PG Cooper Likes Lists Too

[JBond]

Pretty good list.

[Neverending]

I can't do ONE BOND GIRL PER FILM. That just isn't fair. Some Bond films have multiple greatness. So instead.....

TOP 23 BOND GIRLS

HONORABLE MENTION
MISS MONEYPENNY (LOIS MAXWELL)



No one considers Miss Moneypenny a Bond Girl because she is part of the main supporting cast. Nonetheless, we should still acknowledge her contribution. Especially the memorable performances by Lois Maxwell. Like Roger Moore, she overstayed her welcome, but in the 1960s she was wonderful. Her chemistry with Sean Connery is still the best in the series. It was their little moments that gave those early films a lighter touch and made these characters feel like real people. So, my hats off to you, Miss Maxwell.


#23 - SOLITAIRE (JANE SEYMOUR)
Jane Seymour is one of the most attractive Bond girls, but man, her character is terrible. It's no secret that the treatment of women in the early Bond films is awful. To begin with, she's a young and innocent girl who is being manipulated by an evil Black man and needs to be rescued. That's both racist and sexist. Then Bond has the nerve to trick her into having sex with him. Which is more sick and disgusting when you acknowledge that she's a virgin and Roger Moore is a man in his `40s. The only reason "Solitaire" makes the list is because Jane Seymour is nice to look at.

#22 - JINX (HALLE BERRY)
Jinx gets a lot of hate. Most of it is justified but a Bond girl's main purpose is to provide eye candy. And oh boy, Ms. Berry sure provides a lot of eye candy. Hottest Bond girl ever? Maybe!

#21- OCTOPUSSY (MAUD ADAMS)
There are Bond girls and then there are Bond WOMEN. Maud Adams definitely falls into the latter. It is refreshing to see a mature adult and veteran actress as the leading lady in one of these films. But most importantly, someone age-appropriate for the aging Roger Moore. Also, kudos to Adams for being a Bond girl in TWO Bond pictures.

#20- HONEY RIDER (URSULA ANDRESS)
Everybody loves Honey Rider. I get it. She's hot and that bikini is iconic. But ask yourself, besides her hotness, what exactly is her purpose in the film? She's just eye candy. Plain and simple. CLASSIC Bond Girl but really nothing special.

#19 & 18 - THE MASTERSON SISTERS (SHIRLEY EATON AND TANIA MALLET)
Because of James Bond, two girls were killed. For all its flashiness, this is the emotional core that makes Goldfinger standout from the rest. On the surface, he might be a suave and sophisticated British spy, but underneath, he's a screw-up and people die because of his actions. The beauty of these two characters is that they leave a lasting impression even though they barely have 10 minutes of screen time combined. And in the case of Eaton, she's VERY memorable since she's the girl painted in gold.

#17 - PLENTY O' TOOLE (LANA WOOD)
Here is another memorable Bond girl whose screen time amounts to a glorified cameo. Diamonds Are Forever is a movie that works if you realize you're watching a comedy. And, Plenty O'Toole (played by Natalie Wood's sister) has two of the funniest scenes in the film. So aside from her amazing cleavage, she has "plenty" to offer.

#16 - TATIANA ROMANOVA (DANIELA BIANCHI)
She is one of the most beautiful Bond girls and also has one of the more interesting plotlines. But her character is a bit sexiest and outdated. She just randomly "falls in love" with this guy and the movie never gives us a legitimate reason as to why. Especially since time-after-time he treats her like crap. There's even one scene where he's slapping her around. WTF?

#15 & 14 - WAI LIN (MICHELLE YEOH) AND PARIS CARVER (TERI HATCHER)
Wai Lin is a strong, butt-kicking woman whose better than 007. But Michelle Yeoh has no chemistry with Pierce Brosnan whatsoever. She loses major points for that. Teri Hatcher, as Paris Carver, was the one who connected with Brosnan and her tragic character foreshadowed the events of the next movie and also alluded to some of the Bond girls of the past that died because of Bond. It's a reminder of why the character can never be close to anyone.

#13 & 12 - NAOMI (CAROLINE MUNRO) AND AGENT TRIPLE X (BARBARA BACH)

In SOME ways, The Spy Who Loved Me is trying to make up for the sins of the past. The treatment of women in early Bond films is despicable. So here is the first time they get to kick some butt. Naomi is the villainous one and she steals every scene she's in. Her winking at Bond from within the helicopter is still one of my favorite moments in the entire series. Barbara Bach also does a fine job. Although I feel that her character is a little too soft.

