Controversial opinions about Bond films

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  • Posts: 1,631
    Tomorrow Never Lies would have been a far superior title, especially had they given more focus to Carver's newspaper than they did in the actual film. Tomorrow Never Dies never made any sense, and I remember the first time that someone told me that was to be the title of the next film, my twelve year old self actually thought for a brief moment that they were going to introduce time travel to the series because the title didn't make much sense in any other context.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 14,844
    Tomorrow Never Lies would have indeed made far more sense. Because it's a true statement: the newspaper never lied, at least in its front pages titles.

    Another controversial statement (maybe not actually): Paris Carver was both poorly cast and poorly written and the history she had with Bond seems to have existed solely to skip the seduction work.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 11,189
    Watching Dr No now. Connery certainly has a strong screen presence and projects an air of extreme confidence, but his line deliveries sometimes sound a little bit wooden. It's like he's phoning it in a bit on occasions.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    I always thought he sounded a little hostile, even to his allies, in DN.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 11,189
    Sark wrote: »
    I always thought he sounded a little hostile, even to his allies, in DN.

    True. He seems to bark his lines out sometimes in DN.

    I think the key lies in the detail though. The little expressions he gives and the way he moves across a room. It's easy to see why he's a star. Despite my feelings, I do like him in the film.

  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Sark wrote: »
    I always thought he sounded a little hostile, even to his allies, in DN.

    I've mentioned this before in review of DN. I think it is particularly apparent when he's discussing Crab Key with Felix in Pussfeller's bar.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    For sure he sounds hostile/threatening, but I think that was intentional. It gives him an air of menace and credibility. This is not a man to be messed with. He's on a mission and he's singularly focused on it. Everyone else seems laid back compared to him.
  • Posts: 2,341
    Here's one that bothers me:
    I find some racism in several of the films. I was particularly upset about one scene in DN when Bond basically "orders" Quarrel to "Fetch my shoes". That just seems very belittling and harkens back to shoeshine, steppin Fetchet days. I don't think any Caucasian man today would ever say this to any person of color.

    I find Goldfinger to be sexist, racist and badly dated. Despite that I still enjoy the film...

    LALD was slammed for being racist at the time but I never found that movie racist in the least bit. The following film, TMWTGG is considerably more racist than LALD.
  • Posts: 11,189
    ...and yet the cliché of "men wanting to be him and women wanting to be with him" has been around since Bond began.
  • Posts: 14,844
    Here is maybe another controversial opinion: Mary Goodnight was not miscast but badly written and even then it was more the comedic aspect of the movie itself that let the character down and turned her into a ditz.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 11,189
    I just don't particularly like Britt Eckland as an actress in general.

    As for Goodnight, not funny, not relatable and certainly not strong. I still remember Roger basically slagging her off on stage.
  • Posts: 14,844
    How about that one: although it is a lesser movie than TSWLM, TMWTGG is still a better Bond movie.
  • Posts: 2,341
    I liked Mary Goodnight. I thought she was very attractive and , funny. But this was the 1970's and women's lib had accepted that the days of blond bimbo-ism was behind us. I can see why so many people have "issues" with her.
  • Posts: 14,844
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    I liked Mary Goodnight. I thought she was very attractive and , funny. But this was the 1970's and women's lib had accepted that the days of blond bimbo-ism was behind us. I can see why so many people have "issues" with her.

    It's more that she was supposed to be a spy.
  • edited January 2016 Posts: 11,189
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    I liked Mary Goodnight. I thought she was very attractive and , funny. But this was the 1970's and women's lib had accepted that the days of blond bimbo-ism was behind us. I can see why so many people have "issues" with her.

    The problem is that all the Bond girls in the 60s had been portrayed as beautiful but credible characters. Goodnight is just irritating comic relief - the Willie Scott of Bond films.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I'll take Goodnight over any of the '80s or '90s Bond Girls (except Elektra King).

    Might I ask why?
  • Posts: 14,844
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I'll take Goodnight over any of the '80s or '90s Bond Girls (except Elektra King).

    I'd take her over Elektra King.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited January 2016 Posts: 23,883
    I appreciate Goodnight's unwavering loyalty to Bond. That's an important old fashioned quality imho.

