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What do you consider the most dire moment in a Bond film?

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  • barryt007barryt007
    edited April 2018 Posts: 19,339
    NicNac wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    echo wrote: »

    Bond grabbing the sumo s buttcheeks is the worst. What was the pont?


    The point was to make the audience laugh, and it surely accomplished that at the time. Like it or not, that was the type of Bond film that EON was going for at the time.

    Indeed, we must never fall into the trap of taking any of the films away from their time period and judging them by today's standards. This is why the whole debate about Bond's sexist behaviour in the 60s is ridiculous, and a waste of time.

    Spot on...couldn't agree more.

    The Bond films are a form of time capsule,if you will...to me anyway.
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    barryt007 wrote: »
    That is one scene that puzzles me.

    Why did they not stop when they realised Bond wasn't in the car ?
    The nieces are telling Hip but he just smiles and keeps driving.

    Never makes sense to me.

    Maybe the girls are actually telling him to drive faster to get away from the stupid Westerner!
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,570
    Lancaster007 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    That is one scene that puzzles me.

    Why did they not stop when they realised Bond wasn't in the car ?
    The nieces are telling Hip but he just smiles and keeps driving.

    Never makes sense to me.

    Maybe the girls are actually telling him to drive faster to get away from the stupid Westerner!

    Yes I'm sure it translates to something about a decadent western spy.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    NicNac wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    echo wrote: »

    Bond grabbing the sumo s buttcheeks is the worst. What was the pont?


    The point was to make the audience laugh, and it surely accomplished that at the time. Like it or not, that was the type of Bond film that EON was going for at the time.

    Indeed, we must never fall into the trap of taking any of the films away from their time period and judging them by today's standards. This is why the whole debate about Bond's sexist behaviour in the 60s is ridiculous, and a waste of time.
    Very true but even when I was 5 I didn't find the kung fu schoolgirls funny.

    Even by the comedy standards of the day 'Are You Being Served?', 'Man About the House' etc it's still very poor. I'm struggling to believe it ever made an audience roar with laughter.
    Lancaster007 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    That is one scene that puzzles me.

    Why did they not stop when they realised Bond wasn't in the car ?
    The nieces are telling Hip but he just smiles and keeps driving.

    Never makes sense to me.

    Maybe the girls are actually telling him to drive faster to get away from the stupid Westerner!
    I do hope you aren't insinuating Bond has been doing a Gary Glitter and touching them up when Hip's back was turned?
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited April 2018 Posts: 23,883
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    TheWizardOfIce wrote: »
    In another thread we were discussing the kung fu schoolgirls in TMWTGG and I have to say this seems to get something of a free pass when discussing the worst moment in Bond.

    You hardly ever hear it mentioned along with the usual suspects of slide whistle, double take pigeon, tsunami and brothergate.

    But it really is an appalling scene whichever way you cut it and with nothing whatsover to redeem it. Slide whistle and double take only last 2 seconds and tsunami is a cool concept but if they could'nt film for real they should've abandoned it. Brothergate I'm struggling to defend at all.

    I'm not saying that kung fu schoolgirls is necessarily the worst moment of the series but it really should be in the conversation more.

    Brothergate is astonishingly difficult to defend. Many simply say "I ignored it". That's nice, however, IMO letting that idea make it to the final print opens the doors for all kinds of crap ideas to potentially end up on the screen.

    Although the kung fu schoolgirls bit is intended to be funny, I find the fight with Chula far more amusing. Hip ditching Bond after going all the way out there to rescue him is just a poor transition into the boat chase.

    The fight with his nieces seems to be aimed at kids around the 3rd grade level. I think the scene probably gets a pass because we have Sir Roger as Bond here, who can adapt to the silliest of situations and maintain his dignity. Had this sequence appeared in a Craig film we could (and probably would) be throwing Purvis and Wade to the sharks along with Mendes or whoever had directed it.
    100% agreed.
    Birdleson wrote: »
    echo wrote: »

    Bond grabbing the sumo s buttcheeks is the worst. What was the pont?


    The point was to make the audience laugh, and it surely accomplished that at the time. Like it or not, that was the type of Bond film that EON was going for at the time.
    True, and I always have a good time with that scene even today.

