From Russia With Love

From Russia With Love (PG)

Grade: A+

• Directed by: Terrence Young
• Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli
• Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum and Johanna Harwood.  Based on From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
• Starring: Sean Connery (James Bond), Daniela Bianchi (Tatiana Romanova), Pedro Armendariz (Kerim Bay), Lotte Lenya (Rosa Klebb), Robert Shaw (Donald "Red" Grant), Bernard Lee (M), Walter Gotell (Morenzy), Vladek Sheybal (Kronsteen), ? (Ernst Stavro Blofeld), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny,  Desmond Llewelyn (Q), Eunice Gayson (Sylvia Trench)
• Cinematographer: Ted Moore
• Music by: John Barry
• Studio: Eon Productions
• Distributed by: United Artists
• Released: October 10, 1963 (London), October 11, 1963 (UK)
• Running Time: 115 minutes/1 hour and 55 minutes
• Language: English

"There's a saying in England: Where there's smoke, there's fire."

-James Bond

When James Bond says the quote above, he's in a speedboat being chased by bad guys.  Things don't look good for him, until he shoots a flare gun at oil drums he dropped, causing a fire, which engulfs the surrounding water.  Yes, the scene has all of that, but "From Russia With Love" has so much more compared to the previous Bond film "Dr. No".  It has love, introduction to gadgets, and best of all, memorable villains who are worthy to our hero.  The first time I saw "From Russia With Love" as a child, I didn't like it, but now that I'm older, I think it's one of, if not, the best James Bond film.

"From Russia With Love" is about revenge, at least in the beginning.  The villainous organization SPECTRE has a plan to get back at James Bond for a past vendetta.  Number 1 is the leader of the organization, and hires Number 3 and Number 5 for the assignment.  Number 5 (Kronsteen), is a chess master who has planned out every possible outcome, while Number 3 (Klebb) has to run his plan.  Their plan is to lure James Bond with a Lektor decoding machine, which is an object the British Secret Service and CIA have wanted for years.  As expected, Bond takes the job, but when Tatiana Romanova is set up as well, sparks fly and things get difficult, especially with a killer following them.

Sean Connery is still top notch as 007, but he's not alone.  In my opinion, the whole cast is great in this movie.  Vladek Sheybal looks the part of a chess master, Lotte Lenya really looks like an evil old woman, and Number 1?  Well, we don't see his face in this film, but his presence is felt by his actions, and of course, the white cat he always holds.  Along with the villains though, there's Daniela Bianchi and Pedro Armendariz as Bond's allies.  They get significantly more screen time, so we see their relationship with Bond evolve, which is a strange, yet wonderful sight to see.  

That's what I think is so great about "From Russia With Love".  Yes, it came out a long time ago, but it set the early standard for what Bond films would eventually have.  It has a pre-title sequence, gadgets, stunts, and villains, but the plot isn't ridiculous or video gamey like some of the later Bonds will be.  The relationship with Bond and Tatiana is also wonderful because we see how much they care for each other, which makes us root for them, and keeps us glued to the screen.

Bond fans everywhere will have different opinions on who the best Bond is, and what the best film in the series is, but if you ask me, it's "From Russia With Love".  Like I said before, it's not something I always thought, but re-watching it again, I saw myself being caught up in the love affair the was 007.  I may not know all there is about films, but I know what I like, and "From Russia With Love" is one of those films.

Dr. No

Dr. No (PG)

Grade: A-

• Directed by: Terence Young
• Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli
• Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkley Mather.  Based on Dr. No by Ian Fleming
• Starring: Sean Connery (James Bond), Ursula Andress (Honey Ryder), Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No), Jack Lord (Felix Leiter), Bernard Lee (M), Anthony Dawson (Professor Dent), John Kitzmiller (Quarrel), Zena Marshall (Miss Taro), Eunice Gayson (Sylvia Trench), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny) 
• Cinematographer: Ted Moore
• Music by: Monty Norman
• Studio: Eon Productions
• Distributed by: United Artists
• Released: October 5, 1962
• Running Time: 109 minutes/1 hour and 49 minutes
• Language: English

"Bond...James Bond"

-James Bond

The first time I remember being exposed to James Bond 007, was when I was a child reading Ian Fleming's novels.  My dad had a huge volume of his works, so I read them all at school, or whenever I had spare time.  I didn't understand anything since the dialogue was too intricate for my young mind, but after being exposed to James Bond, I knew I would never forget the name.  Then one Saturday night, out of nowhere, I saw "Dr. No" on ABC.  I was confused because the film was nothing like I pictured it, but I watched it anyways, starting a love affair that still continues to this day.
  

