What I'm watching

Hi all, this tumblr mainly exists as a way of tracking all the movies I've been watching and some of the initial thoughts, and general feelings, I've had about them.

5/5 - Fantastic movies; movies which need to be seen and enjoyed by everyone.

4/5 - Movies which are very good but don’t have that spark which compels you to make others watch them as well.

3/5 - Average movies; watchable and enjoyable, but nothing which elevates them higher. The baseline all movies are given before watching.

2/5 - Can be watched but really bland and forgettable.

1/5 - Minimal to no reason to watch these films. It may have some redeeming factors e.g. it’s so bad it’s good or there’s one character that’s awesome enough to make it not a total waste of time.

0/5- Total waste of time. Nothing redeemable about these films.

As with every review blog/site, this is all my own personal opinion so feel free to take everything with a grain of salt.

Also I'm Scottish so all reviews will be in UK English. Get used to theatre, colour and words ending in -ised.

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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

My Top 10 Villains/Henchmen from the James Bond Series #1 Oddjob (Goldfinger) #2 Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger) #3 Red Grant (From Russia With Love) #4 Ernst Stavro Blofeld (You Only Live Twice) #5 Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker) #6 Francisco Scaramanga (The Man With The Golden Gun) #7 Hugo Drax (Moonraker) #8 Xenia Onatopp (Goldeneye) #9 Alex Trevelyan aka 006 aka Janis (Goldeneye) #10 Karl Stromberg (The Spy Who Loved Me)

My Top 10 Villains/Henchmen from the James Bond Series

#1 Oddjob (Goldfinger)

#2 Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger)

#3 Red Grant (From Russia With Love)

#4 Ernst Stavro Blofeld (You Only Live Twice)

#5 Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker)

#6 Francisco Scaramanga (The Man With The Golden Gun)

#7 Hugo Drax (Moonraker)

#8 Xenia Onatopp (Goldeneye)

#9 Alex Trevelyan aka 006 aka Janis (Goldeneye)

#10 Karl Stromberg (The Spy Who Loved Me)

This would be the last time we see Blofeld or have any links to SPECTRE in a James Bond film. Blofeld isn’t named or his face shown in this film due to on going legal matters with Ian Fleming’s co-author on an original Thunderball screenplay Kevin McClory. The problems with McClory and United Artists are almost as long as the Bond series itself and quite interesting to read about if you want some further back story. It is because of this dispute that Never Say Never Again would eventually be made in 1983 (the same year as Octopussy) and why it’s just another interpretation of Thunderball. This scene also gave us some of the oddest lines in the series “I’ll buy you a delicatessen Mr Bond….in stainless steel”. Maybe Blofeld is the only one that knows of Bond’s long held dream of owning a restaurant.

This would be the last time we see Blofeld or have any links to SPECTRE in a James Bond film. Blofeld isn’t named or his face shown in this film due to on going legal matters with Ian Fleming’s co-author on an original Thunderball screenplay Kevin McClory.

The problems with McClory and United Artists are almost as long as the Bond series itself and quite interesting to read about if you want some further back story. It is because of this dispute that Never Say Never Again would eventually be made in 1983 (the same year as Octopussy) and why it’s just another interpretation of Thunderball.

This scene also gave us some of the oddest lines in the series “I’ll buy you a delicatessen Mr Bond….in stainless steel”. Maybe Blofeld is the only one that knows of Bond’s long held dream of owning a restaurant.

