What James Bond film needs to be released in the next boxed set? (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Awe, Tomorrow Never Dies while not the best had a decent villian and plot. And Michelle Yeoh. It is formulaic to the Goldfinger/Spy Who Loved Me template.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Kevin EK

Both A View To A Kill and Tomorrow Never Dies are easily the nadirs of the remaining titles, with perhaps Octopussy running behind them by a bit. I guarantee you only one of each will be on each set, with the rest of the movies divvied up.

Have to disagree on Tomorrow Never Dies - I think it is the best of the Brosnan films, and the blu-ray I am most looking forward to (of the Brosnan films). A View To A Kill is one I have always considered to be the lowest point of the series - although it is given serious competition for the bottom spot by Die Another Day. Octopussy is saved by its Cold War tension and that fight on the circus train halfway through the movie.

 

[Matt Hough]

Tomorrow Never Dies has grown on me over the years. When I saw it in the theater, I was disappointed after the exciting experience that was Goldeneye, but after I got the DVD and began watching it multiple times, I actually began to like it. Now, it's a favorite Bond adventure, and I'll be excited to have it on Blu-ray.

 

[Kevin EK]

When I heard about Tomorrow Never Dies, it sounded like a great idea, what with Michelle Yeoh in full martial arts form, and Jonathan Pryce as the villain.


Then I saw the movie, what with the opening slaughter by the villains feeling like it came right out of a cross between You Only Live Twice and one of the nastier moments of A View to a Kill (with all the guys getting machine gunned to death in the water). Then I noticed that the dialogue had gone really jokey and the gadgets were going crazy again, indicating that they were going back to a Roger Moore idiom than the more serious and edgy moments of Goldeneye. And this was topped off by having Jonathan Pryce, who is a fine actor, play so far over the top that I could barely recognize him. The moment where he mocks Michelle Yeoh's martial arts moves was a real low point for me in the Brosnan quadrilogy.


There are a lot of things in Octopussy I really liked, on the other hand. The whole routine of Bond dressed as a clown worked for me, since the underlying danger is played up in an effective fashion. The rivalry between Walter Gotell and Steven Berkoff is played out in a really satisfying way. And it was interesting to see Bond paired with a woman closer to his age and experience than the usual twenty-something. The backgammon match between Bond and Khan is very nicely done, particularly Gobinda's disposal of the "lucky dice." That said, there are a lot of very silly moments in that one - the whole opening with the mini-Jet, the really unfortunate bit about tossing the money into the crowd, the quick disposal of the villain, and because of their presence the film simply doesn't hold up like The Spy Who Loved Me or For Your Eyes Only. The former movie is simply the most fun of Moore's outings, while the latter is really the only one that shows a harder edge on Moore and makes him work as a spy without all the gadgets.

 

[Osato]

I had an awesome time at The Spy Who Loved Me screening in Omaha, NE. Richard Kiel was a very cool guest to have. Awesome to see a classic Bond film on the big screen too. He signed my Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker lithographs too. Very memorable experience for sure. Especially being a huge Bond fan.
Here is what Richard Kiel wrote to the Omaha paper and was printed on Sunday...

World Herald May 15,
Omaha crowd pleases film actor
I thank everyone at The World-Herald who was involved with the wonderful coverage I got in conjunction with the May 6 fundraiser for the Nebraska Kidney Foundation. I thank everyone for being so supportive of such a worthwhile cause.
I’ve done screenings of two James Bond movies, “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker,” in London, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Moraga, Calif., and have never seen such a turnout as Omaha’s.
The World-Herald and producer Bruce Crawford did an outstanding job.
Richard Kiel, Coarsegold, Calif.

 

[Steve Christou]

Lucky Tim!


I want all the Bonds on Blu-ray but chose my favourite - You Only Live Twice - on the poll.


Btw Tomorrow Never Dies is my favourite of the 4 Brosnan Bonds.


And The Spy Who Loved Me the best of the Roger Moore Bonds IMO.

 

[Steve Christou]

Oh and I watched On Her Majesty's Secret Service again recently. Take out John Barry's fabulous score and there's not much there. My least favourite of the 60's Bond classics.

 

[benbess]

Originally Posted by Steve Christou

Oh and I watched On Her Majesty's Secret Service again recently. Take out John Barry's fabulous score and there's not much there. My least favourite of the 60's Bond classics.

Really? I liked that one a lot. For me the Sean Connery ones started to get bloated with Thunderball. You Only Live Twice has moments, but is similarly lacking in real drama for much of it. To me You Only Live Twice is extra funny because it clearly was a lot of what Mike Meyers parodies in the Austin Powers films.


OHMSS has the saddest ending of any of the bonds for me. I like the revenge at the start of For Your Eyes Only:

Mr. Bond! We Can Do a Deal! I'll Buy You a Delicatessen in Stainless Steel!

