Ruddy Brilliant

This DVD is amazing. When I first heard about it I knew it would be a brilliant concert, and it defies expectations.
The band have so much energy, and the crowd all look so happy to be there. They are a brilliant live band and although the singing isn't always perfect the rest is all top-notch. There isn't a single weak song on this DVD either, all are incredible, there is no doubt about it if you like goldfinger you need to buy this.
The special features are great as well, they are genuinely funny, and the bit about cruelty to animals really gets you to think.

So what are you waiting for, buy this, and you won't be dissapointed

Coming soon - Roger Moore commentary in 2006 reissue

Octopussy has had many criticisms leveled at it since it slipped into cinema’s in 1983. One complaint is that there are simply too many villains - is the crazed Gen. Orlov the main villain or the suave Kamal Khan? Another objection postulates that its choice of India as a location sends Bond into a pure fantasy land with a depiction of tribal princes, mysterious islands populated entirely of impossibly beautiful women and bungling local thugs. Still more point to its inappropriate rather juvenile schoolboy humor, from Bond’s Tarzan yell to our heroes ogling over a young woman secretary’s bust as a reason why the movie fails.
These objections are perfectly legitimate, but one has to feel that the movies detractors were missing the point. Bond is a fantasy figure who in the past has battled armies inside bases hidden inside hollowed out volcano’s (in 1967’s YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) and shot into space to save the world from poisoned orchids globes (in 1979’s MOONRAKER). Bond belongs in the fantasy realm and the over-the-top formula is perfectly suited and indeed complimented by the India depicted here.
In addition the villains are similarly over-the-top and the movie audience is treated to two wonderful performances. Who can forget the fantastic performance of Steven Berkoff as Orlov in the Kremlin meeting room -"Never, the West is decadent" Orlov states as he struts around one of Peter Lamont’s amazing sets.
The humor is also perfectly suited to the Roger Moore portrayal of Bond and in fact the adventures had become so fantastical at this point that it was necessary for Moore to not take events too seriously. The only truly embarrassing scene is the one in Q’s workshop where Bond focuses a camera in on a woman’s bust. But other scenes referred to pop culture of the 1900s, such as Bond doing his Barbara Wodehouse impersonation telling a tiger to"sit-t-t" and swinging through the vines like Johnny Weismuller in an old Tarzan picture. Neither is particularly intrusive and both elicited belly laughs from the audience I saw the movie with. Similarly the complaint that Bond ends up in a clown suit at the end should be taken in context, he is undercover at a circus, a clown outfit is in fact the perfect disguise.
The movie starts with one of the most famous action sequences of the 1980s. Captured trying to destroy a spy plane in Latin America 007 escapes by using the worlds smallest jet even flying it through a hanger as the doors close. In fact the jet, called an Acrostar, actually exists and had been originally planned for use in 1979’s MOONRAKER, it deserves its place in the Bond movie’s pantheon of gadgets alongside the mini helicopter Little Nellie from 1967. Rolling up to a gas station at the end of the sequence Bond delivers my favorite line in the movie, smiling to the undoubtedly amazed attendant and asking him to Fill her up please."
Of course this scene has nothing to do with the movie as a whole but it’s a nice little mini-adventure to start things off with and set the tone for the rest of the movie. Following the erotic main titles, in which designer Maurice Binder makes full use of lasers and gorgeous women, we are plunged headlong into the main plot with two assassins chasing a British agent in full clown make-up (shades of what is to come later) as he attempts to get a fake Faberge egg to the British embassy.
Understandably a little miffed at the death of their agent and curious as to the reason why he was carrying a fake egg the British send Bond to observe the auction of the real egg at Sotheby’s. Here is one of my favorite scenes, there are no explosions, no meglomaniacal speeches from super villains and no incredible sets but merely Bond testing the determination of Khan in a standoff which reaches its final conclusion thousands of miles away over a game of backgammon. Here we see shades of Goldfinger cheating at golf in the 1964 movie except this time its loaded dice on the backgammon table.
Special mention must go to the very alluring Maud Adams who holds the distinction of being the only actress to play two leading roles in the EON Bond series (Ursula Andress played two, the first in DR. NO and the second in the non-Eon 1967 spoof CASINO ROYALE). Adams is a stunning Scandinavian beauty and plays the title role with a sense of both amusement and conviction. In fact in what is an interesting tip of the hat to the short story from which the movie gets its title, the plot of Bond tracking down a traitor serves as the backstory to Adam’s characters father.
The plot for what its worth involves jewelry smuggling and nuclear brinkmanship, but that’s really not what is important here, that merely serves as a canvas on which to stage fun set pieces and a generous selection of stunt action sequences.
What we have here is a fun action adventure movie, just don’t go in expecting anything serious. If you approach this movie with the right frame of mind you might find this entry in the James Bond canon to be one of the series most entertaining - for entertainment’s sake.
The DVD also features a scene specific commentary from Director John Glen. It can be a little dry at times and it might be better waiting for the upcoming remastered DVD releases that will feature a commentary by Bond actor himself Roger Moore.

