Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Karl,

Do you mean the movie or the book (or both)?  Just curious.   

PD

The movie

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Interesting. The only books I've read are Casino Royale, which I thought all right, and Live and Let Die, which suffers horribly from embedded racism

Casino Royale might be, in its way, the best of the books. Yikes. :-)

The racism in Moonraker (the book; anti-Korean) is astounding and vile.

[SonicMan46]

Incidentally, now that we are on Bond: Your Top Three WORST Bond films are?

Quantum of Solace
Die Another Day

One is dumb beyond words and the other an incomprehensible fiery mess, dragged down to hell by the writer's strike.

The World Is Not Enough
Honorable mention: A View to a Kill

The best, meanwhile, I think, could reasonably include:

Casino Royale
From Russia with Love
Golden Eye
For Your Eyes Only
and
Thunderball

(No disrespect to Lazenby and Dalton; both underrated by far, I think... a

My personal three worst are:

Moonraker
Octopussy
The Man With the Golden Gun

In my present reverse chronological order survey, I watched View to a Kill last night.  It starts out with one of my general objections to the Roger Moore  movies:..............

Well, I'm sure everyone has a slightly different list of Bond films, whether 'best' or 'worst' - have just a half dozen BDs in my collection - again one movie per actor, although looks like I ignored Lazenby and bought two w/ Connery -    Dave

BTW - who will be the next James Bond?  Some speculation HERE!

   

   

[Karl Henning]

Just posting afresh; what a dratted nuisance:

Incidentally, now that we are on Bond: Your Top Three WORST Bond films are?


Quantum of Solace
Die Another Day

One is dumb beyond words and the other an incomprehensible fiery mess, dragged down to hell by the writer's strike.

The World Is Not Enough
Honorable mention: A View to a Kill
The best, meanwhile, I think, could reasonably include:

Casino Royale
From Russia with Love
Golden Eye
For Your Eyes Only
and
Thunderball

(No disrespect to Lazenby and Dalton; both underrated by far, I think... and well above average films, all three... but especially Living Daylights and In her MSS. But maybe not in either case quite as memorable a jolt in the arm of the franchise as Casino & Golden Eye. And I must say, despite a certain 'cuteness' of the ski-chasing scenes, as seen from today's perspective, IHMSS really was very good on recent re-watching.

My personal three worst are:

Moonraker
Octopussy
The Man With the Golden Gun

In my present reverse chronological order survey, I watched View to a Kill last night.  It starts out with one of my general objections to the Roger Moore  movies:  the seemingly obligatory kitsch:  snowboarding to "California Girls."  the fire engine chase is also something of a low point, to be sure.  And I do not want to research the age difference between Moore and the actress he was in the shower with at the end.

Although Octopussy is on for tonight, I am already half-cringing at the thought of the Tarzan yell.



I acknowledge the real flaws of Quantum of Solace, nevertheless I do like it (and would generally prefer to watch it than almost any of the Moore outings):  the apprehension of Vesper's boyfriend; Mathis' dying suggestion that they forgive one another, which feels to me a touch that is unique in the Bond screenplays; the fact that Bond's relationship with the principal female character is essentially platonic (if not unique, quite the rarity) and I can add such comparative trivialities as the main titles song, and Felix telling Bond to move his ass.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

The movie

Oh, boy!  Wow!  You have a special experience awaiting you then.  Hope that you check it out (and the book too...it's short FYI).

Best,

PD

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B07TTHYHRP[/asin]

I lost my appetite for zombie films ages ago, but I was looking forward to seeing this because of Jarmusch. I was hoping for something resembling the brilliance of Only Lovers Left Alive. My hopes were utterly dashed.

[Biffo]

I can't see why anyone rates Casino Royale as the worst Bond movie ever unless they are referring to the dire spoof with David Niven.

I have enjoyed all the Daniel Craig movies and my only objection to A Quantum of Solace is the silly title.

There have been a several Bond movies on UK TV recently. I watched half of On Her Majesty's Secret Service before switching over. For some unfathomable reason I watched all of The Man with the Golden Gun, now that is feeble. I don't think Roger Moore was a bad Bond he just had a series of feeble scripts with unfunny running gags.

[SimonNZ]

I think people were saying Casino Royale was one of the best. And I'd concur.

Re Roger Moore: beyond the suspect quality of some of the films my main problem with him as Bond is... I could take him.

If he comes at me with his silly Karate chop and his bad knob jokes that guy is getting his ass kicked. And im not a fighter.

[vandermolen]

Most interesting, Dave (and P.D.) I don't believe I've seen it.  The BPL musy have it.


TD: The Timothy Dalton Bond appearances, Living Daylights & License to Kill

Tim Dalton was my favourite Bond after Sean Connery - I think that he was v underrated in that role. I also like his version of 'Wuthering Heights'.

[vandermolen]

Boy, looks like we lost nearly a week's worth of movie posts! 

