Last Bond Movie You Watched

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  • Posts: 1,469
    I'm currently watching Never Say Never Again and while I think it gets off to a really rocky start, and I think the video game battle is embarassing, I am finding this a lot more interesting and enjoyable than I remember. Always lovely when that happens with a film. It'll never be a favorite of mine (I don't think the dialogue, particularly in the first half, is good at all) but it doesn't feel bottom-of-the-barrel anymore. I'll report back when it's over. I'm currently at the part where Bond and Domino are being held at the fort/castle of sorts (fyi).

    edit: Done with the viewing. The climax (the final confrontation, at least) is very anti-climactic but all in all this sits a lot better with me this time around. There are many standout scenes, despite my issues with it. The main location for the film is really awesome and that entire stretch is generally pretty great (minus the video game battle). Fatima Blush is a top-tier villain. Easy. She literally singlehandedly *makes* this film something fun. I wish she had lived longer.
    I agree with you about Fatima Blush, standout scenes, and the main location. I have fond memories of watching NSNA though I haven't seen it possibly 10 years. I find things to like in practically all Bond films, so unlike Saida, they don't say to me, "I've lost my charm!" I always feel like Bond does well in a tropical or sunny and warm locale, perhaps partly because his lust for life and its pleasures can be satisfied there and these things contrast with British sensibilities and the sharp focus on the mission. I like the motorcycle chase, beginning in the villa with the billowing curtains and him impaling his apple on the trident of the Indian figurine, elements that add atmosphere, suspense and style. Some of the dialogue sticks with me, like when Largo offers Bond a cigarette and he says "Not today, thank you". Then there are the female co-stars, and Klaus Maria Brandauer. Also, NSNA gives a view as to what it might be like to be a secret agent aged 53, as Connery was at the time. How would he react to situations? And of course we saw that with Roger Moore, and Daniel Craig was 51 filming NTTD. That said, I much prefer TB to NSNA, and as OP came out the same year, I rank OP higher too.
  • Well said. Well written. I love how you talk about the climate. I think you may be onto something. I tend to prefer Bond in those areas. Agree about some of the dialogue too. I do wish that they would’ve acknowledged his age a bit more. Moore was lucky and always looked younger than he was. Connery always looked older. And so NSNA and AVTAK both leave me wishing for a recognition of sorts.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,889
    Roger may have looked more youthful longer, but Connery was more rugged and physically capable in his middle, to later years; just watch The Rock.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 8,254
    Connery left his mother's womb rugged and physically capable!
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,889
    :))
  • Just watched Never Say Never Again for the first time since maybe the mid-2000s, and got a big kick out of it.

    The good: Connery is back to being the same virile, agile, uber-confident panther he is in Thunderball and more so than in his last two EON-produced outings. I love Moore, but what a joy it would've been to see a couple more Connery-led entries in the '80s. I also love the Klaus Maria Brandauer-Barbara Carrera villainous duet - both are so oddball in ways not yet seen in the cannon. Also, I love the use of Cote d'Azure and particularly Villefranche-sur-Mer where I recognized some places I've been to. There's something about the locations, style, and Michel Legrand's score that give NSNA a '70s/'80s Belmondo-action movie feel.

    The bad: While there aren't too many grating moments (in contrast to the EON films of that era), the lack of a John Barry score, as well as the aforementioned pedestrian direction, and strange editing all give NSNA an obvious "unofficial" feel.

    Still, a treat to enjoy every once in a while.
  • MalloryMallory Do mosquitoes have friends?
    Posts: 2,035
    Licence to Kill

    Between Dalton’s two Bond films, I am generally of the impression that TLD is the better Bond film, but LTK is the better film. If that makes sense,

    Lots to love here. Rogue Bond (when it was a first), Sanchez is one of my favourite villains and I love Davi’s performance. He is so affable yet menacing at the same time. I noticed for the first time, when Bond is at his villa, Sanchez makes him a coffee and asks if he wants cream or sugar. What a guy! An excellent host.

    Carey Lowell is also very underrated as a Bond girl. Stunningly attractive yet very capable, intelligent and is well tied into the overall plot.

