110 replies to this topic

[DamnCoffee]

Right, someone has to say this...

Hildebrand Rarity, Why are you slamming every single Bond film to make Quantum of Solace look brilliant?

You're slamming the classic Bond movies and It's really offensive. Cant you not, like all of them equally, instead of making Quantum of Solace look like a flawless movie, which it's not.

Believe me, I love Quantum of Solace but even I can see it's flaws. Why cant you? Without slamming the likes of From Russia With Love in the process?

[Jim]

Right, someone has to say this...

Why are you slamming every single Bond film to make Quantum of Solace look brilliant?

You're slamming the classic Bond movies and It's really offensive. Cant you not, like all of them equally, instead of making Quantum of Solace look like a flawless movie, which it's not.

Believe me, I love Quantum of Solace but even I can see it's flaws. Why cant you? Without slamming the likes of From Russia With Love in the process?

From 2003: "Sensualist finds such things extremely hard to control."

Tiresome, innit?

[Loomis]

In Hilly's defence, I too noticed Connery's "drag queen" makeup years ago, and I noticed it on VHS, mark you. It was there for all to see long before the emergence of these newfangled hi-definition things like DVD and Blu-ray.

In the film's defence, I don't think it matters. Jeepers creepers, we're talking about a movie from 1963 (that, all told, still holds up astoundingly well) - let's cut the bugger some slack, eh?

The warpaint doesn't even come close to marring the flick for me. And it certainly doesn't have any bearing on Connery's (superb) performance. Judge the Bond actor by his acting, not by the extent to which the makeup girl evidently got a bit carried away.

Besides, whenever I see something in a Bond film that's A Bit Much™, e.g. the crew members in the mirror in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, or the Brosmeister surfing the glacier, or, erm, the whole of A VIEW TO A KILL, my usual response is to find it amusing and all part of Eon's rich pageant. I chuckle affectionately. I do not raise merry hell.

(Unless it's the dogfight/freefall in QUANTUM OF SOLACE, which I. Cannot. Give. A. Pass. To. Because - unlike Connery in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - it's crap. )

[HildebrandRarity]

Right, someone has to say this...

Why are you slamming every single Bond film to make Quantum of Solace look brilliant?

You're slamming the classic Bond movies and It's really offensive. Cant you not, like all of them equally, instead of making Quantum of Solace look like a flawless movie, which it's not.

Believe me, I love Quantum of Solace but even I can see it's flaws. Why cant you? Without slamming the likes of From Russia With Love in the process?

From 2003: "Sensualist finds such things extremely hard to control."

Tiresome, innit?

I'm not slamming every single Bond film. I've gone back and re-visited two of the more 'realistic' (for choice of a better word) Bond films, OHMSS and FRWL and highlighted some of their flaws.

Are we to leave these films alone just because they happen to be a few peoples' sacred cows?

And what does that quote from 2003 have anything to do with revisiting the old sacred cows?

If Bond doesnt appear in a Bond movie until 18 minutes and there's no action in the movie for 45 minutes are we to simply shut up about it? If this was the case with Q0S, there'd be hangings.

[DamnCoffee]

I'm not slamming every single Bond film. I've gone back and re-visited two of the more 'realistic' (for choice of a better word) Bond films, OHMSS and FRWL and highlighted some of their flaws.

Yet you keep bringing up the petrol scene from From Russia With Love as a flaw.....yet it is debunked every time. Even though it's been proven possible everytime.

[HildebrandRarity]

How has it been "debunked"? The only way it would be is by having one of the CBners here have oil drums blasted by machine gun fire and then one of two things would happen:

1 They would explode; or

2 The bullets wouldn't douple pierce the drums allowing their gasoline to spill...the spilling allowing Bond to set them alight.

So, which one is it? And who on the forum here has gone out and done this to debunk what I mentioned?

The above still doesn't take care of the pacing issue with respect to James Bond's first appearence in the movie and the action being all back-loaded.

How do you get 'debunk' that?

[DamnCoffee]

Oh dear. You still don't understand.

Well, if it's from a distance, and they are standard bullets, they are not going to cause an explosion. It'd be some amazing fluke of luck.

[sharpshooter]

Yep. Tracer rounds contain phosphorous that glows when the bullet flies through the air. Shooting from a distance with these bullets allows the phosphorous more time to ignite. They did this on Mythbusters. Normal bullets just don't do it. It's flat out true.

[Loomis]

If Bond doesnt appear in a Bond movie until 18 minutes and there's no action in the movie for 45 minutes are we to simply shut up about it? If this was the case with Q0S, there'd be hangings.

If only the internet had existed in 1963....

ZORIN INDUSTRIES, SENIOR.: Only anorak-wearing fanboys with no experience of film production would find "flaws" in From Russia With Love. As always, "Harry and Cubby" (although that should be "Mr Saltzman and Mr Broccoli" to you) know exactly what they're doing and don't need to take advice from armchair filmmakers and clueless fans who think that just because they own both the Bond flms on 16mm they should control the series.

LOOMIS, SENIOR: From Russia With Love is clearly a very flawed adaptation of the novel. And who the hell is "Ali Kerim Bey"? It was "Darko Kerim" in the book, last time I checked. Fleming would be Turning In His Grave™.... if he were dead.

SPYNOVELFAN, SENIOR: Can we please get the title right? It's From Russia, With Love. Not From Russia With Love.

JIM, SENIOR: From Russia With Love truly is a splendid film. Mr Connery is absolutely scrumptious.