 

[Steve Christou]

Lazenby did what he could but if only Sean Connery hadn't decided to leave the series at that point, damn!


I like some of the humour, hated the sad ending, a big fan of Avengers girl Diana Rigg. loved Barry's music.


Big plothole has Blofeld not recognising Bond at first even though they were face to face in the previous entry. But than who can blame Blofeld, that's not Bond, it's an incarnation of Bond, a replacement Bond.

 

[Edwin-S]

By far, the absolute worst Bond ever made was Moonraker. In order to preserve Bond's good name the negative should have been burned before a print of it ever saw the light of day in a theatre. Absolute pure shite of the highest order. A View To A Kill and License to Kill are tied for the second worst Bond movies ever made. I was never a big fan of the Brosnan Bond films but not one of those -not even Die Another Day- comes close to exquisite shittiness of Moonraker, VTAK or LTK.

 

[Steven_M Grimes]

Perhaps my age when first seeing MOONRAKER accounts for my fondness for it...a little. However, it must be said that for all of its excesses MOONRAKER is rarely boring, something that for me can't be said about A VIEW TO A KILL, LICENSE TO KILL or even YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. I agree with whoever said earlier that about 3/4 of MOONRAKER was a good movie. There are sequences in the movie that are amongst the best in any Bond movie. Of course your mileage will vary.


I disagree about Connery and ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. By 1969 I don't think Connery would have done a very good job with it. Perhaps he would have responded to the material, but I think he was too bored with the Bond movies at that point. They were originally going to make OHMSS after GOLDFINGER--now THAT would have been good!

 

[benbess]

Originally Posted by Steven_M Grimes

Perhaps my age when first seeing MOONRAKER accounts for my fondness for it...a little. However, it must be said that for all of its excesses MOONRAKER is rarely boring, something that for me can't be said about A VIEW TO A KILL, LICENSE TO KILL or even YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. I agree with whoever said earlier that about 3/4 of MOONRAKER was a good movie. There are sequences in the movie that are amongst the best in any Bond movie. Of course your mileage will vary.


I disagree about Connery and ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. By 1969 I don't think Connery would have done a very good job with it. Perhaps he would have responded to the material, but I think he was too bored with the Bond movies at that point. They were originally going to make OHMSS after GOLDFINGER--now THAT would have been good!

+1


Yes, I have a sad fondness for Moonraker too. I don't think it's that bad. But I realize I'll never convince the people who hate it and I don't want to even try....


And yes, I think Connery in 1964 could have done OHMSS, but by 69 he wasn't really able to....


I like License to Kill a lot. One of my top 5 favorite Bonds.

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by benbess




+1


Yes, I have a sad fondness for Moonraker too. I don't think it's that bad. But I realize I'll never convince the people who hate it and I don't want to even try....


And yes, I think Connery in 1964 could have done OHMSS, but by 69 he wasn't really able to....


I like License to Kill a lot. One of my top 5 favorite Bonds.

Good point on Moonraker. I love the film, but know many really dislike it even though it has some great Bond moments, IMO. I am so happy with the transfer and audio on the Moonraker blu ray! Just listened to the filmmakers audio commentary recently too. Great stuff.

 

[benbess]

Originally Posted by Tim Haxton




Good point on Moonraker. I love the film, but know many really dislike it even though it has some great Bond moments, IMO. I am so happy with the transfer and audio on the Moonraker blu ray! Just listened to the filmmakers audio commentary recently too. Great stuff.

Another fan! We need to be prepared for people throwing things at us at this point.


But even with that as almost certain, here are some of the things I like about Moonraker, even though even I admit that it's "bad" on some level--or even many levels.


First, it takes the 70s campiness of Bond to an epic level. It's silly, very silly, at times, and I guess ultimately I'm glad they got away from that, but here it is as almost an Austin Powers send off of itself.


Second, it's spectacular. They spent 30m on this one back when that was big money. The special effects are quite good for the time. Those who saw this in 1979 (I was there) pretty much knew what a shuttle launch looked like 2 years early. And they were pretty exacting in getting the plans from NASA as I recall. It still looks pretty good today.


Third, Louis Chiles as the CIA agent is not only stunning, but very capable. This is one of the many places where Bond starts to remake the "Bond girl" into a smart, tough, but still gorgeous woman.


Third. Jaws. Cringe worthy, I know, but still funny to me in an Austin powers way. I like how he redeems himself in the end. Nice wrap up of this character.


4th Hugo Dax. A credible neo Nazi baddie.


5th Shirley Bassey. It's not Goldfinger, but I like to hear her croon.


6th Ken Adams and his set design. He'd been doing it since Dr. No--creating amazing sets for the series, but this is one of his many great efforts.


In spite of all of these things I am glad that they pulled things back in For Your Eyes Only, which I admit is a superior film.

