MOVIE REVIEW: From Russia With Love Part 2

*Continuation*

Despite scheduling their plan on the 14th, they executed their plan on the 13th. From what I believe, this was some sort of decoy made by Bond to fool those who might be listening to them, if there was.

Upon their arrival at the Orient Express, Tania noticed Benz, a Russian security agent. Along with them on the train were Kerim. They were Mr. and Mrs. David and Caroline Somerset, a newly married couple on their way to England. Unfortunately, Kerim was killed in his encounter with Benz along the way and this made Bond think suspiciously of his Mrs. Somerset. The interrogation was such a good scene and it showed how Bond was still putting the mission first. The Lektor was the mission, not the girl. I loved it most when Tania's answers were all "I love you, I love you. It's true," and Bond's reply was just a cold "Sure."

Bond finally met his rival, Grant, who was posing as Captain Nash, Kerim's contact. With probably the same coded signal that Bond has been using with his allies, Grant convinced Bond that he was Nash.

In their scenes together, Bond and Grant exchanged some clever lines. Grant was even using Nash's voice. After dinner, Tania was drugged by Grant and soon after, they had to return to their room for Tania to rest. By that time, Bond was so sure that Nash was no ally. Upon entering a separate room, Bond asked grant, "What was it that you put on her drink?"

Bond had the situation under control until Grant tricked and knocked him out. Bond responds to his current situation by saying that he should've confirmed he was not an ally immediately after Grant's "Red wine with fish" order.

What followed was the classic fight scene between the two in a darkened and narrow room. The camera work and editing that made the fight become one of the most brutal fight scenes in the series. Bond won the fight using the knives that were hidden in Q Branch's modified attache case.

James Bond and Red Grant from Den of Geek website

This very scene from FRWL was what made every train in every Bond film thrilling. When you mix Bond, a Bond girl, a henchman, and a train - that would surely end up in a fight scene. Hello, Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Spectre!

Bond and Tania left the train, however, Spectre's thugs waiting for Grant were there. Bond easily disposed of them and took control of their vehicle on their way to the films two grand chases. In the first, Bond was chased down by a thug from a chopper a la Cary Grant in North By Northwest, and in the next one, Bond and Tania were chased down in a boat. However, these two chase scenes were not convincing enough, majorly due to the SPECTRE thugs' decision to slow down and stop eventually altogether. Bond had scattered his boat's gas tanks in the same exact area where the thugs stopped. Boom!

"Slow down. Slow down all boats."

Kronsteen was eliminated after his plan has failed, while Klebb was on her last hurrah against Bond.

While Bond and Tania were dressing up in a hotel room, Klebb enters the room, posing as a helper, to get the Lektor. Bond recognized him and it was one of the most suspenseful fights because, during the course of the film, we knew that Klebb's pointed shoes were lethal. Bond was totally no match for Klebb. Bond was obviously struggling.

Rosa Klebb pointing a gun at Bond from derekwinnert.com

Klebb's lethal shoes aiming at Bond from Sky.com

Fortunately, love won! Tania shot Klebb, ending Bond's agony. 

The couple took their time riding on a gondola while Bond disposes of their recorded sexual encounter, and the film's end credits appear.

That was the end, or better said by the film itself, "not quite the end" because there would be more James Bond thrillers!

FRWL easily became my favorite Bond movie. It showed the real spy that James Bond should be and the James Bond spy genre that the Bond movies should get inspiration. Sadly, the formula used in this film would only be used again after 18 years via "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). Despite using the modified attache case from Q Branch, the movie was not yet the cartoonish movie that it had become due to its gadgets. Simplicity was the key for FRWL.

I also have the nicest things to say about the villains. The villains were great, and had a good team, if not the most perfect team, to deal with Bond. Wit, tenacity, and strength went hand in hand to beat Bond. As for the Bond girl, Tatiana Romanova was one of the most beautiful Bond girls in my opinion. She had the young, innocent look that Solitaire had in Live and Let Die. She also did great in the acting department, even if it was her first stint in acting.