#11 & 10 - MELINA HAVELOCK (CAROLE BOUQUET) AND THE COUNTESS (CASSANDRA HARRIS)
Carole Bouquet is one of the most gorgeous Bond girls. Which is weird considering that she spent most of the movie with that serious, deadpan facial expression. Then again, she's playing the role of a young woman seeking revenge for the murder of her parents. So, I can't expect her to be all laughs and smiles. Thankfully, we have Cassandra Harris to lighten things up a bit. Her chemistry with Roger Moore was incredible and she wasn't half his age. ALSO, Harris was Pierce Brosnan's wife at the time.


#9 - SYLVIA TRENCH (EUNICE GAYSON)



It is crazy to think that James Bond had a girlfriend. The man isn't exactly boyfriend material. He's a spy. He constantly has sex with other women. And his female companions usually get killed. So, it is amusing to acknowledge that Sylvia Trench was "just" a girlfriend. Or at least a friend-with-benefit that he spent time with in-between missions. She is so - normal - that it humanizes James Bond. For a brief moment you can think of Bond as just a guy who puts his pants on one leg at a time.

#8 - MAY DAY (GRACE JONES)



I know that it is difficult to think of Grace Jones as female. She is more man than woman. But technically she is a "Bond Girl." And the character of May Day is one that is difficult to forget. Plus, she's a strong independent woman who isn't used as eye-candy and can hold her own in an action/fight scene. Michelle Yeoh has met her match.

#7 - FATIMA BLUSH (BARBARA CARRERA)



These sassy Latina's know how to get your blood pumping. Her scenes with Sean Connery are amazing, especially the infamous sex scene. Clearly this was too much woman for Roger Moore.

#6 - TRACY BOND (DIANA RIGG)



James Bond's dead wife. 'Nuff said.

[Neverending]

#5 & 4 - DOMINO (CLAUDINE AUGER) AND FIONA VOLPE (LUCIANA PALUZZI)




They say there are two types of women: those you date and the one you marry. Clearly they were thinking of that with these two casting choices. Claudine Auger is breathtaking as Domino. She is so lovely and proper, then out of nowhere, she has underwater sex and kills the villain with a spear-gun. I don't know how Bond let this one get away. Maybe he was too pre-occupied with Fiona Volpe. Luciana Paluzzi leaves quite the impression, that's for sure. James Bond has sex with many women but if there was one you time to REALLY envy the man it would be when he banged this broad.

#3 - VESPER LYND (EVA GREEN)



As you can see from this thread (http://forums.comingsoon.net/showthread.php?t=42566) I was a supporter of Eva Green before she got cast. So, it should come as no surprise that I would rank her so high. I love the woman. And her performance as Vesper was great. The character is also important to the Bond mythology. She made Bond who he is and was the first to break his heart. To speak in geek terms, she is the Gwen Stacy to Tracy's Mary Jane.

#2 - XENA ONATOPP (FAMKE JANSSEN)



Xena Onatopp is amazing from the moment she shows up. Every single scene with her is hilarious, exciting, and above all, very stimulating. Pierce Brosnan does a great job of keeping up with her. The two of them play-off each other perfectly. It's too bad they never brought her back, like Jaws or that fat Russian dude that Robbie Coltrane played.

#1 - PUSSY GALORE (HONOR BLACKMAN)




You know Bond is a unique man when he can turn lesbians into heterosexuals. That's right. Pussy Galore is a lesbian. In the movie they never mention it because it's 1964, but it's in the book and also explains why she resists all the sexual advances by the men in the cast. Plus, all her employees are women. And even if she wasn't a lesbian in the movie it's still great to see a no-nonsense woman as the lead in a Bond film. I mean, it's always entertaining to watch the charming playboy struggle to get laid. Although it's messed up that Bond borderline raped her. That's not cool, man. Not cool.

[JBond]

Originally Posted by Neverending

#20- HONEY RIDER (URSULA ANDRESS)
Everybody loves Honey Rider. I get it. She's hot and that bikini is iconic. But ask yourself, besides her hotness, what exactly is her purpose in the film? She's just eye candy. Plain and simple. CLASSIC Bond Girl but really nothing special.

Thank you.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by JBond

Thank you.

You're welcome.

[PG Cooper]

Top 24 James Bond Villains

24. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Charles Gray), Diamonds are Forever



Blofeld had several different incarnations in the films, all of which will be represented in this list. Easily the worst version, and the worst villain of the series, is Charles Gray’s Blofeld from Diamonds are Forever. Blofeld was once an intimidating and scary force who commanded power and respect. Charles Gray washes away all that. His Blofeld is about as threatening as a caterpillar, and with little more personality. Plus, he isn’t bald! That probably sounds like a nitpick to outsiders, but Bond fans know that part of the character’s iconic image is being bald. Overall, Gray’s Blofeld is no way resembles the character fans know and love.

