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The Bond, James Bond Move Marathon Lists
The Movies
I pretty much like all of these, aside from Licence to Kill. There are a few flawed gems after that and the other 15 I really dig. The 60s were the best, there's not a film I don’t enjoy from that era. The 70s and 80s were a bit rougher, Diamonds and LALD got things started on a weak note and while he’s not a terrible actor, I didn't care for Moore's take on Bond and I found him a little light on screen presence.
Dalton brought back the toughness in TLD, but LTK was a horror. 6 years later Pierce Brosnan took the role and while he was no Connery, he delivered the goods in a way Moore never did and the franchise was back on track. 2006 though saw the best Bond actor and film since the 60s. People talk about LTK providing a tougher 007, hell that flick was watered down TV style toughness compared to Casino Royale. Royale was bad ass, both raw yet sophisticated. Like Goldfinger it’s just great cinema, Bond or otherwise and Craig reminded me of how nasty and hard James could be (See Sean shoot an unarmed man in Dr. No). This is the 007 I prefer and I can’t wait to see the future unfold with this actor.
1. Goldfinger (Connery)
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Lazenby)
3. From Russia With Love (Connery)
4. Casino Royale (Craig)
5. The Spy Who Loved Me (Moore)
6. Goldeneye (Brosnan)
7. Dr. No (Connery)
8. The Living Daylights (Dalton)
9. The World is Not Enough (Brosnan)
10. Thunderball (Connery)
11. You Only Live Twice (Connery)
12. The Man With the Golden Gun (Moore)
13. For Your Eyes Only (Moore)
14. Skyfall (Craig)
15. Quantum of Solace (Craig)
16. Die Another Day (Brosnan)
17. Diamonds are Forever (Connery)
18. Octopussy (Moore)
19. Tomorrow Never Dies (Brosnan)
20. Moonraker (Moore)
21. A View to a Kill (Moore)
22. Live and Let Die (Moore)
23. Licence to Kill (Dalton)
The Bonds
1) Sean Connery
He had it all, charisma, toughness, style. The quintessential 007
2) Pierce Brosnan
Suave and sophisticated (and funny) - his James was also very human, his body took a beating just as it did in the novels -- Being a spy took its toll. I liked his films more than others seem to (TWINE is one of my favorites) - He had great rapport with Q. 3) Daniel Craig
He doesn't look like Bond, he's not very smooth or handsome, but he is a solid actor who brings a lot of grit and toughness to the role.
4) George Lazenby
Sure he was a little stuff, but George’s 007 was a bit more raw and real, and this trait made the love story ring true. His final scene when he cradels his wife's body actually choked me up.
5) Timothy Dalton
In TLD he restored dignity to the character
6) Roger Moore
Moore seems like a nice guy, but I loathed the camp comedy stuff in his films (a bird does a double take, the Tarzan yell, silly music ques, the goofy/dumb visit from the Prime Minister). Moore worked best when his directors forced him to get nasty (kicking the car in FYEO, showing his meaner sides in TMWTGG).
Best Directors (with more than one movie under their belts)
1. Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale)
He gets my top spot for revitalizing the series, twice! Both of his films are well told and exciting (Hell he made a card game a nail bitting adventure that kept me riveted to my seat!). Both of his directed films made my top 10.
2. Terrance Young (Dr. No, FRWL, Thunderball)
The father of the film franchise. Set the style and helped make Connery the cool bad ass we all know and love. All his 3 films are among my top 12.
3. Lewis Gilbert (YOLT, TSWLM, Moonraker)
I loved the camera work in his films, the framing is so good, at times I watch his efforts like I'd look at a work of art in a museum. His films are epic and filled with interesting characters and he directed Moore's best. 2 of his 3 made my top 15.
4. Guy Hamilton (Goldfnger, DAF, TMWTGG, LALD)
He directed my favorite 007 adventure, as well as one of my least favorite (Live and Let Die). I'm not sure what to make of this guys talent. Goldfinger was so tightly directed, while Diamonds Are Forever was so sloppy. Still, at this point in time, 2 of his 4 films made my top 15.
