Martin Campbell talks Casino Royale's poker scenes

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Thoughts on every James Bond film

So in April, I decided to watch every Bond film from "From Russia with Love" to "Spectre". I had already seen Dr. No for a english assignment last year and while I enjoyed the film didn't feel the need to rewatch it. So here are my thoughts:
Dr. No - A great start to the Bond franchise that is introduces a lot of the classic elements, including "Bond, James Bond", Girls and cold kills. The film is quite quaint by modern standards but is still fun to watch. I will say the second half of the opening is just plain odd though, why after the James Bidn theme am I hearing bongos?. I will say that I wish we saw more of Dr. No than we do in the actual film, as, but otherwise Jospeh Wiseman gives a great performance. Overall 7.5/10
From Russia with Love - Okay this one just got better as it went along. While the pre-title sequence isn't bad we don't actually get to bond for a bit of the film and it does drag a bit. I also love that in the second movie we're already trying to play with the fact that Bond loves to sleep with women. I also find it funny that Robert Shaw looks awfully similar to Daniel Craig. Even with that though Red Grant still delievrs a codl performance that leads to one of the best fight scenes in cinema Overall 8.5/10
Goldfinger - I love this one so much. From a great villain to the DB5 to the iconic imagery and the brilliant henchman in Oddjob. This film gets nearly everything right and I have very few problems with the film as a whole. My only qualm is the barn scene where it appears that Bond may have raped Pussy galore, but that really didn't hinder my enjoyment very much as all. Where my love for the films was truly cemented for the film was for this quote "Did you expect to me to Live?" "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die".Also my favourite character is introduced in this film: Q. The way Desmond Lleweyn plays this character is perfect and I really did not want anyone to replace him. Goldfinger is almsot flawless 9/10
Thunderball - This is where the franchise really went downhill for me. What really annoys me about this film is the first half hour is a complete waste of time that we didn't need. We could have easily started just at scene where Bond is meeting with leaders of the world and M and it still wouldn't affect your understanding of the film. Even after that, so much of the film just feels like wasted potential. The only good part of the film are probably about half the girls, Sean Connery and the one Q scene. The Underwater scenes are just boring and I didn't care. Altough this film does have on e the best title sequences. This will seem harsh to some but honestly this film gets a 4/10
Casino Royale(1967) - Yes I made sure to watch "every" James Bond film (although that wasn't really worth it in the end). What the fuck happened in this film. Honeslty this film is just random scenes together stuck together with a plotline. I remeber David Niven playing some game with Ursula Andress( If I remember correctly). I remember Bond's daughter stuck in a mze like berlin in the cold war. I remember peter sellers going up against Le Chiffre. But the films comes together like a Sandwhich made of Jello and Glue. It's awful. But it's also hilarious to think about. Honestly the story behind the film is more interesting than the actual film. Oh and how lazy is that ending, my God. 3.5/10
You Only live Twice - Alright I knew going in to this some of the films would be dated but I thought that was going to eb about the attitudes towards Women. I did not expect Sean Connery to be badly put in makeup to make him "look Asian". Also the final "Blofeld" reveal is somewhat disappointing, not necessarily bad just somewhat disappointing considering how he was bulit up in From Russia with Love and Thunderball. Although I honeslty didn't have a problem with Connery's performance that much. While it's not great, it wasn't enough to have an impact on my feelings towards the films. Overall not bad. 7/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Alright this one is hard for me. I didn't enjoy the film very much but it's clearly great. Why is it great? Well it gave me Captain America: Civil War which is a film I sometimes don't enjoy but know it is a great film regardless. I was probably just in the wrong mood for this film. As for Lazenby, he's not bad but I think he might have just needed a bit more direction on what to do. Although while it's a gutpunch I love the ending. I'll just give it a 7 now, but I might come back to this one.
Diamonds are Forever - This one is quite weird. From Blofeld to drag to having scenes set in Vegas to Connery weirdly looking too old depsite only being in his 40s. But it can also be a sort of fun weird as well. But then it's not great either. Also I blame this film for the stupid moon landing conspiracy theories. 6.5/10
Live and Let Die - This is a decent start to the Roger Moore Era. Moore feels like Bond but not like Connery which I think was a slight problem with Lazneby trying to be a little too much like Connery. Dr. Kananga is a good villian and Jane Seymour as Solitaire is one the best bond girls. Also Sherriff J.W Pepper is silly but helps us understand how the Roger Moore Era will feel. Overall 7.5/10
The Man with the Golden Gun - "THAT FUCKING SLIDE WHISTLE". Seriously though the slidew whistle over the car flip represents the whole film. Good Idea that were unfortunately done wrong due to horrid execution. However, this makes the film one of the best to enjoy ironically. Scaramnage and Nick Nack are probably the only things done well in the film. Just for ironic enjoyment I'm willing to give this film a 6/10
The Spy Who Loved Me - For the longest time this was my favourite Bond Film. It had my favourite Bond girl in Anya, One the best henchmen in Jaws, Moore at the top of his game, and one the best ending scenes battles in all of Bond. My only problem comes from Stromberg, who's just a bit one note. Overall 9.5/10
Moonraker - I had bad experience watching this one. I was expecting all of it to be set in Space but only the 3rd act actually is. This meant that during the first 2 acts I was just waiting for them to go to space and when they did, I wanted them back on Earth. I really didn't like the space scenes because the blasters reminded me too much of Star Wars. The film itself is probably the most over the top it's ever been and hell, looking back I realise while it was incredibly stupid it was fun seeing a double taking pigeon and the other nonsensical happenings in this film. Honeslty I'll give this a 6.5.
For Your Eyes Only - What happened in this one? This isn't like Casino Royale '67 where it's incredibly confusing but it's more just boring. I really don't remember much at all. I don't remember many of the stunts or any of the bond girls really. Hell, I have no idea who the villain actually was. The only thing I remember is the brilliant opening sequence. 4/10
Octopussy - This one's similar to FYEO for me only stupider. unfortunately though unlike Moonraker where it jump the shark fairly soon to get you ready for the sillier scenes later on, the clown scene at the end I was completely unprepared for looked and just came off as incredibly dumb. Also Octopussy could've been a great villain but no, it's someone else who I didn't care about. 3/10
Never Say Never Again - The first act is weird in that it can't decide if it wants to be classic Bond or a spoof like CR '67. The second act is classic Bond(although they play videogames at some point. What?). I don't remember the 3rd act at all and I got completely lost which really ruined the film for me. 4.5/10
A View To a Kill - This is like TMTWGG for me. The only real good parts are Mayday and Christopher Walken as Zorin. We really should've had Dalton by this point. In fact I think Dalton should've started with For Your Eyes Only. Moore I don't think gives a bad performance but he was clealry too old for the role by this point. As a film it's one of the sillier ones, but at least it wasn't too boring 5/10
The Living Daylights - What a breath of fresh air. It was nice to have a bond film I enjoyed again after some many I didn't like. I love the 3rd act with the both Bond hanging on for his life with the plane and the end fight (although it could give you a seizure if you're epileptic). Timothy Dalton is James Bond. All the other actors were playing a version of James Bond. Dalton is that character personified to a T. The Living Daylights gets a 7/10
Licence to Kill - This was very different. What is easily the darkest bond film (maybe except, Casino Royale '06) is also one of the better bond films. While I enjoyed TLD dalton's bond fits better in this sort of film. I love the plot is literally Bond on a revenge mission rather than just filling out M's orders. Also Q in more than just one scene, is bliss. I Love Q, not only for Desmons Lleweyn, but also because his warmth helps to say "Yes it's dark, but it's still Bond and we can still have fun with it". However the film does almost crumble under all of the different plotlines but unlike NSNA I was still able to get back into the film despite that. Also, It annoyed me that Felix survived the film. It would've been better and more believable if both Felix and his wife had died. LTK gets a 7.5/10
Goldeneye - I don't have a lot to say about this one. Just a great Bond film in it's own right with a great villain and some of the best Bond girls. Although I wasn't big on Brosnan at first though. To me he seemed too generic and didn't really have his own spin to Bond. But he grew on my over time. Besides Goldeneye is still a great film otherwise. 9/10
Tomorrow Never Dies - Again, not a lot to say about this one. Decent Bond flick, that while not as good as Goldeneye is still worth your time and worth checking out at least once. The best part of this film is the villain by far, being a version of Rupert Murdoch(hate that slimy bugger). 7/10
The World is Not Enough - Man I don't have a lot to say about the Brosnan films. I really don't know what to think of this film. The opening scene is great but otherwise I find the film to be another average Bond flick that is a little worse than TND. 6/10
Die Another Day - This one's similar to TMWTGG and AVTAK for me where's it's incrediby stupid but you can have a laugh at it. John Cleese is decent as Q but not as good as desmond lleyweyn. Unlike otehr silly bond films some of the stupid shit can be seen as downright offensive and taking the piss such as the parasailing on waves scene and the end villain literally being Robocop. But the film is somewhat saved by incredibly silly dialogue that is easy to laugh at. Overall 5/10
Casino Royale - First Act is good. The second act is one the best scenes in cinema I have ever seen. I was just invested in that Poker Scene as I was in the Portals scene in Avengers: Endgame if nor more so in the Poker scene. The torture scene is brutal but works perfectly. However once Mr White shows up the films kind of falls apart. This because you could easily assume that Mr White was CIA(Like I did) and just though that was that. While Mathis still had to be dealt with, (whihc QoS messes with for some reason) the film could've just ended with Bond and Vesper. But no we had to have this silly third act which feels like it was only there to kill Vesper. But since the first two acts are still really good and the third act doesn't ruin the movie I'm still willing to look a the film positively. Overall 8/10
Quantum of Solace - I saw this one fairly recently and I still don't remember what happened. I think Greene was the villain and Bond was on the run from MI6 but honeslty that's about it. I will say that in the first half however, Daniel Craig somehow managed to not be Bond and instead come off as top Gear host. The ending really ruins this film however. Well more the gunbarrel itslef. YOU MAKE WAIT THE ENTRIE MOVIE FOR THE GUNBARREL ONLY FOR IT TO THE BE THE WORST GUNBARREL EVER DONE" Ugh. 4.5/10
Skyfall - What a stroke of genius this film was after QoS. One the best Villians in Bond history,Daniel Craig on top of his game, some stunts that are a bit silly but still keep the realims in check and making M the central focus was brilliant . Also while Desmond Lleweyn Will always be my favourite, Ben Whishaw is a great Q. I know this film has some silly plot holes the film is so damn good you just learn to not care about them. I could gush on and on about this film, but this has gone long enough as it has. 10/10 Best Bond film
Spectre - So I'm listening to Bon Jovi's "You give Love a bad Name" and it has the lyric "You Promised me Heaven and gave me Hell". That sums up my feeling towards the films perfectly so I'll just leave at that. 3/10
TLDR Ranking
1.Skyfall
  1. The Spy Who Loved Me
  2. Goldfinger
  3. Goldeneye
  4. From Russia With Love
  5. Casino Royale
  6. Live and let die
  7. Dr. No
  8. Licence to Kill
  9. The Living Daylights
  10. You Only Live twice
  11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  12. Tomorrow Never Dies
  13. Moonraker
  14. Diamonds are Forever
  15. The World is Not Enough
  16. The man with the Golden Gun
  17. Die Another Day
  18. A View to A Kill
  19. Quantum of Solace
  20. Never say Never Again
  21. For Your Eyes Only
  22. Thunderball
  23. Casino Royale(1967)
  24. Octopussy
  25. Spectre
submitted by j054k3n to JamesBond [link] [comments]

[Fri, Nov 27 2020] TL;DR — This is what you missed in the last 24 hours on Reddit

worldnews

The European Union has fined two pharmaceutical companies for colluding to keep a cheap alternative to a sleep disorder medicine off the market for their profit and at the expense of patients.
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Chinese doctors jailed for organ harvesting
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Rapists will be chemically castrated in Pakistan under new laws approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan
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news

Venezuela judge convicts 6 American oil execs, orders prison
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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon tests positive for COVID-19
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First Latino DACA recipient receives Rhodes Scholarship
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science

In the US, states typically pay for prison while counties determine sentencing. A natural experiment whereby the cost burden of juvenile incarceration was placed on counties led to a stark drop in incarceration. This suggests that mass incarceration in the US is in part due to misaligned incentives.
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As interactions increasingly take place online, people find information that confirms their existing beliefs, making them less willing to listen to alternatives. This exacerbates filter bubbles and explains why public debates become polarized as people become impervious to opposing arguments.
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People’s moral foundations can predict their compliance with staying at home, wearing masks, and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caring and fairness are morals that predict compliance with all three public health measures.
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space

