Sunday Night at the {Movies Hop}: #JamesBond in Octopussy

If the title has you thinking that you're having a deja-vu moment, you are.

We watched Octopussy during our James Bond Movie Marathon in October 2011.

And, I had no intention of watching it for a third time but...

Results of the James Bond Movie Marathon. And the Winner is...

If you only ever see one James Bond 007 movie, make it...

James Bond 007 Marathon, #22 Quantum of Solace and Recap

Tonight we watched #22, "Quantum of Solace" (2008). The female lead was incredible, the plot was top notch especially the continuity with the previous film and there wasn't a gadget to be seen. Not one. The theme song was something to be desired. Even so, this might be our favourite movie of the bunch. In order to erase the uncertainty, we will be watching "License to Kill" tomorrow night just to make sure.

Ed gave it a "9" rating and I gave it a "10".

To sum up our Marathon, Ed and I both voted Pierce Brosnan our favourite Bond. I mean, he IS Bond and everyone else is just trying to emulate him. Our favourite theme songs were those where the song matched the movie; For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton, A View to a Kill by Duran Duran, License to Kill by Gladys Knight, Live and Let Die by P. and L. McCartney and GoldenEye by Tina Turner.

In summary, below is the movie and what Ed and I (in that order) have rated it.
1. Dr. No, 6, 6
2. From Russia with Love, 5, 8
3. Goldfinger, 7, 7
4. Thunderball, 8, 9, (7.5 for Poppa)
5. You Only Live Twice, 7, 7
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 6, 5
7. Diamonds Are Forever, 7, 8
8. Live and Let Die, 6, 7, (7 for Poppa)
9. The Man with the Golden Gun, 7, 9
10. The Spy Who Loved Me, 7, 7
11. Moonraker, 6, 7
12. For Your Eyes Only, 8, 9
13. Octopussy, 8, ???
14. A View to a Kill, 8, 8
15. The Living Daylights, 6, 8
16. License to Kill, 9, 10
17. GoldenEye, 7, 8
18. Tomorrow Never Dies, 8, 9
19. The World is Not Enough, 8, 8
20. Die Another Day, 7, 7
21. Casino Royale, 7, 8
22. Quantum of Solace, 9, 10

And so ends our twenty-two movie journey that began 35 days ago on Saturday, September 24, 2011. That is until #23 is released in 2012.

Check out tomorrow's post for our All-time Favourite James Bond Movie!

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond Marathon, #20 Die Another Day

Tonight we watched "Die Another Day" (1999) with Halle Berry. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to Ed's expectations. The first part of the movie was really great and showed such promise but then the plot got hookey (really hookey). Ed and I had both seen the movie.

We forgot to mention that the last movie was the first was with John Cleese playing "Q". He didn't have a big part (in either movie) but he makes a great "Q". For the past two movies, James car of choice has been a BMW, however, for this movie, his Aston Martin was back. A welcome surprise.

Ed gave the movie a "7" and so did I.

Next up is #21, "Casino Royale" (2006). This is Daniel Craig's first movie and I've never seen him as Bond. I'm really looking forward to it.

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon, #19 The World is Not Enough

Tonight we watched #19, "The World is Not Enough" (1999).

I had seen this movie before (Ed had not) and all I can say is that Denise Richards Sucks. If she hadn't been in it, it might have been my second favourite movie of the series but alas, it was not to be.

Ed rated it an "8" and so did I (the plot and script was awesome, I didn't recognize the theme song). See, that's how good a movie it was when one wasn't tainted by the suckiness of Denise Richards.

Next up is #20, "Die Another Day" (2002). Ed and I have both seen this movie (together) and it's not one of my favourites, however, it stars Halle Berry so it is the best movie ever (in relation to her other ones meaning, they're ALL awesome, if you're Ed). Needless to say, Ed is a BIG fan.

