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Comments
- "I'm soo good"
- "Especially when you're bad!"
Never realized that exchange was actually about the movie itself!
I think Pam should've been the 100% focus of the film, and Lupe more reduced, but that's just me. I can't stand the forced relationship between Bond and Lupe and Soto's poor deliveries of the melodrama don't help things. In the best case, Lupe could be made the victim of Sanchez's volatile temper and mood who Bond rescues through his scheming inside the cartel, but I think making her a lover of Bond's on top of it was a step too far and it doesn't feel right in execution. The general feeling of the 80s Bond films seemed to be that Bond had to that a fling with every Bond girl there was no matter how non-sensical it was for the plot, with the thankful exception of Bibi. ;)
Also, add me to the list of those who crush on "Legs" Lowell.
Good point, @bondjames. In all fairness the last second jealousy of Pam does get annoying, in much the same way that Lupe's star in her eyes love for Bond does. And it really sinks Pam's character as a result, as she feels more pettily consumed with envy than she should be considering her independent and strong streak. Instead of acting like a woman, she was acting like a girl.
Arguably this all began with Bond/Melina in FYEO, where they didn't hook up until the end and even then it was interrupted by the desire for a moonlight swim. The mutual revenge angle was there too (Bond killed Blofeld in the PTS) but they didn't play it up.
The thing I like about the Bond and Melina relationship at the very least is that the story serviced the dynamic, in that both characters didn't mess around until both of their respective "missions" were done and that actually made sense for the story and leant it a lot of realism and respect.
Bond and Camille were the same in QoS with no time for funny business, but I like that the entire film wasn't leading up to them having sex or anything like that. To ground the film even more, Bond and the girl depart with a sort of "thanks for everything kiss" and, like the ending of Moonraker (the novel), she and Bond part and go live their separate lives. I really respect the film for telling a story like that and not being afraid to diverge from the usual Bond+Bond girl dynamic to hit on something more human and interesting very much in touch with the message of the film.
One of the big reasons I've enjoyed the Craig films so much is partly because of how they've told stories with the leading women that ring true to the films they're in and the very raw nature of how they and their flaws or actions are presented in addition to the more "real" way in which they interact with Bond. Dalton talked about Kara representing a turn away from the superficial Bond girl relationships at the time of TLD's release, and after his era carried into Brosnan's tenure with more of an old school take on the Bond/Bond girl dynamic I think the Craig era returned us back to a more genuine and deep presentation of Bond's interactions with the opposite sex in much the same way Fleming wrote them. Long may it continue.
I think there have been good and bad Bond girls from the beginning. Even in the 60s there was Kissy, who the film doesn't even bother naming.
We have the Brosnan/Bond girl discussion often, but as I always say, you know I think of Natalya as an exception to a pretty mediocre bunch (as is the case for the Brosnan era in my eyes, the possibilities died after GE). But Wai is very paper thin, Elektra I don't find that amazing, Christmas is a headache to me and Jinx is just hilariously bad.
My comments about the Craig era refer to the women feeling like actual women, and because the films respect them enough to be actual characters worthy of some depth and more realism than we're accustomed (they have life goals, naturally develop, aren't there to be gawked at in tight clothes, etc). I actually wonder about what happens to the women of the latest films after they leave the screen (those that live), how they got to the place we find them in their movie and what makes them tick because the execution makes them feel real to me. I don't feel that same engagement with the majority of the films, and really only with early Connery and OHMSS. That, for me, is monumental.
I do agree on Wai Lin being paper thin and Jinx being crap but I think every era has good Bond girls and bad.
I mean she's badass don't get me wrong, and definitely isn't a bad character by any means. I just think that they didn't do enough to make her interesting outside of the action scenes, which is a shame because Michelle Yeoh could have easily been one of the best imo. She is fun though. I love when she waves at Bond as she walks off up the wall and he does that little "oh piss off, seriously?" look.
This really does seem like an ending to me. More readily so than something that they can easily continue with, so I'm curious to see how they proceed in B25.
