenalin which isn't there on the range then I haven't got a problem with it.

    Much more irritating is Bond suffering no ill effects after the head drilling and scoring fatal head shots with every round he shoots from about 100m away. Someone said on another thread it would have been a lot better (and wouldve strengthened their relationship) if Bond had been all f**ked up after the head drilling and it was Madeline who got them out of there with the odd comment from Bond of 'good girl' as she shot a few guys.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    Much more irritating is Bond suffering no ill effects after the head drilling and scoring fatal head shots with every round he shoots from about 100m away.

    I can do that in Call of Duty (not really), what's the problem? ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    @TheWizardOfIce, I would've loved seeing an escape like that, too. Imagine how much it would've strengthened their relationship.

    @Soundofthesinners, you can see a slight profile shot of "Admiral Farrell" once they arrive on the frigate, and you can tell that it's made to look like him. Xenia is more than likely seen as his date to the event.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    The map in the politburo meeting room in OP is perplexing me. At first it looks like a simple "one color for our guys,one color for theirs" map. But on closer inspection it isn't.
    http://imgur.com/Al7JDUU

    Looking at Africa, we see a number of colors. While Ethiopia was communist at the time, I'm not sure what the other colors correspond to.

    http://imgur.com/DJqn9pE

    This map, for some reason, has all of Korea red. Also, China and Russia were huge enemies at this point in the cold war, not allies. Why are Iran and Iraq light red? Neither were communist, and at this point Iraq was developing close relations with the US.

    My question is how to make sense of this map?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2016 Posts: 18,281
    Why is Melina Havelock so concerned about the Monastery Guard's welfare in FYEO?

    I've long wondered about this scene in For Your Eyes Only (1981) and I can't really seem to come up with a convincing answer ass to why it was written in the way it was or what we the audience were meant to take away from it about Melina Havelock's character. The scene that I am referring to is when Melina silently shoots the St. Cyril's Monastery guard with her crossbow and Bond drags him inside the winch shed. He tries to keep him quiet until Melina and Columbo come up into the shed on the winch basket.

    What I don't really get about this scene is why is the ever-vengeful Melina suddenly so concerned about the welfare of the Monastery guard that she has just shot? After all, she killed Gonzales. She later tries to kill Kristatos. The guard was in the employ of Kristatos, the man who paid Gonzales to have her mother and father killed, and she could have just as easily killed him with that crossbow. Despite this, she still fusses over him and tends to his wound until Columbo brings some logic back (and reminds us that this is a "take no prisoners" Bond film that we are watching) and knocks him out with a chop from his gun.

    Perhaps I'm being a bit too hard on Melina here but this scene bugs me a bit and seems rather like a character inconsistency on the part of the writers Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson. Was it just that he was only a guard working for Kristatos and thus not her real target - that he was just doing his job etc.?

    So what do we think about this scene and what would you say was its purpose?
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    My thoughts would be at a basic level they dont want to show the Bond girl to be as hardened a killer as Bond. Killing Gonzales and Kristatos in a fit of revenge is one thing but ruthlessly slaughtering faceless guards is too much for the heroine of the film.

    If they have thought about it more deeply they are maybe trying to get across to the audience that Melina is only up for killing those who really deserve it, whereas Columbo is a professional at this game hence the meaty thwack on the head and 'sorry' behind her back, which always makes me smile after all the effort she went to to make the bloke comfortable!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    While I truly am a fan of FYEO, I do not at all like the bits about hesitating to kill people. Bond lectures Melina but starts the film with killing the Blofeld lookalike when he didn't have to, proceeds by ruthlessly pushing Locque over a cliff after shooting half of Kristatos' men dead, and ends by throwing Kriegler off a mountain. But Melina can't get her Greek tragedy payback on Kristatos, the man who engineered everything? Let's not forget that Melina's life had been threatened a few times by Kristatos, first under water, then strapped to Bond as bait for sharks, then nearly run over by the boat. One of Kristatos' men is about to knock Bond's ropes free from the mountain, instantly killing 007, and the armed guard would have shot if he hadn't been perforated by miss Havelock. So what's with all this compassion? A bag of mixed messages, right there.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,589
    My wife brought up a question that I didn't know the answer to.
    In SP, why is C called C?
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