56 replies to this topic

[Loomis]

There's an awful lot of revisionism going on here

Not from me - I loved DIE ANOTHER DAY the first time out.

[Qwerty]

There's an awful lot of revisionism going on here

Not from me - I loved DIE ANOTHER DAY the first time out.

Nor too much here. Upon first seeing the film, and then the second, third, however many times in the theatre, I felt it was best to wait until it was on DVD to see how I could fairly and completely rate it. Usually when seeing a Bond film in theatres for the first time, it can come off (untruthfully) as the very best. Seeing it on DVD, it's a strong, good film, but one that has flaws that are easy to ridicule and point out. Some of the dialogue, parts of the finale aboard the Antonov plane.

The good outweighs the bad though.

[Loomis]

Usually when seeing a Bond film in theatres for the first time, it can come off (untruthfully) as the very best.

Or - just as untruthfully - as the very worst. I hated TOMORROW NEVER DIES when I first saw it at the cinema. I thought it was boring and embarrassing, as did the friends I saw it with. Out of what might be termed "Bond fan duty", I went to see it again a couple of nights later, with a different group, and.... we all loved it - go figure.

Months passed, and then TND came out on video, and after a couple more viewings I formed my "final" judgement (i.e. the view I hold today): a good, solid Bond flick with a handful of terrific aspects; not one of the best films in the series by any means, but certainly no dog.

OTOH, I hated THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH on first viewing, and have hated it ever since.

[Qwerty]

OTOH, I hated THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH on first viewing, and have hated it ever since.

One example of hatred at first sight you might say then.

I know what you mean though, therefore it seems kind of unfair and hardly conclusive to rate the film on your first, second, or third viewings if you're unsure. (I can completely understand your case with The World Is Not Enough though.)

I expected Die Another Day to become my favorite Brosnan Bond film, it definitely did not do that, but it's still a good one.

[Qwerty]

But I honestly think that anyone who finds it to be a fine Bond film and a pleasure to watch is under some kind of Bond spell.

Have to disagree Pamela. To me it's not a bad or magnificent, but a good Bond film. So I think I fit your description. Really not all that bad at all.

[Qwerty]

I don't think I can split it into a percentage like such.

I know I like the precredits, score, title song, Rosamund Pike, Brosnan, pretty much most of the scenes except for the finale.

I dislike the finale, and minimal bits of dialogue.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

Haven' replied to this thread, I think.

I respect your opinion about DAD, Loomis. But I dislike the film intensely. The first half was good, but the second half was a complete mess. It felt like the story was gone by the point the film shifted to Iceland, where all the action took over. Cruddy action, I should say.

Not to be argrumentive, but Fleming wouldn't have been proud of this movie. No Flemingish material in this film at all.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

[quote name='Qwerty' date='20 July 2004 - 20:54'] [quote name='Pamela' date='20 July 2004 - 23:53'] Qwerty Posted on 20 July 2004 - 20:35
[QUOTE]
I don't think I can split it into a percentage like such.
[/QUOTE]
Hmm...I have been accused of being a little too analytical on occasion. :-)
Could you at least try Qwerty? Think of it as a math "pie" assignment...You have to do it or I'll give you an F. [/QUOTE]

Like: 35%
Dislike: 65%

[Qwerty]

[quote name='Pamela' date='20 July 2004 - 23:53'] Qwerty Posted on 20 July 2004 - 20:35
[quote]
I don't think I can split it into a percentage like such.
[/quote]
Hmm...I have been accused of being a little too analytical on occasion. :-)
Could you at least try Qwerty? Think of it as a math "pie" assignment...You have to do it or I'll give you an F.


Loomis Posted on 20 July 2004 - 12:37
[quote]
I hated TOMORROW NEVER DIES when I first saw it at the cinema. I thought it was boring and embarrassing, as did the friends I saw it with. Out of what might be termed "Bond fan duty", I went to see it again a couple of nights later, with a different group, and.... we all loved it - go figure.

