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Last Bond Movie You Watched

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  • jobojobo
    Posts: 7,500
    Mendes4Lyfe wrote: »
    I still don't know. When bond arrives at his hotel he checks his room for bugs and give the hotel man a tip. Does that make things any clearer?

    That is From Russia With Love… But seriously, dude, watch the films and see for yourself! ;)
  • NapoleonPluralNapoleonPlural
    Posts: 512
    Moonraker, hard to explain these days. I mean, the nearest thing we have is The Expendables, where you kind of read the film. You know that Stallone, Arnie and Mel were in 1980s megahits, and you go with that, you enjoy the silly injokes and then it all goes serious suddenly. The Bonds were a bit like that, then, throw it all in the mix. A bit like watching an episode of The Avengers.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I agree, MR is not the greatest Bond film made, but it has its Charm, and in the right mood it can be a lot of fun.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    With some careful editing it could have been better. However, Gilbert was a clown who always when for a comic laugh ahead of anything with substance. Moore is still a good Bond and Drax a decent heavy. Jaws' love affair is just awful though.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,595
    Drax is one of my favorite villains in the entire series. His line delivery is great and he has the perfect persona and presence for that role, for that film.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Yes , I love Drax as a villain.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    That is true, agreed. Can't complain about Lonsdale is the part of Drax. "Look after Mr. Bond, see that some harm comes to him." Classic.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,595
    As much as I enjoy and defend MR, I would have traded Drax for Stromberg in a heartbeat. Would have made TSWLM even better, and MR's reputation has never been strong anyway.

    I think a combination of the two films would've resulted in the ultimate "Save the world/larger than life" Bond film.
  • jobojobo
    edited March 2015 Posts: 7,500
    Appreciating Moonraker is a matter of mood for me. If I feel lazy or half sleepy on a Sunday afternoon, it's a fun, good looking little ride to relax with. If I wan't to watch a film to get invested in the story, or even emotionally engaged, it is certainly not what I'd put on. With Bond is all about putting the right film on at the right time. Likevise I would not put on FRWL, LTK or Casino Royale if I feel slightly tired or unatentive. Some Bond films are meant for relaxation, others for intrigue and suspense. Others again.. are just bad... ;)
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    True and the plots are remarkably similar. Interestingly enough TSWLM was originally supposed to revive Spectre (or a new version of it), but the rising legal battles prevented this, what a different film that would have been.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,079
    My favourite bonds always tend to be the ones that are most like goldfinger (goldeneye, skyfall) which is strange because I'm not even a massive fan of goldfinger.
    3:-O
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited March 2015 Posts: 11,189
    jobo wrote: »
    Appreciating Moonraker is a matter of mood for me. If I feel lazy or half sleepy on a Sunday afternoon, it's a fun, good looking little ride to relax with. If I wan't to watch a film to get invested in the story, or even emotionally engaged, it is certainly not what I'd put on. With Bond is all about putting the right film on at the right time. Likevise I would not put on FRWL, LTK or Casino Royale if I feel slightly tired or unatentive. Some Bond films are meant for relaxation, others for intrigue and suspense. Others again.. are just bad... ;)

    Very much agreed. The last time I saw MR properly was Christmas Day afternoon. The film may be dumb at points but it's made with class and acts as an easy, un-challenging watch.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    suavejmf wrote: »
    True and the plots are remarkably similar. Interestingly enough TSWLM was originally supposed to revive Spectre (or a new version of it), but the rising legal battles prevented this, what a different film that would have been.

    I wonder how long Spectre would have been around if they did. Certainly in Moonraker, I think.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,595
    Yeah I think so. I assume Lonsdale's Drax would've been written as a member of SPECTRE, or Lonsdale himself would've just played Blofeld or something. I don't think there would have been a drastic reworking, but the plot fits that SPECTRE-level of grandiosity.
  • CrzChris4CrzChris4
    Posts: 462
    Just finished A View To A Kill. This one is an interesting one, at that.

    On one hand, it's absolutely ridiculous. This one really feels like the end of an "era" in the canon. You have Moore and Maxwell's final performance, the almost "self-aware" attitude would be removed in the next film and there's a certain touch to it that just makes it feel like the last old-school Bond film...I think TLD and LTK both feel like they are way ahead of their time when compared to some of the Moore films.

