1111 replies to this topic

[DaveBond21]

I watched Quantum of Solace on Saturday and I enjoyed it. It’s a good solid Bond movie but the editing is terrible.

In fact, it’s not just the action scenes, it’s also too quick-fire throughout the whole movie, including setting the scene in beautiful Siena, and Greene’s party in La Paz.

I know that the editing was probably deliberate but there could have been some lingering shots in the movie, especially when we’ve got some beautiful locations.

Still, it has some great scenes, dialogue, Fields, Mathis, Greene’s demise, the final scene and a great soundtrack.

-

[PrinceKamalKhan]

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Ulitmate Edition DVD in honor of the Christmas season. I watched it with friends including one who considers it his favorite. He agreed, he'd never seen the picture look so good. Another friend had never seen it before and she both loved and hated it. She found it involving and enjoyed most of it but unsurprisingly didn't like the ending. She prefers happy endings where the brides don't get shot. She didn't care for Laz either. The ski chases and car chase got her pretty tensed up so I think they did the job they were supposed to do.

[00Twelve]

Just finished TWINE. It took three days to get through it. TWINE might be the perfect example of a Bond movie that degrades little by little with each passing scene, each one a little less engaging than the last. That was my latest impression, anyway. There was a strong sense of the overwhelmingly great potential that lay underneath the surface of the ultimate presentation-- Bond letting his guard down (which would have been much more effective had the Paris Carver card not been played just one movie ago); the megalomaniac being after oil, and being a psychologically damaged kidnap victim (hilariously over-stated Greek inspiration notwithstanding); M letting her guard down and getting kidnapped ("because it's Judi Dench, man!"); a secondary villain who cannot feel pain (or an erection, because this movie has DEPTH!); an injured leading man (whose big, bad wound gave Bond roughly the same level of handicap as his broken pinky in the LALD novel).

Oh, that surface presentation, though. So, how many named henchmen do we need? I lost count at about 36. And not just them; MI6 must have had the biggest personnel budget surplus since '45. Two chiefs of staff, two quartermasters, two headquarters, for 's sake. I loved Coltrane in GE, but he was weakened to just another elbow-jabbing sidekick that gets outsmarted by a girl holding a 5' barreled 1911 behind a naval cap. Shame. He was actually hilarious and intimidating in his first appearance. Speaking of hilarious, Denise Richards. She's just so hilariously earnest. It's as if she forgets why her character always wears tank tops (white ones for underwater scenes). Sophie Marceau receives a fair amount of praise as Elektra, though I'm sadly still unable to see what all the fuss is about, I thought the overacting was going to kill me once they reached Istanbul. And for someone who was traumatized by a kidnapping, she sure loves to kidnap. FYI, if M couldn't see a manipulative b from a mile away, she's the first woman I've ever seen without that little instinct. Now, Renard. I still hold to my deepest disappointment being with his character. A man who cannot feel pain (which somehow also means orgasm...science!) should have had the most gut-wrenching final fight with Bond ever choreographed. When one doesn't fear the pain of death, what is there to hold back? And on Bond's side, why wouldn't every blow be designed to push a nose into a brain, or even slice an achilles tendon, or something? Inexplicably, there were even shots of Bond bringing an elbow down on Renard's chest that elicited a grimace[!]. That's bound to happen when a character's entire reason for being is their one pivotal trait. Sooner or later, he is going to be the victim of plot convenience. Bond himself...for the first time, I caught myself in an open old man wheeze laughing at the monitor touching and (creepy goes to 11) corpse mourning. Between that and the Stockholm monologue, I just want to buy his Bond a beer. I'd frame a picture of Elektra for him, but I'm afraid I'd find broken glass in his lips the next day. Finally, the sex jokes. Wow. A nod to President Clinton's misstep, that takes some class. What it doesn't take is balls, which is presumably the exact opposite of what they were thinking.

If I've not mentioned something, then it didn't bother me too badly. Arnold's score had good thematic roots, John Cleese can be in any movie he wants and I'll be okay, and hey, good old Desmond's final picture. He's still missed very much.

