2950 replies to this topic

[thecasinoroyale]

'A View To A Kill' done...

 

Still my favourite Moore Bond film, I think apart from his age which you can see taking it's toll, he still puts in the same passion for the character he did in '73. Plus with the greatest villain in Christopher Walken's Max Zorin, stellar support from Grace Jones, Tanya Roberts and Patrick Macnee, this is a fun adventure with great stunt work and an excellent soundtrack with THE best Bond theme still in the last 50 years.

 

 

...and then 'The Living Daylights' done...

 

Such a shock seeing what Timothy Dalton brings just 2 years after Roger Moore. No nonsense, firm and gritty in his portrayal it's easy to see the culture shock he made in the character of 12 years of tongue-in-cheek escapades. A haunting Cold War soundtrack, a decent plot which depends more on real life politics than far-fetched global domination, this is a firm debut from Dalton and you can just see him loving the chance to play this character. Can't wait for the next one.

 

'Licence To Kill' will be done tomorrow...

[Iceskater101]

Haha I am watching License to Kill right now!

[ViperSRT87]

I'm torn between watching TLD or LTK. Also, just curious as I have never done it before, is it worth watching these films with the audio commentaries?

[jmarks4life]

Tonight it'll be Moonraker, but after game 7 of the NBA Finals

[thecasinoroyale]

'Licence To Kill' done...

 

My favourite Bond film out of the 23, partly due to the fact it was my first Bond I ever saw and Timothy Dalton is my heartfelt true favourite for this reason. The daker tones resonate wonderfully through the film, and the serious, real world threat is ever present just as it is with Craig's current films.

 

I love the haunting, cold soundtrack and the cast who have brilliant characters like the excellent villain Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) and the sexy, fiesty Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell). And with more involvement from Q, its also fun in places that often people overlook with the brutal tones. A brave film, and move for the Bond series as a whole.

 

The action sequences are some of the best in the series, especially the tanker truck finale. Such brilliant stuntwork and acting make these sequences truly memorable and breathtaking.

 

Such a shame this is Dalton's finale, but a fantastic finale to have, and now it will be 6 years before we have a Bond again with 'GoldenEye'...

[ViperSRT87]

'Licence To Kill' done...

 

My favourite Bond film out of the 23, partly due to the fact it was my first Bond I ever saw and Timothy Dalton is my heartfelt true favourite for this reason. The daker tones resonate wonderfully through the film, and the serious, real world threat is ever present just as it is with Craig's current films.

 

I love the haunting, cold soundtrack and the cast who have brilliant characters like the excellent villain Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) and the sexy, fiesty Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell). And with more involvement from Q, its also fun in places that often people overlook with the brutal tones. A brave film, and move for the Bond series as a whole.

 

The action sequences are some of the best in the series, especially the tanker truck finale. Such brilliant stuntwork and acting make these sequences truly memorable and breathtaking.

 

Such a shame this is Dalton's finale, but a fantastic finale to have, and now it will be 6 years before we have a Bond again with 'GoldenEye'...

Agreed on all your points. LTK definitely rates among my top Bond films!

[The Dove]

In the mood for Quantum of Solace tonight...

[thecasinoroyale]

'GoldenEye' done...

 

Still as good as I remember. Sure, it has some slow points (Severnaya for one) and long exposition in places but it gets that post-Cold War feeling spot on, with a great eerie soundtrack and hints of a  thriller woven through the actually quite limited action sequences, and we get room for good character development and dialogue. Pierce Brosnan does seem to pout quite a lot in this film but it's evident he's blended previous Bonds into his portrayal that certainly did the job for a new generation of Bond fans.

 

Sean Bean's Alec Trevelyan comes across more sly and perverse than I remember, the old dog, but the final battle between him and Bond really hits the right notes - it's fast, brutal and very real. One of the best in the series.