Helmut Loves Russia, and We Love Helmut

"From Russia With Love" is Helmut Lotti's 4th PBS special, and finds him taking the Trans Siberian Express with musical virtuoso Andrej Kotov, as they view the magnificent vistas of this"Country of Superlatives" from the"so rough, so wild, so barren" Siberia to the final sequence in Moscow's Red Square, where the Belgian singing star, along with the Russian Air Force chorus sings the Russian National Anthem. Other songs include"From Russia With Love," which is not the John Barry film theme, but one composed by Lotti,"Dream Away," which many will remember as"Stranger in Paradise," but is actually based on the original"Prince Igor" theme by Borodin, and my favorite of the songs,"Those Were the Days."

The rest of the 18 track list includes:"Lara's Theme,""Vetscherni Zvon,""Far East of the Sun,""Ej Ukhnem,""Kalinka,""Two Guitars,""The Legend of the 12 Robbers,""Hold Me Once More,""Dorogoj Dlinnoju,""Lutshje Bulo,""Moscow Nights,""Poljushko Polje," and"Otschi Tschornije."

Lotti's rich, beautiful voice, which has a phenomenal range, is well suited for this material, and he sings the songs in both Russian and English. Born in 1969, Lotti still looks incredibly youthful, and untouched by the world, though his multi platinum album sales have led to a career that has taken him to the far corners of this planet, to the delight of his many fans, and those who enjoy Russian music will definitely like this DVD scenic conce

THE NAMES BOND, JAMES BOND

MASTER PLAN: sabotage America's space program. Way back when, the wicked humor was already evident, indoctrinating us into a new style of mayhem and violence. Three blind mice, it sings over the credits, after the now-familiar gun-barrel opening shot. These are three blind men, or so it seems, tragically comical as they make their way along; but, we're in for a rude awakening - they are actually ruthless assassins. We're rarely prepared for such plot turns in a Bond thriller, even now, and back then, this being the first one, it must have been fairly shocking. Especially brutal is the murder of the female - this was no way to treat a lady back then. Of course, other ladies in this pic behaved somewhat differently than viewers were accustomed to back in the early sixties. Then Bond himself is introduced (on his home ground of England) - a classic for the ages, as if the filmmakers knew he would still be thrilling us on film four decades later. Maybe they did. Then the 1st appearances of M (male for the next 30 years or so) and Moneypenny, and we're off and running, for 45 years and counting. Even the Q dept. shows up in M's office, but he's not called Q, yet (M refers to him as 'Armourer'); and, a different actor would take over in the next 15 or so Bonders. The repartee here would be revisited in most of the subsequent films and is very enjoyable. Later, we and Bond meet Leiter, Bond's CIA liaison, even though this was redone in the new"Casino Royale" version in 2006.