"Dr. No" starts off with a British Intelligence Station Chief named Strangways, who gets ambushed and killed in Jamaica.  After British Secret Service gets news of this, they send their best Agent, James Bond 007, to Jamaica to investigate what happened.  He doesn't find much at first, but with clever tactics, he finds that everything leads to Crab Key and the mysterious Dr. No. 

I realize that I didn't say much about the plot, but that's only because not much happens in the "Dr. No".  I know that seems hard to believe, considering what all the recent Bond films have been like, but that's really the case.  It's the first film, so it's likely the filmmakers were just trying to get a feel for the series, and the Bond formula we're all so accustomed too.  Despite being unlike modern Bond films, there is a car chase, fight scene, and beautiful women, including the beautiful Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder.

The star of the film though is Sean Connery.  No doubt, we all know what a great actor he is now, but back then, he was basically unknown besides a few roles.  In fact, he was so unlike Ian Fleming's depiction of Bond, that he was almost passed over until fate changed things.  Everyone has their own preference of Bond, but true fans will always know Connery is the best.  He's sexy, suave, smooth, charming, but at the same time, you know he's knowledgeable and can kick your ass.  Not to mention, his dialogue and accent play well to the character, and he has unbelievable chemistry with everyone in the cast as they'll tell you.  "Dr. No" has some memorable moments, but none more memorable than this one (which reminds me of how Alfred Hitchcock introduces characters in some of his films).

The immortal introduction and soundtrack

So overall, "Dr. No" is a good Bond film.  Not great compared to "From Russia With Love" or "Goldfinger" because the villain doesn't appear much in the film (among some other small flaws), but it's a good introduction to the franchise.  I know some of you are wondering why I gave such a high grade to a "good" film, but my answer is because of the way the film made me feel then, and how it makes me feel now.  After seeing "Dr. No" as a child, I was obsessed with Bond to the point that I played James Bond at the playground more than tag.  Because I'm older, I'm not as addicted to Bond as I was then, but I still love it, and wish I could be him (or at least Sean Connery for that matter).  I know that's impossible, but I can still dream, and "Dr. No" was the first film to get me started on that.  The James Bond franchise may be 50 years old now, but "Dr. No" shows the attraction people have to him, and why he still matters to film lovers everywhere.    

Bond, James Bond: My 7 Favorite And Worst Theme Songs

I just got my copy of the Best Of Bond...James Bond CD in the mail today from Amazon.  Usually, I never buy CD's since I love movies more, but $9 for all the James Bond theme songs (besides Skyfall) was too good a deal to pass up.  As I was listening through the whole CD, I was amazed at how I remembered all the theme songs, which movies they came from, etc.  There were a lot of theme songs I really liked, but there were also some I also really disliked, so I feel prompted to do another bunch of lists.  In honor of 007 himself, here are my 7 favorite and worst theme songs, which was tough to make with all the criteria I could have used, but I just ranked them based on how they made me feel, so there's no writing this time.  Just enjoy the music.

Now, here are my 7 favorite songs...

7. Live And Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings from Live And Let Die

6. Thunderball by Tom Jones from Thunderball

 5. The World Is Not Enough by Garbage from The World Is Not Enough

 4. Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey from Goldfinger

  3. For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton from For Your Eyes Only

 2B. James Bond Theme by the Monty Norman Orchestra from Dr. No

2A. On Her Majesty's Secret Service Theme by the John Barry Orchestra from On Her Majesty's Secret Service

1. Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon from The Spy Who Loved Me

I know I cheated and have 8 songs on that list, but I couldn't leave off the definitive theme song of the series, so forgive me.  All these songs sound great, but now, here are the 7 theme songs that I think are the worst...

7.  Tomorrow Never Dies by Sheryl Crow from Tomorrow Never Dies

6. From Russia With Love by Matt Munro from From Russia With Love

5. The Man With The Golden Gun by Lulu from The Man With The Golden Gun

4. Another Day to Die by Jack White & Alicia Keys from Quantum of Solace

  3. Die Another Day by Madonna from Die Another Day

 2. The Living Daylights by a-Ha from The Living Daylights

1. A View To A Kill by Duran Duran from A View To A Kill