tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post8610907019898445528..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Bond-arama: No. 0019 The Living Daylights (1987)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-59983901736331997202013-09-06T20:02:46.954-04:002013-09-06T20:02:46.954-04:00Dave, That would help a little, except the whole A...Dave, That would help a little, except the whole Afghanistan thing still feels tacked on. The whole idea of drugs and guns to Afghans comes out of the blue halfway through the film and feels really murky and halfhearted. It feels like a storyline done around the big stunk.<br /><br />I think that to fix this requires not only a shifting of the motives to something audiences can care about, as you suggest, but a thorough refocus to connect the intro with the ending, plus a better ending and fixing all the other defects.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-82039225032715100722013-09-05T23:53:05.001-04:002013-09-05T23:53:05.001-04:00Some final thoughts: The Bond movies were availabl...Some final thoughts: The Bond movies were available on Netflix for the month of August. I took the opportunity to re-watch <i>The Living Daylights</i> to see if it's really as bad as you say or if it deserves to be ranked higher. Your review made me more aware of the film's (many) flaws, but my original opinion stands: You've ranked this film too low. There are at least two Moore films and certainly one of the Connery films that are worse than <i>TLD</i>.<br /><br />I think it could have been improved with just another minutes' worth of dialogue or so. Consider:<br /><br />-When Whitaker is confronted by Pushkin, he could have pointed out that the Russians aren't doing well in Afghanistan against the Mujaheddin. True enough for 1987. And he's the only one willing to sell the kind of high-tech weaponry that the Soviets need to avoid defeat. (No one else wants to irritate the Americans. Bloody yanks indeed.) Instead of leaving with the upper hand and a threat hanging in the air, Pushkin is forced into a stalemate and Whitaker is more firmly established as an antagonist. As an added bonus, the Mujaheddin enter the plot earlier as an underdog. (Again, this was 1987, before we knew what they would eventually morph into.) <br /><br />- While en route to Afghanistan, Koskov reveals to Bond that he wants to use the massive profits his scheme will make him to buy even more weapons than what Pushkin could hope to get. With this, he becomes the Soviet's "White Knight", ousting Pushkin and becoming head of the KGB. <br /><br />This was the kind of back-stabbery and double-crossing that happened all the time in the Soviet hierarchy and I think something like this would have made a more palatable film.<br /><br />Having said all that, I reiterate that it's better than you say. Of course, it's book-ended by <i>A View to a Kill</i> and <i>License to Kill</i>, so the competition is pretty limp. Personally, I think it deserves to be ranked at the bottom of the middle, instead of the middle of the bottom. Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-5948452606668596072013-04-27T17:43:20.846-04:002013-04-27T17:43:20.846-04:00Backthrow, That's the one I was thinking of!Backthrow, That's the one I was thinking of!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-91416961265501782502013-04-27T00:52:11.660-04:002013-04-27T00:52:11.660-04:00Andrew,
No, you're thinking of the Joel-era e...Andrew,<br /><br />No, you're thinking of the Joel-era episode, where they riff <b>OPERATION DOUBLE 007</b> (a.k.a. OPERATION KID BROTHER), starring Sean's real-life brother Neil Connery, plus Lois Maxwell, Bernard Lee, Daniella Bianchi, Adolpho Celi ('Largo') and Anthony Dawson (who was both 'Professor Dent' in DR. NO, and provided Blofeld's hands/torso (but not the voice) in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL).Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-72512815284568136632013-04-27T00:39:59.212-04:002013-04-27T00:39:59.212-04:00rlaWTX, If John Steed had looked like Peel, then i...rlaWTX, If John Steed had looked like Peel, then it would have been a very different show. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83182921620529366922013-04-27T00:39:17.270-04:002013-04-27T00:39:17.270-04:00Dwizzum, I agree. Dalton looks fine on paper, but...Dwizzum, I agree. Dalton looks fine on paper, but he just doesn't work in practice. He doesn't convey the right emotions on screen and he struggles to display what he can at the right time.<br /><br />I'll see what I can do about an MST3k thread!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-5661105220639640942013-04-27T00:38:03.626-04:002013-04-27T00:38:03.626-04:00Backthrow, Didn't that one have basically the ...Backthrow, Didn't that one have basically the cast of the first couple James Bond films? I think Largo is in it, the girl from <i>From Russia With Love</i> and some others I can't think of at the moment.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-20734091530912651172013-04-26T23:59:45.397-04:002013-04-26T23:59:45.397-04:00One of my all-time favorite MST3K episodes was a J...One of my all-time favorite MST3K episodes was a James Bond rip-off; behold... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSeNDMhnCg0" rel="nofollow">DANGER!! DEATH RAY</a>Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-33285481801213413292013-04-26T13:22:39.829-04:002013-04-26T13:22:39.829-04:00The Avengers: if only John Steed had been as attra...The Avengers: if only John Steed had been as attractive and intriguing as Emma Peel!rlaWTXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09319344164726195144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-27730139871421443042013-04-26T08:11:02.549-04:002013-04-26T08:11:02.549-04:00Oh, are we doing a MST3K thread now? Count me in....Oh, are we doing a MST3K thread now? Count me in. <br /><br />Concerning Dalton, I like him as an actor, but something just wasn't right with him as Bond. He looks good on paper, but when you seem him on screen it just doesn't work. Moore brought his own charm and class to the role. He may not have been believable beating the crap out of someone, but you knew he could order the right wine with dinner, and was good at baccarat. I never got that with Dalton, he seemed flat and didn't bring anything to the role to me. Dwizzumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13426076114959867132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-46381266271648132172013-04-25T21:51:27.172-04:002013-04-25T21:51:27.172-04:00Voz, I love "Mitchell." I laughed my bu...Voz, I love "Mitchell." I laughed my butt off. I mean, seriously, could they make a less appealing character? Wow!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-17653212354890141482013-04-25T21:40:22.503-04:002013-04-25T21:40:22.503-04:00Since MST3K got brought up, I did appreciate Mitch...Since MST3K got brought up, I did appreciate Mitchell but Final Justice with Joe Don Baker IMHO is much better...<br />On the topic of Bond, I always said that I didn't like Dalton, but that was before I'd seen them...once I saw them I immediately liked him much better as Bond than Moore...Voznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47139651048469610422013-04-25T20:08:53.960-04:002013-04-25T20:08:53.960-04:00PikeBishop and Rustbelt, I'm amazed how often ...PikeBishop and Rustbelt, I'm amazed how often shows of that period deal with "eastern powers" or if they named a country, it was Yugoslavia or East Germany. It's like Russia wasn't even a player.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-19214663321524950542013-04-25T19:23:54.832-04:002013-04-25T19:23:54.832-04:00PikeBishop,
That sounds fantastic! Unfortunately...PikeBishop, <br /><br />That sounds fantastic! Unfortunately, I'm too young to have experienced the Avengers- though I am aware of the show. Still, I'm going to make it a goal in life to see this skit.<br /><br />-RustbeltAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-75223204409730897762013-04-25T18:34:32.977-04:002013-04-25T18:34:32.977-04:00Rustbelt:
Your point on not really taking on the ...Rustbelt:<br /><br />Your point on not really taking on the Soviet Union got me to thinking. I was born in 65 so I only got Mission Impossible and stuff like that in reruns, and I was able to see through all that "Agents of a certain Eastern Power" crap to avoid calling the spade the spade.<br /><br />One of the best takes on this was believe it or not the late great British clown, Benny Hill.<br /><br />They were doing a sketch parodying "The Avengers" with Benny as John Steed, getting his assignment.<br /><br />Steed's "M" briefed him referring to "Agents of a Certain Eastern Power, who shall remain nameless."<br /><br />Benny: "Oh you mean Russia!"<br /><br />Entire staff at briefing: SSSSSSSHHHHH! (index fingers to lips)<br /><br />M: Yes, we must be careful of agents from the other side.<br /><br />Benny: Oh you mean Russia!<br /><br />And it goes on from there.PikeBishophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761380937971970762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83845423937384875852013-04-25T18:29:34.706-04:002013-04-25T18:29:34.706-04:00Rustbelt, I like Firefox a lot and I would have l...Rustbelt, I like <i>Firefox</i> a lot and I would have liked to see more anti-Soviet films. It's one of the few.<br /><br />On the debates, I'm not sure if enough people have seen MST3k to comment? Maybe a Wednesday article?<br /><br />Lost Continent... ouch. "No one will be admitted during the rock climbing scene!" LOL!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77455909723803301062013-04-25T18:27:55.181-04:002013-04-25T18:27:55.181-04:00Backthrow, I thought that scene actually encapsula...Backthrow, I thought that scene actually encapsulate the whole idea really well. You had the Americans and the Russians locked in a sort of wrestling match. And Britain (through Bond) saw itself as the umpire in a way who kept the two side from becoming irrational.<br /><br />I don't think that's at all historically accurate, but it puts the whole idea of James Bond into perspective.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38508518282902156732013-04-25T17:42:08.850-04:002013-04-25T17:42:08.850-04:00And Andrew,