5. John Glen
This dude directed a bunch. Glenn is workman like but not very dynamic. Living Daylights is his best with FYEO another good one. But he directed the worst (LTK) and the others rank 15th or lower.
Best of the one Shots? Peter Hunt with OHMSS, a superbly diretced movie, Hunt was very precise and detail oriented. Drama and action blend flawlessly.
The Songs
1. Live and Let Die, Paul McCartney and Wings
2. Goldfinger, Shirley Bassey
3. You Know My Name, Chris Cornell
4. The World is not Enough, Garbage
5. The Spy Who Loved Me, Carly Simon
6. Tomorrow Never Dies, Sheryl Crow
7. You Only Live Twice, Nancy Sinatra
8. Thunderball, Tom Jones
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, John Barry Orchestra and "We Have All the Time in the World", Louis Armstrong (OHMSS secondary)
10. Goldeneye, Tina Turner
11. A View to a Kill, Duran, Duran
12. From Russia With Love, Matt Monro
13. The James Bond Theme, Monty Norman/John Barry (Dr. No - would have ranked higher if not for the Calypso/3 Blind Mice music than cuts in mid-way)
The worst? Moonraker, Shirly Bassey * 2.) Die Another Day, Madonna. * 3) Another Way to Die (Quantum), Keys/White * 4) All Time High (octopussy), Rita Coolage
The Bond Girls/Women
1. Tracy (OHMSS)
2. Pussy Galore
3. Vesper Lynd
4. Honey Ryder
5. Camille (Quantum)
6. Domino (pictured - Thunderball)
7. Elektra King (TWINE)
8. Melina Havelock (FYEO)
9. Jill Masterson (Goldfinger)
10. Tiffany Case (DAF)
The worst? Tanya Roberts as Stacy Sutton (AVTAK) * Carrey Lowell as Pam Bouvier (LTK)
Favorite Main Baddies
1. Blofeld (Pleasance #1, Telly #2)
2. Scaramanga (TMWTGG)
3. Goldfinger
4. Karl Stromberg (TSWLM)
5. Dr. No
6. Largo and Fiona (Thunderball)
7. Elektra and Renard (TWINE)
8. Hugo Drax (Moonraker)
9. Max Zorin (AVTAK)
10. Le Chiffre (Casino Royale) - A tough one because he showed a lot of weakness and was running scared. He gets roughed up in his room and is later killed by those he's working for. He's cool but not quite commanding enough for this list - The Weakest? Charles Gray as Blofeld (DAF) * Robert Davi as Sanchez (LTK) * Jonathan Pryce as Carver (TND) * Joe Don as Whitaker in TLD
The Henchmen/Sub Villains
1. Oddjob
2. Jaws
3. Red Grant (FRWL)
4. Rosa Klebb (FRWL)*
5. Miranda Frost (Die Another Day)
6. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (DAF)
7. Xenia Onatopp (TND)
8. Nick Nack (TMWTGG)
9. Gobindo (Octopussy)
10. Zao, (Die Another Day) * Why was SPECRTRE's #2 Largo listed among the main baddies while #3 Klebb is listed here? For one, the evil plot wasn't her plan, it was #5s. Also Grant had more screen time and more contact with Bond. Plus she showed fear before Blofeld while Largo struts around in such a commanding way you know he fears no one, not even #1. Rosa is waaay cool, but this is why I put her in this group. - The Weakest? The underlings in YOLT & Necros in TLD
Best Recurring Allies
1. Q (Every moment Llewelyn was on screen was golden)
2. Moneypenny (Maxwell was a treasure, Samantha Bond was very good and I really liked Naomie Harris in Skyfall)
3. M (Bernard Lee & Dame Judi are rock solid)
4. Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky (A reluactant ally yes, but Robbie Coltrane is awesome)
5. Jack Wade (Joe Don Baker made this a fun character)
6. Felix Leiter (Would be higher but too many bland actors played him)
7. Gogol (most of the time he was a friend, not a foe)
The worst? Not always an ally, but Sheriff Pepper from LALD & MWTGG stunk!
