list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Thunderball on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Thunderball/35034/default.aspx Title: Thunderball
Year: 1965
Director: Terence Young
Plot: Thunderball finds James Bond matching wits with the sinister espionage organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E, (which stands for Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). This time, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. hijacks a NATO nuclear bomber, hiding the bombs under the ocean depths and threatening to detonate the weapons unless a ransom of 100,000,000 pounds is paid. The mastermind behind this scheme is international business executive Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), who maintains a pool full of sharks for the purpose of eliminating enemies and those henchmen who fail to come up to standard. Dispatched to the Bahamas, lucky Mr. Bond enjoys the attentions of three nubile ladies: Largo's mistress Domino Derval (Claudine Auger), British spy Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick, previously seen as a gypsy girl in the 1962 Bond epic From Russia With Love) and enemy agent Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 16
Number of Lists: 16
Number of blog posts: 5
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:01:53 GMTThunderball1965Terence YoungThunderball finds James Bond matching wits with the sinister espionage organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E, (which stands for Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). This time, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. hijacks a NATO nuclear bomber, hiding the bombs under the ocean depths and threatening to detonate the weapons unless a ransom of 100,000,000 pounds is paid. The mastermind behind this scheme is international business executive Emilio Largo (<a href="/players/P____11958/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Adolfo Celi</a>), who maintains a pool full of sharks for the purpose of eliminating enemies and those henchmen who fail to come up to standard. Dispatched to the Bahamas, lucky Mr. Bond enjoys the attentions of three nubile ladies: Largo's mistress Domino Derval (<a href="/players/P_____2828/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Claudine Auger</a>), British spy Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick, previously seen as a gypsy girl in the 1962 Bond epic <a href=/films/12642/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>From Russia With Love</a>) and enemy agent Fiona Volpe (<a href="/players/P____54873/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Luciana Paluzzi</a>). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide16Tag Target (>10)16533http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u26337fdwue.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Thunderball/35034/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/18/37399.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/18/2008 11:00:50 AM
Body: Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale might eschew gadgets in lieu of a hard punch to the nose, but it’s hard to argue that the best Bond gadget in recent years isn’t the invention of the Blu-ray DVD. Now the classic Bond films have started appearing in the format with upgraded images, sound, and a slew of special features. Casino Royale was previously released on DVD as one of Sony’s first “must have” discs to show off your Blu-ray player (which was probably a Sony PlayStation3), but now they’re visiting a smattering of different Bonds in this first release. As I’ve learned in my adult life, there are sometimes those moments that you realize you’re probably unhealthily obsessed with something. For me, that moment came when I was seriously considering purchasing a $2,999 framed collage featuring signatures of all the actors who had played James Bond in the “official” movies, along with various playing cards, casino chips, photos and what not. I ultimately had to pass on it, and my wallet was grateful after the fact. Thankfully there are much more affordable ways to feed this obsession, some of which can be documented in the series of Bondcasts that I used to host with Athena Stamos at Cinematical. One of those ways has been collecting the James Bond movies on DVD. There have been not one, nor two, but now three different collections of Bond issued on DVD, and while I really miss the menu screens from the first set, (”Please activate your remote control to activate the Goldfinger Special Edition DVD” — complete with an extremely Bondian gadgetlike interface), you can’t argue that Blu-ray is definitely giving the previous James Bond films a shot in the arm. These versions of the Blu-ray dicsc are basically upgraded ports of The Ultimate James Bond Collections that came out in 2006 to capitalize on the introduction of Daniel Craig’s Bond. I skipped on these versions, since I’d already purchased the James Bond Collection DVDs a few years prior to that. They’ve included all of the same extras (many of which didn’t appear in the versions I have), and upgraded some of the standard definition features to HD. Basically, Bond has never looked or sounded as good in your home or even in the theaters. Which is especially impressive considering that Dr. No is 46 years old. Dr. No While I wish Goldfinger would have been included as the first Connery film in this initial release, it only makes sense to start at the beginning with the first Bond film. The first Bond DVD sets didn’t include Dr. No, so you had to wait a few months to get your full contingent of Connery’s Bond. Still, you can’t beat that scene of Ursula Andress coming out of the water in her bikini, and it looks even better in high-def. Some of the highlights include: Audio commentary with director Terence Young: this is fun to listen to, but would have loved to see Connery participate! Throw him some cash or something, people. Archival TV spots and trailers: We’ve come a long way, and I really miss these old-school trailers. The Guns of James Bond featurette: This is like porno for Bond fans. Seriously. From Russia With Love You can’t beat Robert Shaw as one of the best James Bond baddies, and he looks imposing and scary as the blond and muscular Russian agent Red Grant who actually “kills” Sean Connery’s Bond in the opening sequence. Plus you get the archetype for Austin Powers’ Frau Farbissina in Rosa Klebb, who trains and oversees Grant. This is Connery’s favorite Bond film, and while I’d argue with him that Goldfinger trumps it, it’s still a great movie. Highlights on this disc are: Another commentary from Terence Young and friends: sadly it doesn’t shed new light on the famous jump cut in the film. A featurette about Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler: Who knew Chandler was such a big Bond fan? Thunderball While this movie was famously (or infamously) remade as Never Say Never Again, complete with Connery playing James Bond all over again in what’s considered an “unofficial” Bond movie, the original is much, much better. Probably my fourth favorite Bond film (behind Goldfinger, From Russian With Love, and You Only Live Twice, if you’re keeping track), this is the one that includes Connery in the famous jetpack scene. That sure looks like it would have been a clunky gadget to carry around and travel with. Highlights: Commentary from editor Peter Hunt and co-writer John Hopkins: director Terence Young probably needed a break from doing commentaries, and Hunt is fun to listen to. Selling Bonds original 1965 TV commercials: A Child’s Guide To Blowing Up A Motor Car 1965 Ford promotional film: One of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. A father takes his son to watch a car getting blown up as a birthday present. Wacky! “Oh, you see those photos of ladies? Those are James Bond’s, er… chums.” Truly bizarre stuff. The Incredible World of James Bond, the original 1965 NBC special: Wow. This thing is worth the cost of the disc alone. It’s a primer to the film world of Bond, and covers all the films up to Thunderball and includes a lot of behind the scenes footage. Live and Let Die This movie was a bit of mixed bag for Bond fans because it introduced Roger Moore as James Bond, since Connery decided to retire himself for the role. Moore brought his own brand of comedy to the role with his “wink, wink” line delivery and didn’t want to imitate Connery… which I would argue brought a fair amount of cheese to the role. According to the special features, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz thought it would be daring to include black villains in the film since the Black Panther movement was fairly active when the movie was made in 1973! The movie also doesn’t feature Q, since actor Desmond Llewelyn was away filming a tv series called Follyfoot, much to his dismay. Notable highlights: Commentary from Roger Moore: Finally they nab a Bond actor for a commentary, and it’s worth listening to. As much as I’m not a huge fan of Moore as Bond, this was fun. Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary: This was made while the movie was being filmed, and hasn’t been seen since. It’s a bit too slick, but has some interesting behind the scenes footage in it. For Your Eyes Only Moore’s fifth movie as James Bond is probably my favorite, despite the cheesy way in which he disposes of Bond ultra-villain Blofeld in the opening pre-credit sequence. You’ve got Melina Havelock as a terrific Bond girl, an underwater sequence that was shot in a dry soundstage that was made to look like it was in the ocean, and followed up the godawful Moonraker. Initially Moore wasn’t slated to return for this role, and screen tests were performed with several different actors, including Ian Ogilvy who had replaced Roger Moore as Simon Templar in the tv series The Return of The Saint. Highlights: Commentary from Roger Moore: Moore returns in another commentary track that entertains while making me wish Connery would do one of these. Even if he only did it for one movie it would be worth the price of the disc, and please let it be for Goldfinger. Bond in Greece featurette: Yep, there’s James Bond. And he’s in Greece. Beautiful footage and some behind the scenes stuff. Greece should incoporate this into some sort of “Visit Greece!” promotional video. Die Another Day This movie was the 20th in the series, and Brosnan’s last, and it was also meant to mark the 40th anniversay of James Bond. As a result, the movie is laden with a ton of homages to Bond films past, from previous gadgets he’d used to a recreation of the final fight scene with Bond and Goldfinger from Goldfinger. It just falls flat in my opinion, and it may have helped underscore the need for a new Bond and a new direction. Even Roger Moore doesn’t like this one. In an article he wrote for the Times he said, “When asked later what I thought of the film, I merely said “interesting”. In truth I thought it just went too far – and that’s from me, the first Bond in space! Invisible cars and dodgy CGI footage? Please!” The only real highlight is: Commentary from Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike: This is actually a decent listen, and almost makes the film more enjoyable. Although why they didn’t include Halle Berry (her Jinx character was almost spun off into a film series) is beyond me. Oddly enough, this movie was released on DVD in 2002 as a double-disc special edition, and the second disc included a ton of features that didn’t make it into this release. The most notable extra that didn’t make it in was the excellent feature-length documentary Inside Die Another Day, produced by Charles de Lauzirika, who has worked on documentaries about films ranging from Blade Runner to Top Gun. It’s a real oversight not to include this in the Blu-ray release. If you’re a James Bond aficiando, you’ll definitely want to pick this set up. The movies are in two slipcases of three films each, and you can get both sets for about a hundred bucks at Amazon. While I miss the slightly dorky screens and voiceover narration from the menus of the initial Bond DVD releases, these movies have really never looked better. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:50 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/18/2008 11:00:50 AMDaniel Craig’s James Bond in Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale might eschew gadgets in lieu of a hard punch to the nose, but it’s hard to argue that the best Bond gadget in recent years isn’t the invention of the Blu-ray DVD. Now the classic Bond films have started appearing in the format with upgraded images, sound, and a slew of special features. Casino Royale was previously released on DVD as one of Sony’s first “must have” discs to show off your Blu-ray player (which was probably a Sony PlayStation3), but now they’re visiting a smattering of different Bonds in this first release. As I’ve learned in my adult life, there are sometimes those moments that you realize you’re probably unhealthily obsessed with something. For me, that moment came when I was seriously considering purchasing a $2,999 framed collage featuring signatures of all the actors who had played James Bond in the “official” movies, along with various playing cards, casino chips, photos and what not. I ultimately had to pass on it, and my wallet was grateful after the fact. Thankfully there are much more affordable ways to feed this obsession, some of which can be documented in the series of Bondcasts that I used to host with Athena Stamos at Cinematical. One of those ways has been collecting the James Bond movies on DVD. There have been not one, nor two, but now three different collections of Bond issued on DVD, and while I really miss the menu screens from the first set, (”Please activate your remote control to activate the Goldfinger Special Edition DVD” — complete with an extremely Bondian gadgetlike interface), you can’t argue that Blu-ray is definitely giving the previous James Bond films a shot in the arm. These versions of the Blu-ray dicsc are basically upgraded ports of The Ultimate James Bond Collections that came out in 2006 to capitalize on the introduction of Daniel Craig’s Bond. I skipped on these versions, since I’d already purchased the James Bond Collection DVDs a few years prior to that. They’ve included all of the same extras (many of which didn’t appear in the versions I have), and upgraded some of the standard definition features to HD. Basically, Bond has never looked or sounded as good in your home or even in the theaters. Which is especially impressive considering that Dr. No is 46 years old. Dr. No While I wish Goldfinger would have been included as the first Connery film in this initial release, it only makes sense to start at the beginning with the first Bond film. The first Bond DVD sets didn’t include Dr. No, so you had to wait a few months to get your full contingent of Connery’s Bond. Still, you can’t beat that scene of Ursula Andress coming out of the water in her bikini, and it looks even better in high-def. Some of the highlights include: Audio commentary with director Terence Young: this is fun to listen to, but would have loved to see Connery participate! Throw him some cash or something, people. Archival TV spots and trailers: We’ve come a long way, and I really miss these old-school trailers. The Guns of James Bond featurette: This is like porno for Bond fans. Seriously. From Russia With Love You can’t beat Robert Shaw as one of the best James Bond baddies, and he looks imposing and scary as the blond and muscular Russian agent Red Grant who actually “kills” Sean Connery’s Bond in the opening sequence. Plus you get the archetype for Austin Powers’ Frau Farbissina in Rosa Klebb, who trains and oversees Grant. This is Connery’s favorite Bond film, and while I’d argue with him that Goldfinger trumps it, it’s still a great movie. Highlights on this disc are: Another commentary from Terence Young and friends: sadly it doesn’t shed new light on the famous jump cut in the film. A featurette about Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler: Who knew Chandler was such a big Bond fan? Thunderball While this movie was famously (or infamously) remade as Never Say Never Again, complete with Connery playing James Bond all over again in what’s considered an “unofficial” Bond movie, the original is much, much better. Probably my fourth favorite Bond film (behind Goldfinger, From Russian With Love, and You Only Live Twice, if you’re keeping track), this is the one that includes Connery in the famous jetpack scene. That sure looks like it would have been a clunky gadget to carry around and travel with. Highlights: Commentary from editor Peter Hunt and co-writer John Hopkins: director Terence Young probably needed a break from doing commentaries, and Hunt is fun to listen to. Selling Bonds original 1965 TV commercials: A Child’s Guide To Blowing Up A Motor Car 1965 Ford promotional film: One of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. A father takes his son to watch a car getting blown up as a birthday present. Wacky! “Oh, you see those photos of ladies? Those are James Bond’s, er… chums.” Truly bizarre stuff. The Incredible World of James Bond, the original 1965 NBC special: Wow. This thing is worth the cost of the disc alone. It’s a primer to the film world of Bond, and covers all the films up to Thunderball and includes a lot of behind the scenes footage. Live and Let Die This movie was a bit of mixed bag for Bond fans because it introduced Roger Moore as James Bond, since Connery decided to retire himself for the role. Moore brought his own brand of comedy to the role with his “wink, wink” line delivery and didn’t want to imitate Connery… which I would argue brought a fair amount of cheese to the role. According to the special features, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz thought it would be daring to include black villains in the film since the Black Panther movement was fairly active when the movie was made in 1973! The movie also doesn’t feature Q, since actor Desmond Llewelyn was away filming a tv series called Follyfoot, much to his dismay. Notable highlights: Commentary from Roger Moore: Finally they nab a Bond actor for a commentary, and it’s worth listening to. As much as I’m not a huge fan of Moore as Bond, this was fun. Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary: This was made while the movie was being filmed, and hasn’t been seen since. It’s a bit too slick, but has some interesting behind the scenes footage in it. For Your Eyes Only Moore’s fifth movie as James Bond is probably my favorite, despite the cheesy way in which he disposes of Bond ultra-villain Blofeld in the opening pre-credit sequence. You’ve got Melina Havelock as a terrific Bond girl, an underwater sequence that was shot in a dry soundstage that was made to look like it was in the ocean, and followed up the godawful Moonraker. Initially Moore wasn’t slated to return for this role, and screen tests were performed with several different actors, including Ian Ogilvy who had replaced Roger Moore as Simon Templar in the tv series The Return of The Saint. Highlights: Commentary from Roger Moore: Moore returns in another commentary track that entertains while making me wish Connery would do one of these. Even if he only did it for one movie it would be worth the price of the disc, and please let it be for Goldfinger. Bond in Greece featurette: Yep, there’s James Bond. And he’s in Greece. Beautiful footage and some behind the scenes stuff. Greece should incoporate this into some sort of “Visit Greece!” promotional video. Die Another Day This movie was the 20th in the series, and Brosnan’s last, and it was also meant to mark the 40th anniversay of James Bond. As a result, the movie is laden with a ton of homages to Bond films past, from previous gadgets he’d used to a recreation of the final fight scene with Bond and Goldfinger from Goldfinger. It just falls flat in my opinion, and it may have helped underscore the need for a new Bond and a new direction. Even Roger Moore doesn’t like this one. In an article he wrote for the Times he said, “When asked later what I thought of the film, I merely said “interesting”. In truth I thought it just went too far – and that’s from me, the first Bond in space! Invisible cars and dodgy CGI footage? Please!” The only real highlight is: Commentary from Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike: This is actually a decent listen, and almost makes the film more enjoyable. Although why they didn’t include Halle Berry (her Jinx character was almost spun off into a film series) is beyond me. Oddly enough, this movie was released on DVD in 2002 as a double-disc special edition, and the second disc included a ton of features that didn’t make it into this release. The most notable extra that didn’t make it in was the excellent feature-length documentary Inside Die Another Day, produced by Charles de Lauzirika, who has worked on documentaries about films ranging from Blade Runner to Top Gun. It’s a real oversight not to include this in the Blu-ray release. If you’re a James Bond aficiando, you’ll definitely want to pick this set up. The movies are in two slipcases of three films each, and you can get both sets for about a hundred bucks at Amazon. While I miss the slightly dorky screens and voiceover narration from the menus of the initial Bond DVD releases, these movies have really never looked better. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/11/12/37263.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 11/12/2008 5:02:17 PM
Body: Maxim has named Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko “the hottest Bond Girl ever.” How does one even make such an assessment, when there are so many memorable Bond Girl moments? Remember Ursula Andress, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Halle Berry, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Famke Janssen sex-attacking Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye? (Oh, Famke. You really know how to pick a paycheck.) If you answered “Sure. Whatever.” to one or both of those first two examples, I have a statistic that I’d like to share with you. Did you know that there’s an extremely high rate of death amongst Bond Girls who have worn a bikini? It’s true. Based on my extraordinarily scientific research, out of 11 Bond girls who had “bikini moments,” to borrow the terminology used on JamesBondWiki, five died before the end of the film. That’s 45 percent, making the wearing of a two piece bathing suit in the company of James Bond just about the most dangerous activity a woman could engage in anywhere on the planet at any time in history. In the hopes that future Bond Girls will learn the lesson of their forebears and stay away from the skimpy garments of death, I’ve compiled a five point dossier on how and why these bathing beauties met their mortal ends. Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger Auric Goldfinger’s ladyfriend is quite the multi-tasker: the bikini-clad, binocular-toting Bond Girl manages to help her boyfriend cheat at cards and work on her tan at the same time! Apparently less impressed than I, Goldfinger eventually paints her gold and she dies of “skin suffocation.” Years later, Mythbusters investigated whether or not such a death is actually possible (answer: probably not), and actress Shirley Eaton appeared on the show to refute rumors that she actually died while encased in gold paint for the movie. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in Thunderball This bad Bond Girl is a SPECTRE asassin who eventually takes a bullet that was meant for James. But not before, in the inimitable words of her character’s Wikipedia profile, “she waits for Bond in his bathtub, she seduces him and they have erotic sex.” That’s the best kind to have! Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) in Live and Let Die Another Bond villainess, Rosie was the first black Bond Girl. A rogue CIA agent, she checks into Bond’s hotel room as “Mrs. Bond” so that she can be there to seduce him when he arrives. Rosie manages to keep her true identity a secret through a day of deep sea fishing, but eventually James figures out that his new lover is actually a baddie and confronts her, at which point she runs away, only to be killed by another underling of the bad guy she’s been working for. Naomi (Caroline Munro) in The Spy Who Loved Me It is important for helicopter pilots to wear bikinis. Especially helicoptor pilots who flirt with James Bond while trying to shoot him. Unfortunately, this skimpily-dressed helicopter pilot/would-be 007 assassin didn’t get her man, in either a mortal sense or a sexy one, because James blew up her helicopter with a torpedo. Solange Dimitrios (Caterina Murino) in Casino Royale Solange, the wife of one of main bad guy Le Chiffre’s men, is first seen riding a horse on the beach in her bikini. After Bond wins her husband’s Aston Martin in a poker game, he gives Solange a ride back to his hotel. They’re all set to Do It when the phone rings, and Solange ends up leaking the info that Bond will need to thwart her husband’s terrorist attack on Miami. Yay for Bond (and Miami), bad for Solange, who is tortured and killed as a result. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:02:17 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog11/12/2008 5:02:17 PMMaxim has named Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko “the hottest Bond Girl ever.” How does one even make such an assessment, when there are so many memorable Bond Girl moments? Remember Ursula Andress, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Halle Berry, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Famke Janssen sex-attacking Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye? (Oh, Famke. You really know how to pick a paycheck.) If you answered “Sure. Whatever.” to one or both of those first two examples, I have a statistic that I’d like to share with you. Did you know that there’s an extremely high rate of death amongst Bond Girls who have worn a bikini? It’s true. Based on my extraordinarily scientific research, out of 11 Bond girls who had “bikini moments,” to borrow the terminology used on JamesBondWiki, five died before the end of the film. That’s 45 percent, making the wearing of a two piece bathing suit in the company of James Bond just about the most dangerous activity a woman could engage in anywhere on the planet at any time in history. In the hopes that future Bond Girls will learn the lesson of their forebears and stay away from the skimpy garments of death, I’ve compiled a five point dossier on how and why these bathing beauties met their mortal ends. Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger Auric Goldfinger’s ladyfriend is quite the multi-tasker: the bikini-clad, binocular-toting Bond Girl manages to help her boyfriend cheat at cards and work on her tan at the same time! Apparently less impressed than I, Goldfinger eventually paints her gold and she dies of “skin suffocation.” Years later, Mythbusters investigated whether or not such a death is actually possible (answer: probably not), and actress Shirley Eaton appeared on the show to refute rumors that she actually died while encased in gold paint for the movie. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in Thunderball This bad Bond Girl is a SPECTRE asassin who eventually takes a bullet that was meant for James. But not before, in the inimitable words of her character’s Wikipedia profile, “she waits for Bond in his bathtub, she seduces him and they have erotic sex.” That’s the best kind to have! Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) in Live and Let Die Another Bond villainess, Rosie was the first black Bond Girl. A rogue CIA agent, she checks into Bond’s hotel room as “Mrs. Bond” so that she can be there to seduce him when he arrives. Rosie manages to keep her true identity a secret through a day of deep sea fishing, but eventually James figures out that his new lover is actually a baddie and confronts her, at which point she runs away, only to be killed by another underling of the bad guy she’s been working for. Naomi (Caroline Munro) in The Spy Who Loved Me It is important for helicopter pilots to wear bikinis. Especially helicoptor pilots who flirt with James Bond while trying to shoot him. Unfortunately, this skimpily-dressed helicopter pilot/would-be 007 assassin didn’t get her man, in either a mortal sense or a sexy one, because James blew up her helicopter with a torpedo. Solange Dimitrios (Caterina Murino) in Casino Royale Solange, the wife of one of main bad guy Le Chiffre’s men, is first seen riding a horse on the beach in her bikini. After Bond wins her husband’s Aston Martin in a poker game, he gives Solange a ride back to his hotel. They’re all set to Do It when the phone rings, and Solange ends up leaking the info that Bond will need to thwart her husband’s terrorist attack on Miami. Yay for Bond (and Miami), bad for Solange, who is tortured and killed as a result. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/12/37262.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/12/2008 5:02:00 PM
