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It be like Craig is an older 007 than he was during the FYEO affair and it would be chronological somewhere between QoB & SF with CR being the first. And all the other 007 outings would chronological fit there fairly easy.
Great movie, i really love the first half with all the espionage stuffs going on. While i still like the second part, i feel like it would of been better to keep it more in vein with the first. By second part i mean, when Bond gets to Afghanistan, and onward.
While Koskov and Whitaker isn't the best villians, Necros makes up for that by being an excellent (top 5 material in my opinion). The score is also very good probably in my top 3 bond scores. I also like Maryam d'Abo performance as Kara, i think she and Dalton has great chemistry.
Bondathon 2014
1. On her majesty’s secret service
2. From russia with love
3. The spy who loved me
4. Goldfinger
5. For your eyes only
6. The living daylights
7. Thunderball
8. Dr No
9. Live and let die
10. Moonraker
11. The man with the golden gun
12. Octopussy
13. You only live twice
14. Diamonds are forever
15. A view to a kill
The action is inventive and entertaining, locales stunning, the screenplay is involving and plot intriguing, and it has great cast; Maud Adams is a worthy match for Moore's 007; Louis Jourdan is subtly menacing; Steven Berkoff is overtly menacing and Kabir Bedi is menacing, full stop. Roger Moore is on great form here, full off his trademark charm and humour, tempered by some genuine acting - think Bond and Orlov on the train, and when Bond discovers Vijay, subtle and sombre. In these moments Sir Rog, really knocks it out of the park. (Although, Q was very close to meeting Kamal's men. Very lucky indeed. Q is too high up to be dealing with this agent work.)
Over all, Octopussy is an entertaining and fun film, with the theme of For Your Eyes Only retained (I especially like the listening device in the Faberge Egg, being interrupted by a common hair-dryer), the only things amiss with Octopussy is the "tennis match" during the Tuk-Tuk chase, and the infamous Tarzan yell.
in terms of GE, I forgot how much i really did like this movie, and how much promise the Brosnan era showed (if only we knew DAD was lying in wait lol.)... but a solid Bond adventure - one that even after 20 years still doesn't show any signs of rust to it... sure, some of the cosmetic stuff like the technology is severely dated by today's standards - but the story itself remains top-notch.... and in the past 20 or so years of Bond films, i can't find a Bond girl i cared more about than Natalya (maybe Vesper).. but Natalya as a Bond girl is so well layered - i just wish there were more like her during Broz's run...... but one scene that i forgot how much fun it was, was the meeting between Bond and Valentine - so funny..
Thunderball
Thunderball has remained fairly consistent with me through the years. While never being a Top Five favorite, it has occasionally snuck into my Top Ten rankings following a really good viewing. Typically it'll stay in the mid-range, but I can always find some great satisfaction in the time spent watching it once the credits roll. As expected, I found myself bored with many of the more tedious underwater scenes, such as the SPECTRE agents retrieving the bombs from the drowned Vulcan, and even some of the scenes leading up to it, such as Palazzi's infiltration of the NATO airbase and Bond running around Shrublands with Pat. Nevertheless, once the mission gets rolling with Bond's arrival in Nassau, I really have no complaints other than those small scenes that begin and end with optical wipes and tend to interrupt the larger part of the story. For example, scenes like Felix and Pinder wondering where Bond is as the countdown to Blofeld's ultimatum approaches. I don't know if Terrence Young intended for these extremely brief scenes to be so intrusive in the bigger picture, but many of them get me sidetracked from what is supposed to be going on. I had to remind myself a few times throughout the movie that Bond's objective was to locate the nuclear bombs, if that's any indication of how distracting some of the smaller scenes are. Anyhow, I still enjoy Thunderball to a great extent. The locations make you feel like you're on an MI6 vacation in the Bahamas, and the characters are all around pretty fantastic, especially Sean Connery's portrayal of 007- it is easy to tell that he had hit a natural stride in the role by 1965. Overall, I could see TB work its way into my Top Ten real soon.
The Spy Who Loved Me
Unlike Thunderball, TSWLM does not suffer from intrusive, exceptionally brief scenes that sometimes distract from the larger objective. What TSWLM suffers from is a confusing agenda- does it intend to be serious, in the ranks of DN, FRWL, FYEO, TLD, LTK, GE, etc., or does it intend to be whimsical and lighthearted in the ranks of DAF, TMWTGG, MR, DAD, etc? It's as if Lewis Gilbert wanted the best of both worlds: a Bond movie serious enough to not be laughed at, but fun enough to catch the eye. I'm completely fine with that balance, but with TSWLM, I never know how to approach it. Thus, I'm usually left scratching my head by the end of the movie, trying to decide whether or not to praise it as a Top Ten or pass it off as a middle-grounder. Notice, I don't think I'll ever rank it in the bottom, because to be fair, it doesn't deserve to be a bottom feeder. It boasts one of Roger's best performances, an iconic henchman in Jaws, a breathtaking villain's lair (both Liparus and Atlantis!), and some grade A action, particularly in the last thirty minutes. Any negatives regarding TSWLM would be Barbara Bach's wooden portrayal of Anya Amasova, Karl Stromberg's mediocrity as a character (Curt Jurgens does the best he can with such a bland role), and the "mixed bag" soundtrack, which can be a hit or a miss depending on which track you listen to. Overall, it's certainly a classic 007 movie, and has some Top Ten potential, but for me, typically falls in the mid-range for whatever reason.
