In this 30 second interstitial scene from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), we catch the rare sight of James Bond, 007 drinking shots of vodka. And warm ones at that! Yuck!
While James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) recovers from the brawl at the Carver Media Group Network (CMGN) event, he apparently can’t find the time to mix up a traditional vodka martini, shaken not stirred. Instead, he opts for the quick numbing effects of Smirnoff vodka shots, after which ensuring the silencer is properly attached to his Walther PPK. As one does.
You may remember that Bond rips shots of tequila in Skyfall (2012) with his scorpion friend, but I think this is the only time we see him take vodka shots in the entire series. Salut!
James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) rips shome warm shots of Smirnoff vodka (yuck!) in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The nerd in me likes when the title of a movie is explicitly stated in the movie itself, like in this scene from A View To A Kill (1985).
As Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) and Mayday (Grace Jones) get a bird’s eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, CA from the Zorin blimp, they call out the name of the movie in this quick exchange. To this day, I *still* don’t really think it’s that great of a movie title, or quote in this context, but it’s still cool, I guess.
These psychopaths are hyped for the great view of a city they are about to destroy, which is a bit morbid. And Mayday’s look here, as in all of her scenes is…something. And here, her over-accentuated eye shadow and misplaced painted-on “mean” eyebrows are fitting for the lunatic these two are.
Well, here it is. The actual “view to a kill” from A View To A Kill (1985)
It really is a great view of the city, though. And of course, who can forget the shot of Zorin’s eponymous blimp in the same frame as the Golden Gate bridge – an iconic shot of the series, for sure!
Zorin’s blimo next to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA in A View To A Kill (1985)
In this scene from Dr. No (1962), James Bond (Sean Connery) does his best crime scene investigator impression, and let’s just say – an episode of C.S.I. or The First 48 it is not.
Read More»
James Bond (Sean Connery) mentions this weird item in a saying I’ve never heard of in Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Leading up to this quote, Bond is gassed and captured by Blofeld after breaking into his penthouse. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd get a second shot of disposing of James Bond (hence their “try, try again” musing), transporting an unconscious 007 to a desert construction site. It’s another scene where Wint and Kidd just feel creepy, with odd mannerisms and curt interactions. They seem to be laughing and almost giddy as they drive to dispose of Bond’s body. Are they high?!
Read More»
Q (Ben Whishaw) errs on the side of caution this time when handling a USB drive in No Time To Die (2021). The last time he flippantly connected one to a computer, a worm infected and spread into MI6’s computer network with disastrous effects in Skyfall (2012).
So this time around, Q ensures that he first attempts to access the unknown-origin USB via his “sandbox” computer – one that is completely isolated from his network and not connected to the outside world.
Read More»
I like this quick quote from Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto) in Live And Let Die (1973) – short and sweet, to the point. “Any cost. Any. Bond must die.” It sums up his desperation and desire to kill Bond. I think most of Bond’s foes would agree with the sentiment.
Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto) shows his frustration with James Bond in Live And Let Die (1973)
This is a great montage scene of James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) life away from MI6 in Skyfall (2012). It seems fun at first, if not eventful, but we quickly get the feeling that Bond’s escapades ring hollow. I particularly like how there is zero dialogue in the montage, no matter the situation. A tryst with a girl, a lively drinking game (with a weird-looking obviously CGI-ed scorpion on his hand, no less…it couldn’t have been something else? also shout out to Michael G. Wilson’s son Gregg making a cameo) or “the next day” – Bond is alone with his thoughts, and he obviously hates it.
Read More»
Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper’s (Eva Green) budding relationship hits a snag in this scene from Casino Royale (2006) when they arrive at their hotel. Bond snarkily blows his own cover to the receptionist when checking in, angering a by-the-book Vesper who doesn’t want to make any mistakes.
Read More»
It seems to me that in Thunderball (1965), whenever there’s little to no dialogue or when the iconic hazy, lazy elevator music plays, it’s always an enjoyable scene. That’s not to say that the music in question here is poor – I actually think it’s catchy and I get the melody stuck in my head after a viewing and get a bit drowsy the more I hum it to myself. I think it perfectly encapsulates the laid-back Caribbean setting of the movie, alongside its sinister villain. And this scene is a perfect example of that.
It starts out with Bond arriving at his hotel, where the receptionist (like most) is smitten – so much so that they show a second shot of her adoring face as Bond leaves! Bond skips his room and heads to Paula Caplan’s, where he checks his previously set up hollowed-out book recording device. The harpsichord (I think that’s the instrument at least…) part of this music gets me every time! Love it!
Read More»
*THIS* is how you end a James Bond movie!
The ending of Casino Royale (2006) is nearly flawless. It’s a perfect finale to a new actor’s first James Bond movie – it’s in a beautiful setting (Lake Como in Italy – ooooh!), has the element of surprise, Bond has a badass, big machine gun (umm silencer anyone??), the traditional “Bond. James Bond.” intro (finally!) And then the piece de resistance: the blaring James Bond theme, which I will happily listen to throughout mindless scrolling end credits in a heartbeat.
It felt like an absolute triumph in the theater and I left with a pep in my step. So awesome!
James Bond (Daniel Craig) introduces himself at the end of Casino Royale (2006)