Body: Maxim has named Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko “the hottest Bond Girl ever.” How does one even make such an assessment, when there are so many memorable Bond Girl moments? Remember Ursula Andress, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Halle Berry, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Famke Janssen sex-attacking Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye? (Oh, Famke. You really know how to pick a paycheck.) If you answered “Sure. Whatever.” to one or both of those first two examples, I have a statistic that I’d like to share with you. Did you know that there’s an extremely high rate of death amongst Bond Girls who have worn a bikini? It’s true. Based on my extraordinarily scientific research, out of 11 Bond girls who had “bikini moments,” to borrow the terminology used on JamesBondWiki, five died before the end of the film. That’s 45 percent, making the wearing of a two piece bathing suit in the company of James Bond just about the most dangerous activity a woman could engage in anywhere on the planet at any time in history. In the hopes that future Bond Girls will learn the lesson of their forebears and stay away from the skimpy garments of death, I’ve compiled a five point dossier on how and why these bathing beauties met their mortal ends. Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger Auric Goldfinger’s ladyfriend is quite the multi-tasker: the bikini-clad, binocular-toting Bond Girl manages to help her boyfriend cheat at cards and work on her tan at the same time! Apparently less impressed than I, Goldfinger eventually paints her gold and she dies of “skin suffocation.” Years later, Mythbusters investigated whether or not such a death is actually possible (answer: probably not), and actress Shirley Eaton appeared on the show to refute rumors that she actually died while encased in gold paint for the movie. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in Thunderball This bad Bond Girl is a SPECTRE asassin who eventually takes a bullet that was meant for James. But not before, in the inimitable words of her character’s Wikipedia profile, “she waits for Bond in his bathtub, she seduces him and they have erotic sex.” That’s the best kind to have! Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) in Live and Let Die Another Bond villainess, Rosie was the first black Bond Girl. A rogue CIA agent, she checks into Bond’s hotel room as “Mrs. Bond” so that she can be there to seduce him when he arrives. Rosie manages to keep her true identity a secret through a day of deep sea fishing, but eventually James figures out that his new lover is actually a baddie and confronts her, at which point she runs away, only to be killed by another underling of the bad guy she’s been working for. Naomi (Caroline Munro) in The Spy Who Loved Me It is important for helicopter pilots to wear bikinis. Especially helicoptor pilots who flirt with James Bond while trying to shoot him. Unfortunately, this skimpily-dressed helicopter pilot/would-be 007 assassin didn’t get her man, in either a mortal sense or a sexy one, because James blew up her helicopter with a torpedo. Solange Dimitrios (Caterina Murino) in Casino Royale Solange, the wife of one of main bad guy Le Chiffre’s men, is first seen riding a horse on the beach in her bikini. After Bond wins her husband’s Aston Martin in a poker game, he gives Solange a ride back to his hotel. They’re all set to Do It when the phone rings, and Solange ends up leaking the info that Bond will need to thwart her husband’s terrorist attack on Miami. Yay for Bond (and Miami), bad for Solange, who is tortured and killed as a result. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:02:00 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/12/2008 5:02:00 PMMaxim has named Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko “the hottest Bond Girl ever.” How does one even make such an assessment, when there are so many memorable Bond Girl moments? Remember Ursula Andress, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Halle Berry, rising from the sea in a bikini? Or Famke Janssen sex-attacking Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye? (Oh, Famke. You really know how to pick a paycheck.) If you answered “Sure. Whatever.” to one or both of those first two examples, I have a statistic that I’d like to share with you. Did you know that there’s an extremely high rate of death amongst Bond Girls who have worn a bikini? It’s true. Based on my extraordinarily scientific research, out of 11 Bond girls who had “bikini moments,” to borrow the terminology used on JamesBondWiki, five died before the end of the film. That’s 45 percent, making the wearing of a two piece bathing suit in the company of James Bond just about the most dangerous activity a woman could engage in anywhere on the planet at any time in history. In the hopes that future Bond Girls will learn the lesson of their forebears and stay away from the skimpy garments of death, I’ve compiled a five point dossier on how and why these bathing beauties met their mortal ends. Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger Auric Goldfinger’s ladyfriend is quite the multi-tasker: the bikini-clad, binocular-toting Bond Girl manages to help her boyfriend cheat at cards and work on her tan at the same time! Apparently less impressed than I, Goldfinger eventually paints her gold and she dies of “skin suffocation.” Years later, Mythbusters investigated whether or not such a death is actually possible (answer: probably not), and actress Shirley Eaton appeared on the show to refute rumors that she actually died while encased in gold paint for the movie. Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in Thunderball This bad Bond Girl is a SPECTRE asassin who eventually takes a bullet that was meant for James. But not before, in the inimitable words of her character’s Wikipedia profile, “she waits for Bond in his bathtub, she seduces him and they have erotic sex.” That’s the best kind to have! Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) in Live and Let Die Another Bond villainess, Rosie was the first black Bond Girl. A rogue CIA agent, she checks into Bond’s hotel room as “Mrs. Bond” so that she can be there to seduce him when he arrives. Rosie manages to keep her true identity a secret through a day of deep sea fishing, but eventually James figures out that his new lover is actually a baddie and confronts her, at which point she runs away, only to be killed by another underling of the bad guy she’s been working for. Naomi (Caroline Munro) in The Spy Who Loved Me It is important for helicopter pilots to wear bikinis. Especially helicoptor pilots who flirt with James Bond while trying to shoot him. Unfortunately, this skimpily-dressed helicopter pilot/would-be 007 assassin didn’t get her man, in either a mortal sense or a sexy one, because James blew up her helicopter with a torpedo. Solange Dimitrios (Caterina Murino) in Casino Royale Solange, the wife of one of main bad guy Le Chiffre’s men, is first seen riding a horse on the beach in her bikini. After Bond wins her husband’s Aston Martin in a poker game, he gives Solange a ride back to his hotel. They’re all set to Do It when the phone rings, and Solange ends up leaking the info that Bond will need to thwart her husband’s terrorist attack on Miami. Yay for Bond (and Miami), bad for Solange, who is tortured and killed as a result. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/aidanbrack/archive/2008/8/15/34047.aspx Post By: aidanbrack
Post To: The Bigger Picture
Post Date: 8/15/2008 1:27:05 PM
