James Bond is better than everything

[Sweeping Strings 2,747]

Skyfall has the odd minor issue, but they're nothing against CR's pacing problems and Bond behaving like a petulant teenager at times (which might've 'flew' if Henry Cavill had been cast, but with the late-30s Craig? Nah). 

[Jamie Dutton 7,714]

Skyfall's London scenes feel like it suddenly becomes The Dark Knight. 

[Edmilson 9,775]

Denis Villeneuve Is Ready to Direct Bond: ‘I Would Deeply Love to Make a 007 Movie

 

Not sure if I'd like Bond with a sound design-y score. 

[Disco Stu 15,506]

Can we please please please stop giving Bond to bloody auteurs?!  Get some great TV director without a pretentious ego.

[Mephariel 513]

3 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Can we please please please stop giving Bond to bloody auteurs?!  Get some great TV director without a pretentious ego.

 

To be honest, doesn't matter who the director is as long as Wade and Purvis are writing the script. I think they are holding back all the directors. 

[Disco Stu 15,506]

5 hours ago, Mephariel said:

 

To be honest, doesn't matter who the director is as long as Wade and Purvis are writing the script. I think they are holding back all the directors. 

I agree.  20 years is too long.

[Disco Stu 15,506]

I very much enjoyed the latest FYEO episode on Living Daylights @lairdo.  TLD has long been both my favorite Bond score and my favorite Bond song, but I know I'm the only person in the world that loves the song that much so I wasn't surprised or offended when y'all clearly ran a little cold on it .  I'm just glad that Barry was able to exit the series with one of his very best after the "just ok" Octopussy and VTAK (IMO of course, I know the latter is a well-loved score by many).

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

On 09/10/2021 at 2:48 AM, Disco Stu said:

Can we please please please stop giving Bond to bloody auteurs?!  Get some great TV director without a pretentious ego.

Martin Campbell, perhaps? 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I very much enjoyed the latest FYEO episode on Living Daylights @lairdo.  TLD has long been both my favorite Bond score and my favorite Bond song, but I know I'm the only person in the world that loves the song that much so I wasn't surprised or offended when y'all clearly ran a little cold on it .  I'm just glad that Barry was able to exit the series with one of his very best after the "just ok" Octopussy and VTAK (IMO of course, I know the latter is a well-loved score by many).

You're not alone, Stu. It's my favourite Bond song and score, since 1987, and TLD is a top-5 Bond film, for me.

[LSH 1,097]

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Martin Campbell, perhaps? 

 

Martin Campbell should direct every Bond's first outing. That should just be a given.

[Disco Stu 15,506]

6 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

You're not alone, Stu. It's my favourite Bond song and score, since 1987, and TLD is a top-5 Bond film, for me.

 

Plus I also love both Pretenders songs, particularly how well they are used in the underscore.  Barry really hit it out of the park.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

Indeed. I'd love to hear a live rendition of Where Has Everybody Gone?

[Jay 41,219]

So, today I am listening to the double-disc album "The Best of James Bond 30th Annivesary Limited Edition".  This album:

 

 

 

And I'm flipping through the booklet, see the 1992 date, and realize.... holy shit.  This (film) franchise has existed for 60 years, and this compilation came out exactly halfway through it.

 

Furthermore, I looked at the difference between the first 30 years and the subsequent 30 years, and boy, what a massive, massive difference.

 

In the first 30 years, they made EIGHTEEN Bond films with 4 different lead actors.  Through these 18 films there are many fantastic title songs, and many great scores, including 12 with John Barry's involvement.

 

In the next 30 years, they only made NINE Bond films, with 2 different lead actors.  And none of the title songs I enjoy very much other than You Know My Name, and while we got 5 great David Arnold scores, the other 4 scores didn't really set the film score community on fire.

 

But really it's the dropoff in quantity that struck me more than my opinion on the change in quality.

 

Imagine a world where instead of Daniel Craig's tenure being stretched out over 15 years, he made 5 movies by like 2015 and peaced out, and since then we'd already gotten 3 more with a new guy?  And both guys' films were more like the original 18 films, one-off adventures that don't psychoanalize his character and mine every aspect of his past, and force connections between events in different movies? 

 

The franchise would be in a pretty different spot right now!

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

Hell, yeah! 

[Disco Stu 15,506]

I understand why from a marketing perspective, but it's become this thing where a new Bond movie has to be this big portentous event.  The Craig movies, especially his last three, have this feeling of a grand dramatic weight on them to be Important.  It's frustrating, they need to find a setup where every 2-3 years they're just cranking out fun, light-but-not-too-light, spy thrillers with sex, fun gadgets, cool cars, and suave masculinity.

 

And of course, fun scores!

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

Now you're back, Mr. Bond, I hope we're going to see some gratuitous sex and violence.

Yes, I hope so, too.