This time around I thought Craig was far worse than I've felt before (and I had a very poor impression of him in the past). He's certainly trying but I just don't find him credible in a traditional Bond characterization and it takes me right out of it. There's something about his visage that just doesn't work for the smooth operator type that he's trying to play here - he snarls, smirks and grinds his way through it mostly and just seems annoyed most of the time to me. I can easily see Brosnan acing this film for some reason. It feels as though it was made for his type of characterization and he could have made Bond more likable than Craig does here. Oh well.
I didn't mind Newman's score this time out, except for the repetitive drone during the final London scene. His work on the PTS shows he can nail it if he tries. Waltz is meh but not terrible. Seydoux has trouble with her elocution but her acting isn't all that bad. I can see her work being much better in a foreign language. Perhaps if Nikki van der Zyl had dubbed her I would have preferred her overall.
This viewing provided no improvements for me overall. Bring on Nolan please and soon. We need to reset imho.
Really enjoyed LALD up until the airport shenanigans. From there on in, the film really suffered, being too reliant on unsatisfying action and a certain Sheriff Pepper.
Royale’s Ranking, Bondathon October 2017
1. Skyfall
2. Goldfinger
3. Tomorrow Never Dies
4. The World Is Not Enough
5. GoldenEye
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Live and Let Die
8. Die Another Day
9. The Man With The Golden Gun
Next up, Dr. No – linked to LALD thusly – Quarrel; Jamaica; Bond’s pad; no Q etc
That honour, for me, has to go to Sir Rog - "You should never go in there without a mongoose."
I liked him in LALD but they all but ruined him by bringing him back inTMWTGG.
@bondjames Where do you place Craig in a Bond actor ranking?
He's good in the role but I think they lost a peak performance from him in that long gap between QoS and SF. To me he hasn't been able to scale properly into the insouciant Bond. He is much better as a rugged killer.
yup, hes my favorite thing about both those films
I decided to take in a viewing of one of my lowest ranked Bond films. It didn't go too badly this time around. It's been a while since I've seen it and perhaps that helped. I still think Moore is just a bit too old to be credible but there's nothing wrong with his performance (in fact, he's more serious here than in many other entries). At the risk of facing a backlash, there's something in his face which just seems a bit odd on account of the lines and wrinkles. It makes him look a bit gaunt, mean and airbrushed. I saw that with Craig yesterday too when viewing SP. Like he's had some work done.
This is actually the first viewing where I've had a positive reaction to Grace Jones. She's actually quite good. I'm not sure why I didn't appreciate her in the role before. Walken is of course great as nutty Zorin and I wish there was more of him in this film. At the risk of another backlash, I don't mind Roberts either. Stacy's got some spark. I like that. "You betcha".
I know many like Barry's score for this film and there's nothing wrong with it on its own. Having said that, I find this is one of the few films where his work doesn't always match the accompanying scene all that well to my ears. It's a bit distant and lacking in immediacy and vibrancy during some of the action scenes.
The firetruck scene is still awful to me (one of the worst) and most of the action is quite poorly choreographed (especially that horrid barn fight). It's surprising given this is a Glen entry. The Eiffel tower sequence is excellent though (and Barry's score is superb here). Monsieur Aubergine has to be one of the most arrogant colleagues of Bond's (not my favourite vegetable either, although I prefer it to Broccoli) and the fat caricature cop is a useless attempt at rekindling JW's charisma.
Overall it went ok but this film isn't going up in my rankings.
The one area that I did used to look at as a weakness was George's performance but I thought he was genuinely good if not great this time around. He may not compare to Connery, as no one does, but I think his real life persona carried through into the film and he seems such a natural fit. He hits just the right balance of arrogance, charm, humour and strength of character that makes Bond who he is. Although I do like YOLT (#13 ranked) Lazenby's youth and physicality, along with the Hunt's direction makes this film so fresh and energetic.
If I could go back and change one thing in the series, it would be to let George have had at least one more outing to get even for Tracy, even if that means sacrificing a Connery Bond. Although I guess just having the one film makes Lazenby and OHMSS all the more special, in that sense no other Bond may ever be able to top what he achieved in his sole outing.
I wish Moore played his Bond more in regard to the tough and daring mode as he was in TMWTGG. That dinner scene with Scaramanga is absolutely fantastic!