For an iconic James Bond phrase, it's not that often used in James Bond film!
Adrian and I have been watching through all the James Bond movies. We've been doing this incredibly slowly. Some James Bonds are great and you want to watch the next one right away and others leave a bad taste in your mouth and you just don't care to ever watch one again (for awhile at any rate. We are trying to have seen ALL of them by the end of this run and stopping would mean we hadn't seen them all.).
I've always enjoyed James Bond films with the spy gadgets and the incredible plots. It's good to know that the world can be saved by one man, time and time again. Sure there are facets to the series that I don't agree with or particularly enjoy - including the occasional overwhelming misogynism and promiscuity. I really didn't enjoy these after I actually read a James Bond book. If ever there was a series where movie was better than book... And just think what film - especially thrillers and action - would be without Bond's impact!
In university we had James Bond Day a couple times where you watch one movie from each of the 6 different James Bond portrayers. It's fun to see the shift in society, fashion, technology and who James Bond is to every generation.
I've always been partial to Timothy Dalton myself. Wish he did more than two!
So if you do decide to do James Bond Day, here is a handy dandy guide for missing some of the stinkers. We'll briefly comment on the Bonds that we've watched as of late. if you ever do watch them all in order, you're probably going to get sick of Roger Moore. I know I did.
Sean Connery
Dr No: a delightful Caribbean romp involving Ursula Andress, radiation contaimination which is easily washed off in a shower, and a meeting with Felix Leiter - he's played by more people than James! (you'll find that James Bond spends a lot of time in the Caribbean
From Russia With Love: James Bond isn't even in the film til about minute 12. Good fight scene on a train. This is a good one. Interesting fact: Mr Bond actually managed to keep a girlfriend from Dr No until From Russia with Love.
Goldfinger: I'm pretty sure this one had some terrible puns for women's names. Like worse than normal.
Thunderball: Sharks, speedos and mostly underwater sequences.
You Only Live Twice: It's the one with the fake volcano. But I'm pretty sure it still went boom.
George Lazenby
On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The only Aussie James Bond who, in one movie alone, has a chase in a bobsleigh and manages to get married (but only after seducing half of a ladies allergy clinic).
Sean Connery comes back
Diamonds are Forever: It was funny. And it wasn't supposed to be.
Roger Moore
Live and Let Die: A voodoo theme carried through and Roger Moore restarted the series with some zest.
The Man with the Golden Gun: Terrible. I really didn't like James Bonds for awhile after this one.
The Spy Who Loved Me: It's the one with the underwater car! A fairly good plot made James Bond movies exciting again as the previous few had been not as exciting.
Moonraker: If you like sci-fi, watch it. And giggle. All the lasers and cool fighting in space. The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker are the ones with the Jaws character.
For Your Eyes Only: I'm drawing a blank.
Octopussy: The circus, bombs, trains, a cult devoted to the blue ringed octopus.
A View to a Kill: The bad guy rode in a zeppelin, while James Bond drove a Ford. Hampered by terrible, terrible acting on the part of both lead women. Christopher Walken is creepy. No matter what.
Timothy Dalton
The Living Daylights: We watched this one yesterday. Fresh plot, lots of running around the world, highly enjoyable. [Interesting fact: Miss Moneypenny was played by the same woman until this movie. She was the continuity for awhile. Q stays as the same person until one of the Pierce Brosnan ones, I think.]
Aren't you just jonesing to queue up some movies, pop a view buckets of popcorn and gorge on the original spy films now? Let me know what you think of them all!
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