Live and Let Die (James Bond)

[Radb707 0]

This was Roger Moore's first Bond movie, and it's also one of the most insane. The movie is basically James Bond getting lost in a blaxploitation film. Moore and Jane Seymour are the only white cast members for a significant portion of it. No rival spies, no evil megalomaniac, and no saving the world. The bad guy is Mr. Big, who is some big crime boss in Harlem. The only reason Bond is on the case is because an MI6 agent was killed. One of the first scenes is Bond following a car through Harlem like it's nothing. The only white guy in Harlem and he thinks no one will notice. Also since Bond is British, he has no idea why everyone keeps calling him "honky". It seems like everybody is hired by Mr. Big since they all have a walkie talkie telling them he's coming. Then it's revealed the taxi driver who is driving bond has had a walkie the entire time. Why'd they even bother doing a play by play? Bond gets captured (and he continues to get captured almost every 15 minutes) and the first words Mr. Big says are "Take that honky out back and kill him". He doesn't even care who he is. What? Secret agent? Meh.

Anyways, there's way more craziness in this movie. Jane Seymour plays a psychic whose powers are linked to her virginity. Bond takes said virginity with no hesitation, and then has a wtf face when he figures it out. There's plenty of crazy voodoo. The song "Live and Let Die" is used in fucking EVERYTHING. It's like they chopped it up and pasted parts of the song during any scene that needed a musical cue. There's even unnecessary comic relief characters introduced late in the movie during the longest boat chase ever. Finally, there's a henchman with a mechanical arm with a claw for a hand.

And he's beaten with wire cutters. The same kind you get in kits with pliers.

You owe it to yourself to watch it at least once. It's a fun movie, but it's insane.

[seanotron 2307]

I was thinking about this today and I believe Live and Let Die really is the craziest Bond movie. The racism is next-level bonkers, but this movie also establishes that magic is real in the James Bond universe. Solitaire has legit magical prediction powers, right up until the point where Bond puts his Little Jimmy in her. The movie is a total mess and a super weird way to introduce Roger Moore in the role. But it's also strangely watchable, maybe because Yaphett Koto is badass in anything and Geoffrey Holder's laugh is The Greatest Laugh In Cinema History.

[denimgremlin 1179]

listen to the James Bonding podcast from a few weeks ago, they cover Live and Let Die, with special guest PFT!

 

it's a much more in depth discussion of all the nuttiness than we'd probably get on HDTGM, Matt and Matt are such super fans that they know all of the weird details and background and shit.

[seanotron 2307]

I'll have to look that up, I had no idea there was a James Bond podcast.

[denimgremlin 1179]

http://www.nerdist.com/podcast_channel/james-bonding-channel/

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

James Bonding fulfills my nerd nerve center exquisitely. It does, however, make any HDTGM-discussions of Bond superfluous. There is always the possibility of a crossover episode, which would be spectacular.

[seanotron 2307]

The only problem is I really don't like Matt Mira. I don't have a reasonable explanation for it, he just somehow rubs me the wrong way. I don't think I could make it through an entire podcast with him.

[denimgremlin 1179]

The only problem is I really don't like Matt Mira. I don't have a reasonable explanation for it, he just somehow rubs me the wrong way. I don't think I could make it through an entire podcast with him.

 

No need to explain, I feel the same way most of the time.

[Bolognas 32]

Live and Let Die is a pretty good option, and, despite it's racism, it is an enjoyably crazy film. On the other hand, if they want to do a shamefully bad Bond movie, I submit Never Say Never Again for consideration. It's Sean Connery reprising his role as Bond after having been away for more than a decade, and it plays out as more a parody of a Bond film than an actual Bond film. Connery looks old, is somewhat overweight, and brings 1/4 of his normal suaveness to the role, yet women throw themselves at him twice as hard. The writing is painful, it's like a group of high-school kids watched a couple Bond movies then decided to write their own.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

seanotron and must turd, it must be pretty trying to be a fan of podcasts but be annoyed by Matt Mira, considering he is on... several. I find him quite entertaining and very fun to listen to.

[seanotron 2307]

seanotron and must turd, it must be pretty trying to be a fan of podcasts but be annoyed by Matt Mira, considering he is on... several. I find him quite entertaining and very fun to listen to.

 

Not really. I rarely if ever hear him on anything I listen to regularly (HDTGM, CBB, Whooch, Go Bayside, Thrilling Adventure Hour, WTF, etc.)