#96 Diamonds Are Forever (Rewatch) After tracking down and killing Blofeld (Charles Gray) for the murder of his wife, Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to Amsterdam to look into a diamond smuggling ring. There he meets the beautiful Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), while posing as a smuggler, and has to help her get the cargo through customs to Las Vegas for the reclusive Willard White (Jimmy Dean). DAF marks the return of, and final official appearance of, Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. After George Lazenby left after a single film there was initially a search for the new Bond. The producers even went so far as to sign on John Gavin, most famous for playing Janet Leigh’s boyfriend Sam Loomis in Hitchcock’s Psycho, but the heads of United Artists were set on Connery returning to the role stating money was no object. Connery returned for a single performance provided United Artists would back two future movies of his choice and paid him 1.2 million dollars (15.9 million in today’s money). They did and so he returned. You can tell Connery wasn’t really here for the role this time around. He was proficient enough but the luster he had for the character was gone and he seemed to be purely going through the motions. He was also looking rather old in the part by this point. It was beginning to look a little weird that he was getting all the women he was. It’s also probable he didn’t watch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service because the last scene we see of that is a heart broken Bond holding his dead wife. This film begins with him killing Blofeld for this but it just looks like any standard mission up until that point. He was playing Bond the same way he always did but there should have been more to the act of killing Blofeld than just “ha i finally got you” with his cheeky grin and a one liner. It doesn’t fit properly. Jill St John is the first American Bond girl. Some found her character annoying, and there is definitely a lack of elegance which had come to be synonymous with the main leading lady, but personally I think she worked well enough for the setting. Also the scene in which she is naked on the bed covered by the white animal skin might be one of the most sexy poses in the series since Andress emerged from the sea and Shirley Eaton lounged on the bed. The villains are lacking this time around. Blofeld was a lot more menacing in both of his other installments. Charles Gray just came off as a little foppish in my mind. He definitely had the intelligence of the character down but it was all just a little too camp. Also Mr Wint (Bruce Glover), Mr Kidd (Putter Smith), Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) were all really stupid characters and never felt intimidating. The setting was a little bit of a let down this time as well. Las Vegas may have seemed exotic at the time but now it just looks kinda skeezy. A film ago we were in the Alps, and before that, Japan and the Bahamas. The entire thing just felt a little weak. Finally, the moon buggy chase might have been the passing of the torch for the series. Connery, and even Lazenby’s, movies were spy dramas, with a couple of gadgets thrown in, but they were always supposed to be taken somewhat seriously. The Roger Moore era Bond films were more comedies that happened to have some cool action in them. Others might say the jetpack in Thunderball or Little Nelly in YOLT is where it began to favour this but for me it was the moon buggy in this film. More interesting than OHMSS for me but definitely the weakest of Connery’s films. 2/5

#96 Diamonds Are Forever

(Rewatch)

After tracking down and killing Blofeld (Charles Gray) for the murder of his wife, Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to Amsterdam to look into a diamond smuggling ring. There he meets the beautiful Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), while posing as a smuggler, and has to help her get the cargo through customs to Las Vegas for the reclusive Willard White (Jimmy Dean).

DAF marks the return of, and final official appearance of, Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. After George Lazenby left after a single film there was initially a search for the new Bond. The producers even went so far as to sign on John Gavin, most famous for playing Janet Leigh’s boyfriend Sam Loomis in Hitchcock’s Psycho, but the heads of United Artists were set on Connery returning to the role stating money was no object. Connery returned for a single performance provided United Artists would back two future movies of his choice and paid him 1.2 million dollars (15.9 million in today’s money). They did and so he returned.

You can tell Connery wasn’t really here for the role this time around. He was proficient enough but the luster he had for the character was gone and he seemed to be purely going through the motions. He was also looking rather old in the part by this point. It was beginning to look a little weird that he was getting all the women he was.

It’s also probable he didn’t watch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service because the last scene we see of that is a heart broken Bond holding his dead wife. This film begins with him killing Blofeld for this but it just looks like any standard mission up until that point. He was playing Bond the same way he always did but there should have been more to the act of killing Blofeld than just “ha i finally got you” with his cheeky grin and a one liner. It doesn’t fit properly.

Jill St John is the first American Bond girl. Some found her character annoying, and there is definitely a lack of elegance which had come to be synonymous with the main leading lady, but personally I think she worked well enough for the setting. Also the scene in which she is naked on the bed covered by the white animal skin might be one of the most sexy poses in the series since Andress emerged from the sea and Shirley Eaton lounged on the bed.

