42 replies to this topic

[ChickenStu]

I'm here to pour out my love to my favourite James Bond. Pierce Brosnan. Now, when I say he's my favourite, I don't think he's the best, that's Connery.
But Brosnan is my favourite, he's my Bond, and I'll tell you why.
I grew up with the Bond films my whole life. One of my earliest memories is watching "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" with my older brother, when I was like a toddler or something. I grew up watching the movies over the years, on TV, and in the case of "Licence To Kill", on home video. As a kid I was a casual fan of the series.
In 1989, my interest in the Bond films waned as surely as the movie series did.
And then, came the magical Christmas of 1995. I was 17 years old. With my first ever girlfriend. I'd heard rumblings of a new Bond film, starring "the guy out of The Lawnmower Man" but I was kind of indifferent to it.
But it was the big film out, me and the girlfriend fancied a night out at the cinema, so we decided to actually go and check out "that new Bond thing..." which of course as you all well know, was "Goldeneye".
I remember watching it and thinking "that Brosnan guy is pretty cool for a guy who's like, in his 40's or something.." (an age which to me back then, was like ancient! lol)
I really enjoyed it.
Then two years later, when I was 19 "Tomorrow Never Dies" came out, and I REALLY loved it! I was a man obsessed! When it was released on home video, I bought it and watched it over and over and over. Then that Christmas, when I was 20, my parents bought me a Nintendo 64, with the "Goldeneye 007" game! We all know what a stone cold classic that game is, and then the following Christmas, at the age of 21, I bought all (then) 18 Bond movies on Home Video, and watched them. I was totally obsessed, and watching the Connerys, The Lazenby, The Moores, and The Daltons for the first time since I was a kid, and gaining a whole new appreciation for them.
This culminated in a late night preview screening of "The World Is Not Enough" which we'd all manged to wangle free tickets for. I loved it, and we all had a great time.
When I was 24, me and my (at the time) long term girlfriend went to the cinema to check out "Die Another Day" which I was hugely excited about, and I guess I kind of enjoyed it (although watching it years later, I don't know why ,lol). Then that Christmas, my Mum bought me the original Bond DVD tin boxed set with the 19 films in it. Later I would buy "Die Another Day" seperatly on it's release.
Sadly, at the time, we didn't know this would be Brosnan's last Bond movie. And I was truly sad, when I heard that he wouldn't be coming back to the part.
I had a casual interest in Bond growing up, but it took Brosnan's reign in the part to hook me in as a fan. It took Brosnan, to get me interested in Connery, Lazenby, Moore and Dalton, and I really just could not imagine anyone else in that part.
When Daniel Craig was announced as the man to take over, I noticed a lot of Brosnan backlash. The man who was once credited as saving the franchise, and being the best Bond since Connery- was being backstabbed, probably by the same people that were all of a sudden brown-nosing Craig.
One minute Brosnan was the king, and then, when the time came to pass over the reigns, the bandwagon jumpers out there started spouting off about how they'd always secretly hated him... sad really. I never became one of those. I stuck by my Bond, and people seem to forget how crucial his contribution to the franchise is.

I have seen "Casino Royale". It's excellent, and I love it, and Daniel Craig is absolutley superb as Bond. Credit where credit's due, it is a marvellous movie, and maybe, just maybe the series did need a reboot of sorts. I've upgraded to the latest 40 disc Bond DVD set now, and I bought the DVD of "Casino Royale" to add on top of that...
It is terrific. But I feel it could've waited.

Brosnan wanted to do a fifth, and he always said it would've been his last. He should have got his chance, to make one final huge Bond adventure, and go out on a high, and get the chance to say goodbye properly, and Broccoli and Wilson should've given the fans time to say goodbye to him. It's unfair that a complete turd like "Die Another Day" is the finale to what was before an absolutely brilliant career as Bond. He shouldn't have gone out like that man.

I will always defend Brosnan. He's the reason I love Bond, and he's the reason I'm a member of this forum.

If you guys love him as much as I do, come in here and share the love. You never know, he might check this website out from time to time, and this would be nice for him to read!

