Tag: Movies

We Didn’t Win

The bad news is we didn’t win 1.2 billion dollars in the Powerball lottery last night. The good news is no one else did either. I guess we just have to wait until Saturday for all of our financial fantasies to start coming true. That’s fine with me.

I weighed in yesterday morning, as usual for Wednesdays. I said I was going to weigh in on Friday (tomorrow) as well, as usually for the 4th of each month. Why then did I weigh in today as well?

Jen has this really cool Bluetooth enabled scale. She steps on the scale and it sends the result to an app on her iPhone, which then calculates a bunch of values including BMI, and then updates the Apple Health app. When all of this surgical fun started I had to buy a second scale because the groovy Bluetooth scale didn’t read anything above 350 pounds and I was over 450. I bought a scale that went up to 500 and I’ve used it ever since. Yesterday after I stepped on my scale, Jen asked me why I am not using the groovy Bluetooth scale. I didn’t have an answer.

Last night before bed I setup the app on my iPhone and used Jen’s scale for the first time. It told me I was up 0.8 pounds. Nope. No thank you. This morning when I woke up I stepped on the scale right away, which is how I do things on Wednesdays. It had me down 0.4 from my official weigh in yesterday. That’s better. From this point on, I am using the groovy Bluetooth scale. Tomorrow I will step on the scale again to celebrate the monthiversary and I will use that number to update my spreadsheet. Today’s number will not go on the spreadsheet. Today’s number is unofficial. This is the way. I have spoken.

While doing my morning trotting in place today I finished the forth and final Pierce Brosnan Bond movie, Die Another Day. It’s not awful, but it did feel a little too… Austin Powers-ish for comfort. The good news is, the next movie in line is Casino Royale, and that’s the single best non-Sean Connery Bond movie that exists. I’ll start that one at some point tonight and hopefully finish it in the morning. The Daniel Craig era is imminent.

My father is in the hospital. He went to the ER yesterday and was admitted last night. I don’t have any news. I’m seriously worried about him even though the rational part of me knows he’s going to be fine. My brother and sister were with him yesterday and will be with him today. If he’s still in the hospital tomorrow I’ll take over. I just let my boss know that I might need to be out. I should be all set. Now I just need some news, and I need to stop worrying.

For now though, back to work with you!

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

I have made so much progress on this idiotic Bond movie rewatch. Amazon Prime Video is dropping the whole series on Friday (I think). I have all of the Daniel Craig movies, except for the most recent one, on iTunes so I need to get through Pierce Brosnan before Amazon fails me. I can do it. Probably with time to spare. Why? Because I blew through FIVE movies since the last post. Woah!

A View to a Kill is the final Roger Moore movie, thankfully. I think he was probably 85 years old (kidding) and it shows. Christopher Walken plays a decent psycho, but he’s a little over the top. Was he trying to make up for the rest of the cast? Probably. Grace Jones… eh. Sorry. Tanya Roberts… ugh. The chase scene with the fire engine is ridiculous but fun. Over all I think it was better than I remembered it, but it’s not very good. There’s nothing overtly bad about it, there just isn’t much to work with.

The Living Daylights is one of my all time favorites. I freakin’ love that movie. Timothy Dalton brings a little menace back to the roll without taking it too far. I think this is the first Bond movie that I was aware of at the time of it’s release, and I clearly remember people trashing it because Bond only bangs one Bond girl. Aids was in full terror mode and the idea of sexual promiscuity was something society was trying to avoid. Hence only one sexual partner for ol’ 007. I didn’t have a problem with it then and I don’t have a problem with it now. The movie is just great. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I hoped I would. In a historical context, rooting for the Afghan resistance knowing that one of those fighters would grow up to be Osama Bin Laden is uncomfortable at best, but they do stick it to the commies, so I guess it’s okay.

