http://www.last.fm/music/Rainbow/_/Since+You+Been+Gone

Who doesn't like a good bit of '80s rock?!

Hello everyone! That's right, it's that guy who keeps disappearing! I'm really genuinely sorry for not being here much, but school has been crazy and exam season is looming :(

Basically, the purpose of this blog is just to say *sorry* and that I will try and be back up properly soon! Also, here's a couple of links to where I am around the web, in case I / when I go MIA again...

E-Mail - A little '90s, I know, but I'm still a fan of it!

Facebook - That's right, I've entered the social networking arena! 've got a couple of TV.Commers already added and I find it's a great way to get to know people better and keep in touch. If anyone feels like adding me (and I'd love to add you!), just send me an email / PM!

Frasier Online - No prizes for guessing what this site's about! I'm the forum a bit and it's good a great community (but nowhere near as good as TV.Com ;)). You can also see what I've been watching in this thread :)

Last.FM - Spy on my listening and see my musical taste here (and then call me an idiot for listening to X :P )

MI6 Forums: Keeping the British End Up - Not half as kinky as it sounds, this is simply a great James Bond forum I discovered recently. If you're a Bond fan, come and have a browse around!

...and that's about it, to be honest! I promise to try and get back online soon and I'll try and get around as many blogs as I possibly can.

Tom. :)

Sorry for not being here too much lately, but things have just been crazy and my workload has just seems to be getting bigger by the hour. Truth be told, I really shouldn't be writing this blog! Anyways, let's get on with it!

Bondathon (12)

At the start of this week, I got through the final 3 Bonds (with the exception of "Quantum of Solace")...

7.5/10

This film really does try to be good, but at times it just can't make it. The plot isn't particularly exciting and the villain is just a little too "comic booky" after the excellent realistic portrayals in the previous 5 films (AVTAK, TLD, LTK, GE and TND). Sophie Macraeu's Bond Girl is a little more interesting, injecting a bit of mystery into the story, however I found her "twist" to be a bit obvious and overdone. It certainly has some good points, however, the PTS is brilliant as is the Q scene, as well as the part at the Caviar factory where Brosnan gets to deliver a great line: "Q's not gonna like this!"

Certainly not the best Bond film, but there are worse.

4.5/10

Yowzer, and I thought TWINE was bad! This contribution to the Bond canon has been slated by fans and critis for years now and, I must admit, it is rather unfair. The whole part in Cuba is brilliant, especially Bond breaking in (and subsequently escaping) from the hospital. The PTS in Korea is interesting but, like so many other things in this movie, feels like it's been created to simply fit in with what other films are doing (and not even good films). This is about all this film has to offer: Jinx is a dumb character and all the references to previous Bonds just fall flat on their face (I mean, which scene do you think was better: Bond "driving" out of the back of plane in the TLD or here?), the whole part in Iceland is just ridiculous!

In summary: avoid this Bond!

9/10

It's amazing that after how poor DAD was, that CR can come along next. This film, almost literally, breathed new life into the franchise and Craig (while a controversial choice) plays the role perfectly, a lot better than Brosnan ever did. The story is incredibly engrosing, the villains are portrayed brilliantly and, as for the girls, well...!

One of the best additions to the series and I hope Craig continues the role for quite a few more years!

The Ranking

And here it is folks: the final ranking of the first 21 Bond movies! TWINE slides in about 3/4 of the way down, DAD gaines place number 19 (only spared from the bottom by DAF and TMWTGG), while in contrast, CR jumps up to the number 5 spot!

001 - From Russia with Love
002 - Licence to Kill
003 - Goldfinger
004 - The Living Daylights
005 - Casino Royale
006 - Dr. No
007 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service
008 - Tomorrow Never Dies
009 - Goldeneye
010 - A View to a Kill
011 - Thunderball
012 - For Your Eyes Only
013 - Octopu$$y
014 - The World is Not Enough
015 - The Spy Who Loved Me
016 - You Only Live Twice
017 - Moonraker
018 - Live and Let Die
019 - Die Another Day
020 - Diamonds are Forever
021 - The Man with the Golden Gun

:)

And there it is: the Bondathon is complete! After watching this, I still believe that Mr. Dalton is the finest Bond: I mean, both of his films are in my top 4! I'll grab a copy of the QoS DVD some point next week and subsequently add it to the list and leave my thoughts!

