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I have not even mentioned my great love for From Russia With Love yet! But I will wait till later for that. I'll finish the next set of interview questions as soon as I can.
Cheers! B-)
i too am one of the ones not too keen on TMWTGG either.. for most of the same reasons - but also a few others... just a big missed opportunity it was.
Just might be my least favorite theme song!
It will be at least one more full day before I get my other questions answered. How about chatting about TSWLM and why you enjoy that! I know some of you do. ;)
how can you not like when Lulu belts out the indomitable pronunciation of 'gun'???
GAAAAAHHHHHAYAAAAHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNN
~X(
Bond 77... enough said.. :)>-
because who really wants to hear my nonsense and dickery anyway...
That is because @4EverBonded is amazing.
Please don't withdraw, @haserot! I definitely want to read your answers and hear your thoughts and experiences on Bond. With all my blather, your "nonsense and dickery" will probably look more sensible and astute.
I am nearly done with the last set of questions and will finish in the a.m. but have to get to sleep now.
:)>-
This is fact!
That's obviously true, she is, but I also meant that people in general have given such great answers to the questions, before this as well. :)
I wish we still had the interviews from the old forum. I'd love to go back and read what I said eight years ago!
Well, I can hardly be upset. I understand the reasons behind it and now we have this place.
There wasn't.
Anyway, moving on...
I do hope some of you watch this video and discuss this, and your favorites, a bit. I hope this is fun. I'll watch it myself later. :)>-
Ah, but you can't ope na can of worms and then walk away my friend..
It's only minutes now somebody starts to connect the dots and finds that that Van der Zuyl affair is connected to this....
11.) Who is your favorite director in the series and why?
Honestly, it's got to be a tie for me. Terence Young AND Martin Campbell.
1) Terence Young - for several reasons, but in a nutshell mainly because he was obviously the perfect director of the first Bond film, the perfect director to guide Sean Connery in that role. I mean, how important was that? Young really helped shape Connery's portrayal of James Bond (including walk, style of dress, confidence and God knows what else), to indelibly stamp it into our culture (and Connery as Bond is what made the rest of the series possible!). Young nurtured Connery and gave him the confidence he needed to play this role so beautifully, right from the start. Yes, Terence Young gave us 3 very fine Bond films indeed. I especially love and appreciate From Russia With Love.
2) Martin Campbell - Goldeneye! Casino Royale! Do I really need to elaborate? Perhaps not. Both are stellar films that launched the series forward at a very crucial time. Beautifully directed, both films. I find both to be outstanding; two of my very favorites. Such a long gap between them, but I feel he really knocked both out of the ballpark. A rare achievement.
So yes, both were fantastic and really important directors for the Bond franchise.
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?
Fave scenes? So many! Seriously, so MANY. Okay here is a partial list:
FAVE SCENES -
~ Bond in the casino, his very 1st introduction in Dr. No. I mean, really. What is there to say? Perfection.
~ Bond and Tania's sexy, playful intro to each other (her waiting for him in his bed) I remembered this from the novel, too. ;)
~ Bond fighting Grant on the train (so realistic and suspenseful)
~ Bond slamming the door shut at the end of the PTS of Goldfinger and Shirley's title song blasting out in that exact split second, cutting to the credit titles... still gives me shivers (great editing)
~ Bond and Anya in TSWLM at the bar chatting and the way he reacts when she mentions his wife (just beautifully acted by Moore)
~ Bond kicking Locque's car off the cliff and telling him that was for Ferrara
~ Bond & Kara's scene of her trying to talk to him while she is driving the jeep next to the plane he is piloting down the runway. His exasperation is very amusing & realistic; I love their chemistry in that film! It was charming and totally believable. Loved the earlier bit when she made him go back to get her cello, too. ;)
~ Bond killing Sanchez in LTK (so very satisfying; great acting)
~ TND - Bond discovering Paris dead in the hotel room and his whole scene with the sadistic killer, Dr. Kaufman (just great; one of Pierce's finest moments)
~ Bond & Q in the lab - many, but I'll just highlight the one where Q tells Bond (Brosnan) not to touch his sandwich: "That's my lunch!"