Licensed to Kill was better than I remembered, but still not as good as Living Daylights. The bad guy was kind of annoying rather than scary. We’re sort of back into bad stereotype land with this one. Its a good movie but not on my all time greats list. Wayne Newton though? Huh? The worst part of the movie for me is knowing that it’s the end of Timothy Dalton’s reign. We hardly knew ye, oh T-Dal.

Goldeneye is another one of the greats. Pierce Brosnan, on paper, is the perfect Bond actor. It doesn’t turn out that way in the end, but with this movie on it’s own? Perfect. Everything about this movie works for me. Absolutely everything. Sean Bean is great, Famke Jenson (did I spell that right?) is way over the top but not too annoying. The computer nerd hits a little too close to home for your humble computer nerd blog post writer, but that’s okay. The chase scene with the tank would have been stupid if Roger Moore had been driving but Brosnan somehow pulls it off. This is another that goes on my short list of favorite Bond movies.

Tomorrow Never Dies… I didn’t hate it. It’s not terrible. It does feel way too spoofy. In general I just don’t like Jonathan Pryce. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s very good at his job (go watch Brazil, or Game of Thrones, or Whose Line is it Anyway), I just don’t really care for him. I don’t know anything about the craft of acting so I can’t tell you why, I just don’t like him. Brosnan is okay here, but kind of blah over all. The Chinese agent, who is played by the former captain on Star Trek Discovery who is also in all sorts of things these days but whose name always escapes me (sorry) is really good. I think my big issue is the stealth boat. I have read quite a bit of Tom Clancy and if my memory is correct, stealth planes work not so much because of what they are made out of as their shape, or it’s a combination in some way. The boat was just huge. Radar probably should have seen something, but even that’s not my beef. Navy battleships will have sonar, and with the stealth boat floating on top of the water, the battleship’s sonar would absolutely have picked up the waves sloshing off the side of the boat. I found the invisible boat floating on top of the water too unbelievable to deal with. Had it been a submarine I would have been okay with it, but it’s not. It’s the friggin’ Titanic. Oh well.

There, I am all caught up now. Two more Brosnans and five Craigs to go. I started The World is Not Enough this morning. The last three Brosnans almost feel like new movies to me. I have probably only watched them once or twice, unlike Goldeneye which I’ve seen 100 times. Same with the four most recent Craig movies (one of which I have not seen at all). This should be interesting. Now here is the updated status bar:

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) 95% – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) 97% – Finished
    • Goldfinger (1964) 99% – Finished
    • Thunderball (1965) 85% – Finished
    • You Only Live Twice (1967) 74% – Finished
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 81% – Finished
  • Sean Connery (Again)
    • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 63% – Finished
  • Roger Moore
    • Live and Let Die (1973) 65% – Finished
    • The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) 40% – Finished
    • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) 81% – Finished
    • Moonraker (1979) 59% – Finished
    • For Your Eyes Only (1981) 69% – Finished
    • Octopussy (1983) 42% – Finished
    • A View To A Kill (1985) 37% – Finished
  • Timothy Dalton
    • The Living Daylights (1987) 73% – Finished
    • License to Kill (1989) 79% – Finished
  • Pierce Brosnan
    • GoldenEye (1995) 80% – Finished
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) 56% – Finished
    • The World Is Not Enough (1999) 51% – In progress
    • Die Another Day (2002) 56%
  • Daniel Craig
    • Casino Royale (2006) 94%
    • Quantum of Solace (2008) 64%
    • Skyfall (2012) 92%
    • Spectre (2015) 63%
    • No Time to Die (2021) 83%

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone! I can’t believe October is ending. What the hell, time?

I took today off. Partly because of the use-it-or-lose-it time off thing at work, but also because we have a contractor coming today. The window for expected arrival is 8:00am to noon. I got up early and did my exercise and had everything done before 8:00. I am kinda proud of myself. I did another 40ish minutes of running in place and hit a simulated, estimated five miles. Absolutely insane. My calorie goal is at 99% already and it’s only 9:07.