[DamnCoffee]

I agree, , Brosnan was a great Bond (even in some parts of DAD )but i dont think we'll get Brosnans fifth . Bond is back to basics and more popular than ever - thats largly because of Craig. Though the producers might of considered bringing Brosnan back if Casino Royale was a total failure at the box office - but it wasn't. So ChickenStu cherish your Brosnan Bond memories, because theres no way he'll be armed for a fifth time with a Silenced Walther P99.

[ChickenStu]

I agree, , Brosnan was a great Bond (even in some parts of DAD )but i dont think we'll get Brosnans fifth . Bond is back to basics and more popular than ever - thats largly because of Craig. Though the producers might of considered bringing Brosnan back if Casino Royale was a total failure at the box office - but it wasn't. So ChickenStu cherish your Brosnan Bond memories, because theres no way he'll be armed for a fifth time with a Silenced Walther P99.

No no no mharkin! I don't think for a minute we'll ever get a fifth Brosnan movie! That's not what I was saying at all, and now, believe it or not, I wouldn't be keen on the idea! I love Daniel Craig, and I loved "Casino Royale" and I really can't wait to see more Bond adventures with Craig in them! Things are looking good for the franchise at the moment, and I wouldn't want Brosnan to make some crappy "Diamonds Are Forever" or "Never Say Never Again" style return to the part. Sadly, he is far too old now, and the role is Craig's.
I was just trying to say, it would've been nice to have held off on "Casino Royale" for a few years, to give Brosnan a proper send off, and a proper goodbye, like a "gold watch" kind of Bond movie. If it happened that way, and it was on Brosnan's terms, after it was all over I would've been like "Yeah man, bring on the Casino!".
It just niggles me that I never got to say farewell to Brosnan's Bond properly, that's all.

[DamnCoffee]

Ah, i see what you mean now. , Personally, i consider Everything or Nothing as Brosnans fifth.

[ChickenStu]

Ah, i see what you mean now. , Personally, i consider Everything or Nothing as Brosnans fifth.

Never played that one. Any good?
I played the N64 games of "Goldeneye 007" and "The World Is Not Enough". I played "Agent Under Fire" on the PS2, and "Nightfire" but I had to give up on that, cause the final level is damn near impossible. I skipped "Rogue Agent" and "Everything Or Nothing", but I have played "From Russia With Love" which I really enjoyed, btw.
Is "Everything Or Nothing" worth getting hold of?

Edited by ChickenStu, 22 March 2007 - 08:47 PM.

[DamnCoffee]

Eon is easily one of the best Bond games ever - i highly reccomend it.

[00Twelve]

Much as I love Dan and CR, I definitely gotta give a shout to my first Bond of the movie theater. GoldenEye had a big impact on me as a Bond fan, and is still one of my faves and always will be. While I was foolish for trying to convince myself that each film got better, I still had a lot of fun, and found my way to CBn. So hey, Pierce, I love ya buddy! (Even if you're a total tree-hugger...)

[ACE]

We love you Pierce. We really do. Come on, hug it out!

[Turn]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

[Publius]

When Daniel Craig was announced as the man to take over, I noticed a lot of Brosnan backlash. The man who was once credited as saving the franchise, and being the best Bond since Connery- was being backstabbed, probably by the same people that were all of a sudden brown-nosing Craig.
One minute Brosnan was the king, and then, when the time came to pass over the reigns, the bandwagon jumpers out there started spouting off about how they'd always secretly hated him... sad really. I never became one of those. I stuck by my Bond, and people seem to forget how crucial his contribution to the franchise is.

I've noticed this has started to become the "conventional wisdom", but I just don't think there's any real truth to it. If anything, Craig drew in fans who drifted away because of Brosnan, just as much as some of Brosnan's fans were upset over Craig's casting (occasionally even "leaving" or starting a "boycott"). The two groups simply passed each other at the doorway, where now there also happened to be that all-magnifying world wide web, hence the appearance of an unprecedented "civil war" rife with people switching allegiances in order to jump on the bandwagon. But it wasn't actually the case.

[Santa]

Thank you, Publius.