Space travel is bad for the body at a cellular level
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How six scientists survived ‘living on Mars’ for a year: « The habitat had a small living room, 1.5 bathrooms, a galley kitchen and tiny living quarters for each of the six up a flight of stairs. Power came via solar panel, water via large storage tanks outside. »
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China’s plan for moon research station gets closer with Chang’e-5 success
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Futurology

World’s Biggest Wind Park to Be Built Offshore U.K.
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Japan Developing Laser Weapons That Can Be Mounted On Vehicles To Counter Drone Attacks
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History records many secular and religious attempts to build paradise on Earth. They haven’t worked. Nevertheless, some philosophers believe a biohappiness revolution is imminent, insisting: 'This time really is different'.
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AskReddit

What are underrated websites and what do you use them for?
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What do you think is the biggest secret being kept from mankind?
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People who wear shoes in the house, why?
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todayilearned

TIL that strings and cables moving randomly will spontaneously knot themselves with a probability reaching 100%
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TIL when Audrey Geisel, the widow of Doctor Seuss, was selling the rights to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, she made sure that "any actor submitted for the Grinch must be of comparable stature to Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman."
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TIL PCs in the 80s and 90s often had a “Turbo” button which when pressed would counterintuitively slow down the processor speed to allow compatibility with older games designed for slower processors.
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dataisbeautiful

[OC] Effective cost of the different ways of getting Reddit Premium
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[OC] When does the sun set in Europe's capitals during the winter solstice (21/12)?
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If COVID-19 Cases were Electoral Votes in the 2020 US Election [OC]
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Cooking

PSA: If you're spending Thanksgiving alone, there's now nothing stopping you from just drinking gravy straight. You're welcome.
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It worked!
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My deviled eggs were a hit!
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food

[Homemade] Applewood smoked turkey.
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[Homemade] Double cheese burger on a potato bun
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[Homemade] Hand Laminated Pain Au Chocolat.
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movies

Why ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Is the Ultimate Thanksgiving Movie
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Casino Royale’s poker scene was as elaborate as a James Bond stunt
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Alex Garland Has A "Low Budget Horror Movie" Coming Up - Casting and financing on the project is currently underway, with a view to shoot in spring or summer 2021
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Art

Foot Stabber, Me, Digital, 2020
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"I can only draw stick figures", me, digital painting, 2020
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Minotaur, Paul Reid, Oil on Canvas, 2020
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television

Kaley Cuoco on why she returned to TV so quickly with the Flight Attendant: 'You can easily be forgotten'
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'Jeopardy!' Shares Alex Trebek's Posthumous Thanksgiving Message
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Saturday Morning Cartoons are coming to MeTV starting January 2
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pics

What started as an accidental text turned into an annual tradition!
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My neighbors brought me a "plate" since I didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving.
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The Empire State Building seen from New Jersey, when it was first completed in the 1930s
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gifs

Eyeball fun
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Tubular
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How Amazon ships your items.
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educationalgifs

How to calculate gear ratio
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mildlyinteresting

I got my huge pet snail a small pet snail
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Plate broke in weird satisfying shape
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In 1993 I received my first federal tax refund. It was $1.00.
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interestingasfuck

Best wildlife photo of the year 2019
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The birds of the striped cuckoo are very similar to pine cones. This is how they protect themselves from predators.
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My buddy caught an albino catfish yesterday. One in a million chance.
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funny

the ivory gap
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Famous mac and cheese recipe. Don’t tell anyone but the secret ingredient is love!
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NO such thing as bad publicity. Wally’s Pub here on the NH seacoast, brilliantly seeing to it.
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aww

I couldn’t see my family this year (for obvious reasons) so me and my boy made the best of it.
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Golden pupper turns into a leaf sweeper when he's happy
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A happy pygmy falcon
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Random Subreddit of the day: Borat

These are its 3 top posts of all time:
Did haters of the sequel even watch the original?
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Jeanise Jones (The babysitter) statement about the Borat 2 movie.
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Wawaweewa
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submitted by _call-me-al_ to RedditTLDR [link] [comments]