 

My main change of focus this time was Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp. Certainly memorable on the first few watches, but this time I found myself watching her even when she was just in the background, like the Severnaya attack or inside the Soviet Missile Train. She exudes sex, lust and want for everything she does; be it seduction or killing. She harkens back to the classic Bond villainess with her orgasmic-rage in every scene she kills someone, like a classic trait of a classic villain. She is a perfec femme fatale and a worthy match for 007. No fear and no guilt; a perfect villainess and it makes me wish we have someone like Famke in Craig's run to give us a female character this memorable and enjoyable to watch.

 

Next up is 'Tomorrow Never Dies'; the beginning of the end...

[Janus Assassin]

Either Skyfall or Moonraker.

[Hansen]

LTK and it's right now

[thecasinoroyale]

Bit of a Brosnan fest over the weekend and his era has come to a close now.

 

'Tomorrow Never Dies' - a solid Brosnan Bond, not taking itself too seriously and packing some great action sequences and stuntwork. Not the most memorable of films with the likes of quiet villain Elliott Carver or Bond girls Paris and Wai Lin, but a decent 90s Bond entry with a solid story.

 

'The World Is Not Enough' - up and down as Bond films go. Brosnan is losing his charm built from the first 2 films and is becoming more slimy and overtly sexual rather than sophisticated. Decent Bond girls make the ride fun and our villain Renard spends too much time frowning and talking rather than doing. Great action, but clear that the series is trying to out-do itself on spectacle.

 

'Die Another Day' - too many nails in the coffin here from in your face innuendo, too many awful puns, a silly story and sci-fi gadgetry. The first half has some good moments, but again it tries too hard to be something indestructable and fails to capture the original essence of James Bond. The Bond girls are awful, with Rosamund Pike hamming her role no-end, and Halle Berry as a typical tough US NSA agent who is loud, brash and lacks any style. Brosnan looks like his day as Bond is certainly done

 

 

Onto the much needed re-boot of the series with one Daniel Craig and 'Casino Royale' tonight...

[tdalton]

Bit of a Brosnan fest over the weekend and his era has come to a close now.

 

'Tomorrow Never Dies' - a solid Brosnan Bond, not taking itself too seriously and packing some great action sequences and stuntwork. Not the most memorable of films with the likes of quiet villain Elliott Carver or Bond girls Paris and Wai Lin, but a decent 90s Bond entry with a solid story.

 

'The World Is Not Enough' - up and down as Bond films go. Brosnan is losing his charm built from the first 2 films and is becoming more slimy and overtly sexual rather than sophisticated. Decent Bond girls make the ride fun and our villain Renard spends too much time frowning and talking rather than doing. Great action, but clear that the series is trying to out-do itself on spectacle.

 

'Die Another Day' - too many nails in the coffin here from in your face innuendo, too many awful puns, a silly story and sci-fi gadgetry. The first half has some good moments, but again it tries too hard to be something indestructable and fails to capture the original essence of James Bond. The Bond girls are awful, with Rosamund Pike hamming her role no-end, and Halle Berry as a typical tough US NSA agent who is loud, brash and lacks any style. Brosnan looks like his day as Bond is certainly done

 

 

Onto the much needed re-boot of the series with one Daniel Craig and 'Casino Royale' tonight...

 

Nice reviews.  Looking forward to seeing your reviews of the last three films.

[MooseWithFleas]

Living Daylights! I will watch it tomorrow for my birthday. After all, it was the Bond film that came out during my birth year

[The Dove]

Time to go make a Vesper martini and put on On Her Majesty's Secret Service...

[Trevelyan 006]

Either TLD or OP....

 

Have yet to decide.

Edited by Trevelyan 006, 03 July 2013 - 03:06 AM.

[thecasinoroyale]

The final films of my Bond50 Blu-ray run begin with 'Casino Royale'...

 

It's clear this is presented as a Bond film unlike anything we've seen before, but it soon begins to flow with interesting characters, great action and a 2-part story. The first half is full of nonsense story driven character development and brilliant action with a return to real stuntwork and minimal CG used to enhance a scene, not drive it, which is crucially important for Bond to work to what audiences expect of him.