MOVIE REVIEW: From Russia With Love Part 1

"From Russia With Love (FRWL)" was the second Bond film for Sean Connery, for EON Productions, for the franchise, and for the fans. This movie was so good, the scene that had been the audition scene for screen tests of possible incoming Bond actors was taken here. That was the scene where Bond found Tania in his hotel room bed.

Movie poster from Illustrated007 website

According to sources, American President John F. Kennedy spoke about how much he liked the novel FRWL by Ian Fleming. This development boosted the sales of the book which eventually made it inevitable for the said novel to be the next one to be in the big screens.

Aside from James Bond, Moneypenny, M, and Sylvia Trench made their return to the Bond films reprising their roles. Major Boothroyd was also in FRWL and was tasked to supply Bond of the standard issue attache case (with its secrets and surprises, of course) for the mission, however, he was bearing a different name in the movie. He was called Q, being that he is the Quartermaster of the Q Branch and he was also played here by Desmond Llewelyn instead of Peter Burton.

The villain in this movie was the sinister organization SPECTRE. After Dr. No was killed by Bond in the previous film, SPECTRE was out for revenge, utilizing a brilliant plan by SPECTRE No. 5 Kronsteen, who is a chess grandmaster. SPECTRE No. 3, Russian General Rosa Klebb was tasked to help Kronsteen, along with the henchman of this movie Red Grant. Moreover, the SPECTRE bad guys were headed by their No. 1, who was left unnamed in the film's end credits.

The mysterious head of SPECTRE and his white cat from michaelmay.online

Kronsteen at a chess battle from 007  Under the Mango Tree website

Of course, we all know now that he is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who apparently is Bond's step-brother, as per the 24th Bond film, Spectre.

The film opened with a gun barrel sequence, which featured Bob Simmons again. After the shot and blood-dripping, the film commenced with the very first pre-title sequence of the film series with Red Grant and an agent looking a lot like James Bond. They were looking out for each other, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The thrill was present, the feel was a lot different from the previous film. However, the mystery continued further after Bond was seemingly strangled by Grant's garrote watch. After this, the film went on to the title credits.

After some time, you might start asking yourself this: Why would a movie starring Sean Connery who plays James Bond kill off the character in the films first minutes? This would be teased further as Bond would only appear 20 minutes into the movie after the whole plethora of villains were introduced. 

It was a great introduction for the villains. We saw that Kronsteen was the brains of the organization, Klebb was loyal not to Mother Russia but to SPECTRE, and that Grant was strong AF. Klebb punched his abdomen with a knuckle and he did not move a bit. That was how strong he looked like. No. 1 was creepy, and in this film, we knew that failures in the executions of their plans would lead to the execution of the ones who failed. Quite tragic.

Bond was sent to Istanbul for a supposed Russian defector, Tatiana Romanova (the Bond girl),  and a Lektor, a decoding device that M badly wanted. M sent Bond despite having doubts that the defection was only a trap.

Bond's ally in this film was Kerim Bay. He was one of the greatest allies that Bond had and could be even ranked higher than most of Felix Leiter's stint. Unfortunately, he was the sacrificial lamb of this film. He would be killed once Bond, Tania, and himself would board the Orient Express.

Before meeting Tania, Bond and Kerim go out on adventures with the gypsies and also taking out one of Kerim's nemesis. Tania and Bond crossed paths in this very intriguing scene. 

"But I think my mouth is too big."

"No, it's the right size. For me that is."

Unexpectedly, Klebb would be seen watching the flirting and other activities of the couple from a two-way mirror while also recording it in a video, and puffing a cigarette. (Get a room, Klebb! Better yet, get a separate room!)

Bond and Tania went on to discuss matters about the Lektor on the next day, with Tania still flirting with Bond. Bond should be given credit for being so focused on the mission despite Tania's flirting. Perhaps because he had already banged her during the previous night.

*Continuation on my next post!*

Four Movies That Killed Bond in the Pre-Title Sequence

    EON Productions has always assured to us Bond fans that there will be another James Bond film after the last one by stating that "James Bond Will Return" in the end credits of the films. But what they have not assured us is that whether the superspy would be killed or not in the Bond film, not until we reach the end and Bond would be seen with his lady.

