Been watching a Bond movie a night. It’s amazing how variable the quality is. They are like the opposite of a RomCom. The girls are completely unable to resist his charms, although a couple do manage for about ten minutes. Nobody holds out long enough to gain anything from it.
I haven’t been watching them chronologically, I am watching “You Only Live Twice” now. A pretty good one, with the villain petting his cat from his lair... Netflix suggests a new one every night.
The pit of piranhas is pretty good. This one hits all the notes.
Been watching a Bond movie a night. It’s amazing how variable the quality is. They are like the opposite of a RomCom. The girls are completely unable to resist his charms, although a couple do manage for about ten minutes. Nobody holds out long enough to gain anything from it.
In real life he's got herpes and multiple child support payments.
Australians once enjoyed affordable power, reliably delivered: the chaotic delivery of wind and solar changed all that. Australian power prices have rocketed out-of-control: its wind and solar power capital, South Australia pays the highest electricity prices, in the world.
Mass power cuts (aka load shedding and demand management) and mass blackouts are the new normal. And yet, the lunatics responsible are hell-bent on doubling down to deliver the final and fatal blow to Australia’s Eastern Grid (geographically, the largest interconnected power grid on the planet).
As Jo Nova explains, electricity generation and delivery is a finely balanced thing; and the sudden massive surges and collapses that are part and parcel of wind and solar generation are taking their toll, with much worse to come.
I haven’t been watching them chronologically, I am watching “You Only Live Twice” now. A pretty good one, with the villain petting his cat from his lair.
Ah yeah, I would rank that entry somewhere in the middle. The SPECTRE plot was getting a little thin by then, but it had pretty much all of the elements of a classic 007 flick. When I was growing up, Donald Pleasence was the protagonist in the Halloween horror franchise, so I was surprised to see him as Blofeld. Connery's yellow face certainly wouldn't fly in today's climate.
Next you are going to tell me that Popeye ended his days alternating between stints in jail, judge mandated anger management stints, and working dead end jobs to pay restitution to all of the people he beat up when high on spinach.
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale, which is so bad I can’t pay attention long enough to even remember I watched it, then I get excited that here is one I have never seen, rinse, repeat.
The effects of excessive indulgence in absinthe are all too obvious in this rat. I would be careful about cornering it, unless properly armed and with protective gear.
A couple of days ago, a rat microdosing on (by all appearances) psilocybin. Now a rat imbibing of the Green Fairy. What sort of experiments are going on there in the Meadehouse, in Madison during the late winter of 2019? Is this the expected result of the weather in these climates?
I'll grant that it's interesting enough, from a safe distance.
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale
Wow, I actually really enjoyed that one. I loved Craig's Bond, and it was kind of a throwback as Casino Royale was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel. I thought the story fell apart a bit at the end, but they were obviously setting it up for a sequel. And it was the Sequel, Quantum of Solace that I thought was absolutely terrible. Same thing happened with the Pierce Brosnan reboot. They did a great job on the first film, Goldeneye, and went downhill from there, culminating in the awful Die Another Day.
Anyway, sorry. My father is a huge fan of the Bond franchise and showed me every film in the installment multiple times. I could go on forever. And I'll leave the obvious joke there.
I tune out the action scenes and the chase scenes. They are so long I lose track of the plot. It’s like the battle scenes in Star Wars, “wake me up when they are over.” Maybe I will try it again. I liked Quantum of Solace, BTW.
I know a guy who is proud of being “woke” but secretly loves Bond movies because of his dad. Same as I love baseball.
Casino royals was very faithful to the books, quantum of solace which emerged from the writers strike was pretty bad, I mean you spend half an hour in Haiti, the Sam's problem ths Miami vice reboot, the set piece in bregenz was pretty good but it falls apart with the forces antiamericanism and the finale in the atacama desert!
1. Thunderball (A+) 2. Goldeneye (A) 3. From Russia With Love (A) 4. Dr. No (A) 5. Die Another Day (A-) 6. Goldfinger (B+) 7. Casino Royale (B+) 8. Skyfall (B) 9. Spectre (B) 10. The Spy Who Loved Me (B-)
The shot of Gemma Arterton's character coated in oil and dead on the bed (an obvious homage to the Goldfinger gold leaf cadaver) was visually striking and about the only thing I can remember from the film.
Ah yes that was memorable, it had its moments like that but you had to slog through much. Vesper Lynn is based reputedly on either vera Atkins or Joan grenville (sic) two soe operatives he worked with.
Well it was supposed to be an origin story, that explained some of his attitudes, he is too inexpressive in this incarnation, the ending of spectre is sappy and illogical.
It was preposterous for that mansion in Venice to sink like a boat.
But what a great shot. A very healthy suspension of disbelief is de rigueur for enjoying any Bond film. And as Tim mentioned above, a cocktail never hurts either.
McCabe and 60 Minutes Avoid Discussing Why Russia Factored in Comey’s Firing ANDREW C. MCCARTHY 2-18-19
'...First, Pelley failed to ask him the screamingly obvious questions: What about Russia did Trump want included in [DAG] Rod Rosenstein’s memo supporting Comey’s dismissal? McCabe obliquely said Trump wanted Rosenstein “to put Russia in” the memo about Comey (I’m quoting from memory). But Pelley never asked what in particular about Russia Trump wanted included. What about Russia was Trump referring to when he spoke — in conversations with NBC News and Russian diplomats — of Russia’s part in Comey’s firing? Pelley highlighted the word “Russia,” but he sidestepped what Trump was concerned about regarding Russia.
The viewer was thus left to conclude...that Trump must have fired the FBI director because he was fearful of the Bureau’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the election; because he was concerned that the FBI would find that Russia intended to benefit Trump and would therefore deduce that Trump was complicit.
