Wednesday, November 20, 2013

F This Movie! - The Living Daylights

Patrick and Mike start podcasting their way through the Bond series with Timothy Dalton's first outing as the world's most respectful secret agent.



Download this episode here.

Subscribe to F This Movie! in iTunes.

Also discussed this episode: Here Comes the Boom (2012), 8 1/2 (1963), You Only Live Twice (1967), Moonraker (1979), The World is Not Enough (1999), Skyfall (2012)

22 comments:

  1. I liked the Pomaro Marvel-esque post credits tag!

    Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in Yellow Ledbetter

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  2. Ok, so here's a ton of random thoughts this episode brought up for me:

    I’ve spoken a couple of times before about my love for The Living Daylights (and Dalton’s Bond) so I won’t repeat my thoughts too much here and just say I am in agreement with a lot of what Patrick said here.

    I’m really looking forward to the other episodes in this series, this was a great start and I’m excited to hear more in-depth discussions of the Bond films.

    I was a big fan of A View to a Kill as a kid as it was the first one that I remember coming out and I had the poster with Roger Moore and Grace Jones on the Eifel Tower, on my wall. It really doesn’t stand up too well now but I still have a soft spot for it.

    Like you two, I’m a fan of The World is Not Enough. I thought Sophie Marceau’s character was one of the most interesting in a Bond film for a long time, and the idea of some people placing this as one of the worst Bond’s frankly baffles me.

    While Moonraker is well down my list it does get a few points for the scene where Corinne Dufour is chased down by Drax’s dogs. For something so brutal it is beautifully shot and scored and really stands out as slightly incongruous to the rest of the high camp stuff going on elsewhere.

    As for the next film I’d like to hear you guys do: I think The Spy Who Loved Me is easily Moore’s best outing and a rather untalked about film, so I’d vote for that to discussed next please.

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    1. The Spy Who Loved me is great. It seems to be the Bond I have seen the most next to Live and Let Die. I feel like those two films were played on an endless loop on TBS in the 80s.

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  3. I look forward to listening to this show, I have always really enjoyed The Living Daylights and Dalton's portrayal of Bond. I remember reading an interview with Dalton wherein he said he wanted his Bond more like the character in the book. That is, brooding and emotional not the cold almost robotic character created by Connery and extended by Moore. This was of course years before Craig also gave us the closer to the book version of Bond he has perfected. Its funny how the Brosnan Bond was almost a throwback to the Moore interpretation.

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  4. This is the third podcast in a row that I've found myself a little surprised that Patrick hasn't seen something. They mention Miracle on 34th Street in the F Everything, he admitted having never seen the Hong Kong classic, Infernal Affairs in the Director's Messes and now 81/2. I don't mean that I'm disappointed or annoyed or anything. I just had this sort of "Oh, he hasn't seen that? I would have thought he's have seen it." moment.

    Thanksgiving weekend is a good time to watch the Original Miracle on 34th Street, which is a charming movie. Not a fan of the remake.

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  5. Great podcast. A couple of quick thoughts:

    Regarding the Denise Richards problem in World Is Not Enough, I do think Mike's right in that Richards never really radiates intelligence in any role she’s appeared in and I would disagree that it’s a gender issue as there are plenty of attractive actresses that probably would been a better fit in the role. Hell, Serena Scott Thomas, the doctor who checks out Brosnan (in multiple senses of the term) in the same movie, is more convincing as someone with a degree. But while someone else may have fared better, they probably could never have been great since the problem goes beyond Richards’ performance. The character is terrible in plenty of ways, down to her ridiculous costume. She serves little purpose other than providing exposition and hanging around to be Bond’s second choice and having her around weakens the impact of Bond’s relationship with the Sophie Marceau character. Without her, I think the movie would have had a much grimmer but more dramatically satisfying ending.

