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Forums - Movies & TV - The James Bond Rewatch: Current Movie - SPECTRE

 

Which is the best movie of the Craig era (so far)?

Casino Royal 13 76.47%
 
Quantum of Solace 0 0%
 
Skyfall 4 23.53%
 
Spectre 0 0%
 
Total:17
drbunnig said:
Snesboy said:
One other thing I forgot to mention, the night sequence where they sneak onto Crab Key was shot during the day and they put a filter over it. Pretty jarring to look at the characters who are all squinting because of the sun when it's supposed to be nighttime.

Never noticed this, will have to keep an eye out next time I watch (whenever that may be).

As an aside, I love Bond's line to Dent just before he shoots him. "That's a Smith and Wesson, and you've had your six". Awesome.

I love that moment too. At first you're thinking Bond is unaware of the obvious rug pulling, then you realize he knew it all along, and he went along with it. So simple and yet effective.



You know it deserves the GOTY.

Come join The 2018 Obscure Game Monthly Review Thread.

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Will be watching From Russia with Love tonight.



drbunnig said:

I've watched From Russia with Love... I take it it's not too early to start talking about it?

The last time I did a Bondathon, this come top of my rankings, so it'll be interesting to see if it differs this time around. This is a big step up from Dr. No, and is an enthralling watch. Right from that first scene (and what an incredible scene that is), you just know it's going to be something special. Unsure whether to score this as a 9 or a 10. In the Bond canon, it's probably a 10, whereas in the context of all films it's a 9... what say you @Veknoid_Outcast? Some other thoughts:

- Some nice scenery and location shots - the interiors for the chess and the mosque scene in particular.
- There's some real cloak and dagger stuff going on here, which I really like in Bond films.
- I made note of the fact that the actual James Bond doesn't appear until about 17 minutes in, which I thought was interesting.
- Robert Shaw is brilliant as Grant - very physically imposing. The way he's a lingering threat, constantly shadowing Bond, one step ahead is wonderfully done - there's this simmering tension in not knowing when he'll strike. The train scenes really invoke a sense of claustrophobia and ramp that tension up further.
- Connery is well in the groove now. There's a bit more humour and one liners in the script, but it's never over done.
- If I had to nitpick, I feel that there's a bit too much crammed into the final few scenes. After having the threat of Grant build and build, there's then about three additional SPECTRE attacks in a short space of time. I suppose it shows how resourceful they are, but it just seemed a little much for me.

From Russia With Love has been my favorite for a while so I will surely award it a high score :)

As for the methodology, I leave it up to all of you. I will judge Bond movies against all other films. So while I would probably give a 10 to something like From Russia With Love in the context of only Bond flicks, I will probably grant it a 8 or 9 in the context of all movies.

As long as everyone uses the 1-10 scale, I am fine with you inventing your own methodology.



Just got back from vacation so I will be a little behind for a week.

Keep your scores coming!



Just finished From Russia with Love.

I still love this movie. A lot of the practical and special effects are above and beyond that of Dr. No (btw, my rating for that is 6/10). One thing I did notice is that every night scene was actually shot at night instead of being filmed in the middle of the day with a dark filter over everything. Backgrounds on the train were still daylight shots on green screen with a dark filter over them, but that's fine. It didn't detract from the film. I was just looking for it since it was so prevalent in Dr. No. As for jumpcuts, I only counted two. The first was near the beginning of the film during the gypsy sequence when Grant shot the guy who was about to kill Bond. The second, when Grant is on the train watching Bond before the train left for the second time and Bond got back on the train. If you're not looking for it, you'll miss them.

Loved the characters in this movie as well. Ali Karem Bey was a great side kick. I loved him as much as I loved Quarrel in Dr. No. But I am noticing a trend of them just getting killed off. Oh well. Q was introduced here but forgettable since he's only in the first act of the movie. Sylvia makes a return appearance and she was still great with Bond in his opening scene (which was 18 minutes into the movie!)

Overall, a great Bond film. 9/10



Cars, Cars, Cars: no Astin Martin in this film, or a car chase sequence
Best Bond girl: Tatiana Romanova
Number of girls Bond slept with: 4 (maybe)

  • Sylvia Trench
  • Tatiana
  • the two gypsy girls that were fighting each other (subjective)

But come on, it's 007, you know he slept with those gypsy girls.



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I just started watching "From Russia with Love". I love the fact the plot revolves around an obvious trap that fully depends on Bond being horny enough to fall for it.