[00Twelve]

Conventional wisdom is frequently suspicious in all areas.

[Bon-san]

When Daniel Craig was announced as the man to take over, I noticed a lot of Brosnan backlash. The man who was once credited as saving the franchise, and being the best Bond since Connery- was being backstabbed, probably by the same people that were all of a sudden brown-nosing Craig.
One minute Brosnan was the king, and then, when the time came to pass over the reigns, the bandwagon jumpers out there started spouting off about how they'd always secretly hated him... sad really. I never became one of those. I stuck by my Bond, and people seem to forget how crucial his contribution to the franchise is.

I've noticed this has started to become the "conventional wisdom", but I just don't think there's any real truth to it. If anything, Craig drew in fans who drifted away because of Brosnan, just as much as some of Brosnan's fans were upset over Craig's casting (occasionally even "leaving" or starting a "boycott"). The two groups simply passed each other at the doorway, where now there also happened to be that all-magnifying world wide web, hence the appearance of an unprecedented "civil war" rife with people switching allegiances in order to jump on the bandwagon. But it wasn't actually the case.

My theory:

Number of Bond-partial cinemagoers worldwide who AREN'T fans of both Brosnan and Craig = 53, and all 53 are frequent posters on this website.

No backlash, no bandwagons, no brown-nosing, no back-stabbing, no boycotting, no 'different camps', no 'passing in the doorway'. Just 53 very persistent posters.

[Santa]

Or, people being normal and, as is normal, they don't all like the same thing.

[Bon-san]

Or, people being normal and, as is normal, they don't all like the same thing.

I was coming from the point of view that most people in the real world don't really care much whether it's Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig or 'that guy that used to be on that one show with the hot chick and the other funny dude'. There's not that many people on the planet left, surely, who can muster a whole bunch of passion in re who's the actor in the Bond role, right? Aside from the initial gossip factor of it, does anyone really care?

I'm not trying to be cynical. I just am.

[dee-bee-five]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

Given that it's become trendy amongst some posters on this site to give Brosnan and his era a kicking at any opportunity, his supporters naturally feel the need to put their heads above the parapet and stick up for the guy.

Was he my favourite Bond? No. Were any of his films my favourite Bond movie? No. But I liked Brosnan; he was a good choice and a great ambassador for the series. I happen to like Craig better and think Casion Royale is the best film of the series. But it doesn't mean I can't like Brosnan. And I happen to find TWINE the most underrated Bond film currently. Brosnan gets way too much kicking on CBn; five years on, I can't be alone in feeling it's time a little more resoect was shown.

[dee-bee-five]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

Given that it's become trendy amongst some posters on this site to give Brosnan and his era a kicking at any opportunity, his supporters naturally feel the need to put their heads above the parapet and stick up for the guy.

Was he my favourite Bond? No. Were any of his films my favourite Bond movie? No. But I liked Brosnan; he was a good choice and a great ambassador for the series. I happen to like Craig better and think Casion Royale is the best film of the series. But it doesn't mean I can't like Brosnan. And I happen to find TWINE the most underrated Bond film currently. Brosnan gets way too much kicking on CBn; five years on, I can't be alone in feeling it's time a little more resoect was shown.

[dee-bee-five]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

Given that it's become trendy amongst some posters on this site to give Brosnan and his era a kicking at any opportunity, his supporters naturally feel the need to put their heads above the parapet and stick up for the guy.

Was he my favourite Bond? No. Were any of his films my favourite Bond movie? No. But I liked Brosnan; he was a good choice and a great ambassador for the series. I happen to like Craig better and think Casino Royale is the best film of the series. But it doesn't mean I can't like Brosnan. And I happen to find TWINE the most underrated Bond film currently. Brosnan gets way too much kicking on CBn; five years on, I can't be alone in feeling it's time a little more respect was shown.

[dee-bee-five]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

Given that it's become trendy amongst some posters on this site to give Brosnan and his era a kicking at any opportunity, his supporters naturally feel the need to put their heads above the parapet and stick up for the guy.