I didn’t catch last night’s episode of The Walking Dead on live TV so I watched it this morning while “running.” It’s always fitting to watch a new episode on Halloween. The show debuted on Halloween after all. 12 years ago. Insane.

No word from the contractor yet. He’s coming to measure our windows. They are going to be replaced eventually and this is just the next step. My father isn’t well right now and I will be going to check in on him this afternoon. I just don’t know when. Jen is working so to kill time while I wait for the window guy I’m picking off some more James Bond. I may be past the brief Timothy Dalton era at some point this morning. I am watching License to Kill right now. I remember this one being a little on the weak side but it seems okay so far. I forgot all about the very, very young Benicio Del Toro. I also forgot that they brought back an old Felix Leiter actor. I used to think it was the original actor but I looked it up and it’s not. It’s the original Roger Moore era actor. Also, I think I forgot about Wayne Newton too. Wayne Newton? Bless your heart. Jen’s working today so I am wearing headphones through the Apple TV. The sync is a little off, but I’ll live.

I am afraid I am not going to be here for trick or treating tonight. I was really looking forward to pretending I was part of society again. Jen and I talked about it. If I’m at my dad’s during trick or treat time I will be one of those wimps who puts a bowl of candy on the steps and lets the kids help themselves. Better than nothing, I guess.

It’s 9:28. Still no word from the contractor. Sigh. I was hoping we’d get through this early today, but what can you do?

Once again, Happy Halloween, everyone. BOO! Scared ya, didn’t I?

Saturday Morning

I slept late today. I didn’t get up until almost 8:00am. The temperature outside at that time? 31 degrees. Shit. Winter is here.

I did my morning exercise before breakfast today. Over the last couple of weeks I have been walking in place for a bit then running in place for a bit and alternating until I hit about 5k in simulated distance. Yesterday I just ran the whole thing About 32 minutes, I think. Today I did the same except I actually used the indoor run workout in the workout app instead of the indoor walk setting. I went a little over my distance goal so that I could get up to 700 calories. I ended up at four miles (simulated). My feet and my calves are hurting, but I feel like I accomplished something.

The plan for today is another small kitchen improvement project, a visit to my mother, and a visit to my father. Beyond that, I don’t know for sure. Guitar, I hope. Bond movies, I assume. I want to watch yesterday’s That Pedal Show but the topic is a Boss pedal and I don’t really like Boss pedals, generally speaking.

I just stumbled over the new clock app in the new MacOS. I opened the clock on my phone and it came up on the laptop as a handoff. Sweet. Now I can track my time between bites on my computer instead of my phone.

I started a Bond movie while doing my faux running today. A View to a Kill. The last Roger Moore. It’s better than I remembered it, but it’s not very good. Christopher Walken as the bad guy. Can he play the bad guy in every Bond movie going forward? That would be fun.

I haven’t done my pick for the World Series post yet. Game one was last night. No spoilers on my pick, but the Phillies won and I am happy. I’ll do the real post later today. The UMass Lowell Riverhawks won too, and the Bruins are off to their best start in 10000 years at 8-1-0 after another win last night. I failed to watch/listen to either game, but I followed the scores as best I could. It was the first time I didn’t listen to at least a few minutes of either team’s game. Oh well.

Last night Jen and I both threw our names into the hat to be beta testers for Jack Dorsey’s new social network, Bluesky Social. Over the last year or so this page has been the only sort of social networking service that I’ve really been using. Actually, that isn’t entirely accurate. I stopped using Facebook and I’ve nearly stopped using Twitter, but I still use Flickr and lately I’ve been using the Flickr Groups more than normal and all of that counts as a social network. I have no idea what Bluesky Social is going to entail, but if it lets me thumb my nose at Musk and Twitter a little then sign me up.

Okay, time to wrap this post up. Bond and Tanya Roberts just stole a fire engine and jumped a draw bridge and that’s not cartoonish at all, right?

