James Bond thread.

[Wyvern]

Discussing with Brandon (PM74) about the lastest Bond flick "Quantum Of Solace" I decided to open a thread about the Bond phenomena. We can discuss movies, plots, Q, M, Bond girls, cars, guns, etc. Everything goes as long as it is based on respect.

Bond is probably one of the longest action heroes, "Dr. No" the first real official Bond movie (there's a spoof of "Casino Royale" the first Ian Fleming tale but it is as aprocryphal to me as "Never Say Never Again" ) dates from 1962, which mean is older than me!

Bond is also a changing character, he used to smoke, slap women, drink like crazy (well he still does), play baccarat (not poker) and be cool as cool can be. As a kid I wanted to be Bond more like any other hero (even Batman), I guess I still do. He lives his life on the fast lane, kills, screw girls, drink vodka and get paid for it by the Government (long live her majesty!), and always came out alive (a bit dmaged maybe) of the adventure, damn I want that job . To me James Bond is as metal as can be.

 

[poundingmetal74]

Bond has been a big part of my life since I was fairly young. The movies, books, and later the video games (Goldeneye 64 has a special place in my heart, as does the movie). Connery is also a Final Stage hero (Me and Josh are huge Connery fans) and we regularly talk about him during gigs, as well as play the Bond theme song during sound check.

I asked Wyv to post his favorite Bond films, and I'm curious to see everyone else's. Here are my top 5 Bond movies:
Goldeneye
Goldfinger
Live and Let Die
You Only Live Twice
Russia with Love

I'm probably in the minority, but I really liked Moonraker and World is Not Enough.

 

[IntoPhagist]

The best bonds are all the sean connerys, Goldeneye and Casino Royale...I still haven't seen Quantum of Solace but REALLY want to.

I like

Diamonds are Forever
From Russia with Love
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Goldeneye
Casino Royale

 

[Wyvern]

In no particular order

"Goldfinger"
"Casino Royale"
"Quantum Of Solace"
"The Man With The Golden Gun"
"Thunderbolt"
"The Spy Who Loved Me"
"The Living Daylights"

I have seen them all, and I started with Roger Moore, but with the passing of time I have learnt to love these I mentioned more.

 

[SentinelSlain]

1)The Living Daylights
2)Goldeneye

I think Dalton is underrated as Bond. Not a huge fan of Brosnan but Goldeneye is an absolutely class film.

Quantum of Solace > Casino Royale but still not as good as the two I've mentioned.

I do like the sean connery bond films and certainly prefer them over the Roger Moore ones.

 

[Wyvern]

Dalton was underrated as Bond especially in "The Living Daylights" I felt the franchise rejuvenated at that one (and his Aston Martin with rockets was ultra cool), but then "Licence To Kill" is terrible. For me Craig is better than Dalton, the best since Connery. "Goldeneye" was a bit a dissapointment because even if having another 00 as the villain was a cool idea somethings didn't click. The Russian geek was umbereable, the persecution with the tank too exagerated and another space weapon? We already have the laser of "Diamonds Are Forever". I like it in the moment and I specially liked the concept of a woman M that doesn't like Bond attitude (a relic from the cold war as she call him), but after the rest of his (Brosnan) movies and the the new ones (Craig) didn't age well for me.

I like Brandon grew up with Bond movies and yes I do expect some characteristics:

a) driving a full of gadgets Aston Martin (not a bloody BMW!)
b) a cool Rolex watch sometimes provided with extras by the Q division
c) M
d) Q
e) Walter PPK
f) vodka martini...shaken not stirred
g) great babes specially with astounding names
h) impossible chasings and stunts
i) a cool heavy villain
j) a task that really needs a super MI6 agent to stop a world menace

Said all that, I think Bond like his audience must grow and I feel really that Craig is given that growing to the character.

BTW, if anyone is interested check this month here:

http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/

they have a special on James Bond with all his movies DVDs up to "Casino Royale" and without the terrible apocryphal "Never Say Never Again".

 

[poundingmetal74]

Dalton was underrated as Bond especially in "The Living Daylights" I felt the franchise rejuvenated at that one (and his Aston Martin with rockets was ultra cool), but then "Licence To Kill" is terrible.

I'd have to disagree. Most people I've talked to, myself included, feel License to Kill was a really good movie, it just wasn't a "Bond" movie so much. Living Daylights I thought was pretty good - par for the Bond course.

Never Say Never Again - even Connery said that movie was a mistake. It was embarrassing, he was like 55 and had gray hair!

As for bonds, it's a toss up between Connery and Brosnan for me. I think Brosnan was the right combination of Roger Moore's pretty boy Bond and Connery's bad ass Bond. Craig and Dalton are good too - really, all the Bond's have been really good. Although Moore's later movies just didn't have "it" (Not to mention the fact that he was almost 60).

 

[Black Friday]

Embarassingly, I've never watched a Bond movie. Rectify this mistake for me.

 

[Wyvern]

Embarassingly, I've never watched a Bond movie. Rectify this mistake for me.

Why embarrassing? Lots of people hadn't been drawn to the Bond appeal ever. Luckily all the movies are available on DVD do you can rent them and watch if you feel like it.

