Scotland, ho!

During 2007, we watched the entire James Bond film series and also read several of the novels. Here is a chronology of the 007 movies and books:


Dr. No1962 Sean Connery
From Russia with Love 1963
Goldfinger 1964
Thunderball 1965
You Only Live Twice 1967
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 George Lazenby
Diamonds Are Forever 1971 Sean Connery
Live and Let Die 1973 Roger Moore
The Man with the Golden Gun 1974
The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
Moonraker 1979
For Your Eyes Only 1981
Octopussy 1983
Never Say Never Again 1983 (NOT EON) Sean Connery
A View to a Kill 1985 Roger Moore
The Living Daylights 1987 Timothy Dalton
Licence to Kill 1989
GoldenEye 1995 Pierce Brosnan
Tomorrow Never Dies 1997
The World Is Not Enough 1999
Die Another Day 2002
Casino Royale 2006 Daniel Craig
Bond 22 2008
Casino Royale (Spoof) 1967 David Niven, etc.

Ian Flemming Novels:
Casino Royale 1953
Live and Let Die 1954
Moonraker 1955
Diamonds Are Forever 1956
From Russia with Love 1957
Dr. No 1958
Goldfinger 1959
For Your Eyes Only 1960
Thunderball 1961
The Spy Who Loved Me 1962
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1963
You Only Live Twice 1964
The Man with the Golden Gun 1965
Octopussy & The Living Daylights 1966

Here are a few of our favorites (and least favorites) from the James Bond movies:

Top 3 Favorite Bond Movies:
Debi:
1. Casino Royale
2. From Russia with Love
3. License to Kill

David:
1. Casino Royale
2. The Spy Who Loved Me (a big influence on me in my elementary school years).
3. From Russia With Love

3 Least Favorite Bond Movies:
Debi:
1. The World is Not Enough
2. GoldenEye
3. Diamonds are Forever

David:
Yeah, I pretty much agree. I basically didn't like any of the Pierce Brosnan movies. I grew up with Roger Moore playing Bond but I'd read the novels, so the movies were entertaining but too cheesy to be taken seriously at this point. My father introduced me to the series with the best Bond (in my opinion), Sean Connery. Brosnan killed my interest in the series (don't know why so many people like him in the role) and I didn't see any of the films after Goldeneye, until Daniel Craig took over.
Least favorite:
1. The World is Not Enough
2. GoldenEye
3. Tomorrow Never Dies

3 Cheesiest Bond Movies:
Debi:
1. Moonraker
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. GoldenEye

David:
1. Live and Let Die - In spite of a great theme song, a cool plot, some scary ideas, and at least a tenuous link to the novels, this is where the cheese began. The boat chase could've been amazing (and was, for the most part), but the introduction of the Sheriff J.W. Pepper was more than "comic relief." It was hilarious at the time (it didn't take much to make us laugh back then - the 70's were a funny time) but watching it now, I wish they'd played it a little more straight. It was a good story. It was also strange to watch Bond's clumsy and misogynistic approach to any female that crossed his path. Back then, it worked - now it seemed horrific. Times have changed, thank god. Still, it was interesting to view what was perceived as "seduction" back then. No, really. It was kind of like that. I think (I was very young then, I don't know). Still, if you look at the media from the time...no wonder there were so many divorces.

2. The Man With the Golden Gun - if only for the inclusion of Sherrif J.W. Pepper

3. Die Another Day - Too little, too late. Pierce's Bond got tough enough to command "M" to let him do his job, but it seemed like the producers were throwing in so many references to past Bond films, that they knew this was to be the last. It just seemed too nostalgic. Luckily, it seems to have been the end of an era indeed. If the films following "Casino Royale" keep the wit, mood, and stark realism (for a Bond film anyway) of the new film, the series will definitely be reborn.

Top 3 Favorite Bond Stunts:
Debi:
1. Bungee jump in GoldenEye
2. Free running sequence in Casino Royale
3. Stepping on crocodiles in Live and Let Die

David:
1. Free running sequence / stair fight with machete (two-way tie) in Casino Royale
2. Bungee jump in GoldenEye (It was really done!)
3. Stepping on crocodiles in Live and Let Die - Ross Kananga did the stunt, stepping over four live crocodiles. You can see him perform it here. He almost ended up as dinner (like his father before him).

Top 3 Favorite Villians
Debi:
1. Christopher Walkin as Max Zorin in a View to a Kill
2. Christopher Lee as Scaramanga in the Man with the Golden Gun
3. Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez in License to Kill

David:
1. Christopher Walkin as Max Zorin in a View to a Kill - Christopher Walken!
2. Christopher Lee as Scaramanga in the Man with the Golden Gun
3. Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale - kinda like Bryan Ferry gone bad, but very convincingly menacing. The "but you are SO WRONG!" quote towards the end of the torture scene really drove the point of the movie home.

Top 3 Favorite Bond Theme Songs:
Debi:
1. For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton
2. You Know My Name by Chris Cornell
3. Thunderball by Tom Jones

David:
1. The Spy Who Loved Me by Carly Simon
2. You Know My Name by Chris Cornell
3. Goldfinger / Moonraker by Shirley Bassey (two-way tie)

Top 3 Favorite Bond Girls:
Debi:
1. Ursula Andress as Honey Rider in Dr. No
2. Jane Seymour as Solitaire in Live and Let Die
3. Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love

David:
1. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
2. Jane Seymour as Solitaire
in Live and Let Die / Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love (two-way tie)
3. Catherine Bach as Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me