Bond's first mission on film (not counting the TV"Casino Royale" back in '54) was to Jamaica, where a local agent and his secretary have disappeared. As such, this first one had less scope than the epic adventures dominating the later sixties and onward, where the formula always entailed about three different locations scattered across the globe; Bond stayed in the Jamaica area for this entire mission. And, for most of the film, he was engaged in almost pure detective work, a skill which many feel was subsumed under gadgetry and huge sets as the film series went on. I suppose this can be viewed as a trade off when the budgets became much bigger. But here, Connery as Bond had to command our attention through his powers of observation, training and natural cunning. Bond is a target as soon as he arrives at the new locale and must avoid such dangers as assassination attempts by being pro-active: he anticipates the bad guys, obviously due to years of experience. Connery proves to be the best Bond right off the bat: you can see him out-thinking the villains scene to scene and he's arrogant enough to allow himself some self-knowing smirking as he foils their lethal plans over & over, yet it's not over the top; in fact, it can be quite chilling - Bond proves to be just as ruthless as the villains, a type of hero audiences were not, again, used to (Dirty Harry copied this attitude in the States almost a decade later). But, we cheer him on, knowing that if he was any nicer, he'd probably be terminated halfway thru the story. And, the arrogance - some of this just makes us shake our heads: near the end, when Bond is captured, he's still issuing orders to his captors (check out that scene just before the decontamination). No wonder Bond wins at everything.

The epic, fantastic elements the film series is known for do not enter the picture here until the 2nd hour begins, involving such concepts as radioactivity and guidance rocket systems. Bond finally meets his main Bond girl, Ms. Ryder, coming out of the blue or out of the sea, take your pick. She is stunning, no doubt, and lends to this air of the unexpected, with some unusual character traits. The main villain of the title and his awesome lair are not shown until even later - such large elements were given more exposure in many of the later films. This is all calculated to string the audience along in terms of suspense (we do hear Dr.No's ominous voice in an earlier scene) and then, hopefully, fulfill their expectations with some grand reveals. Dr.No is the first of the wealthy, genius-level megalomaniacs to plague Bond in the film series, suitably larger-than-life and almost godlike (but serving dark gods). He's created his own world and seems serene in his near-omnipotence, which also may suggest over confidence. This may be why Bond's escape (via an air duct) to cause trouble in the final minutes appears to be a gross oversight for such a master villain. Well, Dr.No spells it out ('You are just a stupid policeman'): master villains tended to underestimate Bond in many of the films. Bond may also pique such villains curiosity - it may be reasonable to assume his ruthlessness is a trait they need to examine for a brief, crucial time. By the way, SPECTRE is first mentioned, being the organization Dr.No serves, so it does suggest a series of films from the get go. Bond would return in"From Russia With Love." Would Dr.No? Bond:10 Villain:9 Femme Fatales:9 Henchmen:6 Leiter:8 Fights:8 Stunts/Chases:7 Gadgets:5 Auto:6 Locations:8 Pace:9 overall:8

Cheese Scraper

The third worst ever Bond film - only beaten by the monumentally boring Octopussy and ridiculous Die Another Day - and a massive disappointment after the brilliant Spy Who Loved Me. Moonraker marked the point where the comedy and playfulness of Moore's Bond was taken a step too far, its all very cheap and silly. Imagine Carry on Bond and you will still end up mortified. At least it sounds like a Bond film though - unlike the David Arnold/Pierce Brosnan ruined Bond boobies of the ninties and noughties. Three undeserved stars for that.

HUGELY ENJOYABLE BOND ADVENTURE

I happen to be one of the biggest fans of Pierce Brosnan's Bond films so it is a foregone conclusion as to my opinion of this film. It was the first Bond film I watched on the big screen and I love it, is is enjoyable, has many a great action sequence and Pierce Brosnan, in his second role as 007, shows a confidence in getting into the role. Like all of his Bond films (GoldenEye, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day), the writers here develop a more character development trait within the film's plot. Here we have the wife of the villain, Paris Carver, played by Teri Hatcher, be revealed to have been one of Bond's former girlfriends, a relationship that was quite intense. We gain an emotional insight into the character as wee see how much he loves her by offering to protect her, but alas she is killed by her husband, Elliot Carver (played with wonderful relish by Jonathan Pryce), and we get an unusual emotional moment, something more akin to Bond's that are lesser considered in the public consciousness like Lazenby and Dalton. Here Brosnan can juggle many of the elements that we associate with Bond with a fantastic dash of style. We have ruthlessness, humor, humanity and an ice sense of cool that he really jumps upon. He is undeniably the heir to the throne of the best Bond on screen, and with him successfully continuing to play the character in two further films that were even stronger, he is, in my opinion, the best Bond there has ever been.

