MIB, this is your field. I was just wondering what everybody's favorite James Bond films are. Here are mine, from best to worst:
1(tie):Goldeneye =Goldfinger 3: Diamonds are Forever 4: Licence to Kill 5: World is Not Enough 6: Living Daylights 7: Spy Who Loved Me 8: Dr. No 9: Thunderball 10: From Russia With Love 11: Tomorrow Never Dies 12: A View to a Kill 13: Moonraker 14: The Man With the Golden Gun
I haven't seen You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, or Octopussy. (Never Say Never Again isn't official, and I haven't seen it anyway, so...)
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
Yeah, you're f**king right that this is my field. lol.
I don't have 1 favorite Bond movie. I have 6. 1 from the Bond series starring Conery, 1 from the series starring Dalton, A 2 way tie for the Moore series and another 2 way tie for the Brosman seies. The guy who played Bond in On Her Majesties Secret Service doesn't count because that was the only movie he was in, plus it sucked.
My favorite Sean Conery Bond movie is You Only Live Twice.
Moonraker and A View To A Kill has tied for my favorite Bond movie starring Roger Moore.
The Living Daylights is my favorite Bond movie starring Tim Dalton.
Goldeneye and The World is Not Enough has tied for my favorite Brosman Bond movie. I have no clue as to wether or not I spelled Brosman correctly.
FYI. Even though Connery was the original Bond, Roger Moore starred in the highest number of Bond films.
Another FYI. I've seen every single Bond movie ever made so far.
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: MIB ]
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
I knew that.
I'm a real James Bond fan too, you know.
You've even seen those Casino Royales?
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: Veers ]
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
Fine. All but 1 of the Bond movies. Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Well, there were 2 Casino Royales... One was a TV moive from 1954, I think, and one was from 1960-something with Woody Allen.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
Geez. We're both Bond fans, we're both trekkies, and we're both from good ol' Wisconsin. I suppose that you're gonna tell me that you're just as f**ked up as I am right?!?!
Back the original topic: The one with Woody Allen was a parody. It was about an agent named Jimmy Bond or something like that. Either way, niether movies are considered official Bond.
BADGERS!!!! WOO!!! *sniff* I miss going to Cub Foods.....
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: MIB ]
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
My (tentative) top five list:
1 (tie). "From Russia With Love" "Goldfinger"
3. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
4. "Goldeneye"
5 (maybe). "The World Is Not Enough"
"Licence to Kill" is just different enough to make it a potential contender for me. Plus, any top-five Bond list seems remiss without a Moore movie, so I guess "For Your Eyes Only" could also knock "TWINE" out of the fifth spot.
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: Raw Cadet ]
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
You seen Never Say Never Again then?
Personally, although Lezenby isn't a favourite of mine, he wasn't bad. And On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a really good Bond film. Certainly the closest to the source material by a long way ("The Spy Who Loved Me", for instance, had almost nothing to do with the Flemming story of the same name).
I'm not to okeen on Goldeneye. While it is good, well written, and has lots of nice little touches, it always felt to me to be lacking something. It might be the score, which is fairly bad, especially compared to David Arnold's later rejuvination of the music.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by MIB: The guy who played Bond in On Her Majesties Secret Service doesn't count because that was the only movie he was in, plus it sucked.
Of the "official" Bond movies, George Lazenby's performance as 007 is certainly the weakest. However, it is not that bad. Though he was missing the sexist sauveness and coolness Connery is the epitomy of, Lazenby certainly came across as relatively "tough" (he did all his own stunts). You may be aware that Lazenby had no acting experience, and was overshadowed in this movie by bigger and, frankly, better stars. Perhaps he would have grown into the role, as Connery did, whom I do not think had quite figured out the role in "Dr. No."
As for the movie itself, in many ways it is the "best." It "looks" like the best Bond movie; its cinemotography, in my opinion, was the best until the last few (which benefit from modern equipment). So, in terms of general motion-picture quality, it's is probably the highest. Now, it is not THE best "Bond movie," but is does contain numerous thrilling wintertime chases, makes Bond rely on his wits and guts (rather than gadgets), has "Hitchcockian" scenes (such as when Bond breaks into that office), . . .
MAJOR SPOILERS
Bond falls in love and marries (about the only character development until the later movies), and it has an unhappy ending.