The villains are lacking this time around. Blofeld was a lot more menacing in both of his other installments. Charles Gray just came off as a little foppish in my mind. He definitely had the intelligence of the character down but it was all just a little too camp. Also Mr Wint (Bruce Glover), Mr Kidd (Putter Smith), Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) were all really stupid characters and never felt intimidating.

The setting was a little bit of a let down this time as well. Las Vegas may have seemed exotic at the time but now it just looks kinda skeezy. A film ago we were in the Alps, and before that, Japan and the Bahamas. The entire thing just felt a little weak.

Finally, the moon buggy chase might have been the passing of the torch for the series. Connery, and even Lazenby’s, movies were spy dramas, with a couple of gadgets thrown in, but they were always supposed to be taken somewhat seriously. The Roger Moore era Bond films were more comedies that happened to have some cool action in them. Others might say the jetpack in Thunderball or Little Nelly in YOLT is where it began to favour this but for me it was the moon buggy in this film.

More interesting than OHMSS for me but definitely the weakest of Connery’s films. 2/5

Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Charle Gray in Diamonds Are Forever Ok try this one on for size: Bond (Sean Connery) meets Blofeld (Pleasence) in YOLT. Then he meets him again in OHMSS but neither of them recognise each other even though they’ve already met and should. This is even more confusing for the audience now as both Bond and Blofeld are being played by different actors, George Lazenby and Savalas, but are supposed to be the same characters with no facial alteration (except Blofeld cutting off his earlobes). They then meet again in DAF but Bond is now Connery again and Blofeld is Gray. At least this time Blofeld is supposed to have undergone plastic surgery. But it’s not done yet, Gray already played Bond’s ally in Japan, Dikko Henderson, in YOLT with Connery. Finally Bond (Roger Moore) kills Blofeld (probably) in For Your Eyes Only but his face is never seen. The dubbed voice used for this is Robert Rietty, who also dubbed the voices of Emilo Largo in Thunderball and Dr Strangways in Dr No. My head hurts :S

Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice

Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Charle Gray in Diamonds Are Forever

Ok try this one on for size: Bond (Sean Connery) meets Blofeld (Pleasence) in YOLT. Then he meets him again in OHMSS but neither of them recognise each other even though they’ve already met and should.

This is even more confusing for the audience now as both Bond and Blofeld are being played by different actors, George Lazenby and Savalas, but are supposed to be the same characters with no facial alteration (except Blofeld cutting off his earlobes).

They then meet again in DAF but Bond is now Connery again and Blofeld is Gray. At least this time Blofeld is supposed to have undergone plastic surgery.

But it’s not done yet, Gray already played Bond’s ally in Japan, Dikko Henderson, in YOLT with Connery.

Finally Bond (Roger Moore) kills Blofeld (probably) in For Your Eyes Only but his face is never seen. The dubbed voice used for this is Robert Rietty, who also dubbed the voices of Emilo Largo in Thunderball and Dr Strangways in Dr No.