But that is misleading. We know that what Trump wanted made public was something very specific about Russia, namely, that Comey repeatedly told the president he was not a suspect in the Russia investigation...Trump wanted Comey to state publicly that he was not a suspect; Comey’s refusal to do so made no sense to the president, especially after Comey gratuitously implied, in his stunning March 2017 House testimony, that Trump was a suspect.
Pelley never asked McCabe about this..."
https://tinyurl.com/y2toty75
McCarthy later links to his pertinent 2018 NRO piece, putting these words in Comey's mouth:
"...Imagine what would have happened, what we’d have heard from Trump, if Comey had said something along these lines:
'Mr. President-Elect, that salacious story about prostitutes in Moscow is part of a set of reports by a former British intelligence officer, compiled during the 2016 race and paid for by the Clinton campaign. It alleges that you and your campaign engaged in a “conspiracy of co-operation” with the Russian government, in which your point man was Paul Manafort, who used Carter Page as an intermediary. Page is said to have met with two top Putin operatives in July while in Moscow, where they discussed (a) the possibility that you’d drop sanctions in return for significant financial considerations, (b) their willingness to share compromising information about Hillary Clinton with you, and (c) compromising information about you that they possessed and could use against you if you were not accommodating toward Russia. Later, the reports state, your lawyer, Michael Cohen, was dispatched to Prague for a secret meeting with Russian officials over media stories about Page’s activities in Moscow and Manafort’s ties to the Kremlin-backed Yanukovich party in Ukraine. It is further alleged that Putin’s regime, with your full knowledge and support, was behind the leaking of DNC emails to WikiLeaks.
There is much more in the reports, but that is the gist. Although the intelligence community has not been able to verify these allegations, the FBI has great confidence in the former British intelligence officer who provided the information to us. Therefore, in October, just three weeks before Election Day, the FBI and Justice Department incorporated these allegations in an application to the FISA court for a warrant to conduct surveillance on Carter Page. As a matter of fact, in the next few days, we’re planning to reaffirm these same allegations about your campaign and the Kremlin in another warrant application so the court can renew the surveillance for 90 more days. The warrants permit us to monitor Page’s communications, including any old emails and texts from his time working on your campaign that he may have stored rather than deleted.'
Suffice it to say that, if President-elect Trump had been given [this] briefing... we can bet that Trump’s reaction would have been explosive."
No thunderball was very good, a collaborator Kevin McCrory got a chance to reprise it in 1983, with never say sever again, the nature of spectre, the confrontation on the train, the chase in the adriatic
It was the first film to revisit Miami well Miami beach since gold finger and the scenario seems plausible, although it riffs off that 9/11 conspiracy plot
Okay, hottest Bond girl? I'm a sucker for the classics so I have to go with Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, though Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore is a close second.
Goofiest Bond girl name? Threeway tie between Plenty O'Tool, Holly Goodhead, and the aforementioned Pussy.
Carter page had actually negotiated a number of significant deals notably gazproms public offering, sadly had sochin used him he would have been spared much grief.
“The federal judge presiding over Roger Stone’s case said Tuesday she’s considering gagging or jailing the longtime Donald Trump associate after he posted images on Instagram targeting her.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Stone to appear at a Thursday afternoon hearing in Washington, D.C., to explain why his social media posts shouldn't change the terms of Stone’s bond and why she shouldn’t impose harsh new restrictions on his speech.
Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner.“
@narciso:Ursula Andres over honor Blackman (who had come from the avengers) yes those names are decidedly risque, lois chiles.
Huge fan of The Avengers, too. I guess I just love British 60's spymania. Did you ever see the film adaptation with Ralph Fienes and Uma Thurman? Completely unwatchable. One of the few movies I walked out of in a theater.
It was terrible I get ths old episodes on a Sinclair affiliated action movie channel. They run them on the weekends sandwiched with mcgoohans secret agent man.
No I mean len deightons character (unnamed in the ipcress book) who is up a conspiracy of left wing mandarins, which had a kernel of truth with the cambridge 5.
“If you save the world, you know what that means.”- Princess Tilde to Eggsy.
Are buggery jokes a decidedly British gimmick or what? The Kingsman was wonderful. Taron Egerton was very goodlooking, and the movie was quite a bit of fun. It was a pity Matthew Vaughn didn't have the guts to tell Sam Jackson that his lisp was lame and needed to be dropped immediately. The sequel was atrocious, but Julianne Moore did bring a certain madcap energy as the villainess.
Enough with kraus for one evening, the bond books were really less about the cold war than what would come later, spectre is terrorism masquerading behind a humanitarian front, blofeld has no allegiance to either poser.
The set pieces in yolt were pretty spectacular hoe the spectre rocket wouldn't be detected, in a suspension of disbelief it took moon raker to come with a cloaking devicem
Also on that channel are reruns of la femme nikita, the original series, which inspired to a degree 24 some years later Joel surnow worked on ths former,
..and is also a big fan of the midget communist Barbara Mikulski.
This idiot couldn't scrub fast enough to hide her idiocy, unless of course she's hiding behind this persona, which in either case only goes in proving what I've been telling every single one of you all along, that this human garbage bag is a liar and a phony and a moron.
For your eyes only, was relatively serious in that cycle, the main villain is kristatos a very an elegant but ruthless smuggler who is willing to work with the KGB. Some of his henchman like locque were also down to earth
Also on that channel are reruns of la femme nikita, the original series, which inspired to a degree 24 some years later Joel surnow worked on ths former,
Loved Luc Besson's Nikita, and I didn't mind the American remake Point of No Return. The TV series put an interesting twist on the character by making her an innocent woman wrongly convicted.
It's interesting that dr. No which is about 3rd in ths series, was the one first adapted. Anthony Horowitz who had been given the opportunity to do two Uthorized bonds one whose villains motivation was based on the events of no gun ri, the other dwelled on one of the original cu conspiracy series its ser in marseilles
My least favorite Bond, ignoring George Lazenby, was Roger Moore. Too much mugging for the camera. But I'll give it to the old boy, he knew a good thing when he saw it and milked the role for everything it was worth. He was 57 when he last played Bond in A View To a Kill.
