Licence to Kill. And Thrill. And Chill.

Licence to Kill (1989)

James Bond – Timothy Dalton

Villain – Robert Davi

The Bond Girls – Carey Lowell, Talissa Soto

Order in Series – #16

Theme Song – Licence to Kill by Gladys Knight

Director – John Glen

In 1989, after a terrific debut in The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton was back with a vengeance. Literally! Unlike other Bond films, Licence to Kill is a tale of revenge and personal vendetta. When Felix Leiter is brutally attacked and his bride murdered by drug lord Franz Sanchez, Bond decides to retaliate at all cost, even to the point of resigning from Her Majesty’s secret service.

Did we need another Dumb and Dumber? YES!

One thing Dumb and Dumber can’t be accused of is false advertising. Nobody thought it was going to be cinematic masterpieces or plot driven films with exceptional characterisations. It’s a story about two idiots, best friends who have no qualms about stealing each other’s “girlfriends”. It was exactly what it said on the box, a dumb movie about two dumb guys, Harry and Lloyd.

Interstellar is a Blast!

I really loved Inception. And the question I asked myself was how will Christopher Nolan follow on that? Obviously The Dark Knight Rises was on the horizon, but after that? After watching Interstellar the question has been answered. And I love the answer. Interstellar is a fantastic film on so many levels, it will probably be talked about for years to come.

Timothy Dalton Ignites The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights (1987)

James Bond – Timothy Dalton

Villains – Joe Don Baker, Jeroen Krabbe

The Bond Girl – Maryam d’Abo

Order in Series – #15

Theme Song – The Living Daylights by A-Ha

Director – John Glen

 

When Timothy Dalton was first choice for Bond in 1987, it was not the first time he was offered the role. Cubby Broccoli originally wanted Dalton to take over from Sean Connery in 1969. At the time Dalton himself felt he was too young. Which was, in the long run, a win-win situation. Partly because in 1987 he was the perfect Bond. And partly because we might never have had Roger Moore as Bond, which would have been a tragedy. I’m sure Dalton would’ve been great as a 24 year old Bond, but at 40 he was perfect.

25 Reasons I found Dark Knight Rises Unrealistic. And Unlikeable

When Christopher Nolan started on the Batman franchise, he stated that he wanted to make the films realistic. Now making a superhero movie realistic is already in my book a step in the wrong direction, quite a few steps actually. That’s equivalent to making The Godfather a space opera, or Star Wars a crime drama. Certain films work because within their genre, certain leaps can be taken. That’s why no-one complained when the Millenium Falcon travels at lightspeed, or when a guy wakes up with his horse’s head in bed with him. So to take away some of the fantasy elements out of Batman, you’re not only short changing the character and story, you take the fun out of it. Which is one of my biggest gripes with The Dark Knight Rises: It wasn’t fun. And, as it turned out, not very realistic either. And the fact that it failed in terms of realism and fun is why I don’t like it.

Interstellar: Will it be the next Inception? Or Dark Knight Rises?

There is no doubt that Christopher Nolan is capable of great movies. Both Memento and Inception were fantastic films, original and highly entertaining. Insomnia and The Prestige were also pretty good, if not quite on the level of the other two. But it doesn’t end there, unfortunately. When Batman Begins was released, I had high hopes for the rebooted Batman franchise. After two really silly Batman movies, this one looked like it would put Batman cinema back on track. And it did. Till the sequel.

I want more of Aaron Cross, not Jason Bourne

To say I greeted the news that Matt Damon will be returning for another Bourne movie with little enthusiasm would be an understatement. I really liked The Bourne Legacy, so much that it has become a regular back-up when there’s nothing to watch. I even prefer it to the first three Bourne movies. Aaron Cross is way more interesting than Jason Bourne, so I am quite disappointed that the producers decided to go with Bourne for the next sequel.

I Loved The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

 

James Bond -Roger Moore

Villains – Curd Jurgens, Richard Kiel

The Girls – Barbara Bach, Carolyn Munro

Order in Series – #10

Theme Song – Nobody Does It Better performed by Carly Simon

Director – Lewis Gilbert

 

Even as 12 year old boy in a school hall, I could see there was something special about Roger Moore’s third Bond Film. As Moore himself said, everything just clicked together. James Bond of 1977 was all about fun, And funny. By now, Moore not only adapted the role to himself, but he also stamped his name all over it. To marvelous, humorous effect.

Loving “Never Say Never Again” Again

Never Say Never Again (1983)

James Bond – Sean Connery

Villain – Klaus Maria Brandauer

Bond Girls – Kim Basinger, Barbara Carrera

Order in Series – n/a (released same year as Octopussy)

Theme Song – Never Say Never Again, performed by Lani Hall

Director – Irvin Kershner

In watching all the Bond movies again, I decided not to watch them in chronological order. Instead I’m going to watch them in the order in the order I originally saw them, autobiographical order if you like. So it’s quite ironic that the first Bond movie I ever saw was the unofficial one, Never Say Never Again. I was 8 years old, and I saw it with my family on the big screen. Can you imagine what an amazing day that was in the life of this movie freak?

I miss James Bond

I grew up with James Bond movies. Few things were as exciting as a new 007 coming out, or even renting a video (yes, an ancient video) of an older one. I haven’t missed a Bond on the big screen since 1987. The artwork on the posters was always something special. Each actor brought something unique to the role. In short, I’m a big fan. And that is why it kills me to say it, but I don’t like where the franchise is headed.

In my very humble opinion, there is no “best Bond”; it’s more a question of a “favorite Bond”. I love all the Bonds, from Sean Connery to George Lazenby, from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton  and Pierce Brosnan. They each had a different take, each one brought something different to the role, each one successful in his own way. But I love them all.