THE BOND AWARDS
Nov. 19th, 2012 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogAs mentioned earlier, James Bond has been a celluloid hero for fifty (50) years.
I grew up watching Bond films on TV (my mom was a big fan), then in the cinemas when I was old enough. And – considering how the franchise has evolved over the years, to include interpretations of Bond himself via several different actors – like most people who grew up with Bond, I have my own preferences in terms of the best of the Bond bunch.
So here they are.
PRODUCTION NOTE: I thought about breaking these out into separate posts, but that would probably take more time than I have.
BEST BOND
There can be only one.
That said, I have to give shoutouts to two other Bond actors:
1. Daniel Craig (who has brilliantly reinvented Bond as the tough guy he’s supposed to be but with a distinct human vulnerability that makes him the most believable Bond yet)
2. Timothy Dalton (who took a similar approach and for my money would have succeeded if he’d been given better material or wasn’t confined to the trappings of the established Bond template by the time he took the role)
BEST BOND GIRL
Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman)
Bearing in mind that I rate Bond girls on the awesomeness of their name, not their looks, necessarily.
Otherwise, I’d go with Rosika Miklos (Julie T. Wallace) in The Living Daylights.
Because … damn.
BEST "M"
Judi Dench. Hands down. Especially in the "reboot" films with Daniel Craig, where she's given much better material to work with and arguably makes Bond a better character.
BEST BOND FILM
There are plenty of close seconds, but really this is the classic one that has it all – epic villain, epic plot to rob Fort Knox, epic babes with silly names, epic theme song, epic henchman with epic deadly headgear – the works.
BEST GADGET
The mobile phone in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Because we all want a phone that’s also a 20,000 Volt stun gun, and electric lock opener, a fingerprint scanner and a remote control for a BMW.
Okay, there’s the jet pack from Thunderball.
But that’s not a “gadget”. That’s a mode of transportation. You wouldn’t call a souped-up, well-armed Aston Martin a “gadget”, would you?
BEST VILLAIN
Scaramanga, from The Man With The Golden Gun.
Because it’s Christopher Lee. And because he has three nipples. And because Blofeld is too obvious.
BEST HENCHMEN
Mr Wint and Mr Kidd from Diamonds Are Forever.
Because they made a good team and a nice couple. Sure they were a bit camp. But hey, it was 1971. And by that time, what wasn’t camp in a James Bond film?
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Live And Let Die
Which is ironic, because I love John Barry’s epic score that’s responsible for the Bond sound, but Live And Let Die – which was scored by George Martin – wins points with me because L&LD doubled as a cash-in of Blaxploitation films. As such, the soundtrack is funky. With lots of wah wah and everything.
BEST THEME SONG
I really ought to give this to “Goldfinger”. Because Shirley Bassey is legend.
But truth be told, a lot of the Bond theme songs are just as good (up til A View To A Kill, after which it’s patchy). And I have to say, one of my all-time favorites is “The Man With The Golden Gun”.
By Lulu!
Thank you and good night,
This is dF
I grew up watching Bond films on TV (my mom was a big fan), then in the cinemas when I was old enough. And – considering how the franchise has evolved over the years, to include interpretations of Bond himself via several different actors – like most people who grew up with Bond, I have my own preferences in terms of the best of the Bond bunch.
So here they are.
PRODUCTION NOTE: I thought about breaking these out into separate posts, but that would probably take more time than I have.
BEST BOND
There can be only one.
That said, I have to give shoutouts to two other Bond actors:
1. Daniel Craig (who has brilliantly reinvented Bond as the tough guy he’s supposed to be but with a distinct human vulnerability that makes him the most believable Bond yet)
2. Timothy Dalton (who took a similar approach and for my money would have succeeded if he’d been given better material or wasn’t confined to the trappings of the established Bond template by the time he took the role)
BEST BOND GIRL
Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman)
Bearing in mind that I rate Bond girls on the awesomeness of their name, not their looks, necessarily.
Otherwise, I’d go with Rosika Miklos (Julie T. Wallace) in The Living Daylights.
Because … damn.
BEST "M"
Judi Dench. Hands down. Especially in the "reboot" films with Daniel Craig, where she's given much better material to work with and arguably makes Bond a better character.
BEST BOND FILM
There are plenty of close seconds, but really this is the classic one that has it all – epic villain, epic plot to rob Fort Knox, epic babes with silly names, epic theme song, epic henchman with epic deadly headgear – the works.
BEST GADGET
The mobile phone in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Because we all want a phone that’s also a 20,000 Volt stun gun, and electric lock opener, a fingerprint scanner and a remote control for a BMW.
Okay, there’s the jet pack from Thunderball.
But that’s not a “gadget”. That’s a mode of transportation. You wouldn’t call a souped-up, well-armed Aston Martin a “gadget”, would you?
BEST VILLAIN
Scaramanga, from The Man With The Golden Gun.
Because it’s Christopher Lee. And because he has three nipples. And because Blofeld is too obvious.
BEST HENCHMEN
Mr Wint and Mr Kidd from Diamonds Are Forever.
Because they made a good team and a nice couple. Sure they were a bit camp. But hey, it was 1971. And by that time, what wasn’t camp in a James Bond film?
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Live And Let Die
Which is ironic, because I love John Barry’s epic score that’s responsible for the Bond sound, but Live And Let Die – which was scored by George Martin – wins points with me because L&LD doubled as a cash-in of Blaxploitation films. As such, the soundtrack is funky. With lots of wah wah and everything.
BEST THEME SONG
I really ought to give this to “Goldfinger”. Because Shirley Bassey is legend.
But truth be told, a lot of the Bond theme songs are just as good (up til A View To A Kill, after which it’s patchy). And I have to say, one of my all-time favorites is “The Man With The Golden Gun”.
By Lulu!
Thank you and good night,
This is dF