My head hurts :S

#92 You Only Live Twice (Rewatch) After active Russian and American spacecraft are stolen by an unknown craft each country blames the other and threatens retribution if their ship is not returned. The United Kingdom however thinks there might be another organisation at work pulling the strings. MI6 sends James Bond (Sean Connery) into Japan, the last known location of the mystery vessel, in order to avert World War 3 and discover the true culprit. This is the last of Connery’s original run as 007. Having grown bored/annoyed of the public attention from the role and fearing being type cast, Connery announced this would be his last time playing Bond mid way through production on this film. Despite this there doesn’t really seem to be any slump in performance, and we’re given the same Bond we know and love one more time. Donald Pleasence would finally provide the face of the mysterious Ernst Stavro Blofeld, no 1 and leader of SPECTRE, in this installment. Although Blofeld would be played by 3 different actors over the course of the series, this version is probably the most synonymous with the series (Nehru suit, bald, holding a Persian cat, facial scar) and most widely parodied since (most notably Dr Evil in the Austin Powers series). In terms of Bond girl this time around there were two: Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) and Kissy Suzuki (Mie Hama). Both girls where chosen by the producers and sent to London for 3 months to learn English for the roles. Originally the roles were supposed to be reversed but Akiko proved to be the better at English and was therefore given the part with more lines. Kissy represents the more standard Bond girl and has a part similar to Honey Ryder in Dr No, helping Bond on the island and escaping with him when it’s about to explode. Aki on the other hand might be my favourite Connery era Bond girl (although Tanya in FRWL might tie with her). She’s smart, confident, a competent agent, of great assistance to Bond in the field and she chooses to pursue Bond. She also has a rather tragic death. All in all she’s more of an individual than most of the previous girls. Probably the main thing this film has going for it is spectacle. There have been big action set pieces in the previous films but this has a ninja training academy and an incursion on a hollowed out volcano lair. Everything is just a little grander this time around and it feels like it has more of purpose for happening than all the underwater battles from Thunderball. It also perfectly showcases Bond’s fighting style with a panning aerial shot of the dock rooftops. This is also the first of the Bond movies to largely deviate from Ian Fleming’s original novel and, interestingly enough, had the beloved children’s author Roald Dahl, a friend of Fleming, provide the screenplay. Maybe not quite as good as films 2 and 3 but a definite upgrade from number 4. 3.5/5.

#92 You Only Live Twice

(Rewatch)

After active Russian and American spacecraft are stolen by an unknown craft each country blames the other and threatens retribution if their ship is not returned. The United Kingdom however thinks there might be another organisation at work pulling the strings. MI6 sends James Bond (Sean Connery) into Japan, the last known location of the mystery vessel, in order to avert World War 3 and discover the true culprit.

This is the last of Connery’s original run as 007. Having grown bored/annoyed of the public attention from the role and fearing being type cast, Connery announced this would be his last time playing Bond mid way through production on this film. Despite this there doesn’t really seem to be any slump in performance, and we’re given the same Bond we know and love one more time.

Donald Pleasence would finally provide the face of the mysterious Ernst Stavro Blofeld, no 1 and leader of SPECTRE, in this installment. Although Blofeld would be played by 3 different actors over the course of the series, this version is probably the most synonymous with the series (Nehru suit, bald, holding a Persian cat, facial scar) and most widely parodied since (most notably Dr Evil in the Austin Powers series).

In terms of Bond girl this time around there were two: Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) and Kissy Suzuki (Mie Hama). Both girls where chosen by the producers and sent to London for 3 months to learn English for the roles. Originally the roles were supposed to be reversed but Akiko proved to be the better at English and was therefore given the part with more lines. Kissy represents the more standard Bond girl and has a part similar to Honey Ryder in Dr No, helping Bond on the island and escaping with him when it’s about to explode.

Aki on the other hand might be my favourite Connery era Bond girl (although Tanya in FRWL might tie with her). She’s smart, confident, a competent agent, of great assistance to Bond in the field and she chooses to pursue Bond. She also has a rather tragic death. All in all she’s more of an individual than most of the previous girls.

Probably the main thing this film has going for it is spectacle. There have been big action set pieces in the previous films but this has a ninja training academy and an incursion on a hollowed out volcano lair. Everything is just a little grander this time around and it feels like it has more of purpose for happening than all the underwater battles from Thunderball. It also perfectly showcases Bond’s fighting style with a panning aerial shot of the dock rooftops.

This is also the first of the Bond movies to largely deviate from Ian Fleming’s original novel and, interestingly enough, had the beloved children’s author Roald Dahl, a friend of Fleming, provide the screenplay.

Maybe not quite as good as films 2 and 3 but a definite upgrade from number 4. 3.5/5.