36 replies to this topic

[brendan007]

Ok, first off, i know this post will sound rather hypocritical considering how often ive slagged off a certain Bond film (and occasionally the actor as well) in the past.
Lately the only thing you see around these forums are people bashing the Brosnan films. Post after post describing just how terrible they are, that they are full of faults made by lazy filmmakers etc. And while i occasionally agree with some issues, the sheer number of criticisms actually makes me forget something, I actually really do like Brosnan's films.
So i thought we should have a thread where we can say what we like about the recent films. Surely there must be people out there that like them. You wouldnt know it by reading threads around here, but Brosnan has been arguably the most successful Bond ever, so he and the filmmakers must be doing something right.

[Righty007]

I love GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is not Enough! The World is not Enough is one of my top favorite Bond films of all time. The opening sequence's in The World is not Enough and GoldenEye are brilliant. I really enjoy watching Die Another Day, but I still despise the horrible CGI scenes. The opening sequence in that one is great and the 14 month toture was are great idea. I don't hate Jinx anymore but I still think she was in it too much. Pierce Brosnan's Bond films are great and he is my third favorite Bond after Roger Moore and Sean Connery.

[Tarl_Cabot]

David Arnold is a fine composer. I hope they keep him around for 20 more years. John Cleese was always in my mind as Q's replacement. Pretitles of TND,TWINE and DAD were great (I liked Goldeneye's until the fake blue-screen dive into the airplane). The Halo jump in TND was awesome.I loved the Vanquish, while visible! Bond's woredrobe is great most of the time. I like the new gun barrel look, sans bullet of course. Natalya was a great Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh was also an interesting choice.The first 40 minutes of DUD are terrific and very promising...

[DLibrasnow]

I really don't like Arnolds paint by numbers approach, I also think he uses the James Bond theme too much...Give me John Barry anyday!

But, I think GoldenEye was a very good movie. Brosnan gave his best 007 performance and it was a fun movie.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Give me John Barry anyday!

Of course but do you recall Eric Serra's score?

[DLibrasnow]

I actually didn't mind Eric Serra....It was different and I appreciated it for that!

[Loomis]

Originally posted by brendan007

What's Right With The Brosnan Films

Superb pre-credits sequences, which seem to account for the lion's share of each film's inventiveness, suspense and panache. Action scenes generally done well. That's about it.

There are a number of things I've liked in each of the Brosnan outings (Michelle Yeoh in TOMORROW NEVER DIES; the opening credits sequences and the cinematography of TND and DIE ANOTHER DAY; Cleese as Q, etc.), but in my above paragraph I tried to cite positive elements common to all four films.

Originally posted by DLibrasnow

I really don't like Arnolds paint by numbers approach, I also think he uses the James Bond theme too much...Give me John Barry anyday!

Agreed. A Bond film without a Barry score isn't really a Bond film, as far as I'm concerned.

[Tarl_Cabot]

It was different and I appreciated it for that!"

Now,apply that approach to LTK and we have a new LTK fan!

[BONDFINESSE 007]

well as all know i beat the brosnan drum the loudest, and have really had fun with all his bond outings.

goldeneye- his first and to me his best, what a way to start as 007, a fun bond film from start to finish, and eric serra's score was new and different

tnd-another fun great bond film, carver was the best bond bad guy pierce has faced...pure style and finesse and the music here was great as well and teri hatcher...what can i say about her, she was hott

twine- denise denise denise and that i loved pierce's acting job in this film, he made me feel bonds pain and anguish

dad- i did not come away being totaly 100 satisfied from this and the cgi had nothing to do with it...(that did not bother me at all) i just did not feel that i was watching a bond film at times...it would come and go- having a new Q was great, he is the only one i can see replacing desmond, but i am sick of diamonds and satellites, thats been done to death, but brozzie was great here as well, he shows pain and anguish very well....some actors dont pull this off but he does, he makes me believe from start to finish

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
It was different and I appreciated it for that!"

Now,apply that approach to LTK and we have a new LTK fan!

Sorry Tarl....this is simply not going to happen...and that from a Bond fan who has lived in Florida and visited a number of the LTK locations.

[Tarl_Cabot]

[Righty007]

Originally posted by Loomis


Agreed. A Bond film without a Barry score isn't really a Bond film, as far as I'm concerned.

Thats just like saying without Sean Connery, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Ken Adam, Terrance Young, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman you can't have a real Bond film.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by Righty007

Thats just like saying without Sean Connery, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Ken Adams, Terrance Young, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman you can't have a real Bond film.  

I know. It's a ridiculous overstatement, I admit. It's not even something I really believe to be true (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, LICENCE TO KILL and DIE ANOTHER DAY don't have Barry scores, but they're all terrific Bond films, IMO).

