Showing posts with label Bond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bond. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

It starts with Dr. No

Borrowed from Jamesbond-shop.com

Dr. No. is the film that starts off the 50 year phenomenon that is James Bond. For me, it’s what a Bond film should be, a light hearted spy thriller. With the style and elegance of the 1960’s, it's the film that brought us all of the hallmark Bond moments we have grown to love. There is a camp villain, beautiful girls, epic car chases and fight scenes, superb tailoring and of course the famous vodka martini, shaken not stirred. What is there not to like?

According to IMDb, this was not originally supposed to be the inaugural Bond film, but after some legal problems it was chosen because of its simple and straightforward storyline and because it was set in only one location.

From the moment that you first see Sean Connery you know that you are seeing everything you know about James Bond being brought to life. His devilish good looks, amazing body and suave accent will make any women or gay man slightly crumble at the knees. But it’s not until at least 8mins into the film where we meet James Bond who is playing cards in a swanky hotel. With the first minute of us meeting him, he has already organised his next shag, thats even quicker than a gay man who is constantly on Grindr.

Even though he was first choice of James Bond, for me, I think he pulls it off really well. The reason that producers chose him was because he was a big tough looking man who moved gracefully on screen. Another interesting fact I found out was that Sean Connery wears a toupee in all James Bond films he was in.

Dr. No was also a great villain with a sea base layer set out in the most modern 60’s style. What a great villain he is with his elaborate and extravagant schemes for SPECTRE.

The arrival of Ursula Andress from the sea in a white bikini will always be an iconic moment and setting the standard for all Bond girls to come. Her acting might not have been great, but he voice actually dubbed by another actress, who also dubbed the voice for many women in the film, apart from Moneypenny.

For me, I think that Moneypenny is the only women who really sees the real James Bond. He jokes and is flirty with her, but she knows he is full of broken promises. She is a strong women though and doesn’t get caught up in his false promises.

Even though this was the first time I’ve seen this film, I have to say that I loved it. I liked the story and felt from the beginning that we were really immersed into James Bond’s world. It’s going to be interesting to see what they do next...

I give this an 8/10, but maybe I’ve marked it too high for the first film?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

My Guide to James Bond - The beginning


I’m going to start off with a generalisation here.

I would say that most men who were born in the past 60 years have watched James Bond at least once in their lifetime. Am I right?

If you’re like me, then your Dad made you watch James Bond films from a young age. Especially the ones that were being shown on ITV over Christmas holidays or Bank Holiday weekends. It always seemed to be your Dad’s favourite and you were never allowed to turn off the television.

Most dads have their favourite Bond and they would always make you watch their favourite film, whether it was Dr. No, Moonraker or You Only Live Twice. Luckily the franchise has continued for just over half a century, so that each little boy has grown up and selected their favourite incarnation of Bond.

As a child I watched Timothy Dalton’s films. I think my mum despaired at how many times my brother and I decided to get The Living Daylights or Licence to Kill on video from our local library. Pierce Brosnan with his floppy hair, amazing gadgets, beautiful cars and cheesy chat up lines, will always be one of my favourite Bonds as he took me from childhood to my late teens. By the time Die Another Day had been released, it was time for a fresh start and Daniel Craig certainly brought that.

After many years of only watching a selection of the films and most of the modern ones, I thought it was time to find out where it all began and how this character has developed. So, I set myself a little challenge. My plan is to watch each of the Bond films, get myself up to speed with the British Institution and write a little blog post about each films, starting off with Dr. No.

It’s time to sit back, relax and go and grab a vodka martini pitcher. It’s going to be a long ride.


Steve Whiting