Tom. :)

Bondathon (11)

Ol' Father Time was not on my side last night and so I only got through the one Bond:

7.5/10

It's depressing to say this, but this is the best Bond film of the '70s, which really shows how dire the other installments were! The plot line of this is a welcome change from the three previous Bonds, as we are now dealing with the Cold War topic again and we manage to see the introduction of General Gogol! Moore's into the role by now and seems a lot more confident than previously and he manages to deliver his trademark quips with ease. The PTS is iconic, I'll give you that, but I just can't shake off the self depracting feel to it: the music puts the film firmly in '77!

All in all, definetly not one of the best Bonds, but certainly a fun one. If, for some reason, you want to watch a '70s Bond (compelte with flares ;)), then this should do just fine!

Tonight, it's...

The Ranking

TSWLM slides in 3/4 of the way down.

- From Russia with Love
- Licence to Kill
- Goldfinger
- The Living Daylights
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- The Spy Who Loved Me
- You Only Live Twice
- Moonraker
- Live and Let Die
- Diamonds are Forever
- The Man with the Golden Gun

:)

Bondathon (10)

Really am almost there, now: only 4 left to go! On Thursday and Friday respactively, the Bonds were...

4.75/10

I can only imagine how the Bond fans of the '60s were feeling at this point, when they'd seen their 3rd successive terrible adaption (the other 2 being "Diamonds are Forever" and "Live and Let Die"). A lame Bond girl, unmenacing villain who lives in a comic book hideaway and, someone who should never have been introduced in the first place, Sheriff JW!

8.5/10

I actually surprised myself when I found myself really enjoying this film! Previously, this has been just under midway on my ranking but, for whatever reason, I thought it was great this time! Brosnan had got into the role by now and Carver is a great villain for the modern time. Both Bond girls were a bit underwhelming, but the solid plot made up for it.

Tonight, since I'm almost done, it's a double feature :P of...

The Ranking

TMWTGG plummets down to the very bottom of the list and, very firmly, hits the figurative rocks! TND is, very surprisingly, high up on the list, landing a position at 7th place.

- From Russia with Love
- Licence to Kill
- Goldfinger
- The Living Daylights
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- You Only Live Twice
- Moonraker
- Live and Let Die
- Diamonds are Forever
- The Man with the Golden Gun

:)

Bondathon (9)

Can't believe I'm almost finished this now, only another 6 movies to go! Anyway, last nigh the Bond was...

9.9/10

Still, even after I've seen it so many times, this Bond still delivers! Dalton is pure brilliance in the role and the villain is one of the best in the entire series. I honestly cannot comprehend why so many people are against this film! One of the best Bonds... wait, scratch that, one of the best movies, of all time!

After last night's brilliant edition, tonight is a bit of a let down (but I'll go in with an open mind ;)): after I get back from spinning, it's...

The Ranking

LTK jumps into the number 2 place but is just slightly (VERY slightly) beaten by FRWL...

- From Russia With Love
- Licence to Kill
- Goldfinger
- The Living Daylights
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- You Only Live Twice
- Moonraker
- Live and Let Die
- Diamonds are Forever

:)

....

Also, today I got my results for the modular exams I sat for my AS levels in January: I got an A in Politics and an A in geography!!!!! Woooooooooo!!!!!!!

Also, while we're celebrating: just realised this is my 100th blog!!!! Wooooooooooo, again!!!!!!!!!!!

Bondathon (8)

Once again, time is limited, so here's a v. quick round up of the ongoing Bondathon!

Starting on Monday night and ending on last night, it was...