Film Rankings with Explanations, Ratings, and Tiers

During quarantine, I've had the opportunity to rewatch every movie in relatively short succession. I've seen them all 2-10 times and have been a lifelong Bond fan. I enjoy every Bond film, even the "bad" ones, but I wanted to try and rank them. I used a scoring system to help me, but ultimately went with my gut (e.g. License to Kill MUST be better than The World is Not Enough). I thought a tier system of ranking was useful, because it really is splitting hairs to rank some of these. Feel free to critique my ratings, my ratings weightings, and opinions!
​
You could say I have too much time on my hands
Tier 7: The Worst
  1. Die Another Day: Best Sword Fight
- Why it's not irredeemable: For being the lowest ranked film on this list, it's not without its moments. Bond getting caught, tortured, then escaping from MI6 was interesting and novel. The ice hotel was neat, as well as the chase scene. I'll even defend the much maligned invisible car, as the Aston Martin Vanquish is quite a car.
- Why it's not higher: Personally, I think Halle Berry is a terrible Bond girl, alternating between damsel in distress and super woman as the plot demands it. Moreover, Graves and the plot in general is pretty cheesy and boring. Perhaps most damaging is the deadly serious tone of the movie, which doesn't even provide the fun and excitement Brosnan's films generally provide the viewer.
- Most under-appreciated part: The fencing scene is the best action scene of the entire movie. It's surprising it took Bond this long to fence, but seeing them go at it across the club was a blast.
​
Tier 6: Disappointing
  1. Quantum of Solace: Best Car Chase
- Why it's this high: The action is quite good, likely meriting the distinction of the best car chase in the entire series (the pre-credits sequence). Mathis is a good ally and it is sad to see him go.
- Why it's not higher: My biggest beef with Craig's Bond films is that they are too serious, so when the plot and script isn't top-notch, the movie watching experience is just kind of dull. Quantum of Solace takes a bold risk in making the first Bond sequel, but unfortunately it's just not that good. Greene seems like a rather pathetic Bond villain, and his henchman (the worst in the series?) ends up in a neck-brace after getting tripped by Camilla. Also, the shaky cam is distracting and exhausting.
- Most under-appreciated part: I actually thing the theme song is pretty good! Maybe I'm just too much of a Jack White groupie, but I think it rocks.
​
  1. Moonraker: Best Locales
- Why it's this high: I'm pleased to see Jaws making a return, as he is an amazing henchman. On that note, the pre-credits sequence with Bond and Jaws falling out of the plane is exhilarating. Holly Goodhead is a very good Bond girl, beautiful, smart, and competent. Roger Moore always does an excellent job playing the role with suavity and wit.
- Why it's not higher: Gosh it's cheesy. Particularly egregious is Jaws' love story. The theme song is terrible and Bond doesn't have any solid allies besides Goodhead and Jaws.
- Most under-appreciated part: They really go all out with the settings here. Obviously, space is pretty polarizing, but I think Bond clearly should go to space at SOME point during the series. In addition, Italy and Brazil were gorgeous views, while Drax's estate is magnificent.
​
  1. Spectre: Best Shooting
- Why it's this high: Rewatching this for the second time, I realized Lea Seydoux does a good job as the Bond girl, and it's actually quite believable she and James could work out, as she is the daughter of an assassin and can understand him (as Blofeld points out). Seeing Bond show off his marksmanship was quite satisfying, especially that one long shot during the escape from Blofeld's compound. Bonus points for Bond's DB10 and resurrecting the DB5.
- Why it's not higher: The fatal flaw of this film is making Blofeld Bond's adopted brother. How did Bond not recognize him? How is Blofeld able to keep himself secret from British intelligence yet every criminal worth his salt knows of him? The worst part is that it actually cheapens the plot of the other Craig movies. I believe the Bond franchise should stay clear from sequels from here on out. Yes, they can weave a great story if done correctly, but it's so much more difficult to make great sequels (e.g. Star Wars only made two worthy sequels in seven tries) than to do one-offs. As usual for a Craig film, Bond has little charisma (save for his surprisingly good rapport with Moneypenny) and little in the way of jokes to lighten the mood.
- Most under-appreciated part: The train fight scene with Dave Bautista is great! Gosh it was awesome to see them go at it, break through walls, and a priceless expression on Bautista's face when he knows he's done. Bautista is the first decent henchman since the 90s, so glad to see the series go back to this staple.
​
  1. The Man with the Golden Gun: Best Potential, Worst Execution
- Why it's this high: This Bond movie frustrates more than any other, as it has the potential to be an all-time great. Bond's debriefing starts off with promise, as it turns out the world's top assassin is gunning for Bond! For the first time in the series, Bond seems vulnerable! M makes a hilarious quip as to who would try to kill Bond ("jealous husbands ... the list is endless"). Furthermore, the legendary Christopher Lee is possible the best Bond villain, a rare peer of 007.
- Why it's not higher: Unfortunately, the movie opts to change course so that it's just Maud Adams trying to get Bond to kill Scaramanga. Goodnight is beautiful, but maybe the most inept Bond girl of all-time. They used a SLIDE WHISTLE, ruining one of the coolest Bond stunts ever (the car jump).
- Most under-appreciated part: Nick Nack is a splendid henchman, showing the role can be more than just a strongman.
​
  1. Diamonds Are Forever: Great Beginning and Ending, but Bad Everywhere Else
- Why it's this high: Is there another Bond with such a great contrast between the beginning/ending and everything in between? Connery shows his tough side, as he muscles his way through the pre-credits scene. Particularly good was the part where he seduces the woman, then uses her bikini top to choke her. At the end, Bond expertly uses his wine knowledge to detect something is amiss, then dispatches Kidd and Wint in style. Other cool scenes include Bond scaling the building to reach Blofeld and Bond driving the Mustang through the alley.
- Why it's not higher: This is one of the films that I find myself liking less and less over time. Vegas, and especially the space laboratory scene, just seem cheesy. Connery is officially too old at this point, and Jill St. John just isn't a very compelling Bond girl. I would've preferred to have seen more of Plenty O'Toole, but alas 'twas not meant to be. Leiter is uninspired as well. Having Bond go after Blofeld for the millionth time just seems tired at this point.
- Most under-appreciated part: Mr. Kidd and Wint are the creepiest henchmen in the Bond universe, but I'd argue they are some of the best. Their banter and creative modes of execution are quite chilling and thrilling.
​
  1. A View to a Kill: Best Theme
- Why it's this high: Is it a hot take to not have View in the bottom five? Let me explain. I contend Duran Duran's theme is the very best. The ending fight scene on the Golden Gate Bridge is actually one of the most iconic ending set pieces in the series. The plot is stellar on paper, as the horse racing part was a very Bondian side story, and the idea of an attack on Silicon Valley actually seems even more plausible today.
- Why it's not higher: It's self-evident that Moore is way too old for the part. Some parts are just mind-blowingly ridiculous, such as the fire truck chase scene through San Francisco and the part where Stacey is caught unaware by a blimp behind her. Speaking of Stacey, she may be beautiful, but she spends most of the movie shrieking whenever something goes wrong.
- Most under-appreciated part: The scene with Bond and Ivanova is cool (I always like it when he interacts with other spies) and quite entertaining how he fools her with the cassettes.
​
Tier 5: Below Average
  1. Octopussy: The Most Characteristically Roger Moore Bond Film
- Why it's this high: Maud Adams has great screen presence as Octopussy, and her Amazonian-like women are cool to watch fight. Bond's deft swipe of the egg was nicely done. On a related aside, I wish Bond films would emphasize Bond's intellect more, as it seems the 60s and 70s films would allow Bond to showcase his vast knowledge more frequently than he does today. Gobinda is a fierce henchman, while India in general is a cool location. The plot is realistic, yet grand (war-mongering Russian general tries to detonate a nuke to get NATO to turn on itself).
- Why it's not higher: This is the first Moore film where he simply was too old and shouldn't have been cast. Yes, it's too cheesy at times, most infamously during the Tarzan yell. Bond also doesn't use any cool vehicles.
- Most under-appreciated part: People tend to focus too much on Bond dressing as a clown, but the scene where Bond furiously tries to get to the bomb in time to defuse it is one of the tensest moments in the series. Moore's "Dammit there's a bomb in there!" really demonstrated the gravity of the situation (I get goosebumps during that part).
​
  1. Tomorrow Never Dies: Most Tasteful Humor
- Why it's this high: Brosnan really settles into the role well here. He gives the most charismatic Bond performance in 15 years or so. His quip "I'm just here at Oxford, brushing up on a little Danish" is an all-time great Bond line. Teri Hatcher is stunning as Paris Carver, delivering a memorable performance with her limited screen time. The plot is original and ages well, highlighting the potential downsides of media power, while Carver is an above average villain.
- Why it's not higher: Wai Lin is good for action, but the chemistry between her and Bond is non-existent. By the end of the movie, Pryce just seem silly (especially the scene where he mocks Wai Lin's martial arts skills). There aren't any good Bond allies, as Jack Wade doesn't impress in his return to the franchise. In general though, the movie has few things terribly wrong with it, it just doesn't excel in many ways.
- Most under-appreciated part: Dr. Kaufman is hysterical. At first, I thought "this is weird," but by the end of the scene I'm cracking up. I genuinely wish they found someway to bring him back for World, but c'est la vie.
​
  1. The World Is Not Enough: Less than the Sum of its Parts
- Why it's this high: According to my spreadsheet, this is a top 10 Bond film, while on my first watch on this film I thought it was bottom five. I think the truth is that it's somewhere in between. I like the settings, everything from the temporary MI-6 headquarters to Azerbaijan. Elektra is an all-time great Bond girl, with a nice plot twist and character arc. The glasses where Bond sees through women's clothing are hilarious. The sense of danger is strong, with everyone from Bond to M being in danger. The return of Zukovsky is a nice plus.
- Why it's not higher: I think two things really doom this film. First, Renard is totally wasted a henchman. The idea of him not feeling pain is a cool one, but he just seems boring and extraneous. I don't even think Carlyle acted poorly, he was just misused. Secondly, the ending (after Bond killing Elektra which is quite good) is rather terrible. The whole scene in the sub just isn't entertaining or engaging.
- Most under-appreciated part: I'm going to defend Denise Richards as Christmas Jones. Although no Ursula Andress, Richards is absolutely gorgeous and did not actively make Bond's mission more difficult, which is more than some Bond girls can say *cough Britt Ekland. In particular, I found her introductory scene to be quite memorable and convincing. Also, the Christmas quip at the end is quite cheeky.
​
Tier 4: Solid
  1. The Living Daylights:
- Why it's this high: Dalton brings a breath of fresh air to the franchise here. His more serious take makes for interesting movies that seem more unique than most. I'm happy to see this subreddit appreciate Dalton more than the casual fun does, but I wouldn't go as far as the Dalton fanboys and say he's the best Bond or anything like that. I do wish he got the role sooner and did more films. Moving on to Daylights, it's got a good intro for Dalton and good plot in general. Surprisingly, Bond's fidelity doesn't bother me one bit, as it actually makes sense that Kara falls in love with James by the end, given all they've gone through.
- Why it's not higher: The biggest reason is that the villain is just terrible. Whitaker seems silly and pathetic, a terrible contrast to Dalton's serious nature. I think Whitaker might be the worst in the series, and a Bond movie can't be great without a good villain. Also, Dalton doesn't have much charm and is abysmal at one-liners, which, in my opinion, IS a facet of the perfect James Bond.
- Most under-appreciated part: The Aston Martin Vantage is a beautiful car, and the chase scene across the ice is great! It's both exciting and funny! Not sure why people don't talk about this chase scene and this car more; it's arguably the highlight of the movie for me.
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  1. Thunderball: The Most Beautiful
- Why it's this high: Thunderball used to be top five for me and here is why. The underwater scenes, the setting, the score, and the Bond girls are beautiful even to this day. Domino is excellent, while Volpe is a tour de force, oozing sexuality and danger. I think the underwater parts are interesting and novel, creating a staple of sorts for the franchise. The DB 5 is always welcome, and the jetpack use was quite cool for the time (and to some extent now).
- Why it's not higher: Some would say it's boring, while I would more generously admit the plot is slow. Furthermore, the theme song is all-time bad (apparently they could have used Johnny Cash!!!), and there is no great henchman for Bond to dispatch.
- Most under-appreciated part: Two plot ideas I liked a lot: Bond being injured and needing rehab, plus the part where all the 00s meet up and then are sent to the corners of the globe.
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  1. Never Say Never Again: Guilty Pleasure
- Why it's this high: Rewatching Never for the third time, I was struck by how fun this movie is. It's exciting, funny, and fast-paced. Basically, it's a more exciting version of Thunderball, with better pacing and better humor. I think Irvin Kershner did a great job managing this star studded cast. Carrera is a firecracker as Blush, Sydow is a convincing Blofeld, and Basinger is a classic Bond girl. Connery clearly has a blast returning to the role, doing a great job despite his advanced age. If anything, this one might not be ranked high enough.
- Why it's not higher: The music is terrible. Normally I don't notice these things, but one can't help but notice how dreadful this one is. The theme is awful as well. I'd argue this is the worst music of any Bond film.
- Most under-appreciated part: The humor! This is one of the funniest Bonds, as I found myself laughing out loud at various parts (e.g. Mr Bean!).
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  1. The Spy Who Loved Me: Best Intro
- Why it's this high: There's a lot to love about this one, so I get why this ranks highly for many. It is simply the best introduction, starting with Bond romancing a woman, followed by a skii chase, then jumping off the cliff and pulling the Union Jack parachute! The Lotus is a top 3 Bond car. Jaws is a superb henchman. Triple X was an excellent Bond girl, deadly, charming, and beautiful. Of course, Moore is charming and the locations are exotic (Egypt was a cool locale). If I had to pick one Moore movie for a newcomer to watch, it would be this one.
- Why it's not higher: The theme song is bad, and Stromberg is a below average villain. I also think the last 45 minutes or so of the movie kind of drags.
- Most under-appreciated part: The whole dynamic between Bond and Triple X is great. Whenever Bond movies show Bond squaring off against other spies (see View to a Kill, Goldeneye) it's just a pleasure to watch.
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  1. Live and Let Die: Most Suave
- Why it's this high: Roger Moore superbly carves out his own take on Bond in an excellent addition to the franchise. The boat chase is my favorite in the series, and Live and Let Die is my second favorite theme. Jane Seymour is a good Bond girl, while Tee Hee and Kananga are a solid villain/henchman duo. Unpopular opinion: I find J.W. Pepper to be hilarious.
- Why it's not higher: The introduction isn't very good, as Bond isn't even included! The second climax with the voodoo isn't great. Bond blowing up Kananga has aged terribly.
- Most under-appreciated part: When Bond is visited in his apartment by M and Moneypenny, Bond rushes to hide his girl from his coworkers. Finally, when they leave and he unzips the dress with his magnetic watch is one of the best uses of a Bond gadget in the series, showcasing why Moore might be the most charming Bond of them all.
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  1. You Only Live Twice: Best Blofeld
- Why it's this high: Just your classic, fun Sean Connery Bond movie. It was a great decision to send Bond to Japan for his first Asian visit, giving the movie a fresh feel. The ending set piece battle is potentially the best of this staple of 60s/70s Bonds. Tiger Tanaka is one of Bond's cooler allies. Pleasance killed it as Blofeld; when I think of Blofeld, I think of his take. In what could have been cheesy, he is actually somewhat frightening.
- Why it's not higher: The whole "we need to make you look Japanese" part seems both unrealistic (who is he really fooling?) plus surprisingly impotent coming from Tiger Tanaka who seems to be a competent and connected man otherwise. Honestly though, this movie doesn't have a major weakness.
- Most under-appreciated part: The fight scene with the guard in the executive's office is probably the best hand-to-hand fight in the series up until that point.
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Tier 3: Excellent
  1. Dr. No: The Most Spy-Like
- Why it's this high: Nearly 60 years later, this film is still a blast to watch, due in no small part to its focus on the little things of being a spy. I adore the scenes where Bond does the little things spies (presumably) do, such as putting a hair across the door, or showing Bond playing solitaire while waiting to spring his trap on Prof. Dent. I also enjoy the suspense of Bond sleuthing around the island, while he and the viewer are completely unaware of whom the villain is until quite late in the film. It's easy to take for granted now, but this film established so many series traditions that were ingenious. My personal favorite is Bond's introduction at the card table: "Bond .... James Bond."
- Why it's not higher: The film just doesn't have the payoff it deserves. Maybe it's just a result of the time and budget, but from the point Bond escapes on, it's just mediocre. Particularly egregious is the "fight" between Dr. No and Bond where No meets his demise.
- Most under-appreciated part: Ursula Andress was a surprisingly well developed Bond girl, with a shockingly violent backstory (she was raped!). Obviously, she is beautiful and the beach scene is iconic, but I was pleasantly surprised to conclude she is more than just eye candy.
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  1. License to Kill: The Grittiest
- Why it's this high: On my first watch, this was my least favorite Bond film, as I thought it was too dark and violent to befit 007. By my third time watching, I've decided it's actually one of the best. Fortunately, I don't have to go on my "Ackshually, Dalton did a good job" rant with this subreddit. I liked the wedding intro and the concept of a revenge arc for Leiter (although come on he should've been killed by a freaking shark). Also, Lamora and (especially) Bouvier are great Bond girls. Bouvier is both competent and beautiful, and it's great to see Bond choose her at the end.
- Why it's not higher: The theme song is atrocious, Dalton is so angry (dare I say charmless?) the whole time it's almost puzzling why Bouvier and Lamora fall for him, and Bond doesn't use any cool vehicles.
- Most under-appreciated part: Sanchez is actually a sneaky good Bond villain.
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  1. For Your Eyes Only: The Most Underrated
- Why it's this high: I think Moore is a bit underrated as Bond. Yes, he was too old towards the end and yes, his movies were at times too campy, but he himself played the role admirably. He was the most charming and witty of all the Bonds, so by the time he got his first relatively serious plot to work with, he hit it out of the park. Anyhow, the climactic mountaintop assault is one of my favorite Bond action climaxes. Columbo is one of the best Bond allies, and the plot twist where he turns out to be good and Kristatos bad was well-done.
- Why it's not higher: The intro is just silly. Bibi's romantic infatuation with Bond is just ...er... uncomfortable?
- Most under-appreciated part: The theme song is a banger. What a chorus!
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Tier 2: Exceptional
  1. Skyfall: The Sharpest Film (From Plot to Aesthetics)
- Why it's this high: One of the best plots of the entire series. The idea of an older Bond who had lost a step, along with making M the focus point of the movie, works very well. Seeing Bond's childhood home is also pretty cool. Bardem's take on Silva is delightful and a lot of fun to watch. Even the cinematography is a series peak, while Adele's them is excellent.
- Why it's not higher: One thing most Craig Bond films suffer from is the lack of a Bond-worthy henchman. Skyfall is no exception. More importantly, Bond girls are mostly irrelevant to the film. Yes, Severine is both beautiful and interesting, but she's scarcely twenty minutes of the film.
- Most under-appreciated part: Setting the new supporting characters up nicely. The Moneypenny backstory was well-done. Casting Ralph Fiennes as the new M is a great choice in of itself, but he also got a nice chuck of background story to help us going forward.
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  1. Casino Royale: The First Bond Film I'd Show a Series Newcomer
- Why it's this high: Craig's take on Bond feels like a breath of fresh air. In particular, his hand-to-hand combat scenes are so much better (and more believable) than any other Bond. The parkour chase scene is one of the best chase scenes in the series. Le Chifre is an excellent villain, but, more importantly, Vesper is an all-time great Bond girl. The conversation between Vesper and Bond on the train is probably the most interesting of any film. Bonus points for Jeffrey Wright as Leiter and the Aston Martin DBS.
- Why it's not higher: There are hardly any humorous parts or much charm displayed by Bond in general. More importantly, the movie should have just ended when Bond wakes up in rehab. The rest of the movie feels confused and superfluous.
- Most under-appreciated part: The decision to change from chemin de fer to poker makes for much better (and understandable!) cinema. The poker scenes are the best of Bond's many gambling scenes throughout the series.
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  1. Goldeneye: The Most Fun
- Why it's this high: Wow, rewatching Goldeneye I was struck by how entertaining the whole thing is. The opening jump is breath taking, the scene where Bond drives his evaluator around is hilarious, and Xenia Onatopp is a livewire. Sean Bean is a formidable villain as 006, and a great foil to James. Bond and Judi Dench's first scene together is amazing. Goldeneye feels like the first modern Bond, yet so true to the predecessors. Wade and especially Zukovsky are excellent allies.
- Why it's not higher: Simonova is a forgettable Bond girl. She's not annoying, unattractive, or acted poorly, but is just below average in most regards (looks, back story, chemistry with Bond, plot).
- Most under-appreciated part: the action is just so much better than any Bond before it
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  1. From Russia with Love: The Best Henchman (Red Grant)
- Why it's this high: Interesting settings, beautiful women, and an engaging story make this a classic. I'm not the first to point out that the scenes with Grant and Bond aboard the train are some of the best in the entire series. Grant is one of the few villains who feels like a match for 007. Furthermore, the addition of Desmond Llewyn as Q was crucial and Kerim Bey is one of the better Bond allies.
- Why it's not higher: The helicopter scene should've just been omitted, especially when combined with the subsequent boat chase. It's just awkward to watch.
- Most under-appreciated part: The gypsy scenes are quite exotic and entertaining.
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  1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Most Heartfelt
- Why it's this high: James and Tracy's love story is charming, and when she dies at the end, this is the one and only time in the entire series where the viewer feels genuinely sad. Diana Rigg did an excellent job convincing the audience Bond could finally fall in love with one girl. The skiing scenes were beautifully filmed, and the score was exemplary. Personally, I quite liked Lazenby's take; however, some of his lines and jokes fall flat. To his credit, he looks and acts like Bond more than any other actor.
- Why it's not higher: Honestly, it does drag at times in the first half, plus there is no theme song!
- Most under-appreciated part: Bond's Aston Martin DBS is a beautiful car, combining 60's sports-car beauty with Aston Martin's elegance.
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Tier 1: The Best
  1. Goldfinger: The quintessential Bond
- Why it's this high: From the opening ("Positively shocking") to the seduction of Pussy Galore at the end, this film has it all. Goldfinger is an all time great villain, while Odd Job is an exceptional henchman. Connery delivers a master performance, and drives THE classic Bond Car, ejector seat included. The reason I put it #1 is not necessarily because it is the best film (although it is great), it checks all the boxes of what a perfect Bond film should do.
- Why it's not higher: I cannot think of any notable imperfections.
- Most under-appreciated part: The golf scene between Bond and Goldfinger is a delight to watch, demonstrating Bond's wits for the first and only time on the golf course.
submitted by BoolaBoola19 to JamesBond [link] [comments]

