James Bond: The Ultimate Collection (1962-2012) + Volume Collections

[mulscul]

My Bottom 3 are Diamonds, View to a Kill, and Moonraker.

[glennstl]

Finished all 4 of Brosnan’s movies and for the most part enjoyed them, some more than others. Loved Goldeneye. I thought The World Is Not Enough was decent...although Denise Richards didn’t help anything. Die Another Day was also ok. I wasn’t crazy about the character of Jinx or the whole ice castle thing...also when Bond is parasailing it’s pretty ridiculous. But the movie was ok overall.

Also watched Casino Royale. Freaking amazing movie in just about every way. Card game scenes usually bore me, but I think they really did it mostly with a good deal of suspense here. Also really liked the more human Bond, esp. with his relationship with Vesper.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by mulscul

My Bottom 3 are Diamonds, View to a Kill, and Moonraker.

Agree with the first two, but Moonraker, for all its goofiness, at least has some legitimately impressive special effects, a wonderful John Barry score, and a handful of effective sequences. I'd rather sit through that than Die Another Day, Quantum Of Solace or The Man With The Golden Gun any day.

[Cherokee Jack]

Moonraker is just flat out gorgeous. The California chateau, Venice, Rio and Amazon locations all look incredible. And while the space stuff is indefensibly stupid, the launch facility itself is one of the most impressive sets in the entire series. And yeah, the score is incredibly lush. The main theme is used perfectly throughout.

Lonsdale is perfect as Drax and he gets one of my favorite lines in the series: 'See to it that some harm comes to him'. You also get a lot of Jaws in this one and his love interest subplot is more believable than Bond's. Seriously, Goodhead (great Bond girl name at least) is a poor character thanks to labored writing and a wooden performance but I've got a thing for brainy brunettes so even she kinda works for me.

The film also has this scene:

Corinne Dufour gets terminated - YouTube

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Cherokee Jack

The film also has this scene:

[Show spoiler]Corinne Dufour gets terminated - YouTube

You gotta love how one of the most over the top Bond films has, ironically, one of the more brutal deaths in the series.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

You gotta love how one of the most over the top Bond films has, ironically, one of the more brutal deaths in the series.

And it's shot/scored like it's straight out of an arthouse horror film. Not the kind of thing you'd expect after they used goddamned circus music to transition to the title song.

[CHASLS2]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Agree with the first two, but Moonraker, for all its goofiness, at least has some legitimately impressive special effects, a wonderful John Barry score, and a handful of effective sequences. I'd rather sit through that than Die Another Day, Quantum Of Solace or The Man With The Golden Gun any day.

Some of the people that worked on SPACE1999 effects did the Moonraker shots. Plus i love 70's tv shows and movies.

[MJD64]

I do so love it when the MOONRAKER fans emerge...

As Cherokee Jack observed, this film is flat-out gorgeous with its beautiful locations and set design, and DP Jean Tournier delivers them stunningly (I find his lensing among the most impressive in the whole series). The John Barry score is lovely, and his most lushly romantic along with ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. I know many purists resent the over-the-top approach, but I happen to love all three of director Lewis Gilbert's fast-paced and great-looking comic book Bond adventures; they make for grand entertainment. Honestly, I think Roger Moore's tongue-in-cheek approach to playing Bond worked best in the outsized THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER, where his trademark raising an eyebrow in deadpan alarm at an outrageous predicament was most effective.

And though she is somewhat apathetic, I find that sexy-eyed, angular beauty Lois Chiles, with her luscious mane of 70's Breck Girl hair, well-nigh irresistible.

[captainsolo]

There is hardly a better put down line in history than: "You appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season..." The pheasant hunt scene is one of Roger's best moments in the series, the centrifuge is so well done that you forget it is an update of the traction table, the score is hauntingly beautiful and overall there is much seriousness on display despite the lapses into far too silly humor. You can easily forget that it is essentially TSWLM in SPACE. On top of that Spy was essentially a YOLT remake.

MR is alone in the series for its level of grandeur which all comes down to shooting in France due to the English tax laws and having an entirely different regular crew and work mentality. Additionally they took over virtually every major stage available, and even Barry's score was recorded in a different methodology that rendered it too with a sort of otherworldly quality.

One day I dream of seeing these in their 70mm blowup forms if any runnable copies still exist. I'll bet that even if they're faded to crap (which is 100% likely) that it would still be a fantastic experience. Many forget that MR was the most financially successful film of the series at that point and that inflation adjusted it is still one of the most successful.

It's interesting that the series entry most bashed changes every few years. When I was growing up, OHMSS was considered a black sheep and it was TMWTGG most bashed. Then it switched to AVTAK and is now on Moonraker. I've never understood most of the criticisms and today have to ask people: "Did you even see SPECTRE?"

[CV19]

Originally Posted by Cherokee Jack

Lonsdale is perfect as Drax and he gets one of my favorite lines in the series: 'See to it that some harm comes to him'.

Originally Posted by captainsolo

There is hardly a better put down line in history than: "You appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season..."

Another classic line I recall from Drax is shortly after Bond is pulled out of the pool by Jaws and he says something like "Mr. Bond must be feeling cold after his swim, put him where he can be assured of warmth", before being taken to a chamber beneath a rocket.