Bond's 50th Birthday

    During the earlier Bond films, up until Octopussy, the next film's title is even stated already. Take for example this in the film "From Russia With Love".

Make way for Auric Goldfinger

    Another notable one is seen in the end credits of "The Spy Who Loved Me" wherein the stated next film is "For Your Eyes Only. However, due to the rise of the sci-fi era, "Moonraker" had to rise instead.

Where's Moonraker?

    With that, let's get to the main topic. In earlier Bond films, for some reason, the viewers were always hinted that James Bond - 007 would die in the film. But if you would think about it deeper, why would be the lead character of a rising franchise kill its main lead? Funnily enough, this trend has reached the Daniel Craig era in one of his outings.

    Here are four Bond films that tried to scare us about Bond being dead.

1. Thunderball. 

This is the least effective one in this list. The pre-title sequence starts off by showing a casket with the initials "JB".  However just seconds after, Bond is seen with a girl on a floor above the funeral rite. The one in the casket is revealed to be SPECTRE Number 6, Col.  Jacques Bouvar, who apparently died in his sleep. However, spoiler alert, the colonel is still alive.

"JB" for Jacques Bouvar snapshot from film

2. You Only Live Twice

From the title itself, you can easily think that this movie has a deal with Bond being close to his death. His apparent death happens in the pre-title sequence wherein a lady is shown aiding in killing Bond. Bond fakes his death for a mission. The reveal is made after Bond's "dead" body was buried at sea which leads to the remote MI6 office. 

Bond dying on the job from cinemaviewfinder.com

3. Skyfall

In this film, Bond has to get a file from Patrice containing a list of their agents in the pre-title sequence. The chase leads them into a train and then to a fight on top it as the train is moving. Bond is assisted by a woman agent (later to be revealed as Miss Eve Moneypenny, major spoiler alert!) who eventually unintentionally shot Bond in the chest after being pressured by M to "take the bloody shot". Bond falls and is swallowed down by the waters. Agent down.

Bond waiting to be rescued by Adele's swooning from businessinsider.com

4. From Russia With Love

In the pre-title sequence of this film, a Russian agent is seen waiting for this apparent James Bond.  The scene is intensified by the background music, as they make their way in the darkness of the area. The Russian agent sneaks up and reveals his garrote watch. Upon seeing Bond, he strangles him to his death. The British superspy is now dead! But wait, no. Another Russian agent takes off from the face of this dead Bond a mask. It's just a mask. Relax.

This scene shows to us how far can SPECTRE go just to destroy its enemies. What follows is an equally satisfying film with a great roster of villains.

Red Grant strangling a deep fake of James Bond from cinemablend.com

*Photos are grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you for understanding.

What has Happened to James Bond?

Both shaken and stirred.

Just this August 24, 2018, Bond fans woke up to the news of Bond 25 Director Danny Boyle quitting on the film due to creative differences with the producers. His exit on the film was announced in the official Twitter account of the James Bond movie franchise.

And here is the actual tweet of that announcement:

The official announcement from Twitter

From the looks of it, Daniel Craig is not only the 007 actor, it seemed that he was part of the production personnel as he was in the last film Spectre.

Before the news of his exit, three casting calls were made for what I have thought to be for the main villain, the Bond girl, and the henchmen. Should we say goodbye to that casting calls? Should we say goodbye to that December-set start of the shoot?

Or worse, should we say goodbye to James Bond?

During the Sean Connery era, the Bond films were released year after year. Dr. No in 1962, From Russia With Love in 1963, Goldfinger in 1964, and Thunderball in 1965. It was only in 1965 when they started having a year between Bond films. This was when Connery started being bored" of his character.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger (1964)

George Lazenby came for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Connery was lured back for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Roger Moore had a regular one-year gap from 1973 to 1985 except when The Man with a Golden Gun released in 1974 to catch up with the martial arts craze in the '70s. 

George Lazenby in On Her majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Timothy Dalton, with his two films, followed the trend of Moore's Bond films having his films released in 1987, and 1989. After this, there was a six-year hiatus due to legal issues which made Dalton leave the franchise.

Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights (1987)

Pierce Brosnan brought Bond back to the cinemas with 1995's Goldeneye. This was followed up with three more, released in 1997, 1999, and 2002. I strongly believe that Die Another Day was only pushed for a 2002 release just to coincide with the 40th anniversary since Bond was shown in the cinemas.

Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day (2002)

Brosnan was fired from the role and the search was won by Daniel Craig in 2005. With him in the role of 007, the producers thought of rebooting the franchise and starting with Bond's debut in the novel, Casino Royale in 2006. This was followed up by 2008's Quantum of Solace. After another string of delays due to the bankruptcy of studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Craig's third Bond film Skyfall had to be pushed for a 2012 release, which also was the 50th anniversary of the franchise.

Daniel Craig in Spectre (2015)

Three years after Spectre was released. This film made critics and fans alike to give some hate to the writers who made all Craig's Bond films tied up complete with recurring characters (Mr. White in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Spectre, and Rene Mathis and Felix Leiter in Quantum of Solace, and Spectre). Not to mention, the return of Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Additionally, they gave the MI6 quartet (which was just a trio before) of M, Q, Moneypenny, and Bill Taner larger screen time than they have had in the previous eras. Honestly speaking, Spectre was more like a Mission: Impossible movie with a whole team working for one aim. 

Bond worked better alone, or with just one ally with him, in the previous Bond films. That is the formula and not with the whole MI6 team.

Bond 25 was set for a November 2019 release, having a four-year gap after Spectre. But with the recent news, would it still be realistic to have a Bond film with just over a year of production?

As it was said earlier, earlier Bond films were released year after year and the longest gap was still the six years between Licence to Kill and Goldenye. 

Other issues that the franchise is having right now is the acquisition of an actor from another color to be Bond, with some people clamoring for Idris Elba to be the first black James Bond. Another one is to have a female James Bond. Might as well have a gay James Bond or any other sexual preference. 

Here's what I have to say about all of this. Bond is a fictional character based on the works of its original author Ian Fleming. Fleming had his description of who and what Bond is and for the sake of a realistic adaptation of the character, I would go for not going far from the descriptions that he had laid. 

James Bond is not Asian, and definitely not a woman. But whether or not James Bond - 007 is a code name is a question for another time.

*Photos are grabbed from the Internet and all thanks are for those who own it. For sharing purposes only. Thank you.

The Trouble with Bond

Bond. James Bond.

We all know the man. We all know the name. James Bond has been a front-liner of the movie industry for more than 55 years (Perhaps the longest-running, if not officially the longest-running movie hero). Bond has been in service of the cinemas for so long that many moviegoers might consider that the spotlight for him will fade, within the next few years.

The trouble with Bond is that it has an aged feel to it. When the words "James Bond" appear as a reference, the one who made the reference is almost always automatically considered a corny or a cringy man in his late 50s. It seems hard to introduce Bond to younger audiences. However, there are still others who can proclaim love for the 55-year-old movie series.

How do you introduce Bond to a younger audience? During the release of the 24th official Bond film "Spectre", I was in the theaters to watch said film.  I have seen Bond a few times before during TV various screenings.

The film "Spectre" gave a lot of problems to Bond fans with its somewhat forced plot and ties with the previous Craig films. Another problem with the film was that it almost seemed like the 50th Anniversary Bond offering and not Skyfall, with all of its homage to the previous films.

That may have been the problem in our case. As a result, some did not become fond of Bond after the said watch of "Spectre".

The film required its watchers to have still remembered most of the events, if not all, of all of Craig's past films. You would have to remember 2006's "Casino Royale" up until 2012's "Skyfall". From the eyes of a first-time Bond viewer, that would fail big-time. Only a long-time viewer of Bond would get the inevitable jokes and references that "Spectre" made.

Going back to the question, how do you make somebody want to binge watch the Bond film series?

As for me, I strongly think that you should start with a Bond film that very much followed the Bond formula, provided that they are also stand alone Bond films. Example films are 1964's "Goldfinger", 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me", and 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies".

Binge-watching the Bond film series will not be as hard as it once was after you have finished watching those three "basic" Bond films.

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