SPOILERS OVER
Thus, combining its good "Bondian" aspects, its character development and resulting plot risk, and its general high quality as a motion picture, I found it a personal top-five contender.
FYI: though Roger Moore starred in the most Bond movies, Pierce Brosnan is the highest grossing Bond. If you adjust for inflation, Sean Connery is the highest grossing Bond.
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: Raw Cadet ]
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I never liked Roger Moore much, especially when he started getting fat and wearing that safari suit to cover his pauch. A lot of his movies were too cartoony with that Jaws character. But I do like The Spy Who Loved Me (since it has Shane Rimmer in it). Connery has never been surpassed for humor, coolness, and ruthlessness. He also has a great accent. His movies had the best villains (Goldfinger, Dr. No, Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, Red Grant, Rosa Klebb) and a lot of great Bond Girls (Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman). They also had the Cold War, SPECTRE, and SMERSH. Timothy Dalton was physically pretty good but got let down by bland villains and bland Bond Girls and generally flabby movies. I think Pierce Brosnan is a bit feeble. He doesn't seem dangerous enough. He's much better playing the fake spy in Tailor of Panama. George Lazenby was rather stiff, but he did have the best Bond Girl (Diana Rigg).
My favorite movie by far is Goldfinger. It's got so much great stuff: Goldfinger cheating at cards, Jill Masters getting covered with gold, the golf game, judo with Pussy Galore, the insane plot to blow up Fort Knox, Bond strapped to the laser table ("I expect you to die"), fake nerve-gassing of thousands of soldiers, the fight with Oddjob in Fort Knox, and Bond trying to stop the bomb.
My next favorites are Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Dr. No, and From Russia with Love.
Here's a bit about Casino Royale from imdb: Casino Royale was Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It was the only one not sold to Eon Productions. As a result, CBS TV first adapted it for an episode of Climax! in 1954, starring Barry Nelson as CIA agent Jimmy Bond. When plans began to adapt the novel as a motion picture, the original thought was to do a straight film of the novel. But with the success of Sean Connery's Bond, it was decided the only way a rival Bond film could survive would be as a parody. The Peter Sellers sequence is the only part of Ian Fleming's novel to make it into the film. The confrontation with Le Chiffre in the casino, the plan to discredit Le Chiffre with SMERSH and the villain's execution by enemy agents are all in the novel. So is the notion of Bond writing a book on baccarat, and the element of Vesper being an enemy spy. Reportedly, Eon Productions has been trying to buy back the rights to Casino Royale for years, in hopes of someday making a serious Bond film out of the novel.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
[quote]I never liked Roger Moore much, especially when he started getting fat and wearing that safari suit to cover his pauch. A lot of his movies were too cartoony with that Jaws character. [quote]
I have to disagree. Yes, the Jaws charactor was a bit.....uhhhh....wierd, but he only showed up in 2 movies. Overall, I liked Roger Moore. On the other hand, I really don't dislike any of the Bond actors.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Hmmm. The Goldeneye soundtrack was fairly good. Especially that one bit when they're running through the Archives...
(Oh, $$$poilers for Bond fans)
If anyone's read the newest Bond book, Never Dream of Dying, the father of Bond's wife turns out to be a bad guy and meets the same end as Bond's wife: he is shot up, this time by Bond. He wanted vengeance (sp?) because Bond accidentaly killed his wife and daughter at the beginning. Oh, and MIB, you should come and see Miller Park sometime during baseball season. It's great! As the roof closes, they play the Blue Danube... And how 'bout them Packers? I got Antonio Freeman's autograph recently. Someone even took his waterbottle he left behind!
[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: Veers ]
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Personally, although Lezenby isn't a favourite of mine, he wasn't bad. And On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a really good Bond film. Certainly the closest to the source material by a long way ("The Spy Who Loved Me", for instance, had almost nothing to do with the Flemming story of the same name).
I agree; see my long-winded post above.
quote:I'm not to okeen on Goldeneye. While it is good, well written, and has lots of nice little touches, it always felt to me to be lacking something. It might be the score, which is fairly bad, especially compared to David Arnold's later rejuvination of the music.
Perhaps it is lacking because "Goldeneye" is lacking a "grand scheme." 006's plot is, as Bond puts it, "petty theft." Plus, if his motivation is revenge, why steal at all? However, I think the "well written . . . lots of nice touches" aspects are enough to put it in my top five.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Not to mention Famke Janssen.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Not to mention Famke Janssen.