    Big props to the Kentworth tanker chase at the end.

    Yeah I understand the criticism that it lacks certain Bond trappings, but for me it keeps the essentials and uses them well, whilst disregarding all the superfluous stuff.

    Overall, had a great time with it.

    Only real complaint is that Hedison should have been Leiter in TLD, that would have added to the impact here,
  • Posts: 6,727
    Mallory wrote: »
    Licence to Kill

    Between Dalton’s two Bond films, I am generally of the impression that TLD is the better Bond film, but LTK is the better film. If that makes sense,

    Lots to love here. Rogue Bond (when it was a first), Sanchez is one of my favourite villains and I love Davi’s performance. He is so affable yet menacing at the same time. I noticed for the first time, when Bond is at his villa, Sanchez makes him a coffee and asks if he wants cream or sugar. What a guy! An excellent host.

    Carey Lowell is also very underrated as a Bond girl. Stunningly attractive yet very capable, intelligent and is well tied into the overall plot.

    Big props to the Kentworth tanker chase at the end.

    Yeah I understand the criticism that it lacks certain Bond trappings, but for me it keeps the essentials and uses them well, whilst disregarding all the superfluous stuff.

    Overall, had a great time with it.

    Only real complaint is that Hedison should have been Leiter in TLD, that would have added to the impact here,

    Totally agree re David Hedison. Some say he was too old for Daltons Bond, but i thought their relationship was convincing and he would have made more of an impression than Terry.
    Also agree about Carey, gorgeous and sexy and great chemistry with Dalton!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    After the fun Connery Bond game, I watched the winner FRWL.
    One of the best of the Bonds, the train fight still looks brutal
    even now. Must have been " Shocking" back in 1963.
  • Posts: 6,727
    THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
    Not one of my favourites, but I thought i would give it another watch! My attitude towards it hasnt really changed. Roger is great, and looks fab in his naval uniform (my favourite moment is when he descends from the helicopter!) But as Cubby used to call them "the bumps", ie the exciting bits, for me there is very few bumps here! Apart from the ski jump, admittedly, really thrilling,, the rest of the action is very poor. Curt Jurgens is a boring villain, Barbara Bach is gorgeous, but is a personality vacuum! And those that criticise MR for its silly humour, well, it really started here with submersible car, Jaws and his antics ripping up vans and dropping blocks on his foot, and bad musical cues from Marvin Hamlisch.
    I still prefer MR, daft as it is, it still has better sequences, production values, villain and excitement!
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,889
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
    Not one of my favourites, but I thought i would give it another watch! My attitude towards it hasnt really changed. Roger is great, and looks fab in his naval uniform (my favourite moment is when he descends from the helicopter!) But as Cubby used to call them "the bumps", ie the exciting bits, for me there is very few bumps here! Apart from the ski jump, admittedly, really thrilling,, the rest of the action is very poor. Curt Jurgens is a boring villain, Barbara Bach is gorgeous, but is a personality vacuum! And those that criticise MR for its silly humour, well, it really started here with submersible car, Jaws and his antics ripping up vans and dropping blocks on his foot, and bad musical cues from Marvin Hamlisch.
    I still prefer MR, daft as it is, it still has better sequences, production values, villain and excitement!

    Jaws was never the same after the dropping of the block on his foot; he went from killer to clown.

  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    I t recently occured to me that 2021 is 25 years since I watched my first Bond film. Seing as how I barely watched any Bond films last year (2, maybe 3), I thought what better time to have a Bondathon. So I started off with the film that got me into Bond...


    You Only Live Twice
    Deep down I know that this isn't the best Bond film, but I still have a bit of a soft spot for it.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    I didn't see it on the big screen, but on VHS. The then newly released 007 Collection, with the "Looking for a little peace and quiet? Didn't think so." trailer before the film.
  • edited April 2021 Posts: 2,887
    Over the years I've shown the Bond films to an old college friend. Last week he asked if he'd seen all of them. Almost I said--he'd fallen asleep halfway through Dr. No, back in the age of DVDs. He wanted to rectify this, so I downloaded a 4K video and we viewed the entire film tonight.