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

Okay, where did I leave off last time I did an update post? Right, I had just watched The Man with the Golden Gun. I have watched four more movies since then. All with Roger Moore.

The Spy Who Loved Me is okay. It’s not great, it’s not bad. Jaws is kinda dumb, but at least they play him as a serious villain. He’s cartoony, but not too cartoony. That will change in the next movie. I remembered Barbara “Mrs Ringo Starr” Bach being terrible, and she sure wasn’t great, but she was better than I remembered. The bad guy wasn’t very interesting and the plot to take over the world and move it underwater was pretty lame. All in all, not a terrible Bond movie, but probably a pretty terrible movie movie, you know what I mean?

Moonraker is just stupid. So very stupid. It was 1979. Two years after Star Wars redefined the movie experience. Hey, let’s send Bond to space! I have to imagine there was a massive amount of cocaine being used during the development process. There’s really no other way to explain this movie. The special effects are laughably bad at times and it’s not hard to tell that most if not all of the cast knew what was going on. The worst part, for me, is Jaws. It’s beyond stupid. He falls out of a plane and flaps his arms. What the hell? Just a terrible movie.

For Your Eyes Only surprised me. Is this the best of the Roger Moore movies? I think it might be. It’s almost like they tried to reset things after the mess that was Space Bond and just made a straight forward good movie. The figure skater is kind of annoying and really doesn’t add anything to the story, other than demonstrating that James Bond probably isn’t a pedophile. Roger Moore is pretty good. The principal Bond Girl is pretty good. The bad guy is pretty good. The twist with the guy you thought was a bad guy thing was pretty good. It’s no Sean Connery movie, but it’s a pretty good Bond movie. …and it’s got Tywin Lannister! He didn’t have any lines, but there was that moment when you thought he was going to say something but… nope.

Octopussy was my first Bond movie. When we first got cable it was on HBO or one of the other movie channels constantly. I probably saw it a thousand times. It was out at the same time as the non-official Connery movie, Never Say Never Again (which was just a remake of Thunderball) and they both hit the cable networks at the same time and they both ran constantly and together they turned me into a James Bond fan. Well, that and my father telling us how the James Bond story was based on his life before he met my mother. It’s a long story. Anyway, the movie is pretty crummy. Roger Moore telling the wild tiger to SIT! is pretty much the only redeeming quality. Roger Moore was way too old at this point. I really didn’t remember that, but watching it last night it hit me like a brick to the face. Bam, he looks old. Connery in Diamonds are Forever was also too old, but it seems more of a problem here. I’m curious how it’s going to play out in the next movie, given that Moore is still there. We’ll see.

So that’s the update. Now here’s the list as it stands now… and I think I am going to throw the Rotten Tomatoes score onto the list as well, just for fun. 13 movies down and 12 to go. I’m half way there!

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) 95% – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) 97% – Finished
    • Goldfinger (1964) 99% – Finished
    • Thunderball (1965) 85% – Finished
    • You Only Live Twice (1967) 74% – Finished
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 81% – Finished
  • Sean Connery (Again)
    • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 63% – Finished
  • Roger Moore
    • Live and Let Die (1973) 65% – Finished
    • The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) 40% – Finished
    • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) 81% – Finished
    • Moonraker (1979) 59% – Finished
    • For Your Eyes Only (1981) 69% – Finished
    • Octopussy (1983) 42% – Finished
    • A View To A Kill (1985) 37%
  • Timothy Dalton
    • The Living Daylights (1987) 73%
    • License to Kill (1989) 79%
  • Pierce Brosnan
    • GoldenEye (1995) 80%
    • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) 56%
    • The World Is Not Enough (1999) 51%
    • Die Another Day (2002) 56%
  • Daniel Craig
    • Casino Royale (2006) 94%
    • Quantum of Solace (2008) 64%
    • Skyfall (2012) 92%
    • Spectre (2015) 63%
    • No Time to Die (2021) 83%

Down the Tubes Day

I overslept a bit and threw off my schedule for my day off today. Then, as I was trying to get back on track, my scrambled eggs breakfast disagreed with my stomach and threw me off more.