    As for the reaction to Dalton, I would definitely agree with Patrick that some of the animus against him was over Brosnan getting pulled from the role, as many fans voiced how happy and relieved they were when he could finally take the part in the 90s. That said, I think the Dalton period (can two movies constitute a period?) also suffered from the proliferation of action movies through the 80s. In the 60s and 70s, the Bond series was THE action movie franchise. By the mid-80s, audiences had Rambo, Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop and plenty of others to choose from and 007 may have seemed a bit too old-fashioned by comparison, particularly since this movie does play like a classic Bond adventure. I think this is reflected in the way License to Kill was ill-advisedly shaped more like its contemporary rivals in an attempt to compete with them. The six-year gap and the resulting political changes made the idea of having Bond back more interesting by the time Brosnan had the role. Alas, poor Mr. Dalton fell into the same trap that Paul McGann did with Doctor Who: the right man at the wrong time.

    And finally, the nerd in me must point out that there’s at least one other actor with two parts in the Bond series, as Charles Gray played both the ill-fated Henderson in You Only Live Twice and the hammiest of the Blofelds in Diamonds Are Forever.

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    1. Thanks, Tim!

      You're absolutely right that Denise Richards is miscast, not because she's a scientist but because she's not a very good actress. And her costume is terrible, but I will admit to enjoying it. But most of the critiques that can be leveled against both Richards and the character are true of many of the movies in the franchise, so I think it's weird that she gets more ire than anyone else.

      Your second point about Bond's place in '80s action is a GREAT one. Even as a kid, I had that feeling in the '80s -- Bond seemed like a franchise for my parents, so I didn't have much of an interest in him. Love the "right man at the wrong time" characterization (though I still haven't seen the Paul McGann TV movie).

      And I forgot about Charles Gray. Good catch. If I ever get knifed in the back, I hope I go as peacefully as Henderson.

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    2. There's weirdly a lot of actors who've played different characters in the Bond series, as illustrated by these lists:

      http://imgur.com/a/OEzpx

      http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/bond/jbactors.htm

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    3. I stand corrected! That's really interesting -- thanks for finding.

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    4. I wonder if some of the extra vitriol aimed at Richards may be related to how much better Bond's female partners were in the two previous films, both on a writing and performance level. After all, Michelle Yeoh was always going to be a touch act to follow.

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  6. OK, look, I know it's not a great Bond movie but I think the next discussion could do worse by being Live and Let Die. I can't defend it as being a "good" movie, but it's kind of fascinating to see just how batshit insane it is in trying to meld Bond with blaxploitation, then goes into some weird voodoo thing (and manages to get the great dancer & choreographer Geoffrey Holder involved somehow). It's such a weird movie and ripe for discussion,

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  7. Great Podcast. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all the Bond movies (eventually). Roger Moore is my favorite, although I understand the criticisms. You guys stated that his Bond really doesn't care about anything (except creepily eying the young girls!). Your next choice should then be Octopussy. Yes, the song is the worst in the series, James Bond wears clown makeup, and overall it is silly. Having said that, Bond's race against time to disarm the bomb is my favorite work of Roger Moore. Bond has never been more desperate, and I have always responded to Moore's panicked portrayal. He even gives the finger to a bunch of teens while trying to hitch a ride! Never before or since has Bond done that.

    Give it a chance, I know it won't turn into your favorite, but like all Bond movies, there are individual moments to really love.

    Keep up the good work!

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  8. Like everyone else here, I'm happy you're checking out the Bond movies, although thankfully you are breaking them up a bit. Brosnan has always been a favorite of mine, but perhaps I should go back and check them out again to see how it has aged. My brief theory is that movies from the 90's are tough to appreciate. They are too recent for much nostalgia and end up looking like crappier, less stylish imitations of today. When I was growing up in the 90's, it was the late 70's and 80's that were lame. Now the 80's are cool (hard to believe how much Journey I hear) and the 90's have fallen into the lame period. Perhaps in another 10 years the culture will appreciate the 90's cheese as a fun reminder of their childhood. Or maybe the Brosnan Bonds are simply bad! I'm holding out hope though.