What are the best poker playing scenes?

What are the best poker playing scenes? submitted by bobbiepete to movies [link] [comments]

The Barbarian and the 7-11 Clerk

It was at the tail end of a long shift at 7-11, getting close to midnight. Business had been brisk all day but now there was only the customers going on beer runs and the night shift grabbing coffee and donuts. I manned my till, smiled at people by reflex, and swept every so often.
A man with a hoodie, glasses, and a dark green jacket approached the counter. As I started my spiel, he shocked me out of my autopilot by pulling a black handgun from his coat pocket, leveling it at my chest, and then stating his intention to rob the place.
“I see,” I said. “This is highly irregular.”
“It is,” he agreed. “Yet here we are.”
“I suppose you’ve given no thought to the long term viability of your chosen profession? Armed robbery is a notoriously unstable field. The cash in this register looks like a lot, if you grew up with little, but a simple cost benefit analysis will show clearly that the money here is almost comically small compared to the risks one must take to, well, take it. The possibility of arrest, being tackled by a bystander, the small but worrying possibility that I too have a concealed firearm about my person... sure, each individual robbery seems like a slam dunk, but in aggregate the risks are appalling and the payoff is almost the same as a 9 to 5 job. Imagine, if you will, a game of chance at a casino. You must place $200 on the table to play. The dealer takes a deck of cards and draws one at random. If it is any card other than the Ace of Spades, you the gambler earn $1. But if the Ace of Spades is drawn, you lose your $200 stake.
“Obviously,” I continued, “on any given draw you are likely to win a dollar. But in the long run, the house always wins- 1 in 52 draws will ruin you, so for every $51 you win, you have to pay $200. It is a fool’s game you are playing.”
“We are of an accord,” he said. “I am no mere thug who draws a weapon without thought. I am a man of action, but action must include forethought.
“The risks that armed robbers assume are high, as you say. But risks can be compensated for. I have cased this shop for a week- I am familiar with every route in and out. My car is parked the ideal distance away- close enough that I can get to it rapidly, far enough away that no camera can see or witness tie me to it. The camera will not show much with this hoodie and fake glasses. I specifically targeted you here because I live several towns over, so investigating cops will not patrol my own streets. And as long as I do not kill you, this remains a robbery, not a murder. Police budget is tight this fiscal year- criminal investigations must be prioritized.
“A gamble I am taking, to be sure,” said the gunman. “But a calculated one. The odds are much more favorable than your posited 52 to 200. I have adjusted them in my favor, and so roll the dice gladly.”
I nodded. “Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“If appeals to practical costs avail nothing, let me try a new line of attack. Many people think their thievery is directed at some faceless corporation, and therefore bypasses the standard morality of ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ On the surface, perhaps; the store has an insurance policy that covers shoplifting and vandals and robbers. The money stolen from the till will indeed be replaced by a faceless insurance company a day or two after my boss fills out the paperwork. But the simple fact is that the insurance company charges a premium for its services- that cost to doing business is passed on to the consumer by way of pricing. Those bags of candy and the energy drinks in the cooler and the peanuts and the muffins and the ice cream and the beer and the chips and the sodas and the apples and the Advil and the coffee and the Mac ‘n’ Cheese bowls are all expensive as fuck. The mark ups around here are staggering. They have to be. Individuals like yourself force the high pricing to compensate for the premium; just as you have proactively adjusted the odds in your favor, so too do the insurance men. You are not stealing from me, you are not stealing from my boss, and you are not stealing from the 7-11 company, or the insurance agency for that. You are stealing from your fellow citizens. Would you not rather point that gun at an old lady as she walks down the street? Would you be willing to rob a hardworking family man who needs food stamps to get by? Would it not be easier to threaten a child of eight for his pocket change?”
“In a word, yes,” said the gunman. “I am aware that I am exploiting society as a whole, and not merely one tiny little subsection of it. But you have not considered carefully enough the structure of the world.
“Remember the great Libertarian doctrine that taxation is theft. Therefore, in mathematical certainty, theft is also taxation. Now, you apparently acknowledge the right of the government to steal your money- I suspect you are not plotting anarchist revolution in your spare time. So what line can you draw in the sand between me and the IRS?
“That question is rhetorical and easily countered, of course. I am not the government. But the line is drawn because of scale, not of type. Refusal to pay taxes will, eventually and with enough lines crossed, result in armed men visiting your home to take you to prison. I at least am upfront about my coercion. That upfrontness costs me badly, for I have no ‘legitimacy’ per se. The closest historical parallel may be this. Under the Byzantine empire, serfs- which is the closest label the situation has to wageslaves such as yourself, no offense- paid taxes to the Augustus, and considered it to be approximately dead center of the Overton Window. The Byzantines had royal pomp, army after army of soldiers to collect the taxes, centuries of tradition and shared culture bolstering them, and most importantly of all, an obligation to organize and fund large scale civic projects to the benefits of the taxed peasants.”
“I was about to say,” I interjected. “You beat me to it. ‘No taxation without representation’ was going to be how I would have phrased it, for the government spends the money to the communal good, in theory, and I get a small say in how and where.”
“I could easily challenge that,” said the gunman with a sardonic smile. “If representative democracy indeed dead in the water, what responsibilities have we to preserve the interests of the government?”
“A recognition that the government and society are distinct, and that wanton crime harms the second even worse than the first? Honestly. This seems like self-justifying sophistry on your part.”
The gunman shrugged. “It is what it is. To get back to the Byzantine metaphor. The peasant, i.e. you, does not do more than grumble when the tax collector comes, for the tax collect has that mystical property of legitimacy. But there is another faction in the world- the Mongol, the Goth, the Vandal, the barbarian from outside the known world who deals in raw violence. The barbarian holds a sword in his hand-“ and here the gunman wiggled his handgun suggestively- “and demands gold. The barbarian lacks legitimacy, to be sure, but one can hardly argue that his position is without merit.”
“At least one of us is deeply confused,” I said. “You seem to be justifying yourself by the savage and inhuman doctrine of Might Makes Right. Yet you claim to be in the right by equating your barbarism (your word, not mine) with a legitimate system of government whose very cornerstone is that Might Does Not Make Right.”
“You miss a vital piece of the puzzle, which is this: society is not on my side. That ‘legitimate system of government’ representing me and my community does not work to my prosperity. I have sworn no metaphorical oaths of allegiance to the Augustus, and I have sworn no literal oaths of allegiance to the system of government in the here and now. I deny the very concept that the Law is holy and must be obeyed for the common good, for the common good is none of mine. Imagine, if you will, standing before the Heavenly throne as a fresh soul that has never touched flesh before. God says to you, ‘Look, I’m going to send you on down there for a lifetime until you come back to me. You get a choice- you can either be a peasant who works 14 hour days and lives in a mud hut and will be abused and exploited every day of his life, or you can be a one of the Mongol horse archers who lives and dies by the sword. What’s your poison?’ I happen to find myself (quite inadvertently, for I did not as a child dream of a career as an armed robber) in such a position. Who could blame such a soul for choosing the sword instead of the plow?”
“Me,” I said. “I can blame you. I hate working for a living too. But I’m behind this counter trading time and energy for cash, and the society that gave birth to me, raised me, protected me, and will one day bury me is slightly better for it. Every impulse towards civilization starts with people like me plugging away at it and contributing to the present and the future, in a spirit of thankfulness for the past.”
“Admirable,” said the gunman. “I for one would rather cut off my right hand than to gainsay a man such as you in your lifelong devotion to civic virtue. But I won’t. You shall go your way, and me mine, and we shall both be content.”
“Shall we? Shall we truly both be content? Should a cancer patient try to live and let live with the tumor inside him? Shall a lifeboat of marooned sailors agree to disagree with the man who steals the rationed food and water while the others endure with little? Can there truly be anything but war between us- war in the abstract and at a remove, to be sure, but war nonetheless? Those Mongols and Vandals you invoked were met by force of arms, if you’ll recall.”
“Society is specialized and stratified- I’m sure you know the old rhyme. ‘Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man-‘ “
“ ‘Thief.’ Yes, I’m familiar with it. You’re saying that society can tolerate bad actors to a degree.”
“You have a pretty firm alliance with the bacteria in your stomach, I will say that. That alliance would be imposed by the little wrigglers even if they didn’t contribute to the body as a whole. It seems to work out for everyone. And we’ve already covered how and why I’m willing to try my luck against the specialized profession that is designed to counter me. Society through the government has imposed its prohibitions and laid out its enforcement mechanism; it has done its job. If I can successfully navigate my way to profit through the tangled web of both the rule and the enforcers, well, more power to me. If you think otherwise, then may I ask why you do not descend upon the lawless life-stealers of Wall Street with fire and sword? One white collar guy playing jump rope with the law can wipe out the life savings of hundreds and thousands of families with a click of a mouse.”
I considered this thoughtfully. “I assume there is no point in pitching you the idea of meaningful education and gainful employment as surer paths to success than armed robbery.”
“I already weighed such options. The problem is that I’m good at plotting methods to attack people and places, and I’m good with guns. Hence why I’m here. Like my old man would say, do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
The gunman sighed. “Earlier, you accused me of sophistry. I’m afraid that is basically accurate. All the rhetoric followed after the impulse. And the impulse is as simple as any other great truth around which a life can revolve. That truth is this- I am a man. I was designed by God or by nature to stand tall, to own a permanent and invulnerable home, to set my life as I see fit, and to enjoy the fruit of my own labor. I was meant to join with likeminded folk in a spirit of camaraderie and community and to take no abuse from anyone. I am a man. I was supposed to build, to fix what was passed down to me, to fight in defense of everything that is valuable and irreplaceable.
“And I can’t. It just isn’t an option anymore. My work is done for the profit of others. The egalitarian spirit that all men are created equal- not in ability, but in worth- has been denied and sneered at for too long. The sanctity of my home has been violated; can not the police shatter my door and shoot my dog as they see fit? Even the simple assertion that a man must fight a bully has been barred by law, for honest fights in defense of self-worth and self-esteem have been banned, even as the law had banned the perverse aristocratic imitation of dueling. Were a man to spit on me and call me a faggot or a nigger or a dumb fucking chink or a retard or a sister-fucker, and I was to break his nose for the insult, the police would crackdown on me and ruin my life with an assault charge. It is too late to fight for that which is valuable and irreplaceable; that fight is over and my side lost. How can a free man with pride exist under such conditions? How can a tree grow from salted soil?
“I am a man, and I will not be a slave. I am undoubtedly better off than a slave in chains, but a slave to circumstance is still not free. Well, I will live as a warrior before kneeling as a serf. The savage liberty of the barbarian at the gates is a pale imitation of the free man in a just and democratic society, but I will take the imitation since it’s all that is left for me. If I seize not the gun, I will live for decades as a servant to ‘better’ men; and I shall not.
“If I fall into foolish logic puzzles and contradictions trying to turn this impulse into words, so be it. The impulse remains nonetheless.”
I nodded. “Tell you what-“
I grabbed a receipt someone had left behind before the gunman showed up at my store and scribbled some numbers on it, hiding my writing from him. I stuffed the number in my pocket.
“The register doesn’t open without this number. I absolutely refuse to open the till for you, but if you gun me down, you can grab that note and open it yourself.”
“I could beat you up and just take the note without killing you, perhaps? If I shoot you, well, that impacts my odds of capture.”
“Yes,” I said, “but I have a box cutter here that I use to break down cardboard in the back. I don’t know if I can win, but I can make you kill me to avoid getting slashed up. I assume you would not want drops of your blood at the crime scene.”
“Very true. And I appreciate the sporting gesture of writing the number down.”
“So here we are. You want the money, which I estimate to be about $1,200 between the two registers, you need to shed blood.”
The silence hung heavy over everything else. My chest was tight and my breathing was shallow. The gunman held his gun at a forty five degree angle aimed at the counter between us, and it wavered up and down slightly, as though he was trying to decide whether or not to kill me.
“I’m honestly not clear what your angle here is,” he said. “This is contrary to store policy, surely; you’re supposed to just give me the money.”
“My angle is the same as yours, really. I too am a man, and I too chafe under the modern destruction of liberty. And I too yearn to fight in a holy crusade in defense of all that is valuable and irreplaceable. Today, that means I’m going to make you kill me. That’s what civilized men do when the barbarians are at the gate. You aren’t an idiot, you know damn well that if you carry that gun into enough shoppettes eventually you’ll have to kill someone. You appear to have accepted the possibility. Well, it’s no mere possibility now. You want the money, kill me. Smell the gunpowder in the air, feel the gunshot ring your ears, see the dark blood pool under me spread and spread and spread. Feel your hands shake as the enormity of what you’ve done sinks in. Motherfucker, I am a man, and you don’t get to rob my store without paying the price for it.”
The gunman stared hard into my eyes, and myself not being a poker player at all I could not read the intent. “I don’t really have to, do I? There are other stores. Hell, I can come back tomorrow and see if whoever is on shift then has less spine. My plan is still basically sound.”
“Pure cowardice. If you aren’t willing to be a proper Mongol and commit to barbarism, you have no business pretending you are a barbarian. If you refuse to kill me tonight, what do you intend to do in a month when someone tries to tackle you from behind mid-robbery? Stop being a little bitch and either open fire or get the fuck out of my store.”
He raised the gun in one smooth motion, leveling it in my face just far enough away that I could not lunge forward to try to grab it. He said something, but I didn’t hear it. I was staring at the muzzle too hard.
When he left, I don’t think he was truly any happier than he was before.
submitted by mcjunker to TheMotte [link] [comments]

