Watching them all through Amazon Prime for the first time. They are some of the strangest blockbusters that make you wonder how anyone thought this was a good idea and yet I kind of dug it all the way through with how distinct and wild they are in trying to follow trends at the time. Roger Moore is smooth when he is needed and delivers a wink or two here like Bruce Campbell and being aware how crazy the situation is and going with it. Controversially I like the Roger Moore movies more than the Daniel Craig's so far in how much they keep my attention while not taking itself too seriously or bore me.Live and Let die - James Bond in a blaxsploitation film sounds like a disaster with voodoo, drug trafficking, and taking place in the exotic land of Louisiana. It's tongue and cheek, but nothing memorable about the villains or the plot, but it's kind of bizarre seeing it unfold in it's presentation. Jane Seymour is easy on the eyes. Probably has the funniest henchmen death turning into a balloon.Favorite action scene - jumping on shar.. i mean crocodiles to escapeThe Man with the Golden Gun - Kung Fu craze mixed with Christopher Lee and his famous overpowered N64 gun. Seeing Bond try Kung Fu isn't different when Sean Connery passed himself as Japanese and becoming a Ninja. Feels like a parody with Christopher Lee sporting a third nipple as traditionally deformed villain, a dwarf sidekick (the plane guy from Fantasy island), and probably the strangest plot regarding solar energy. Mary Goodnight as the bond girl and the best thing about her is that she's in a bikini most of the time, because the villain said so.Favorite action scene - The car bridge barrel stunt sans the whistle sound.The Spy Who Loved me - The most traditional and the classiest of the Roger Moore Era, but done with funky disco. The best film of the Roger Moore era sticking to the formula and executing the hell out of it with stunts and gadgets like the Lotus turning into a submarine and fighting off memorable villains like Jaws in order to prevent a nuclear war. Anya Amasova played by Barbara Bach is my favorite Bond girl of this era.Favorite action scene - Bond's ski escape complete with the union jack parachute jump.Moonraker - Bond goes to outer space to chase that Star Wars money complete with laser battles. Jumping the shark, but it's a lot of fun with how much everyone is having with the concept. Hugo drax plans to destroy earth while his master race of super models repopulate after (where would I sign up?) is quite a feat to get Bond into space. Surprising how the special effects hold up along with some interesting set pieces like the Moonraker lair set turning to zero gravity. Probably my favorite line from Q. " I think James is attempting reentry" as bond is doing his thing with Dr. Goodhead in zero gravity.Favorite Action scene- Skydiving with Jaws.For Your Eyes Only - This was forgettable with a decent stunt in between scenes, but nothing much to say except it's more serious than the previous entries to it's detriment in this case. Julien Glover is the villain, but doesn't get a chance to shine as much, Charles Dance appears and he's pretty cool as expected, James Bond talking to Margaret Thatcher is bizarre and I keep thinking what if it was Daniel Craig bond speaking with Boris Johnson, and an Archer subplot vibes with a potentially under age ice skater.Favorite action scene - Bond disposes a wheelchair bounded man by dropping him from a helicopter and down a chute. a shout out to the cliff fall scene though.Octopussy - A silly title, but the titular character is seductive as she is odd. I really like the chemistry between Octopussy and Bond while traversing India to stop a Nuclear Warhead from going off. Unfortunately I get some Kingdom of the Crystal Skull vibes with Tarzan yells while swinging vines and Bond (stick with me) disguising himself as a Circus Clown and putting on a Gorilla suit. Some nice troupe of beautiful women invading the villain lair is a nice change from military standards.Favorite action scene - Bond hangs off the plane that probably inspired Tom Cruise for Mission ImpossibleA View to a Kill - Christopher Walken is the Nazi genetically modified villain and Grace Jones as the Henchwoman? You got my attention... too bad the rest of the movie aren't up to par with them. This one has some strange music cues like when the beach boys entering during a decent action scene. Tanya Roberts from That 70s show is the main Bond girl and uhh yeah that was a surprise to me. You can tell Roger Moore is at the end of his rope being like 30 years older than Tanya and feeling less energetic in trying to keep up. Dolph Lungren cameo and a scene that Austin Powers directly lifts brings a smile to my face.Favorite action scene - Christopher Walken with an axe is scary, but on top of the Golden Gate bridge is even scarier.Overall, I'm glad I finally watched them all. A lot of the stunts and on location shoot can be exhilarating and amazing with how much effort they put into them. There are a nice surprises and the light tone keeps my attention with how silly it all is. Kind of a miracle of how many times this franchise jumps all over the place and endure for more than 50 years. I don't think in a post Austin Powers world we'll ever return to the campy era of Bond and that's ashame.TLDR - they are weird, bizarre, campy, inconsistent, and entertaining. They are worth checking out if you're curious about them. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2JN8Xxs
