The Inconsistent Writer

Reevaluating The Roger Moore Era (1973 - 1985) When we last left James Bond, he was having a difficult time defining his own genre.  Will he fair better now because I may be little more biased with these final two films? (These last two are my favorites.)  Will they be able to outrun (or even out-ski) the horrible disco and moog-synthesized music that plagued the remaining non-John Barry scored films? Let's find out! THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) Directed by Lewis Gilbert Written by Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum Ian Fleming (title only) Running Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes Original Verdict: A return to form... for the most part. The music is definitely showing it's disco era and the one-liners keep coming but the story is solid. Rating: 4 out of 5 . THE REEVALUATION With The Spy Who Loved Me , I finally have the sense that Roger Moore is completely comfortable in the shoes of his James Bond. It feels like this is his film . It also hasn't been heavily

Reevaluating the Roger Moore Era (1973 - 1985) When we last left James Bond, he didn't seem to age very well with time nor space. Let's see how he fairs with his first two entries instead... LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) Directed by Guy Hamilton Written by Tom Mankiewicz, Ian Fleming (novel) Running Time: 2 hours, 1 minute Original Verdict: After Connery turned down the then astronomical sum of $5.5 million to return as Bond, Roger Moore then enters the scene. Weird voo-doo surrounds the story-line as well as introduces to the rest of the world the undeniably gorgeous Jane Seymour as Solitaire, one of my Top 5 Bond Girls. Yaphet Kotto, who portrays Mr. Big / Kananga, stars as one of my favorite Bond villains as well as Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) as one of the better henchmen of the Bond Franchise. Includes one of the best James Bond songs performed by Paul McCartney. Rating: 4 out of 5 . I've been hard pressed to recall the last time I actually sat down an

Reevaluating the Roger Moore Era (1973 - 1985) When we last left James Bond... ehh, let's just cut right to the chase. Can Roger Moore's James Bond survive space or complete an application for AARP membership? We'll find out here soon enough... A VIEW TO A KILL  (1985) Directed by John Glen Written by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson Ian Fleming (story) Running Time: 2 hours, 11 minutes Original Verdict: If Moore wasn't showing his age before, he definitely is now. Even having Christopher Walken as the evil Max Zorin can't compete with the butch Grace Jones, Tanya "I scream too much" Roberts and a snowboarding Bond in the opening scene. It did, however, give us one of the better James Bond songs performed by Duran Duran. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 . THE REEVALUATION When I was a child, this one was one of my favorites. Just like the last post , I would venture a guess that it has been a good fifteen years since my last viewing. Some of M

Reevaluating the Roger Moore Era (1973 - 1985) When we last left James Bond, he had successfully created two films that had divided viewers and Bond fans alike. The running consensus was, "Dalton was the right man for the wrong film" or films, depending on how you looked at it... No matter how often I try to rewire my brain, if someone says James Bond, the first image that usually flashes through my mind is something pretty close to this: Thankfully, ever since the reboot of the franchise in 2006, sometimes it ends up being this: However, when I'm at my lowest, it ends up being one of these two: No matter which way you slice it, Roger Moore almost always beats the odds. I don't consider Roger Moore to be the best Bond, nor the worst. He is, however, the one I most Bond ed with as a child. Each Bond is a product of their time, and I judge each performance on the material they were given as well as the way they chose to play the character. Moore

Reevaluating the Dalton Era (1987 - 1989) When we last left James Bond he had successfully scaled the "cliffs of mediocrity." While each of his four films had made more money than the last, Brosnan failed to make an indelible mark on most viewers... James Bond films were an institution growing up in my house. Regardless of whether some elements were a bit risqué, I was never denied the ability to watch them as a child. These movies -- while filled with action, suspense, intriguing women, and mild violence -- were never portrayed as being gratuitous, so Bond was never off limits once I reached a particular age (somewhere between 8 and 10 most likely). That institution was Roger Moore. He was James Bond. If you were a boy growing up in the 70s and 80s that watched James Bond movies, then Roger Moore was your Bond. Sean Connery was also an institution, he just wasn't mine at that impressionable age. He was much more relevant to me when I was in high school and the ad

Reevaluating the Brosnan Era (1995 - 2002) When we last left James Bond, he was hanging off the "cliffs of mediocrity," hoping to regain his footing... I had taken the time to reexamine Pierce Brosnan's last two entries in the Franchise, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day . As most things can often change over time, that is exactly what happened with me re-watching these two films. Both films suffered from severely biased opinions and I have now have altered my judgment on both by giving them a second chance. Will I still be able to hold my tongue through Brosnan's first two films? Can I hold off judgment until the end credits role? Will I be able to remove my rose-colored glasses with GoldenEye and give it a proper and just evaluation? We will see... TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) Directed by Roger Spottiswoode Written by Bruce Feirstein Running Time: 1 hour, 59 minutes Original Verdict: A much weaker plot involving a deranged media mogul arr