    I think it works even if one takes it seriously (despite Barry's questionable raunch motif). Bond was being suffocated, and instinctively he went for the brute's buttocks first as a defensive maneuver, before realizing that twisting his undies would be a more effective solution to force him to release the hold.
  • GerardGerard
    edited April 2018 Posts: 5,812
    Well, the scriptwriters certainly didn't read YOLT when they wrote that scene, that's for sure.
  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    Posts: 1,884
    Here's a rather cathartic video breaking down the shoddy CGI in the tsunami surfing scene from DAD (starts at 11:31). Most of the complaints are about the close-ups of Brosnan and the ice(bergs). Worth a watch imo.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    edited January 2020 Posts: 1,081
    Brosnan wind surfing a glacier would have to be one of the lowlights of the franchise. I watched Die Another Day not that long ago and I still can't get over how emphatically terrible it is.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    May look bad as an adult but that windsurfing scene from DAD was amazing as a kid. I remember thinking "how are they going to top this"

    I also remember brainstorming ideas, thinking they could have a building collapse while Bond jumps out and basically snowboards (without snow, obviously) down the falling skyscraper. That would top it...

    Thank god children don't have a say in these movies. Still, DAD was amazing at 13.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    NicNac wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    echo wrote: »

    Bond grabbing the sumo s buttcheeks is the worst. What was the pont?


    The point was to make the audience laugh, and it surely accomplished that at the time. Like it or not, that was the type of Bond film that EON was going for at the time.

    Indeed, we must never fall into the trap of taking any of the films away from their time period and judging them by today's standards. This is why the whole debate about Bond's sexist behaviour in the 60s is ridiculous, and a waste of time.

    I don't think Bond was any more sexist back then
  • STLCards3STLCards3
    Posts: 230
    TheWizardOfIce wrote: »
    Lancaster007 wrote: »
    TheWizardOfIce wrote: »
    RC7 wrote: »
    I recognise the hatred for SP, but as the question is termed, ‘moment’, it’s the CGI tsunami surfing for me and it’s not even close. If the question was ‘direst concept’, then fill your boots with SP.

    Impossible to really argue with that.

    For me what's worse it the Moneypenny virtual reality scene - god-damned-awful. Super cringeworthy. Really hate that scene.

    Yeah but by that stage the damage is done. At that point the double take pigeon could rock up driving the Bondola hovercraft with Bibi and Oberhauser in the passenger seats with the slide whistle playing on a loop and I wouldn't give a toss.

    Exactly. It fit the mold of the rest of the trash going on. The worst are dire moments that derail good films.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Brofeld. 'Nuff said.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    For me it has to be the first time Bond and Q meet in Skyfall. This will take some explanation...

    I've always found the Craig era to be a little dire and a bit dreary. Having Q blurt out a line like "Were you expecting an exploding pen, we don't really go in for that anymore" Was not only an insult to the Brosnan era as far as I'm concerned but also a statement saying "We aren't here to have fun anymore" Now this could still work for me, but add in the fact that they then reuse gadgets from the Dalton era and Connery era and it becomes even more evident. Now the needle in the coffin is that both are used in a way that is even less interesting than their original counterparts.

    Any one of these things could be fine, but as a whole, not for me. It's probably the only moment in the franchise that actually offends me... just a little bit.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    vzok wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    LeChiffre wrote: »
    Die another day iceberg surfing! I remember squirming in the cinema.
    A very uncomfortable moment for sure!

    I had a similar one in 2015 during the 'hanging photos' sequence.

    The hanging photos may be lame and heavy handed, but the iceberg surfing was all that plus it was technically inept.

    +1.
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    It will always be the bloody slide whistle. Nuf said. (I actually press mute for a couple of seconds when I watch that film.)
  • shamanimalshamanimal
    Posts: 623
    Birdleson wrote: »
    echo wrote: »

    Bond grabbing the sumo s buttcheeks is the worst. What was the pont?


    The point was to make the audience laugh, and it surely accomplished that at the time. Like it or not, that was the type of Bond film that EON was going for at the time.

    It's easy to forgot just how ludicrous the films became during the Moore years. We can look back on them now with affection, but at the time, eugh. Octopussy even had Bond recognising his own theme tune. How naff is that?
  • BT3366BT3366
    Posts: 1,883
    I'd have to nominate Grandpa James asleep in a rocking chair in his suit in AVTAK, waking to bake quiche. Possibly the most unBond-like moments of the series.
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,025
    cwl007 wrote: »
    It will always be the bloody slide whistle. Nuf said. (I actually press mute for a couple of seconds when I watch that film.)

