Timewaster's Guide Archive

Departments => Movies and TV => Topic started by: Fellfrosch on January 02, 2003, 02:37:35 PM

Title: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 02, 2003, 02:37:35 PM
I saw Die Another Day this week, and I was very impressed--one of the best of the modern Bonds, and better than a lot of the old ones. The villains had some silly attributes but the movie didn't dwell on them (like it did in The World is Not Enough), and it did a good job of combining ridiculous excess (the killer satellite) with real-world factors (North Korea and conflict diamonds). It was nice to see a megalomaniac finally present a workable plan and a plausible motive.

So what are your opinions? Have you seen it? Do you agree? Do you (like myself) think that Brosnan is the best Bond since Connery? What's your favorite Bond movie? Do you feel that Bond movies are inherently flawed because they have to stick to a formula rather than try more interesting approaches (like The Bourne Identity)?
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Entsuropi on January 02, 2003, 02:42:01 PM
i think that the bad woman was cuter than halle berry, which was kinda wierd.

they are also bringing back halle berry for the next one or two bond films. which is wierd.

the film could have done without the car going invisible - that was pretty stupid even for bond films.  i loved the car chase though.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 02, 2003, 03:16:46 PM
I'd heard that Berry was getting a spinoff movie as Jinx, but I didn't know they were bringing her back in the next Bond. It's too bad they're using Jinx instead of Michelle Yeoh's character from Tomorrow Never Dies--she was way cooler.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Nicadymus on January 02, 2003, 05:40:50 PM
I had also heard of Berry's spinoff.  As far as the movie goes, I thought that it was one of the best late edition Bond moives as well.  I do have to agree with Entropy's disappearing car comment, though. That was just a little too far out there for me.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 02, 2003, 06:18:27 PM
Yeah, I'll grant you that. The invisible car was weird.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Slant on January 03, 2003, 02:51:02 AM
I  have also heard about a possible Jinx spinoff.  But then we have been hearing about the Catwoman spinoff for nearly ten years now....

My favorite Bond film was Never Say Never Again, which really isn't considered canon by most Bond devotees.  I just really liked the idea that Bond was, well... old.  He's been around since the 1960's (where he must have been in his early 40's) and the idea of him actually looking it was a good one.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Entsuropi on January 03, 2003, 08:03:41 AM
"considered canon"???
how the fisk can you consider a bond film to be "canon"? its the idiot fanboys gettign worked up again, aint it?
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: House of Mustard on January 03, 2003, 01:16:46 PM
Brosnan is great, but I still prefer Connery simply because his movies were better, Goldfinger being my favorite.

TNT has been running a Bond movie a night for about a month, and I've come to the conclusion that Roger Moore was not the suave and sophisticated guy the Bond should be - he was just a dirty old man.

Incidently, Ian Fleming always felt that Timothy Dalton was the best Bond (truest to the books).
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 03, 2003, 01:59:47 PM
Entropy, is there any franchise of entertainment anywhere in the world that does not have a body of work considered to be canon? I can't think of one.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on January 03, 2003, 04:14:49 PM
I haven't really enjoyed any of the James Bond films since Goldeneye.  They're alright to watch, but they just don't have the soul of the classics. I think Die Another Day is possibly the worst Bond movie I've seen. It's as if the writer had not ever watched Bond, but had heard about Bond movies from a friend.  
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Slant on January 03, 2003, 06:09:56 PM
I don't know about that; some of the Roger Moore films were far worse than Die Another Day.  Octopussy?  Moonraker?  They should have just closed down the franchise once Sean Connery decided to call it a day.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 06, 2003, 12:36:37 PM
I've heard that comment from a few other people online, Pleasington, and I'm curious. I'm not nearly the Bond aficionado as some (possibly you), so I didn't pick up on anything untrue to the series. What were some of the Bond heresies committed by the film?
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on January 06, 2003, 02:56:10 PM
Though I do enjoy the majority of the Bond movies, I'm nowhere near an aficionado.  The writing just felt so trite.  I mean we all expect the typical Bond cliches (trademarks, some would say), but this movie really overused them.  The whole movie just felt like one big cliche to me. Then again, I've not been really pleased with the Bond films since he went  from super sleek spy with a little action to super action hero with a little spy.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Nicadymus on January 06, 2003, 03:45:11 PM
I will agree with you on the "super sleek spy with a little action to super action hero with a little spy" comment.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 06, 2003, 05:48:56 PM
As will I. Bond does seem to be more of a commando than a spy these days.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: trekgirl07 on January 06, 2003, 07:53:33 PM
  :( I haven't seen Die Another Day yet...  But I want to soooooo bad!!  Everyone said it was so cool, but my dad hasn't taken me to see it yet.   :-/
Can anyone tell me if there are any "bad parts"??  Like stuff that would be inappropiate for a 14-year-old?  lol

But....  I love Madonna's song that goes with the movie!!!!  Die Another Day   ;D
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Fellfrosch on January 06, 2003, 07:59:47 PM
The bed scene with Jinx was longer than it needed to be, but was mainly implication and not very graphic. Bond also sleeps with the other girl, but I don't remember them even showing it at all.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Slant on January 06, 2003, 08:15:36 PM
All Bond's enemies would have to do to kill this guy is to invent some virulent strain of super-herpes.  This guy's had more one-nighters than Bill Clinton.
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Mr_Pleasington on January 06, 2003, 10:25:37 PM
There was an SNL sketch a few years back that covered just that...
"Mr. Bond, it turns out you have every STD known to medical science...and a few our lab are still trying to figure out."
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Nicadymus on January 07, 2003, 12:52:56 PM
Ah the downside to being a secert agent.  A life expectany cut short by the very women who you seduce.   ;)
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Slant on January 07, 2003, 01:33:18 PM
I think that when MI6 first recruited Bond they injected him with a concoction that rendered him immune to all STDs.  

On a slightly related topic, how do you all feel that XXX stacks up to the James Bond films?  it was billed as being "totally different" from any other spy movie ever made, and yet to me it seemed like a rehash of half a dozen Bond films.  Any thoughts?
Title: Re: James Bond
Post by: Tage on January 07, 2003, 02:00:20 PM
It was sort of a rehash, but they made very little attempt at being a "spy" movie and threw themselves into the "action hero" movie. So while it wasn't a blatant ripoff of Bond, I certainly wouldn't call it totally different. Bourne Identity was much more creative, despite all the spy cliches they used.