PS Tim: Any tidbits you care to share from the commentary?

 

[benbess]

Perhaps this has already been done, but...Vote for one bond from each of the Bond stars....


Here are mine:


Goldfinger

OHMSS

For Your Eyes Only

License to Kill

Goldeneye

Casino Royale

 

[Steve Christou]

Good to see some love for Moonraker, my guilty pleasure favourite of the series even if I always cringe when Bond drives his "Bondola" through St. Marks Square and a pigeon does a double take [wince]. John Barry's score is a huge plus as usual. Far from being the best Bond but I have to admit to enjoying it a lot more than a fan favourite like OHMSS. "Look after Mr. Bond... see that some harm comes to him"

 

[Steve Christou]

Originally Posted by benbess

Perhaps this has already been done, but...Vote for one bond from each of the Bond stars....


Here are mine:


Goldfinger

OHMSS

For Your Eyes Only

License to Kill

Goldeneye

Casino Royale

You Only Live Twice

OHMSS

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Living Daylights

Tomorrow Never Dies

Casino Royale

 

[Mr. Pacino]

To me "The Living Daylights" and the last one "Quantum of Solace" are the worst Bond adventures ever.


Hopefully, they are going to release some of the nine remaining Bonds in 2011.......

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by benbess




Another fan! We need to be prepared for people throwing things at us at this point.


But even with that as almost certain, here are some of the things I like about Moonraker, even though even I admit that it's "bad" on some level--or even many levels.


First, it takes the 70s campiness of Bond to an epic level. It's silly, very silly, at times, and I guess ultimately I'm glad they got away from that, but here it is as almost an Austin Powers send off of itself.


Second, it's spectacular. They spent 30m on this one back when that was big money. The special effects are quite good for the time. Those who saw this in 1979 (I was there) pretty much knew what a shuttle launch looked like 2 years early. And they were pretty exacting in getting the plans from NASA as I recall. It still looks pretty good today.


Third, Louis Chiles as the CIA agent is not only stunning, but very capable. This is one of the many places where Bond starts to remake the "Bond girl" into a smart, tough, but still gorgeous woman.


Third. Jaws. Cringe worthy, I know, but still funny to me in an Austin powers way. I like how he redeems himself in the end. Nice wrap up of this character.


4th Hugo Dax. A credible neo Nazi baddie.


5th Shirley Bassey. It's not Goldfinger, but I like to hear her croon.


6th Ken Adams and his set design. He'd been doing it since Dr. No--creating amazing sets for the series, but this is one of his many great efforts.


In spite of all of these things I am glad that they pulled things back in For Your Eyes Only, which I admit is a superior film.

PS Tim: Any tidbits you care to share from the commentary?

Agreed on many of your points. I really enjoy the Rio and Venice locations a lot in Moonraker too. The centrifuge and secret lab scenes are very good and quite suspenseful in my opinion!!

I also believe it's one of the best title songs and scores of the James Bond series. Moonraker is a bit more moody than the other Bond themes and I really like how different and haunting it kind of is. It's for sure one of the more beautiful themes of the series. Kind of like You Only Live Twice.

I always good a good laugh out of the fight between Bond and Chang too. The amount of glass and destruction is so great.

The commentary.. there is so much good stuff on it. For one everyone is together on the commentary. It's not a split up interview segmented one. So Michael Wilson (exec producer), Lewis Gilbert (director), Ken Adam, Christopher Wood (writer) and William Cartridge (Associate producer) all interact with each other. As the film was done so many years ago they tend to assist and help recall the stories at time. It's just really fun to hear them talk about their work from so long ago, plus I believe at least 1 or more of them are watching the film for the first time since it was in theaters in 1979. The commentary was recorded for the 2000 SE DVD release. It's included on the UE DVD release from 2006 as well as the blu ray.

It's a really good commentary about the film, IMO. Plus kind of like you are in the same room with them and getting to hear some great stories about making the film, etc.

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by Steve Christou





You Only Live Twice

OHMSS

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Living Daylights

Tomorrow Never Dies

Casino Royale

Kind of hard to pick a different one for Lazenby isn't it?

: )

I'll throw a wrinkle into things.. I'll do my favorties that are currently on blu ray..

Thunderball

The Man With the Golden Gun

License To Kill

Brosnan - None, but I own both of them

Quantum of Solace


Here's my favs of the ones not currently on blu ray

Diamonds Are Forever

OHMSS

The Spy Who Loved me

The Living Daylights

Goldeneye

Bond 23 / : )

I really hope John Cork is brought back to finish converting extras for the other 9 Bond films. That is converting the documentaries to HD as he did for the current blu rays. I also would like to see more trailers, tv spots and radio spots added to each of the films. Another idea would be a blu ray containing all of the trailers, ads and spots. It would be great to have Cork's team do new Inside documentaries for the Brosnan films as well.