6/10

Moore didn't seem too comfortable in the role and the plot was just too damn weird for my liking! Sherrif J. W. Pepper is perhaps the most annoying character in any Bond movie and here is no exception! Also, I can't help but feel that if they had stuck to the original novel more closely, the film would have been a lot better!

.

Tonight, it's a good 'un and perhaps the only film with a realistic chance of knocking FRWL off the top spot: it's...

The Ranking

LALD slips right down the bottom, sandwiched between MR and DAF.

- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- The Living Daylights
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- You Only Live Twice
- Moonraker
- Live and Let Die
- Diamonds are Forever

:)

.

Also, a quick message to Carrie! This embelm...

...is unfortunately for UK users only, who have won one of the "Weekend Quizes". Sorry! :)

I don't really have time to write out full reviews of the films this time around, so I'll just give my brief thoughts!

Bondathon (7)

I'm over half way through now on my Bondathon and last night saw the 2nd half...

7/10

A let down after the fantastic first four movies, but still qutie enjoyable. The score isn't particularly brilliant and Blofeld (as well as his hideout) just seems a little too "comic booky".

.

Also last night, I saw...

9.75/10

Amazing score, amazing Bond, amazing plot! One of the best Bond films ever made and after this viewing it might. very surprisingly, be my favourite of the two Tim Dalton ones!

.

Tonight, the Bond is...

I've just finished reading the original novel of this, so I'm particularly looking forward to it

The Ranking

YOLT slips down to the bottom list, just being sparred by MR and DAR. TLD, on the other hand, jumps up into the number 3 spot!

- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- The Living Daylights
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- You Only Live Twice
- Moonraker
- Diamonds are Forever

Bondathon (6)

Last night on the Bond agenda it was...

8.75/10

I'm in the definite minortiy here, but I really like this Bond movie! It has a brilliant plot that, for it's time, seemed fresh and modern and very believable villains. Honestly, Christopher Walken was born to play a Bond villain! Patrick MacNee's character of Sir Godfrey was a nice edition that made for some great comic interaaction between himself and Bond. The Golden Gate Bridge finale is one of the most memorable and iconic of the series and the soundtrack is simply excellent: the arrangement when Bond is rescuing Stacey from City Hall is amazing.

However, as with most other Bonds, I do have a few problems:

• The safest part of an Bond is the famous gunbarrel sequence: after all, you can't really go wrong with it? However, the fact that even in 1985 they're reusing footage from 1977, meaning Bond is STILL wearing flares, doesn't exactly set the audience up to believe this is going to be a first cla$$ piece of cinema!

• The PTS is one of the worst in the film's history: I'm honestly not whether it is trying to be self mocking or actually trynig to be taken seriously! I mean, who's wise idea was it use "California Girls"?!?!

• To simply put it, Tanya Roberts can't act and the character suffers from it. However, it's quite easy to get by as she clearly looks the part!
  

Most of the anti-AVTAK brigade use Moore's age as a deciding factor for hating this film. Yes, he is getting on a bit and you really do feel for Fiona Fullerton in that scene, but for me it's something I can easily get by.

People are going to hate me for this, but I'm going to say it: "A View to a Kill" is one of the better Bonds! There, done!

.

Also on the agenda for last night was "You Only Live Twice", however I only got 2/3 of the way through it. Therefore, I'll finish it off tonight and report back tomorrow ;)

Tonight also sees the introduction of my personal favourite Bond, Mr Timothy Dalton, in...



The Ranking

AVTAK slides in halfway down the list at the number 6 spot, just narrowly been beaten by GE.

- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Goldeneye
- A View to a Kill
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- Moonraker
- Diamonds are Forever

:)

Bondathon (5)

I completely forgot to update this yesterday! Anyway, on Thursday pnight the Bond in question was...