Body: It's been a while since I last did a top 5 list but my appetite for Bond has been whetted by the news that there will be Blu-Ray releases this year for Dr No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die and Die Another Day. Now, one of those films may be my least favourite Bond movie of all time (and another one of those is certainly bottom half of my league table) but nonetheless the news has me pumped. So when I thought to myself "What top 5 should I tackle next?" the choice was obvious. Bond has been in my blood since I first saw The Spy Who Loved Me when I was five or six and I quickly became hooked on the series. The first films I bought on DVD when I went to University were the Bond films and I watched and rewatched them throughout my time there, on at least two occassions marathoning the films and watching them back to back. I have seen only two movies at the theatre - the last two - and I cannot wait to see Quantum of Solace on the big screen. Suggestions that we might see a return to the gadgets disappoint me but hopefully Daniel Craig's performance will give me something to really latch onto. Without further ado - here are my top 5 Bond movies: 5. Licence to Kill - The two Dalton movies were the last two "classic" Bonds I saw but both rank amongst my favourites these days. Licence to Kill is an interesting picture - certainly darker and more bloody than other Bond films but with a focus on the character that I found irresistible. I love the way Bond's history is used to give him a personal connection to what is taking place - it really adds something to the storyline and helped me to invest in it. Sure, this film has its flaws. It feels distinctly of its time period (but then, don't the films from the 60s and 70s?) and its female lead feels a little bland. However its dark humour and excellent action sequences are amongst the best the series ever offered and for that reason it makes the cut. 4. From Russia With Love - No doubt some people would accuse me of pushing out Goldfinger to make room for From Russia simply to be iconoclastic but permit me a second to make my case. From Russia With Love is gritty and has three wonderful performances at its heart. Robert Shaw is superb as Red Grant - smart and brawny, he also has an intensity that complements Connery's style beautifully. The actress playing Rosa Klebb is a very different, interesting Bond villain - smart and manipulative. The action sequences are excellent and the supporting cast of characters really stand out. Little wonder that Sean Connery himself lists it as his favourite movie from the series. 3. Live and Let Die - Moore's debut is thrilling and a real departure of style from the previous entries. The action is superb, the humour cheeky without being too over the top and it features the magnificent Jane Seymour. It is a shame that Moore's Bond would quickly degenerate into wisecracks and eyebrow raising but here he is charming, ruthless and cold all at the same time. His best performance and one of the best Bond movies. 2. Casino Royale - No, not the Woody Allen version - this is the 2006 Bond blockbuster that really put the franchise back on the right track, at least as far as I am concerned. Daniel Craig is intense and really plays beautifully off Eva Green. The romantic scenes between the two of them are full of tension and layers of understanding. There is one scene which gets to me every time. Not to mention a scene which holds the honour of being the only torture scene to make me laugh. 1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Lastly my favourite Bond film and one of my favourite films, period. Lazenby is under-rated as Bond, turning in a gripping and emotional performance opposite Diana Rigg. The setting is stunning (and definitely cries out for Blu Ray conversion) whilst the action is gripping. I love the texture of this film and the awkward alliance between Bond and Tracy's father. There is so much going on here that at some point soon I'll have to give it a review-type post of its own, but from its opening scene to its self-aware quips to its sixties "free love" influences this never puts a foot wrong for me. It's just a shame that Lazenby did not want to do more of these - he could well have developed into a great Bond.
]]>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:27:05 GMTaidanbrackThe Bigger Picture8/15/2008 1:27:05 PMIt's been a while since I last did a top 5 list but my appetite for Bond has been whetted by the news that there will be Blu-Ray releases this year for Dr No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die and Die Another Day. Now, one of those films may be my least favourite Bond movie of all time (and another one of those is certainly bottom half of my league table) but nonetheless the news has me pumped. So when I thought to myself "What top 5 should I tackle next?" the choice was obvious. Bond has been in my blood since I first saw The Spy Who Loved Me when I was five or six and I quickly became hooked on the series. The first films I bought on DVD when I went to University were the Bond films and I watched and rewatched them throughout my time there, on at least two occassions marathoning the films and watching them back to back. I have seen only two movies at the theatre - the last two - and I cannot wait to see Quantum of Solace on the big screen. Suggestions that we might see a return to the gadgets disappoint me but hopefully Daniel Craig's performance will give me something to really latch onto. Without further ado - here are my top 5 Bond movies: 5. Licence to Kill - The two Dalton movies were the last two "classic" Bonds I saw but both rank amongst my favourites these days. Licence to Kill is an interesting picture - certainly darker and more bloody than other Bond films but with a focus on the character that I found irresistible. I love the way Bond's history is used to give him a personal connection to what is taking place - it really adds something to the storyline and helped me to invest in it. Sure, this film has its flaws. It feels distinctly of its time period (but then, don't the films from the 60s and 70s?) and its female lead feels a little bland. However its dark humour and excellent action sequences are amongst the best the series ever offered and for that reason it makes the cut. 4. From Russia With Love - No doubt some people would accuse me of pushing out Goldfinger to make room for From Russia simply to be iconoclastic but permit me a second to make my case. From Russia With Love is gritty and has three wonderful performances at its heart. Robert Shaw is superb as Red Grant - smart and brawny, he also has an intensity that complements Connery's style beautifully. The actress playing Rosa Klebb is a very different, interesting Bond villain - smart and manipulative. The action sequences are excellent and the supporting cast of characters really stand out. Little wonder that Sean Connery himself lists it as his favourite movie from the series. 3. Live and Let Die - Moore's debut is thrilling and a real departure of style from the previous entries. The action is superb, the humour cheeky without being too over the top and it features the magnificent Jane Seymour. It is a shame that Moore's Bond would quickly degenerate into wisecracks and eyebrow raising but here he is charming, ruthless and cold all at the same time. His best performance and one of the best Bond movies. 2. Casino Royale - No, not the Woody Allen version - this is the 2006 Bond blockbuster that really put the franchise back on the right track, at least as far as I am concerned. Daniel Craig is intense and really plays beautifully off Eva Green. The romantic scenes between the two of them are full of tension and layers of understanding. There is one scene which gets to me every time. Not to mention a scene which holds the honour of being the only torture scene to make me laugh. 1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Lastly my favourite Bond film and one of my favourite films, period. Lazenby is under-rated as Bond, turning in a gripping and emotional performance opposite Diana Rigg. The setting is stunning (and definitely cries out for Blu Ray conversion) whilst the action is gripping. I love the texture of this film and the awkward alliance between Bond and Tracy's father. There is so much going on here that at some point soon I'll have to give it a review-type post of its own, but from its opening scene to its self-aware quips to its sixties "free love" influences this never puts a foot wrong for me. It's just a shame that Lazenby did not want to do more of these - he could well have developed into a great Bond. http://www.spout.com/groups/Bond_Beyond/Re_Rank_James_Bond_Films/10/17827/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: pgiglio
Post To: Bond & Beyond
Post Date: 8/11/2007 1:50:59 AM
Body: As a long time fan of the James Bond franchise, I have altered this list many times over the years. This is where I currently stand.On Her Majesty's Secret Service (4 stars)From Russia With Love (4 stars)Casino Royale (3 1/2 stars)Dr No (3 1/2 stars)Goldfinger (3 1/2 stars)The Living Daylights (3 1/2 stars)For Your Eyes Only (3 stars)Diamonds Are Forever (3 stars)The Spy Who Loved Me (3 stars)Thunderball (3 stars)Goldeneye (3 stars)Octopussy (3 stars)You Only Live Twice (2 1/2 stars)The Man with the Golden Gun (2 1/2 stars)License To Kill (2 1/2 stars)The World is Not Enough (2 1/2 stars)Live and Let Die (2 stars)Tomorrow Never Dies (2 stars)Die Another Day (2 stars)A View To a Kill (1 1/2 stars)Moonraker (1/2 star)The only two films listed here that I really thought were out of place in the series were A View to a Kill and Moonraker. Daniel Craig does a nice job of filling the role of bond and I look forward to the Casino Royale sequel. For those interested, Never Say Never again and the original Casino Royale are not part of the James Bond franchise. Interesting side note: Bond titles that mention death in any of its wonderous forms for some reason usually don't meet the expectations of the series. Thank you.