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by CV19

Another classic line I recall from Drax is shortly after Bond is pulled out of the pool by Jaws and he says something like "Mr. Bond must be feeling cold after his swim, put him where he can be assured of warmth", before being taken to a chamber beneath a rocket.

"Play it again, Sam."

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

There is hardly a better put down line in history than: "You appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season..." The pheasant hunt scene is one of Roger's best moments in the series, the centrifuge is so well done that you forget it is an update of the traction table, the score is hauntingly beautiful and overall there is much seriousness on display despite the lapses into far too silly humor. You can easily forget that it is essentially TSWLM in SPACE. On top of that Spy was essentially a YOLT remake.

MR is alone in the series for its level of grandeur which all comes down to shooting in France due to the English tax laws and having an entirely different regular crew and work mentality. Additionally they took over virtually every major stage available, and even Barry's score was recorded in a different methodology that rendered it too with a sort of otherworldly quality.

One day I dream of seeing these in their 70mm blowup forms if any runnable copies still exist. I'll bet that even if they're faded to crap (which is 100% likely) that it would still be a fantastic experience. Many forget that MR was the most financially successful film of the series at that point and that inflation adjusted it is still one of the most successful.

It's interesting that the series entry most bashed changes every few years. When I was growing up, OHMSS was considered a black sheep and it was TMWTGG most bashed. Then it switched to AVTAK and is now on Moonraker. I've never understood most of the criticisms and today have to ask people: "Did you even see SPECTRE?"

No, Moonraker has always been singled out as unpopular, mainly as a backlash to its box office success and because of the silly space stuff and things like the pigeon double-take. That was why For Your Eyes Only was touted as being more "back to basics" because it was felt that Moonraker went too far. In fact, it's only in recent years that its reputation has grown thanks to fans recognizing its good qualities such as people are pointing out on this thread.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

No, Moonraker has always been singled out as unpopular, mainly as a backlash to its box office success and because of the silly space stuff and things like the pigeon double-take. That was why For Your Eyes Only was touted as being more "back to basics" because it was felt that Moonraker went too far. In fact, it's only in recent years that its reputation has grown thanks to fans recognizing its good qualities such as people are pointing out on this thread.

I've always enjoyed Moonraker, it's probably my favourite Moore.

[horroru]

Originally Posted by drush9999

I've always enjoyed Moonraker, it's probably my favourite Moore.

The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore, but it's also the first Bond I saw in a movie theater so there may be some nostalgia there (and I had a crush on Caroline Munro as I knew her from her Hammer films...)

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by horroru

The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore, but it's also the first Bond I saw in a movie theater so there may be some nostalgia there (and I had a crush on Caroline Munro as I knew her from her Hammer films...)

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is likewise my favorite Moore and first Bond film in the theater, which was enough to hook me for life (I've yet to miss a Bond film theatrically since). Hammer heroine Caroline Munro does make a grand entrance ("What a handsome craft. Such lovely lines."), and to this day I find it rather petulant and unsportsmanlike that Bond sends this stunner to her death with a missile fired from underwater when both he and Amasova are already well out of harm's way...

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by horroru

The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore, but it's also the first Bond I saw in a movie theater so there may be some nostalgia there (and I had a crush on Caroline Munro as I knew her from her Hammer films...)

The Spy Who Loved Me is a great film but it's one that's a little played out for me. Just like Goldfinger. I think because those are regarded as the best films of their respective Bonds, they get played so often and I've seen them so many times I'm a little tired of them. Great films, but I rarely have any interest in watching them these days outside of marathons.

[SolidRaider]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

The Spy Who Loved Me is a great film but it's one that's a little played out for me. Just like Goldfinger. I think because those are regarded as the best films of their respective Bonds, they get played so often and I've seen them so many times I'm a little tired of them. Great films, but I rarely have any interest in watching them these days outside of marathons.

Very true.

[Tom Sharky]

I actually have never seen A View to a Kill. I have added it to my Netflix DVD list, as I want to see if it is as bad as some people have made it out to be.

[captainsolo]

It isn’t. Most just poke fun at Roger’s age which actually would have been fine. It was the change in his hairstyling and a bit of plastic surgery between films that made it stick out more.
The film has a feeling of scaling down and narrowing its sights in terms of plot which in ways is great because the focusing on the main villain and darker tone is a welcome improvement over Octopussy. However it can feel tired in ways which leads to many simply labeling it as “bad”. Stacey’s wailing doesn’t help either.
The direction is solid, the photography is clear and well lensed, the soundmix is great for the time, there is some great dialogue, and Barry’s score is fantastic.

The real quality is Walken though who has never, ever been better. Zorin’s characterization deserves a film in its own right.

Ultimately this film unites Bond and Steed. Which itself makes it magical.

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

The real quality is Walken though who has never, ever been better. Zorin’s characterization deserves a film in its own right.

Zorin is a very interesting character - a treacherous, super-intelligent, genetic experiment.

Gleefully mowing down his own men and betraying May Day, he seems only to have genuine feelings for his ‘father’ and nobody else.

I don’t think it was made clear in the film but was May Day also one of Dr. Hans Glaub’s / Carl Mortner’s genetic experiments or a genuine amazon?