8.5/10

Prior to watching it this time around, I hadn't seen this particular Bond in years and years and years: must have been over 5. Therefore, it felt very fresh and new to me which always adds to a movie! This is a very good effort to retain some of the saneness brought in by "For Your Eyes Only", but also bring back some of Moore's trademark humour and cla$$ic Bond moments. The plot line itself is a gripping one and I especially like the Bonds that address the Cold War head on: it's funny to think that this could not be made today due to the collapse of Communism and Berlin being united. The main villain of Kamhal Kahn is very well played and has some great lines that you could only hear in a Bond movie...

Kahn: Mr Bond, you have a nasty habit of surviving!

The climactic chase on the train was a little OTT but still tense stuff which more than happily made up for the rather anticlimatic ending to FYEO.

However, the film has got a couple of bad points: Moore is starting to show his age and seeing him in "the throes of Passion" with the beautiful Magda leaves a lot to be desired!

Also, the final sequence with Bond clutching onto the top of the plane is incredibly OTT... even for a Moore Bond!

Having said that, this is certainly one of the better Bonds and a very enjoyable way to spend two hours!

.

Last night, the Bond was...

8.5/10

The last time I watched this I was sick in bed with the flu and so, if I recall, I didn't enjoy it too much and for a while considiered it one of the lesser Bonds. However, on this viewing, I thought it was great! The story was very clever and not too difficult to follow and the villains appeared very believable. Connery had really got Bond down by this point and he delivers the sarcastic remarks ("Could it be the front door bell?") and puns ("I think he got the point") with ease like no other Bond actor has been able to do. Domino is a very believable Bond girl and, while the damsel in distress thing has been done to death, the ending was still very well done.

One slight gripe I have however, is that the editing is awful! I know this in 1965, but sometimes the picture just jumps where the tape has obviously been cut! Check out the very last scene just before the credits come on ;)

A lot better than I previously thought, but not as good as Connery's previous three Bonds.

.

Tonight, it's going to be a double helping, care of...

The Ranking

OP slips in surprisingly far down the list, but I guess that's just because I've only seen the better ones so far! TB slides in half way, just above FYEO.

- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- Dr. No
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Goldeneye
- Thunderball
- For Your Eyes Only
- Octopu$$y
- Moonraker
- Diamonds are Forever

:)

UPDATE!

Damn... just finished some history revision now and I've still got loads of work to do! Not to mention the fact, I really need to revise my Highway Code for my driving theory test in 2 weeks! Therefore, "Octopu$$y" will have to be pushed back until tomorrow night...

Grumble, grumble...

.......................................................................................................................

Bondathon (4)

My Bondathon continued last night with perhaps the most iconic Bond yet...

9.5/10

I've got a feeling I'm being a touch generous here as I want to give it a 9: however that's probably due to the fact I've seen it at lease 60 million times and can pretty much recite the script on demand! Anyway, as always GF was brilliant: Connery had the role perfected by this point and the script is fantastic with many memorable lines:

Q: I never joke about my work 007

Bond: (after being introduced to Pu$$y Galore) I must be dreaming

Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!

...and that's just a handful of them! The soundtrack is great and fits the film perfectly, as is the cinematography. I always feel the Fort Knox invasion has been incredibly well directed.

All in all, the most Cla$$ic Bond film is still thoroughly enjoyable to this day!

Tonight, it's the Bond whose title every immature male snig gers at...

The Ranking

GF swoops into 2nd place, but just isn't as good as the fantastic FRWL.

(I've decided to ommit "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", "Diamonds are Forever" and "Goldeneye" from this Bondathon as I've seen them all recently and the last thing I want is for them to go stale! Having said that, I've also recently seen "Licence to Kill", but that's so damn good it can stay ;))

- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Dr. No
- Goldeneye
- For Your Eyes Only
- Moonraker
- Diamonds are Forever

Also, for some reason, I've decided to post up a pic of my Bond DVD collection...

(click to enlarge ;))

As you can see, the covers vary as first collected the whole lot on a mixture of VHS / DVD about 4 or 5 years ago. Recently, I've replaced all the VHS copies with nice, shiney "Ultimate Editions"!

Tom. :)