I mean, we have to talk about James Bond, right?
Much like we handled Hitchcock, we did the same with James Bond. I remember my mom watching “Dr. No” one night and I asked her about it. She said, “This is the first James Bond movie.”
What is this James Bond you speak of?
I sat and finished it with her. I have to admit, it had its moments, and the Ursula Andress bikini was definitely one of them. The score was another.
We had a discussion and I found that there were more James Bond movies, so we started renting them. The ones that stood out for me were:
To me, this was the first James Bond movie. After “Goldfinger,” the rest of the James Bond films took over its formula. A mini mission to start the film before credits with an epic “title song” by a female artist with a huge voice. James Bond then goes to M to get his mission, and then to Q to get his gadget weapons. Then the mission begins. We also start to see the ridiculously named “Bond Girls” Pussy Galore being the best…ever. I find that in some weird way, every James Bond movie since is trying to make as great a film as “Goldfinger” was.
The setting for “Thunderball” is what makes this movie great. The epic underwater battles that take place with spear guns, masks, and flippers is awesome. I also enjoy one of the best cheesy one-liners ever, after Bond has killed a villain with a spear gun: “I think he got the point.”
Yet another interesting setting, this time Japan, and there are plot points that take place in outer space. The opening sequence is quite shocking, but extremely effective. I feel too that the action in this Bond film in particular was really amped up.
There is a lot of cool shit about this movie. First of all, the villain’s name, Francisco Scaramanga. He does have a golden gun, and it has golden bullets = awesome. There are cars that turn into airplanes and one of Scaramanga’s henchmen is Tattoo from Fantasy Island. There is also a duel in Scaramanga’s lair…and Scaramanga is played by the late great Saruman.
Barbara Bach…do I need to keep writing? This film probably has the coolest open mission sequence in all of the Bond films. It is an arctic mission and there are skis, machine guns, snow machines, and a submarine that looks like an iceberg. The scale of this James Bond film is one of the largest, and that is saying a lot. There is a Lamborghini that turns into a mini submarine and a man named Jaws kills a shark by eating it. If that isn’t sweet enough for you, I can’t entertain you.
First of all, Duran Duran has the title song, and it rocks. Second, Christopher Walken plays a very interesting “Bond villain” that is backed up by a Grace Jones that can pick men up off the ground and throw them. I love this underrated and forgotten Bond film.
…and, my favorite Bond film…
I love this Bond film for a number of reasons. Number 1, it is the first Bond film I ever saw on the big screen (you always remember your first). Number 2, it breaks away from the “Goldfinger formula” that was set so many years ago. James Bond is the best man at one of his CIA Operative friend’s wedding. They break from the wedding to capture the villain of the film. The Villain escapes and exacts his brutal revenge on Bond’s friends, killing his new wife and subjecting his friend to a near death. Bond then has to flee from her majesty’s secret service in order to get his revenge. The villain is not a “cartoon” Bond villain. Everything about him appears very real as he is a drug cartel king pin that does not suffer fools or betrayal. I feel that this is the grittiest Bond film out there, and a lot of people were not ready for this type of James Bond that would go to the lengths he had to for his revenge. Go see it.
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Clintington on Film 
“Live or Let Die”. Not only a great McCartney song but a personal connection. The boat chase and boat jump scenes were tech’d by our Evinrude Outboard regional Tech Advisor. He had some great behind the scenes stories about the cast and crew. We used some of his “tricks” on the boats we put out from the small Tampa dealership where I worked. No jumps but we did have the fastest bass boats on the local lakes. I don’t think the fish noticed though.
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That is a great story. You’ll always enjoy those films the most when you can make connections like that. The boat scenes in that movie are awesome. For me, the special effects during the climax are what ruined that film for me. The villain is basically a blow up doll. Good cinema though.
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Never get tired of watching these films… and for a couple of tenuous connections I once climbed the mountain where “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed and am tomorrow going camping near where they filmed the Scottish scenes in “Skyfall”… thought Daniel Craig was a great Bond too.
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That’s really cool that you have an opportunity to go to those places. I too, like Craig as Bond. #ExcitedForSpectre
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View to a Kill is one of my favorites, but I never thought of it as underrated or forgotten…to me, Living Daylights fits that bill. It has a complex plot that goes in so many directions. You kind of have to pay attention to catch it all. Of course, I still laugh at the girl on the yacht at the end of the opening sequence…”When will I meet a real man?”
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Yes. Living Daylights is great…again, I felt T. Dalton did not get enough credit for his portrayal as Bond. He had the charisma.
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