I am punting on the haircut, and probably the guitar playing too. Early voting, grocery shopping, and pumpkin carving are still on the table. Some Bond movie silliness too. I don’t know if Moonraker is the worst Bond movie, but it’s sure the dumbest so far.

Okay, time to see if I can get through those scrambled eggs in one piece. Wish me and my rebuilt digestive system luck.

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)

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)

The Great James Bond Movie Rewatch of 2022 Update

Did I read correctly that Amazon Prime Video is dropping the Bond movies in two weeks? I need to get cracking then!

Here’s the latest update. Goldfinger is as awesome as awesome gets. Sean Connery is the best Bond without question. I mean, Daniel Craig is fantastic as Bond, Roger Moore is iconic, but Connery just IS James Bond. Period. The best there is and the best there ever will be.

I finished Thunderball last night. It is a great movie, but probably not up to Goldfinger’s new standard. It’s the forth movie and the first that isn’t better than the previous movies. I still stand by From Russia with Love being my favorite, but I can’t say anything negative about Goldfinger and the only negative thing I can say about Thunderball is that it isn’t Goldfinger. It’s almost like that movie was just a technical challenge. Can we film a full battle scene underwater? Let’s find out. My favorite part of the big fight at the end is Bond with the jet pack thingie on his back, booking it through the battle and just reaching out and pulling masks off bad guys. Just, excuse me, pardon me.

Up next is You Only Live Twice. I haven’t watched that movie in 100 years. I remember it being good but not quite up to the standard. It’s the first clear step back, but it’s still a good one. We’ll see if my memory is accurate.

Until next time, here is my updated status bar:

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) – Finished
    • Goldfinger (1964) – Finished
    • Thunderball (1965) – Finished
    • You Only Live Twice (1967)
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
  • 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)

The Great James Bond Movie Rewatch of 2022

I had been thinking about it for a while. Over the last month or so there have been a ton of television shows that I have been following closely. For the most part I watch new episodes while doing my morning walkies and that’s how I stay caught up. Most of those shows have ended now so I was thinking of what I could watch in their place (until the next round of must-see shows kicks off).

I started watching the first Hobbit movie but it wasn’t really holding me. I’ll get back to it, but I needed something more engaging. The answer to my conundrum? Bond movies. All of them. It should take me months to finish. Yeah, Bond movies will be the ticket.

I started The Great James Bond Movie Rewatch of 2022 last night with Dr. No. The first official Bond flick and Sean Connery’s debut. I forgot how mean he was in this movie. He’s pretty brutal for 1962 as well. He just plain murders that geologist dude, including a second insurance shot in the back. Blood thirsty.

During today’s walkies I started From Russia with Love. I didn’t get terribly far into it. I think it’s safe to say that Goldfinger is the template for all Bond movies that followed it, but for me personally, From Russia with Love might be my favorite of them all. It’s still a spy movie first and foremost. With Goldfinger they start devolving into fantasy action movies rather than spy movies. I don’t know. I love them all, and Goldfinger is easily one of the best, but there is just something about From Russia with Love that really works for me.

As with the Marvel rewatch I did a few months ago, I will keep an updated list of the movies as I watch them because… it’s my page and I can do whatever I want, dig? Note, I am not including the unofficial movies. I don’t acknowledge that the spoof version of Casino Royale exists (sorry, Woody Allen), and the final Connery appearance in Never Say Never Again was not made by the same studio and is just a remake of Thunderball. It’s a good movie and I might tack it on to the end, but it’s not official so it’s not on the list.

Here is the full list of Bond movies, in order of release:

  • Sean Connery
    • Dr. No (1962) – Finished
    • From Russia with Love (1963) – In progress
    • Goldfinger (1964)
    • Thunderball (1965)
    • You Only Live Twice (1967)
  • George Lazenby
    • On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
  • 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)