And yet.... maybe, in my heart of hearts, I do believe it, just as, in my heart of hearts, I believe that any Bond novel not written by Ian Fleming is not a proper Bond novel (although I like Amis, Gardner and Benson), and that any Bond film not starring Connery is not a proper Bond film (although I like the films of Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and - despite my many criticisms of him - Brosnan).

It's just that I think Barry's contribution to the series was so tremendous as to leave any Bond film not featuring his input a mere shadow of what a Bond film ought to be. The Barry sound was, for me at least, the soul and spirit of the Bond films. Connery, Broccoli, Adam, Young, Hamilton, Maibaum and the rest of 'em did superb work, yes, but Barry's music was the source - I'm serious about this, BTW - of the old Bond films' atmosphere and emotional power. Of course, not every one of Barry's Bond scores is amazing, but, still, as far as I'm concerned, his departure was the single biggest artistic loss the series has ever suffered (yep, I'm counting the departures of Connery, Dalton, Cubby Broccoli and others). However, that's only my eccentric personal opinion, and I'd be very disappointed if everyone else on CBn were to agree with me.

Funnily enough, though, I'm not a soundtrack or music buff, and I only own three Barry scores on CD (I gave up buying them once I realized that they really only worked for me as part of the films as I watched them). Still, Barry's contribution to the series was, in my opinion, simply awesome.

So, my head rejects the notion that a Bond film without a Barry score isn't a Bond film. My heart, on the other hand....

[Tarl_Cabot]

I love Barry too and I was dissapointed LTK didn't have him after the magnificant score he produced for TLD;but I also enjoy Bill Conti's "cheesy disco" score for FYEO! I really do get a kick out of it. I was listening to it at borders and it works for me. But FYEO is my first Bond in a theater so I have a huge attachment to that film.I'm gonna get that sometime...Now I have TLD and Goldfinger only...and a John Barry collection CD.

[MarkA]

Its because early Bond's were put together by artists, now they are put together by technicians. There is no soul. They are a marketing teams baby.

[Onyx2626]

Brosnan is athletic. GE is a good debut. When the CGI shot of him diving next to the plane came up, the audience laughed, but the next shot of him pulling himself into the plane was perfect! Also his running down the runway after the plane was cool. Brosnan really sold that whole sequence! I thought he was too slim to play Bond but he pulled it off. Also the fight w/ Sean Bean was short but excellent. Also his Bond can feel pain and be injured, this gives him an edge. And he took being called a "tight-*** Brit" in style.

[brendan007]

What I like about the recent films :
Goldeneye- Xenia Onnatop, she absolutely steals the movie. I also really like the tank chase, i feel this is the moment when you most feel that Bond is back and he better than ever.

Tomorrow Never Dies - I love everything in the movie, the action, the score, the cast. Everything just works, and the film is classic Bond as far as im concerned.

TWINE- Elektra is just a joy to watch, she is probably the most interesting character the series has had. Plus the boat chase at the begining is imo the best action scene the series has produced.

DAD- I love the title sequence and Madonna's song. They blend together really well and produce and extremely memorable moment. John Cleese makes a great Q. The ice palace is a fantastic set, and the more outlandish elements of the story make it a perfect fourth Bond movie for Brosnan.

There is obviously a lot more that I like, but id be here all day mentioning them.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by brendan007
What I like about the recent films :
Goldeneye- Xenia Onnatop, she absolutely steals the movie. I also really like the tank chase

Amen.....I think Xenia was the best bad girl in the 007 movies since Barbara Carrera appeared as Fatima Blush.

[DanMan]

He's brought back a more killer edge to Bond. The villians and henchmen are all great and the Bond girls are all HOTT. With the exception of TWINE, the action is top notch and is better than anything else out there.

[Tarl_Cabot]

He's brought back a more killer edge to Bond."

You think LTK lacked a 'killer edge'?

[Jim]

Right

I'll be "nice"

1. All the women are hugely attractive - Thingy whassname from GoldenEye, despite wearing a cardigan for most of the time - is very pretty indeed. All the others are top birds. Their characters are, of course, inane.

2. The basic idea behind Tomorrow Never Dies is amusing, as is the Maxwell joke at the end

3. The music in Tomorrow Never Dies is tip top

4. I quite like the BMW from TWINE.

5. As generic action films they work OK

6. Judi Dench is fine as M, although I'm not sure they know what to do with her any more now that the novelty's worn off

7. Struggling now...Some of the genuine stunt work is great

8. You can laugh at the dialogue and the performances (I'm not sure whether this is intentional)

9. Still think the ultimate highlight is Jonathan Pryce's wig. This is a great wig.

10. As a cassserole of everything that's gone before, they seem to work. This probably says more about the audience than the films.

