21 Days of Bond
I remember years and years ago when TBS would hold multi-night Bond marathons. So in honour of those days and in honour of the forthcoming 22nd Bond adventure, we’ve put together this advent calendar of 007 action. With this, you can watch a Bond movie a day and be ready, willing and able to pick-up Quantum of Solace opening night. So grab a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) and let the show begin.
| October 24 – Dr. No What it’s about: MI:6 Agent James Bond, 007, is sent to the West Indies to investigate the death of a fellow agent and stumbles upon a plot by Dr. Julius No to take over the world. Why it’s cool: So much of what Bond’s about is established here: the gun barrel opening, the exotic locals, villains with visions of world domination and attractive women with sexually suggestive names. October 25 – From Russia with Love What it’s about: In what is considered one of the best, if not The best, Bond movie, 007 searches for a Soviet decoder while avoiding the poison-tipped shoes of Rosa Klebb. Why it’s cool: Desmond Llewelyn’s first appearance as gadget man Q, which, if you didn’t know, stands for Quartermaster. |  |
 | October 26 – Goldfinger What it’s about: The villainous Auric Goldfinger, a gold smuggler by trade, attempts to sneak a nuclear weapon into Fort Know. This was also the first Bond film to use the pop song, opening sequence. Why it’s cool: Two things: the hat tossing Oddjob played by Harold Sakata and Goldfinger’s laser slicing torture device. “Do you expect me to talk?” “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.” Classic. October 27 – Thuderball What it’s about: An eye-patch wearing bad guy named Number Two steals nuclear weapons and holds the Free World ransom for $100 million. You may now sigh with recognition. Why it’s cool: Bond makes his famous jetpack escape after capping a member of SPECTRE in the teaser sequence. |
October 28 – You Only Live Twice
What it’s about: Donald Pleasence makes his bow as Ernest Blofeld, head of SPECTRE, and kicks-off the so-called “Blofeld Trilogy” with a plot about pitting the super powers against each other to start World War III. It’s a recurring theme.
Why it’s cool: The script was written by Roald Dahl. Yes, that Roald Dahl.
October 29 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
What it’s about: Blofeld plans to go all 12 Monkeys on the world, but Bond teams up with Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg) to save the day and steal his heart. The unusually tragic ending sees Bond marry the Contessa only to watch her die in a hail of gunfire.
Why it’s cool: Australian George Lazenby is the first, new Bond in what was at the time considered a film failure, but in the years since has come to be seen as a hidden gem in the franchise
October 30 – Diamonds Are Forever
What it’s about: Remember in Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me when Dr. Evil built a giant laser on the moon. It was pretty much ripped from this, but with added diamond smuggling.
Why it’s cool: The third film featuring the villain Blofeld as the main villain; the last one starring Sean Connery.
October 31 – Live and Let Die
What it’s about: Roger Moore’s first outing as 007 is a journey to the heights of blaxploitation and is fondly remember for it’s racial stereotypes and the killer theme song by Paul McCartney, but covered better years later by Guns ‘N’ Roses.
Why it’s cool: No shortage of weirdo sidekicks: Tee Hee Johnson who has a pincer for a hand and Baron Samedi, a voodoo priest. Also, Jane Seymour’s the Bond girl.
 | November 1 – The Man with the Golden Gun What it’s about: Bond is sent into action to recover the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of the sun. Bad guys are after it for purely destructive reasons. Why it’s cool: Fantasy Island’s Hervé Villechaize plays diminutive henchman Nick Nack. But it’s Christopher Lee that steals the show as the individual alluded to in the film’s title. November 2 – The Spy Who Loved Me What it’s about: Bond teams with Soviet Agent Triple X (no relation to Vin Diesel’s XXX) in order to stop bad guy Karl Stromberg from starting World War III and creating a new society under the sea. Why it’s cool: Richard Kiel as “Jaws.” One of Drax’s henchmen, he’s got the dual advantage of giantism and a set of stainless steel teeth. He’d return in Moonraker. |
November 3 – Moonraker
What it’s about: Sir Hugo Drax intends to poison the Earth and start again with a colony in space. Bond is sent to stop him with the assistance of astronaut Holly Goodhead (yikes).
Why it’s cool: It’s a misconception that Moonraker was made after the popularity of Star Wars. Fleming actually wrote the story in the novel of the same name in 1954.
