The Shaken Not Stirred Ratings

May 25, 2010 2 Comments

For the record, the official “unofficial” Martini Glass Rating System (MGRS) for Blog, James Blog. The MGRS works on a scale of 1 – 7 in honor of 007.

Water from the River Thames in a glass, skip this one

Not worthy of it’s license to kill, but had small moments for big fans

Cheap vodka, but still has a kick and will get the job done

Double O average, everything you expect from Bond, nothing more, nothing less

A night worth remembering that should still be with you in the morning

Top shelf, this is why he’s Bond, James Bond

Royal Flush, the unbeatable hand is dealt

I also want to make clear, if it’s not obvious already, that I am in no way associated with MGM, UA, or EON productions. (EON, founded by producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, produced all 22 “official” Bond films.) You will see no images from the Bond movies posted here. I’m writing about the movies using various research tools including but not limited to the amazingly packaged “James Bond Ultimate Collector’s DVD (2006)” set and several research sources both online and on my book shelf. I will also be incorporating my own knowledge of film in general and James Bond movies specifically. This site is meant to be an exercise for me and hopefully something enjoyable for anyone who happens upon it.

One last note, my wife and I got a 46” flat screen in January, a purchase that in part inspired this project. All I can say is the TV has been worth every penny and the Bond DVD’s look just amazing.

The first post, Dr. No (1962) is right around the corner.

Filed under Martini Ratings

My Name is Blog….James Blog.

April 21, 2010 1 Comment

Greetings and welcome to Blog….James Blog. Before we get into it I want to let you dear reader know that I know about as much about how to run and produce blogs and websites as a Geico caveman. I’m learning as I go so any suggestions you may have that I can do (easily) to improve the look or usability of this site, I’m all ears. Also, I hope that this site improves as time goes on.

Right. The name of this site is taken from one of the more famous lines said by the greatest gentleman secrete agent the world has ever know, James Bond. I enjoy writing, I love movies, and I’ve been fascinated by Bond films all my life. From when I first saw them on Sunday afternoons on local PIX 11, up until today, they have, for me at least, come to represent everything that is right and wrong with action films. They are also a fascinating prism to use in viewing where we were as a society as well as filmmaking. This is a franchise that has been around since 1962. Think about how much we as a culture have changed since then. Think about everything politically that’s happened since then. Think about how film making has changed since then. I intended to use the Bond films to look at these bigger ideas. But, this is also meant to be a record of all things Bond. How many women did he sleep with in this film? How many people did he kill in that one? What gadgets did he use? Who was the villain? Was the theme song any good? Is Sean Connery really the best Bond and if so why? And, most important, where does this one film we are discussing fit in with the other 22 “official” James Bond films? We will rate the films at the end of each review with one through seven martini glasses. (In honor of 007) All drinks will of course be shaken, not stirred.

This is the game plan. I’m going to watch every film in order. Then, I’m going to write about it. With that, some thoughts. As I’m rewatching them all in order, I’m going to be much more backward thinking than forward. In other words, I’m more likely to compare Thunderball (1965) to From Russia With Love (1963)  than to Diamonds Are Forever (1971) as that film was not out yet. That said, I have seen all the films and may on occasion look forward but I will try to avoid that. Also, this is the Bond of the films and films only. No comic books, video games and no Fleming novels. I know the books are the source material but to be 100% frank, I have no interests in the books. (I have never read any of Flemings novels) I want to look at Bond as a film character. Someone else can handle the Fleming novels. The idea is at the end of this, to have all the Bonds movies listed in order with some useful information, more useless information, and my ramblings about each. More than anything I would love for this to become a place where people can come, read, and think about these movies. Then maybe even re-watch them and add to the discussion.

Also, I will be talking about some other stuff, Bond related, in between. Maybe unofficial Bond movies like Never Say Never Again and Peter Seller’s Casino Royal. Perhaps we will dip our toe into the laser-beam shark infested waters of Austin Powers. Who knows, this thing is growing as we speak.

I encourage all feed back and discussion. More than anything I hope you enjoy the site and maybe even think about the Bond films a little differently. If you enjoy, tell a friend. If not, don’t.

Thanks for visiting, and just for the record, the 22 official James Bond Films (as of April 2010)

  1. Dr. No. (1962-Sean Connery)
  2. From Russia With Love (1963-Sean Connery)
  3. Goldfinger (1964-Sean Connery)
  4. Thunderball (1965-Sean Connery)
  5. You Only Live Twice (1967-Sean Connery)
  6. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969-George Lazenby)
  7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971-Sean Connery)
  8. Live and Let Die (1973-Roger Moore)
  9. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974-Roger Moore)
  10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977-Roger Moore)
  11. Moonraker (1979-Roger Moore)
  12. For Your Eyes Only (1981-Roger Moore)
  13. Octopussy (1983-Roger Moore)
  14. A View to a Kill (1985-Roger Moore)
  15. The Living Daylights (1987- Timothy Dalton)
  16. License to Kill (1989-Timothy Dalton)
  17. GoldenEye (1995-Pierce Brosnan)
  18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997-Pierce Brosnan)
  19. The World is Not Enough (1999-Pierce Brosnan)
  20. Die Another Day (2002-Pierce Brosnan)
  21. Casino Royale (2006-Daniel Craig)
  22. Quantum of Solace (2008-Daniel Craig)
  23. “The 23rd Bond Movie” (2011-Daniel Craig)

Filed under Introduction to Blog

Hello world!

April 10, 2010 3 Comments

This is the first post. Do I know what I’m doing?

Filed under Uncategorized

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