    Still, there's a lot to enjoy: Walken and Jones' performances as Zorin and May Day are both great, the score is phenomenal, the excellent title song, I love the iconic-ness of the final scenes on the Golden Gate bridge, the scenes with Tibbett, Moore's refined and suave performance. However, when this film is bad, it's bad...which is my biggest issue with the film. The series at this time needed to be rejuvenated and it's very obvious: there's a scene at the horse track where it shows all of the series regulars and nobody is younger than fifty-five!

    Not the worst film in the canon but definitely one of the weakest.

    1. From Russia With Love
    2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    3. Goldfinger
    4. Casino Royale '06
    5. Dr. No
    6. The Spy Who Loved Me
    7. Quantum Of Solace
    8. Octopussy
    9. Thunderball
    10. You Only Live Twice
    11. For Your Eyes Only
    12. Live And Let Die
    13. A View To A Kill
    14. Moonraker
    15. The Man With The Golden Gun
    16. Diamonds Are Forever
  • AstonLotusAstonLotus
    Posts: 1,394
    Watched Tomorrow Never Dies this evening.

    Terrific fun and may as of now be my favourite Brosnan Bond.If its all out Bond action you want then this is definetly the one to go to.Brosnan truly owns the screen as 007 here ( after appearing a little unsure of himself IMO in Goldeneye ) and here seems to really be having FUN ( despite the death of one of his great loves but heck, shit happens! ).The action is utterly fantastic in this film with the PTS, remote car chase, and bike chase being amongst the best action sequences in the entire series.Michelle Yeoh is gorgeous and kicks ass and of course David Arnolds first Bond score is a delight after the terrible Eric Serra effort of the previous film.

    Jonathan Pryce really hams it up as the villain and you cant help but be entertained by this guy, really love the ''Empire WILL strike back '' gag and his karate impression in front of Wai Linn.

  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Many seem to dislike J Pryce as a villain, but I too think he does a great job.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    edited March 2015 Posts: 1,595
    I like Pryce a lot too. His motive is as insane as he is (although not terribly far fetched). It's just psycho and ridiculous, and he plays it accordingly. can't blame him for that.

    Anyways, I finished The Man with the Golden Gun. My thoughts on it haven't really changed, although I'm slowly appreciating it a bit more over the years. My complaints remain though, so i don't think it'll ever push out of that "bottom tier."

    Still enjoy it overall for sure. Moore's scenes with Lee are outstanding. Special mention for Ted Moore's lush cinematography.
  • jobojobo
    Posts: 7,500
    Pryce is far from terrible, but he lacks quite a bit of menace if you ask me. He makes me laugh more than fear him in sections... It is just the wrong balance for me.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Birdleson wrote: »
    The main problem with Pryce's villain is not in the performance, it's that, like much of the movie, his whole character and style is abandoned in the second half. We start out with these great media-centric schemes, but his master plan devolves into just another '90s shoot 'em up adventure. I would had eloped to see the cerebral side of the character explored further and pushed in the final act, not forgotten.

    There is a lot of criticism of this kind relating to Bond movies. eg. starts off great with an interesting premise and finishes limply without sufficient development of plot/narrative or characters.

    I personally think it's the format that creates this problem - trying to fit everything (including the action set pieces etc.) into a 2 hr or so format is quite difficult.

    That's why I was all for the two parter that B24/25 was supposed to be. Hopefully we still get this.

    I also think that's why trilogies work well - like BB/TDK/TDKR there is enough movie length to tell a strong narrative and develop characters and themes well.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    edited March 2015 Posts: 1,595
    bondjames wrote: »
    I personally think it's the format that creates this problem - trying to fit everything (including the action set pieces etc.) into a 2 hr or so format is quite difficult.

    What solidifies TND as a superior film to TWINE is that both succumb to the "tick the boxes" formatting issues you're mentioning, but the latter would have you think it doesn't.

    Not to mention a vastly superior performance from Brosnan (I blame Apted, not Pierce for that regression in the role), vastly superior action sequences, and a sense of fun / pure entertainment sucked completely out of TWINE.