Gonna need a palate cleanser, and it's going to have to have Connery-Bond slapping the taste out of someone's mouth so I can get this bad taste slapped out of mine. TWINE, see you in a few years.

[The Dove]

Watched The Man With The Golden Gun about a week ago..

[Matt_13]

Just finished TWINE. It took three days to get through it. TWINE might be the perfect example of a Bond movie that degrades little by little with each passing scene, each one a little less engaging than the last. That was my latest impression, anyway. There was a strong sense of the overwhelmingly great potential that lay underneath the surface of the ultimate presentation-- Bond letting his guard down (which would have been much more effective had the Paris Carver card not been played just one movie ago); the megalomaniac being after oil, and being a psychologically damaged kidnap victim (hilariously over-stated Greek inspiration notwithstanding); M letting her guard down and getting kidnapped ("because it's Judi Dench, man!"); a secondary villain who cannot feel pain (or an erection, because this movie has DEPTH!); an injured leading man (whose big, bad wound gave Bond roughly the same level of handicap as his broken pinky in the LALD novel).

Oh, that surface presentation, though. So, how many named henchmen do we need? I lost count at about 36. And not just them; MI6 must have had the biggest personnel budget surplus since '45. Two chiefs of staff, two quartermasters, two headquarters, for 's sake. I loved Coltrane in GE, but he was weakened to just another elbow-jabbing sidekick that gets outsmarted by a girl holding a 5' barreled 1911 behind a naval cap. Shame. He was actually hilarious and intimidating in his first appearance. Speaking of hilarious, Denise Richards. She's just so hilariously earnest. It's as if she forgets why her character always wears tank tops (white ones for underwater scenes). Sophie Marceau receives a fair amount of praise as Elektra, though I'm sadly still unable to see what all the fuss is about, I thought the overacting was going to kill me once they reached Istanbul. And for someone who was traumatized by a kidnapping, she sure loves to kidnap. FYI, if M couldn't see a manipulative b from a mile away, she's the first woman I've ever seen without that little instinct. Now, Renard. I still hold to my deepest disappointment being with his character. A man who cannot feel pain (which somehow also means orgasm...science!) should have had the most gut-wrenching final fight with Bond ever choreographed. When one doesn't fear the pain of death, what is there to hold back? And on Bond's side, why wouldn't every blow be designed to push a nose into a brain, or even slice an achilles tendon, or something? Inexplicably, there were even shots of Bond bringing an elbow down on Renard's chest that elicited a grimace[!]. That's bound to happen when a character's entire reason for being is their one pivotal trait. Sooner or later, he is going to be the victim of plot convenience. Bond himself...for the first time, I caught myself in an open old man wheeze laughing at the monitor touching and (creepy goes to 11) corpse mourning. Between that and the Stockholm monologue, I just want to buy his Bond a beer. I'd frame a picture of Elektra for him, but I'm afraid I'd find broken glass in his lips the next day. Finally, the sex jokes. Wow. A nod to President Clinton's misstep, that takes some class. What it doesn't take is balls, which is presumably the exact opposite of what they were thinking.

If I've not mentioned something, then it didn't bother me too badly. Arnold's score had good thematic roots, John Cleese can be in any movie he wants and I'll be okay, and hey, good old Desmond's final picture. He's still missed very much.

Gonna need a palate cleanser, and it's going to have to have Connery-Bond slapping the taste out of someone's mouth so I can get this bad taste slapped out of mine. TWINE, see you in a few years.

........Thank you.

[DaveBond21]

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

- beautifully directed
- excellent and very modern editing - well done John Glen
- wonderful action
- like FRWL and CR, this one really tells a story and is a standalone movie. It could be the tale of any spy falling in love, but at the same time, it's all very Bondian
- impressive locations and music

[mrmoon]

Watched TSWLM at 10am and CR at 14:30. I'm ill. Still debating my evening Bond.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the obligatory Xmas movie

Actually, I've started it some days ago and resumed it today.

[copperhead1]

Thunderball--just last night!

