Tell us all about your BONDATHON

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  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Might even try to rank these films - always found it utterly impossible. Especially trying to put the middling films in any sort of order.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited July 2015 Posts: 2,252
    In the lead up to Skyfall, I am watching each film, in order because I won't be able to decide otherwise. Starting with Dr No.

    I always watch bits and pieces of the films, but I have not watched the movies from beginning to end, without interruptions, for quite a long time.

    I dreaded it because I thought it would be slow, but I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. The film nails Bond's every mannerism. The snobbery, the sadism, all the little details are there. The way he sniffs the vodka after he knows his room has been searched, taking down the sail of the boat in case the radar picks it up, taking his shoes off when Sylvia is in his apartment. There's so many little details, the way Quarrel drinks rum while headed to Crab Key, the positioning of set pieces, the movie just flows very well.

    My only criticism which I've had from the first time I watched it is his treatment of Quarrel, and other people to a lesser extent. When he kindly agrees to take them to Crab Key, he simply says "Fine" in an annoyed way. And don't have to mention the shoes scene.

    All the Bond trademarks are there. The allies, villains, treatment of martini, love of drink, even throws in a quip about funerals.

    It's not a film I'll put on often, but it sure is one of the best quality ones. Perhaps the best Bond performance. Unless the following film tops it.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    If Dr No was the one to start the Bond traditions, FRWL continues the development of the secret agent we know and love. Here we have the ally and sacrificial lamb, the henchmen, beautiful locations (Jamaica was nice but the shots of Istanbul are better)

    I'm going to have a very difficult time ranking these. At the moment FRWL is 5 and DN 17. I now feel they complement each other and should sit close in rankings. Does this mean DN goes up to top 5? We shall see.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited July 2015 Posts: 3,675
    @Murdock Did you ever do that bit of a side-chore and listen for the changed sound effects?
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    @Murdoch Did you ever do that bit of a side-chore and listen for the changed sound effects?
    Yes, I'm glad you asked that as I have just finished Licence to Kill. I recall Thunderball through Diamonds are Forever getting all new sound mixes. I didn't notice anything in partictular with Dr. No, From Russia with Love or Goldfinger. Thunderball through Diamonds are Forever received mainly minor sound effects additions and changes. Mostly in gunshots. YOLT added a blip sound effect to Bond's safe cracking device. Diamonds Are Forever had an enhanced sound effect for Blofeld's diamond laser adding a Star Wars laser sound effect over the typical laser sound effect used for Goldfinger's laser and the Solex laser in the Man with the Golden Gun. Other than that, I don't recall anymore additions to the sound mixes of the films onward.

    Anyway, Licence to Kill was a good showing. However it's no longer my second favorite Bond film. It was very good but in this viewing it seemed a bit cheap. Not that that's a bad thing but it's lost a bit of it's charm for me. Dalton really delivers in this film and Sanchez is a unique and great villain. I think Robert Davi played him very well. The third act does get a bit silly but not as silly as in The Living Daylights. Next I shall treat myself with the Brosnan era and up next is my favorite film GoldenEye. until next time.

    MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
    For Your Eyes Only.
    The Spy Who Loved Me.
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
    Thunderball.
    Dr. No.
    Live and Let Die.
    From Russia With Love.
    Licence To Kill.
    Moonraker.
    Octopussy.
    Goldfinger.
    Diamonds Are Forever.
    The Living Daylights.
    A View To A Kill.
    The Man With The Golden Gun.
    You Only Live Twice.
  • Posts: 1,009
    I'm watching an awful lot of movies chronologically, and FRWL is near. I think I'll start a Bondathon from here, to celebrate "Spectre".

    My last attempt to do a Bondathon, with my dad, was cut short and ended with LALD. Let's see if I can convince him to watch the rest with me from TMWTTG onwards... He really wanted to see all the films in its original English version. He's used to subbing and wanted to try the OV.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    I haven't watched a Bond film for months now, after burning out somewhat after watching them one after the other. But now, in light of the build up to SPECTRE, and because I have much more time on my hands, I think another Bondathon is in order.

    This is what my most up to date ranking looks likes, so I'll be curious to see what changes will occur, as they inevitably do:

    1) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    2) For Your Eyes Only
    3) The Spy Who Loved Me
    4) From Russia With Love
    5) Octopussy
    6) Goldeneye
    7) A View to a Kill
    8) Licence to Kill
    9) Live and Let Die
    10) The World is not Enough
    11) The Living Daylights
    12) Goldfinger
    13) Thunderball
    14) Skyfall
    15) The Man with the Golden Gun
    16) Casino Royale
    17) Moonraker
    18) Diamonds Are Forever
    19) You Only Live Twice
    20) Dr. No
    21) Quantum of Solace
    22) Tomorrow Never Dies
    23) Die Another Day