[ray t]

things i luv about brosnanBonds:

GoldenEye:

bungee jump 1995
escape from chemical factory
klienmanns truly SENSUAL titles
return of DB5
xenia onnatop...what a sexy sadistic animal! love her!
dialoge between bond and trevelyan in statute park and at the cuba site
the return of the villian's outrageous liar
the fight between bean and brosnan at the top of the dish. second only to the fight with red grant in "Russia"

TND

the score
bond and the professor at oxford...hot girl!
Q and company car
Yeoh in the leather suit walking down the side of the hamburg print house
BMW parking lot chase
Halo Jump
the islands at phuket/ha long bay and the moments between wai lin an bond in the early evening boat ride (along with accompanying score)

TWINE
pretitles
bonds drop into the titles
sophie marceau...electra's mutilated ear
denise richards (hot!)
robbie coltrane's zukovsky...amazing performance
submarine music

DAD

pretitles
song/main titles...outstanding
zao coming out of the mist
escape from ship...entance to hong kong hotel
sex within minutes...no wasting time...just getting down to immediate business
jerk in the wheelchair scenes (fun and funny)
clinic fight
zao's face (pure bond!)
london calling/graves's parachute jump
blades fight
the return of aston martin
intro to iceland
the ice palace set
the deaths of zao, frost and graves (impaled, heartbroken and shreaded!)
much of the score.

[Qwerty]

Love Tomorrow Never Dies and GoldenEye! Great films! I need not say anymore on what i like about Elliot Carver and Miranda Frost, (I've had threads about the two of them!) The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day are great films too, I've really started to like Die Another Day much more than I used to.

Here's a few other great things--

-any of the lines of Elliot Carver
-Miranda Frost
-the fencing scene in DAD
-David Arnold's scores
-the title songs (all of them are great!)
-ALL of the main title sequences, I like Kleinman's work
-Miranda Frost
-Xenia Onatopp
-Miranda Frost
There's many things that are great about the Brosnan films, did I mention Miranda Frost?

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i am thankful for the brosnan/bond films....they gave me christmas jones, i cant thank them enough for that nor can i ever repay them for that

[Oddfeld]

I think the Brosnan Bond films are fine.
They haven't been afraid to try new things - some successful, some not - and they have the arduous task of trying to keep familiar elements in there without seeming tired.

Were Fleming around today and writing Bond books for the 21st century, I think he would approve of Brosnan's performance. In fact, I remember reading an interview with Christopher Lee who says he knew well his cousin's likes and dislikes in the Bond films....and said he reckons Ian would have preferred Brosnan's portrayal above the others.

And above all else, the last 4 Bond films have fought off competition from other mega-movies most successfully to stay on top....something many people thought was a thing of the past.

[Jaelle]

Originally posted by Loomis
So, my head rejects the notion that a Bond film without a Barry score isn't a Bond film. My heart, on the other hand....

I hear ya, Loomie, I hear ya.

From MarkA:


See my response to Loomie above: same sentiment.

I was going to try listing a few things and then I saw Jim's post and thought....well, why bother. He said it.

[Paris]

What can I say, Pierce is unquestionably my favourite actor. As for his Bonds, he sells the action well, he has a lot of style, and he's got that twinkle in his eyes that gives his whole performance an interesting spin. Moreover he's a fine character actor. I said this before, I know, but imho he brings a vulnerability to Bond without making him look foolish.

[Dr Niles Crane]

* A non colourblind wardrobe designer or rather no pink shirts. Always put your leading man in a decent outfit. This makes him feel a bit more macho and comfie if he is wearing a commando outfit or a nice tailored suit.

* That being said, it is always nice to know that while he may be a superspy, he can be a little vulnerable - hence the grannies want to hug him and sit him down with a nice cup of tea.

* Speed. Make sure your hero can drive any type of vehicle very fast. Gratuitous speed and bangs and thumps are boring, but even the snobbiest opera goer will enjoy the boat chase down the Thames (and the use of the Millenium Dome).

* Good villains: Preferably ones who think strangling people with their thyes (sorry spelling brain cell is on holiday) is a fun and enjoyable hobby to share with young and old.

* Overacting villains: Ie Elliot Carver and his little minions.

Well, these are a few of my favourite things


And picking up on an earlier post - a rather funny thing. I was watching Matrix Revolving the other day and everyone was running like action men (or like Pierce). It must be a movie thing.

[Righty007]

Dr Niles Crane, it's thighs!

[Qwerty]

Originally posted by Dr Niles Crane
[B

* Overacting villains: Ie Elliot Carver and his little minions.

[/B]

And there's nothing wrong with that! I love him as a villain.