tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post1582127884104623079..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: The Great (film) Debates vol. 19AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-25251319368655375812011-12-19T13:18:43.008-05:002011-12-19T13:18:43.008-05:00ACG, He is the original... at least on film.ACG, He is the original... at least on film.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-28018758394706214022011-12-19T13:18:26.835-05:002011-12-19T13:18:26.835-05:00Outlaw, But Bond can't do his Bond thing unles...Outlaw, But Bond can't do his Bond thing unless he has a solid villain to do it to. If he were just going after a guy who robbed a liquor store, then we wouldn't be very excited by his achievements. The better the villain, the better the Bond.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-42686933946647108212011-12-19T12:39:25.392-05:002011-12-19T12:39:25.392-05:00Dr. No.Dr. No.Game Master Rob Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08198920658123610173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47945861582149610792011-12-19T06:46:25.567-05:002011-12-19T06:46:25.567-05:00Aren't the villains somewhat beside the point?...Aren't the villains somewhat beside the point? In most Bond films the villain could be anybody, the whole point was to see Bond doing Bond-like things, the bad guy was just a needed device to set all that in motion. For the most part they are rather disposable. Scaramonga (SP?) in The Man With The Golden Gun was pretty good, and the bad guys in From Russia With Love were realistic...Outlaw13https://www.blogger.com/profile/17232117096525959967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-27499990381142284112011-12-18T15:50:02.544-05:002011-12-18T15:50:02.544-05:00Jed, I feel the same way. LOL!Jed, I feel the same way. LOL!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-41381039127054238382011-12-18T15:39:16.084-05:002011-12-18T15:39:16.084-05:00Now you know what it can be like to be 63, and dea...Now you know what it can be like to be 63, and deal with two french women about the same age whose surnames are somwhat similar! ;-) Yes, Longet is the one, and married to the famed Andy Williams (whom I once had a beer with in the clubhouse bar at La Quinta Mountain Course.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47853006291241754642011-12-18T15:33:07.308-05:002011-12-18T15:33:07.308-05:00Scott, That was a good one too, but I like the ele...Scott, That was a good one too, but I like the elephant joke better. And in both cases, it was Charlie Sheen that totally sold those jokes with his mystified look -- though her totally serious deliver was perfect. I love that scene! :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-36224549708471263552011-12-18T15:31:42.536-05:002011-12-18T15:31:42.536-05:00T-Rav, (s)He was an extra in For Your Eyes Only wh...T-Rav, (s)He was an extra in <i>For Your Eyes Only</i> when the guy gets shot in the pool. :/AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-80591614532599554792011-12-18T15:28:28.047-05:002011-12-18T15:28:28.047-05:00By the way, was one of the Bond girls from the ...By the way, was one of the Bond girls from the '70s a tranny, or is that just a rumor?T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-52162472426549536362011-12-18T15:27:52.422-05:002011-12-18T15:27:52.422-05:00Ha!
Yeah, I'm familiar with Ms. Golino. Her d...Ha!<br /><br />Yeah, I'm familiar with Ms. Golino. Her debut was in <i>Big-Top Pee-Wee</i> which is one of my mother's favorite movies. Yes, really. That's just the kind of household I was brought up in. :-)<br /><br />Her best <i>Hot Shots!</i> joke is an oldie but a goodie: "A horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks, 'Why the long face?'"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13766138397223531732011-12-18T15:27:44.089-05:002011-12-18T15:27:44.089-05:00Andrew, don't think I've ever checked out ...Andrew, don't think I've ever checked out "Scriptshadow." I'll have to do that--although I'm pretty sure Red Letter Media made the same comparison in one of its videos. <br /><br />Eva Green is incredibly gorgeous, in both "Casino Royale" and "Kingdom of Heaven." That is all.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47646088511180133112011-12-18T15:25:51.176-05:002011-12-18T15:25:51.176-05:00Jed, I just looked Auger up and I think you've...Jed, I just looked Auger up and I think you've got the wrong woman. The woman who killed Sabich was Claudine Longet.