    I find TND's second half entertaining, even the machine gun climax, but I definitely understand that it is the weaker half of the film. I do admire that Spottiswoode was committed to just delivering an action packed adventure film with a no-nonsense attitude, regardless of a few falters here and there.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,079
    Birdleson wrote: »
    ThighsOfXenia wrote: »

    I find TND's second half entertaining, even the machine gun climax, but I definitely understand that it is the weaker half of the film. I do admire that Spottiswoode was committed to just delivering an action packed adventure film with a no-nonsense attitude, regardless of a few falters here and there.

    I find all of that non-stop, pointless, shooting from the Brosnan era the low point in the series. Worse than the pigeon or the Tarzan yell. It's not the classic Bond battles of yore (ala YOLT and TSWLM), it is Bond as Rambo, invincible, yet single-handedly knocking off dozens. It devolves the Bond films into just another cartoon action romp, like twenty other films coming out around the same time. There was nothing special about a Bond film from that era except that "James Bond" was a character in them.

    What about a choice between TND and AVTAK, which do you take?
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,595
    Yeah, I've never understood people's hatred of that Zorin scene in the mine. @Birdleson, I see what you're saying regarding TND, and I'm not disagreeing with you necessarily. I'm just saying, at least it has no delusions of grandeur.
  • CrzChris4CrzChris4
    edited March 2015 Posts: 462
    I noticed this too when I watch AVTAK earlier this week...the scene is at complete odds with most of the preceding scenes but it's just so well done. It's a scene that definitely goes a long way in showing how psychotic Zorin really is. With all of the build-up surrounding how he was an experiment and how crazy he really can be, I think it's a rather great payoff in a rather mediocre film. Definitely a shining moment in AVTAK.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    This discussion made me want to rewatch TND. Last time i saw it, the film was much more fun than I last remembered. So this is what i'm gonna do tonight. :D
  • AstonLotusAstonLotus
    Posts: 1,394
    Birdleson wrote: »
    ThighsOfXenia wrote: »

    I find TND's second half entertaining, even the machine gun climax, but I definitely understand that it is the weaker half of the film. I do admire that Spottiswoode was committed to just delivering an action packed adventure film with a no-nonsense attitude, regardless of a few falters here and there.

    I find all of that non-stop, pointless, shooting from the Brosnan era the low point in the series. Worse than the pigeon or the Tarzan yell. It's not the classic Bond battles of yore (ala YOLT and TSWLM), it is Bond as Rambo, invincible, yet single-handedly knocking off dozens. It devolves the Bond films into just another cartoon action romp, like twenty other films coming out around the same time. There was nothing special about a Bond film from that era except that "James Bond" was a character in them.

    Isnt that a fair desciption of Craigs Bond? That of an unstoppable killing machine? For example in SF he gets shot twice, falls off a speeding train into a river and survives! In CR he wipes out a small army in Venice and pulls out a big fucking nail out of his back Rambo like, and in QOS he is at his most Terminatorish, killing everything in sight!

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited March 2015 Posts: 15,690
    I was thinking about the recent Bond films. If I remember correctly Brosnan killed all the villains in his movies - Alec, Ourumov, Xenia, Carver, Stamper, Kaufmann, Elektra, Renard, Graves and Zao. Craig 'killed' almost none of his main villains- White killed Le Chiffre, Camille killed Medrano, he just 'indirectly' killed Greene. Only in SF did he kill Patrice and Silva.
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,595
    Well said. Also, @CrzChris4 I always point out that that scene is not at odds with the rest of the film. AVTAK is really quite dark at times. Tibbit's death comes to mind, as well as the elimination of the KGB agent.
  • Kostas_PKostas_P
    edited March 2015 Posts: 159
    For Your Eyes Only. Well, I guess I'm the exception for not liking this much. It was the 4-5th time maybe and i wanted to change my opinion but it seems that it is like an average 80s action film with dreadful soundtrack and too much action. And i really don't understand why people think it is more dark than other Moore Bond films. The dialogues are not good either. It's a pity because the filming at Meteora is really superb. (Though Bond, when handed a fruit, replies with the greek word "Parakalo-παρακαλώ" which means you're welcome, instead of "efharisto-ευχαριστώ" which is the greek word for thank you). And that ending...
  • Kostas_PKostas_P
    Posts: 159
    I guess people were very disappointed with Moonraker, so whatever the sequel was, as long as it wasn't in the same vein, it should get praised ;)
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