[Jay 41,219]

18 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

they need to find a setup where every 2-3 years they're just cranking out fun, light-but-not-too-light, spy thrillers with sex, fun gadgets, cool cars, and suave masculinity.

 

Yes please!

[GerateWohl 5,570]

Isn't this light fun british secret agent action movies corner already covered by "The Kingsmen" franchise?

In the meantime they have even Ralph Fiennes as head of secret service there, too.

I mean, in all of these secret agent action franchises the Craig Bonds managed to be special and in many ways better than the rest. He became serious when every body else was imitating the old Bond.

 

I see the danger of the next Bond becoming like all the other secret agent franchises. But let's see.

[Disco Stu 15,506]

Kingsman has a pretty specific vibe that's distinct from Bond if you ask me.

[A24 4,712]

5 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

 

I mean, in all of these secret agent action franchises the Craig Bonds managed to be special and in many ways better than the rest. He became serious when every body else was imitating the old Bond.

 

Especially the Sam Mendes ones, but I heard that some people here dislike those because they don't want auteurs making Bond.

[Pellaeon 596]

I enjoyed this:

 

 

[bruce marshall 1,403]

Oh PLEASE!

The younguns will all say Craig.

The ones with TASTE will all say Connery.

And FART will say Dalton 😅

 

Set the next series in.the Sixties.

Make Bond a SPY again, not an action hero.

Cast Tom Weston-Jones

[Disco Stu 15,506]

And STU will say Moore

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

39 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

FART will say Dalton 

You are absolutely right...and it's Naïve Old Fart!

[Jay 41,219]

Last week I listened to an album called "The Best of the James Bond Themes" by "Starlite Orchestra and Singers"

 

Very funnily, it consists of two CDs each in their own completely separate jewel case, inside an outer sleeve.... even though the combined running time of both discs is only 71 minutes, which is not only way under the 80 minute limit almost every manufacturer used for most of the CD's lifetime, it's always well under the 74 minute limit that existed when CDs first came out.  What a waste of plastic to present it this way.....

 

 

 

Anyways, it's a pretty interesting release.  Obviously, many of the songs are not a patch on the terrific original versions, but this album isn't attempting to make superior versions or anything.  The album covers the films from the first 30 years just like the last album I mentioned - though this one also includes Never Say Never Again which I have never seen and never heard any music from before - and there's actually something kind of nice about re-recording all the songs with the same group of people.  So despite the various different styles and types of singers they've had over those 30 years, there's a bit of conformity realized when presenting them all together done by the same group.  There's a bunch of score cuts recorded too.

 

Not a must-have and not extremely important, but a nice curiosity to check out if you can track it down for a few bucks

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

Is there any rare, or unreleased music, on this, Jay?

Has the "barn fight" music, from GOLDFINGER been released, in any form?

[Jay 41,219]

1 minute ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Is there any rare, or unreleased music, on this, Jay?

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

1 minute ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Has the "barn fight" music, from GOLDFINGER been released, in any form?

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Edmilson 9,775]

Next Friday, Amazon Prime here in Brazil will add to its catalogue almost all the Bond movies except for NTTD. It'll be my chance to binge them, as I have seen very few 007 movies in my life (basically just the ones with Daniel Craig and parts of the Brosnan flicks).

[Disco Stu 15,506]

I guarantee you're going to hate the ones I love and love the ones I hate

[GerateWohl 5,570]

I just saw, there is a new double CD out now with ALL the Bond songs from Dr. No to No Time to Die.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084QLXHKW/

 

 

[Edmilson 9,775]

On 01/04/2022 at 12:26 PM, Disco Stu said:

I guarantee you're going to hate the ones I love and love the ones I hate

Do you love Die Another Day? I'm pretty sure I'm going hate it.

[Disco Stu 15,506]

5 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Do you love Die Another Day? I'm pretty sure I'm going hate it.

 

Well... maybe not love, I certainly have affection for it after all these years.  I have a lot of affection for basically all the pre-Craig Bond films, but especially Moore, Dalton, and the first two Brosnans.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

It's among the more kitsch of Bond films, but I've got a sneaky regard, for DIE ANOTHER DAY. Yes, it has some of the worst effects you'll ever see, but it's got a great pre-title sequence, and the score (especially the sword fight) is top notch.

[Sweeping Strings 2,747]

Was at an oft-rescheduled (it was originally meant to happen the same weekend as No Time To Die's originally scheduled UK release, so that's 2 years ago) Ulster Orchestra Bond concert last night. 

 Here's what was played -

With vocals -

From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
We Have All The Time In The World
Diamonds Are Forever
Live And Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
Nobody Does It Better
For Your Eyes Only
A View To A Kill
The Living Daylights
Licence To Kill
Another Way To Die
Skyfall
No Time To Die (considerably better when it's fully sung rather than half-mumbled)

Instrumental versions -

Moonraker
You Know My Name
The Writing's On The Wall

Others -

James Bond Theme
Capsule In Space (from YOLT)
Ski Chase (from OHMSS)
Medley (Thunderball, FRWL, GF)

Not a note from any of the Brosnans ... no idea why there wasn't. Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough would've been welcome ... ah well.