I think she falls under the "nice touch" category.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I saw a Bond movie once. I'm not sure which one, though. One of the Brosnan ones.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Hey! One Bond film? We don't serve your kind in this forum!
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
George Lazenby rocked! why does everyone think he sucked!
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
We don't take kindly to those who've just one Bond film around here!!
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
People think Lazenby sucked because he had the poor misfortune of following Sean Connery.
I enjoy reading the books, although I haven't read them all, & I only wish to read the ones by Ian Fleming. John Garnder & his successor never appealed to me. Interestingly enough, "Casino Royale" has an explanation for M's "Yes, I THOUGHT so...that damned Beretta again" line, as well as the actual recipe for the classic Bond martini (which gains a name, the "Vesper," after Vesper Lynd, the girl in the book)...but no one these days can or will fill the order/recipe. Sad, really.
Oh, does anyone know where I can petition the producers for an idea? The next film is supposed to be called "Beyond The Ice" & I think it would be perfect to have Bj�rk do the theme song. After her cover of "You Only Live Twice".....WOW.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
I don't like John Gardner, except for the Goldeneye novel, which I have. And Raymond Benson is very good, I liked "High Time to Kill" and its followers. Ian Fleming's books are too dated for me (I prefer the films).
"Beyond the Ice" was a rumor and the official website denied the title. So, apparently,we know little about Bond 20 except that it will be released next year hopefully, and that it will probably be Brosnan's last Bond film, and John Cleese wil probably play R.
Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
I loved Roger Moore as Bond. Didn't Ian Flemming say that Moore was his first choice as Bond but Moore was busy with The Saint at the time? Like how Brosnan was busy with his own detective series when Moore retired, so they had to get filler Bonds.
[ December 02, 2001: Message edited by: David Templar ]
Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
So no-one here has 'Live and Let Die' in their list of favourites? How disappointing, that was one of the best, for me anyway. I grew up on Bond, it's part of English heritage, and I think the last really good Bond film was 'Octopussy'. I think some of the original essence has been lacking since then. Just my opinion of course, I'm just not a fan of latter day Bond.
I grew up with Moore in the role through the 70's and to me he 'is' Bond, but I also like Connery.
Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
Okay, I missed this while on holiday....damn!!!
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by David Templar: Didn't Ian Flemming say that Moore was his first choice as Bond but Moore was busy with The Saint at the time?
I do not think so. I believe Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond was David Niven. He reportedly was unhappy with the casting of Connery at first, but, after seeing him on film, Fleming warmed to Connery's interpretation of the character.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by Veers: "Beyond the Ice" was a rumor and the official website denied the title. So, apparently,we know little about Bond 20 except that it will be released next year hopefully, and that it will probably be Brosnan's last Bond film, and John Cleese wil probably play R.
As you indicated, the pre-production of Bond films is often an active rumor mill. Bond 20 will be called "Beyond the Ice." No. Dame Judi Dench will be replaced by James Woodward. Nope. Whitney Houston will be the Bond girl. Thank God, no. The movie will be filmed in Ireland, invloving an IRA plot. Probably not.
A few "legitimate" rumors: John Cleese will play "Q," as "R" has been promoted after "Q's" retirement (due to Desmond Llewellyn's death); this may not be Brosnan's last film (he has gone back-and-forth on this); portions of the movie will be filmed in Korea; and Halle Berry may play a Bond girl.
A few facts: Bond will once again drive an Aston Martin.
Good old Aston Martin, but for me the Lotus Esprit was the coolest car he drove.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Thing is, when Goldeneye came outthey were trying to be really postmodern, hence the many arch references to parts of the Bond legend and psyche (and how they fit into modern political correctness etc.); and, the Eric Serra score. All of which seems very twee now they've reverted to a standard music score, and stopped criticising Bond in favour of just accepting the way the character is. But it's still an OK movie, and Trevalyan's scheme wasn't just petty theft, there was also the financial ruin of the UK to consider.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Oh dear. That would have been a disaster on a global scale!
The Dalton movies suffered from the same problems slightly too. Except there they tried to apologise for him. In Goldeneye the put him in stark contrast to the modern world. In the last two films, they had him blow stuff up, which was much better.