~ Q's (Desmond) final scene in a Bond film, which turned out to be so touching & unknowingly appropriate.
~ Goldeneye - when Bond meets M (Judi's M, her first scenes with him) Extremely well written and acted by both.
~ Goldeneye - Bond and Natalya alone for a moment after being captured in Russia; their brief exchange is perfectly played: her fear, her lack of trusting anyone at that point; you can see Bond thinking, planning - and then his immediate reassurance to her. Pierce nailed that moment, that whole scene, perfectly underplaying it.
~ Casino Royale - Bond meets Vesper on the train; the entire sequence (sparkling dialog; great chemistry)
~ Bond's fight on the stairwell in Casino Royale and the shower scene afterwards, comforting Vesper who is in shock. Brilliant acting, stunt fight work, script; everything is exactly right.
~ Opera scene in Quantum of Solace - a superb bit amidst an uneven film. It remains indelibly in my memory.
~ QOS - Bond and Camille, in the desert, when she talks about having to kill someone and Bond helps her. He has that great bit of dialog about "You only need one bullet ..." I loved that.
~ Skyfall - Bond running through the streets of London to try to reach M and protect her from Silva. Running, intercut with M in the court/cabinet room defending MI6 to a group of ministers. The editing, the lovely and so appropriate quoting of Tennyson by Judi's M, the sense of suspense and tension mounting palpably ... it is all very memorable - and also a key to the entire meaning of Skyfall.
~ Skyfall - Bond and Eve chatting (comm. earpieces) as they stroll thru the casino, not looking at each other. Again, great dialog here. I love their chemistry together throughout the film. Seems folks either love or dislike Naomie in this; I don't hesitate in my appreciation of her. I think and Craig had very good chemistry.
~ Skyfall - Towards the very end of Skyfall, with Eve handing Bond the box from M, as they stand on that rooftop with the magnificent view looking down on London (iconic shots in that!). All of my British ancestry swelled up within me during Skyfall, I can honestly say that. It is such a British Bond film, different, and truly excellent.
OK, there are many more, but that will do for now (sorry Dear Reader!). I could go on, but tried to think of some from each Bond actor that were memorable, favorites of mine.
FAVE PTS -
~ The Spy Who Loved Me - that ski jump of course!! But also the whole thing is rollicking fun, very British ... and Moore is so unflappable. This PTS is delicious and ends on that truly fantastic ski stunt (still being talked about today)
~ Octopussy - This is a great, well done mini story within itself that contrasts the terror & suspense of the agent being stalked with the clown outfit he wears and the party at the ambassador's home. I love this PTS, every bit of it. I've mentioned before how it reminds me of Hitchcock, the contrast of terror & brutal murder amidst playful, ordinary surroundings.
~ The Living Daylights - Very fine intro to Dalton. Especially memorable when he turns his face to the camera for the first time, while hanging on the cliff. I remember I caught my breath in the theater. Timothy looked every inch James Bond. And I love the Bond he gave us.
~ Tomorrow Never Dies - Pure James Bond saving the world! It's adventurous and fun. M vs. the huffy, stuffy general is quite enjoyable. ("What's Bond doing?" "His job.") Which he did very well indeed throughout that film.
~ Casino Royale - Breathtaking. Hit it out of the ballpark right from the PTS. It's gripping, from the first moment, and shows many facets of Bond just in that PTS alone. We see Bond as a rookie 00 agent, inexperienced at killing (but we see it done; editing is excellent) ... determined, completely committed, grim, a blunt instrument that is being honed even as we watch. And, ultimately, as we see at the end of the PTS, Bond is clever. This PTS, like the entire film, is a gem.
Some others I enjoy a great deal, too, but I'll try to keep this a bit shorter; so those 4 will do for my very favorites. And I won't bother with adding my least favorites of anything (well, here's looking at you Stacey and Jinx and Tamahori!). Because this is already wordy enough, isn't it?
FAVE VILLAINS & HENCHMEN/HENCHWOMEN -
Jaws - interesting, threatening, different and totally memorable. Love the whole intro to him, his interaction throughout the pyramid scenes, just all of him in this film.