For those of you who like 60s mode Bond, may I recommend Keith Laumer's "Reteif" series? He's a future Earth diplomat, and possibly the only man in the foreign service with steely thews, an eye for the ladies and more than a lick of sense..
This is a good place to start. Beware the novels or anything written in the 1970s (when a bad stroke took away Laumer's ability to write, but not his financial need to).
I agree with Farmer that the first 2/3 of Casino Royale was very good. The last third was pretty weak and Quantum of Solace was not good. I liked the idea of a revenge flick and sequel but it was a mess.
Skyfall was pretty strong movie. Bond’s loyalty to M was interesting. She was pretty ruthless toward the other MI6 agents but had a bit of a soft spot for Bond. In turn, he was loyal to her.
My least favorite Bond, ignoring George Lazenby, was Roger Moore. Too much mugging for the camera. But I'll give it to the old boy, he knew a good thing when he saw it and milked the role for everything it was worth. He was 57 when he last played Bond in A View To a Kill.
My husband thought Moore was better suited to the role as an 'old Etonian' than was Connery. But, as a female, I found Connery the most attractive of the bunch.
"Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner.“"Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner." “I can send you to prison forever but you can't post a picture of me to instagram I object to." Grow a fucking set of balls, Judge Jackson. Buy a revolver. Good God what a fucking sissy Jackson is. In the Brave New World, women want want to be the equal of men, but also more equal than men.
Retief is great! I wish we had some diplomats like him. Instead, we seem to have a very large abundance of diplomats like the rest of the characters in Retief... spineless weasels who are good for nothing but treason... with apologies to the spineless weasels.
I'm sure some of our leftist posters would be horrified by Retief, but would totally love the Groaci.
My husband thought Moore was better suited to the role as an 'old Etonian' than was Connery.
Very true, and Moore was from London while Connery was from Edinburgh.
But, as a female, I found Connery the most attractive of the bunch.
Connery certainly had the most raw sex appeal. And he has a knack for making absurd roles believable, like a Soviet submarine commander with a Scottish brogue.
Laumer even looked a little like some version s of bond, who was Eton and fettes attendee, When I went to see a view to a kill in 87, I didnt know about the avengers so I didnt get the Inside joke .
There were some interesting details in die like the gruesome torture that he was subject to at the intro. And some of the behaviors of the Korean not played by toby Stephen's but all the gadgetry made it too silly.
I bet James Bond would have figured out that there was something amiss with Philby. Bond's creator was a little dense though. He hung out with Philby and missed some obvious tells.......Well, Arthur Conan Doyle fell for some scams that Sherlock Holmes would have seen through......Eva Green was an excellent Bond girl. Not the greatest of all Bond girls, but, nonetheless, an excellent Bond girl.......Trivia note: Both Honor Blackman and Diana Riggs were the leads on The Avengers. Diana Rigg has the honor the being the only Bond girl to land Bond in marriage. Well, you have to put an asterisk next to that because it was Lazenby, the least of all possible Bonds.
After Austin Powers, it's impossible to see the old Bond movies with the proper amount of reverence and high seriousness. "No, Mr. Bond. The purpose is to kill you." A truly great villainous line, but then, after delivering that line, he walks away. You would think that after going through all that trouble, he would stick around for a few minutes to watch Bond's death throes.
Well for about an hour, anyways the plot in that was a little muddled he was a journolist before he was an intelligence officer, he knew what the Soviets were capable of,but he believed the secret service was up to the jo .
The Sean Connery movies hold up well for the most part- I like them all. Of the ones Roger Moore did, my favorites are The Spy Who Loved Me and Live and Let Die. I didn't like any of the ones that Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan did. However, I did like Casino Royale and its sequel whose title is escaping me at the moment, but I didn't like Skyfall, and was there one after that? I don't remember.
Speaking of Roger Moore, I would love to see a good period piece of "The Saint" from The Saint & Mr. Teal era, before Charteris sent The Saint to America and started to run out of steam..
One of our national broadcast substations puts out multiple Saint episodes on Sat or Sun, and another one was alternating The Avengers and Secret Agent. Took a while for the UK to turn color.
Roger Stone is just misunderstood. His latest work, The Putin Interviews, provides some really valuable insight as to the complexity, and perhaps dysfunction, of US - Russia relations.
Watching the Andrew McCabe's interviews lead to me believe this guy is dumber than a bag of hammers. How in the the did this guy rise up in the ranks of the FBI?
In real life Bond would have died in his mid-fifties from smoking and drinking too much, just like Ian Fleming.
Just like Winston Churchill! As he said (quoting…):
… A number of social problems arose. I had been told that neither smoking nor alcoholic beverages were allowed in the Royal Presence.
As I was the host at luncheon I raised the matter at once, and said to the interpreter that if it was the religion of His Majesty [Ibn Saud] to deprive himself of smoking and alcohol I must point out that my rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.
The King graciously accepted the position. His own cup-bearer from Mecca offered me a cup from its sacred well, the most delicious I had ever tasted.
(/unQuote)
(Winston S. Churchill, The Second World War, Vol. VI: Triumph and Tragedy, Chapter XXIII: Yalta: Finale, Mariner Books, 1953, pp. 348-349)
(Emphasis added!)
Oh wait! Churchill was 90 when he died in 1965…. Nevermind!
"Bureaucracies - tend to reward administrative competency and ass-kissing rather than operational excellence."
This is the general trend, but the historic accident of dropping the Clintons into the Age of Bureaucracy has been a disaster. No matter where you turn, there's a gatekeeper who's given them money, and who in return has been rewarded out of the Treasury.
Blogger tim in vermont said... I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale, which is so bad I can’t pay attention long enough to even remember I watched it, then I get excited that here is one I have never seen, rinse, repeat.
That one was really bad. I think I gave up on the franchise after watching it.
