James Bond 30-Day Challenge: Worst Gadget (Day 9)

With the emergence of Q as the one who would be responsible for the armory and items that Bond would use in the field, the gadgets filled with extreme subtlety in order to blend in everyday items also came into the surface of the James Bond movies. 

Q was first introduced in "Dr. No" wherein he supplied Bond the standard-issue Walther PPK. However, the character developed into a different designation, and actor starting with "From Russia With Love". From then on, it was established that Q would be supplying Bond different weaponry items that he would find conveniently useful for the film's plot. 

For 24 films, and one gadget per film at least, there ought to be the worst and the best ones. And depending on my preference, I'm going to choose my top pick for the Worst Bond Gadget. 

Although this was the main gadget for "Moonraker", I thought it was very risky to carry this around. Q gave Bond the "Wrist Dart Gun". It was very useful for Bond in the two out of three occasions that he fired it. One was when he was spinning endlessly in Drax's simulator and the other one was when he shot Drax into space, surrendering to the void. 

It would be very handy having this just having its downtime in your wrist. However, there would be the risk if firing it accidentally, or what is called unintentional discharge, since it would be fired through nerve impulses from the wrist muscles according to Q. 

That could be very dangerous having that concealed weapon in your wrist, ready-to-fire whenever your wrist muscles would feel the itch to do it, without even aiming at your target. 

I could be wrong about my perception of this. It was fun and very convenient for Bond but I thought it had its downsides. 

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.

MOVIE REVIEW: Dr. No Part 2

Welcome to the second part of the Dr. No movie review.

Bond is welcomed to Jamaica by an uninvited guest. Bond learns that the driver was not sent by the government, but was from the man who wanted Strangways dead. Bond tried to dig information from the driver, however, he sacrificed himself opting to be kept silent through a cigarette filled with cyanide poison.

Bond learns about Strangways’ colleagues in the island, the most notable one being Professor Dent who also tested Strangways’ samples from Crab Key. Now, Crab Key is a secluded portion where fishermen and the likes do not dare to come near. They were scared of the dragon that is guarding the place. (Bond will know later on that the dragon they are afraid of is just a mechanical robot dragon, perhaps placed by the mastermind of everything that has happened on the island.)

We also meet Felix Leiter, Bond’s friend and ally from the CIA. He will occasionally pop in and out of Bond movies, often played by different actors. In this film, he is almost equal to Bond. They both look cool, wearing suits on sunny beaches, neatly-combed hairs, and menacing physiques that complete the package of being the ultimate spy.

Being an ultimate spy can give you ultimate danger. James Bond is in deep trouble in Jamaica. The Three Blind Mice tried to have a shot at Bond, but for some reason, they did not try at all. Professor Dent becomes bothered by Bond’s investigations leading him to go to Crab Key himself, revealing the lair, and the voice of the main villain Doctor Julius No. We learn here that the doctor does not tolerate failures, which explains the cyanide death scene earlier. Dr. No gives dent the deadliest creature that can possibly end James Bond – 007, a tarantula.

Waking up to a tarantula

Of course, James Bond survives the tarantula with a help of a cartoon-like musical score.

The next few scenes are building up to probably the second best scene in this film – the cold-blood shooting of Bond at Professor Dent. Bond discovers that the secretary, Miss Taro, is working for Professor Dent. He arranges to meet up with her, making her believe that hey we’re going out on a date. Bond insists that they meet.

Before reaching Miss Taro’s house, Bond was disturbed again by the Three Blind Mice in an effort to finish the spy off. Bond survives the very first car chase of the series which, to be honest, has not dated well. It still looked magnificent and massive, though. Bond bangs Miss Taro and then, gives her to the police. He then waits for someone to reach Miss Taro. He has his suspicions proven right after seeing Professor Dent at the door.

Bond, being the spy that he is, creates a decoy on the bed and waits behind the door. Dent shoots the decoy, using up all of his bullets. Bond takes advantage as he says, “You’ve had your six.”

Shooting Dent

Bond, Leiter, and Quarrel, the fisherman friend of Strangways, meet up at the docks. Bond opted to go with Quarrel to help him reach Crab Key, the forbidden island. Reluctantly, Quarrel agrees despite his fear of the dragon. They wait up until the next morning before they make their move as Bond wakes up to the very first Bond girl’s song. 

Honey Ryder

Bond meets Honey Ryder who was looking for shells, while Bond was just looking, at her in her swimsuit. Who wouldn’t?

The next scenes do not do much except that Quarrel is burnt alive by the fire-breathing mechanical dragon, and Bond and Honey Ryder are caught leading to their stay in the Doctor No Hotel.

Yes. A hotel.

