Category: Generic

Loaded

Dad’s camera is loaded with a roll of the cheapest film I could find. It fought me the whole way. It just wouldn’t stay on the track and roll on the roll. I’m guessing I flashed a bunch of shots, but we will have to see.

I took one picture of my beloved wife. I’ll wait for Halloween to take more, and that will probably be just a shot of the lit up pumpkin on the front step.

The film is ISO 100 which is super slow. I’m nervous that anything less than full sunlight is going to be too dark. Fortunately dad’s 50mm prime lens goes to f2 and let’s in a ton of light.

The Great James Bond Movie Rewatch of 2022 Update Again, Again

I went a little nuts yesterday. I cranked through three Bond movies. I probably should have stopped at two and, ya know, slept, but I didn’t and now we’re fully immersed in Roger Moore.

Diamonds are Forever is the worst Sean Connery movie by far. He had already given up the role once, but then came back and made a weak movie (though it’s still pretty good) and then left again. Why? I don’t know how old he was in 1971, but he seems a little older and slower in this one. He’s still the best, but there was a definite step back.

Live and Let Die sees the arrival of Roger Moore and brings a little spring back into James Bond’s step. It’s also the start of the Bond movies starting to feel like parodies of themselves. There are a lot of African American stereotypes here that are pretty uncomfortable to sit through these days, and we’re getting to the point where the stunts are less spectacular and more silly. The boat chase scene is about four hours too long and Sheriff Pepper… what the fuck, guys? It’s still a good movie but it’s not my favorite Moore appearance. I don’t know for sure if I have a favorite Moore movie. They are all kinda equal to me, and when I say equal I mean equally not as good as any of the seven movies that preceded them.

The Man with the Golden Gun is marginally better. Christopher “Count Dooku” Lee is a decent bad guy, though he doesn’t quite get as much screen time as I think he deserves. There’s another endless boat chase, and Sheriff Pepper comes back for not one but two scenes. Again… what the fuck, guys? If I never see that character again it will be too soon. I had completely forgotten that Christopher “Saruman” Lee was in this movie so it was a nice “surprise” for me. I also forgot about Maude Adams. I don’t know anything about her other than she played two Bond girls. She’s in this movie and eventually she plays Octopussy herself. I also forgot all about Hervé Villechaize. His fight seen at the end was embarrassing to watch, but otherwise he’s fine in this role. All in all it’s a decent Bond movie, but probably not that good of a movie all around. Pretty much the same as all Moore movies.

Up next is The Spy Who Loved Me, which makes me want to watch Roger Moore in Cannonball Run where he talks about starring in The Fly Who Bugged Me. Is this the one that introduces Jaws? I know he’s in Moonraker and I think he dies at the end, so this must be his first appearance. I think?

Okay, folks, nine flicks down and 16 to go. Here’s the updated list:

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) – Finished
    • Goldfinger (1964) – Finished
    • Thunderball (1965) – Finished
    • You Only Live Twice (1967) – Finished
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – Finished
  • Sean Connery (Again)
    • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Finished
  • Roger Moore
    • Live and Let Die (1973) – Finished
    • The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) – Finished
    • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
    • Moonraker (1979)
    • For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    • Octopussy (1983)
    • A View To A Kill (1985)
  • Timothy Dalton
    • The Living Daylights (1987)
    • License to Kill (1989)
  • Pierce Brosnan
    • GoldenEye (1995)
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
    • The World Is Not Enough (1999)
    • Die Another Day (2002)
  • Daniel Craig
    • Casino Royale (2006)
    • Quantum of Solace (2008)
    • Skyfall (2012)
    • Spectre (2015)
    • No Time to Die (2021)

Casualty of Halloween

I went grocery shopping tonight. I bought a pumpkin. You bet your sweet Halloween ass that I’m carving the shit out of a jack o lantern this year. That’s not what this story is about though.

I put all of the groceries into the trunk of my car. I made sure to put the pumpkin on one side and the eggs on the other. When I got home and popped the trunk I found that the pumpkin had rolled clear across the car and landed smack on the eggs. There was only one casualty of Halloween war. One egg, pumpkin-pulverized.

Rest in peace, my eggie friend. May the angels lead thee to paradise, or whatever passes for paradise to a chicken fetus.

Also, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a Christmas movie. 100%. Ho Ho Ho.

The Great James Bond Movie Rewatch of 2022 Update Again

I remember why I usually avoid You Only Live Twice, and I am not talking about the pretty racist and stereotypical depiction of everyone and everything in Japan. It’s Connery. He’s clearly bored. He clearly doesn’t want to be Bond anymore. I read an article about it last night that says his performance is so disinterested that it borders on unprofessional.

It’s still a pretty great Bond movie though. It just goes to show you that Connery is so freakin’ good that even when he mails it in and does a terrible job, he’s still great (see: Highlander).

So, five movies down. I started On Her Majesty’s Secret Service this morning during my faux walking. George Lazenby. Okay. In House of the Dragon there is a character who is often referred to as The Queen Who Never Was. That’s what I think of this movie. It’s the bad ass, monster classic Bond movie that could have been. If Connery or Daniel Craig played Bond in this movie we’d be talking about it as the best of them all. Hell, if Moore, Dalton, or Brosnan had played him we’d probably be saying the same. I am not trying to say that Lazenby is a bad actor. He’s fine. He’s just not really an actor and he doesn’t have the chops that Connery or Craig or any of the others have. He’s perfectly acceptable, he’s just not a commanding presence like the other guys.

Everything about that movie is great. Telly Savalas as Blofeld is perfect casting. Diana Rigg does what she always does and steals literally every scene she’s in. Imagine the sparks if she had been playing off of Sean Connery. Just imagine! There is no way on Earth he would have seemed bored when they were on screen together. Hell, if you want to see just how amazing Diana Rigg can be, watch Game of Thrones. I mean her last scene is so fucking incredible that it will burn itself on your soul forever. “Tell Cersei.” Enough said.

Here is the list as it stands now:

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) – Finished
    • Goldfinger (1964) – Finished
    • Thunderball (1965) – Finished
    • You Only Live Twice (1967) – Finished
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – In Progress
  • Sean Connery (Again)
    • Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
  • Roger Moore
    • Live and Let Die (1973)
    • The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
    • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
    • Moonraker (1979)
    • For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    • Octopussy (1983)
    • A View To A Kill (1985)
  • Timothy Dalton
    • The Living Daylights (1987)
    • License to Kill (1989)
  • Pierce Brosnan
    • GoldenEye (1995)
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
    • The World Is Not Enough (1999)
    • Die Another Day (2002)
  • Daniel Craig
    • Casino Royale (2006)
    • Quantum of Solace (2008)
    • Skyfall (2012)
    • Spectre (2015)
    • No Time to Die (2021)