    Seen in ultra high-definition on a 55 inch screen, Dr. No looks prettier than it ever in my experience--Jamaica is greener, the sea bluer, everything is more vibrant and textured. It also brings out the film's age, in a positive way. The sets look a little more like sets but that makes them even more impressive, especially in light of the small budget. Being able to see so many details and textures drives home that Dr. No's visual aesthetic owes more to the 50s than 60s. More than ever, I felt like I was watching a vanished world. I paused the film to explain the joke involving Goya's Duke of Wellington joke.

    This time around I developed greater appreciation for how the screenwriters--Maibaum, Wolf Mankowitz, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather--built upon and further developed Fleming's plot, especially the excellent subplot with Professor Dent. On the other hand, Felix Leiter remains a useless third wheel.

    A repeat viewing left me slightly more critical of the performances. Connery immediately shows he had the presence needed for the role, and his introduction will forever be perfect. But he's less at ease and some of his line readings are rushed or jumpy, especially when dealing with lengthier dialogue. Nevertheless, he owns the screen and moves beautifully--he was never more lean and agile.

    With all due respect to the late Nikki van der Zyl, I don't think she gave the right voice to Honey--it's a little too soft and childish for a character who might be innocent but is also a tough cookie and tomboy, and the accent doesn't fit anywhere. John Kitzmiller starts out strong but diminishes as the script gradually lets him down. It's funny that the film of Live and Let Die perfectly cast the character, but as his own son!

    Ultra HD is not always kind--the car chase with the hearse never looked great, but here the back projection is even more obvious. The eye make-up on some of the mock-Asian actors is a little more obvious.

    So much of what the Bond series would become is already present in Dr. No--this time around what You Only Live Twice cribbed is especially clear. But in 1962 the series was far from bloat and self-parody. Felix Leiter and Spectre are in Dr. No because Thunderball was the first novel Maibaum and the producers tried to adapt, yet if they'd tried filming it in 1962 they'd have probably gone broke. Yet when they filmed it 3 years later the series had become a victim of its own success.
  • Posts: 1,469
    @Revelator, an excellent review! I watched Dr. No recently too, but on my much smaller 36" screen, and really enjoyed it again. My second favorite Bond film.

    @Birdleson, seeing YOLT at age 7 must've really gotten your imagination going! I think the first Bond film I saw was either DAF or GF, probably both, on TV around age 18, then TSWLM in the theater, then when FYEO came out I was hooked. I also remember as a boy seeing Mr. Freeze's first appearance on Batman on TV in a rerun. It was on TV not long ago but I couldn't stay awake long enough to catch it for the sake of nostalgia, with the references to the dynamic duo trapped in the cold zones, "baked Alaska" etc.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited April 2021 Posts: 13,882
    Dr No
    No change. Dr No has always been one of my favourite Bond films, and cotinues to do so. It's a little rough around the edges, but I can't hold that against the film too much.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. Dr No
    2. You Only Live Twice
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Every time I watch Dr No, I keep being impressed and wonder why I haven't watched it more recently.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    From Russia With Love
    Again, no change. Peak Connery era Bond, and still one of my favourite in the series. The Bond theme playing obnoxiously loud while Bond checking his room is a bit much, but that's a small complaint in an otheriwse fine film.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. From Russia With Love
    2. Dr No
    3. You Only Live Twice

  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    You Only Live Twice is another Bond epic, showing a production company full of confidence. Admittedly it only pays lip service to the original Fleming material but as already stated it is a lot of fun. When it was first on British TV, I was working as a waiter, not in a cocktail bar but a local football club. It was great to see the Bar full of people all sitting and all watching Bond, I know for many younger people they probably don't know what it was like with only three TV stations, no DVD releases or streaming services. So Bond films were an Event even on Television. I seem to remember LALD had an audience of around 23 million on its first showing.
    YOLT is filled with huge set pieces the largest outdoor set ever constructed, An over the top helicopter fight sequence. Sean is a little heavier, but I don't see the lack of interest that some do. Donald Pleasance makes a menacing Blofeld and must be one of the most impersonated and spoofed villains of all time. Even with Jan Werich being the first choice and in one scene you can see his hair above the top of Blofeld's office chair. the sets are amazing even the smaller ones like Blofeld's study behind the control room and Osato's office. Basically everything is dialled up to eleven with YOLT.
    Story wise, it's Dr No on a bigger scale from toppling rockets to hijacking them and was more or less remade twice again with TSWLM and MR.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Caught Moonraker on one of the ITV channels, I'd intended to only watch the pre credits
    but was sucked in to watching the entire film again :D
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    I t recently occured to me that 2021 is 25 years since I watched my first Bond film. Seing as how I barely watched any Bond films last year (2, maybe 3), I thought what better time to have a Bondathon. So I started off with the film that got me into Bond...


