142. Spectre

I enjoyed Spectre. I'd go as far to say it's very, very good. It is similar to Skyfall in that Bond is planted firmly on planet earth and while this adds to the whole grounded feel of the film it is also it's biggest failing.

Spectre lacks spectacle. The big action set pieces in the final third, while exciting, feel a bit by the numbers and are not as inventive as I would have hoped and Christoph Waltz is utterly wasted in what should have been a classic Bond villain.

That said I'm off to see it again at the weekend. GO JIMMY!!!

79. Goldfinger

James Bond and Gold. All the best Bonds have it in the title and this is no exception!

54. From Russia With Love

From Russia with Love is the first Bond movie to really establish 'the formula' of the many Bond films to follow and is a full on Bond caper from start to finish!

The pre-credits sequence, the introduction of Q, a proper theme tune and for the first time featuring some spectacular action sequences. A classic henchman turn from Robert Shaw and this really has whetted, my already considerably moist, appetite for the rest of the Bond 50 box set.

Onward!

53. Dr. No

After being lucky enough to receive the Bond 50 set on Blu-ray for Christmas I thought the least I could do was to work my way through them all. So here goes...

What needs to be said about Dr. No? Well it's the start of the greatest movie franchise ever and its as slick and engaging as many contemporary spy yarns. The one thing that really stands out is the Blu-ray print. This looks like a movie made today and set in the 60's - the image is crystal clear and the colour range is gorgeous.

The same however, cannot be said for the sound mix. The score sounds screeching high compared to everything else; although this may be optimised for surround set ups, which is something I don't currently own. Maybe I'll ask for that next Christmas...

50. Skyfall

Fifty Years of Bond and it all leads to number 50 on the blog and Skyfall. Can the series pick up from the pretty abysmal Quantum of Solace? Well yes, it does but after that movie, the only way is up.

It's a good solid Bond from start to finish and certainly Shit Bond's best. Not the greatest Bond (Man With Golden Gun, Goldeneye or Goldfinger for me) but very much a return to form with all the ingredients present and correct for a top quality caper.

I would say the only thing it lacks is a full on Bond girl - but the fan boy lip service is all very well received, especially when the DB5 makes an appearance...

Once they get the wise cracks back in, the series will be pretty much back to its best!

39. The Bourne Ultimatium

The Bourne Ultimatum kicks ass! It's a blazing chase from start to finish, punctuated with confusing fight scenes that Paul Greengrass will seemingly never get right (I'd like to see what's actually happening rather than a load of confusing steady cam mess).

Although the film doesn't overly suffer from this as the whole cast are rip roaring evil or heroic in equal measure. A top spy romp and certainly better than any of the Bonds with Crap Bond.

34. The Dark Knight

As the second part of my preparation for the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises I have sat down to watch, what I think, is the best super hero film of all time (and I loved The Avengers).

So The Dark Knight is just so amazing on all levels. It's the best action movie, chase movie, horror movie, suspense movie or well... generally the best movie of 2008 without a shadow of a doubt. I never thought I would ever see the Batman realised on screen in such an darkly impressive, serious (as it can be) and inventive manner.

The bank heist in the first few minutes has more ideas crammed into it than most Hollywood blockbusters cram into two and half hours! Up to this point it was Christopher Nolans best film - although I think Inception bettered it...

Will TDKR better that? I doubt it, but really CANNOT WAIT to find out!

Hopefully MGM will hand the Bond franchise over to Nolan next and he can give that the kick up the arse it needs. That would be epic.

29. Diamonds Are Forever

The 7th and final Bond Film for Sean Connery is still a cracker.

It delivers on all the Bond notables; Head cracking violence (pretty poorly shot in places) car chases (a quality run through Las Vegas in the Mustang) babes (Lana Wood's Plenty O'Toole especially) gadgets (guaranteed Casino wins for Q) an amazing soundtrack (take a bow the legendary John Barry) some top quality villains (Blofeld, plus the excellent psycho double act Mr. Kidd & Mr. Wint) and of course the quips:

Plenty O'Toole: Hi, I'm Plenty.
James Bond: But of course you are.
Plenty O'Toole: Plenty O'Toole.
James Bond: Named after your father perhaps? 

Braziliant!!