Tomorrow Never Dies is not the best Bond film that Brosnan has done (that honor belongs to The World Is Not Enough), but like other 'second' Bond films like From Russia With Love and The Man With The Golden Gun, it is a hugely enjoyable action thriller mixing a fun, if somewhat far fetched plot, with a great wealth of fun and entertainment, as well as some of the silliest, but funniest, puns to grace the screen. Making this tasty cake even more so is Jonathan Pryce's villain, Elliot Carver. Pryce, one of the best actors to come from Britain, is one of those maniacally over the top villains that ends up becoming so much fun you end up liking him. Michelle Yeoh is a great Bond girl, setting in stone the foundations for later films that the Bond girl has to be equal to Bond himself. Her performance is charming and her chemistry with Brosnan great fun to watch. Teri Hatcher is good, I suppose, but then again her much hyped appearance in the film amounts to little more than a glorified cameo appearance that, while memorable, doesn't ensure her to be the Bond girl that she could have been.

Featuring a fantastic music score from David Arnold (on a par with John Barry's work) and the most far fetched, but undeniably entertaining, car chase in recent years, this is undoubtedly one of the most fun Bond films that you will get a chance to enjoy. I loved it.

Bond takes on a media giant and wins!

Pierce Brosnan's second outing contains all the usual bangs, explosions and gadgets, but there is something wrong.

This movie is famous for containing the"worst bond baddie ever". Jonathan Pryce plays Carver, a man who is desperate to control the world's media, this man isn't interested in blowing up countries or killing inocent people, he just wants more people to watch his TV and buy his papers. That said he is trying to start a world war buy making everyone is firing on everyone else, but its not to get money or jewels, which is where this movie falls apart. Noone in their right mind would do all this for unlimited media coverage, it is a poor story line.

The DVD contains the usual lack of decent features we have come to expect from the Bond DVDs. Commentaries, a storyboard presentation and a"Secrets of 007 doc" plus more!!

So to sum up, this is good for those who like the explosions and the gadgets, but if you want a story to go with it, forget about it.

A FINE BOND ADVENTURE

After a great start with Goldeneye and the hugely enjoyable Tomorrow Never Dies, Brosnan's run as Bond hits the jackpot with this fantastic action film that is undeniably one of the best James Bond films ever made. It has everything. It has some of the finest action sequences the series has ever thrown up (the pre-credit sequence is to die for), two classic villains in the shape of Reynard and Elektra (they even have Bond baddie names) and what is a surprisingly good little story. Sure it's not Tolstoy or Shakespere, but the plot is very effective and offers up many twists and turns, but as well as that the script is very daring for a 007 movie. First of all the pre-title sequence ends in disaster. The man Bond is trying to save winds up blown to pieces and to further add insult to injury, the usually indestructible secret agent winds up seriously injured ending up with his arm in a cast after the fantastically stylish credit sequence. Even better is that the injury becomes his weakness for the rest of the film and the writers even have him fall in love, a relationship that leads to a denouement more akin to the Dalton era.