Was he my favourite Bond? No. Were any of his films my favourite Bond movie? No. But I liked Brosnan; he was a good choice and a great ambassador for the series. I happen to like Craig better and think Casion Royale is the best film of the series. But it doesn't mean I can't like Brosnan. And I happen to find TWINE the most underrated Bond film currently. Brosnan gets way too much kicking on CBn; five years on, I can't be alone in feeling it's time a little more resoect was shown.

[dee-bee-five]

Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy. It's starting to make CnB look like the Daniel Craig club.

Given that it's become trendy amongst some posters on this site to give Brosnan and his era a kicking at any opportunity, his supporters naturally feel the need to put their heads above the parapet and stick up for the guy.

Was he my favourite Bond? No. Were any of his films my favourite Bond movie? No. But I liked Brosnan; he was a good choice and a great ambassador for the series. I happen to like Craig better and think Casino Royale is the best film of the series. But it doesn't mean I can't like Brosnan. And I happen to find TWINE the most underrated Bond film currently. Brosnan gets way too much kicking on CBn; five years on, I can't be alone in feeling it's time a little more respect was shown.

[00Twelve]

Wow, I've never seen a quintuple post.

[plankattack]

But a quintuple post that talks a lot of sense. I'm pretty much all the way in with Five on his comments. I'm in the same place when it comes to how I "feel" about Brozza as Bond.

But I do believe you can seperate the man from the movies and I don't feel that the latter should somehow be exempt from our comments and criticisms. But I feel that many Brozza fan sgive the impression that the two things are inseperable.

I used to laugh a lot with Sir Rog as Bond, but that doesn't change my opinion that a couple of his films have very few redeeming qualitites other than that twinkle in his eye!

[dodge]

PlankAttack posted his delightful, charming Letter to Brozza only a day or two before ChickenStu began his Spreadin' the Love siege. I respect CS' fervor. But I reacted better to Plank's single, thoughtful, quietly persuasive post and wish CS had added this to it. Maybe Plank will agree to help ChickenStu establish a shrine thread for Brosnan, similar to the one set up for Dalton?

[Santa]

I love Rog. Shall I start a thread?

[00Twelve]

Go for it, Santa.

[JLaidlaw]

I actually disagree with Publius, I think there's quite a few former Brosnanites who turned against him very quickly. Sort of like if you go on that rank the 20 Bond films, and Die Another Day is in the top five for the first few pages, and then drops to the bottom five when we reach 2004.

Personally, I think all six men have equal status as Bond. My top five Bond films star four different actors, and the other two aren't far behind. However, when I talk of Bond and close my eyes, it's still Pierce's face I see. I agree entirely with ChickenStu, Brosnan did save the Bond series, and I think he got a pretty rough deal with some of those plotlines, the amalgam of Roger Moore cheesiness and Timothy Dalton darkness didn't quite work. DAD is not Bond's finest two hours, but Brosnan is still a very good Bond, and it's a shame he left the series in it's worst film to date.

Regarding a Connery style comeback, I'd love to see Pierce do voicework for a large scale animation. Van Helsing, Riddick, The Matrix and Doctor Who have all done them, they could one day become quite a trend... I live in hope. I still think that if the second Thomas Crown film does well that people may look back and think what a great James Bond we all lost.

[Santa]

That may well be, but it's annoying for those of us who had issues with Broz long before DC and CR to be told we're trying to be 'trendy'. Yuk.

[dodge]

I love Rog. Shall I start a thread?

Start the thread, my pretty, and I'll be the first to second it. I've grown damned fond of Roger, even though they never let him get the soup spoon past his lips. Gentlemen don't eat, I guess.

[Santa]

Well, you see, I said that without thinking. I do love Rog but I don't actually want to start a thread detailing how wonderful he is. Apart from anything else, surely it's self-evident?

[Kalel577]

"Not to rain on the parade, but just how many "we love Pierce" threads do we need? It's fine to spread the love and celebrate his Bond era, but I can count at 3 or 4 similar threads in the last month celebrating the guy..."

About as many as the "we love Craig" threads that abounded on this forum since his induction as the sixth Bond.