    A note on the show as it is produced. It sounds like your mics are clipping, or something. It seems to only affect one channel, but it's a little annoying when Patrick says a loud vowel and one headphone distorts. This seems to be a recent development, but maybe I just didn't notice it on previous shows for some reason. It's not my headphones either as I listen to many podcasts at different volumes and haven't had issues.

    Keep up the great show (and fix the little issue)!

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    1. Working on that sound issue. Sorry about that.

      Great point about the '90s distance. I think you're on to something, because I remember when everyone wrote off the '80s as being useless and free of any art. The Brosnan Bonds might still be bad, but I think you're right about our (my) inability to place those movies within the proper context.

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  9. I was finally able to listen to this today. I always enjoy discussions about Bond, and agree that The Living Daylights is an underrated gem. However, I must disagree that Kara's "betrayal" of Bond is a "garbage" scene. Remember that after Bond's MI6 associate is killed in Vienna, he becomes cold and distant towards Kara without any explanation. When they get to Tangier, it makes perfect sense to me that she would call Whittaker (whom she already knows) to try and find out more about Georgi. Knowing what a smooth charmer he is - and given that Bond was in fact lying to her - it also makes sense that she could be talked into drugging Bond. When Bond realizes what happened, he shows the bruise on her arm and how she got it, and that's when she realizes he was telling the truth about Georgi.

    By the way, that sniper scene is fantastic. I love Dalton's little speech later: "I only kill professionals. That woman didn't know one end of a rifle from another."

    As far as what Bond to do next, why not start by doing the first film each actor did? You already have Dalton's first, which would leave Dr. No, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die, Goldeneye, and Casino Royale. You could then contrast how each actor chose to approach the role, and how they were introduced to us.

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    1. That's a great idea, Steve. Thanks for the suggestion.

      You're absolutely right that there is a plot explanation for Kara's one-scene change of heart. I still just feel like even with a motivation provided, it feels unmotivated to me -- more of a convenience than something that's actually felt. I get why Kara might be confused and/or afraid, but those scenes just make her such a puppet to get Bond on that plane. Maybe if she didn't swing all the way back around in the next scene? I don't know. It's so not a deal breaker because I still love the movie.

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    2. I really like Steve's suggestion here on how to approach the podcast order for the Bond movies (for a few installments, at least). Discussing and contrasting each actors "first times" would be interesting. I'll put up a vote for that idea. Which one, exactly, you tackle next doesn't really matter to me.

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    3. I'll latch another vote onto the "first times" idea. Since a lot of love has been given to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I think it would be cool to make that the next Bond show, but it really doesn't matter to me which one you guys pick. I haven't seen most of the Bond movies, so I'm looking forward to these shows to give me a push to check off all of them eventually.

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  10. I feel it's worth pointing out that Dalton's exit from the series was nothing to do with his reception. The Living Daylights was the fourth most successful opening of the series at the time, and Licence To Kill only really underperformed in the US (although it did have stiff competition from films like Back To The Future 2, Lethal Weapon 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Dalton was prepping for a third film but it got cancelled due to legal issues between UA/MGM and Eon Productions. These dragged on for five years and Dalton himself decided he didn't want to come back after such a big gap.

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    1. Yes! I think we touched on that a little when we did the show on GoldenEye a few weeks ago. Thanks for commenting!

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  11. This was so much funnier having just listened to the Live and Let Die podcast where Patrick does exactly what Mike says he would here, making fun of him for not loving certain movies. Very informative stuff, I grew up with Brosnan (although now I'm also a fan of Connery & Craig), so I sort of missed the boat with Dalton and Moore. Really want to revisit all of them now.

    You should do Live & Let Die next!

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  12. I just got done with a marathon of all the bond films to date in reverse chronological order and this was by far, the best of the lot.

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