HARMSWAY, SENIOR: Well, I've seen an early draft of the Goldfinger screenplay, and it does appear that Maibaum has made some changes from the book regarding Goldfinger's scheme. It seems that Goldfinger isn't planning on carting the gold away from Fort Knox, but it's not quite clear yet what the filmmakers are putting in its place. BTW, Paul Dehn is only doing a dialogue polish, so it's far from guaranteed that he'll even get a screen credit.

MHARKIN, SENIOR, SENIOR: I hope they'll do Moonraker after Goldfinger. On Her Majesty's Secret Service has much too dark an ending and could never be filmed for that reason. Failing Moonraker, they could always adapt the one Fleming's writing now.

DLIBRASNOW, SENIOR: Yeah, You Only Live Once, it's called.

[DamnCoffee]

Hildebrand, tell me, is Casino Royale any less of a bond film for having an impossible scene with the gas tank? Considering the scene in From Russia With Love is plausable anyway?

[HildebrandRarity]

Hildebrand, tell me, is Casino Royale any less of a bond film for having an impossible scene with the gas tank?

It's certainly not a perfect film. I never said it was.

Tracer rounds contain phosphorous that glows when the bullet flies through the air. Shooting from a distance with these bullets allows the phosphorous more time to ignite.

Normal bullets just don't do it.

Do they puncture holes while entering and exiting fuel drums?

[DamnCoffee]

Hildebrand, tell me, is Casino Royale any less of a bond film for having an impossible scene with the gas tank?

It's certainly not a perfect film. I never said it was.

Ok then, what about in Quantum of Solace when they repeat the mistake twice, with Bond shooting the gas bottle whilst cradling Cammile? Surely that's not logical?


Oh, and btw...

Yesterday you said...

"4. Blofeld stroking his cat and talking all menacing is, NOW, in a post-Mike Meyers world, just laugable."

But, then you go on to say that you love Thunderball, which includes the EXACT same thing. Quite odd really, why don't you find Thunberball 'laugable'? If anything, the whole Austin Powers thing is a tribute to the legacy.

[HildebrandRarity]

Well, in Q0S the whole complex is burning, with flames all around. The entire hotel is on fire already.

[DamnCoffee]

*Sigh*

Don't you understand!? It doest matter what item they are shooting at, gas bottle or a petrol drum. A bullet will not ignite the contents. Period. A Tracer will.

It doesn't change a thing. How exactly does that change things, because as far as I am concerned, it does not. Not one bit, and a 9mm will not penetrate a gas bottle. only a mini gun will.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

001)From Russia With Love. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Definitely the best 2nd Bond film.

002)The Man with the Golden Gun. Highly underrated entry with Moore's most Flemingesque performance in the role, a fantastic villain in Scaramanga(my current favorite), an underrated and fun Bond girl in Goodnight, great locations, terrific John Barry score. One of the films I like to watch over and over.

003)Licence to Kill. Dalton is terrific in his 2nd(and sadly, final) Bond performance while Robert Davi matches him play for play as one of the best villains ever in Sanchez. Let down by weakened production values and Bond picking the wrong girl at the end but still good.

004)Tomorrow Never Dies. Brosnan improves upon his GE debut with a stronger, slicker and more self-confident performance this time around. Teri Hatcher gives an underrated performance as the woman Bond left behind while David Arnold gives the best non-Barry score in the series. Slick, sleek and fast-moving. It's literally tied with LTK for me but I give that one a slight edge because of Dalton and Davi.

005) Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.. Nice touch-in-cheek cameo by the mysterious "JB" in this made-for-TV film. Lazenby seemed to be having fun with it. Love the moment when Napoleon Solo's lovely Russian defector passenger says "This is just like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service!"

006)Quantum of Solace. Craig is equally great the 2nd time around and gets good support from Giannini's Mathis and Gemma Arterton's Strawberry(both of whose appearances are way too brief). However, the film itself is a let down thanks to a weak script and pretentious direction, editing and camera work. Definitely the most disappointing 2nd Bond film, considering how fantastic Casino Royale is.

[Gogol Pushkin]

Gotta be a toss up between FRWL and LTK for me. Both Connery and Dalton really came into their own with the second attempts, FRWL is a flawless masterpiece and LTK is a superb movie, one of the best Bond's and one of the best action flicks of the 1980's, I don't know about anyone else, but watching the final scene always gives me a little lump in my throat knowing that it's the last scene to feature Dalton as 007. TMWTGG, TND and QOS are fantastic films as well don't get me wrong, but there are little flaws with them, nothing major mind you that would stop me from watching them, but FRWL and LTK are reach a for higher benchmark in my opinion.

[DR76]

My ranking of the second Bond films are:

1. "From Russia With Love"

2. "Quantum of Solace"

3. "License to Kill"

4. "The Man With the Golden Gun"

5. "Tomorrow Never Dies"

[Guy Haines]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Quantum Of Solace
3. Licence To Kill
4. Tomorrow Never Dies
5. The Man With The Golden Gun.

The UNCLE film - personally, I wouldn't count it on the list. Lazenby isn't in it for long and isn't referred to as Bond, for legal reasons no doubt (it appeared in 1983, the year of two Bond films - I expect that Eon's legal team would have dropped in like a ton of bricks if their character Bond appeared "as James Bond" in a Man From UNCLE revival movie, even though, oddly enough, Napoleon Solo was a character suggested by Fleming.)

Looking down the cast list, the UNCLE film also featured future Bond ally Patrick Macnee as UNCLE chief Sir John Raleigh (good Nottingham name that!) and future Bond villain Anthony Zerbe as, inevitably, a villain. It also featured another character named "Janus" - now where have I heard that name before?

[jaguar007]

no question, From Russia With Love.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

no question, From Russia With Love.

Yes definitely.

[elizabeth]

FRWL, hands down. It just captures the entire Bond series, as well as the time period.