Over 2 nights, I watched a new Criterion release of a classic from the early 60s:

The Great Escape (1963) - outstanding Criterion restoration w/ plenty of specials - more HERE - Dave

How exciting! Always loved this film with its marvellous cast. Great cover image.

[vandermolen]

I can't see why anyone rates Casino Royale as the worst Bond movie ever unless they are referring to the dire spoof with David Niven.

I have enjoyed all the Daniel Craig movies and my only objection to A Quantum of Solace is the silly title.

There have been a several Bond movies on UK TV recently. I watched half of On Her Majesty's Secret Service before switching over. For some unfathomable reason I watched all of The Man with the Golden Gun, now that is feeble. I don't think Roger Moore was a bad Bond he just had a series of feeble scripts with unfunny running gags.

I think people probably are referring to the dire spoof with David Niven.

[vandermolen]

I couldn't stand Lord of the Rings for more than 15 minutes either, and quickly forgot why, except that I found it boring from the start. Long ago I revelled in the books, but I didn't recognize them on the screen. 

I read the books at university and loved them. I also enjoyed the films when they first came out and saw them at the cinema, although I thought the scene at the end where they all stand around clapping was naff. My daughter's ex-boyfriend bought me the Hobbit, which I enjoyed but I never felt much interest in obtaining parts 2 and 3. I agree that it was probably a mistake to try to turn the Hobbit into the LOTR. In some ways my favourite adaptation of LOTR was the BBC radio one, of many years ago, with Michael Hordern as Gandalf and Ian Holm (Bilbo in the movie) as Frodo. As for the Hobbit movie, I liked Martin Freeman in the office but not in anything else.

[SimonNZ]

Tim Dalton was my favourite Bond after Sean Connery - I think that he was v underrated in that role. I also like his version of 'Wuthering Heights'.

My first thought was of Timothy Dalton singing the Kate Bush song...

[Biffo]

I read the books at university and loved them. I also enjoyed the films when they first came out and saw them at the cinema, although I thought the scene at the end where they all stand around clapping was naff. My daughter's ex-boyfriend bought me the Hobbit, which I enjoyed but I never felt much interest in obtaining parts 2 and 3. I agree that it was probably a mistake to try to turn the Hobbit into the LOTR. In some ways my favourite adaptation of LOTR was the BBC radio one, of many years ago, with Michael Hordern as Gandalf and Ian Holm (Bilbo in the movie) as Frodo. As for the Hobbit movie, I liked Martin Freeman in the office but not in anything else.

I heard a BBC radio adaptation decades ago (ca. 1968?) and greatly enjoyed it; can't remember who was in it but it was broadcast on Sunday evening. I heard it before I read the LOTR books (borrowed from the local library).

[vandermolen]

My first thought was of Timothy Dalton singing the Kate Bush song...

[vandermolen]

I heard a BBC radio adaptation decades ago (ca. 1968?) and greatly enjoyed it; can't remember who was in it but it was broadcast on Sunday evening. I heard it before I read the LOTR books (borrowed from the local library).

The one I was referring to was from 1981.

[Biffo]

The one I was referring to was from 1981.

You young whippersnappers!

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Boy, looks like we lost nearly a week's worth of movie posts! 

Over 2 nights, I watched a new Criterion release of a classic from the early 60s:

The Great Escape (1963) - outstanding Criterion restoration w/ plenty of specials - more HERE - Dave

Don't know this version, but it's one of my favorite films. Very possibly the film I've seen most often. (Four, maybe five times.) And of course the key to understanding that modern classic: "Chicken Run"!

[SonicMan46]

Don't know this version, but it's one of my favorite films. Very possibly the film I've seen most often. (Four, maybe five times.) And of course the key to understanding that modern classic: "Chicken Run"!

Hi Jens - a new release from Criterion - the BD replaces my old DVD - the new restoration is spectacular and if ownership is a consideration, then the version I would highly recommend (despite Criterion's prices - but half off sales occur).  The features listed below from the website link; the 45-min documentary is quite good and narrated by Burt Reynolds.  Dave

The Great Escape - Criterion BD

* New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
* Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, with DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
* Two audio commentaries, one from 1991, featuring director John Sturges and composer Elmer Bernstein; the other, from 2003, featuring actors James Coburn, James Garner, and Donald Pleasence
* New interview with critic Michael Sragow
* "The Great Escape": Heroes Under Ground, a four-part 2001 documentary about the real-life escape from the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, including interviews with POWs held there
* The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones, a 2001 program on the United States Army Air Forces pilot David Jones, the inspiration for Steve McQueen's character in the film
* Return to "The Great Escape," a 1993 program featuring interviews with Coburn, Garner, and actors David McCallum and Jud Taylor
* Trailer
* English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
* PLUS: An essay by critic Sheila O'Malley

[Karl Henning]

Although, for whatever reason, it is the cringe moments that lodge in the memory, there is in fact much that I do like about Octopussy.