Favorite Gadget
1. The Aston Martin DB5 (Connery)
2. The Lotus Espirit (Moore)
3. Bell Textron Jet Pack (Thunderball)
4. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish gadget (I always find it funny when critics find the invisible car ridiculous, when it has practical applications. In the past year the theory was successfully used to render an item near invisible (As in the movie, there is a slight ghosting effect when you look hard enough) - It's not so outlandish as they think and to all those critics, I will them a years subscription to "Popular Science"
5. The various wrist watches
6. The cell phone that can pick a lock, fire an electrical shock, read fingerprints and helped Brosnan's Bond remotely drive from the back seat.
7. Little Nellie
8. X-Ray Glasses (TWINE)
9. Jet powered Q Boat (TWINE)
10. Cigarettes with rocket powered darts
Favorite Credit Sequence
1) Casino Royale
Goes away from tradition and the computer generated look of the Brosnan flicks and makes this sequence a mini movie all on its own. The card motif, Bond in action against the baddies and the way Craig emerges at the end. Accompanied by a great song and this is a title sequence that I watch over and over again.
2) Live and Let Die
Paul McCartney’s explosive theme plays while skulls are suddenly superimposed over the models faces. If only the rest of the movie had been this good.
3) Die Another Day
Despite the horrid Madonna song, this is very different and effective as the title sequence actually tells part of the story. Fire and Ice women writhe as scorpions menace to illustrate 007s tortures.
4) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Though the Louis Armstrong theme song doesn’t play over the credits, the instrumental that is heard here is cool and dramatic. Scenes from previous 007 adventures pass through an hourglass
5) Thunderball
What a difference a song can make, This one loses punch with the bouncy “Mr. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang” (which musically sounds better suited to a kids comedy, ala Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang) But with the powerful Thunderball this rocks. The basic colorful backdrops and underwater silhouettes are simple but effective and eye catching,. It’s straight forward, not overly busy as with future sequences
6) Goldfinger
Margaret Nolan, who plays Dink in the movie, is the girl in gold. Scenes from the film play over her body.
7) You Only Live Twice
In the 70s I felt some of Binders title sequences got too busy, people bouncing around, gaudy neon make-up. I prefer the quiet simplicity of a sequence like this. Volcanoes explode behind silhouetted Japanese women while circular shapes spin into the screen for a subtle, graceful piece that goes well with the pretty Nancy Sinatra sung theme.
8) The Spy Who Loved me
Binder will lean on opening with hands cupping something from a scene in the movie a bit too much, but here it works. Nice song, good movement and flow (Though the bouncing on a trampoline thing is kind of silly looking)
9) Goldeneye
While I felt the titles on the Brosnan films were too busy, I like how this one cleverly shows the fall of communism as symbolized by the destruction of soviet icons.
Favorite Scenes (forgotten in reviews) 1. Bond checks out a Goya at Dr. No's headquarters (The painting had recently been stolen in real life)
2. The clock on the bomb in "Goldfinger" stops at 007.
3. One of the Moore flicks (TSWLM) The pre-credit opening: Bond is skiing and is sent flying to his death off a cliff. Suddenly a chute opens emblazoned with the Union Jack. Audiences cheered in theaters in both the UK and even the US.
4. FRWL: The bit when Kerim gets his revenge on an old foe, who is trying to escape through a window. It's the location of the window that makes the sequence stand out. As James says.... "She should have kept her mouth shut"
5. Schoolgirls fight in MWTGG – This cracked me up. It fit with the strangeness of the film but was also kind of cool. It’s the sort of thing Tarantino would do if he’d made a Bond picture
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