The first Bond films I saw were the campy Roger Moore movies in the 79s. Only saw Connery’s Bond later. I think Connery was the best James Bond.
Retief is great! I wish we had some diplomats like him. Instead, we seem to have a very large abundance of diplomats like the rest of the characters in Retief... spineless weasels who are good for nothing but treason... with apologies to the spineless weasels.
Wasn't Retief the one who stopped the other Earth diplo crew from eating dog food and was the only one with any sense or knowledge of the local culture?
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139 comments:
That poor rat looks cross-eyed.
Rats steal things.
That poor rat looks cross-eyed.
You would be, too, if you were chartreuse.
Been watching a Bond movie a night. It’s amazing how variable the quality is. They are like the opposite of a RomCom. The girls are completely unable to resist his charms, although a couple do manage for about ten minutes. Nobody holds out long enough to gain anything from it.
"Whoever does not fight corruption will be turned into filthy, dirty rats!"
Ratpocalypse!
@tim in vermont:
Been watching a Bond movie a night. It’s amazing how variable the quality is.
Where are you up to?
When it comes to fishing lures, if it ain’t chartreuse, it ain’t no use.
flip-flops
I haven’t been watching them chronologically, I am watching “You Only Live Twice” now. A pretty good one, with the villain petting his cat from his lair... Netflix suggests a new one every night.
The pit of piranhas is pretty good. This one hits all the notes.
Three comma Café, no periods. Sperm instead of eggs?
Been watching a Bond movie a night. It’s amazing how variable the quality is. They are like the opposite of a RomCom. The girls are completely unable to resist his charms, although a couple do manage for about ten minutes. Nobody holds out long enough to gain anything from it.
In real life he's got herpes and multiple child support payments.
Pussy is calling for her check.
"Hi, I'm John Galore."
"Nice to meet you. Bob Onatopp."
Australians once enjoyed affordable power, reliably delivered: the chaotic delivery of wind and solar changed all that. Australian power prices have rocketed out-of-control: its wind and solar power capital, South Australia pays the highest electricity prices, in the world.
Mass power cuts (aka load shedding and demand management) and mass blackouts are the new normal. And yet, the lunatics responsible are hell-bent on doubling down to deliver the final and fatal blow to Australia’s Eastern Grid (geographically, the largest interconnected power grid on the planet).
As Jo Nova explains, electricity generation and delivery is a finely balanced thing; and the sudden massive surges and collapses that are part and parcel of wind and solar generation are taking their toll, with much worse to come.
https://stopthesethings.com/2019/02/19/australias-obsession-with-hopelessly-intermittent-wind-solar-wrecking-entire-power-grid/amp/
I'm reminded that there is not the slightest excuse for plum or puce...or chartreuse.
In real life he's got herpes and multiple child support payments.
What does James Bond have to do with real life? Besides, his girlfriends never live long enough to be a problem for him.
@tim in vermont:
I haven’t been watching them chronologically, I am watching “You Only Live Twice” now. A pretty good one, with the villain petting his cat from his lair.
Ah yeah, I would rank that entry somewhere in the middle. The SPECTRE plot was getting a little thin by then, but it had pretty much all of the elements of a classic 007 flick. When I was growing up, Donald Pleasence was the protagonist in the Halloween horror franchise, so I was surprised to see him as Blofeld. Connery's yellow face certainly wouldn't fly in today's climate.
I'm reminded that there is not the slightest excuse for plum or puce...or chartreuse.
Chartreuse is the only color named for an intoxicating beverage. I could have some now... think I will.
Next you are going to tell me that Popeye ended his days alternating between stints in jail, judge mandated anger management stints, and working dead end jobs to pay restitution to all of the people he beat up when high on spinach.
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale, which is so bad I can’t pay attention long enough to even remember I watched it, then I get excited that here is one I have never seen, rinse, repeat.
The effects of excessive indulgence in absinthe are all too obvious in this rat. I would be careful about cornering it, unless properly armed and with protective gear.
A couple of days ago, a rat microdosing on (by all appearances) psilocybin. Now a rat imbibing of the Green Fairy. What sort of experiments are going on there in the Meadehouse, in Madison during the late winter of 2019? Is this the expected result of the weather in these climates?
I'll grant that it's interesting enough, from a safe distance.
REAL HATE. Typical
Vans Employee Says “F*ck You” to MAGA Hat Wearing 14-Year-Old After Telling Him to Take Off His Hat, is Promptly Fired
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/02/vans-employee-says-fck-you-to-maga-hat-wearing-14-year-old-is-promptly-fired/
Real Hate . Typical Leftzies
Hate Crime? Gay Pro-Trump Activist Scott Presler Says He Was Assaulted, Harassed By Three Men Over His Political Beliefs
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/02/hate-crime-gay-pro-trump-activist-scott-presler-says-he-was-assaulted-harassed-by-three-men-over-his-political-beliefs/
@tim in vermont:
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale
Wow, I actually really enjoyed that one. I loved Craig's Bond, and it was kind of a throwback as Casino Royale was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel. I thought the story fell apart a bit at the end, but they were obviously setting it up for a sequel. And it was the Sequel, Quantum of Solace that I thought was absolutely terrible. Same thing happened with the Pierce Brosnan reboot. They did a great job on the first film, Goldeneye, and went downhill from there, culminating in the awful Die Another Day.
Anyway, sorry. My father is a huge fan of the Bond franchise and showed me every film in the installment multiple times. I could go on forever. And I'll leave the obvious joke there.
Real hate, not lefty fake. Typical
Far-Left Activist Films Herself Harassing Elderly Man in a MAGA Hat While Shopping at the Thrift Store
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/02/far-left-activist-films-herself-harassing-elderly-man-in-a-maga-hat-while-shopping-at-the-thrift-store/
"Now a rat imbibing of the Green Fairy."
Son said he tried it, a couple times. Don't know if it was the real thing.