My thoughts on the Bond films I've seen

Years ago, I had the somewhat ambitious goal of setting out to watch the entire Bond franchise. In hindsight, I probably should have accounted for the fact that not all of the Bond movies are, shall we say, universally beloved. I know opinions vary wildly and that it's worth forming my own opinion on a movie, so having recently discovered that all the official Bond movies from Dr. No to Casino Royale are on Netflix, I thought I might revisit that goal I had years ago and give my thoughts on the franchise entries that I have seen from start to finish so far. As a quick aside, I watched GoldenEye on demand instead of on Netflix, but I still remember it clearly, so I’m counting it. I'll arrange these movies by the order in which I saw them; I sort of jumped around the franchise in no particular order. Oh, also, I'm specifying which ones I loved and which ones I just kinda liked.
submitted by gdan95 to JamesBond [link] [comments]

Underground Poker in the south

I like seeing all of these stories about 2000's underground poker. I wrote about my time in the 2000's running an underground poker ring in Charleston South Carolina.
Here is what was going on in South Carolina during that time. This was a real cat and mouse game with the police that turned into a poker game all on its own.
https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/4065-poker-players-fight-the-law-in-south-carolina
Chapter 1
https://imgur.com/gzs3uYJ
Every other morning as I iron my shirt for work I am reminded of the secret life that I had lived for nearly two years. See, an eight foot by four foot felt poker table with a four inch raised padded rail, automatic card shuffler, and chip drop-slot makes for a great ironing board. In a pinch it also serves many other, equally as important purposes. I name them off in my head as I flatten the collar of my favorite blue shirt; a large desk for history homework, a hard table for an impromptu interrogation, a soft platform for sweaty sex, and of course a poker table for making money. I put on my shirt, still hot from the iron and I roll up my sleeves as I walk down the stairs from the third story of my townhouse. The October air in Charleston is cool and feels good against the heat on the back of my neck. I slide into my shiny red BMW, nearly two years old now, but paid for. The smell of raw leather still lingers in the interior, and seems stronger on mornings like these. I instinctively push the button on the center console to lock the doors before I grab the gear shift and put the car into reverse. I don’t know why BMW doesn’t make them lock automatically. I pull out onto the highway and spin the tires, listening to the 330 horsepower wake up the car. I’m not in a hurry or anything, in fact I haven’t been in a hurry for quite some time. It’s just that it is sometimes important to make it look like you are in a rush, and sometimes it is just because it feels damn good to go fast.
“Folks don’t get wealthy by being in a hurry.” I remember lecturing to Kevin in one of the first months of our two year, million dollar endeavor. He was always in a hurry. I still stand by my saying, though I should have replaced “wealthy” with “anything they want.” Folks don’t get anything they want by being in a hurry. Oprah Winfrey did not get rich by rushing into having a talk show with a book club, and presidents don’t get into the White House by throwing their name on the ticket the minute the idea pops into their head. No. Oprah started by landing a co-anchor position on the local nightly news. And Ronald Reagan started as a B-list actor before becoming president of the Screen Actors Guild, Governor of California, and finally President of the United States. People don’t get married by flying to Vegas minutes after meeting each other, or after a one night stand. Well, maybe they do, but this is why it doesn’t work. They slow down and date for years, are engaged for another and then they get married, in a church, surrounded by their families and are then taken off in a horse drawn carriage to their honeymoon. That’s how you fucking do it.
It is an uneventful two hour drive on highway 17 going north. Myrtle Beach isn’t really busy this time of year, but the traffic is still just as bad. It’s a good thing that I am not in a hurry. I pull into my VIP spot with almost an hour to spare, the parking lot is empty except for a few cars spattered in the first two rows. An old minivan with curtains on the windows, a Ford Escort with a spare tire rusting on the rear axle, and an old Chevy truck with a child’s car seat in the passenger side, just to name a few. The owners of which are probably already claiming their lucky seats. Fucking suckers. They all probably rushed to get here too and onto the boat. I stay in my car for another 15 minutes and wait, listening to the ‘pumped’ playlist on my iPod, my car’s premium speakers matching perfectly to the acoustics of the interior space. I think just for a second about pulling out of my space and driving further up the coast to Atlantic City. I would probably be too exhausted from the drive by the time I got there and would sleep in the hotel until late at night. That is when the real whales come out. Here on the 11 am Myrtle Beach casino boat the closest thing to a whale is the 350 pound mother of five glued to a stool in front of the “Wheel of Fortune” slot machine. I don’t leave, instead I open my glove box and stuff six 100 dollar bills into my pants pocket, any more or any less would be unnecessary, at least on a Wednesday. I walk slowly up to the path and say hi to Dave as I pass up onto the ramp. I don’t need to show any ID to board.
“Good Morning, Ryan.” Dave says as he straightens his back and pulls the daily newspaper from his stand, handing it to me. They all know me by name; I know most of theirs too, but not them. Which is alright, that makes us even. I pass through the halls and by the sad looking, unlit slot machines. Some people have already claimed their seat with a jacket and their lucky bucket. I go up to the tallest portion of the ship, the poker room, and head out onto the deck. No one else is out here, probably due to the two flights of stairs and the fact that there is a free buffet on the floor below. I sit down in one of the cushioned white chairs and pull the first cigar of the day out of my shirt pocket. I light it with my silver Zippo that is etched with a royal flush and blow out the puff of smoke as I put my feet up on the metal rail. It’s going to be another half hour before we undock and another half hour after that while we float out into international waters. I know from experience that this cigar will last exactly one hour, paired with two Grey Goose and Red Bulls it is truly the breakfast of champions. At this time most people in the eastern half of the United States are sipping on their second cup of coffee while sitting on their uncomfortable office chairs in their grey or brown cubicles. I think about this just as land disappears from sight over my polished black Italian shoes. That could be me, making 40k a year in an unhappy office; only looking forward to the weekends for freedom. My college degree is somewhere in a box already. I graduated in May, majoring in business management with a 4.0 GPA. My parents were thrilled; their little boy had accomplished something great. They didn’t know. Their little boy hadn’t been a little boy in a long time, and he had already accomplished something so great that he couldn’t even tell them. Fuck a degree, fuck a 4.0. The only reason I had even stayed in school for my last year was because I had nothing better to do, not because I wanted a fucking job. My parents think that I have submitted my application to nearly every business in Charleston. “Sorry mom, this economy just isn’t a good one for a freshly graduated 23 year old. They want someone with more experience.” I’m not sure how true this is, because I haven’t even made my resume, let alone actually gave it to a company. I was too scared of getting hired. So I don’t travel back to Ohio to visit them that often. I couldn’t lie to my mother right to her face. I could lie to nine strangers around a piece of felt, and they would believe me, but to my mom, no. I sometimes think that if she knew the basics of poker, she could beat me.
My coworkers are all already around the table when the signal is called for the first hand to be dealt. I take the last good drag off of my cigar and tossed it over the two decks below into the water and grab my Vodka Red Bull and headed inside. The scene has changed dramatically from an hour ago. I slowly walk to the open chair on the right end of the table in seat three and pull 400 dollars out as I sit down. I surveyed the table while walking up. Most people have 200 dollars; one guy has about 350 dollars with his wallet next to his stack on the table. Sometimes it’s good to be the last to sit. I know exactly how much to put down to top everyone yet not be too robust and scare everyone off when I am in a hand. Mr. Wallet is not afraid to lose every bit of that 350, and I have to have that covered. The locals know me – and my play. They know exactly what I am doing – they think they know exactly what I am doing, I’m not worried about them. The good thing about casinos is the vacationers; rotating money. None of them know me or how I play, but I know all of them and exactly how they play. Well, at least the 90 percent of them that play the same damn way. This is especially true of the ones with dark sunglasses, or earphones, or their lucky card covers. They watch too much T.V. The dealer knows me by name and after taking my frequent player card he slides over my stacks of chips. Mostly white-one dollar and red-five dollar chips, but a few are green-twenty five dollar chips. “There you go, Ryan. Good luck” He says, tapping the top of the largest stack. Luck? I don’t know what it is about tapping and poker. I look around the table and catch a glimpse of a sunglassed teenager tapping the rail with a green chip, a fat man with an iPod tapping his knee along with the beat of his music and then the dealer tapping my white chips. And of course the tapping that every player does when they say “check”. I swear if I could block everything else out but the tapping it would sound like some sort of long lonely song. I grabbed my chips and pulled them close to the rail. The sound of chips clanking together is a sound that every poker player knows. It is especially prevalent during the first ten minutes of any game. Most people have been waiting, impatiently, to get those chips, and now they want to feel them in their hands. They want to show off their talent of chip-shuffling, and chip-bouncing, or other hand tricks. I have seen them all. Chip tricks are cheap tricks, who do these fuckers think they are? I can’t resist. I take a stack of three red chips and three white chips and put them side by side. I shuffle them once with perfect form, and then I cut the stack of six into two stacks of three again and shuffle once more. I again put them in two stacks of three and shuffle one last time. When I split them again they are in two perfect stacks of three reds and three whites. I amuse myself by doing this a few more times. No one is watching. They are all busy doing the exact same thing; killing the two minutes while the dealer shuffles the brand new deck of cards. Before I know it I have two cards in front of me and I take a quick peak. 4d9c. Rags, I have a 32 percent chance of catching a pair, and that wouldn’t even help. I probably have less than a 5 percent chance of winning this hand.. “Fold.” I say, tossing my cards into the middle of the table as I slump back into my chair. I’m in no rush.
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My Top 10 Bond Movies (I'm new here)