Dr. No and Bond

They are treated very well in the villain lair, complete with bed, bath, breakfast and new clothes for their dinner with Dr. No. Dr. No reveals that he is not alone in his evil schemes. He reveals that he is a part of the group SPECTRE – Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. Bond is not happy with his plan, so then he is locked up in a dungeon, or a room which is very escapable.

Bond foils Dr, No’s plan after a lousy fight due to Dr. No’s metal hands. Yes, he has metal hands. And as we go deep into the Bond movie franchise, you will get to know more villains who have physical irregularities.

Dr. No

Honey Rider rides with Bond at the end of the film away from their audience from the theaters, and their rescuers for privacy.

Do I like this film?

 Yes, no reason not to, but to be fair, this film has its flaws. Aside from its technical aspects, there are also scenes in the movie that can really be unaccepted by today’s audience. An example is when Bond tells Quarrel this, “Fetch my shoes.” And of course, another one is the womanizing antics of James Bond.

It is the perfect Bond movie to jumpstart the franchise, this film actually has the right ingredients. Not too much and not too dull. Shaken, not stirred.

This review will return with From Russia With Love.

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

MOVIE REVIEW: Dr. No Part 1

This is going to be good for all James Bond fans around the world, provided that this will reach them all. As we all wait for more news and, ultimately, the release of Bond 25, I am going to review all previous Bond films made by EON Productions.

Whatever that is going to be written here, they are all from my thoughts and does not represent any outside organization nor do they mean any harm to the beloved franchise. Needless to say, I love Bond but this is going to be as honest and factual as much as possible.

1962 Movie Poster

Let's start with Bond 1, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as James Bond - 007, Ursula Andress, and Joseph Wiseman as the titular Dr. No.

The film starts with a series of white dots appearing across the screen, only to reveal a mysterious man walking away and firing his handgun as he reached the middle. This is the gun barrel sequence that started it all. It started the movie, yes, but on its own, it started a tradition for the James Bond franchise. After that raw gun barrel sequence, we now go into the title sequence which features a sea of colorful dots and somewhat psychedelic couples dancing to the tune of the James Bond theme song composed by Monty Norman, and arranged by John Barry.

John Barry would then go on to compose songs for James Bond movies up until 1987’s The Living Daylights. He skipped some films though over the course of that period.

The film opens with an introduction to the Three Blind Mice, a group of assassins pretending to be, uhm, blind. They assassinate Commander Strangways and his secretary.

The film then shows the man with a license to kill, dressed in the finest clothes a man could, enjoying himself in a casino with the first Bond girl of the series, Sylvia Trench. During this moment, James Bond utters his most iconic line that is "Bond. James Bond."

However, Bond's affairs in the casino are soon ended as he is needed to report at Universal Export's headquarters, MI6's cover. There, he meets the armorer Major Boothroyd, M's secretary Miss Moneypenny, and M himself. M briefs Bond about the disappearance of Strangways and his secretary. His mission - to find out why, but fast!

In the film's first few minutes, we are already showered with various Bond elements and/or moments which we will still go on to see for the next 23 Bond films (25, if you want to include 1967's Casino Royale and 1983's Never Say Never Again).

Let's turn for a bit and see this list of Bond elements present in this first film.

1. Gun Barrel Scene. A fun fact for old and new Bond fans, it was not Sean Connery on this and the next two film's gun barrel scene. It was stuntman Bob Simmons who walked and fired the gun.

The first gun barrel sequence

2. Title Sequence. At that time, they could've made it a simple presentation of the films cast and crew. Thanks to Maurice Binder, that was not what happened and what we got was a unique take on presenting the title sequence.

3. Bond's Introduction. I personally think that Bond's "Bond. James Bond." is just a response to Trench's "Trench. Sylvia Trench." 

"Bond. James Bond."

4. Casino. Bond is regarded by M as a great card player in the novels by Ian Fleming. It is just right to see him play every once in a while and outsmart his opponents.

5. Bond Girl. Most of the time in the Bond series, the BG's are silly both in their characters as well as their names.

Bond and Honey Rider

6. The MI6 Trio (M, Q, Moneypenny) and the Mission Briefing. The great thing with this Bond element is that almost all action-thriller-adventure films have adapted this sequence. A problem surfaces, the main protagonist is then called up and is told of the mission. Just add bits of helpful pieces of equipment and a flirting secretary to spice things up.

Before I continue onto the movie, I just learned on the news that the very first cinematic Bond Girl Sylvia Trench actress Eunice Gayson has now passed away. Both Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have already released statements honoring the woman who played Miss Trench, Sylvia Trench.

Sylvia Trench

As my way of honoring her, let's pause for a bit, remember and pray for her. This will be continued on my next blog post which will be part 2 of this Dr. No movie review. 

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