23. Kamal Khan (Louis Jordan), Octopussy



A really boring villain. What was his scheme again? Something about a golden egg? Whatever.

22. Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), Die Another Day



Smug, arrogant, and nonthreatening are just a few of the words that come to mind when thinking of Gustav Graves. He’s a pretty dumb villain throughout most of the film, but he’s put into the echelon of the worst near the end when he dons the robocop costume pictured above.

21. Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens), The Spy Who Loved Me



An extremely boring villain who’s about as menacing as a care bear. But what really thrusts him into the “worst of” category is the fact that Stromberg is the only weak element in The Spy Who Loved Me. Everything else is great from Bond, to the leading lady, to the gadgets, to the action. The film even has one of the greatest henchmen of all time. Everything is awesome…except for the villain. The quality of everything else shines a light on how poor Stromberg is.

20. Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), Moonraker



Drax is a Stromberg rip off and shares all his short comings. But his voice is more threatening and I like his beard, so that makes him better.

19. Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), Quantum of Solace



This character is pretty boring, but Mathieu Amalric injects some intensity to the film. Or maybe I’m just biased because Amalric is phenomenal in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Whatever.

18. Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), Live and Let Die



Mr. Big is not a very well thought out villain. He’s too silly to be really menacing but too serious to be really fun. The “twist” set up around him and Kanaga is also really weak. That said, I like Yaphet Kotto a lot so I don’t want to dump on this character.

17. Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), Tomorrow Never Dies



I’m really torn on Pryce’s performance. On one hand, he’s eccentric and weird. On the other hand, he’s kind of annoying and isn’t very threatening. I will say, his performance is memorable if nothing else. Overall, I think Carter works better as an eccentric supporting character than as a menacing villain.

16. Renard (Robert Carlyle), The World Is Not Enough



Renard had so much potential. He’s a villain who can’t feel physical pain. That’s one of the best concepts for a Bond villain ever. Simple, but creates an interesting challenge. He’s also played by Robert Carlyle, who’s a talented actor. Unfortunately, the filmmakers really dropped the ball with Renard. Instead of an unstoppable badass, Renard is actually very sensitive and wants to talk about his feelings. Perhaps the filmmakers thought they were being clever by making the villain who can’t feel pain a very introspective character, but Renard comes off more like a baby than anything. Still, the concept is inspired enough to warrant his placement.

[JBond]

Pretty good start. Heh, I like your write up on Kamal Khan.

[Neverending]

I don't know how many times I'm gonna say this. Renard is the henchman. Elektra King is the villain. I'm starting to get the impression that no one has actually seen The World Is Not Enough from beginning to end. Just bits and pieces on TV.

[Dracula]

Originally Posted by Neverending

I don't know how many times I'm gonna say this. Renard is the henchman. Elektra King is the villain. I'm starting to get the impression that no one has actually seen The World Is Not Enough from beginning to end. Just bits and pieces on TV.

Elektra is definitely a villain and Renard is closer to being a henchman than he is to being a main villain. One could argue that they're FRWL style co-villains.

TWINE is one of the less formulaic Bond films, so it can be a little harder to pigeon-hole elements of it.

[PG Cooper]

Originally Posted by Neverending

I don't know how many times I'm gonna say this. Renard is the henchman. Elektra King is the villain. I'm starting to get the impression that no one has actually seen The World Is Not Enough from beginning to end. Just bits and pieces on TV.

I considered Elektra for the villain list, but I think she works better as a Bond girl than a Bond villain, so I chose to rank her in that list instead of this one.

[JBond]

Originally Posted by Dracula

One could argue that they're FRWL style co-villains.

Well, let's make it easy. We'll go with the one with the classic Bond villain deformity.

...damn.

[PG Cooper]

Given that all my Bond lists were pre-Skyfall, the feel a bit irrelevant now. So I'll just finish off the lists. If anyone is interested in my write-ups, they can be found on my blog. At any rate, here are the conclusions to my list:

Villains

15.Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), A View to a Kill
14. Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal), From Russia With Love
13. Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), Thunderball
12. Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), From Russia With Love
10. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasence), You Only Live Twice
9. Aristotle Kristatos (Julian Glover), For Your Eyes Only
8. Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), License to Kill
7. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
6. Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), Casino Royale
5. Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), GoldenEye
4. Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman), Dr. No
3. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (voiced by Eric Pohlmann), From Russia With Love/Thunderball
2. Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe), Goldfinger
1. Red Grant (Robert Shaw), From Russia With Love

The Films

22.Moonraker
21.Diamonds are Forever
20.A View to a Kill
19.The Man With The Golden Gun
18.Octopussy
17.Die Another Day
16.Live and Let Die
15.The World is Not Enough
14.Quantum of Solace
13.Tomorrow Never Dies
12.The Living Daylights
11.You Only Live Twice
10.License to Kill
9.Thunderball
8.On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7.Goldeneye
6.The Spy Who Loved Me
5.Dr. No
4.For Your Eyes Only
3.Goldfinger
2.Casino Royale
1.From Russia With Love

[JBond]

Nice. But I don't like Le Chiffre.