    I'd personally take her over all the 80's/90's apart from Melina & Natalya.
  • Posts: 1,631
    This would seem to be a controversial opinion, given the content of the debate over Ms. Goodnight:

    I quite liked Carey Lowell as a Bond girl. She's one of my favorites, in fact.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Birdleson wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I'll take Goodnight over any of the '80s or '90s Bond Girls (except Elektra King).

    Might I ask why?

    I find her to be funny, sexy, engaging and an asset to the film. I detest the later "equal to Bond" BS, that only worked with XXX. I don't care for "hard" women, and I don't like them jammed down my throat.

    We'll have to agree to disagree. I don't find her very funny. A girl can still be strong willed yet not labelled as an "equal to Bond" (Pussy Galore, XXX, Honey Ryder etc).
  • Posts: 14,844
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I'll take Goodnight over any of the '80s or '90s Bond Girls (except Elektra King).

    Might I ask why?

    I find her to be funny, sexy, engaging and an asset to the film. I detest the later "equal to Bond" BS, that only worked with XXX. I don't care for "hard" women, and I don't like them jammed down my throat.

    We'll have to agree to disagree. I don't find her very funny. A girl can still be strong willed yet not labelled as an "equal to Bond" (Pussy Galore, XXX, Honey Ryder etc).

    The issue with Mary Goodnight resides with the comedic tone of the script. Had she remained a secretary working for MI6 instead of an agent, not the smartest one but not the complete klutz she was depicted as, and in a more serious Bond movie, she would have been far more accepted. And a far better character.

    Oh here's another controversial opinion: Bibi is actually a good character and one of the strong points of FYEO.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,422
    I agree about Bibi. Yes, she is annoying, but her character brings out some details of Bond and Kristatos
  • Posts: 2,341
    I liked :Pam (Carey Lowell) one that annoys the crap out of me would be Anya from TSWLM and Goodhead from MR. Those two just really grate on my nerves. At least Anya was pleasing to the eye but I found Goodhead (Chiles) to be just uninspiring and all around boring in a stupid movie.
  • Posts: 1,098
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    I liked :Pam (Carey Lowell) one that annoys the crap out of me would be Anya from TSWLM and Goodhead from MR. Those two just really grate on my nerves. At least Anya was pleasing to the eye but I found Goodhead (Chiles) to be just uninspiring and all around boring in a stupid movie.

    I agree, both were very wooden in their performances.

  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited January 2016 Posts: 6,792
    I don't mind Goodnight, she's quite endearing. Maybe that's because I have a soft spot for Britt Ekland ever since The Wicker Man.

    Barbara Bach does give a somewhat wooden performance, but her character was written very well. The whole back story gives an otherwise rather generic action movie some depth.

    As for Pam, she's one of my favourites in one of my favourite films. Sexy, confident and competent.

    The most irritating Bond girl for me is Tiffany Case with lines like: "Blow up your pants!"
  • Posts: 14,844
    They really massacred Tiffany Case in the movie: she's vulgar, loud mouthed and she's dumb.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Ludovico wrote: »
    They really massacred Tiffany Case in the movie: she's vulgar, loud mouthed and she's dumb.

    She certainly is nothing like the Tiffany in the book, that Bond fell head over heels in love with.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I have a soft spot for Britt Ekland ever since The Wicker Man.

    I've never been able to keep soft during that scene in The Wicker Man!
  • Posts: 14,844
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I have a soft spot for Britt Ekland ever since The Wicker Man.

    I've never been able to keep soft during that scene in The Wicker Man!

    Apparently that's not her.
  • Ludovico wrote: »
    Oh here's another controversial opinion: Bibi is actually a good character and one of the strong points of FYEO.

    It's funny you mention that, the last time I watched FYEO I had a new admiration for Bibi I never had before. In the end, where the blonde whats-his-face is fighting Bond, Bibi immediately tries to help and hits him with her suitcase, possibly even saving Bond's life. Other Bond girls like Stacey and Vesper have been paralyzed during fight scenes and didn't try to help until the very end. Bibi doesn't hesitate at all, which is pretty admirable considering her age and everything.
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