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Post by CollieWobbles on Mar 8, 2016 0:56:38 GMT
Watching the current run of weekend Bond films has got me wondering, is anybody else a fan of 007? If so which ones? I like them all except the newer Daniel Craig ones and License To Kill.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2016 1:08:05 GMT
Hi Collie,
I like them all but I have not watched the Daniel Craig ones because I just can't get used to the thought of him as Bond. I still think the second film From Russia with Love is hard to beat as far as quality writing and direction is concerned. I still love Octopussy though because it's the only one that I saw at the Cinema on the big screen. I was on holiday and my Nana and Mum took me so I have a secret place in my heart for that one and as a ten year old I thought it the most exciting thing I had seen. I have them all on DVD except the last two.
Thanks
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Post by Lady W on Mar 8, 2016 1:17:30 GMT
I don't care if it's considered one of the worst Bond movies and I don't care if Roger Moore was, like, a million years old when he did it... I adore A View To A Kill !! It will always be my favourite Bond movie; fabulous theme song and Christopher Walken made a terrific villain. I can watch it over and over again and never get bored.
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Post by Lotty27 on Mar 8, 2016 1:50:49 GMT
I think my ultimate favourite is Live and Let Die. It's got stuff I love New Orleans, Jazz funeral, voodoo, tarot cards and general creepiness lol! That man sitting on the back of the train manically laughing in the closing credits always creeped me out as a kid so therefore, as some parts of it scared me witless as a kid, I've always thoroughly enjoyed it! Favourite Sean Connery one is probably Goldfinger "no Mr Bond, I expect you to die ..." Not forgetting 'Oddjob' with the deadly hat! Diamonds Are Forever is a good watch too, loved those two creepy blokes Mr Wint and Mr Kidd! They made me smile even as a kid. Although it has to be said that I've always wanted to smack Jill St John in the chops - she was such a WIMP! At least Honor Blackman's character in Goldfinger (Pussy Galore lol!) had some balls .. if you know what I mean. Always had a fondness for On Her Majesty's Secret Service too, lovely scenery, Telly Savalas and I don't think that George Lazenby was as bad as he was made out to be. Note these are all quite old ones, my parents were massive Bond fans and used to drag me to the cinema when I was a kid to watch the 'Bond Double Bills' (old bond film usually followed by the new one). I thought that a lot of Roger Moore's later ones like Moonraker just went a bit too OTT though I didn't mind A View To A Kill. I've seen all Pierce Brosnan ones and although he's very handsome none of them have stayed with me the way the ones I saw as a kid have, though I do seem to recall him driving a tank down a street but not sure what film that was. I try to forget Timothy Dalton, a bit too 'worthy'. Of the latest ones I quite enjoyed Skyfall, not a bad watch and when Bond got shot at the beginning it gave me a bit of a start! IMO Daniel Craig brings a certain kind of gritty, realism to the part. He's not outrageously handsome like the previous incarnations, or extra tall so (IMO) is probably closer to the 'everyman' that a spy would be so they'd fit in wherever they were sent and wouldn't stand out. Not seen Spectre yet. Bond films have created some great theme tunes though, some cracking songs over the years. EDIT: just noticed Aaron mentioning From Russia With Love not one of my favourites but I thought Robert Shaw was a very good 'baddie'.
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 8, 2016 23:31:22 GMT
Yes, I'm a Bond person.
In the circles i move in, to say a fan would mean you'd not only read every novel and watched every film multiple times but could debate at length the merits or every book, film, and actor.
I'm not there, but I do like it and always have. Enough to see every film in Cinema a few says after release from Living daylights Onwards - although Some i only want to see once.
Like Lotty it goes back to childhood. Didn't see them in the cinema but The Bond movie used to be a big thing at Xmas as a premiere, 3 years after release. And you didn"t see older ones all the time.
For that reason, Moore's are the ones most rooted in my childhood (except Goldfinger, come back to that later). Live and Let Die, Man with the Golden Gun, Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker were the ones I really knew growing up and i still really like all but Man With the. I know Moonraker is crap and cheesy but I'm fascinated by the Space Programme and always have been and it takes the villain's secret powerbase to a whole new level!!!! And i like Lois Childs.
My Dad went to primary school with (sat next to) Shirley Eaton who is the girl turned to gold in the pre cred of Goldfinger. For that reason, It always stuck in my mind! I love the first 3 Connerys
Lazenby is nowhere near as bad as people make out. Sadly, a more 'human' Bond was never going to go down well (didn't with Dalton either) and the first change would be hard. He suffered for that.
I'm afraid i think everything from For Your Eyes Only through Brosnan is pretty shit. Roger Moore should have gone earlier than he did. Julian Glover and Walken were great villains but not enough to save them. I don't think they knew how to write a 'serious' Bond after Moore (and isn't it interesting that Moore is his best in Live and Let Die which was written for Connery, not his jokey portrayal) so Dalton struggled.