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon, #18 Tomorrow Never Dies

Tonight we watched #18, "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997). The beginning was my favourite so far. I loved the movie's female lead and Carver was great (his shimmy was my favourite part in the movie). The special effects were amazing and the gadgets were the best so far. Ed and I have both seen the movie before (although I didn't realize it until we were well into it). The theme song was by Sheryl Crow and it might be my least favourite to date.

Overall, we both really liked the movie and rated it an "8" (Ed) and a "9" (Me). It might be my second favourite movie.

Up next is #19, "The World is Not Enough" (1999).

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon, #17 GoldenEye

So far my favourite ending is "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" (I know, it's also the movie that I liked the least), followed closely by tonight's movie #17, "GoldenEye" (1995), Pierce Brosnan’s first time as Bond as well as a first for Judi Dench (as "M", Aunt Sally will be happy).

The beginning of this movie is Ed's favourite so far. The theme song "GoldenEye" (By Tina Turner) is my favourite, it's catchy and very James Bond-ey. The female lead was great and so was James American sidekick. He reminded me of an American character that played out in two previous Bond films. Unfortunately, the script was inconsistent and fragmented. The Aston Martin was replaced with a BMW that did nothing (except move forward) and the gadgets just weren’t up to par. Ed and I have both seen this movie before, several times.

Ed gave it a "7" rating and I gave it an "8". It was good just not amazing.
Up next #18, "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997).

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon #16, Licence to Kill

Tonight we watched "License to Kill" (1989). It was Timothy Dalton's second (and last) Bond film and starred Carey Lowell.

Carey also starred in Law and Order as A.D.A. Jamie Ross from 1996-2001. I recognized her right away but Ed wasn't so sure. Then, we got to wondering what she's been doing since 2001. Well, in 2002, she married Richard Gere (and had his son in 2000).

As for the movie, it was pure brillance. Both of our favourites by far. I could tell you about how great the gadgets were, plot, smartness, romances, twists, just everything but I think that you should just watch it. Our high rating might have been due to the fact that neither of us had seen it before. Regardless, I would watch it again to find any subtleties that we might have missed. Ed rated it a "9" and I gave it a "10". Yes, it was THAT good.

The only teeny, tiny issue we had was that it didn't appear to show the credits for the theme song at the beginning (turns out it was Gladys Knight singing). However, we might have missed it. Regardless, it wasn't the best theme song but it was good.

Next up is #17, "GoldenEye" (1995), Pierce Brosnan's first Bond movie.

  Besos, The Zoo

Time with Nanna, Remembrance and James Bond 007 Marathon #15

On Saturday night we continued on with the marathon by watching #15, "The Living Daylights" (1987).

This was Timothy Dalton's first movie and I really liked him in it. Ed and I will be reserving our ultimate rating of "Favourite Bond" until the end but he was good. It sucks when your Supporting Actor can't act (see below for more details).

As the movie progressed, I was starting to think (more and more) that this was going to be my favourite one. But in the end, not so much. The plot started out believable and fairly easy to follow and ended up with people riding horses in the desert and falling out of airplanes in jeeps (hope I didn't just ruin the movie for you).

Besides, the female lead (whoever she was, no need to remember her unless you want to remember her so that you'll never see a movie with her in it again but fear not because I'm pretty sure that she wasn't in one) was a really bad actor.

Ed gave it a "6" rating and I gave it an "8".

On Sunday, we all went out for breakfast. Afterwards, Ed and I headed into Ottawa for a day of errands. We didn't end up watching a movie as Ed had to prepare for several meetings (in Ottawa) that he has tomorrow.

The kids have been adding new words to their vocabulary every day. Artemis loves to draw, organize things and do puzzles. Max likes to play with balls, drive his car and play his musical instruments (electric piano, manual piano, tambourine, drum, whistle, horn and his karaoke machine). They're both 33" and almost in 24 month clothing.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and after seven sleeps, Nanna will be leaving us tomorrow.