[PG Cooper]

I feel I'm in the minority with Le Chiffre.

[Neverending]

Good stuff, Cooper.

[Justin]

My favorite Bond films would be along those same lines, except OHMSS would be higher.

[PG Cooper]

Originally Posted by Neverending

Good stuff, Cooper.

Thanks, bud.

Originally Posted by Justin

My favorite Bond films would be along those same lines, except OHMSS would be higher.

Really? Someone here likes OHMSS more than I do? I'm shocked.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by PG Cooper

Someone here likes OHMSS more than I do? I'm shocked.

I love OHMSS. If you noticed, it often appears in my Bond lists. I just think that George Lazenby hurt the film. He was an amateur and everyone around him was performing at their highest level. He broke the link. If Sean Connery had been in the film, it would probably be the best.

[PG Cooper]

Originally Posted by Neverending

I love OHMSS. If you noticed, it often appears in my Bond lists. I just think that George Lazenby hurt the film. He was an amateur and everyone around him was performing at their highest level. He broke the link. If Sean Connery had been in the film, it would probably be the best.

I don't know about the absolute best, but it certainly would have been stronger. For what it's worth, I think the Lazenby hate is a bit over done. He isn't great, but he isn't as bad as people make him out to be.

[Neverending]

His performance isn't bad per say, but he's definitely bringing down the quality. If OHMSS had been a decent film I don't think anyone would have noticed or minded. But OHMSS is one of the better produced installments and the entire crew, with the fear of Connery's absence, is working at their highest level. So, Lazenby is really the guy that hurt the movie. He's the weak link.

[PG Cooper]

I wish Connery had done it because than the film would have been more well-received and we could of had a better follow up to the death of his wife.

[PG Cooper]

Alright, time for a new list

Top Ten Reasons I Like The Matrix Sequels

10.Great Music


I love the scores of Don Davis. Their's something really sinister about his music, but also really exciting and fun. His music really helps give the films a sense of urgency. Plus, how can you not love the song "Navras"? That thing is all kinds of epic.

9.Connections to the First Film


There's a lot of references to the first film, but three really stand out to me. First is the picture above of Neo rocking the same fighting stance against Smith that he did in the first film. The final exchange between Neo and Morpheus is a nod to the first film too. "It was an honor," "No, the honor is still mine." Awesome. My favourite though is a subtle one. Remember the interrogation scene in the first Matrix? The first shot of Neo in the scene is through a TV monitor which the camera eventually passes through. That TV monitor is one of many later seen in The Architect's room in The Matrix Reloaded.

8. The Visuals


Sometimes it's fun to just look at these films, because the visuals are incredible. Whether it be awesome action shots, the foreboding view of the machine city, or the striking colours of a beautiful sky, The Matrix sequels are are total feast for the eyes.

[Deexan]

Reloaded was a worthy sequel to an all time classic. Revolutions messed it all up. I read dozens of fan theories online between 2 and 3 that were all far superior to what we got. Huge disappointment.

Still, nice list idea.

[Neverending]

The Matrix = Birth
Reloaded = Life
Revolution = Death

Thematically, the sequels worked. The real reason people didn't respond to them is because it switched genres. The Matrix is an action film with sci-fi elements. The sequels are sci-fi with lots of action scenes. I saw Reloaded in theaters and the audience was responding very positively to it, but as soon as Neo met the Architect everyone made a collective, "..... what?" I think the sequels were just too "out-there" for people. I think people just wanted a simple "defeat the machines" plotline. Instead they got "oh this is a program and you've done this a million times before with different results."

[PG Cooper]

Originally Posted by Neverending

The Matrix = Birth
Reloaded = Life
Revolution = Death

Thematically, the sequels worked. The real reason people didn't respond to them is because it switched genres. The Matrix is an action film with sci-fi elements. The sequels are sci-fi with lots of action scenes. I saw Reloaded in theaters and the audience was responding very positively to it, but as soon as Neo met the Architect everyone made a collective, "..... what?" I think the sequels were just too "out-there" for people. I think people just wanted a simple "defeat the machines" plotline. Instead they got "oh this is a program and you've done this a million times before with different results."

I agree with all of this...and I may borrow some of it later in my list