November 4 – For Your Eyes Only
What it’s about: Bond has to recover an encryption device that is capable of ordering NATO subs to attack their own countries.
Why it’s cool: Blofeld returns from the dead briefly to haze Bond at the gravesite of his wife, only to be dropped down a smoke stack a few minutes later.
November 5 – Octopussy
What it’s about: Good question. But seriously, it involves a Russian General and an exiled Afghan prince’s attempt to smuggle a nuke onto a US Air Force Base. The titular (eep) smuggler helps Bond take them down.
Why it’s cool: Any movie that has Bond disguised as a clown is severely uncool, no matter what it’s titled. But the DVD has screen tests of James Brolin as a contender to succeed Moore as the superspy.
November 6 – A View to Kill
What it’s about: Moore plays Bond one last time, fighting an industrialist that’s out to destroy Silicon Valley with a “double earthquake.”
Why it’s cool: Christopher Walken plays Max Zorin, a psycho made by tinkering from both the Nazis and the Soviets. Plus, Zorin and Bond’s climactic battle takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge.
November 7 – The Living Daylights
What it’s about: A botched defection of a Soviet General leads Bond to a conspiracy by the new head of the KGB to eliminate all enemy agents. Timothy Dalton’s first of two outings as Bond.
Why it’s cool: Producers ticked off the International Red Cross of all people when the movie’s bad guys use vehicles emblazoned with the organization’s logo to make their get away.
November 8 – Licence to Kill
What it’s about: Bond resigns in order to pursue revenge against drug kingpin Sanchez (the always awesome Robert Davi) after Sanchez orders a hit on long time Bond ally Felix Leiter.
Why it’s cool: It’s not actually. This was Dalton’s last film as Bond, the second shortest run of any actor after Lazenby. After License, Bond got caught up in a legal and maelstrom between MGM and Sony that only ended when MGM surrender the rights for Spider-Man in exchange for Bond.
| November 9 – Goldeneye What it’s about: Bond’s first post-Cold War adventure finds him facing off against a rogue MI:6 agent (Sean Bean) out to destroy global financial markets with a Soviet satellite weapon. Why it’s cool: Pierce Brosnan immediately makes Bond his own. Combined with a solid story and Famke Jansson as the villainess with Thigh-Master powers, Xenia Onatopp, Goldeneye managed big action on a limited budget. November 10 – Tomorrow Never Dies What it’s about: A deranged media baron (think Rupert Murdoch as a cartoonish super-vill… oh, never mind) tries to start World War III by framing China for an attack on the British Navy. Why it’s cool: Michelle Yoeh as Bond’s Chinese counterpart proves that anything Bond can do, women can do with more grace and kick ass martial arts. |  |
November 11 – The World is Not Enough
What it’s about: When an assassin kills oil magnate Robert King, Bond is assigned to protect his daughter and stop a terror attack on key oil pipelines in Eastern Europe.
Why it’s cool: Llewelyn’s final scene as Q was a touching tribute to the man that always had Bond’s back with the right gadget. Llewelyn died shortly after the film opened.
November 12 – Die Another Day
What it’s about: After spending a year and a half as a North Korean prisoner, Bond seeks the man that set him up and teams with a troublemaking NSA agent (Halle Berry), along the way.
Why it’s cool: Producers brought back a Cold War vibe by making the bad guy North Korean. Also, this being the 20th film on the 40th anniversary of the franchise, look for many winks and nods to Bond’s past.
November 13 – Casino Royale
What it’s about: In a franchise reboot, a newly minted 007 James Bond has to thwart terrorists by beating their financier, Le Chiffre, at high stakes poker. He also loves and loses the girl to a last minute betrayal.
Why it’s cool: It just is. Long time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson did no wrong with this one from going back to the beginning to hiring Paul Haggis to doctor the script to anointing Daniel Craig as the new Bond despite screams of protest.
November 14 – Quantum of Solace
What it’s about: Picking up momentarily following Royale, Bond pursues an organization named QUANTUM, and the men responsible for the loss of his beloved Vesper Lynd.
Why it’s cool: The pre-release talk is infinitely more positive about Quantum, and certainly director Marc Foster is beyond capable, but can this sequel deliver a victory for Bond against his greatest adversary, the H.Y.P.E.? We’ll see…
Login
Create an account
Contact
Login
Create an account
