Although short, this little scene from Casino Royale (2006) was a missed opportunity, in my opinion. Any changes wouldn’t be super significant, but it puzzled me as to why the writers didn’t inject a little more humor or sex appeal for Daniel Craig’s Bond in this interaction.
Read More»Looking at some random Bond movie clips yesterday, I saw two things that reminded me of the 90’s NBC sitcom Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce.
Read More»Well, there you have it. The character James Bond does, in fact, officially “know” the James Bond theme.
This short sequence from Octopussy (1983) is a good one, not only because Bond (Roger Moore) meets his cool India contact Vijay (Vijay Armitraj), but also because of the way they agree to identify each other. Obviously, when Bond meets a contact in a foreign country, they need to agree upon something to indicate the other that they are in fact who they say they are. Whether it be a handshake or a secret password – it really doesn’t matter. It just has to be something agreed upon during earlier communications.
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Pierce Brosnan as James Bond and presumably other 00 agents in The World Is Not Enough (1999)
So here’s an interesting shot from The World Is Not Enough. Bond and five others are being briefed about the plan to bring Robert King’s killer to justice, and are all given folders (presumably the famous “for your eyes only” folders) for their assignment for the mission. Everyone in the screenshot receives a folder, except Bond of course – as he has not been cleared by medical as a result of his broken collarbone.
So who are the others? 001 through 005? Remember – 006 (Alec Trevelyan) was killed in GoldenEye (1995) four years earlier.

Desmond Llewelyn as Q, his loud shirt as a fashion statement and Sean Connery as James Bond in Thunderball (1965)

Q and his awesome pineapple Hawaiian shirt from Thunderball (1965)
Leave it to the gadget man to make a fashion statement. The crazy pineapple shirt is fitting for a trip to Jamaica (along with his straw fedora)! I’d buy both if they were available for a good Bond themed Halloween costume…
I’ve always enjoyed this two scene sequence from Casino Royale (2006), a few issues notwithstanding.
Starting off at a celebratory meal between James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), they continue from previous scenes in flirtatiously building a friendly rapport. Bond is so satisfied with his poker win that he can hardly stop smiling. His tried-and-true shaken, not stirred vodka martini tastes so good he also decides to call it a Vesper in honor of his company.
Read More»This Guinness record-holding explosion from Spectre (2015) is just great. The filmmakers could have easily glossed over Swann and Bond’s exit or CGI’ed this explosion at Spectre headquarters, but instead they went above and beyond and made an absolutely memorable scene. Imagine the heat felt while filming!
Kudos to them for investing in a long setup process and a one-time payoff shot that continues the awesome legacy of the James Bond movie franchise!

Madeleine Swann and James Bond make their final explosive escape from Spectre headquarters in Spectre (2015)

Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo and Sean Connery as James Bond in Thunderball (1965)
“No it isn’t, is it?”
When I think of James Bond at his happiest, I think of this (very brief) scene from GoldenEye (1995) where Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) are in Cuba after escaping the cold Russian weather and treacherous train.
Seemingly without a care in the world, the couple travel in a BMW Z3 convertible in the beautiful Caribbean climate. The combination of the sweeping, delightful soundtrack, Natalya’s barely-there dress and blissful gaze to Bond as they drive through a luscious jungle-like setting would make anyone jealous. Bond conveys a similar joyous feeling to Natalya with a beaming smile. Heaven!
The feeling is short-lived, however, as the tricked-out Q Branch car picks up an airplane on radar that spoils the party – prompting Natalya to gripe about Bond’s track record while on the go.
Oh, well. It was good while it lasted!

Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) and James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) are relaxed in Cuba in GoldenEye (1995)