Wow, I actually really enjoyed that one
I tune out the action scenes and the chase scenes. They are so long I lose track of the plot. It’s like the battle scenes in Star Wars, “wake me up when they are over.” Maybe I will try it again. I liked Quantum of Solace, BTW.
I know a guy who is proud of being “woke” but secretly loves Bond movies because of his dad. Same as I love baseball.
Covington Catholic Teen Sues The Washington Post for $250 Million
You Only Live Twice is my favorite Theme. Even tho Nancy was not the best choice as singer.
As for this rat, one of the end-states, probably, of a Calhoun mouse utopia - he also did rats, with similar results.
Calhoun - Death Squared:
The Explosive Growth and Demise
of a Mouse Population
@Seeing Red:
You Only Live Twice is my favorite Theme. Even tho Nancy was not the best choice as singer.
I am partial to Live and Let Die, but probably because it is the only Wings' song I've ever been able to stand.
Casino royals was very faithful to the books, quantum of solace which emerged from the writers strike was pretty bad, I mean you spend half an hour in Haiti, the Sam's problem ths Miami vice reboot, the set piece in bregenz was pretty good but it falls apart with the forces antiamericanism and the finale in the atacama desert!
My tin qfoiled location allows me to observe that Althouse is a C_A portal where potential rat finks are warned ahead of time. What's the frequency?
A tumbler of absinthe on ice really improves a Bond movie, or any movie, BTW.
Yolt was very thematically different for the book, for one it opens with a brainwashed ind trying to kill m, the whole space plot was tacked on.
Am I going to have a problem with you, Mr. Bond?
No, you're not my type.
Smart?
No, single.
-some bond movie
One man's opinion!
1. Thunderball (A+)
2. Goldeneye (A)
3. From Russia With Love (A)
4. Dr. No (A)
5. Die Another Day (A-)
6. Goldfinger (B+)
7. Casino Royale (B+)
8. Skyfall (B)
9. Spectre (B)
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (B-)
I was watching the whole Bond franchise in order a few months ago, but I haven't been able to force myself through Quantum of Solace yet.
Allegedly it took them days to get that poor cat down out of the rafters where he fled after the big finale in You Only Live Twice.
Film Crit Hulk has a great long essay analyzing all of the Bond films in turn as long as you can put up with his gimmick of writing in all caps.
@narciso:
The shot of Gemma Arterton's character coated in oil and dead on the bed (an obvious homage to the Goldfinger gold leaf cadaver) was visually striking and about the only thing I can remember from the film.
I dont know what chartreuse means and neither do you
@rhhardin:
-some bond movie
Casino Royale. Daniel Craig played a great Lothario. IT's too bad the film turned him into a lovelorn sap by the end.
Saint Croix:
Not a bad ranking. The only two really offensive entries there for me are Die Another Day and Spectre.
Ah yes that was memorable, it had its moments like that but you had to slog through much. Vesper Lynn is based reputedly on either vera Atkins or Joan grenville (sic) two soe operatives he worked with.
Well it was supposed to be an origin story, that explained some of his attitudes, he is too inexpressive in this incarnation, the ending of spectre is sappy and illogical.
It was preposterous for that mansion in Venice to sink like a boat.
Not a bad ranking. The only two really offensive entries there for me are Die Another Day and Spectre.
The show James Bond fans have to watch is Archer. Man, that is funny.
It was preposterous for that mansion in Venice to sink like a boat.
But what a great shot. A very healthy suspension of disbelief is de rigueur for enjoying any Bond film. And as Tim mentioned above, a cocktail never hurts either.
McCabe and 60 Minutes Avoid Discussing Why Russia Factored in Comey’s Firing
ANDREW C. MCCARTHY 2-18-19
'...First, Pelley failed to ask him the screamingly obvious questions: What about Russia did Trump want included in [DAG] Rod Rosenstein’s memo supporting Comey’s dismissal? McCabe obliquely said Trump wanted Rosenstein “to put Russia in” the memo about Comey (I’m quoting from memory). But Pelley never asked what in particular about Russia Trump wanted included. What about Russia was Trump referring to when he spoke — in conversations with NBC News and Russian diplomats — of Russia’s part in Comey’s firing? Pelley highlighted the word “Russia,” but he sidestepped what Trump was concerned about regarding Russia.
The viewer was thus left to conclude...that Trump must have fired the FBI director because he was fearful of the Bureau’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the election; because he was concerned that the FBI would find that Russia intended to benefit Trump and would therefore deduce that Trump was complicit.
But that is misleading. We know that what Trump wanted made public was something very specific about Russia, namely, that Comey repeatedly told the president he was not a suspect in the Russia investigation...Trump wanted Comey to state publicly that he was not a suspect; Comey’s refusal to do so made no sense to the president, especially after Comey gratuitously implied, in his stunning March 2017 House testimony, that Trump was a suspect.
Pelley never asked McCabe about this..."
https://tinyurl.com/y2toty75
McCarthy later links to his pertinent 2018 NRO piece, putting these words in Comey's mouth:
"...Imagine what would have happened, what we’d have heard from Trump, if Comey had said something along these lines:
'Mr. President-Elect, that salacious story about prostitutes in Moscow is part of a set of reports by a former British intelligence officer, compiled during the 2016 race and paid for by the Clinton campaign. It alleges that you and your campaign engaged in a “conspiracy of co-operation” with the Russian government, in which your point man was Paul Manafort, who used Carter Page as an intermediary. Page is said to have met with two top Putin operatives in July while in Moscow, where they discussed (a) the possibility that you’d drop sanctions in return for significant financial considerations, (b) their willingness to share compromising information about Hillary Clinton with you, and (c) compromising information about you that they possessed and could use against you if you were not accommodating toward Russia. Later, the reports state, your lawyer, Michael Cohen, was dispatched to Prague for a secret meeting with Russian officials over media stories about Page’s activities in Moscow and Manafort’s ties to the Kremlin-backed Yanukovich party in Ukraine. It is further alleged that Putin’s regime, with your full knowledge and support, was behind the leaking of DNC emails to WikiLeaks.
