Today inside the box I talk about one of my favorite movie franchises. In the Movie Box I will rate my Top 10 James Bond movies and in the Music Box I will rate my Top 10 Bond theme songs. Also as a first segment surprise I will rate my order for the James Bond actors from worst to first!
6. George Lazenby: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Timothy Dalton: The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill
4. Pierce Brosnan: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day
3. Roger Moore: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill
2. Sean Connery: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever
1. Daniel Craig: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre (Upcoming)
Movie Box:
British MI6 agent James Bond first came to the big screen in the 1962 film Dr. No. Created by Ian Fleming in 1953 the character appeared in nine novels before the first movie and fourteen books overall. This year will mark the 24th appearance of the character in a feature film. Okay well 26th if you count the non-Eon produced films as well. With this being said I will rate my personal Top 10 favorite James Bond movies.
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Directed by Lewis Gilbert, The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth movie in the franchise and is Roger Moore's third appearance as Bond, James Bond. James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. The movie also stars Curd Jurgens as main villain Karl Stromberg, Barbara Bach as Agent XXX, and Richard Kiel makes his first appearance as henchman favorite Jaws. Featuring an awesome downhill skiing opening and the first appearance of Jaws helps put this movie in my top 10 over a couple other movies in the franchise.
9. Quantum of Solace (2008): Directed by Marc Forster, Quantum of Solace is the 22nd movie in the franchise and is Daniel Criag's second appearance as 007. Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organization from eliminating a country's most valuable resource. All the while, he still tries to seek revenge over the death of his love. The movie also stars Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene and Olga Kurylenko as Camille. This movie gets a lot of hate and I wont lie I wasn't really sure what to think of it at first watch. Since then it has really grown on me. The movie features maybe the coolest car chase in any of the movies in the franchise and it happens right at the beginning of the movie. It also is a bit odd because it is a direct sequel to 2006's Casino Royale which is the first time this happens in the franchise.
8. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974): Directed by Guy Hamilton, The Man with the Golden Gun is the ninth movie in the franchise and is Roger Moore's second appearance as Mr. Bond.
Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin and must hunt him down to stop him. The movie also stars Britt Ekland as Goodnight, Herve Villechaize (Fantasy Island) as Nick Nack, and Christopher Lee as one of my favorite villains in the franchise Francisco Scaramanga. This is one of the movies I watched a lot when I was a bit younger. It always seemed to be the one that was on when I was watching during the holiday marathons. As I said Christopher Lee is one of my favorite villains in the franchise. He brilliantly plays the three nippled Scaramanga, "The Man with the Golden Gun." Nick Nack is a goofy murderous sidekick who also happens to be a little person. The two make a very good and enjoyable duo.
7. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth film in the franchise and is Pierce Brosnan's second appearance as James. James Bond heads to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage. The movie also stars Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, and Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver. I think this is the Bond film I've seen the most. My parents recorded this movie on a VHS tape for my brother and I and we would watch it all the time. I think I was out of my Angels in the Outfield phase so this filled the void. After GoldenEye hit really big for Pierce Brosnan this movie didn't do as well. I feel this movie features a villain just as good as the one from GoldenEye, who I'll get to later in this list, and I think it has a stronger female lead than GoldenEye has. This movie has an awesome motorcycle chase scene that in my opinion ranks pretty high on chase scenes within the franchise.
6. Goldfinger (1964): Directed by Guy Hamilton, Goldfinger is the third film in the franchise and is Sean Connery's third appearance as Commander Bond. Investigating a gold magnate's, smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. The movie also stars Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, and Harold Sakata as another fan favorite henchman Oddjob. I used to think this was my favorite Bond film but I went back and watch it last year and it didn't hold up as well as I would've liked. It is still a must see within the franchise as it features some great performances and scenes. Including the epic and shocking scene of Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) covered completely head to toe in gold paint.