[PrinceKamalKhan]

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

- beautifully directed
- excellent and very modern editing - well done John Glen
- wonderful action
- like FRWL and CR, this one really tells a story and is a standalone movie. It could be the tale of any spy falling in love, but at the same time, it's all very Bondian
- impressive locations and music

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the obligatory Xmas movie

Actually, I've started it some days ago and resumed it today.

There's nothing like OHMSS for the Christmas Holidays.

Thunderball--just last night!

How was it? It's my #001 Bond film.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Diamonds Are Forever. I showed it to a friend who hadn't seen it before and she liked it but did not like Bambi & Thumper. She thought that scene should've been deleted. I disagreed with her of course.

[thecasinoroyale]

'Quantum Of Solace' the other day. I can't get over some of the brilliance of the music and action sequences - namely the combo for the pre-title sequence.

I actually found myself more interested in the story than last time, and was reminded how good Craig is as Bond, but how much better he will shine with 'Skyfall'. 'QoS' still appears fast and frantic in places, but it's not all that bad!

[BoogieBond]

I'm going through a recurring unlikely trio of Thunderball, DAF, Quantum of Solace
Thuderball and DAF are quite easy going and rewatchable Bond.
DAF is far from my favourite but very entertaining, and no matter how many time I watch it, I can't believe Connery is only 4 years older than he was in YOLT.
Thunderball is great easy going entertaining, watching Connery at his peak.
QOS is actually a nice sized bundle at well under 2 hours, you can feel whizzed through the first 30 minutes and wonder where the times gone. Again not my favourite, but I feel I need to catch up on it, because I have watched CR so many times.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I just had a first time experience. I watched a James Bond film made prior to 1977 on a big screen: Goldfinger.

 

Cinemark was showing it as part of the digital classic series. The film itself looked so nice, probably better than it did on its initial release back in 1964. I'm sure they probably used the Ultimate Edition DVD to screen it. There was a decent sized crowd in the theater including a grandfather with his grandson(I'm guessing he was about 10 years old). 

 

So now I've finally seen a Sean Connery 1960s Bond film on the big screen. Now, I want to see the first 3 Panavision Bond films TB, YOLT and OHMSS on a big screen.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

SPECTRE. A few criticisms but on the whole the best Bond film since CR IMHO.

[SecretAgentFan]

THUNDERBALL - after my second helping of SPECTRE.

 

Liked TB a bit better than before.  But I liked SPECTRE way better than before.

[Professor Pi]

Casino Royale.  Blofeld's getaway crawl in SPECTRE perfectly emulates that of Mr. White.

[thecasinoroyale]

'SPECTRE' for me - and glad you noticed that to, Professor! A big circle from 'CR' to this finale. And Bond gets to keep the girl!

[PrinceKamalKhan]

SPECTRE for the 2nd time and the first time since CR I went to see a Bond film twice in the cinema during its first run. There's something fun about the 2nd time one watches a Bond film. You can focus more on the elements you missed the first time. Anyway, I think I enjoyed it even more and look forward to rewatching it later when it becomes available on DVD/blu-ray. A solid *** out of **** film.

 

Amusing sidenote: I've been reading a lot of criticisms of the film from fans saying that SPECTRE is too Moore-like" but the friend I watched it with (who could be described as more of a general public, casual Bond fan) said he liked it but he finds Craig and his films(including SPECTRE) a bit "too serious" and likes the Moore-type Bond films better.

[Professor Pi]

Took my 85 year old father to it over the weekend.  When it was done, he said it was one of the best Bond films he's ever seen.  He didn't know about the Blofeld twist.  Another friend called me who had just seen it, also not aware of the twist, and liked what they did with Blofeld.  (His biggest complaint was that the 'dirty' martinis were too clear to have any olive juice in them!) 

 

So EON may have an accurate pulse on the average casual Bond fan after all.