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-8211693580760087912011-12-18T15:23:28.874-05:002011-12-18T15:23:28.874-05:00Jed, I had no idea! That makes her the only Bond ...Jed, I had no idea! That makes her the only Bond girl to actually kill someone.<br /><br />They are a series I've always wanted to read and I do intend to make time for it eventually. :)<br /><br />The first I recall hearing about the films versus the books was people complaining that <i>Moonraker</i> took nothing more than the title of the book.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-43838232823159140052011-12-18T15:19:40.921-05:002011-12-18T15:19:40.921-05:00I just never liked Green, can't say why, she j...I just never liked Green, can't say why, she just didn't work for me. Plus, I have to say she reminds me too much of Valeria Golino (Ramada from <i>Hot Shots!</i>) and every time I see her I keep thinking "what do you do with an elephant with three balls." LOL!<br /><br />I didn't care for the Madonna song either -- it's not memorable.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-37367660308052007932011-12-18T15:09:37.980-05:002011-12-18T15:09:37.980-05:00Andrew - as busy as you are, you'll never be a...Andrew - as busy as you are, you'll never be able to do so, but you can get complete sets of the entire Bond works by Fleming for a very reasonable price. I whipped my way through them for the first time in 30 years a couple of summer's ago while recuperating from surgery.<br /><br />The early Bond films were not all that different (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball and Goldfinger.) Sure, there were some themes that were largely downplayed in the films (lesbianism) Some great scenes were ignored such as Bond's dinner at Blades when "M" brought him to the club to expose Sir Hugo Drax's cheating at Bridge. Where they really became "name only" was during the Roger Moore "Jaws" era.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-17082759034894983862011-12-18T15:06:30.544-05:002011-12-18T15:06:30.544-05:00I haven't seen Die Another Day in years but Ha...I haven't seen <i>Die Another Day</i> in years but Halle Berry did nothing for me in that film. Believe it or not, the Bond producers considered giving her character (Jinx) her own spinoff. I think a screenplay was written but this obviously went nowhere.<br /><br />I also didn't like the Madonna song <i>but</i> this film is the first time where the title sequence is part of the narrative, where we see Bond getting tortured by the North Koreans.<br /><br />I actually liked the invisible car but it was the bad CGI sailing/surfing scene that ruined it for me.<br /><br />Re: Eva Green... I just think she's hot, not to mention her habit of disrobing in every other movie. :-)<br /><br />Re: <i>Black Sunday</i>... I've never read the book but it's actually the only non-Hannibal Lecter book written by Thomas Harris.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-61276926299199826872011-12-18T15:01:47.833-05:002011-12-18T15:01:47.833-05:00Claudine Auger was a hottie even though she got mi...Claudine Auger was a hottie even though she got mixed up in that sad Spider Savidtch affair. Eva Green has incredible eyes. I only know her from this one and Kingdom of Heaven. For some reason, I have always liked Britt Eckland. But really, how can one really choose?<br /><br />Again, with Black Sunday, I fell a little bit victim to the syndrome of "you've read the book, now see the movie," in which you develop how the characters look and act in your mind's eye, and even when changes are mandated due to real differences between books and movies, it is harder to fully accept the film.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-32229147457467832112011-12-18T14:59:57.249-05:002011-12-18T14:59:57.249-05:00Jed, I figured it was in the book. I understand t...Jed, I figured it was in the book. I understand they are very different from the films.<br /><br />On Pike, I recall your review and her being in the film. Oddly, my favorite role for her was in the crapfest <i>Doom</i>.