5. GoldenEye (1995): Directed by Martin Campbell, GoldenEye is the seventeenth film in the franchise and is Pierce Brosnan's first appearance as James Bond. Bond teams up with the loan survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent believed to be dead. The movie also stars Mr. Death himself Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan, Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova, and Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp. The opening to this movie is awesome! The movie had to start with a bang as it had been six years since the last Bond movie had come out. The opening sequence also features a super unfortunate way to die. Sitting on a toilet. I will also briefly mention Famke Janssen's role. She is absolutely crazy! She kills people by crushing them between her legs. Pierce Brosnan broke one of her ribs filming a scene because she told him not to hold back. I'm also going to say that Sean Bean is a really good actor and I wish he wouldn't die in every role he plays.
4. Skyfall (2012): Directed by Sam Mendes, Skyfall is the 23rd film in the franchise and is Daniel Craig's third appearance as the special agent. Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The movie also stars Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem as Silva, Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, and Naomie Harris as Eve. This movie is every Bond fans dream. It has so many different tributes to past moments in the franchise it's just very cool. Pretty much everyone puts forth a great performance with a highlight on Javier Bardem. His villain is so good not even a shitty moment of CGI could ruin it. Anyone who has seen the movie knows of the moment I'm talking about.
3. From Russia with Love (1963): Directed by Terence Young, From Russia with Love is the second movie in the franchise and is Sean Connery's second appearance as 007.
James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE. The movie also stars Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova, Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb, and Robert Shaw as Donald "Red" Grant. A big reason this movie rates so high for me is Robert Shaw's performance in the movie. He might quietly be the best henchman in the franchise. Shaw would of course go on to play Quint in Jaws. The train sequence in the movie is pretty darn good and Connery and Shaw play believable adversaries.
2. Live and Let Die (1973): Directed by Guy Hamilton, Live and Let Die is the eighth film in the franchise and is Roger Moore's first appearance as Mr. Bond. 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. The movie also stars Yaphet Kotto as Dr. Kananga and Mr. Big, and Jane Seymour as Solitaire. This movie features one of the most ridiculous deaths of a villain in the franchise. Honestly I want to say it but I don't because it is so crazy I don't want to spoil it. This is the second coolest debut of any of the Bonds.
1. Casino Royale (2006): Directed by Martin Campbell, Casino Royale is the 21st film in the franchise and is Daniel Craig's first appearance as Bond, James Bond.
Armed with a Licence to kill, Secret Agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 and must defeat a weapons dealer in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, but things are not what they seem. The movie also stars Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, and Jeffery Wright as Felix Leiter. This is a great reboot to the franchise. Daniel Craig got a lot of shit when it was announced that he was going to take over as James Bond. No one wanted a blonde bond and no one felt he could do the role justice. You know what else no one liked the initial casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Before I heard about Craig as Bond I saw him in Munich and when I heard about the casting I felt like he can do it. Three movies later it's a pretty solid choice. As far as villain goes Mads Mikkelsen does an awesome job as Le Chiffre and I absolutely love Eva Green as Vesper Lynd. The opening to this movie is really cool too with the choice of filming in black and white.
Now I also wanted to throw in a couple of honorable mentions before I move on to the Music Box.
1. Licence to Kill (1989)
2. Moonraker (1979)
Also quickly the worst movie in the franchise is Die Another Day (2002). The only good thing about this movie is Rosamund Pike. I can't describe how much I hate this movie. The plot is beyond understanding and it just does not work. Plus Halle Berry is awful in the movie.
All plot descriptions are via Internet Movie Database.
All plot descriptions are via Internet Movie Database.
Music Box:
I found the creation of this list pretty difficult. It took me a little while to determine my ten because almost all of the songs in the franchise have at least one or two good elements to them with one glaring exception. Once I had my ten it took even longer to determine the order they would finish in. With that being said here are my Top 10 James Bond Theme songs.
10. Tomorrow Never Dies by Sheryl Crow: This choice is partly due to sentimental value. As I said in the movie box I watched this movie a lot when I was younger. I love the strings at the beginning of the song because it gives the song a darker feel right off the bat. Sheryl Crow doesn't deliver her best performance but gives an almost laid back feel to the song that adds to the darker tone.
9. Licence to Kill by Gladys Knight: Like a lot of songs from the late 80s and early 90s this song has the same kind of lovey-dovey tone and feel to it. Gladys in my opinion falls into the top 3 most powerful vocalists to sing a theme song for the franchise. The other two in that list would be Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner.