Xenia - She was played with great gusto by Famke and is bold, sadistic, sick, sexy, lovely, and strong. All without veering totally into way over the top comedic effect. Famke walked a tightrope with that character! And I think she got it exactly right. Very good with Pierce, in every way.
Fiona Volpe - A red hot beautiful female SPECTRE agent who goes toe to toe with Sean Connery at his most masculine and confident. She is truly nonplussed by him, believes she can control and beat him, and their sexual chemistry is sky high, in my opinion. A great henchwoman.
Dr. Kaufman - Played broadly, with nerve and style, by Vincent Schiavelli. Yet not going into high camp ... so close to that, but no. Very memorable.
Main villain -
~ Alex Trevalyan - Because it's Sean Bean. ;) Alex is slimy, a traitor personally and to his country, and well ... he's played by SEAN BEAN! (I love Sean, Mr. 100% Blade.)
~ Mr. B.I.G - Yaphet Kotto was a great villain: strong, genuinely menacing, and not one dimensional. Shame about his demise being so cartoonish in the end. But he was a fine, terrifying villain and a great match up against Bond.
~ Raul Silva - Javier Bardem smoothly glides into this film and oozes "psycho" vibes underneath a barely held together facade. You can feel the essence of this slimy former agent of M's who wants so hard to be King of Pain (for her and others). I think Bardem's take on the character was interesting, never dull, and is really memorable.
I confess I do find nearly all main villains rather lacking in Bond films. Perhaps Dr. No carries more menace ... perhaps, oh never mind. And Christopher Walken always plays "crazy man" well. But mostly all rather lacking for me, to be honest. Christopher Lee was so fine, but he was mostly wasted by the script and tone of that film (TMWTGG).
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?
50 years is a long time! 50 years ago I was playing a cardboard guitar in my garage, with my friends, pretending to be The Beatles. True. I can hardly imagine Bond that far in the future. Mainly because our technology, and therefore our ways to enjoy entertainment, will have taken many leaps by then. Perhaps we shall have moon buggy drive ins on the moon?! Films totally as holograms or such. Far greater virtual reality capabilities? Films we can feel physically while watching? Perhaps. I just don't know.
But I think the character will last, yes. As long as there is an England anyway. :)
14.) Share your dream Bond film: director, soundtrack, cast, plot, set pieces, whatever you'd like to share.
Hmmmm.
I am actually skipping this one - as it would be another 3 days for me to finish answering it and it would be a short novel. So, I'll move on now if you don't mind too much ...
I would definitely have Roger Deakins as cinematographer again & Daniel Craig, too, if available. But that's all for now on that. Possibly Christopher Nolan directing. :)
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?
Easiest: TSWLM, FRWL, TLD, GE, TND, SF, CR, DN, and FYEO. Always enjoyable, every time.
Hardest: DAD, TMWTGG, YOLT (in spite of the perfect music & scenery), OHMSS (oh PM me, I'll give you my reasons why I don't really enjoy it), DAF, QOS, LTK, and TWINE (a mixed bag).
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, etc.?
Sure. Here are some key elements about me, without giving out where I live or anything too personal:
1) Two of my defining characteristics - because these shaped my character and personality - is that I am an only child ... and I was a Tomboy growing up. So I function fine by myself, love my family & friends but also happy in solitude. And I played sports till age 32 (soccer).
2) I'm a Christian. With a rocknroll soul. No, I don't want a discussion about religion on this forum. But it is part of who I am. I don't hide it.
3) I'm an avid reader That also really shaped and informed my life incalculably, because that wonderful habit opened up many worlds to me, as well as being educational on many levels.
4) I'm a child of the 60's and young adult of the 70's. BEST frickin' music in the entire history of the world ... I truly am a free spirit ... and my favorite expression (and bumper sticker) of all time is: Question Authority. I value the experiences of that world, that time, when life was so different than it is now in several ways.
5) I have 3 main loves of my life so to speak and they are, in order they happened to me: Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Marc Bolan. That's actually true, folks.
