The Best James Bond Movie Posters of the 1970s!
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The Best James Bond Movie Posters of the 1970s!
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sean connery
The Best James Bond Movie Posters of the 1960s!
The Best James Bond Movie Posters of the 1960s!
Brought to you by my MONARCHS OF MAYHEM Indiegogo campaign
Go view it and back it here! Thanks!
Movie Review: James Bond SKYFALL
Let me add my voice to those quite happy with the 50th Anniversary James Bond film, SKYFALL. Director Sam Mendes admirably helms Daniel Craig’s third time at bat, as the iconic James Bond.
Mendes, who is not known as an Action Director, but rather a maker of intimate and off kilter little films (such as AMERICAN BEAUTY and AWAY WE GO) rises to the occasion here with a film filled with tension and at times literally jaw dropping action set pieces.
From cars to trains to helicopters to subways, Daniel Craig’s Bond gets everything thrown at him, sometimes literally. However the film is more than blowing things up, it’s a tighter script and a more coherent and identifiable motivation for Bond’s nemesis this time out than is usually the case in Bond’s menagerie of outlandish villains.
[POTENTIALLY MILD SPOILERS]
Played compellingly and hauntingly by Javier Bardem, Bond’s nemesis this time out seeks not Sattellite transmission rights, or orbital based weapons, nor voodoo mastery of the world… he seeks vengeance. And not long into the film, you’re not sure he doesn’t deserve it. Which is why I hesitate to call Javier Bardem’s Silva a villain. He is a dark mirror of a Bond who has given too much and too often to his country, and been left out in the cold one time too often and too deeply.
I found myself while not condoning Silva’s actions, understanding of the motivations that drive them. And distinctly aware of Silva as a cautionary tale to Bond; ‘there but for the grace of God’ as the saying goes.
[END OF SPOILERS]
And the complexity of character extends throughout the cast, from Daniel Craig’s always impressive turn as Bond, to Judi Dench celebrating her 17th year playing M (4 films with Pierce Brosnan and 3 films with Daniel Craig)by having one of her best written and most significant roles as the character; to impressive moments by Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw as Q.
While not a perfect film, the film manages to feel long in the tooth at times, but even in those moments it is never less than beautiful to look at. Filled with nods to the half century of Bond’s filmic history, unevenness and all, Mendes manages to merge winter blockbuster with intimate drama, to create a film that is ultimately memorable and re-watchable.
Is it the best Bond film? No. It doesn’t even sport a particularly memorable or imaginative title sequence, but it is a very good Bond film, arguably in the top ten, and is a film, I think people can revisit often and well.
Grade: B+. Strongly Recommended to see in theaters, and a must own on DVD or Bluray.
PODCAST OF THE DAY: B-MOVIE CAST #217 Connery in OUTCAST (1981)
B-MOVIE CAST is easily one of my favorite podcasts. Every episode is a joy. Give a listen, you might find it becoming your favorite as well.
Listen to it here!
And view their website here!
And subscribe to their award winning podcast (they won the WELLES AWARD!!! An award which I’ll be dusting off and having a 2012 version of this fall) here!
Enjoy and tell them HT sent ya!!
TOP 15 FAVORITE DVD Commentaries! Part 2 of 3!
Continuing my list of 15 favorite DVD commentaries, here are selections 6-10.
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN- Great reminiscences on the making of the film and the personalities including Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen by a quartet of voices that includes Eli Wallach and James Coburn (with a voice so deep, it’s like mountains… shifting) makes this an endlessly listen-able and informative and enjoyable commentary.
The Magnificent Seven (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
This is the version to get as it contains two commentaries, including one that is not on the Blu-Ray version. Who loves ya baby?! 🙂
Tim Burton’s SLEEPY HOLLOW commentary is up next. Tim Burton is a ‘hit and miss’ director for me, while always an amazing visual stylist, his more humor laced films such as DARK SHADOWS I don’t like. There’s a natural tendency to black humor in the direction of Tim Burton, but it works better when he doesn’t play to this tendency, because then it comes out forced as in DARK SHADOWS. However when the humor is not the goal, but just a side effect of the situations or the truth of the characters, when it doesn’t supplant or overshadow the drama or action or horror… then it works.