[dtuba]

The Man With The Golden Gun

 

Sure, it's got its detractors, but what film doesn't? Yes, it is incredibly silly in parts, and the storyline with Scaramanga is watered down by the Solex Macguffin plot. But Christopher Lee is awesome, Herve Villichaise manages to elevate his character beyond parody, and ....Well, it's my favorite Roger performance. He truly has the killer instinct here. It will never be considered one of the series' high points, but I think of it as a weak effort by a very, very talented group of people (Cubby/Saltzman/Maibaum/Barry). And I am never bored watching this one.

 

That car jump is effing amazing. However, JW Pepper.....

[DaveBond21]

The Man With The Golden Gun

 

Sure, it's got its detractors, but what film doesn't? Yes, it is incredibly silly in parts, and the storyline with Scaramanga is watered down by the Solex Macguffin plot. But Christopher Lee is awesome, Herve Villichaise manages to elevate his character beyond parody, and ....Well, it's my favorite Roger performance. He truly has the killer instinct here. It will never be considered one of the series' high points, but I think of it as a weak effort by a very, very talented group of people (Cubby/Saltzman/Maibaum/Barry). And I am never bored watching this one.

 

That car jump is effing amazing. However, JW Pepper.....

 

I like Golden Gun. It starts off pretty dark.

[tdalton]

 

The Man With The Golden Gun

 

Sure, it's got its detractors, but what film doesn't? Yes, it is incredibly silly in parts, and the storyline with Scaramanga is watered down by the Solex Macguffin plot. But Christopher Lee is awesome, Herve Villichaise manages to elevate his character beyond parody, and ....Well, it's my favorite Roger performance. He truly has the killer instinct here. It will never be considered one of the series' high points, but I think of it as a weak effort by a very, very talented group of people (Cubby/Saltzman/Maibaum/Barry). And I am never bored watching this one.

 

That car jump is effing amazing. However, JW Pepper.....

 

I like Golden Gun. It starts off pretty dark.

 

 

And then, unfortunately, goes off in an entirely different direction.  

[sharpshooter]

Amusing sidenote: I've been reading a lot of criticisms of the film from fans saying that SPECTRE is too Moore-like" but the friend I watched it with (who could be described as more of a general public, casual Bond fan) said he liked it but he finds Craig and his films(including SPECTRE) a bit "too serious" and likes the Moore-type Bond films better.

Craig still had the toughness and vulnerability but he definitely was looser, which I found fun to watch. More carefree with dialogue such as "that all sounds lovely", and "that sounds marvellous." I also enjoyed this exchange:  "I'm sorry for your loss" - "did you know my husband?" - "all too briefly" - "what do you do?"- "life insurance." It felt like trademark James Bond dialogue to me. Amusing and cold hearted. 

[DaveBond21]

 

Amusing sidenote: I've been reading a lot of criticisms of the film from fans saying that SPECTRE is too Moore-like" but the friend I watched it with (who could be described as more of a general public, casual Bond fan) said he liked it but he finds Craig and his films(including SPECTRE) a bit "too serious" and likes the Moore-type Bond films better.

Craig still had the toughness and vulnerability but he definitely was looser, which I found fun to watch. More carefree with dialogue such as "that all sounds lovely", and "that sounds marvellous." I also enjoyed this exchange:  "I'm sorry for your loss" - "did you know my husband?" - "all too briefly" - "what do you do?"- "life insurance." It felt like trademark James Bond dialogue to me. Amusing and cold hearted. 

 

 

Agreed. "Can't you see I'm grieving?", "No".

 

I love these lines - "That all sounds lovely" and That all sounds marvellous".

 

--

[seawolfnyy]

Spectre

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Last night I watched YOLT with the friend I saw SPECTRE with and his family. I wanted them to see Blofeld's first meeting of Bond in the series and his eye scar, white cat and octopus ring to show the connections to the current Bond film. We enjoyed it. I particularly love that final battle(my favorite one in the series), John Barry's haunting score and the whole Japanese travelogue feel of the film.

[the man with the BB gun]

Watched The Spy Who Loved Me on new year's eve whilst swigging Teachers whiskey out of the bottle.#classy

[AMC Hornet]

Just finished YOLT.

[thecasinoroyale]

First film of 2016 was 'Goldfinger' on TV just after midnight. It'd have been rude not to.