This is the fifteenth essay in a 24-part series about the James Bond cinemas co-created by Sundog Lit. I encourage everyone to read the other essays, comment and join in on the conversation about not only the films themselves, but cinematic trends, political and other external influences on the series’ tone and direction.
Of [In]human #Bond_age_ #15: The Living Daylights – Bizarro Bond in a Brave Old World
by James David Patrick
By definition a litmus test is a simple test of the alkalinity or acidity of a substance using a strip of litmus paper. The term is often bandied about in politics when interrogating a potential candidate for public office, the answer to which, theoretically, would prove telling about his/her potential appointment or nomination. During the last round of U.S. Supreme Court hearings, you couldn’t turn on cable news without hearing it. The “Litmus test” question has also become a favorite figurative term in the spheres of social media and speed dating. For our purposes we’ll concern ourselves only with the former. You may use the latter on your own time. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
In the context of social media, especially in the Twittersphere, where characters come at a premium, and fair, in-depth explanations are often supplanted by brevity and histrionics, the notion of the litmus test has gained popularity (even if people don’t know they’re necessarily engaging in litmus tests) especially when discussing movies, music, video games, etc. The takeaway here is that lists are fun and catalyze all sorts of conversation.
I became more aware of the unspoken litmus test phenomenon when one of the great movie gurus on Twitter – @bobfreelander of the website Rupert Pupkin Speaks – posted a friend’s three-movie litmus test on his Facebook page. He had shared the list because it contained Joe Dante’s The ‘burbs, an infamous “flop” whose reputation has grown over the years as audiences are finally, after more than 20 years, discovering that the flick is wickedly funny. So it goes that if you’re a big fan of The ‘burbs, you might use someone else’s opinion of the film to gauge their character/taste in movies. I started to think about my own Three-Movie Litmus Test (capitalized for officialness). (more…)
This essay on For Your Eyes Only is the 3rd in a 24-part series about the James Bond cinemas. I encourage everyone to comment and join in on an extended conversation about not only the films themselves, but cinematic trends, political and other external influences on the series’ tone and direction.
Of [In]human #Bond_age_ #12: For Your Eyes Only – The Forgotten Bond
When people discuss the latter Roger Moore films after Moonraker, many of the events contained within become jumbled and disconnected. Before going through the entire series in #Bond_age_ I always needed a minute to remember, for certain, that the “Tarzan yell” happens in Octopussy or that the “California Girls” snowboarding scene takes place in A View to a Kill. But these are the embarrassing Bond moments, the ones that stand out because hindsight now decrees them to be filmmaking gaffes that break our connection with the whole narratives. I’d be extremely curious to know how contemporary fans reacted to each misstep, but you’d probably need a Delorean and maybe some plutonium (depending upon whether your model of Delorean time machine came with Mr. Fusion) because even Bond fans who were old enough to remember seeing either in the theater would likely still be subject to the retroactive brainwashing brought about by critical and public consensus. That brings us to today’s topic… how does For Your Eyes Only sit in the collective conscious? And why is For Your Eyes Only so easily overlooked? (more…)
This is the eleventh essay in a 24-part series about the James Bond cinemas co-created by Sundog Lit. I encourage everyone to comment and join in what we hope to be an extended conversation about not only the films themselves, but cinematic trends, political and other external influences on the series’ tone and direction.
Of [In]human #Bond_age_ #11: Moonraker: In the Teeth of Nostalgia
For the first time since I began the #Bond_age_ project I’m at a loss regarding how to approach an essay. I suppose I should be grateful I’ve lasted this long, churning out thousands of Bond-y words without hiccup or hesitation. After all, this entry marks the 11th Bond movie. This is the 12th #Bond_age_ essay and we’re in the 22nd week of watching and loving James Bond. That’s a lot of Bond. And I’m getting a little nostalgic for the project already. Worrying about the inevitable end of something that’s been more enjoyable and rewarding than I’d thought possible.
So let’s just see where this brief trip through my pangs of nostalgia takes us
My first #Bond_age_ tweet for #DrNo:
That theme song just sends chills, doesn’t it? #DrNo So visceral.
Consider that this project was conceived the week that Skyfall was released and began in earnest, after some short planning, on December 12th with Dr. No – the night that I tweeted facts and information to myself for 20 minutes before one person came along (thanks, @jennjaysleafs). A couple of people chimed in with some commentary of the “Wow, I never knew that” variety. The @007hertzrumble twitter account hadn’t yet been created. Hell, the tumblr didn’t even come around until sometime at the beginning of February. Considering from whence we’ve come, #Bond_age_ is now a well-oiled machine… but as late as January 16th,the night we watched Thunderball, I was considering canning the whole project entirely. Three people, including myself, had tweeted Goldfinger the prior week. The most well-known and generally most-liked Bond movie drew three people for the live tweet. And two of them were obligated to be there. I really don’t think I can be blamed for my disillusionment. I’d plugged this Goldfinger more on Twitter, thinking that persistence and top-of-mind awareness would eventually pay dividends. As it turned out, however, per the timeless words of Steve Coogan, I was just “doing Bond wrong” altogether. (more…)
My thoughts about Moonraker (1979) can really be summed up in one sentence. Space laser battle. Which is not even really a sentence. It’s a phrase. So let’s try this to make it sound even more on point. Space. Laser. Battle. Because there’s nothing like extra punctuation to make a guy sound extra serious in a short amount of time.