That’s what is so special about his films, such as SLEEPY HOLLOW and to a lesser extent the first BATMAN, that dark Gothic atmosphere, that tone, stays paramount, and indeed is heightened by brief moments of levity.
Heightened by a deadpan delivery, not there for laughs, but because that is the truth or the absurdity of that character in that moment. The scenes should work when played and taken straight, and shouldn’t be there expecting a laugh (which is the surest way not to get one), however if the humor works, comes across for some, that’s just an added bonus.
A great commentary by Tim Burton touches on all of this. Burton discusses working with Christoper Lee and Landau and of course Depp, the power of Spanish horses, his sheep fetish, working on sets (which Burton is a master of), discussing Depp’s amazing ability to faint like a girl. 🙂 Just a fun, informative commentary that lets you see first and foremost Burton as film fan and connoisseur.
Sweeney Todd / Sleepy Hollow (Two-Pack) [Blu-ray]
INSIDE MAN- Spike Lee’s career took a heavy hit with the atrocious film, MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, one of the few movies so awful I walked out on (to be fair the camera work was great, just the story and dialogue and pacing was garbage). However prior to that, he was firing on all cylinders with the film INSIDE MAN. Not just one of Spike Lee’s best films, but one of the best heist/thriller films you’ll come across. And it’s adorned with a FANTASTIC commentary by Spike Lee that shows him as the ultimate New Yorker. Just great, high energy stories about Lee shooting in a city he clearly loves. Perhaps the only other filmmaker who is as much a cheerleader and champion for New York as Spike Lee would be Martin Scorsese. A wonderful commentary.
Inside Man (Widescreen Edition)
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN- It’s rare when you can point to a film and say. “yep this is the film that ended his career”. You can do that with this film, and the directing career of Stephen Norrington. Most people hate this film for largely not being Alan Moore’s comic, and the changes made.
Well it is definitely changed. But that’s the nature of Adaptations, what works on the page does not necessarily work on the stage/screen. And slavish devotion to the source material, ala SIN CITY is no guarantee of quality (I hated SIN CITY). If you want the source material, go read the source material, that hasn’t been changed.
For the rest of us, we are sharp enough to get the fact that the film has to meet the needs of a far greater range of people and interests, and becomes by definition a different thing. Now whether that different thing is good or bad is the question.
In the case of Stephen Norrington’s THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN I enjoy this film a lot. And I appreciate it more every single time I see it. It takes the framework of Moore’s story, and builds something that moves at a brisk, exciting pace to fill close to 2 hours (110 minutes), something that Moore’s original, was not designed to do. Moore’s work is designed for the page, and works best there.
But to adapt it to the screen, it has to become something else. And I think Norrington and crew create a something else… that is one of the best love letters to the age of the pulp hero and two-fisted action that you will find, outside of an Indiana Jones film. And I love that it goes for practical effects, and tries different things, instead of just CGI. So yep I proudly own the DVD for this film, and routinely take it for a spin.
And I also routinely listen to the commentary, which is great. By all reports Norrington had a bumpy time with his first success BLADE, coming to loggerheads (a fancy old time expression, meaning to bring something to a boil. A loggerhead back in the day being a long heated piece of iron with a bulbous head used to heat liquids. And yes, that is your word for the day :)) with individuals, that almost there ended his directing career before it began.
Here in LEAGUE, in his fourth film, he ticks off (forget Alan Moore, forget the fans)… he ticks off the star of the film, the legendary Sean Connery! And all of that, is included in the commentary. How are you going to talk about throwing down with Sean Connery?!! So it is an amazing bit of commentary for this 2003 film, and seemingly signals a promising director’s swan song from the business.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Widescreen Edition)
THE HOWLING- Everyone knows this is one of the greatest Werewolf movies ever, but what you might not know is it’s also one of the most enjoyable, fun commentaries. With Joe Dante, Dee Wallace Stone and her husband Chris Stone (boyfriend during the filming of the movie, I’m such a romantic that I dig things like that, plus I generally adore Dee Wallace, she is just so completely invested and open and awesome in this film), and Robert Picardo, all just having a ball.