There is much more in the reports, but that is the gist. Although the intelligence community has not been able to verify these allegations, the FBI has great confidence in the former British intelligence officer who provided the information to us. Therefore, in October, just three weeks before Election Day, the FBI and Justice Department incorporated these allegations in an application to the FISA court for a warrant to conduct surveillance on Carter Page. As a matter of fact, in the next few days, we’re planning to reaffirm these same allegations about your campaign and the Kremlin in another warrant application so the court can renew the surveillance for 90 more days. The warrants permit us to monitor Page’s communications, including any old emails and texts from his time working on your campaign that he may have stored rather than deleted.'
Suffice it to say that, if President-elect Trump had been given [this] briefing... we can bet that Trump’s reaction would have been explosive."
https://tinyurl.com/y7axrhqx
Thunderball yech
No thunderball was very good, a collaborator Kevin McCrory got a chance to reprise it in 1983, with never say sever again, the nature of spectre, the confrontation on the train, the chase in the adriatic
You cant put die another day nor skyfall in the top ten, what are they crazy?
tim in vermont said...
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale,
J. Farmer is correct - Quantum of Solace was much worse. And the scene at the airport is one of the all-time best Bond-saves-the-day. IMHO.
Spectre is my favorite - mainly because of the cinematography, but also because Bond's one night stand wasn't killed.
"Would you mind giving me something to put on?"
also, sharks in the swimming pool
dude
It was the first film to revisit Miami well Miami beach since gold finger and the scenario seems plausible, although it riffs off that 9/11 conspiracy plot
Justice Clarence Thomas calls for reconsideration of landmark libel case
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/clarence-thomas-libel-first-amendment-new-york-times-sullivan-bill-cosby/index.html
Mind if I smoke...while you're eating?
Oops, not a Bond movie. But still a great line.
Okay, hottest Bond girl? I'm a sucker for the classics so I have to go with Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, though Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore is a close second.
Goofiest Bond girl name? Threeway tie between Plenty O'Tool, Holly Goodhead, and the aforementioned Pussy.
Suffice it to say that, if President-elect Trump had been given [this] briefing...
tl;dr
Carter page had actually negotiated a number of significant deals notably gazproms public offering, sadly had sochin used him he would have been spared much grief.
Ursula Andres over honor Blackman (who had come from the avengers) yes those names are decidedly risque, lois chiles.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/19/roger-stone-instagram-post-1174793
“The federal judge presiding over Roger Stone’s case said Tuesday she’s considering gagging or jailing the longtime Donald Trump associate after he posted images on Instagram targeting her.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Stone to appear at a Thursday afternoon hearing in Washington, D.C., to explain why his social media posts shouldn't change the terms of Stone’s bond and why she shouldn’t impose harsh new restrictions on his speech.
Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner.“
@narciso:Ursula Andres over honor Blackman (who had come from the avengers) yes those names are decidedly risque, lois chiles.
Huge fan of The Avengers, too. I guess I just love British 60's spymania. Did you ever see the film adaptation with Ralph Fienes and Uma Thurman? Completely unwatchable. One of the few movies I walked out of in a theater.
It was terrible I get ths old episodes on a Sinclair affiliated action movie channel. They run them on the weekends sandwiched with mcgoohans secret agent man.
In real life Bond would have died in his mid-fifties from smoking and drinking too much, just like Ian Fleming.
The kingsman series nearly 20 years later carried some of the same ethos, although the main character is like a young harry palmer in training.
Well there is that, plus you couldn't well recycle the same cover, but that's true of Matt Helm or napoleon solo.
Roger Moore is the best bond: fuck more if you wanna stay together.
Well he probably was the most entertaining, but the parody was over the top by moonraker, which was fun. dalton was among the most dour,
The kingsman series nearly 20 years later carried some of the same ethos, although the main character is like a young harry palmer in training.
“If you save the world, you know what that means.”- Princess Tilde to Eggsy.
(And I assume you mean Harry Potter or Peter Parker..)
@Char Char Binks:
In real life Bond would have died in his mid-fifties from smoking and drinking too much, just like Ian Fleming.
Incredible when you see photos to think that Fleming was only 56 when he died. He looked like my grandfather, who is 80 years old.
@Guildofcannonballs:
Roger Moore is the best bond: fuck more if you wanna stay together.
The true contrarian answer to the best Bond is of course Timothy Dalton.
No I mean len deightons character (unnamed in the ipcress book) who is up a conspiracy of left wing mandarins, which had a kernel of truth with the cambridge 5.
“If you save the world, you know what that means.”- Princess Tilde to Eggsy.
Are buggery jokes a decidedly British gimmick or what? The Kingsman was wonderful. Taron Egerton was very goodlooking, and the movie was quite a bit of fun. It was a pity Matthew Vaughn didn't have the guts to tell Sam Jackson that his lisp was lame and needed to be dropped immediately. The sequel was atrocious, but Julianne Moore did bring a certain madcap energy as the villainess.
Probably Jackson was over the top, a modern incarnation of stromberg so concerned with humanity he wanted to start a nuclear war.
I haven't seen the sequel for that reason,
Speaking of over the top walkinshaw max Zorin in a view to a kill, was in the top 10 of crazy.
Enough with kraus for one evening, the bond books were really less about the cold war than what would come later, spectre is terrorism masquerading behind a humanitarian front, blofeld has no allegiance to either poser.
That rat actually looks like Roger Stone, the close set beady eyes, the long nose, the expression...
Ratty McStone
Full Moon, you’re getting weirder by the day. I have no Pinterest account, you loon, however does Althouse allow doxxing nowadays?
