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May his soul rest in peace
Morton Slumber of Slumber, Inc. comes across more like a smooth-talking car salesman than a funeral director. As Bond, posing as Peter Franks, attends his “brother’s” cremation, Slumber delivers a polished routine complete with rehearsed condolences, dramatic curtains, and an oddly theatrical ceremony that feels more transactional than heartfelt. He… Read More →
Filed Under: Diamonds Are Forever -
Should actual stunts take priority over CGI?
I’m firmly in the camp that wants Bond 26 to prioritize practical stunt work whenever possible. Casino Royale‘s record-setting Aston Martin rollover remains an all-time action moment precisely because it was real, while Spectre‘s massive desert explosion showed the impact practical effects can still have on screen. Practical stunts also… Read More →
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R-rated Bond movie piques my interest
Licence to Kill probably came closest to earning an R rating, with its shark feedings and several surprisingly brutal deaths pushing the boundaries of what audiences expected from a Bond movie at the time. And really, keeping the series PG-13 has always made sense from a box office perspective. That… Read More →
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1960s Bond movie voice dubbing was bizarre
Voice dubbing in the early James Bond movies was hardly unique to 007, but it remains one of the early movies’ strangest production quirks. Apparently, producers often replaced the voices of international actors to make their performances more accessible to English-speaking audiences. As fascinating as that is, I’d much rather… Read More →
Filed Under: General -
Me? I never take any risks
Here’s an evergreen James Bond quote from You Only Live Twice. And although Bond claims to never take risks, him getting x-rayed with a gun at Osato’s desk seems to proves otherwise. But in actuality, the difference is that Bond never sees them as risks. His confidence comes from reading… Read More →
Filed Under: You Only Live Twice -
For your eyes only, darling
The end of For Your Eyes Only gives us one of the series’ more literal title drops as Melina Havelock softly recites it before she and Bond slip away for a “moonlight swim.” Unlike other instances of the title uttered in the movie related to classified files or a mission,… Read More →
Filed Under: For Your Eyes Only