[hrabb04]

For me, DAD is one of the most frustrating Bond movies ever made. A lot of the time, it's got its heart in the right place, and things really move along, really get cooking, and...thud, the creators dropped the ball. Luckily, something else good happens not long after, and the cycle gets going again.
Great opening...watch this with home theater sound, and the neighbors will hate your guts. Bond gets caught and tortured. Gotta love it. Hell, the song isn't bad, either. Loved the pretitles.
The first uh-oh moment is when Bond impersonates Our Man Flynt--no, not Larry--and stops his own heart. Apparently, it's slightly possible, but not terribly bloody likely. This is also where the first editing trick comes in. Not good. Luckily, Bond recovers and heads into Hong Kong in an only Bond moment that brings the film back from the precipice.
So far, we're back on track, until...Halle Barry shows up. Her line readings are way off, and you have to wonder what kind of director would let her get away with that. You also have to snicker at the attempts to hide any nudity in the love scene. Will these guys just stop holding back and just go for it? But, we're still flirting with the edge of the cliff again as Halle and our man Bond go to the clinic. We get a few good moments with Pierce again, but Halle keeps reminding us she is still in the movie--damn her. This brings us to the most obviously fake shot yet in the movie. Look, Halle jumped 5 feet into a pool, but we're trying to make you believe she jumped off a cliff--and survived! Damn it, yet again, she lives to die another day.
The highlight comes when Pierce and Graves go at it at Blades. It is the best action scene of the movie. No explosions. Just two people who act like they want to kill each other. Well played by both actors here. Get past the Madonna cameo, and it's really good.
Bond gets his license to drive back and has a good scene with both Dame Judi and Q. The car, I can accept. It's something that is theoretically possible.
Bond arrives in Iceland, and all hell breaks loose. The bad begins to outweigh the good heavily as the editor runs free, wild, and crazy, and the junior high creative writing class steps in to write the 3rd act. I liked the scenes with Frost, especially the part before Pierce uses his sonic ring. When that glass breaks and he gets away, I was cheering him on. Of course, that all becomes moot when the CGI and toy department steps in while the actors are at lunch, and come up with....what they came up with. This bit of idiocy is saved somewhat by the conclusion when zitface and Halle are taken care of by Pierce. Sad to say, only Zitface gets what he deserves.
The toy dept comes back in with one of their airplanes, and you begin to wonder what happened to the days when Bond was out in the open dueling with the bad guys. Again, it's too claustrophobic. And when did Senator Palpatine arrive in this movie? Does George Lucas know about this? This movie needed another better ending, stat! It just didn't work.
Die Another Day gets **1/2 stars from me, and I seriously hope Bond #5 happens for Pierce, so they can get it right next time.

[Loomis]

[quote name='Pamela' date='21 July 2004 - 03:53'] Loomis Posted on 20 July 2004 - 12:37
[quote]
I hated TOMORROW NEVER DIES when I first saw it at the cinema. I thought it was boring and embarrassing, as did the friends I saw it with. Out of what might be termed "Bond fan duty", I went to see it again a couple of nights later, with a different group, and.... we all loved it - go figure.

[DanMan]

Like: 95%
Dislike: 5%

[Tarl_Cabot]

Like: 20%
Pretitle
Hong Kong
Sword fight
Use of jerk in wheel chair as cover

HATE WITH A PASSION AND REFUSE TO WATCH AGAIN, LET ALONE OWN THIS TERD:80%
Halle Berry
Miranda frost
MI6's incompetence(again!)
Palpatine(at least cast Ian Mcdiamoroid)
Korean transforming into caucasian(insulting on multible levels)
CGI abuse: Surfing, those mimi-glider thingys,The car,groan
Dialogue

[Tarl_Cabot]

That 20% isn't enough to make this diehard Bond geek buy it either.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Maybe you can burn something over it? Like Scooby doo 2?

[Qwerty]

HATE WITH A PASSION AND REFUSE TO WATCH AGAIN, LET ALONE OWN THIS TERD:80%
Miranda frost
MI6's incompetence(again!)
CGI abuse: Surfing, those mimi-glider thingys,The car,groan
Dialogue

I'd think MI6's over abundance in the film might be more suitable. IMHO of course. The CGI speaks for itself. Can't see a thing wrong with Frost though.