You know it deserves the GOTY.

Come join The 2018 Obscure Game Monthly Review Thread.

Since I was on vacation this past weekend, I'm a week behind. I'll try to fit FRWL and Goldfinger in this weekend!

Scores updated to this point.



My score for From Russia with Love will be a 9.

Goldfinger, I'll go with an 8. A step down from FRwL, but still a really good film. More extravagant than its predecessor, but it never feels overblown. Goldfinger is a great villain, and once again we have some memorable exchanges between Bond and the antagonist (particularly the laser scene). Oddjob and Pussy add variety to the adversaries, rounding out the baddies nicely. The theme song is a cracker. The Swiss shots in Furka Pass are wonderful - some of my favourites in the entire series.



Just finished From Russia With Love. This has been my favorite for a while and I don't see any Bond movie topping it.
 
It has a brilliant opening, and a lot of great set-up and anticipation. The supporting characters are all interesting, and the film manages to juggle a lot of schemes and sub-plots without overwhelming the viewer. I noticed some nice camerawork and framing too...I dare say artsy.
 
The action in FRWL is quite good, although the fight scene in the train blows everything else away. It's one of the great fights in cinema, if you ask me.
 
If the movie has one flaw, it's that it lingers too long after that fight. @drbunnig identified this also. The whole movie is building toward the confrontation with Grant, and then we get 20 minutes more of escapes and fights. It's overkill.

9/10


“My friend, if you really want my advice, you should spend a few pleasant days with us here in Istanbul, and then, then go home.”

From Russia with Love is one of those rare sequels that doesn’t just match or succeed over its predecessor, it absolutely knocks it out of the park. Steeped in spy-craft and Cold War machinations, this film moves along at a steady clip as James Bond is enveloped in SPECTRE’s web of revenge whilst trying to steal a code breaking machine from the Russians. Connery returns as 007 and is in fine form as if he has been playing the role for years. Surrounded by an excellent supporting cast and (with the addition of Desmond Llewelyn taking over the role of “Q”) cementing the Bond entourage, this film builds upon Dr. No and fleshes out the emerging Bond formula. The franchise would not have lasted as long as it has if these first entries were not at the top of their game and this sequel proves that Bond is here to stay.

Connery still imbues Bond with a sense of vulnerability. His quiet rage at the death of his friend and his mild panic at being cornered by Red Grant give Connery a chance to show a greater humanity before Bond would devolve into the quippy action hero of later years. The villains are a step ahead of him throughout almost the entire film. His satisfaction of finding the listening device in his room is tempered by the fact that it appeared intentional they wanted him to switch to the bridal suite as part of their grand plan. Grant saves Bond’s life at the gypsy camp and Bond appears puzzled at the sudden death of an attacker that would have him dead to rights. However Connery is so self-assured and confident in the role, that you never take Bond as the fool.

The last act does seem to tack on some unnecessary action scenes to emulate the final battle at Dr. No’s lair from the previous film. Having bested their most lethal assassin, SPECTRE sends a grenade-dropping helicopter, a trio of boats with machine guns and RPGs, and finally, a middle-aged lady with a shoe knife. The action is fine with Bond’s battle with the helicopter an obvious homage to North by Northwest. Although I could not help but chuckle that SPECTRE’s last chance to win was to send their director of operations out into the field. It seems more necessary to wrap up the plot than to follow any kind of logic. The mysterious Number One does make his first appearance and the film furthers the mystery by crediting his actor as “?” in the credits. We also get the first “James Bond will return in __________” letting us know that Bond is about to become a constant in our lives.

As previously stated, the supporting cast is excellent however a special shout out must go to Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey. Following Jack Lord’s Felix Leiter is not easy but Kerim Bey is such a warm, funny and dependable ally to Bond, he almost steals the show in Istanbul. That Armendariz gives such a great performance while in the final stages of illness is even more impressive. He will set the tone for many allies that Bond will have over the years and only few will be able to match his performance.

From Russia with Love is 9/10. A truly great spy caper with great action, moves and countermoves between the various factions that take advantage of its setting and climaxing with one of the best fist fights in cinema history between Bond and Grant. It’s brutal, visceral and largely done by the actors and not stunt doubles which shows on the screen. Sure to be at the top of any Bond fan’s list, I admittedly have it at number two but we’ll see if this rewatch changes that.

Current Rankings:
1) From Russia with Love
2) Dr. No