So, I'm pretty new on the reddit page of James Bond and have already commented some times but I think it's time to introduce myself and there is no better way in starting with counting down my favorite Bond Movies.
Number 10: On Her Majesty Secret Service It is still one of the most convincing and heart breaking stories in all of Bond. George Lazenby is far from a good actor but he brings the perfect mix of vulnerability and masculinity in his role. Combined with one of the best bond girls in the series and you have a classy bond.
Number 9: Dr. No There are people who find this movie to be lame, boring and overrated and although I think many Bond's after Dr. No improved on it (especially the two follow ups) no Bond Movie has the uniqueness of the first installment. There are just so many legendary scenes; Not only the legendary introduction, but also the "You've had your six" Kill to name a few.
Number 8: The Living Daylights Such a shame. Such a shame that many people don't even know that this movie exists. It's kind of because the movie has nothing really memorable (bond girl and villain are both forgettable). Nonetheless this is still a action packed, perfectly paced cold war thriller with exciting sequences and a fresh new bond.
Number 7: License To Kill Then seen as what we now see as Die Another Day, people weren't quite ready for what Timothy Dalton's second installment was going to deliver. This is a violent, personal and deep bond movie. It's thrilling, it's dangerous and it's captivating. It has excellent story telling and one of the best villains in the complete franchise.
Number 6: The Spy Who Loved Me This is the ultimate Roger Moore Bond. Although there are many Moore Movies that I don't really enjoy watching (AVTAK, Octopussy, Moonraker) The Spy Who Loved Me just feels like.. I can't describe it 'Bond'. It's just everything I expect from a bond movie. Memorable set pieces, a perfectly fun and dangerous hench man, great action, great humor and charming Roger Moore at his best.
Number 5: From Russia With Love This is probably the best spy movie of all time. Bond is no superman, he is just a spy doing his job. Robert Shaws Red Grant is his first real antagonist and the movie perfectly tells this story. The train fight is legendary, the plot is ingenious and Sean Connery can shine. And don't we forget the scene where a bare-chested, towel-clad Bond enters his bedroom and finds beautiful Tatiana Romanova in his bed. Images like that aren’t cute. They’re primordial.
Number 4: SkyFall I have never left the cinema so emotionally touched. SkyFall is what an Anniversary Movie should do. It has an unpredictable storyline, fantastic performances, shows perfectly how a modern, dark Bond should act but also delivers on a fanboy basis, with so many legendary call backs. From a action standing point, Skyfall has the best visuals and the best action scenes. Just a blast to sit through.
Number 3: Goldfinger THE Bond. THE Movie. THE Quintessential James Bond Movie. Goldfinger is the movie of superlatives. It's funny, it's interesting etc. but if we have to use one word to describe Goldfinger: It is iconic. Every, EVERY, E-V-E-R-Y Scene is legendary, Shirley Eaton painted in gold? Oddjobbs introduction? Pussy Galore's introduction? The Name is Bond... James Bond? I expect you to die? It's just countless!
Number 2: GoldenEye Whereas Goldfinger is the most iconic Bond movie, I think Goldeneye is the Bond Movie that eve improves on the Goldfinger formula. You have Pierce Brosnan, confident, good looking, charming, but also aggressive and cold. You add a Bond Girl like Natalya Simonova and one of the best villains in the series as Sean Beans Alec Trevelyan in there and you already have a contender for best James Bond Movie. But hey, luckily we have Famke Jannsens Xenia Onatopp too! GoldenEye is a blast, from the unexpected storyline, the action packed opening, to the aesthetic visuals in the title over to the dramatic climax und epic culmination. For England James?
Number 1: Casino Royale Whereas it could be argued that GoldenEye or Goldfinger are better "Bond" Movies, Casino Royale is the most elaborate movie of the franchise. Every time I watch it I get goosebumps, every time I watch it I find something new about it, new interpretations and new details. It's just a magnificent piece of art put to film. The brutal opening scene, the excellent action scenes, the exciting poker game, the torture scene, the love act, and the epic finale. Casino Royale is the most thought provoking, it's just not a movie, it's something that makes you think about. Vesper Lynd isn't only there to make Bond fall in love with her. She also acts as the so called "Iphigenie" as the moral integrity (the shower scene), Le Chiffre isn't some rich guy that wants to control the world. He is a human too but the most convincing and ingenious thing about Casino Royale is that it takes Bond, a guy, often considered as a boring hero that never fails, and let's him experience the world. Lets him be a human, that has room for love, vulnerability or emotions. And just when you thought that the movie couldn't get any better, you finally hear the epic one liner in the end and you are not a Bond fan if that doesn't make you smile!
submitted by IngobernableACE to JamesBond [link] [comments]

I finally watched Tomorrow Never Dies and am now a Bond completest. What are your favorite Bond movies/villains/sidekicks/gadgets?

I received the Bond Blu-Ray collection for my birthday and have been re-watching the series from the beginning. I had watched most of the films but for some reason skipped Tomorrow Never Dies. I finished it last night and can finally put together my favorite list.
I love how each film has it's own quirky vibes and the series is essentially a roller coaster of good, bad and soul crushing. What are your thoughts on the Bond actors, movies and characters?
Here are my five favorite films.
  1. Goldeneye - Goldeneye was my first introduction to Bond and will always be my favorite. It has my Favorite villain (006), Favorite sidekick (Onatopp), Favorite fight (Bean and Brosnan beat the crap out of each other). The game was amazing too.
  2. From Russia With Love - Connery nailed the role and I love the story aboard the cramped train. FRWL is raw, fun and Connery's favorite
  3. Casino Royale - CR Revamped the series and brought back the realism (aside from the poker). It also had my Favorite Bond girl (Vesper)
  4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - It is quirky and memorable. The final scene is heartbreaking. I brushed it off the first time I watched it but the film has stuck with me and keeps getting better and better.
  5. The Spy Who Loved Me - Gotta love Jaws and nuclear submarines. I've read a lot about the films and Roger Moore was a class act.
submitted by MoviesFilmsFlix to movies [link] [comments]

Is Skyfall considered overrated by the general population of subscribers to this sub? Is it even considered "good," or do people just think that it's simply not as good as the reviews suggest and not as good as Casino Royale? There's an odd disconnect I've sensed for a while.