  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    edited July 2015 Posts: 16,351
    I've just finished GOLDENEYE and I have some troubling news...I didn't enjoy it this time around, I couldn't bare it. All the detractors were right, Brosnan is terrible, he's all washed up. I was a fool all along, I give in...PSYCH! Had you fooled didn't I? ;)

    This movie was awesome, A non stop thrill ride, The ultimate Bond movie. Words cannot describe how much I love this movie. Ever since I was six years old, I have loved this movie from beginning to end. This was my introduction to the world of James Bond and what a wonderful introduction it was. I watched this film for the first time with my dad, god rest his soul. This film has a lot of wonderful memories behind it for me personally. Though, I played the GoldenEye videogame not too long before I saw the movie, so I was very happy to see the movie behind the game. Which also was something me and my father played together. This Bond movie is the transition between Classic Bond and Modern Bond. This viewing made me realize how strange and interesting this film is. It has some things we've seen before and things we haven't. All the characters are so unique and have their own specific qualities that stand out with a nice ensemble cast this film carries. It really makes it stand out for the better. This film is so memorable, The dialogue is sharp and quotable. The action sequence and stunts are good, and while many will disagree with me here, I just love Serra's score. It adds to the strangeness to this film. And when I say strange, I don't mean that in a bad way. It gives the film character and GoldenEye has tons of it. That is why I love it so much. I was actually kind of afraid to watch it given my reanalysis of the films. Some I've loved have gone down in rank, Others I didn't hold in high regard or had mixed feelings on have gone up considerably. But I'm happy to say, GoldenEye didn't disappoint and is still my #1 favorite Bond film. I've started the 90's with a blast and I can't wait to continue. Until next time. :)

    Oh and lastly, Brosnan kick ass! Deal with it. \m/


    MURDOCK'S BONDATHON RANKING.
    GoldenEye.
    For Your Eyes Only.
    The Spy Who Loved Me.
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
    Thunderball.
    Dr. No.
    Live and Let Die.
    From Russia With Love.
    Licence To Kill.
    Moonraker.
    Octopussy.
    Goldfinger.
    Diamonds Are Forever.
    The Living Daylights.
    A View To A Kill.
    The Man With The Golden Gun.
    You Only Live Twice.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited July 2015 Posts: 5,080
    Just a quick summary of my viewing of Dr. No, which I have just finished watching.

    Although it doesn't do very much for me, I can appreciate for what it is- a nice little film that kickstarts arguably one of the biggest film series of all time.
    This time around, I didn't find very much that I dislike, although I didn't find very much that I love, either. Just indifference for a large part of the film. I didn't mind the score this time around. Although I certainly wouldn't rank it among the Barry efforts and some of the finer "one-off" scores later on. However, the film starts of nicely, particularly the iconic scenes within the Le Cercle casino, and the last twenty minutes or so, the scenes with Dr. No and the climax, are very good, too. The films loses me a little within the middle portion, as not very much really happens, and some scenes, such as the car chase and the tarantula scene, seem a little complacent. All in all, an enjoyable watch, but not one I would make often.

    Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that the film looks damn gorgeous on Blu Ray.

    Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015- The Run-up to SPECTRE

    DR. NO (1962)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    @Birdleson, top four overall? That's awesome! DN is absolutely one of my favorites, and if I did any kind of ranking, it could possibly be up that high for me.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    A few years ago DN would have been in my bottom 3. Now it's firmly just outside my top 5.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    A few years ago DN would have been in my bottom 3. Now it's firmly just outside my top 5.

    Isn't that wild how it works? When I was a kid, I'd confidently say that TMWTGG was one of my favorites, and now I think I would stretch and say it's my least favorite in the series.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    @Creasy47 I am heartbroken that TMWTGG dropped so far in your ranking.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    edited July 2015 Posts: 5,131
    Some of the humour is a stretch too far. Goodnight is borderline 'simple'! How could she possibly be in MI6!!!!
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Some of the humour is a stretch too far. Goodnight is borderline 'simple'! How could she possibly be in MI6!!!!
    My thoughts exactly, unless she's supposed to be a dumb version of Moneypenny.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    Sadly, there isn't much in TMWTGG that impresses me. When I last watched it, I did that live update thing where I was constantly adding comments on every scene, line, etc., and I think only one scene stood out as interesting to me, which is weird because I never remember it being that bad. With SP on the horizon, I need to do a Bondathon again real soon and see how I feel about it now that a few months have passed.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    @Creasy47, you should do one. I've had a real fun time with mine. I've taken break inbetween some films but take it at your own pace and it will be quite fun.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Murdock wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Some of the humour is a stretch too far. Goodnight is borderline 'simple'! How could she possibly be in MI6!!!!
    My thoughts exactly, unless she's supposed to be a dumb version of Moneypenny.

