50th Anniversary of Bond

For 50 years, James Bond has been entertaining millions and uttering the famous words "shaken, not stirred" and "the name's Bond, James Bond". And since this is an iconic year for Bond, I will give you my personal top five movies, my favorite Bond and Bond girl, and favorite villains of Bond. Let's get started with my favorite movies of the genre. At number five is the iconic The Spy Who Loved Me. This movie is very iconic with its classic villain Jaws, who had metal teeth and proved to be quite a match for Bond. Even though I forgot the story line and the girl Bond saves, I watched it just for Jaws and his escapades with James. Next is the unforgettable Sean Connery-era film Goldfinger. In this film, the ruthless villain Goldfinger was introduced and the iconic laser scene has been copied for decades. Also, Goldfinger kills a woman in the film and paints her gold. The villain Odd Job was also introduced and is sometimes known as the main villain instead of the henchman. The movie is the most iconic and classic of the franchise and made Sean Connery a household name. Then, my third favorite Bond film is the last of Sean Connery's reign as Bond after being away for almost a decade is Never Say Never Again. In this film, an aged Bond goes after a wimpy villain with a cool and terrifying computer game. This movie was such a thrilling experience for me because of the classic computer game Bond plays with the villain where the loser gets zapped with electricity. Even though the movie was a hit and Sean Connery's last Bond work, it comes into question of what happened to Roger Moore. But anyway, let's go to my second favorite Bond film. The Man with The Golden Gun would be my favorite if it weren't for Pierce Brosnan. In this film, Roger Moore faces off against an assassin Scaramanga (played by the wonderful Christopher Lee) and a dwarf henchman Nick Knack (who starred in Fantasy Island). Given away in the title, the villain carries a golden gun and is one of Bonds most memorable foes. And now it's time for my absolute favorite. At number one is the last Pierce Brosnan Bond film, Die Another Day. In the film, a recently tortured Bond goes after the man responsible for his pain Gustaf Graves. Aside from the awesome title song by Madonna, the movie is my favorite because of its Bond girl (Halle Berry) and its awesome sub-villain with a diamond embedded face. This is the best in the series and shows Pierce Brosnan at his best. Now let's talk about my favorite Bond girl. Although there have been over 50 Bond girls, and all of them being the same, there is only one that I love. And you guessed it, my favorite is Die Another Day's Oscar winning actress Halle Berry. Even though I loved Grace Jones as May Day in Roger Moore's A View to Kill and thought Miss Goodnight from The Man with The Golden Gun, I loved that there was actually an African-American Bond girl who was an agent and fought for the first time. Now let's talk villains. Throughout the series I've had numerous villains that I've liked, but these are my favorite. My third favorite villain is the one and only Goldfinger. I liked him because he brought a certain evil with him to the character and was very menacing. Then, my second favorite villain is the Japanese villain/henchmen, Xiao. In Die Another Day, Xiao's face is embedded with diamonds during an explosion and he then swears revenge on Bond. His character was very edgy and dark and the "million dollar face" gives him horror. And my ultimate all time favorite is Scaramanga. Christopher Lee gave this villain much complexity and played him well. I enjoyed this villain and his golden accessories. Then, there's my favorite Bond ever. I loved all of the Bonds except George Lazenby and Daniel Craig, and thought they did great, but only one is my favorite. My all time favorite is the one and only Pierce Brosnan. After I saw his performance in Die Another Day, I fell in love with him and watched all of his other Bond moments. He was the best overall. And now that you have heard my James Bond obsession, it's time for some late breaking news. Over this beloved Thanksgiving holiday, the 81-year-old actor Larry Hagman passed away from his 1 year battle with cancer. Hagman is most known for his iconic character J.R. Ewing on the 70s through 90s hit show Dallas and its reboot that debuted this summer by the same name. The reboot featured all of the old show's cast with the exceptions of Victoria Principle and others. J.R. Ewing was a classic tv villain and will be missed along with Larry Hagman. TNT, however, has not made any statements on whether the show will continue and air new episodes in January or quit. My heart goes out to all of the Dallas family. This concludes our 50th anniversary of Bond. I hope you enjoyed it and I apologize for leaving you on a sour note. As always, send me your comments on anything I have or haven't said and I will address it in my next blog. Tune in next week for all the news on your favorite celebrities and movies. And before I forget, make sure to read "The Trial" this week as it returns with chapter 5 after a three week absence at www.brordon2.blogspot.com. Until next time................