Posted by MaGiC (Member # 59) on :
Liam, you are a man after my own heart. Although I do like the 'feed 'em to the sharks' element of Licence to Kill. Half eaten bodies wrapt in newspaper on the sofa? Wouldn't have been out of place in Goodfellas.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
I thought "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was pretty good, especially since it gave us a nice car chase between a green Aston Martin DBS and a red Mercury Cougar XR7.
The new Bond car will be a brand new 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. No clue on the actual color or "extras" though.
Another little piece of Bond trivia. The World's Most Recognizable (And Priceless) Car, James Bond's silver birch 1964 Aston Martin DB5, used in the movies "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball", has not been seen for years. The car was owned by a New Jersey collector when it was apparently stolen by thiefs who broke into the hanger where it was stored. The car has not been seen since. This is one of the Aston Martin DB5s used for "GoldenEye", an almost identical replica.
[ December 06, 2001: Message edited by: The359 ]
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Fact fans: It was implied to be the same car, although it had a slightly different licence plate.
Posted by Mojo Jojo (Member # 256) on :
That Vanquish is one Bad Motha.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Fact fans: It was implied to be the same car, although it had a slightly different licence plate.
I think the licence plate had a few characters from the "Goldfinger" plate and a few characters from the "Thunderball" plate. And though "it was implied to be the same car," Bond's "defense mechanisms" now consisted of chilled champagne and glasses.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
The "GoldenEye" DB5 also had a new CD Player/Fax Machine in the dash.
The DB5 also made appearances in "The World Is Not Enough" and in a few of the Moore/Dalton films.
James Bond actually drove 2 Lotus Esprits (actually, tehnically 3). Moore drove two different ones in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (the first exploded in the beginning) and Dalton also had one.
By far the best looking Bond car has been the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante (Prince Of Wales-spec) that Dalton drove in "The Living Daylights".
[ December 06, 2001: Message edited by: The359 ]
Posted by Michael_T (Member # 144) on :
So the BMW cars won't be in the next Bond film then...hmmm...what will Halley Berry blow up then?
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
Nope. The return of Aston Martin is official, but Halle Barry's appearance is still just rumored.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
I havn't been on the forum since sometime after 9/11. but my favorite bond film of all time is Goldeneye. I don't know why. But I think it's the best.
Posted by targetemployee (Member # 217) on :
I have seen all 19 Bond films, and I can't tell you what is my favorite. I have read most of the Ian Fleming books, and I can tell that the stories are different from the movies in many respects.
I think that the later Bond films are trapped within a formula set in the first Bond film, Dr. No, and haven't been able to grow much beyond this formula. They are, for a simplier word, lacking.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Me too, Da_Bang80, along with Goldfinger. Maybe because it has one of the best openings, a tank chase, and a fight high in the air at the end?
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
I've been reading the few Bond books I have again. They're all by Ian Fleming; I won't read any of the ones not by him. MAN, was he a fucking BASTARD! I just finished "Goldfinger" & check out some of the shit he has to say on various groups. Granted, these were written in the 50s & early 60s, but still.
on Jews:[re: Goldfinger, a background description] "You won't believe it, but he's a Britisher. Domiciled in Nassau. You'd think he'd be a Jew from the name, but he doesn't look it. We're restricted at the Floridiana. Wouldn't have got in if he had been."
on short men:[Bond's thoughts, re: Goldfinger's physical description] "Bond always mistrusted short men. They grew up from childhood with an inferiority complex. All their lives they would strive to be big--bigger than the others who had teased them as a child. Napoleon had been short, and Hitler. It was the short men that caused all the trouble in the world. And what about a misshapen short man with red hair and a bizarre face? That might add up to a really formidable misfit. One could certainly feel the repressions."
on Koreans:[Goldfinger, re: why he has a totally Korean staff] "'Mr. Bond--' Goldfinger snapped his fingers forthe two servants-- 'it happens that I am a rich man, a very rich man, and the richer the man the more he needs protection. The ordinary bodyguard or detective is usually a retired policeman. Such men are valueless. Their reactions are slow, their methods old-fashioned, and they are open to bribery. Moreover, they have a respect for human life. That is no good if I wish to stay alive. The Koreans have no such feelings. That is why the apanese employed them as guards for their prison camps during the war. They are the cruellest, most ruthless people in the world. My own staff are hand picked for these qualities. They have served me well. I have no complaints. Nor have they. They are well paid and well fed and housed. When they want women, street women are brought down from London, well remunerated for their services and sent back. The women are not much to look at, but they are white and that is all the Koreans ask--to submit the white race to the grossest indignities. There are sometimes accidents but--' the pale eyes gazed blankly down the table-- 'money is an effective winding-sheet.'"