But in reality there is so much more to the film then just the most incredibly awesome Space. Laser. Battle. ever put on screen. There is also a superb cable car fight scene. And if Where Eagles Dare (1968) has taught us anything, it’s that a good cable car fight scene is a must in any self-respecting action film. Often times I find myself imagining Richard Burton fighting Richard Kiel on top of a cable car… but that’s beside the point.
A good majority of the people I’ve talked to, coworkers and such, most have dismissed Moonraker as campy and looking terribly dated. While I agree to some point, it must be kept in mind that special effects man Derek Meddings, who worked on Moonraker, was nominated for the Academy award for best visual effects. I would also like to note that Moonraker eventually became the highest grossing film (raw dollars) of the James Bond series until the release of GoldenEye.
Okay… so the plot might be ludicrous, and a bunch of beliefs must be suspended but it’s a Bond film. You can’t expect Citizen Kane to spontaneously generate in a movie about a megalomaniac’s desire to create a master race by organizing the Guinness Book of World Record’s largest space orgy. Another reason that I am personally drawn to this film is Jaws. Jaws is by far my favorite Bond villain. Richard Kiel does such a wonderful job at making Jaws a terrifying and yet totally personable henchman.
Although Moonraker may not be a terribly good, it is most certainly full of thrills! (Space. Laser. Battle.) So to conclude, Moonraker is one of my favorite Bond films. If you press me I might even call it my favorite favorite. My advice is get a large bowl of popcorn, sit back, and just enjoy the ride.
Oh… and one more thing. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
Space. Laser. Battle.
First Bond Movie: Goldfinger Favorite Bond Actor: Sean Connery Favorite Bond Girl: Pussy Galore How I Discovered #Bond_age_: How did you discover me?
When it comes to the Bond films, many fans would agree that the more faithful the films are to Fleming, the better they will be. And indeed, with screen adaptations like From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Casino Royale proving to be both riveting and faithful entries to the franchise, this notion certainly has merit.
Yet we’ve also seen 007 prevail well beyond the life of his creator, adapting and transforming with each passing era.
Fleming may have envisioned James Bond as a flawed, somewhat idealized reflection of himself and former acquaintances, but cinema screens would immortalize the character in another guise; a win-at-all-costs superhero with a suave disposition and a Q-Branch trick up his sleeve. Goldfinger would exemplify this cinematic concept of Bond, building upon the source material without betraying it.
But while most of the Bonds merely took liberties with the Fleming source materials, The Spy Who Loved Me didn’t have the same luxury. Following the departure of Harry Saltzman from EoN Productions, Cubby Broccoli set out to make Spy into a feature-length film with only a title to work from (Fleming disowned the original storyline said title was attributed to). This obstacle, compounded with the dismal failure of The Man with the Golden Gun three years prior, had cynics believing that the franchise was dead in the water. (more…)
This essay inspired by The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth in a 24-part series about the James Bond cinemas co-created by Sundog Lit. I encourage everyone to comment and join in what we hope to be an extended conversation about not only the films themselves, but cinematic trends, political and other external influences on the series’ tone and direction.
Of [In]human #Bond_age_ #10: How The Spy Who Loved Me Can Help You Avoid the Lobster Trap
by James David Patrick
Everyone has a favorite James Bond actor. Typically, the Bond that ushers us through childhood earns a special place in our hearts and minds. If you didn’t grow up with Bond or came to the movies later in life, sentimentality might play a smaller role. And with or without sentimentality, there’s still the risk of falling into the Connery lobster trap whereby one blindly argues that Bond is Connery and Connery is Bond and thus the conversation is done.
Did he just smack-talk Sean Connery’s Bond a little bit?
Yes, but don’t read too much into that. Sean Connery defined the role, a Cro-Magnon womanizer with a million-dollar smile. His portrayal of the character has influenced every other actor that has donned the tuxedo. But we’ve got to be honest with Connery’s legacy as 007. Terence Young, the director of Dr. No had as much to do with the creation of cinematic James Bond as Sean Connery. The late Lois Maxwell (Moneypenny) said, “Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat.” Young even outfitted Connery in his Saville Row suits. He taught him how to talk without gesturing with his hands. Other members of the production team have remarked that Connery was just doing a Terence Young impersonation. It is also said that Young likely modeled Bond on the lifestyle of Eddie Chapman, a wartime double agent (codenamed “Zigzag”) who had been a friend of Young’s before the war. Young molded Connery into James Bond, like a piece of unformed clay.