The set pieces in yolt were pretty spectacular hoe the spectre rocket wouldn't be detected, in a suspension of disbelief it took moon raker to come with a cloaking devicem
I suppose colin firth was an unusual choice for leading man mentor, but I bought it.
Inga...Allie Oop said... [hush][hide comment]
Full Moon, you’re getting weirder by the day. I have no Pinterest account, you loon, however does Althouse allow doxxing nowadays?
Don't look at me. Simple copy/paste from comment one of your admirers made several years ago.
.
“Comment deleted
This comment has been removed by the author.
2/19/19, 10:05 PM”
Oh I see the loon deleted it.
Cartoon rat and Roger Stone equally worthy of land/sea SWAT takedown.
Bond movies:
01. Goldfinger - the ultimate.
02. Dr NO.
03. From Russia With Love.
04. Thunderball
Big Drop...
05, Casino Royale (2006)
06. Skyfall
07. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
08. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
09. Live and Let Die
Also on that channel are reruns of la femme nikita, the original series, which inspired to a degree 24 some years later Joel surnow worked on ths former,
Whoa! Guess they were not an admirer after all.
..and is also a big fan of the midget communist Barbara Mikulski.
This idiot couldn't scrub fast enough to hide her idiocy, unless of course she's hiding behind this persona, which in either case only goes in proving what I've been telling every single one of you all along, that this human garbage bag is a liar and a phony and a moron.
For your eyes only, was relatively serious in that cycle, the main villain is kristatos a very an elegant but ruthless smuggler who is willing to work with the KGB. Some of his henchman like locque were also down to earth
@narciso:
Also on that channel are reruns of la femme nikita, the original series, which inspired to a degree 24 some years later Joel surnow worked on ths former,
Loved Luc Besson's Nikita, and I didn't mind the American remake Point of No Return. The TV series put an interesting twist on the character by making her an innocent woman wrongly convicted.
Best Bond: Sean Connery
Worst Bond: Daniel Craig
Best theme song: Live and Let Die
Best Bond Movie: Goldfinger
It's interesting that dr. No which is about 3rd in ths series, was the one first adapted. Anthony Horowitz who had been given the opportunity to do two Uthorized bonds one whose villains motivation was based on the events of no gun ri, the other dwelled on one of the original cu conspiracy series its ser in marseilles
Live and let die, well ok, it's not as bad as sone of the others.
Please stop yelling beetlejuice.
Worst Bond: Daniel Craig
My least favorite Bond, ignoring George Lazenby, was Roger Moore. Too much mugging for the camera. But I'll give it to the old boy, he knew a good thing when he saw it and milked the role for everything it was worth. He was 57 when he last played Bond in A View To a Kill.
For those of you who like 60s mode Bond, may I recommend Keith Laumer's "Reteif" series? He's a future Earth diplomat, and possibly the only man in the foreign service with steely thews, an eye for the ladies and more than a lick of sense..
This is a good place to start. Beware the novels or anything written in the 1970s (when a bad stroke took away Laumer's ability to write, but not his financial need to).
I agree with Farmer that the first 2/3 of Casino Royale was very good. The last third was pretty weak and Quantum of Solace was not good. I liked the idea of a revenge flick and sequel but it was a mess.
Skyfall was pretty strong movie. Bond’s loyalty to M was interesting. She was pretty ruthless toward the other MI6 agents but had a bit of a soft spot for Bond. In turn, he was loyal to her.
My least favorite Bond, ignoring George Lazenby, was Roger Moore. Too much mugging for the camera. But I'll give it to the old boy, he knew a good thing when he saw it and milked the role for everything it was worth. He was 57 when he last played Bond in A View To a Kill.
My husband thought Moore was better suited to the role as an 'old Etonian' than was Connery. But, as a female, I found Connery the most attractive of the bunch.
Yes for example Patrick mcneely was an old etonian '40, roughly comparable to bonds real age about 40 by the time of dr. No.
"Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner.“"Stone, who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation into Russian election meddling, put himself in his latest predicament after posting an image of Jackson on Instagram on Monday with what appeared to be crosshairs in the corner."
“I can send you to prison forever but you can't post a picture of me to instagram I object to."
Grow a fucking set of balls, Judge Jackson. Buy a revolver.
Good God what a fucking sissy Jackson is.
In the Brave New World, women want want to be the equal of men, but also more equal
than men.
Retief is great! I wish we had some diplomats like him. Instead, we seem to have a very large abundance of diplomats like the rest of the characters in Retief... spineless weasels who are good for nothing but treason... with apologies to the spineless weasels.
I'm sure some of our leftist posters would be horrified by Retief, but would totally love the Groaci.
--Vance
@mockturtle:
My husband thought Moore was better suited to the role as an 'old Etonian' than was Connery.
Very true, and Moore was from London while Connery was from Edinburgh.
But, as a female, I found Connery the most attractive of the bunch.
Connery certainly had the most raw sex appeal. And he has a knack for making absurd roles believable, like a Soviet submarine commander with a Scottish brogue.
“I can send you to prison forever but you can't post a picture of me to instagram I object to."
Grow a fucking set of balls, Judge Jackson. Buy a revolver.
Good God what a fucking sissy Jackson is.
In the Brave New World, women want want to be the equal of men, but also more equal
than men.”
What does her sex have to do with the fact that it’s illegal to threaten a Federal Judge?
Laumer even looked a little like some version s of bond, who was Eton and fettes attendee,
When I went to see a view to a kill in 87, I didnt know about the avengers so I didnt get the Inside joke
.
There were some interesting details in die like the gruesome torture that he was subject to at the intro. And some of the behaviors of the Korean not played by toby Stephen's but all the gadgetry made it too silly.
I bet James Bond would have figured out that there was something amiss with Philby. Bond's creator was a little dense though. He hung out with Philby and missed some obvious tells.......Well, Arthur Conan Doyle fell for some scams that Sherlock Holmes would have seen through......Eva Green was an excellent Bond girl. Not the greatest of all Bond girls, but, nonetheless, an excellent Bond girl.......Trivia note: Both Honor Blackman and Diana Riggs were the leads on The Avengers. Diana Rigg has the honor the being the only Bond girl to land Bond in marriage. Well, you have to put an asterisk next to that because it was Lazenby, the least of all possible Bonds.