]]>Sat, 11 Aug 2007 05:50:59 GMTpgiglioBond & Beyond8/11/2007 1:50:59 AMAs a long time fan of the James Bond franchise, I have altered this list many times over the years. This is where I currently stand.On Her Majesty&#39;s Secret Service (4 stars)From Russia With Love (4 stars)Casino Royale (3 1/2 stars)Dr No (3 1/2 stars)Goldfinger (3 1/2 stars)The Living Daylights (3 1/2 stars)For Your Eyes Only (3 stars)Diamonds Are Forever (3 stars)The Spy Who Loved Me (3 stars)Thunderball (3 stars)Goldeneye (3 stars)Octopussy (3 stars)You Only Live Twice (2 1/2 stars)The Man with the Golden Gun (2 1/2 stars)License To Kill (2 1/2 stars)The World is Not Enough (2 1/2 stars)Live and Let Die (2 stars)Tomorrow Never Dies (2 stars)Die Another Day (2 stars)A View To a Kill (1 1/2 stars)Moonraker (1/2 star)The only two films listed here that I really thought were out of place in the series were A View to a Kill and Moonraker. Daniel Craig does a nice job of filling the role of bond and I look forward to the Casino Royale sequel. For those interested, Never Say Never again and the original Casino Royale are not part of the James Bond franchise. Interesting side note: Bond titles that mention death in any of its wonderous forms for some reason usually don&#39;t meet the expectations of the series. Thank you. http://www.spout.com/groups/Bond_Beyond/Rank_James_Bond_Films/10/16722/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Windbreaker
Post To: Bond & Beyond
Post Date: 7/28/2007 3:27:46 PM
Body: I haven't seen any signs of recent life on this board, but will throw out a suggestion... RANK THE BOND FILMS. Against each other, of course, not necessarily individual ratings. A friend of mine challenged me to re-watch them chronologically and as quickly as possible. We each made our own notes along the way and ranked them. The ranking below was created prior to DIE ANOTHER DAY, so I need to consider where it fits in. I will tell you exactly where CASINO ROYALE fits in (see below). This is all very subjective, but I'd be interested to see other's thoughts. For example, do you loathe YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE because of its finale or do you forgive that portion and rank it higher? Enough babbling, on with my ranking.From Russia with LoveThunderballGoldeneyeCasino RoyaleOn Her Majesty’s Secret ServiceThe Living DaylightsDr NoTomorrow Never DiesThe Spy Who Loved MeLicense To KillGoldfingerFor Your Eyes OnlyLive and Let DieThe World Is Not EnoughOctopussyThe Man with the Golden Gun Die Another DayA View To A KillDiamonds Are ForeverMoonrakerYou Only Live TwiceThe order will certainly change, but I doubt too dramatically. I'm now re-watching the newly remastered DVDs. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE looked and sounded awesome.
]]>Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:27:46 GMTWindbreakerBond & Beyond7/28/2007 3:27:46 PMI haven&#39;t seen any signs of recent life on this board, but will throw out a suggestion... RANK THE BOND FILMS. Against each other, of course, not necessarily individual ratings. A friend of mine challenged me to re-watch them chronologically and as quickly as possible. We each made our own notes along the way and ranked them. The ranking below was created prior to DIE ANOTHER DAY, so I need to consider where it fits in. I will tell you exactly where CASINO ROYALE fits in (see below). This is all very subjective, but I&#39;d be interested to see other&#39;s thoughts. For example, do you loathe YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE because of its finale or do you forgive that portion and rank it higher? Enough babbling, on with my ranking.From Russia with LoveThunderballGoldeneyeCasino RoyaleOn Her Majesty&rsquo;s Secret ServiceThe Living DaylightsDr NoTomorrow Never DiesThe Spy Who Loved MeLicense To KillGoldfingerFor Your Eyes OnlyLive and Let DieThe World Is Not EnoughOctopussyThe Man with the Golden Gun Die Another DayA View To A KillDiamonds Are ForeverMoonrakerYou Only Live TwiceThe order will certainly change, but I doubt too dramatically. I&#39;m now re-watching the newly remastered DVDs. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE looked and sounded awesome. http://www.spout.com/blogs/hairylime/archive/2007/2/5/5270.aspx Post By: HairyLime
Post To: HairyLime Blog
Post Date: 2/5/2007 11:24:00 AM
Body: I have to admit, I have been away from the Bond franchise for some time. The last one I saw was 'Goldeneye', and while I thought it was a cut above the previous few entries, I was getting a little tired of the concept, thinking "how long can they keep milking this?" -- Well we had heard that this new Bond Daniel Craig was worth a look, so we ventured out to our local multiplex to check him out around December. Additionally, the 'Encore' channel started running all the old Bonds around the New Year (and if you got the 'on demand' option with your cable service, you could watch all of them at your leisure in widescreen no less!), so around here, we've been thoroughly drenched in Bond for the past few months. This weekend, we were snowed in and watched one of the more recent Pierce Brosnan entries, so with all this is mind, I thought I'd do an overview of the 007 pantheon (at least the ones I've seen, who knows how many times by now).I have to start by qualifying some of my prejudices about the series. I cut a lot of slack for the early ones. Budgets were low, the mindsets were different, audiences weren't quite so demanding of constant 'bang for the buck' as they are today. Sean Connery is still the favorite, and I will never understand how Roger Moore survived as long as he did.Dr. No (1962) - The franchise started the year I was born, but I didn't actually see this film until the mid-eighties video boom. Recently revisited it thanks to the Encore channel last month. Sean Connery sets the standard for the cool playboy secret agent, handles himself well in fights, makes snappy double entendres and Ursula Andress in her bikini and knife-belt combo is probably the most iconic of 'Bond girls'. Action-wise, the film is a little slow, but it has the proto-typical 'evil genius' and 'hidden island lair'. From Russia With Love (1963) - Haven't seen this one since the seventies, so its not fair to review this one. I seem to remember Robert Shaw was an impressive baddie, and the weird little woman with the pointy shoes was probably the model for the female evil sidekick