 

The second half however shines once David Arnold's beautiful soundtrack takes us to Montenegro and we meet Eva Green's Vesper and more of Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre, letting Craig's Bond really ooze his ego-tastic and Fleming-esqe performance as a ruthless assassin and expert card player. It's nice to see the small errors and misjudgements Bond makes too which he will rectify to make him a better man and agent, and it's still an emotional climax that does feel a little stretched, but is carried well to make the point it's trying to.

 

A great return to form for the Bond films after an uncertain future after 'Die Another Day' and certainly paves the way for more exciting developments in a new world, but with that hidden old Bond charm and flavour.

 

'Quantum Of Solace' is next...

[thecasinoroyale]

....and it is done.

 

The pre-title sequence is still one of the best in the franchise. Fast, frantic and exciting. To the point and no fluff. Great.

 

It's the editing I found awful in this film, especially in the Sienna sequence, it really is too fast to take in the majority of what's happening and to see it. We know what is happening, of course, but it's hard to see it and keep up. Still a decent story, but let down by a weak villain in Dominic Greene who is neither evil, powerful or memorable sadly. Olga Kurylenko shines as Camille, with great spirit and humanity the likes of which we haven't seen much before.

 

David Arnold delivers a fine soundtrack, haunting orchestral with modern synths to keep Bond modern but retro. Visually towards the final half it gets very beautiful with nice establishing shots and framing; I think the first half dissapoints more than the second. Great action and a satisfying ending to the Vesper story. If anything, they should have started the film with Bond, Kabira and Corinne to tie up Vesper because that did more as a conclusion than most of the story itself, bar Mathis.

 

Still a decent entry and satisfying bridge for the one film that changed them all. The 50th anniversay film - the mighty 'Skyfall'...

[The Dove]

Tonight's a good night for a viewing of Skyfall...

[tdalton]

Already gave Licence to Kill a viewing tonight.  Feeling like the next one up may be either The Living Daylights or Quantum of Solace.

[Ed83]

Watching Quantum of Solace tonight.

[Iceskater101]

Die Another Day right now and I have no idea why.. it's so cheesy and campy.

[The Dove]

Gonna make myself a Caramel Apple martini and put on Goldeneye...

[Ed83]

Watching Goldeneye also, minus the Caramel Apple Martini unfortunately.

Edited by Ed83, 08 July 2013 - 06:56 AM.

[Ed83]

Watching Diamonds Are Forever tonight.

[thecasinoroyale]

"Skyfall."

 

"Done."

 

 

Still really enjoyable, and the main pleasure I had from this apart from Berenice Marlohe and her still smouldering, sexy and mysterious introduction in Shanghai, was the look of this film.

 

From the opening scenes, I had forgotten how gorgeous the film is to look at. The tight camera shots, the sweeping panoramic views, the wide establishing shots and open space; it's beautiful, and we can see every detail Mendes wants us to. Certainly the most stunning Bond film visually. And the drive to Skyfall through Scotland is something else.

 

Also, more love for the soundtrack which is also like another character of its own and accompanies the cinematography perfectly to create something very memorable and excting.

 

Great characters, stunning use of London city and brilliant return to form with the action and stunt work. A perfect end to my Bond50 Blu-ray run.

 

 

I feel lost now.

[Professor Pi]

You're not going to follow up with Never Say Never Again and CR '67, both of which are out on Bluray?  The transition to NSNA follows quite well after Skyfall, actually, despite the inevitable letdown you might experience.  Having a new M makes sense now and you come full circle back to Connery.  Bond's retirement is then the bridge into CR'67, just have lots of martinis!

[thecasinoroyale]

I've only seem them both once and that was enough! I know fans sit on sides of the love it/hate it fence with those films but I am rooted in the "hate it" and will never count them as part of the Bond series, ever.  

 

[The Dove]

Breaking out the gin, vodka, Kina Lillet and lemon peel for a viewing of Dr. No tonight..

[The Dove]

For some odd reason, I'm in the mood to watch Never Say Never Again (need to pour myself a good stiff brandy first!! Lol)

[Ed83]

For some odd reason, I'm in the mood to watch Never Say Never Again (need to pour myself a good stiff brandy first!! Lol)

 

Awesome!  It deserves a good watch every now and then!  Tonight I'm watching From Russia With Love.