    I bet you can still hear it.
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    I can, it's burnt into the brain isn't it.
  • Scaramanga1974Scaramanga1974
    Posts: 665
    It's a tie for me between Pierce Brosnan ice surfing in DAD, Roger Moore trying to fight in a View to a Kill, Roger Moore in a clown suit in Octopussy, Sheriff JW Pepper casual racism in MWTGG, scenes with Elvis In QOS and Jaws and Dolly in Moonraker.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,417
    BT3366 wrote: »
    I'd have to nominate Grandpa James asleep in a rocking chair in his suit in AVTAK, waking to bake quiche. Possibly the most unBond-like moments of the series.

    Agreed
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    BT3366 wrote: »
    I'd have to nominate Grandpa James asleep in a rocking chair in his suit in AVTAK, waking to bake quiche. Possibly the most unBond-like moments of the series.

    Completely forgot about that scene, this might take the spot.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    At least that moment felt more natural than Bond and Stacey in the shower at the end. I wish they had just stuck with him being a father figure type to her, honestly.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    pachazo wrote: »
    At least that moment felt more natural than Bond and Stacey in the shower at the end. I wish they had just stuck with him being a father figure type to her, honestly.

    Nah....it’s Roger Moore....so it’s believable IMO.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,034
    pachazo wrote: »
    At least that moment felt more natural than Bond and Stacey in the shower at the end. I wish they had just stuck with him being a father figure type to her, honestly.

    Yeah, that's pretty awful. And that is in the same film as Roger doing some incredibly awkward hokey pokey with Grace Jones. Not a series highlight, that's for sure.
  • jobojobo
    Posts: 7,500
    Agent_47 wrote: »
    For me it has to be the first time Bond and Q meet in Skyfall. This will take some explanation...

    I've always found the Craig era to be a little dire and a bit dreary. Having Q blurt out a line like "Were you expecting an exploding pen, we don't really go in for that anymore" Was not only an insult to the Brosnan era as far as I'm concerned but also a statement saying "We aren't here to have fun anymore" Now this could still work for me, but add in the fact that they then reuse gadgets from the Dalton era and Connery era and it becomes even more evident. Now the needle in the coffin is that both are used in a way that is even less interesting than their original counterparts.

    Any one of these things could be fine, but as a whole, not for me. It's probably the only moment in the franchise that actually offends me... just a little bit.

    I loved that line!
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    jobo wrote: »
    Agent_47 wrote: »
    For me it has to be the first time Bond and Q meet in Skyfall. This will take some explanation...

    I've always found the Craig era to be a little dire and a bit dreary. Having Q blurt out a line like "Were you expecting an exploding pen, we don't really go in for that anymore" Was not only an insult to the Brosnan era as far as I'm concerned but also a statement saying "We aren't here to have fun anymore" Now this could still work for me, but add in the fact that they then reuse gadgets from the Dalton era and Connery era and it becomes even more evident. Now the needle in the coffin is that both are used in a way that is even less interesting than their original counterparts.

    Any one of these things could be fine, but as a whole, not for me. It's probably the only moment in the franchise that actually offends me... just a little bit.

    I loved that line!

    +1. Good writing.
  • Scaramanga1974Scaramanga1974
    Posts: 665
    Agent 47 I couldn't disagree more. I thought the Q scene was brilliant in Skyfall. A more realistic and gritty Bond and a nice put down of the gadget laden films, however entertaining at the time, of a bygone era.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,036
    To me the gadget line was a welcome joke--it got laughs from the audiences I was in. I took it as Q parroting the current MI6 party line, with the bureaucrats putting undeserved pressure on Double-Os. But of course over time Q Branch is shown to be all about gadgets. No surprise there.

  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    Scaramanga1974 wrote: »
    Agent 47 I couldn't disagree more. I thought the Q scene was brilliant in Skyfall. A more realistic and gritty Bond and a nice put down of the gadget laden films, however entertaining at the time, of a bygone era.

    My post was not a slight on the writing, delivery or direction. I agree that it is a brilliant scene, but one that ultimately clashes with me.

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