6) Alas, I cannot carry a tune to save my life - but I'm a natural cosmic dancer. As a young child, I used to pretend to be Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse, then I morphed into Joey Heatherton as a preteen. Joey could rock out! Ann-Margret, too.
17.) What is your favorite non-Bond film, TV show, and novel?
Non-Bond Film: Very favorite is tough to say. But give me an Audrey Hepburn film any day. Let's say for today, Charade.
TV Show: M*A*S*H (but 1st season of True Detective is a very close second)
Novel: Too difficult. Digging deep, trying to say something other than some great detective stories (my usual fare). Ok: Anne of Green Gables. And no, I'm not kidding. Beautiful writing, with a vivid main character that has stayed in my heart all my life ("kindred spirit").
18.) Favorite artist, band, or genre(s) of music?
Oh, several people on this forum know my answer already ... ;)
There is only one answer for me, for all of those categories: Marc Bolan. His band was T Rex. His music forged and defined the seventies. He shook up the very foundations of rocknroll with his album, Electric Warrior (1971). Marc was a genuine innovator - in music but also in style (he originated Glam rock in 1971; that look, glitter on his cheeks, etc.). He had plenty of huge hits, such as "Bang a Gong, Get It On" in the U.S., which was just "Get It On" for the rest of the world; "Metal Guru," "Telegram Sam," "Cosmic Dancer," "I Love to Boogie," "20th Century Boy" and a whole lot more. Yet his music is actually incredibly diverse. Extremely creative, often very strange lyrics. He wrote mystical, lyrical songs of fantastical poetry ... lovely acoustic songs ... pure pop ... boogie rock ... hard driving rock ... cosmic rock, and more. You can't pin him down. And he had his own guitar groove. I love rock guitar and Marc's playing was always distinctive - even when he experimented with different styles of music (adding soul to rock in later years, for example). I love his voice. And his music has influenced so many artists; it's still relevant today. Four or five of his songs feature in the film, "Billy Elliot" and I think two were in "Dallas Buyers Club" (which I have not seen yet). He is also briefly mentioned in that film, I believe. Marc Bolan was far and away the most magnetic, original, and charismatic performer I've ever seen. I was lucky enough to see him in concert in 1973, too. He was a prolific songwriter during his ten year career - for that I'm really grateful. He died far too young (just before his 30th birthday, in 1977; fatal car crash). But his music definitely lives on. Marc Bolan had a great spirit and something extra that is hard to define ...so very special; unlike everybody else. His music did change my life. I've heard people say that before, but I never got it, not completely, until it happened to me.
So, yeah - rock on! ;)
19.) You can meet any three people to have ever existed, who are they and why?
You mean besides Marc Bolan? :) Ok, let me think. I'll consider only well known people, not personal family.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I'm a huge, lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan and Sir Arthur led an amazing, adventurous life. He would be great company, I think. Don't think I could get a word in edgewise, but that would be fine with me.
C. S. Lewis - love his writing, in so many ways. It would be fascinating for me to really talk in depth with him about many things. And hang out with Tolkien at the Eagle & Child pub, of course. Lovely times we would have amidst the Guinness!
And the obvious one, Marc Bolan ... for every reason you can possibly dream up - and then some. I listen to his music every day. He would be the most important to me, yes. ("Watch me now, I'm gonna slide ..."). Listening to his classic song, The Slider, while typing these answers. Nobody wrote songs like Marc Bolan. He just moves me like no one else.
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?
Surprisingly (to me), it is not a very tough decision. I would take the box. Because I want to make that leap to whatever the surprise is. I think I'll be okay - I can survive, I can make it somehow in this world - without that money. But I want my life to be more of an adventure, I want to discover new things ... a leap of faith is important at times. So I'd really want to give myself the opportunity to be surprised - good or disappointing. Yes. I'd take that leap. :)
I think with our breaking SPECTRE news, folks here will stay really focused (understandbly; I am focused on it, too) with that for another 48 hours at least.
But if anybody wants to chat about my ramblings and list of favorites (which I tried to pare down!), I'm available for a couple of days. I think. I mean, that's up to @Creasy47 and everybody else. ;)
Anyway, I will get my musings on Bond girls up much later today. Cheers! :>