character in the 'Austin Powers' movies.Goldfinger (1964) - Good villain, wierd henchman (with a lethal bowler hat no less), and Bond girl with the best name ("Pussy Galore") - Great car, good memorable lines "I expect you to die, Mr. Bond!" and the best of the theme songs.Thunderball (1965) - Remade as 'Never Say Never Again' in the eighties. Never a good idea to include scuba chase scenes, they really slow down the action. Good Tom Jones theme song. Haven't seen this one since the eighties, so I'll pass on more comments.You Only Live Twice (1967) - The goofiest of the Sean Connery films. Check out Bond in Japanese makeup made to pass as a native. Very cliche villain and volcano hideaway which was probably the model for Dr. Evil in the 'Austin Powers' films. Bond flies around in a mini helicopter with 4 distinct weapons onboard, and is chased by and dispatches - you guessed it - 4 helicopters. You can usually tell how weak the franchise is getting by how many techno gadgets get introduced.Casino Royale (1967) - A testament to how stale the franchise was becoming, it was ripe for lampoon. Not worth a look, this is a total mess. But maybe worth a peek at the final reel just to catch Woody Allen's bit as the evil 'James Bond Jr.'On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - Saw this for the first time last month. Not as bad as I was expecting. Telly Savalas makes a rather lame villain which is probably the biggest flaw. Diana Rigg is appealling and a nice tough mate for James. George Lazenby is a little on the dry side, but handles himself well, has a lot of good one liners. Ski chase scenes aplenty (and we'll be getting many more of them in the future, unfortunately).Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery comes back, looking a little pudgy, but still holding his own. This one has my favorite Bond double entendre when he comments on Jill St. John's wig change : "as long as the cuffs and collars match" - colorful villainous henchmen, just bordering on spoofery, the usual evil genius villain with an exotic hideaway that needs to be stormed. Not bad, but needs fresh ideas badly.Live and Let Die (1973) - Enter Roger Moore. Great theme song. Colorful villains and voodoo setting. A nice boat chase. Overall though, this Bond seems to play everything a little too much for laughs. A constant smirk on his face and the fact that he never looked believable in the fight scenes always left me a little cold on Roger Moore.The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) - More silliness. Killer midgets, another boat chase with the same southern sherrif along for the ride. We are in serious 'sequel-itis' territory now. Just treading water.The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Tried watching this one last month, couldn't get interested. 'Jaws' makes his first appearance. It just keeps getting more and more ridiculous. Moonraker (1979) - More 'Jaws'. Slow motion outer space climax (pardon the pun). Tied for a three way "worst bond film ever" award.For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Almost palatable Roger Moore bond. (more skiing though - probably easier to hide the stunt man beneath all the protective gear). Topol makes a good ally/sidekick. Revenge seeking crossbow weilding bond girl is a nice touch.Octopussy (1983) - More silliness. Maud Adams again for some reason (wasn't she killed off in 'Golden Gun'?) Girly Circus Troupe. Ok. (three way "worst bond film ever" winner)Never Say Never Again (1983) - To underscore how badly the franchise needs a facelift, but not quite the facelift it needed, Sean Connery goes back at it again in this 'unofficial' remake of 'Thunderball'. Beats the current 'official' Bond movies hands down, but still needs a younger actor in the role. Good villain turn by Klaus Maria Brandauer. A View To a Kill (1985) - Badly in need of a makeover now. Roger Moore is looking quite old and frail by this time and the pairings with the young girls is starting to earn catcalls. Grace Jones and Christopher Walken and Duran Duran title song. (three way "worst bond film ever" winner)The Living Daylights (1987) - Timothy Dalton takes over. While he has a good British theatrical delivery and seems to have a lot of severe intensity, he strikes me as being a bit of a 98 lb weakling in the brawn department. 'AIDS awareness Bond' spends much more time out of bed in the next few movies and more time with small potatoes bad guys and outlandish action sequences. An improvement on Roger Moore at any rate.Licence to Kill (1989) - Revisited last month. Good final chase scene (if not a little improbable - semi trucks doing wheelies?) - Grim determined Timothy Dalton goes on a revenge spree and brings Q along for the ride. Good creepy villain. Funny cameo by Wayne Newton as a new age guru.Goldeneye (1995) - Pierce Brosnan takes over. Refreshing to see the sex jokes back in the mix. Good over the top action sequences (love the tank chase scene). Bond is back in a good way. But oddly enough its not enough to sustain my interest and I end up missing the next three at the theater. Nice touch bringing in Judi Dench as M. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - haven't seen it yetThe World Is Not Enough (1999) - Saw this one last weekend. Good villain, good 'bad bond girl' - extremely silly 'good bond girl' (who buys Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist?) - Good enough Bond flick, but we seem to be getting back to a bit of Roger Moore-ishness in the spoof/seriousness ratio.Die Another Day (2002) - haven't seen it yetCasino Royale (2006) - Wow. Bond taken a bit more seriously ala 'Batman Begins'. Daniel Craig actually looks like he can 'take a licking and keep on ticking'. And I love the 'Bond with an attitude' persona he puts forward, reminds me of Connery in his youth. Favorite line: Bond: "give me a vodka martini" Bartender: "shaken or stirred?" Bond: "do I look like I give a damn?" - And doesn't everyone need a car with a built-in defibulator?Looking forward to where this goes next... addendum: A few other 'Spy Films' that might help take away the bad taste of 'too much Bond' - "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" with Richard Burton, "Three Days of the Condor" with Robert Redford, and recently "The Constant Gardener" with Ralph Fiennes -- they treat the 'glamorous world of spy-dom' with a generous dose of skepticism and a refreshingly bleak world view.
