HAPPY BOND DAY!

I thought I would take this opportunity (Bond Day) to express my extreme excitement over the next entrant into the Bond franchise (note the alliteration). Bond is 50 years old today (the franchise), and I thought we would have a look-see at my favourites…

Ah, Sean Connery. They could not have picked a better man to be the first to personify Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Sean Connery was the first Bond ever, in 1962 with Dr. No. Funnily enough, he isn’t my favourite Bond…only because I think his later work was much better (The Rock, anyone?). He played James Bond in 6 films (interrupted by George Lazenby, who only did one – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – something he must still be kicking himself over, the right idiot, lol, years later for a franchise that has made 23 films and grossed 4.9 BILLION – more like 12 billion if you calculate inflation nininini – at the Box Office, beaten only by – get this? HARRY POTTER, also British. Hm.), then passed the baton to Roger Moore, a suave fellow if there ever was one.

Roger Moore did 7 movies, and then it was Timothy Dalton’s Bond, who for the longest time was my favourite Bond, even though he only did 2 movies (License to Kill is also my favourite Bond soundtrack, done by Gladys Knight).

Next was Pierce Brosnan (who can argue with his seamless adoption of the role), then Daniel Craig.

I have constant arguments about who the best Bond is, but at the end of the day, honestly, you can’t not like James Bond (my friend has a theory about how Jason Bourne, whose initials are also oh-so-coincidentally J.B., was written up by Ludlum to be the American Bond). Everyone grew up with him (like Bold and the Beautiful) and all guys wanted to be him, the girls wanted to be with him. He was the internationally renowned badass who got all the ladies and cracked all the cases (see what I did there?). He was the King of one liners and TKOs. How do you not like – sorry, love – this guy? Well, people have several things against Daniel Craig himself (which they need to get over. Did you or did you not watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony? He was on screen with the QUEEN, for pity’s sake.). I for one think he is a fantastic actor (have you seen Defiance?), and I think he is meant to depict the more ruthless side of Bond, you know? The one who has battle scars and has been…well, to battle. Another thing that viewers might notice is a new Q, played by (he was old, even back in the day, R.I.P.), and the fact that Bond is now drinking Heineken.

I’m sure you have seen him in the trailer. If you do read the James Bond books (there have been 6 other authors after Ian Fleming passed away), you knw that indeed, Bond did drink beer, so I suppose it is a moot point…although his two trademark lines are ‘Bond. James Bond.’ and ‘Shaken. Not stirred.’ I wonder what his new lines are going to be?

Skyfall (soundtrack by Adele. EXCITOS, INNIT??!!) premieres October 26th. T-20. Who’s your favourite Bond?

tSN

p.s. James Bond was actually a real person. Ian Fleming picked the name because he wanted his superhero agent to have the boringest name he could find. O_______O