After Austin Powers, it's impossible to see the old Bond movies with the proper amount of reverence and high seriousness. "No, Mr. Bond. The purpose is to kill you." A truly great villainous line, but then, after delivering that line, he walks away. You would think that after going through all that trouble, he would stick around for a few minutes to watch Bond's death throes.
Well for about an hour, anyways the plot in that was a little muddled he was a journolist before he was an intelligence officer, he knew what the Soviets were capable of,but he believed the secret service was up to the jo .
The Simpsons hank scorpio, had him as a much more methodical uber villain.
Poor rat.
https://www.capitalonebusiness.org
https://walmartcreditcardpayment.blogspot.com
https://start.me/p/OmXoML
No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.
And here we are, 40 years later with the beginnings of a space force!
Real assets are supposed to be non descriptive, they blend in they aren't supposed to be memorable.
Yes it is indeed, reminds me of another alt history Warren Ellis ministry of space, this is where the UK ended up seizing the bulk of the old v2 crew.
Why isn't this police officer charged with felony murder? It seems like an open and shut case for such a charge.
The Sean Connery movies hold up well for the most part- I like them all. Of the ones Roger Moore did, my favorites are The Spy Who Loved Me and Live and Let Die. I didn't like any of the ones that Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan did. However, I did like Casino Royale and its sequel whose title is escaping me at the moment, but I didn't like Skyfall, and was there one after that? I don't remember.
Speaking of Roger Moore, I would love to see a good period piece of "The Saint" from The Saint & Mr. Teal era, before Charteris sent The Saint to America and started to run out of steam..
I will not miss one second of sleep over what Roger Stone did or said, but that McCabe guy!! Truly horrifying!
Lovely Moon tonight.
Ha! I love this rat.
One of our national broadcast substations puts out multiple Saint episodes on Sat or Sun, and another one was alternating The Avengers and Secret Agent. Took a while for the UK to turn color.
Roger Stone is just misunderstood. His latest work, The Putin Interviews, provides some really valuable insight as to the complexity, and perhaps dysfunction, of US - Russia relations.
tim in vermont said...
Been watching a Bond movie a night.
Did you lose a bet?
Watching the Andrew McCabe's interviews lead to me believe this guy is dumber than a bag of hammers. How in the the did this guy rise up in the ranks of the FBI?
"How in the the did this guy rise up in the ranks of the FBI?"
Bureaucracies - tend to reward administrative competency and ass-kissing rather than operational excellence.
In real life Bond would have died in his mid-fifties from smoking and drinking too much, just like Ian Fleming.
Just like Winston Churchill! As he said (quoting…):
… A number of social problems arose. I had been told that neither smoking nor alcoholic beverages were allowed in the Royal Presence.
As I was the host at luncheon I raised the matter at once, and said to the interpreter that if it was the religion of His Majesty [Ibn Saud] to deprive himself of smoking and alcohol I must point out that my rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.
The King graciously accepted the position. His own cup-bearer from Mecca offered me a cup from its sacred well, the most delicious I had ever tasted.
(/unQuote)
(Winston S. Churchill, The Second World War, Vol. VI: Triumph and Tragedy, Chapter XXIII: Yalta: Finale, Mariner Books, 1953, pp. 348-349)
(Emphasis added!)
Oh wait! Churchill was 90 when he died in 1965…. Nevermind!
It’s a little known fact that Galore was not Pussy’s maiden name. She was a widow and never quite got over the loss of her husband Dick.
"Bureaucracies - tend to reward administrative competency and ass-kissing rather than operational excellence."
This is the general trend, but the historic accident of dropping the Clintons into the Age of Bureaucracy has been a disaster. No matter where you turn, there's a gatekeeper who's given them money, and who in return has been rewarded out of the Treasury.
a cocktail never hurts either
“It adds a certain sparkle..."
exhelodrvr1 said...
"How in the the did this guy rise up in the ranks of the FBI?"
Bureaucracies - tend to reward administrative competency and ass-kissing rather than operational excellence.
This is why armies need almost continual war. It keeps the seat warmers down to a minimum.
There's some ice on the snow and the snowplow ice-crushed several older mailboxes. Throw ice fast enough and it stress-tests a lot of posts.
That's why it's called a postal system.
By the way, I’m reading Bonfire of the Vanities.
My favorite is Goldfinger, in part for the song.
The one with Haiti and Voodoo? Hated it. (Don't recall the name)
Cory Boofer wants to be our first chartreuse president.
Blogger tim in vermont said...
I am not an aficionado of Bond movies, but the worst one, IMHO, was the latest Casino Royale, which is so bad I can’t pay attention long enough to even remember I watched it, then I get excited that here is one I have never seen, rinse, repeat.
That one was really bad. I think I gave up on the franchise after watching it.
The first Bond films I saw were the campy Roger Moore movies in the 79s. Only saw Connery’s Bond later. I think Connery was the best James Bond.
I think my favorite Bond film is Goldfinger.
"crosshairs" in pic look like part of a name/branded logo.
Any clue what site it came from/what the two words next to it spell?
Retief is great! I wish we had some diplomats like him. Instead, we seem to have a very large abundance of diplomats like the rest of the characters in Retief... spineless weasels who are good for nothing but treason... with apologies to the spineless weasels.
Wasn't Retief the one who stopped the other Earth diplo crew from eating dog food and was the only one with any sense or knowledge of the local culture?
I can't talk about 007 at work. Later.
LOL. Roger Stone does look like my rat.
So I guess the crosshair was to suggest shooting to miss.
Exploration of the usual use:
https://www.aiga.org/crosshair-in-the-crosshair
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