And to that fact, there are guest stars/cameos galore (Ackerman, Sayles, Corman, Caradine, Slim Pickens, etc) in this film, and this commentary becomes everything a great commentary should be. Easily should make anyone’s best of list!
The Howling (Special Edition)
Join me in the next installment as we cover the final five favorite commentaries #11-15 (Here’s part 1 if you missed it)! And in the interim feel free to leave comments about your favorite commentaries! If you like this post, take the time to give a ‘like’ and also take the time to purchase using the links provided.
That one two punch of support is what keeps this blog going. And it also helps me decide what future segments to concentrate on, the posts that get the most likes, and generate the most purchases, are more than likely topics that have an audience, so I’ll revisit them.
So yeah, your feedback in those two ways… just a way cool thing for you to take time to do! Keep it up! Thanks!:)!
Deals of the Day: JAMES BOND OMNIBUS 1000pgs
THE JAMES BOND OMNIBUS:VOL I-
Synopsis
The daring James Bond is back in a definitive bumper edition collecting Ian Fleming’s earliest literary adventures in comic strip form!
For the first time, eleven of Bond’s most thrilling and dangerous missions appear in a single volume: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Risico, From a View to a Kill, For Your Eyes Only and Thunderball!
With an introduction by Sir Roger Moore, this huge volume features beautiful women, thrilling action, incredible gadgets and the odd Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred… this ultimate collection of Bond’s best is not to be missed!
Product Details
ISBN: 9781848563643
Dimensions: 230 x 190mm
Paperback: 304pp
Publication date: 25 September 2009
Illustration detail: b/w comic strip
All authors:
Ian Fleming, Peter O’Donnell, Henry Gammidge, Anthony Hern, John McLusky
“Collected in THE JAMES BOND OMNIBUS: VOLUME 001 are the first 1,128 comic strips of spy fiction’s all-time superstar, gracing the pages of British newspapers beginning in the summer of 1958… Here, Fleming’s first nine 007 books are adapted in chronological order, from CASINO ROYALE to THUNDERBALL.”— Rod Lott of Bookgasm
THE JAMES BOND OMNIBUS:VOL II-
Synopsis
The daring James Bond is back in a definitive bumper edition collecting Ian Fleming’s earliest literary adventures in comic strip form! Seven of Bond’s most thrilling and dangerous missions appear in a single volume: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man With the Golden Gun, The Living Daylights, Octopussy, The Hildebrand Rarity and The Spy Who Loved Me!
Product Details
ISBN: 9781848564329
Dimensions: 230 x 190mm
Paperback: 344pp
Publication date: 25 February 2011
Illustration detail: B&W comic strip
All authors:
Ian Fleming, Yaroslav Horak, Henry Gammidge, John McLusky
All characters:
James Bond
THE JAMES BOND OMNIBUS:VOL III-
Synopsis
The daring James Bond is back in a definitive bumper edition collecting the first period of Jim Lawrence’s celebrated run in comic strip form! Includes seven of Bond’s most thrilling and dangerous missions: The Harpies, River of Death, The Golden Ghost, Fear Face, Double Jeopardy, Starfire and Kingley Amis’ controversial post-Fleming story, Colonel Sun.
Product Details
ISBN: 9780857685889
Dimensions: 230 x 190mm
Paperback: 272pp
Publication date: 23 March 2012
Illustration detail: B/w comic strip
All authors:
Ian Fleming, Jim Lawrence, Yaroslav Horak
These three volumes add up to nearly a 1000 pages of British James Bond Comic Strip goodness! And at the price they are going for it is a no-brainer. Snap up your copies today, as they are showing a tendency for selling out, and then the price goes up. I don’t even consider myself a James Bond fan, and I have to have these books.
If you feel the same, please use the links below to purchase. You get to buy great items, and you help keep this blog going, and new DEALS OF THE DAY coming, with the few helpful pennies that are generated from your purchase. Thanks!
James Bond: Omnibus Volume 001: Price Your Copy Here
Heroic Times 