]]>Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:24:00 GMTHairyLimeHairyLime Blog2/5/2007 11:24:00 AMI have to admit, I have been away from the Bond franchise for some time. The last one I saw was &#39;Goldeneye&#39;, and while I thought it was a cut above the previous few entries, I was getting a little tired of the concept, thinking "how long can they keep milking this?" -- Well we had heard that this new Bond Daniel Craig was worth a look, so we ventured out to our local multiplex to check him out around December. Additionally, the &#39;Encore&#39; channel started running all the old Bonds around the New Year (and if you got the &#39;on demand&#39; option with your cable service, you could watch all of them at your leisure in widescreen no less!), so around here, we&#39;ve been thoroughly drenched in Bond for the past few months. This weekend, we were snowed in and watched one of the more recent Pierce Brosnan entries, so with all this is mind, I thought I&#39;d do an overview of the 007 pantheon (at least the ones I&#39;ve seen, who knows how many times by now).I have to start by qualifying some of my prejudices about the series. I cut a lot of slack for the early ones. Budgets were low, the mindsets were different, audiences weren&#39;t quite so demanding of constant &#39;bang for the buck&#39; as they are today. Sean Connery is still the favorite, and I will never understand how Roger Moore survived as long as he did.Dr. No (1962) - The franchise started the year I was born, but I didn&#39;t actually see this film until the mid-eighties video boom. Recently revisited it thanks to the Encore channel last month. Sean Connery sets the standard for the cool playboy secret agent, handles himself well in fights, makes snappy double entendres and Ursula Andress in her bikini and knife-belt combo is probably the most iconic of &#39;Bond girls&#39;. Action-wise, the film is a little slow, but it has the proto-typical &#39;evil genius&#39; and &#39;hidden island lair&#39;. From Russia With Love (1963) - Haven&#39;t seen this one since the seventies, so its not fair to review this one. I seem to remember Robert Shaw was an impressive baddie, and the weird little woman with the pointy shoes was probably the model for the female evil sidekick character in the &#39;Austin Powers&#39; movies.Goldfinger (1964) - Good villain, wierd henchman (with a lethal bowler hat no less), and Bond girl with the best name ("Pussy Galore") - Great car, good memorable lines "I expect you to die, Mr. Bond!" and the best of the theme songs.Thunderball (1965) - Remade as &#39;Never Say Never Again&#39; in the eighties. Never a good idea to include scuba chase scenes, they really slow down the action. Good Tom Jones theme song. Haven&#39;t seen this one since the eighties, so I&#39;ll pass on more comments.You Only Live Twice (1967) - The goofiest of the Sean Connery films. Check out Bond in Japanese makeup made to pass as a native. Very cliche villain and volcano hideaway which was probably the model for Dr. Evil in the &#39;Austin Powers&#39; films. Bond flies around in a mini helicopter with 4 distinct weapons onboard, and is chased by and dispatches - you guessed it - 4 helicopters. You can usually tell how weak the franchise is getting by how many techno gadgets get introduced.Casino Royale (1967) - A testament to how stale the franchise was becoming, it was ripe for lampoon. Not worth a look, this is a total mess. But maybe worth a peek at the final reel just to catch Woody Allen&#39;s bit as the evil &#39;James Bond Jr.&#39;On Her Majesty&#39;s Secret Service (1969) - Saw this for the first time last month. Not as bad as I was expecting. Telly Savalas makes a rather lame villain which is probably the biggest flaw. Diana Rigg is appealling and a nice tough mate for James. George Lazenby is a little on the dry side, but handles himself well, has a lot of good one liners. Ski chase scenes aplenty (and we&#39;ll be getting many more of them in the future, unfortunately).Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery comes back, looking a little pudgy, but still holding his own. This one has my favorite Bond double entendre when he comments on Jill St. John&#39;s wig change : "as long as the cuffs and collars match" - colorful villainous henchmen, just bordering on spoofery, the usual evil genius villain with an exotic hideaway that needs to be stormed. Not bad, but needs fresh ideas badly.Live and Let Die (1973) - Enter Roger Moore. Great theme song. Colorful villains and voodoo setting. A nice boat chase. Overall though, this Bond seems to play everything a little too much for laughs. A constant smirk on his face and the fact that he never looked believable in the fight scenes always left me a little cold on Roger Moore.The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) - More silliness. Killer midgets, another boat chase with the same southern sherrif along for the ride. We are in serious &#39;sequel-itis&#39; territory now. Just treading water.The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Tried watching this one last month, couldn&#39;t get interested. &#39;Jaws&#39; makes his first appearance. It just keeps getting more and more ridiculous. Moonraker (1979) - More &#39;Jaws&#39;. Slow motion outer space climax (pardon the pun). Tied for a three way "worst bond film ever" award.For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Almost palatable Roger Moore bond. (more skiing though - probably easier to hide the stunt man beneath all the protective gear). Topol makes a good ally/sidekick. Revenge seeking crossbow weilding bond girl is a nice touch.Octopussy (1983) - More silliness. Maud Adams again for some reason (wasn&#39;t she killed off in &#39;Golden Gun&#39;?) Girly Circus Troupe. Ok. (three way "worst bond film ever" winner)Never Say Never Again (1983) - To underscore how badly the franchise needs a facelift, but not quite the facelift it needed, Sean Connery goes back at it again in this &#39;unofficial&#39; remake of &#39;Thunderball&#39;. Beats the current &#39;official&#39; Bond movies hands down, but still needs a younger actor in the role. Good villain turn by Klaus Maria Brandauer. A View To a Kill (1985) - Badly in need of a makeover now. Roger Moore is looking quite old and frail by this time and the pairings with the young girls is starting to earn catcalls. Grace Jones and Christopher Walken and Duran Duran title song. (three way "worst bond film ever" winner)The Living Daylights (1987) - Timothy Dalton takes over. While he has a good British theatrical delivery and seems to have a lot of severe intensity, he strikes me as being a bit of a 98 lb weakling in the brawn department. &#39;AIDS awareness Bond&#39; spends much more time out of bed in the next few movies and more time with small potatoes bad guys and outlandish action sequences. An improvement on Roger Moore at any rate.Licence to Kill (1989) - Revisited last month. Good final chase scene (if not a little improbable - semi trucks doing wheelies?) - Grim determined Timothy Dalton goes on a revenge spree and brings Q along for the ride. Good creepy villain. Funny cameo by Wayne Newton as a new age guru.Goldeneye (1995) - Pierce Brosnan takes over. Refreshing to see the sex jokes back in the mix. Good over the top action sequences (love the tank chase scene). Bond is back in a good way. But oddly enough its not enough to sustain my interest and I end up missing the next three at the theater. Nice touch bringing in Judi Dench as M. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - haven&#39;t seen it yetThe World Is Not Enough (1999) - Saw this one last weekend. Good villain, good &#39;bad bond girl&#39; - extremely silly &#39;good bond girl&#39; (who buys Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist?) - Good enough Bond flick, but we seem to be getting back to a bit of Roger Moore-ishness in the spoof/seriousness ratio.Die Another Day (2002) - haven&#39;t seen it yetCasino Royale (2006) - Wow. Bond taken a bit more seriously ala &#39;Batman Begins&#39;. Daniel Craig actually looks like he can &#39;take a licking and keep on ticking&#39;. And I love the &#39;Bond with an attitude&#39; persona he puts forward, reminds me of Connery in his youth. Favorite line: Bond: "give me a vodka martini" Bartender: "shaken or stirred?" Bond: "do I look like I give a damn?" - And doesn&#39;t everyone need a car with a built-in defibulator?Looking forward to where this goes next... addendum: A few other &#39;Spy Films&#39; that might help take away the bad taste of &#39;too much Bond&#39; - "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" with Richard Burton, "Three Days of the Condor" with Robert Redford, and recently "The Constant Gardener" with Ralph Fiennes -- they treat the &#39;glamorous world of spy-dom&#39; with a generous dose of skepticism and a refreshingly bleak world view. http://www.spout.com/blogs/bond__beyond-10/archive/2006/1/17/180.aspx Post By: Jbecher
Post To: Bond & Beyond
Post Date: 1/17/2006 8:54:16 AM
Body: This is one of the classics. Underwater, gadgets, and Bond.
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