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13903010198873571302011-12-18T14:57:34.291-05:002011-12-18T14:57:34.291-05:00T-Rav, The blog Scriptshadow (interesting place) h...T-Rav, The blog Scriptshadow (interesting place) had a fascinating take down of the three "new" <i>Star Wars</i> films. One of the things he does to take down <i>Revenge</i> is compare the lightsaber fight at the end of <i>Revenge</i> against the fencing scene in <i>Die Another Day</i>. He points out how the Bond fight scene is gritty and real with real consequences, but the <i>Star Wars</i> fight seem feels fake and lacks genuine risk.<br /><br />I didn't care for Berry either and I never understood why people thought she was so great. I think it was PR more than anything because no one mentions her in hindsight.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-65523184318619772222011-12-18T14:53:19.884-05:002011-12-18T14:53:19.884-05:00Black Sunday was the original novel by the author ...Black Sunday was the original novel by the author of Red Dragon and then Silence of the Lambs.<br /><br />For those that read my review on the film "Fracture" at this site, you nay recall Rosamund Pike was the eye candy temptress for Ryan Gosling in that film. What you may not have realized is that on the DVD, in the deleted and extended scenes is a much more graphic sex scene between the two Psssssss!!!<br /><br />Andrew - The book (is where Doc No is buried under the guano.) That is the trouble after so many years . . . they tend to blend together a bit. One interesting side note. Dr. No was the first Bond movie, but only the 5th or 6th book. It was actually adapted as a Bond novel from a screenplay he had developed for a proposed British t.v. series that never got picked up.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3432159570254417242011-12-18T14:52:25.945-05:002011-12-18T14:52:25.945-05:00Scott, Black Sunday deserves a lot more recognitio...Scott, <i>Black Sunday</i> deserves a lot more recognition. That's a really solid film and easily the equal of the other films you mention. Again, I'm not sure why it gets (largely) ignored?<br /><br />On your Bond girls, I actually agree very much with your list even in the order you put them except Eva Green. I didn't like her at all.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13392057759787861812011-12-18T14:38:50.400-05:002011-12-18T14:38:50.400-05:00I thought both Stephens and Pike were very good in...I thought both Stephens and Pike were very good in "Die Another Day." (Also good: Madonna's song for the opening credits. That was Madonna, right?) I did not really care for Halle Berry's character, though, and I never understood why people were raving over her performance (or wanting to do a spin-off about her, which I found even more bizarre).T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-82403510123016733972011-12-18T14:38:31.753-05:002011-12-18T14:38:31.753-05:00As far as Shaw goes, I loved him as a bad-ass Isra...As far as Shaw goes, I loved him as a bad-ass Israeli commando in <i>Black Sunday</i> which doesn't seem to get the attention that it deserves. It's a conspiracy/anti-terrorist thriller but you never see it mentioned in the same breath with movies like <i>Marathon Man</i> or <i>The Parallax View</i> or even <i>All the President's Men</i>.<br /><br />It's one of John Frankenheimer's best films and it also features John Williams' last score before <i>Star Wars</i>, a great performance by an unhinged Bruce Dern, and there's a sudden death in the film which drove me nuts the first time I saw it. It literally came out of nowhere! (I'm not spoiling it for anyone.)<br /><br />Oh, and as far as Bond girls are concerned, my favorites in no particular order:<br />-Daniela Bianchi in <i>From Russia with Love</i><br />-Claudine Auger and Luciana Paluzzi in <i>Thunderball</i><br />-Jane Seymour in <i>Live and Let Die</i><br />-Rosamund Pike in <i>Die Another Day</i><br />-Eva Green in <i>Casino Royale</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77598573948267466502011-12-18T14:30:59.332-05:002011-12-18T14:30:59.332-05:00Good point, he could well be a victim of his own s...Good point, he could well be a victim of his own success.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-63350199129961808242011-12-18T14:22:25.572-05:002011-12-18T14:22:25.572-05:00I don't know either, Andrew, but If I had to v...I don't know either, Andrew, but If I had to venture a guess, I'd say it's because it was his second novel, both of which were made into films, BUT the first happened to be "Jaws" which is a tough act to follow in terms of both critical acclaim and popularity.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.com