    And why would Lt Hip take his nieces in a paupers car to drop off Bond disguised as Scaramanga to Hi fats home??? He's supposed to be a millionaire assassin.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    I've got the summer free time for it, that's for sure. I might start one, now that I'm talking about it. I doubt I'll do any in-depth article-length comments on the films (makes it hard to pay attention and it does get a tad bit annoying when I have to pause every couple of seconds to type something new), but I really would like to try and do a ranking. Hell, if I don't get into anything else, I'm starting DN tonight!
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    Some of the humour is a stretch too far. Goodnight is borderline 'simple'! How could she possibly be in MI6!!!!
    My thoughts exactly, unless she's supposed to be a dumb version of Moneypenny.

    And why would Lt Hip take his nieces in a paupers car to drop off Bond disguised as Scaramanga to Hi fats home??? He's supposed to be a millionaire assassin.
    Asking me those kind of questions will make me ohnoI'vegonecrossedeyed...
    Norman-crashes.jpg
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited July 2015 Posts: 15,713
    I might be joining you @Creasy47, I have been meaning to 'perfect' my ranking, I feel some are a bit out of place, and I need to do a more detailed analysis of the films I appreciate more now (LALD, AVTAK, YOLT, GF)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    It should be fun, I just feel like once I'm 10 or 15 films in that I won't be able to differentiate between what goes where. We'll see how it goes!
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Join the club guys, I watched DN this afternoon!
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited July 2015 Posts: 15,713
    It's too late for me tonight but I'll be sure to watch DN tomorrow afternoon if I have nothing else to do! But as always when I do a Bondathon I watch 3/4 films a day, because once I start I devour these epic films and just can't stop popping the next film in the Blu Ray player!

    I have to say that a few years ago I couldn't watch more than 1 Connery outing a day because they felt 'slow', but now I just can't get enough of Connery Bond!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    Well, I officially started my Bondathon tonight, and it was most certainly a good idea. Kicking it off with DN, I enjoyed it just as much as I always do, and then some. This movie is classic to me, and gives a wonderful introduction to James Bond. Ranking it should be pretty simple!

    2015 Bondathon Rating:
    1.) DN
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Wooohooo! Can't wait to see more of your reviews @Creasy47. Enjoy yourself. :)
  • Posts: 11,119
    I hope this is a topic for Bond movie marathon's as well. I mean, were lots of your friends come to your place and decide to watch 4 to 6 films in a row until 5:00 AM or so :-P.

    Well, I'm going to do that. September 12th to be precise. And we're going to show these films. Take also into account that some visitors are not die-hard Bond fans ;-). And off course, the films are to prepare for "SPECTRE":

    iJXdXG.jpg
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Birdleson wrote: »
    It's easy to set aside (I always enjoyed it a lot, to be clear), and focus on what came later, but DN is so perfect and effective.
    A Barry score... that's all it really needed to be a better classic than it is already...

  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited July 2015 Posts: 5,080
    From Russia With Love

    Yeah, it's pretty much perfect, isn't it? Connery is uber cool in perhaps my favourite performance as Bond, Daniela Bianchi is delicious as Tatiana, the villains are cunning (Klebb always stands out for me, despite the little we see of her), the score is atmospheric (a loose term, but I can't think of another word to describe it- it is just so evocative of Istanbul), the locations are beautiful (especially on Blu-Ray!) and the pacing is a tenfold improvement on Dr. No. Although there are still some things that niggle me, such as the random placement of the Bond theme while Bond is checking his hotel room (another member pointed out in another thread that it is oscillating, too, which I've only just realised) and the rather unnecessary helicopter scene at the end (I do like the boat chase, however, with the iconic moment when Bond shoots the flare, despite the destruction and men shouting going on a little too long), From Russia With Love has once again reaffirmed why this release is a top five Bond film.

    Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015- The Run-up to SPECTRE

    -FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
    -DR. NO (1962)


    Next up- GOLDFINGER

    Let's see if it can reclaim it's top ten position.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited July 2015 Posts: 15,713
    Following in the footsteps of @MayDayDiVicenzo and @Creasy47, I've also started a summer Bondathon!

    Doctor No
    This is, I believe, the 5th time I've seen it this year so far. Do I get tired of it? No! The film keeps surprising me at how fast it moves a long, and shockingly, the film feels shorter and shorter. Also, the soundtrack greatly improved in my liking. The songs (Underneath a Mango Tree and Jump Up) are very good, but this time I found myself humming the actual soundtrack. Sure the music is very basic and dated, but it's simplicity is its strenght, it's very easy to remember and it makes you humming cues as the film goes along.

    Connery seems better and better in this outing. He is an absolute alpha male here, not one line of dialogue he says or movement of the body seem too much or awkward. I also noticed how much he enjoys himself, when looking at his face you can see his eyes glowing like a kid who has just entered a candy store.

    All in all, this film is now a solid 10/10 from me and may very well have entered my top 5 once this Bondathon is over.



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