I've subscribed to /movies ever since I signed this account up over 2 years ago, and it really seems like the majority of subscribers -- around 60%, maybe 70% -- think that either Skyfall is overrated, not better than Casino Royale, and/or just plain mediocre or worse.
I feel like Jerry in that Seinfeld episode where he's dating a stunning girl -- played by Christine Taylor, and here's a better picture of her...at age 39! -- but all his friends and acquaintances think she's repulsive but they don't really elaborate on it, and some even give him compliments for dating her and not being shallow. She's so obviously beautiful and there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with her physically (they obviously chose her as an actress BECAUSE she's so perfect looking), but because everyone is implying that she's undesirable -- I don't think they ever call her ugly or say anything specific, they only imply that she's repulsive -- Jerry ends up breaking up with her because he feels like he must be missing something that everyone else is seeing.
That's how I feel about Skyfall, at least in /movies. I feel like it's a fantastic film and definitely a great Bond film, but I see so many comments about how mediocre it is, so many that it makes me question whether I actually like the film (in the end, I always phase the dissenters out and cling on to my own opinion). Still, I find it odd to see so many detractors of Skyfall. What am I missing?
The only thing that people agree about it is that it is beautifully shot by Roger Deakins, and that's indisputable as far as art goes.
But a lot of people have problems with the story, the action, plot holes, themes, etc. I thought Skyfall NAILED everything.
It was a perfect mix of "classic" Bond and new Bond. We've got a new Q, a new Moneypenny (although their chemistry felt forced to me), and we have a new M. There were plenty of funny moments in a film that I felt was a bit melancholic, but in a cathartic melancholic way. It was a great spy drama to me, with a little bit of tragedy.
Maybe people were expecting Bourne-like action or Casino Royale-like fun and action and witty banter, but Skyfall was wonderfully mature, in my opinion.
We have the juxtaposition of two agents who have a common thread -- they both felt betrayed by Dench's M at one point, as Silva was left to be tortured and eventually tried to kill himself with cyanide but ended up disfiguring himself, while 007 resents M for ordering Moneypenny to take a high-risk shot, and in an aggressive tone ("Take the bloody shot, was it?" Bond asks M).
But we eventually see that James is the better man, someone who has forgiven M, while Silva has some serious grudge issues. They're both presumably orphans and look to M as a mother, but Bond deals with her temporary "betrayal" in a much more mature way -- even if he did go on a weeks-long bender. Of course, 007 endured far less than Silva did, but both were "betrayed."
The "rat" motif was played out well, with Silva telling the story about the last 2 rats standing, and Bond giving Silva the film trademark as-the-villain-dies-quip, "last rat standing." And of course, there's the one long take of Silva walking down to a tied-up Bond talking about his grandmother's island and the story about rats.
So, I can't say that I see the convincing criticism of Bardem as the villain, because he really was a complex villain, and a brilliant one. He was able to orchestrate everything until he went to Skyfall -- which was itself a brilliant move by Bond, as he figured it was "somewhere where they'll have the advantage," since it was all just moors and no technology beyond electricity....and Silva is a top 3-5 hacker and probably the #1 cyber-terrorist in the world (he hacked China so "hard" that China felt that he was worth 6 MI6 agents, as M mentioned why she didn't call for his release but got 6 others. M mentions that he went beyond the scope of his mission by hacking the Chinese, which is when and why M/MI6 disavowed him).
The complex part of him is his Oedipal obsession with M. He talks about being "her favorite" back when he was an agent, and perhaps he holds some disdain for Bond being her new favorite, as he knows that Bond was approved for duty by her despite failing his tests. Silva shows genuine concern when M is showing signs of being hit by a bullet, and warns everyone to not kill her. Then, at the end, he embraces her and instructs her to kill the both of them together in a bizarre murder-suicide.
But anyway, it's clear that Silva is both a genius and a bit of a nut, and he's brilliant and complex -- and IMO he's easily the best Bond villain of the 3 in the Craig era, and Bardem is one of the world's best actors (Mads is a great actor, too, but he wasn't given much to work with in Casino Royale as it was pretty one-note; it was almost robotic the way he played poker and said "you have a 24.34% chance of making a straight").
So, if it's not the cinematography nor the villain, what is it? What's the criticism?
Is it the brooding Bond?
Craig gives a deliciously nuanced performance, and certainly the most brooding and melancholic of the 3 films. Perhaps people didn't like that Bond wasn't as light-hearted as he was in the first 2 films? (this is the same Bond who was still smiling/laughing as he was poisoned in Casino Royale, before dying temporarily). This was the same Bond who was laughing while having his balls smashed, asking for LeChiffre to scratch the "itch" while being tortured; something tells me that Skyfall Bond would not be so happy-go-lucky.
In this film, he only quips with Moneypenny, and it's a bit stilted; otherwise, he's pretty bitter and brooding. I think that Casino Royale 007 wouldn't have been so dismissive and standoffish towards his Q in their first meeting. When 007 was going through his tests, it was closer to dark comedy than the light-hearted comedy from the first 2 films, like all the jokes between him and Vesper, e.g. how he gives her the name "Broadchest" or something similar as her initial alias, or mentions how his lamb was "skewered," much like how he felt after Vesper "tore him apart" psychologically, or just his simple Jim Halpert-like look when the Swedish banker makes a random joke and Bond looks away as if to give a "seriously? wha?" look, or even Bond's smirk when the terrorist blows himself up at the airport. We don't see Bond do that in Skyfall -- in fact, when he killed the guy who was largely responsible for his "death," he's really upset (of course, he's upset that he couldn't get info out of him, but he just avenged Ronson, an agent that Bond wanted to save but M told him to leave him there and pursue the terrorist).
No smirk, no quip, just anger after killing the initial enemy. And it really wasn't expected of him to get information out of this "ghost" mercenary/terrorist. M only told him to kill him, and I believe he says something like "will do" or "with pleasure," but he doesn't even show that he's pleased when he kills him.
The bottom line is that Skyfall Bond is NOT light-hearted and happy like he was in CQoS -- and perhaps people didn't enjoy that.
But it makes sense, especially with CR and QoS being pretty much companion films occurring at the same time, with Skyfall occurring at least 6 years later. But remember, Bond was hardened by his betrayal by Vesper, and after that we don't really see the same 007. He STILL quips and banters, but nothing like CR 007. In Casino Royale, when we saw him get angry and serious with Vesper in asking for the additional $5 million, we are put off by his seriousness...but Skyfall is full of "serious Bond." We do get a dark quip when the Bond girl is shot dead by Silva, as he quips that "it was a waste of good scotch." Casino Royale Bond probably would have reacted differently to seeing a girl get shot like that, both because he's a rookie and because he's not as cynical and emotionally detached as he is in Skyfall.
It makes COMPLETE SENSE for him to be a little more hardened (and perhaps darkly cynical, due to the betrayal of Vesper and M, and his "death" early in the film, as Silva even asks "did you really die that day?" when Bond can't pull the trigger to shoot the shot glass off the girl's head) and to treat his job a little more seriously since he's older and more experienced, and because it's a "young man's game," he needs to be a tad more serious in order to stay alive.
Perhaps people expected/wanted Bond to be the Casino Royale Bond -- smooth, suave, less introspective....but we got the opposite. We got an insecure, introspective, aging Bond who reflects on the past...and that's what I LOVE about Skyfall. He was a young(er) agent in Casino Royale, and it showed: he was reckless but lucky, he was arrogant even in the face of impending death, he fought and lived like he was invincible. They bring him back to his roots, back to where his parents died, and where he went into that little trap door a boy but wasn't a boy when he came out 2 days later (when his parents died).
The movie really humanizes Bond -- and if people are expecting 007 to be the type of agent who asks for his torturer to scratch his balls with a rope in Spectre, they're going to be disappointed because the producers are clearly making all the movies as ONE series with Craig, meaning that he is constantly developing as an agent and person...as opposed to the previous Bond films where it would be the SAME EXACT BOND in each movie if played by the same actor, with ZERO DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN MOVIES.
That's what I love -- they're showing Bond develop as an agent and as a man in between films, rather than having the "same ol' Bond" in every film.
He's not just the indiscriminate killing machine, but an actual person with scars, the type of scars where you press on them and you can still feel a light dull pain that never goes away. He's not a mysterious spy churned out of MI6, but a boy orphaned when his parents died in an accident, and to protect M he goes to the place he hates (and probably hates the most) because of its familiarity to Bond and the lack of technology there.
So, I can't see the problem being the villain, the protagonist, or the cinematography -- what else is there?
The story?
The simply synopsis is that MI6 lost a very sensitive file that not even England's NATO allies know exists -- a list of agents embedded in terrorist groups across the globe. Admittedly, this is both a big spy cliche (it was a cliche with the first Mission Impossible film dealt with the NOC list 20 years ago), and it doesn't make sense to put ALL of your eggs in one basket, i.e. putting ALL your agents' identities in one file -- at least break them up and keep them separated so that a breach of security onto one file at one location triggers enhanced security at the other locations, requiring a perfectly synchronized cyber-attack across multiple countries and firewalls and servers in order to piece together a very, very valuable list.
That's the plot. But what's the story?
The story is Silva's revenge against M and Bond's struggle to regain steps he has seemingly lost due to age. Turns out, Bond is at his best when he's actually going through a mission and NOT when he's being poked and prodded and tested. I think that's a great story for Bond, that he's a "true spy" when it counts the most, whereas I can see other spies acing the tests but failing when the "chips are on the table."
Another sub-story is M's reluctance to leave her post, as she's certainly "not going to leave it in worse shape than she found it," and she says "to hell with dignity" when Mallory suggests that she retires with dignity. M would rather double-down and right her wrong -- at the expense of making things even worse and possibly making her an infamously incompetent MI6 director. Luckily, she gets things right....and it happens to be her last act in her life. I feel like it's a happy ending, especially since her husband passed away sometime between CR and Skyfall (we see her answer the phone while her husband is sleeping in Casino Royale). M finishes her job, and if she believes in heaven, her last thoughts are that she did everything she wanted to do in life and now she gets to see her husband there, all while being held by Bond, a sort of act of forgiveness by Bond to M (Bond can sense that M regrets that she can be cold-hearted, which is evidenced by 1) her need to explain to Bond why she traded Silva for 6 agents despite Silva's affection for M, and 2) Bond asking M if she has anything else she wants to tell him, perhaps "fishing" for an apology....not so much for Bond's sake, but for M's sake, as Bond arguably feels that M is carrying a heavy heart for having Bond nearly killed).
The other mini-stories are Eve's development into Miss Moneypenny, which was done very well IMO, with my only complaint being that she and Craig just don't have the chemistry, but it's not for lack of trying (perhaps it's for too much trying that made their chemistry seem forced). There's also Q, who is eager to prove himself as the young quartermaster prodigy, but in his eagerness he ends up freeing Silva; I very much like the new Q, who is cocky himself and isn't a bumbling fool -- he actually squares up vs. Bond and trades verbal blows with him, which earns the respect of 007. Then there's M, which we don't know much about yet but I feel will play a huge role in Spectre.
So, cinematography, villain, 007, the plot/story -- what else is there to criticize?
Plot holes. Or, "plot holes." There were a few things that draw the ire of some sharp-eyed viewers. I can't remember them off the top of my head, but I remember there being an article that was both convincing in its argument that Skyfall was full of inconsistencies and questionable acts, but at the same time it was an article that made it seem like the viewer was "watching the trees and not the forest."
Although, one plot hole I could accept is....Why do they need to lead Silva to Skyfall at all? They were very well hidden there, and M was safe, and by leaving the "breadcrumbs" it literally led to M's death. They could have had the rest of the MI6 hunting for Silva while Bond protects M in a place where no one can find them.
My only counter-arguments are 1) M is not the type to just hide while things get worse and 2) Silva would eventually find them, as he knows everything about Bond's file, including where he was brought up.
Whatever plot holes or inconsistencies there are, as a whole, the film is a well-told spy drama.
Which brings us to the next possible criticism....
There's not enough action....the final scene was basically just *Home Alone
Ok, yes, it was like Home Alone in that they boobie trapped the house -- but there were no other options. It's not like he had a Bat cave or had the opportunity to grab rifles and machine guns before escorting/kidnapping M and bringing her to a safe place. They did what they had to do, and they did it well -- it just happened to be like Home Alone, and there's no escaping that...and it's not like it's valid film criticism, anyway. Everything they did was within reason of a spy film.
But overall, there wasn't much action; there was the opening scene, a short 1v1 fight against the ghost sniper, a short fight vs the body guards, and then the "Home Alone" ending.
But that's what makes it a great film, IMO. It was less action and more drama. We see a different Bond at the end from the beginning. We see a different M. There's character development. There's a convincing yet strange motive by the villain, who isn't looking to take over the world, make money, or even bring down MI6 -- he simply wants to see his "mom" one more time before killing her. That's a fantastically unique villainous motive, and a believable one. And there's symmetry to it. Bond is also a surrogate son of M, and he ends up saving his "mom" from the "other bad son," who is no longer "her favorite," and M goes from being in Silva's arms to being in Bond's arms. She was dead either way, but we get the "good son" putting her to rest.
No, it's not CR or QoS in terms of explosions and gun fights or even combat. We never see Silva and Bond "fight" at all. The only attack made by either party was the knife throw killing Silva. Now THAT is another unique aspect to the film -- Bond doesn't violently encounter the villain until the end, nor does the villain ever attack Bond (even in the first film, LeChiffre tortures Bond). Not even a fistfight between Silva and Bond.
Another thing I love about that is that the Chekov's Combat Knife was prefaced with "the old way always works" (or something similar). So, we have Bond, who is far from a hacker or cyber-knowledgeable agent killing one of the top cyber-minds and skilled agents in the world with a knife, a weapon representing "the old way."
That's a BRILLIANT ending, and a tragic one from Silva's POV, as he's a cyber genius who got taken down by a knife.
Well, that's "all" I got. After watching Skyfall for the 4th time tonight, I can't, for the life of me, see why it is so underrated on /movies. This is not "just another chapter" in the series where "Bond is the same Bond from Casino Royale and is full of quips and light-hearted banter even in the face of torture," this is a Bond who is constantly getting layers from movie to movie, and I'm guessing we'll see an even darker Bond in Spectre -- especially if my intuition is right, that Christoph Waltz's character had something to do with Bond's parents' death.
TL;DR -- I'd love to read the criticism on Skyfall. There's no right or wrong critique, other than a poorly-supported one. I'm open to criticism of the film. And just because it is critically acclaimed doesn't make it universally liked by everyone -- but it does confuse me as to why it seems like a majority -- and not merely a vocal minority -- of redditors dismiss Skyfall, which I find to be a higher quality movie than Casino Royale though not as fun...the same way I find Batman Begins to be more fun than The Dark Knight, but the latter is the far better film.
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[Table] IAmA: Dan Fogler, back on the Don Peyote trail. Ask me anything.