2014/2015 Fall-Winter Bondathon
1. Thunderball
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
a damn shame i know... but i hadn't partaken in this gem in a little while..
i can throw this movie in the same category as TMWTGG, in that it was a real missed opportunity... both could've been much more than what the final product ended up being... the difference between the two however is that TMWTGG fell short, but tried - but halfway through DAD, the film just gave up on itself.. it's like they went "by this point no one is taking this thing seriously anymore (not even the actors) so f*** it, lets just go full retard on this one." ..... somewhere in this movie was the makings of a taught political espionage Bond thriller - where knowing who to trust is everything... but they threw all that down the drain to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the new video game generation, while also giving themselves (EON) a big pat on the back after 40 years of films...
Well put!
Goldeneye
For Your Eyes Only
Die Another Day
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Moonraker
The next will be License to Kill (for me the worst in the series).
An old favourite of mine. This was the first Bond that I watched on the big screen. I enjoyed TND back in 1997, and I still enjoyed it today. So many favourite moments, big and small, some of them being:
- The gunbarrel theme
- The PTS
- The Situation room / M briefing on the move
- 'Company Car' (both score and scene)
- Carver's party, the back room
- Bond meets Dr Kauffman
- Stealth ship battle
Onto the all important ranking...
The 2014 00Heaven
1. The Living Daylights
2. Licence To Kill
3. From Russia With Love
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
***5. Tomorrow Never Dies***
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. Octopussy
9. GoldenEye
10. Dr No
11. Thunderball
12. You Only Live Twice
13. Live And Let Die
14. The Man With The Golden Gun
15. A View To A Kill
16. Goldfinger
17. Moonraker
18. Diamonds Are Forever
the same team.. the same formula.. the same plot.. the same movie :D
- Newman's score just doesn't work for me. Some tracks worked very well but many felt completely wrong and not very Bond'ish. Probably my biggest complaint.
- Skyfall is very thematic and it has beautiful cinematography. I feel the bar has been raised on how beautiful and immersive a Bond film can be. I fully expect this to continue with Spectre.
- With that said, the dark, gloomy nature of the film is a bit much for me. I would have liked some more glamor.
If you have one Ace in you're hand and there is two aces on the board, that is Trips. In this scene Bond had TWO Aces in his hand and one on the board. That is a set of Aces. In this case the dealer got it wrong/.
I myself as I'm sure many Bond fanatics around the world are, am watching "Skyfall". It will offer up a taste of what we can expect in November 2015 when "Spectre" hits our screens and not a moment too soon. I am already piecing together the clues of how "Spectre" will look and feel, and My God there is a lot of negativity towards "Skyfall" that really can be ignored as fanboy "bluster". It is the winner of two Oscar, nomnee of three more including the remarkable work of Newman and Deakins, and made over $1.1 billion. I think you can all join me in saying to "Skyfall" "baby, you're the best!!!!!! <:-P
So lift a glass...
This is what I miss most from current Daniel Craig films: they're less tongue in cheek, more knife in throat
What a disgrace! That dealer should be fired! And why does the dealer announce the hands anyway? No one does that in the real world! And that shameless slow roll from Bond in that last hand... So classless! I wouldn't expect better from Le Chiffre, but Bond should be above that! And I, the idiot, who thought Casino Royale was perfect... Definitely takes a dive in my rankings now! ;)
Watched last night (again) License to Kill, and although it grew a little bit more on me, still feels as one of the worst JB movies (i know that many dont think this way..sorry).
The plot is solid, the action scenes are very well staged (especially the Truck chase at the climax, the PTS and the Bond escaping Krest's boat and skiing attached to the plane) and i like the extended role Q had BUT (apart from Timothy Dalton and Robert Davi) the acting on this movie is so poor that it really annoys me (Talisa Soto is beautiful indeed but as for acting....).
Also some parts of the dialogue are very poor.
There's also a general "Non Bondian" feel to it in some parts of the movie (that fight scene at the bar being the best exemple).
And what is with that ending scene of the fish clinking the eye?? No, no, no.
But still, it is a James Bond movie therefore .. i enjoyed a lot watching it again.
It remains therefore in my "bottom" 5 JB movies ranking.
Next will be TND this weekend.
Have a nice day, everybody!
I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I still enjoy Grace Jones's performance as May Day.
I was in the same spot with my daughter when she was 11 or so. She wanted to watch a Bond; I chose Living Daylights.
Pretty much agree with everything you've said here. Particularly like you comments on Barbara Bach who I'm always hearing is so awful. You quite rightly point out how well she works in the film and how Gilbert gets just the right performance for this film. Her stiltedness suits the character she is supposed to be playing. And anyone who thinks she doesn't look great - perhaps the most iconic of the 70s Bond girls - is clearly mad.
:))
I'd take Jane Seymour and Maud Adams over her every deay of the week. That mad am I! ;)
OHMSS is very appropriate for a ten year old! (Provided she doesn't have ADHD and can take the slower pacing ;) )