I have to digaree Brandon with "Licence To Kill", except for the fact they brought back Hedison as Felix Leiter the rest of the movie is subpar. A MI6 top operative goes rogue to avenge a fellow CIA friend and pursue a druglord? Another druglord like Moore did with "Live And Let Die"?, hardly a menace to the world security. And MI6 let Bond get rogue just like that, they even chase him harder on "Die Another Day" and "Quantum Of Solace", on LTK just trap him after the failed attemp on Sanchez for a few minutes before being rescued by Sanchez's troops allowing get to get inside the operation (how convenient). It just doesn't click with me and as a matter of fact I feel the vindictive Bond of QoS much more believable (after Vesper treason and death) that avenging Felix and his dead wife.
One thing I do like nevertheless about LTK is they brought the story of him being married once after Felix wedding, I think after "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" they never used properly Bond sadness and rage about the murder of his wife by SPECTRE, even if in the end he finally kill Blofeld on "For Your Eyes Only" opening, it was like duh, all these years to finally liquidate the man who killed his wife?

That's to me the appeal of the Craig era and the whole reboot of the character story. It's a clean slate, no mention of his marriage, SPECTRE, the duel with Scaramanga, he being on space (oh "Moonraker" ), etc. I will nevertheless give credit to the fact that Craig like Dalton are the most depressive Bonds, the character has a lot of emotional issues, and yes he's almost an alcoholic. Connery was too heroic, and Moore and Brosnan were too happy.

 

[poundingmetal74]

Oh, dude, I agree about License to Kill - it wasn't amazing, but I still thought it was a good movie. Like I said, it wasn't a "Bond" film, it was an 80s drug trafficking film. But it still had/has massive appeal to me. In short, most people I've talked to who are die-hards like us, seem to like LTK.

Your assessment of the Bonds are correct - Dalton and Craig play Bond more like he was written in the book. Moore took the role lightly (after all, his argument was "Here's a secret agent yet every bar tender knows who he is!"). Brosnan was more a pretty boy, but I really enjoyed his take on Bond, especially for the 90s.

I do like the whole notion of the bond "reboot" but it's going to take more time for me to adjust.

 

[Wyvern]

(after all, his argument was "Here's a secret agent yet every bar tender knows who he is!").

Yeah that was really annoying, what part of secret agent the producers/screenwriters/directors/ didn't got?

I do like the whole notion of the bond "reboot" but it's going to take more time for me to adjust.

I guess that will be an impact for all of us die-hard fans, but for some reason so far it just made sense and clicked with me fast enough.

 

[MURAI]

I never watched a Bond movie and probably never will.

 

[Wyvern]

I never watched a Bond movie and probably never will.

Your loss , James is da man!

 

[The Ozzman]

Ian Fleming actually thought that Roger Moore was the best personification of Bond. That was more in his appearance than anything though.

As far as the movies go, Live and Let Die is definitely up there.

 

[poundingmetal74]

I just watched Casino Royale twice this weekend (each with different sets of friends) and I now really enjoy the movie. Still doesn't crack my top 5 (maybe my top 8), but it's a fantastic film. It's a lot easier to digest now that I've gotten over the whole bond rebooting thing.

Ian Fleming actually thought that Roger Moore was the best personification of Bond. That was more in his appearance than anything though.

Hmm... I'm not too sure about, I'd argue otherwise.

From what I understand, Flemming originally wanted Timothy Dalton in the 1960s to play bond but Dalton felt himself to be too young. I don't recall hearing anything about Flemming wanting Moore to play Bond, considering Flemming died in 1964 or so - well before he ever played Bond.

 

[The Ozzman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_(character)

Tell me that drawing isn't close to how Roger Moore looked.

EDIT: Says here that Saltzman liked Moore. I don't remember where I read that Fleming thought Moore looked the most like his image of Bond, but Moore definitely looks the closest to that drawing.

 

[Wyvern]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_(character)

Tell me that drawing isn't close to how Roger Moore looked.

EDIT: Says here that Saltzman liked Moore. I don't remember where I read that Fleming thought Moore looked the most like his image of Bond, but Moore definitely looks the closest to that drawing.

My whole life I have listened that Moore is the least Bond of them all. Now loking at the picture in Wikipedia, I must say it reminds me of a cross between Dalton and Connery. And yes is well known that Bond is of Scottish heritage hence why Connery was the most beloved role model for the spy being a Scot himself.
Interestingly he had been played by a Scot, two English, a Welsh, an Irish and an Australian guy.

 

[The Ozzman]

I think that looks nothing like Dalton, Connery or a cross between the two.

 

[DeadlySinners]

Bond Movies + Heavy Metal Soundtrack?
Good idea, Bad idea?

 

[Wyvern]

Bond Movies + Heavy Metal Soundtrack?
Good idea, Bad idea?

To me a great idea, now which band and which tune. Original or special for the movie?

McCartney did a fine job with 'Live And Let Die' and Alice Cooper has an interesting song called 'The Man With The Golden Gun' in the "Muscle Of Love Album". The movie and the album are '74. I wonder if Alice wrote it for the movie and was then discarded...

So I see why not to beef up the song with some good metal.