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Date: 2014-05-09
Link to submission (Has self-text)
Questions Answers
Hi Dan! I'm a big fan and love all of your comedy movies! Balls of Fury is one of my all time favorites and you were by far the best part of Good Luck Chuck. My question is, are you going to do more serious roles like you did in Scenic Route? I thought both you and Josh Duhamel did an amazing job! Also, any chance for a Balls of Fury sequel? Last one I swear, do you still do stand up? I've been wanting to do standup again. I've been craving it. You can watch some of my standup in the videos section on www.dan-fogler.com . I hope to do many more serious roles. You know, I want to be able to do everything. In Don Peyote, I get to show a little bit more of the spectrum of my abilities, get a bit more serious in that, it's more of a dark comedy. In Europa Report, I did a little bit of a more serious turn, Hannibal was more serious, I'm trying to show a lot more colors of the palette. I can't believe I just said colors of the palette. And yeah, it would be cool to do a Balls of Fury sequel, call it DOS: Balls of Fury.
DOS: Balls of Fury. Best possible title for a sequel. Agreed.
This may be a very dumb question, but in Balls of Fury, did you do your own ping pong? or was it animated or anything? Heeheeheehee. Oooh, how should i answer this one?
It was 100% me. I did every single ping-pong stunt in the movie. And it's important that people know that they shouldn't try to challenge me, because I hurt the last person I played with a ping-pong ball to the eye, and I feel horrible about it.
I'm just kidding…I'm only okay at ping-pong, and 99% of the ping-pong in the movie is CGI.
Hey Dan. I was bar tending at the SoHo Playhouse when you did The Voyage of the Carcass back in 2006. We actually met, and spoke some throughout the run of the show. Really enjoyed the show, and congrats on your success. When I saw Love Happens, Take Me home Tonight, and Hannibal, I had to make sure my friends knew that I met you once upon a time. As for a question, on the set of Hannibal, what was shooting like? Mads seems like the type of actor that would stay in character between takes, is that the case? I also have a production curiosity. How long before the first episode of Hannibal you were in, did it actually get filmed? Are episodes filmed a few weeks before the air date, or was it months? Oh my god. I'm glad you saw that play. That was an amazing production. Mads is always intense & mischievous, but in between takes he's a fun guy, like you'd want to go get a drink with. I think at least 6 months. I was the third episode and they're shooting several episodes at a time sometimes. And it took, I'd say, I think it took like 3 months to see my episode.
Thanks for responding. Yep, Carcass was awesome!! Keep on keepin' on!! Yeah, we're going to make a movie I think at some point.
What did you have for breakfast this morning? Wow, I totally skipped breakfast because I had this meal last night that was followed up by a bowl of cereal that never should have happened that I'm still trying to deal with.
How much trim do you get? What advice would you have for someone who wants to get more trim? What is the hottest trim you've ever had? Whoa. Wow. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoaaa. WHOAAA.
How much trim do you get?
Go see Don Peyote and find out.
I'm definitely planning on seeing that! Have you ever done any hallucinogens? that's an interesting question. Yes, yes I have.
And shall I give you a list? Yes, why the hell not.
Shrooms (which were delightful)
Ayahuasca (opens my mind)
DMT is part of Ayahuasca, plus it's already in your head so that doesn't count.
I've eaten mushrooms many many times years and years ago. I only did acid once. I didn't really like how long acid was, that's what I liked about shrooms, 4 or 5 hours and you're back to normal. Thanks for the honest answer! YES.
I'm a big fan of the organic stuff.
Loved your run on Hannibal. Anything you can share with us about your experience on the show? Thanks! Mads is hilarious. Inbetween takes we were cracking each other up and it was crazy, like, karate moves at each other and giggling about you know, ladies and stuff. It was like we were old buddies. I really enjoyed making that show. And I hope I come back as a ghost or something.
Did you try and reenact any scenes from Casino Royale? I imagine you'd be sitting in a suit and having him sit across from you... all twitchy and evil like. Yeah, I was totally imagining, like, that situation, playing Poker with him going into it. That was my one sided perception of who he was going into it. So I was like almost scared shitless of the guy, but once i met him, I was like, this guy is a sweetheart. Fun, so fun.
But he just has that face. His cheekbones could cut bread. I like that line.
Hey Dan, big fan of Balls of Fury. I imagine, with that big of a cast of hilarious people (Lennon, Crews, Lopez just to name a few) like yourself, there were plenty of ruined takes due to people cracking up - mind sharing your favorite? Also, just how hot is Maggie Q? And lastly, are you actually a fan of Def Leppard? I'm seeing them and KISS in august. Yes love def lepard. Maggie Q is delightful. funniest weirdest moment: walken chasing me across the fantasy island rope bridge in a bionic ping pong suit, between takes he'd say, "u know when I catch you randy, I'm going to pork you"
Whose funnier, Topher Grace or Dane Cooke? Both hilarious movies by the way. Oh wow. Oh shit. Okay. How about, I'm going to say Topher. Because I just think that Topher has kind of a darker, wry-er, more complex je ne sais quoi to the tone of his comedy.
And Dane's funny but Good Luck Chuck was kind of a funky movie for me.
I was secretly hoping you would say Topher. I fucking love that guy! You guys have great chemistry. Absolutely. Take Me Home Tonight was one of my most favorite movie experiences ever. Amazing cast.
What was your first reaction after reading the end of Scenic Route? My first reaction was I was like HOLY SHIT this is like Waiting for Godot or something. I thought it was like a modern Waiting for Godot in the desert and thought it would make a really good play. Because it does have an existential ending, like a Twilight-zone ending, you're questioning whether these guys made it out of there intact or not. So I thought it was pretty brilliant.
What is your best memory from when you first started working in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee? You were great in it! Thank you. There was this time when we were onstage and there's a part in the show where my character is allergic to peanuts, and a boy scout character throws peanut m&Ms at me, and the bag usually just falls to the ground but this time it hit me and M&Ms went everywhere. And like clockwork, everybody onstage like, perfectly got up and grabbed one M&M and went back to their seat and slowly all the M&Ms were cleaned up. It was like magic, I love improvised moments like that. It was so perfect and real and fun.
WHAT DOES MADS MIKKELSEN SMELL LIKE? Mixture of old spice & Nutella.
Bless you. Jonathan Tucker has said cupcakes and Gillian Anderson has said tweed. The hunt for the real answer continues. That's is the real answer.
I really liked the movie fanboys. Are you big fan of anything? I like Fanboys too. What am I a fan of? I'm a fan of movies in general. I'm excited for the new Star Wars coming out, that's for sure, and I'd like to see Coppola take another stab at the Godfather. I think he deserves another chance. I'm a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. I was drawing them on my book before anybody knew who the hell they were, old school, old school, and then suddenly they were everywhere, saying "Cowabunga" and shit.
Hey Dan - I saw on your IMDB page that you worked on Robot Chicken. That's hilarious. How did you end up on Robot Chicken? How does one break into the 'make hilarious movies playing with toys' industry? Seth Green is a buddy of mine, after we did Mars Needs Moms. And I loved that episode, it was so much fun. And I guess you just have to be friends with Seth.
Awesome that you are doing an AMA really enjoyed Take Me Home Tonight, Balls of Fury, and especially Hannibal. I need to see Scenic Route still. I guess my questions are do you find it hard going from comedic roles to dramatic or more serious roles? What is the most satisfying thing for you creatively? Just for some love for Fanboys, what is your favorite Star Wars charactemoment? Han Solo hands down. "and I thought they smelled bad...on the outside!" not hard at all I've got many emotions living inside me just like normal humans. the most satisfying roles are the sad clown roles because you get to do everything.
How would u describe don pzyote in three words? Don Peyote in three words: a gateway film.
What was the character u liked to play the most?why? To which one r u the closest? I think that the Fanboys character version of me from like, college. Right there. I'm done with that one.
What s the best advice u ve ever been given in ur entire life and career? Best advice was from an acting teacher, who said "try to act like this is really happening." so you really try and act like like all the situations you're in, however bizarre, are really happening, and that really helped my acting a lot. I'm still working on that.
Hi Mr. Fogler. Thank you for doing this AMA. I don't know what Conan O'Brien smells like. But I think it's probably strawberry jam.
You were amazing in Scenic Route... That seemed like it was a rough role to play... How did you prepared for that?.. Got any stories from the set? Also, What does Conan O'Brien Smell like? And preparing for Scenic Route was like preparing for a play. We knew that when we got out there, we were going to be in Death Valley and the elements were going to be against us, so we had to know the script by heart, we rehearsed a lot, Josh and I got to know each other.
Did you think your character on Hannibal was hilarious? Because my god, when you started trying to tell Tobias that it wasn't too late for him and that you guys were true friends. I laughed so hard. And then Hannibal straight up killed you and I laughed harder even though I was a bit sad. Also, if you were in Franklyn's position when Tobias burst through Hannibal's door, how would you have reacted? It was pretty funny huh? if I was in the office when Tobias busted in I'd grab the nearest letter opener or metal statue and start defending myself.
In Fanboys, you had to get an ailing fan to see Star Wars Ep 1 before his time was up. What future Arnold film must you see before you go? King Conan? A new Terminator? True Lies 2? Hehehehe. I say, fuck those, I want to see him play Hamlet, if I'm going to die. If I have to die, I want to see him do Shakespeare, That would be hysterical. And then maybe I'd laugh myself to death, or heal myself. But if I had to choose, it'd be the Terminator one, probably.
Hi Dan! I loved you in Spelling Bee on broadway! Are you planning on doing any more live theatre? What would be your dream broadway role? Yes I've been craving it. might be fun to play Nathan Detroit or mcMurphy in coocoo's nest
Hey Dan, Loved You in Fanboys and Hannibal. My question is, how did you end up in the video for I Don't Wanna Be Me by Type O Negative ? What was the filming experience like? Were you a fan of the band before you shot the video? That was my 1st real gig out of college. it was like mini SNL training. I made up the crazy dance to the song for the audition and they hired me in the room. I became a fan after.
Tell us more about this West Coast bus tour to promote Don Peyote. Who is going to be on it with you and what's the plan. Are you going to do TalkBacks after a screening of the film? What do you want people to take away from Don Peyote? OK holy shit. The Bus Tour. Wow.
First of all, tweet @ me @MrDanFogler and I'll share all the details. Some of the people that are going are people from the movie that I met along the way. And these people are people like Daniel Pinchbeck, he has a large following and a lot of people will join the caravan because of him. Another gentleman named Freeman is onboard, and he's coming along. And then we have Captain Eboga, who will be showing up. He's going to be driving the jungle bus. And we want people to join the caravan.
We are going to different venues along the west coast. And we are doing talkbacks, showing the movie. We're going to end up at Lightning in a Bottle and doing a screening there. And then back to LA for some major Cheech & Chong event, which should be interesting. Don't bring the kids, but BYOB (bring your own buds).
The major message from Don Peyote is that happiness is just a switch in your head that you control. And it's not out there in the world, it's right inside of you. You have a choice. It's true!
Hi Dan, huge fan! How was Ayahuasca? Tell us something profound you learned from your experience. Something profound... tress are as human as we are. even more so.
PS Can't wait to see Don Peyote! That was supposed to say "trees" freakin spell check!
Hello, Dan. What are your favourite american comedies of the 2000s? Not including your movies. And does Christopher Walken really levitates while dancing in the empty hotels? Yes walken is constantly levitating 1 inch off the floor like magneto or some shit. really enjoyed brides maides.
Dan, I heard something about you being a guest star on the new ABC show Black Box. Can you talk about your character? Are there any plans to return to the stage? Yes trying to get back to stage ASAP. yes I did a guest star on black box, I play a guy with Wilson's disease.
Are you going to do some talk show promotion for Don Peyote? I've been doing a little. I think if the movie does well we'll get on some of the late night venues- right now it's just been day time interviews.
Oh and you should try tripping on lucid dreams. it doesn't get more organic than this. Yes very interested in lucid dreaming and astral projection.
Lucasfilm now being owned by Disney said they are basically going to make content that doesn't follow any of the cannon made by the previous extended universe stories - do you have any comments on this? So what are they going to do with the movie, re-make it? I mean, I don't know what's going on with the movie, I don't have enough information, but I think that the next 3 …
GURGLING NOISES
WOOKIE YELL
Hi Dan! What was working on the set of Balls of Fury like? It is one of my favorite movies and every scene sends me into stitches. It was just surreal and a dream come true to be working with walken. most days were fun!
Do you have any juicy, revealing "behind the scenes" stories for such a... movie? Dane cook carried a miniature Doberman pincher around with him in a man purse.
What was the best part of the set of Hannibal? Getting to chill with mads. Bryan fuller and everyone were so welcoming
If you could portray one Shakespearean role on stage, who would you go for? I'd like to do Hamlet but Falstaff is more appropriate.
With the new Star Wars coming out, I think the sequel we really need is a Fanboys 2. Any chance? Kyle newman's been whispering about it who knows?
Who you calling scruffy lookin? You, ya nerfherder!
Europa Report was an amazing movie! I wish Dan's part was bigger. Yeah, me too. I had like imagined more like being in the NASA part of things in like the headquarters at Houston, that's what I was imagining. But they made it more about the press aspect of it. Which was cool but I wish I had a bigger part. I thought the movie was good.
I just wanted to say I loved Man Up! Yeah! there's a bunch of episodes on Hulu you can find. A lot of people dig it. Thanks.
Man Up was so much better than that other show thats still on TV. Amen.
I have noticed this as well. Everyone's always talking about being in the moment and being more human. I can't figure out if you just notice it more when you start practicing it or if there is some sort of awakening happening. I am going to start Don Peyote in a few minutes. A collective spiritual awakening is happening all around us. people are gaining a conscience. and they are becoming more compassionate as they realize how fragile out planet is.
My Lord man, please be on my podcast!!! Sure @mrdanfogler lets work it out.
I feel like Fanboys needs a follow-up centered around the new Star Wars movies coming out. I don't know, you seem like the kind of guy that could get this done. Working on it pal.
Loved you in Balls of Fury, man. Sorry that's all I've seen you in - looked you up a bit based on it, found out you're a stage dude and established artiste! Just wanted to say thanks for the laughs. You're great - hope to catch you in something else soon. Check out Don peyote out NOW!
now i am re-renting Fan Boys. Edit and on that note how was kristen bell to work with. Kristen is a pro.
What is Chris Pratt like? Chris Pratt is a genius. He looks like he smells like pine trees. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's the kind of guy who if you're stuck in the desert and you're in a SURVIVOR like situation, you want to make sure he's on your team because he knows how to survive for days. He's a badass.
Ever thought about getting a haircut? I got a haircut. Look at my reddit picture.
Jen Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Oooh. Oooh. Shoosh. Both?
Did you just get into that one to gawk at Jessica alba!? Hah what a dime she is! Oh, Jessica Alba is lovely. And I did Good Luck Chuck for the money. Which is absolutely true.
You absolutely saved that movie! You could have titled this AMA "Well here I am, what are you other two wishes?" World peace, and infinite baked ziti Sicilian without the calories.
Last updated: 2014-05-14 00:27 UTC
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casino royale poker scene actors video

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