Yeah, we're going to have to offi...And Andrew,<br /><br />Yeah, we're going to have to officially disagree on Dalton.<br />That being said, "favorite MST3K?" Oh, don't make me choose! "Space Mutiny" (Railing Kill!), "Lost Continent" (Rock Climbing), "The Beast of Yucca Flats" (Coleman Francis: the Cinematic Poet of Parking)...too many to choose from. I'd almost suggest it as a Great Film Debate topic, but we may not have enough commentators here who have seen the show.<br /><br />For now, let's just laugh with the second half of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zHEd8VHiQo" rel="nofollow">Joe Don Baker</a> MST3K <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BysG97B5YM" rel="nofollow">double-header.</a><br /><br />-RustbeltAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-12332171592273471452013-04-25T17:35:00.638-04:002013-04-25T17:35:00.638-04:00Backthrow, I was just making a general observation...Backthrow, I was just making a general observation. Personally, I think there are several Bond movies that would've been better if they'd had the gall (a la "Firefox") to make the Soviets the bad guys. <br />Heck, even classic ones like FRWL, may even have been improved if they'd stuck with the original material. It's a possibility... <br />But it appears the producers were either worried about the foreign market or making their left-leaning buddies in the movie industry a little cranky.<br /><br />-Rustbelt Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-44185212207309124802013-04-25T17:02:35.770-04:002013-04-25T17:02:35.770-04:00Rustbelt,
True, they really weren't. Early, i...Rustbelt,<br /><br />True, they really weren't. Early, in the film version of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, the producers even presented the U.S. representatives as more rabid, hard-line Cold Warriors than their reserved Soviet counterparts at the place of meeting (granted, it was just after the U.S. astronauts had disappeared), with the British reps as the calm, reasonable intermediaries. <br /><br />I'm just saying that <i>if</i> the producers had <i>wanted</i> the Soviet government as the main baddies, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS would've worked better several years earlier... as they did with FOR YOUR EYES ONLY --and even there, they were somewhat watered-down, certainly from the way they were portrayed in the book version of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-51799992647784913252013-04-25T17:01:43.987-04:002013-04-25T17:01:43.987-04:00Rustbelt, I thought about "Mitchell" the...Rustbelt, I thought about "Mitchell" the whole time I wrote this. "Mitchell" is probably my favorite MST3k after "Gamera" and "Rocketship XM". What an awful show that would have been!<br /><br />As for Dalton, we can definitely disagree, but I just don't see him having any of the needed qualities. Between him and Brosnan, I would pick Brosnan by a mile, but neither compares to Connery or Craig or even early Moore.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-58025844445489670162013-04-25T16:59:03.942-04:002013-04-25T16:59:03.942-04:00Rustbelt, That's a really good point. The ser...Rustbelt, That's a really good point. The series has never been about Russia. It's always been fantasy. So the end of the Soviets really shouldn't have hurt the series at all.<br /><br />On the bureaucrat, I can't disagree that he does have a good story arc and his death does bring some meaning to the film, but it's not enough in my opinion to really give Necros much meaning.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38087356382068522432013-04-25T16:55:41.025-04:002013-04-25T16:55:41.025-04:00And just 2 more things and I'll stop.
One, An...And just 2 more things and I'll stop.<br /><br />One, Andrew, I completely disagree with you on Dalton. I like the intensity and temper he brings to the role. Much better IMO than Moore or Brosnan. (Honestly, I'd rather watch a tape of Obama's re-inauguration speech than sit through one of Brosnan's Bond films again.)<br /><br />And two, Andrew, why are you being so nice to Joe Don Baker? After all, the highlight of this man's career was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InHgWFrQRbI" rel="nofollow">THIS!</a><br /><br />-RustbeltAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-75702556069892746902013-04-25T16:54:22.152-04:002013-04-25T16:54:22.152-04:00Anon, On the limited scope, I think the problem is...Anon, On the limited scope, I think the problem is that they don't accept the limited scope and work with it. Compare <i>Casino Royale</i> where they accept the fact that most of the film will play out in the hotel, so they work to make that exciting. Here they act like the film will span the world, but it doesn't. It has the feel of "go there, enter room, trade dialog, leave." It never builds intensity because the plot isn't centered on the action so much as changing of locations.<br /><br />Dalton isn't clownish or prissy and that's a good thing, but he doesn't really have the qualities that are needed either. It's just a different kind of "not good."AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-66212235513371503302013-04-25T16:48:44.079-04:002013-04-25T16:48:44.079-04:00On this movie, well, I'm joining the crowd tha...On this movie, well, I'm joining the crowd that says it was better than the ranking this series is giving it. <br />It has a great start with the defection and, IMHO, the attack on the MI6 safehouse is a terrific action sequence. After that, however, it does bog down and gets confusing. (Though it doesn't leave me with a feeling of "what the heck..?" that "Octopussy does.)<br />On that note, I'm going to agree with 2 points that Lawrence Meyers made in his BH review of this film. One, the bureaucrat had a nice story arc in which he grows from being a by-the-book guy and eventually thinks more like Bond- and that his death by Necros only enrages the audience against the bad guys further. Also, apparently Pushkin was a substitute for series regular General Gogol. Having Bond getting ordered to kill Gogol definitely would've heightened the emotional tension in this movie, given their previous relationship.<br /><br />(continued...) <br /><br />-RustbeltAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com