In which we discuss what is the best movie with which to introduce someone to the world of 007? Plus the usual updates on the Brabazon project, books read, and things posted on the web.
Last week I wrote a bit about how we had introduced our youngest grandchild to the CARS movie and the thoughts and discussions that it inspired. Well this week it was our oldest grandchild’s turn for movie indoctrination.
It’s not often we get to spend time with our 13 year-old grandson due to his intensive baseball schedule. But we were lucky enough to have him over for the weekend, and thought it would be a good time to introduce him to another staple of life in the Porter household - the James Bond movies.
But with 25 of them to choose from, how do you pick one that would be a good jumping on point?
Start at the beginning with Doctor No? - Well as much as I appreciate it now, it is a little dated and slow moving.
How about my favorite when I was his age - You Only Live Twice - It has all the classic Bond tropes, but the casual racism hasn’t aged well. Some of the special effects are a little wonky for a kid raised on CGI blockbusters.
My first Bond movie, and the one that sparked my love for the franchise, is still my favorite today - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. - It’s a stunning movie to watch with an excellent score, but would introducing him to the franchise with a one-off actor cause confusion later?
The Spy Who Loved Me was Gill’s first Bond movie that she recalls watching on TV - I know a lot of people like it, but I’m not a fan and find Jaws faintly ridiculous.
In similar “what should your first Bond movie be” type conversations in the past I’ve seen a lot of people recommend The Living Daylights. Sure Timothy Dalton is perhaps the closest on-screen we’ve had to Fleming’s Bond, but the plot is somewhat convoluted - and as our grandson’s father served in Afghanistan, I’m not sure what his reaction would be.
If we want to introduce someone to Bond today, then why not the most recent incarnation and start with Daniel Craig and the Casino Royale reboot? Definitely a contender.
BUT
We decided on the movie that is our personal “go-to” Bond when we want to enjoy some good 007 action. One that stars our favorite Bond actor, has all the great Bond tropes, and one that thanks to its iconic video game tie-in birthed a whole new generation of Bond fans. For a kid who likes action, and is a video gamer too - it seemed like the logical choice. Our selection for a first Bond watch was Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye.
And the result of all this deliberation? Our grandson fell asleep watching GoldenEye, but was captivated by Top Gun: Maverick which we watched the following evening. - Ah well, we tried.
So if you had to introduce someone to your favorite movie franchise - what movie would you pick?
Other Stuff
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Brabazon Bits
This week we finished the first draft of Chapter 3 of “Brabazon: Lost Ocean Liner of the Skies,” which focused on the early days of passenger carrying airline services and the development of the luxury experiences that became synonymous with air travel in the 1930s. We’ve now passed the 10,000 word mark on this initial draft. - We’ll be taking a short break from the actual writing and diving into more research as we prepare for our trip to the archives in Bristol in a few weeks time.
Pages and Screens
BOOKS
A Woman Of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
A fascinating story of Virginia Hall, a remarkable American woman whose actions in occupied France in World War 2 laid the foundations for the French resistance. Highly recommended for anyone interested in what went on behind the front lines in WW2.
Weekly Web Round Up
On the Batman On The Coverproject we continued our journey through September 1967 with comics from Brazil, Denmark, and Germany.
This week I managed to find another motorsports comics cover to add to the Motor Sports In Comicsblog on Tumblr. The addition of All-Action Monthly #1 from February 1987 takes the total of racing related covers posted so far up to 887, and I will admit it’s getting harder to find new additions. - All-Action Monthly was an attempt by IPC Magazines in the UK to do a “best of” anthology pulling popular strips from their stable of weekly ‘boys adventure’ comics titles. It only lasted three issues and this was the only cover to feature a motorsport related topic.
Well that seems like a good jumping off point for this week’s Ramble. Thanks for joining me, and if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future newsletters.