8. From Russia with Love by Matt Monro: Matt Monro is the first singer featured in a theme song for the franchise as Dr. No's theme was an instrumental. Matt Monro is a British singer and was one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Known as The Man With The Golden Voice, he would enjoy a 30 year career. The song features a very good instrumental backing Monro's vocals.
7. The World Is Not Enough by Garbage: Now The World Is Not Enough is not one of my favorite Bond movies but the song from the movie is awesome. The lyrics for this song are written from the view point of the antagonist of the movie (Elektra King) which is why the song has a darker, seductive tone to it. Garbage front woman Shirley Manson does a great job on the song and really puts forward the hauntingly beautiful undertones of this song.
6. Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey: The song that many consider the best theme song in the franchise. This is Shirley Bassey's first of three theme songs she did. She also did Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker but Goldfinger is by far the best one. Really powerful vocals combined with a strong orchestra instrumental makes for a song that is synonymous with the franchise.
5. You Know My Name (Casino Royale) by Chris Cornell: The song was co-written by Chris Cornell and composer David Arnold. The song was made to reflect Daniel Craig's grittier and more emotional portrayal of James Bond. Cornell who is the lead singer of Soundgarden was chosen because the film's producers wanted a strong male singer. Cornell is the third male singer in the franchise and puts forth a song that in my opinion fits the movie perfectly.
4. Skyfall by Adele: Just like the movie, the song Skyfall was written to act almost as a tribute to the theme songs that came before it. Adele co-wrote the song with producer Paul Epworth with the aim to capture the dark and moody tones that previous Bond themes used. The song is also plot descriptive like other early themes did. This is the first Craig era Bond that the Film and Song share the same title.
3. James Bond Theme (Dr. No) by John Barry Orchestra: The song that started it all. The James Bond Theme made it's debut as the opening for Dr. No back in 1962. Since then the song has been used in some form or another in every bond film. The song features a guitar riff that is classified as surf rock which was very popular at the time it was written. The theme is just as identifying with the franchise as John Williams' Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes are with their franchises.
2. Nobody Does It Better (The Spy Who Loved Me) by Carly Simon: The first song in the franchise since Dr. No to feature a song that didn't share it's title with the movie. Carly Simon delivers a song that frankly gives me chills every time I listen to it. Composed by Marvin Hamlisch (The Sting) the song has a haunting element to it driven home by Carly Simon's vocals. I'm a big fan of the piano part in this song.
1. Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney: Written by Paul and his wife at the time Linda McCartney, Live and Let Die would reach number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Which at the time was the most successful Bond Theme. The song is so awesome I can forgive the random reggae breakdown in the middle of the song. Don't get me wrong I don't hate that part of the song it's just in my opinion to much of a difference to the rest of the song.
Now here are my B-sides or honorable mentions:
1. GoldenEye by Tina Turner
2. Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey
3. You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra
And finally my least favorite Bond Theme song is Die Another Day by Madonna. The song is just awful, it's like the precursor to dub-step and the lyrics just sound like random nonsense. You know it's bad when her acting is her best performance for the film. I guess it's fitting that Bond is being tortured in the sequence to the song. We all feel his pain listening to this song.
Now here are my B-sides or honorable mentions:
1. GoldenEye by Tina Turner
2. Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey
3. You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra
And finally my least favorite Bond Theme song is Die Another Day by Madonna. The song is just awful, it's like the precursor to dub-step and the lyrics just sound like random nonsense. You know it's bad when her acting is her best performance for the film. I guess it's fitting that Bond is being tortured in the sequence to the song. We all feel his pain listening to this song.
Info Box:
For now The Guest Box will be known as the Info Box. This will just be where I put my contact info for the blog. If I ever do get something from a guest writer then this will turn back into The Guest Box. Like always you can reach me on Twitter (@acbach27) or via email (acbach27@gmail.com). Also I have now started a companion podcast to go along with the blog. I will post the podcast to my YouTube channel. I hope everyone who listens to the podcast enjoys it because it's something I'm really excited about. You can find the podcast for last week's blog on YouTube by searching Inside The Box with Adam Bach. I probably wont get a podcast recorded for this blog tell early next week but I will let everyone know when it's posted.
Have a Great Weekend Everyone!!!
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