51 replies to this topic

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing
So was Maibaum a hack or was he outstanding?  Enquiring minds want to know.  And, come on, the Sonny Crockett comment was too funny.

Once again Maibaum wrote 5 of the best Bond films . If that makes him outstanding to you fine . I said he was finished by "AVTAK" . Maibaum through the grace of god di not write "Moonraker". Christopher Wood was responible for that. Maibaum did write "TSWLM" , "FYEO" , "Octopussy". Which are good Bond films. Sonny Crockett , well i guess we know how you spent your friday nights in the 1980's.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by kevrichardson
Once again Maibaum wrote 5 of the best Bond films . If that makes him outstanding to you fine .

Er, yeah. Seems pretty darned outstanding to me. And you concede he wrote three "good Bond films" as well (and you're not even counting THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and LICENCE TO KILL, which I'd also say are pretty decent).

But even if we were to forget about THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, OCTOPUSSY, TLD and LTK and just concentrate on the "5 of the best Bond films" Maibaum had a hand in, maybe "outstanding" isn't too strong a word. I only wish we had more "hacks" like Maibaum working in movies today.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by Loomis

But even if we were to forget about THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, OCTOPUSSY, TLD and LTK and just concentrate on the "5 of the best Bond films" Maibaum had a hand in, maybe "outstanding" isn't too strong a word. I only wish we had more "hacks" like Maibaum working in movies today.

Maibaum was finished by the time of Dalton's Bond . If fact his has a screenwriting credit for LTK(1989) and only worked on the film treatment. Due to the screenwriters strike of 1989. This start out on the "Miami Vice' scene you fell is in "LTK" . Dalton was never give a chance to be Bond . Yet takes all the heat for what happne to the franchise. if not for Dalton , Brosnan would be on the "Remington Steele"reunion show.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by kevrichardson
Maibaum was finished by the time of Dalton's Bond . If fact his has a screenwriting credit for LTK(1989) and only worked on the film treatment. Due to the screenwriters strike of 1989.  This start out on the "Miami Vice' scene you fell is in "LTK" . Dalton was never give a chance to be Bond . Yet takes all the heat for what happne to the franchise. if not for Dalton , Brosnan would be on the "Remington Steele"reunion show.

Hang on, I've never been one of the people on these forums knocking LICENCE TO KILL for being reminiscent of "Miami Vice". Quite the reverse, in fact. I'm a huge LTK fan who tends to jump down people's throats when they mention LTK and "Miami Vice" in the same sentence. And I've never been a Dalton-basher.

I know that Michael G. Wilson ended up writing most of LTK due to Maibaum's decision to pull out because of the writers' strike, but what about TLD? Maibaum co-wrote that film, so how can you say he was finished by the time of Dalton's Bond? Incidentally, if he HAD been finished by the time of Dalton's Bond it would have been perfectly understandable, as he turned 78 in the year TLD came out! Which means he turned 80 in the year of LTK's release! If nothing else, you gotta give him credit for soldiering on. Anyway, I'd like you to give us further evidence that Maibaum was just a two-a-penny hack.

[kevrichardson]

I am at loss at how this disagreement started . I will admit ( like a mature adult) That were it not for Richard Maibaum there would not be Bond Films like "Dr.NO" , "FRWL" , "GF" , "TB", "OHMSS" , "TSWLM" ( he got screenwriting credit , but his original dtory was deemed to political ) . "FYEO" ( a back to basics Bond) "OctoPussy" . This silly thread was on the Miami Vice elements of "LTK" . Which was part of the continuing push to return Bond from the depths of silliness of "AVTAK".

[ChandlerBing]

To clarify, Maibaum's script for Spy Who Loved Me dealt with SPECTRE, which was overthrown by a bunch of radicals who want to destroy the world in their own way and manner. The old Blofeld guard is kicked out and these young radicals come in and start screwing around with the nuclear submarines. Cubby told Maibaum that his script was too political. The script did have Jaws, but he met his death in a furnace at the end, instead of the ending they had.

To the poster who wondered how I spent my Friday nights in the 80s, I don't honestly remember. I've slept since then. I did have a Miami Vice soundtrack and dressed like Sonny Crocket a few times. Nash is on the USA Network and is still fun to watch. Oh, well, to each their own.