Was nice to have the YOLT and OHMSS pieces in there, not something you'd necessarily usually get at this sort of thing. Appropriately enough given recent product placement in the franchise, I had a pint of Heineken during the first half and then a glass of Pinot Grigio during the second (admittedly cannot recall if Bond has ever specifically drank same, hehehe).

[Anthony 682]

I wish Surrender wasn't so often overlooked...I think it's the best Bond song. Period.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

It's certainly a great song, and it deserves to be on the main credits, and not the end credits. kd Lang really gives it her all.

[Jay 41,219]

It's great

[Edmilson 9,775]

Paul Verhoeven wants to see Daniel Craig's ding dong.

 

Paul Verhoeven Says New Bond Movies Like ‘No Time to Die’ Are Sexless: ‘There Was Always Sex’ in Classic Bond

"Sexuality has been moved out of movies," the "Showgirls" and "Basic Instinct" director said, singling out Marvel and today's 007 movies for being especially sexless.

[Sweeping Strings 2,747]

He's right ... in a settled relationship, and later in the movie finding out he's a father? That's not Bond, FFS. 

[GerateWohl 5,570]

15 minutes ago, Sweeping Strings said:

He's right ... in a settled relationship, and later in the movie finding out he's a father? That's not Bond, FFS. 

He didn't say, being in a settled relationship or being a father is sexless (And I would disagree to that). He just said, they don't have sex anymore on screen.

[Luke Skywalker 2,066]

The make love in the toscana prologue dont they?

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

They had to do something, because he ended up with a sprog.

[danbeck 126]

On 1/4/2022 at 12:14 PM, Edmilson said:

Next Friday, Amazon Prime here in Brazil will add to its catalogue almost all the Bond movies except for NTTD. It'll be my chance to binge them, as I have seen very few 007 movies in my life (basically just the ones with Daniel Craig and parts of the Brosnan flicks).

I recommend that you watch them in chronological order. Not much continuity between the movies but some few of them have references to previous events that are nice. It is also interesting to watch how the series progressed and alternated between more over the top entries and more restrained, specially in the Moore era. 

And please post your thoughts on the films and scores here as you progress. 

[Edmilson 9,775]

Ian Fleming’s Lost ‘Moonraker’ Script Found, Revealing Dramatically Different Vision for James Bond Movies

The treatment is the James Bond author's only attempt at writing a movie.

 

 

[GerateWohl 5,570]

Moonraker and Die Another Day compete on being the worst Bond Movie ever.

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

55 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Moonraker and Die Another Day compete on being the worst Bond Movie ever.

Both are waaaaay over the top, but both have bits that I like, a lot.

MOONRAKER has great cinematography, excellent miniature work, from Meddings, et al, and a fantastic score. Flight Into Space is among the finest, and most beautiful, pieces of music, to grace a film. It's James Bond's Eleanor's Arrival. It's just a pity that it keeps being dialed out.

DIE ANOTHER DAY is fun, and has a great pre-title sequence.

Both films are far above the truly insulting DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,547]

Die Another Day is the best James Bond and Moonraker is such a guilty pleasure

I always found that On her Majesty's Secret Services was the worst one

[Disco Stu 15,506]

Moonraker's better than Skyfall

[Naïve Old Fart 11,021]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Moonraker's better than Skyfall

You're probably right, Stu! 

 

1 hour ago, May the Force be with You said:

I always found that On her Majesty's Secret Services was the worst one

Get thee to a nunnery!

[Disco Stu 15,506]

Well.   Guess I'll go watch For Your Eyes Only for the 50th time instead.

 

https://variety.com/2022/film/global/james-bond-007-barbara-broccoli-michael-g-wilson-1235378239/

Quote

Both Wilson and Broccoli, who is a director of the U.K. chapter of women’s advocacy org Time’s Up, have left their mark on Bond, particularly in humanizing the once-womanizing spy and ensuring more fulfilling, meatier roles for the female stars of the franchise. These are qualities that will continue in the next films, says Broccoli.

 

“It’s an evolution,” she says. “Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace.”

 

Craig, she adds, “cracked Bond open emotionally,” bringing audiences into the character’s inner life. “The films over his tenure were the first time we really connected the emotional arc.”

 

[Sweeping Strings 2,747]

Indeed. Talk of Bond 'evolving' sends a chill down my spine ... I honestly wish they'd stop making them rather than turn him into some (for want of a better phrase) woke shadow of his former self. 

NTTD's box-office was 774 million ... yes Covid played a part, but maybe EON should ask themselves was that the only reason it made less than both SPECTRE and Skyfall.