How are you celebrating the Bond 50th Anniversary?

[shaken not stirred]

Welcome Craigis007.

Remember Craig is not 007 - he is a very naughty boy.

Followed up by creggs bonds villain singing always look on the bright side of life (well silva does look a bit like eric idle in the wig ), his lyrics: cheer up you winging git, stop acting like a twit, cause life can be mighty glum but not always bad, if life is treating you rotten, there's something you forgotten and that's to pull that stick out of your ass...so always look on the bright side of life, stop pouting and being emo all your life.

Capt: and it's he's not james bond he's a very naughty boy, jehova, jehova, jehova .

[trevanian]

My main way last year of celebrating the anniversary was the way I spend most years ... cherishing my re-viewings of FRWL, TLD & LTK, watching Ken Adam/Derek Meddings 'highlight reel' excerpts of SPY and MR, loving that great moment when Fiona tells Bond off in TB, and rereading all of Fleming (except Spy) and John Pearson's Bio of 007, nearly all of which I accept as a fine extension of Fleming (can't really buy off on Bond having the older bro, though.)

Also found my old 25min Bond spoof YOU ONLY DIE THRICE, still relatively intact on Super8 film (shot in 1975, I was surprised the film hadn't utterly disintegrated by now.) Thought it was amusing that in my film, Bond has to undergo a word association test from Sir James Moloney before taking on his first case ... our word association test was funnier and truer to character than what showed up in SKYFALL.

[trevanian]

My main way last year of celebrating the anniversary was the way I spend most years ... cherishing my re-viewings of FRWL, TLD & LTK, watching Ken Adam/Derek Meddings 'highlight reel' excerpts of SPY and MR, loving that great moment when Fiona tells Bond off in TB, and rereading all of Fleming (except Spy) and John Pearson's Bio of 007, nearly all of which I accept as a fine extension of Fleming (can't really buy off on Bond having the older bro, though.)

Also found my old 25min Bond spoof YOU ONLY DIE THRICE, still relatively intact on Super8 film (shot in 1975, I was surprised the film hadn't utterly disintegrated by now.) Thought it was amusing that in my film, Bond has to undergo a word association test from Sir James Moloney before taking on his first case ... our word association test was funnier and truer to character than what showed up in SKYFALL.

[Emilio Largo]

I've been celebrating the James Bond 50th Anniversary by watching and re-watching my Ultimate Edition DVDs of all the 1960s James Bond films. That's really where James Bond truly belongs: in the 1960s, man! But I must make a confession: I recently watched Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum Of Solace on BBC America and the USA Network cable channels, respectively. The only elements that impressed me were the Bond Women. I hope all of you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for actually breaking down and watching these recent Bond as Bourne flicks. I'm truly sorry that I did this. But there is a silver lining to this set of terrible TV viewing mistakes that I committed: it has thoroughly convinced me to avoid Skyfall at all costs. It shall be done!!!

To clear my mind of these two Bond as Bourne debacles I immediately watched the first three James Bond movies all in a row. And thus, my filmic "soul" was cleansed of this craggy Bond impostor. Even though there are some rather creaky production values in Dr. No, Sean Connery's debut as Agent 007 is still incredibly impressive (but this Craggy guy, definitely NOT impressive). And I still want to take the time to finish viewing the rest of my Top Ten Favorite Bond films. It shall be done!!! Good stuff, eh!

[Barry Niven]

I can dig that. The way I celebrated the anniversary was by watching each of the first 16 Bond movies every Saturday night starting last June, as those ones were Events that are meant to be treasured. Though I also included the unofficial ones for completism's sake, by preceding Dr. No with the B&W Climax!-version of Casino Royale the Friday before, then enduring the 1967 parody CR the Friday before OHMSS rather than wedge it in-between Thunderball and You Only Live Twice like the original release dates, cause that was too disruptive for the continuity as I saw it. Plus it made OHMSS look and feel even more like a real Bond movie even without Connery. And finally, I saw Never Say Never Again the Friday before A View to a Kill to mark the ending of Both of the Classic Old-Bond actors with their swan song films (man, did Roger look old).

Unfortunately, my own issues with the Pierce Brosnan Bonds (namely, their shallow, over-saturated, and grossly-exaggerated excesses of the Bond "Tropes" that revealed a pitiful lack of understanding or respect on Babs & MGW's part to properly manage a legacy they'd only inherited rather than EARNED) convinced me to watch that quartet each night in a row just to quickly get it over with. I held off on that miscast-mumbler Craig's "Bonds" until the week of Skyfarce's opening to do likewise. BTW, it does suck, so you need not worry about missing out on any "redeeming qualities", because there weren't any.*

* - Unlike QoS's lone bright spot: "Ms. Fields". Or rather her first scenes in that Trench-coat and Boots, up until the pretentious art-film dissolve following that awful "can you help me find my stationary?" chat-up line because the "filmmakers" were too "enlightened" to actually show the full-blown foreplay/seduction scene itself and actually give any red-blooded male viewers something to enjoy. Naw, showing off their clever, self-important, PC bull$#!+ was far more important than THAT. Jerks.

[John P. Drake]

Celebrating? I'm not celebrating the 50th anniversary, it got screwed up with Crapfall and Danielle Crybaby Craig in the role of a pussy trying to use a pseudonym called James Bond. Can I post a photo if you don't mind?

[trevanian]

Took me a couple years to get back, but huzzah to that post above, wholly agreed!

[Veronica]

alvin made me laugh on the alto007 forum with this post

I'm not a big fan of those early films, but I don't think they're bad either. Just different times, I guess, and me and my generation is so removed from that time period. But I don't tell my grandfather that those movies are awful. When he watches them on DVD, I go along with it and just see how far the series has evolved into something cool and artsy with Daniel Craig.

Cool and artsy?! I guess I hit the nail on the head when I stated how the producers think of themselves as artistically creative geniuses with this new direction. And now some of the brainwashed fans are saying how wonderfully artistic the Craig Bond films are. Ugh... Seriously, I can't stand it when the young fans trash the older Bond films and praise the new ones. It really gives off a negative stereotypical image of younger Bond fans like myself, who are actually into the classic films more.

To me, the Craig Bond films are so primitive in comparison to the classic ones in pretty much every way. They spend tons of money on the new films, but are they anywhere near as good or entertaining as the older ones? Nope, not for me. The new Bond films are a chore to watch, it's like playing a bad or boring video game. And speaking of video games, there are many developers in the game industry who also think of themselves as artistically creative geniuses, and there's been various game series that have been ruined as a result. I'm so tired of people in the film and game industry shoving their artistic garbage down our throats, and saying how it's so much better. We are the customers, and it's our money that keeps them alive, which means we ultimately have the power. I'm not paying good money for what they feel is creative and artistic. It's your job to entertain the customers, not yourselves.

You are totally right! Nowdays I don't wanna go on any of the forums because if you say something bad about Craig the pitbulls will come after you. Suddenly Bond needed to get more serious and all brooding with no fun or charm or anything that excited people before... that marvelous feeling when I watch the casino scene from Dr.No or when Bond does something completely bondesque and then the iconic tune kicks in.. or when I comment how this Bond guy "omg,isn't he the coolest person or what?" while watching the films. That feeling with Craig movies is nonexistent. I just sited there and watched. And then almost fell asleep.