Brosnan just wasn't right in my opinion. Odd, as i loved him in Remington Steele but he was too pretty. And the pc era of the 90s pervaded. That scene in Goldeneye when he says saying cold keeps hi$ alive and the ove interest says it is "what keeps him alone". Pass me the sick bucket!
I love Daniel Craig. His portrayal of Bond, the rebooting of the series, the way they have combined emotional issues with action to build the Bond we know.
I agree with Lotty (i think, might have been someone else) that Craig is excellent casting in that he is not as conventionally good looking as others like Lazenby, Moore, Brosnan but he is still good looking and incredibly attractive and sexy but can blend in so believable as a spy.
Lotty said she hadn't seen Spectre, the pre cred has Bond disguised but I recognised him due to the body language. That is how good an actor Craig is (and if anyone thinks he can only do cool and sexy, watch Our Friend in the North) so i he is actually my top.
Finally a combination of fantastic, accomplished, versatile actor who is sexy.
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 8, 2016 23:39:11 GMT
If i had to give an order for who I think has portrayed Bond the best
Craig Connery Dalton Brosnan Moore Lazenby.
And no,,I'm not counting David Niven!
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Post by CollieWobbles on Mar 8, 2016 23:42:32 GMT
Why do most people think A View To A Kill is so bad anyway? I love it, though I'm not keen on Stacey the Bond girl or her played by Grace Jones who's name I've currently forgotten. Roger Moore is my favourite Bond, I love all of his, think my favourite of his is The Spy Who Loved Me, on a purely shallow note, as he looked so damn delightful in that Royal Navy uniform -face . I also really like the Livng Daylights and thought Timothy Dalton made a good Bond, shame his only other one was the awful and really horrible License To Kill (gave me nightmares that did when I first saw it, I still can't watch it apart from the oil tanker bit at the end) . I quite liked Pierce Brosnan's Bond too but Goldeneye was easily the best of them. Sean Connery is my second favourite after RM and whilst Rm is my favourite Bond, my favourite overall film is Goldfinger. In my opinion, him and RM got the best ones though I agree with you Lotty that Moonraker was a bit OTT! One minute he was in the US, next he was in Venice?, then Brazil then into space! They threw everything including the kitchen sink at that one . The new ones with Daniel Craig have never appealed to me, I just can't see him as Bond at all, not helped by the theme tunes being dire and not in the slightest bit appealing. Bond theme tunes are iconic, they add a huge part to the film, one of the reasons I didn't really like Die Another Day was due to Madonna's awful song. Seriously, she's supposedly the queen of pop and that was the best she cold come up with?!
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 8, 2016 23:42:41 GMT
Just rung my Brother who is one of those experts for a knee jerk list of best Bonds.
After specifying it was actors rather than films (i'll get that later) he gave exactly the same order as me!?
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 8, 2016 23:55:46 GMT
Oh CoLlie I'm usually really in agreement with you but not here?
Bond themes are wonderful and iconic and i actually think the last two (Skyfall and Spectre) are amoungt the best. They have gone back old school after experimentation like Die Another Day and it is all the better for it. Even mid 80s they Reid to melge Bond with current pop and not always successfully. A View to A Kill is good compared to those around it but it still fell between 2 stools - wasn't "Duran, duran", wasn't Bond either. And i loved both, as a teenager at the time and now 30. Years later!
What's wrong with A View.. i think it is what you said - an insipid female lead, Ott female villain and a sense of "been there, done that" with the set pieces and Roger Moore. Just my opinion though and it has been such time since I saw it.
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Post by Lotty27 on Mar 9, 2016 0:18:57 GMT
This has made me think of Bond themes, which other film franchise has pop music so associated with it? I don't think there is another one is there?
My favourites (in no particular order)
Live and Let Die - Wings Nobody Does it Better - Carly Simon View To A Kill- Duran Duran Golden Eye - Tina Turner You Know My Name - Chris Cornell Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey (love the 'twinkly' sound) You Only Live Twice - Nancy Sinatra Skyfall - Adele and the latest by Sam Smith isn't too bad either.
And although it's classed as a secondary song, We Have All The Time In The World by the great Louis Armstrong is lovely.
Madonna's was the biggest crock of shit for a Bond song I've ever heard (when you think of some of her great unashamedly 'pop' albums/singles earlier in her career compared to the 'trying to be down with the kids' crap she's put out for the last decade or so it's a crying shame. Madonna does good pop with an edge she should have stuck to that IMO.) Wasn't too keen on Jack White's either (though I liked his first solo album).
Bond songs shouldn't be 'trendy' IMO.
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Post by Charley Says... on Mar 9, 2016 0:23:08 GMT
I don't like Bond films... But I went to watch The Spy Who Loved Me at the cinema in Butlins back in the day... I loved it...
Not watched any others as it bores the pants off me...