[Turn]

I loved DAD on first viewing. It was the first new Bond in 3 years and it seemed fun, especially coming after TWINE. I seemed to like it a little less with each successive viewing. Doesn't mean I dislike it, just less than I initially did and would rate it at middle of the pack.

The thing I like about a thread like this, whether it's somebody giving a positive view of DAD, DAF or AVTAK for example, is if well written it can spark good discussion and maybe even make me want to look at said film in a different light.

Revisionism isn't necessarily a bad thing. May even make me want to watch TWINE again someday.

[Qwerty]

The thing I like about a thread like this, whether it's somebody giving a positive view of DAD, DAF or AVTAK for example, is if well written it can spark good discussion and maybe even make me want to look at said film in a different light.

While I'm kind of partial to liking all the Bond films. Threads like these make me want to watch them again and actually try to see the contrary. What is so horrible about certain films to certain Bond fans.

[Janus Assassin]

I happen to like all the Bond films. I do not hate any of them.. well except for NSNA but I dont really count that. I just happen to like some more than others. DAD is a good Bond film, it was the first I ever saw in theaters. After repitive watches of it, there is always things that bug me which did not bug me in theaters because I was just so happy to see Bond on the big screen for the first time I didn't really care if Bond ice surfed off a glacier or the overblown ending. Those are the 2 major things that bug me now. But overall DAD is an exciting entry into the Bond franchise.

[Jim]

Has all the exhiliration of a solid hour's vomiting

[Qwerty]

Has all the exhiliration of a solid hour's vomiting

I vomited so hard a bowling ball came out.

Far more exhilarating and exciting than that.

I suppose an 'IMO' is in order.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

dad had good moments but for me it fell flat when put up against the world is not enough, twine is just top notch all the way around and not just because of denise...she just happens to be the icing on the cake



dad started out good but once bond got back on his feet and left north korea things went down hill and the movie went "to far out there" in to fantasy

[Loomis]

Yes, definitely the best of the Brosnan Bonds, with Broz's most relaxed and charismatic turn as 007. A lot less self-important and uneven than his other three outings, and a particularly welcome change of pace after the pretentious and horribly overwrought THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (DAD's dirt-basic plot is an asset, not a liability). "Epic" like no other Bond film since MOONRAKER, DAD benefits enormously from director Lee Tamahori's dazzling visual inventiveness. Will we ever see its like again?

[Janus Assassin]

Instead of the ending on the Antonov, it would have been cool to see Bond lead a raid of American Soldiers on Pyongyang's Airbase, sort of like in TLD, and then see Bond and Graves have an even better sword fight at the ending with Bond killing Graves somehow (don't ask me how), than the one in the Blades Club. But I agree DAD was a good Bond film, I remember my dad took me to see it, because he was a fan of the older movies and he ended up liking it.

[hrabb04]

Die Another Day, I guess, isn't that bad when compared to utter dog poop like Moonraker, which just barely qualifies as James Bond, but it's still no excuse. They need to get back to what makes Bond what he is. I don't think the producers have a clue. I know the people in charge of the novels sure as hell don't. Young James Bond....Fleming is having a good laugh somewhere

[Tirpitz]

I did not enjoy DAD as much as I would have wanted too. The only thing that made it bearable was Rosamund Pike's Miranda Frost. Despite the title of the topic, I wholeheartedly believe DAD was not the Bond series at it's best.

[BoldDan007]

As a plain old action movie, I thought Die Another Day was great. It had some cool sequences (The Aston Martin Vanquish vs. the Jag on the ice) and more interesting characters than most blockbusters. I also really enjoyed the score, which is loaded with killer tunes. In all it was an extremely entertaining movie....

But nowhere near the best Bond movie. I was not impressed with Berry or her Jinx character. Frost was a much more interesting character. To me it strayed too much into the Sci-Fi realm for a James Bond movie, with a little too many gadgets once we arrived at the Ice Palace.