That's what I love about Brosnan, though. He brings many of the qualities of the previous Bond's to his own he is virtually perfect, not only giving Connery a run for his money, but at times surpassing him. We have the smoothness of Connory, the humor of Moore and the darkness of Brosnan. There's none of George Lazenby, but we should all be thankful for that. Another plus point is that we have more of an ensemble feel for TWINE, which leads to the villains being more than just the usual"I must destroy the world" stereotypes. Sure Robert Carlyle's Renard may seem like a typical Bond villain (he is unable to register pain due to a bullet in his head), but by playing him as a man in love who welcomes death at the end is a masterstroke and one handled fantastically by director Apted, doing a fine job here. While Denise Richards may not be the best Bond girl acting wise, looks wise she is perfect, with the wet t-shirt moments at the end being a welcome distraction. Kudos too to bringing back Robbie Coltrane. Shame he's killed off as I thought he would make a welcome regular supporting player to the rest of the cast.

To sum up, The World Is Not Enough is classic Bond. The Thames chase at the star will be unbeatable and the script is very strong.

You could say it left me shaken and stirred.

What an odd book in the Fleming canon

This is an enjoyable book in the Bond series and is the final of the so-called Blofeld trilogy. It's an interesting insight into Bond - but the plot is rather weird (even for this series). Bond's career is in decline following the events of"On her Majesty's secret service" and he's sent off to Japan where by chance he is given a chance to gain his revenge against Blofeld. So far so Bond - however Blofeld's evil scheme is weird (even by Blofeld standards) - it's not even clear why he's doing it. Furthermore, Bond isn't himself - he's a mental wreck for the first part of the book and later in disguise as a Japanese fisherman, appears to prefer this fate than his mission. I also wonder if Fleming changed his mind as to the ending of the novel. I won't spoil it here but I wonder ... Anyway it's well worth the read.

Good plot, tedious execution

An excellent plotline is the only strength of The Living Daylights, the last Fleming novel from which a film was based upon. However, Timothy Dalton’s feeble performance as Bond spoiled the film immeasurably. The pre credit sequence where he lands on the boat and calls HQ is not only cheesy, but in addition to that, his line ’Bond, James Bond’ is just lame. It is a shame to say that this debut performance is little better than the dire finale for Roger Moore in 85, A View To A Kill.

On the other hand there is a good casting, by actors such as Joe Don Baker, Jeroen Krabbe, Maryam D’abo and John Rhys Davies.

However tedious action sequences, and Timothy Dalton’s lack of both charm, wit and sexual aggressiveness, both of which Moore and Connery had in abundance- hence what Bond should have, makes this a very forgettable Bond movie.

The best mix of all things Bond

And the above title basically sums up why this is such a great Bond-film.

First of all, there is of course Connery. His script boasts more quips than in the previous 3 outings, but the way in which he blends them into the dialogue here turns the laconic humour into one of Thunderball's greatest assets - never does it get cringeworthy or overkill like in many of the later installments.
His subtle, nonchalant approach to the part is what makes this, i.m.o, his best performance as 007 after From Russia With Love.

Next, you just can't deny that the scenery and exotic feel make this film so very 'James Bond'. The Bahamas backdrop is used fairly well, and the aquatic cinematography is truly excellent, even by today's standards. The casino; the beach; the coral reefs; the islands - classic stuff all round.

The plot is of course hokum, but very well staged. Bond is quite quickly on the trail of a plan to steal nukes from a routine excercise NATO flight, SPECTRE are at the root of the evil with Blofeld's right hand man Emilio Largo (well played by eye-patched Adolfo Celi) in charge of the operation.

You can't fault this film for being slighty slow-paced in places, as that is the nature of underwater movement, if you don't like those scenes then get a beer or something - but don't be too long as the rest is certainly worth your while, Thunderball is quite simply classic Bond.

It may not be the best Connery did, but it's quite easily the most complete James Bond film to date - replete with all the ingredients 007 should be made of.

Cheese Scraper

The third worst ever Bond film - only beaten by the monumentally boring Octopussy and ridiculous Die Another Day - and a massive disappointment after the brilliant Spy Who Loved Me. Moonraker marked the point where the comedy and playfulness of Moore's Bond was taken a step too far, its all very cheap and silly. Imagine Carry on Bond and you will still end up mortified. At least it sounds like a Bond film though - unlike the David Arnold/Pierce Brosnan ruined Bond boobies of the ninties and noughties. Three undeserved stars for that.