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Post by Lotty27 on Mar 9, 2016 0:27:45 GMT
Yes, I'm a Bond person. In the circles i move in, to say a fan would mean you'd not only read every novel and watched every film multiple times but could debate at length the merits or every book, film, and actor. I'm not there, but I do like it and always have. Enough to see every film in Cinema a few says after release from Living daylights Onwards - although Some i only want to see once. Like Lotty it goes back to childhood. Didn't see them in the cinema but The Bond movie used to be a big thing at Xmas as a premiere, 3 years after release. And you didn"t see older ones all the time. For that reason, Moore's are the ones most rooted in my childhood (except Goldfinger, come back to that later). Live and Let Die, Man with the Golden Gun, Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker were the ones I really knew growing up and i still really like all but Man With the. I know Moonraker is crap and cheesy but I'm fascinated by the Space Programme and always have been and it takes the villain's secret powerbase to a whole new level!!!! And i like Lois Childs. My Dad went to primary school with (sat next to) Shirley Eaton who is the girl turned to gold in the pre cred of Goldfinger. For that reason, It always stuck in my mind! I love the first 3 Connerys Lazenby is nowhere near as bad as people make out. Sadly, a more 'human' Bond was never going to go down well (didn't with Dalton either) and the first change would be hard. He suffered for that. I'm afraid i think everything from For Your Eyes Only through Brosnan is pretty shit. Roger Moore should have gone earlier than he did. Julian Glover and Walken were great villains but not enough to save them. I don't think they knew how to write a 'serious' Bond after Moore (and isn't it interesting that Moore is his best in Live and Let Die which was written for Connery, not his jokey portrayal) so Dalton struggled. Brosnan just wasn't right in my opinion. Odd, as i loved him in Remington Steele but he was too pretty. And the pc era of the 90s pervaded. That scene in Goldeneye when he says saying cold keeps hi$ alive and the ove interest says it is "what keeps him alone". Pass me the sick bucket! I love Daniel Craig. His portrayal of Bond, the rebooting of the series, the way they have combined emotional issues with action to build the Bond we know. I agree with Lotty (i think, might have been someone else) that Craig is excellent casting in that he is not as conventionally good looking as others like Lazenby, Moore, Brosnan but he is still good looking and incredibly attractive and sexy but can blend in so believable as a spy. Lotty said she hadn't seen Spectre, the pre cred has Bond disguised but I recognised him due to the body language. That is how good an actor Craig is (and if anyone thinks he can only do cool and sexy, watch Our Friend in the North) so i he is actually my top. Finally a combination of fantastic, accomplished, versatile actor who is sexy. Not a hope with me lol! I've never read a Bond book (even though I'm a voracious reader) and as for debating the merits of every film - not a hope! I've seen every one except the latest and there's only a few really stuck with me - and they're probably the ones which have been repeated over and over on the TV. Like I say I can't even remember most of Pierce Brosnan's or Timothy Dalton's lol! I had no idea that Live and Let Die was written for Connery! That's news to me and makes sense but I have to say I really liked Moore in it, definitely my favourite Moore Bond film. Moore's actually MrL's favourite Bond by far. I'm not sure who mine is, I'm one of the ones though who doesn't think that the sun shines out of Connery's backside! I suppose it's not his fault and more of a sign of the times but I hated the blatant sexism but he did do great one liners which apparently he ad-libbed a lot himself? (or was that just a legend to make him look good lol!)
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 9, 2016 0:40:04 GMT
Bond themes.
I was given a tape of Bond themes soon after getting my first player at 11 and knew them all inside out. I can't dislike any of them and that is upto Moonraker.
As i said, i think they fell between 2 stools for some time, hiring the current pop trend but still wanting it to be 'Bond' which didn't work imo. What they do now, hiring respected current artists who will write in an imitation of a john Barry style works better.
Of the mergey time though, i do love "the World is Not Enough' sung by Shirley Manson. Shit film but great pre cred and song.
I quite like Tomorrow Never Dies as well and Goldeneye but again that was Bono writing a traditional Bond theme and Tina Turner impersonating Shirley Bassey.
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Post by kitkat1971 on Mar 9, 2016 1:02:42 GMT
Originals.
Really do like all of them but Nobody Does it Better would prob top my list foLlowede by From Russia With Love.
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Post by CollieWobbles on Mar 9, 2016 1:04:14 GMT
Skyfall isn't too bad, it's the only song by Adele which I find reasonably enjoyable, but the latest one, the writing on the wall, no, no way, nope, never, nada, never. IMO it's absolutely appallingly bad, Sam Smith's vocals go up and down like a bridegroom's backside, one lyric is sung at a normal pitch, the next one he's squalling so high only bats could pick it up. If it had been sung properly all the way through, I could see it as a good Bond song, but as it is, no chance.
Here's my favourites list:
Nobody Does It Better - Carly Simon For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton All Time High - Rita Coolidge Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey Goldfinger -same Live and let Die -Wings The Living Daylights - A-Ha The Man With the Golden Gun - Lulu A View To A Kill - Duran Duran Goldeneye- Tina Turner You Only Live Twice - Nancy Sinatra
I also like We Have All The Time in the World, and I quite like Never Say Never Again too even though it rarely features.
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