    You Only Live Twice
    Deep down I know that this isn't the best Bond film, but I still have a bit of a soft spot for it.

    It used to be my favourite Bond film many years ago!
    Now it languishes in the bottom half of my Bond film list... 😕
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Goldfinger
    I liked Goldfinger when I was younger, but the old I get, the less I like it (in that way, it's sort of the opposite of OHMSS). It might be generally considered to be THE Bond film, but I feel cold towards it.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. From Russia With Love
    2. Dr No
    3. You Only Live Twice
    4. Goldfinger
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Goldfinger
    I liked Goldfinger when I was younger, but the old I get, the less I like it (in that way, it's sort of the opposite of OHMSS). It might be generally considered to be THE Bond film, but I feel cold towards it.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. From Russia With Love
    2. Dr No
    3. You Only Live Twice
    4. Goldfinger

    A Coldfinger one might say.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    royale65 wrote: »
    Goldfinger
    I liked Goldfinger when I was younger, but the old I get, the less I like it (in that way, it's sort of the opposite of OHMSS). It might be generally considered to be THE Bond film, but I feel cold towards it.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. From Russia With Love
    2. Dr No
    3. You Only Live Twice
    4. Goldfinger

    A Coldfinger one might say.

    62963531.jpg
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    Dr No

    Wonderful stuff. Connery is just so good. So many great scenes but the meeting between Bond and Dr No is the highlight. Beautifully shot with Connery and Wiseman absolutely riveting in the scene.

    Love the way it looks on bluray 👍
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Thunderball
    I debated whether to put TB above or bellow GF. GF doesn't do much wrong as such, it just doesn't do it for me. Wheras with TB, there are parts that don't sit well with me (Bond blackmailing Pat for shex at Shrublands), the painful to watch Q scene, all the underwater scenes that slow the film down to a glacial pace, and I know this might sound unfair, but the editing in the final fight is distracting.
    I do miss Bond sussing out that someone isn't who they claim to be via their poor etiquette. "My dear Col. Bouvior, I don't think you should have opened that car door by yourself." See also Grant in FRWL.

    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. From Russia With Love
    2. Dr No
    3. You Only Live Twice
    4. Goldfinger
    5. Thunderball
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    As I said on GF, this is th eopposite. I didn't care much for OHMSS when I first got into Bond, and a few years afterwards. But as the years have gone by, I started to apprecite this film, and Lazenby more. He wasn't an actor at the time, but I think that he excelled in more areas than those he didn't (which was nothing that a few more films couldn't have fixed).


    Silver Anniversary Bondathon (1996-2021)
    1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    2. From Russia With Love
    3. Dr No
    4. You Only Live Twice
    5. Goldfinger
    6. Thunderball
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Agree @MajorDSmythe As a kid I didn't rate OHMSS too highly, where were the steel toothed henchmen etc :D Then i got a little older if not wiser and came to appreciate it for the masterpiece it is, I love it and watch it regularly
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Agree @MajorDSmythe As a kid I didn't rate OHMSS too highly, where were the steel toothed henchmen etc :D Then i got a little older if not wiser and came to appreciate it for the masterpiece it is, I love it and watch it regularly

    That's it, that was me. I didn't appreciate what it is that makes OHMSS so special within the series.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I also had my Dad telling me that Lazenby wasn't a patch on Connery etc, So I had to get over that too :D I fully agree with the thought that given another film or two George would have become a very competent actor. We all know the story of the bad advice he was given at the time.
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