[Dr Noah]

I thought Mimi Vice was very silly indeed... and was LTK

If only Maibaum was able to work on it a bit more it might have been a passable movie.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing
To clarify, Maibaum's script for Spy Who Loved Me dealt with SPECTRE, which was overthrown by a bunch of radicals who want to destroy the world in their own way and manner.  The old Blofeld guard is kicked out and these young radicals come in and start screwing around with the nuclear submarines.  Cubby told Maibaum that his script was too political.  The script did have Jaws, but he met his death in a furnace at the end, instead of the ending they had.
To the poster who wondered how I spent my Friday nights in the 80s, I don't honestly remember.  I've slept since then.  I did have a Miami Vice soundtrack and dressed like Sonny Crocket a few times.  Nash is on the USA Network and is still fun to watch.  Oh, well, to each their own.

This is not what this thread is about . There is no Miami Vice elements in "LTK". I am also aware of what was Maibaum's original treatment for TSWLM .

[ChandlerBing]

Maibaum commented that LTK had no real caper for the villain, along the lines of Fort Knox or germ warfare. Bond should have been lightened up, that he shouldn't be so funereal, so somber.

He's absolutely right, but when you have an actor like Dalton, who had no sense of humor, no charisma, no spark, that's what you get.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing
Maibaum commented that LTK had no real caper for the villain, along the lines of Fort Knox or germ warfare.  Bond should have been lightened up, that he shouldn't be so funereal, so somber.  
He's absolutely right, but when you have an actor like Dalton, who had no sense of humor, no charisma, no spark, that's what you get.

Maibaum should talk (i know he dead) he wrote those horrible Moore Bond films. Every Bond film does not have to be a film based on some Nuclear nightmare.

[ChandlerBing]

For Your Eyes Only is not horrible. He succeeded in "bringing the balloon down" after the bloated Moonraker, which he did not write. Octopussy was also pretty good--not perfect, mind you--but good. The Roger Moore movies were a product of their times, as the "nuclear nightmare," as you referred to it, was very real in the minds of people everywhere.

It's too bad you have to bash Maibaum. As someone who has taken the time to write screenplays, I can attest that they are not easy to do. No one sets out to write a bad film.

[Dr Noah]

"he wrote those horrible Moore Bond films"

I wouldn't call any Moore Bond movie horrible....even AVTAK is (marginally) more entertaining than the weakest Bond movie (which, don't flame me please, i think is LTK)

[ChandlerBing]

I agree with you, Dr. Noah. Some of them are indeed better than others, though.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing

It's too bad you have to bash Maibaum.  As someone who has taken the time to write screenplays, I can attest that they are not easy to do.  No one sets out to write a bad film.

Agreed! Screenplays a difficult to write.

[Dr Noah]

"Some of them are indeed better than others, though."

True, but even the weakest ones usually have some good bits in them.

For example AVTAK is my second least favourite Bond movie, but to me the scenes between Moore and MacNee tend to redeem the movie

[ChandlerBing]

The Living Daylights has a great score. LTK doesn't really have much for me to watch it on TV. I caught a few things on TBS, and it still was embarrassing. How the Dalton police can run down Brosnan's films for their dialogue is beyond me. They should know better than to cast stones at glass houses. Shall we bring up Dalton's bird-flying maneuver at the beginning of LTK?

[kevrichardson]

What's embarassing about "LTK" . TLD is the last Bond scored by John Barry. None of you have convinced me that LTK is a bad movie.

[ChandlerBing]

I am not going to try and convince you LTK is a bad movie. It's my opinion, that's all. I would have just as much luck convincing you about LTK as I would about Pierce and his movies.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing
I am not going to try and convince you LTK is a bad movie.  It's my opinion, that's all.  I would have just as much luck convincing you about LTK as I would about Pierce and his movies.

Your opinion is of little value . This is if anything just a fun thing for fans to do . Exchange knowledge about James Bond.

[Doubleshot]

His opinion is of little value?

This is a James Bond forum, Kev. It would be terribly boring if we just exchanged knowledge about James Bond. Our commentaries on each of the films is what makes the forum so interesting and fun. What about your opinion? Does it have any value? His is just different. I think this post has gotten a bit out of hand.

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by Doubleshot

It would be terribly boring if we just exchanged knowledge about James Bond. Our commentaries on each of the films is what makes the forum so interesting and fun. What about your opinion? Does it have any value? His is just different. I think this post has gotten a bit out of hand.

Have no proble exchanging ideas or opinions . I agree this thread has become totally out of hand.

[General Koskov]

Isn't one of the criticisms of LTK that it seems like Miami Vice? Therefore a MV tie-in would be very ironic (not that I'd even know it if one was there, since I have no idea what MV is, other than an '80s TV show).

That said, how are drug cartels dated, Zencat? I admit I didn't have the luxury of examining LTK at the time it was released, so I take it as fiction, but one can find numerous stories about Colombian dug cartels, guerillas, et cetera. Unless you think that they cannot survive without Col North's support?