on gays & women's rights: "Bond came to the conclusion that Tilly Masterton was one of those girls whose hormones had got mixed up. He knew the type well and thought they and their male counterparts were a direct consequence of giving votes to women and 'sex equality.' As a result of fifty years of emancipation, feminine qualities were dying out or being transferred to the males. Pansies of both sexes were everywhere, not yet completely homosexual, but confused, not knowing what they were. The result was a herd of unhappy sexual misfits--barren and full of frustrations, the women wanting to dominate and the men to be nannied. He was sorry for them, but he had no time for them."
Ah, & for those who've wondered, I list below the recipe from "Casino Royale" for the "classic Bond martini" developed by Bond himself:
Three measures of Gordon's gin One measure of vodka, preferably grain Half a measure of Kina Lillet
Shake very well until ice-cold, then serve in a deep champagne goblet with a slice of lemon peel.
Bond tells Felix Leiter that "when I'm--er--concentrating, I never have more than one drink before dinner. But i do like that one to be very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a name. Later, he names it the "Vesper" after Vesper Lynd, the girl in the book, because "it's very appropriate to the violet hour when my cocktail will now be drunk all over the world."
[ December 08, 2001: Message edited by: Shik ]
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Well, those books were written in the 50's, I think, so opinions were different. But still...
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Yeah, the tank chase was the best. I don't think they've yet been able to top that. the Thames chase in "The World Is Not Enough" came close. But there just ain't no beating 70 tons of hulking steel barreling down a crowded street at breakneck speeds. Can't wait till the next movie comes out.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
They've done everything except a jet-ski chase, I think.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Have they don't a chopper chase yet? I'd like to see a pair of attack choppers playing cat'n'mouse between a group of skyscrapers. Naturally with a few nice fireballs. Cause what action film would be complete without those?
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
A chopper chased Bond and his partner through the streets of an Oriental City in "Tomorrow Never Dies".
Not exactly the same thing, but, meh...
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Let's see...We've had plenty of chopper chases, although none really in an urban setting like New York:
Fron Russia With Love: A helicopter chases Bond like the crop duster in North By Northwest.
Spy Who Loved Me: A helicopter chased Bond's Lotus Espirit on a Mediterranean Road.
Octopussy: I think some helicopters chase a train...
Licence to Kill: In the opening, the bad guy gets away in a small plane. Bond follows in a helicopter. He jumps down onto the plane while tethered with a rope to the helicopter, and ties another cord around the plane to reel it in (a great stunt). Then he parachutes to a wedding.
Tomorrow Never Dies: A helicopter chases Bond and Michelle Yeoh, handcuffed together on a motorcycle, through the streets of Saigon.
World is Not Enough: Helicopters with big saws hanging from their bottoms chases Bond and co through a seaside warehouse. Lots of destruction, etc.
Posted by Raw Cadet (Member # 725) on :
You forgot the stupidest helicopter scene of all, the one from the pre-title sequence of "For Your Eyes Only," where Bond did not kill Blofeld, but he did make a lame joke about stainless steel. That sequence, by the way, was set in urban London.
I would consider the "Tomorrow Never Dies" helicopter sequence to be in an urban setting, albeit urban squalor.
I doubt we will soon be seeing a helicopter chase that weaves between/among skyscrapers, barely missing them (perhaps the bad guys' chopper crashes into one), with fireballs exploding by the buildings, given recent events . . . (Besides, I think that was the entire plot of an eighties action movie involving a high-tech police helicopter.)
[ December 09, 2001: Message edited by: Raw Cadet ]
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Oh yeah, I forgot about "For Your Eyes Only." Thanks for reminding me. Anybody notice that the most spectacular stunts have to do with planes or flying things, such as cars, speedboats, and jeeps?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
quote: flying things, such as cars, speedboats, and jeeps
Could I have the number of your dealership?
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