I need to take more pictures but we've been really busy. Here is one taken during breakfast. Artemis loves to show her teeth (note that she can say "teeth" and also show you where yours or hers are).


Yesterday, October 15 was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Everyone deals with the loss of a child differently but most people enjoy talking about their child. Don't be afraid to let them know that you're thinking about them and that you remember their child. Sometimes the memories are all they have left.

  Besos, The Zoo

Weekly Drivel and James Bond 007 Marathon #13 and #14

We spent Friday night at Finnerty's.

It was the first time that the kids visited since they were little babies (probably 6 months old).

They were really well behaved (and didn't get us kicked out). They enjoyed playing with the kids toys (that friends bought them), eating chips and climbing all over everyone.

There was only one little problem because I forgot the diaper bag (read: soothers and diapers) at home. The soothers weren't needed but the diapers were...

On Saturday night, after the kids went to bed, Ed and I had a dinner to remember (or not, that's why we took pictures).

It started out with appetizers.

Russian Caviar, Russian Smoked Salmon (cut straight off the fish), Spicy Hungarian Sausage (also from our favourite Russian Deli that we've been going to for 10 years and was originally recommended by a Hungarian work colleague of mine at Nortel), Kalamata olives and Raspberries.

The only thing that would have made it perfect was a few slices of Cambazola cheese. Note that I actually went to the store especially for it but forgot as it wasn't on my list.

For dinner we had Rack of Lamb, basmati rice and beet greens (from the garden) with fresh ginger.

Besides the fact that we like good food, the reason for the fancy-schmancy meal was because Ed has been saving something for a rainy day and we decided that today (while lovely out and no sign of rain) was the perfect day.

Tonight, we drank Ed's bottle of 1996 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA. Here is what the winemaker had to say;

This bottle was supposed to be drunk from 1998 to 2006 (we didn't know this). Regardless, we loved it. We would both like to try a bottle of 2007 or 2008, which have received high reviews (92). The only problem is that the LCBO sells the 2008 for $99.95.

We have several other bottles that we've been saving. One is a bottle of 1999 (something or other, red) that we bought in France in 2001 and a couple more that are around 10 years old.

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, with its attractive garnet colour, releases scents of plum, cedar, and vanilla. Mild, smooth flavours of red currants and plums build on the palate and linger through the long finish. Mid-palate, hints of chocolate and mint emerge. The predominant characteristics of this wine are its overall roundness and lingering aftertaste.

I'm not sure whether it was the wine (the older a wine gets, the higher the sugars) but shortly after the start of Octopussy (#13 in the series), I fell asleep.

I've seen this movie before. I saw it in the movie theatre in 1983 (at age 11). I went there on a triple "date" with Peter Smythe, Mike White/Jenny Mullins and Amanda Smith/Toby Morrison. Eleven sounds so young but I can remember feeling "so mature" at the time.

Ed stuck it out and gave it a rating of "8". I will need to watch the movie again this week (while Ed is away).

On Sunday we watched "A View to a Kill" (1985) which is #14 in the series. I had not seen it before. It was really good. It was almost up there with my favourites but something (I’m not sure what) was missing. The sound track (by Duran Duran) was really catchy. I rated it an "8" and so did Ed.

Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

In July, Aries had an altercation behind the BBQ and got an eye infection. Well, the antibiotics never made the infection completely go away. That's because a side effect (of the infection) caused her eyelids to turn in. Therefore, the hair on her eyelids was scratching her cornea and constantly infecting her eyes. So, today, Aries had entropion eye surgery.

In the morning, Eric (and Sandra) kindly drove Aries to the vet in Ogdensburg. They were going to mail a package and offered to save Ed a trip. On the way home, Ed conquered Thanksgiving traffic (I didn't think that it would be that bad but he had to wait 1.5 hours at the bridge), and Aries was still walking off the effects of the anesthetic (she was falling all over the place). Her eyelids look worse after the surgery. A small price to pay for some more quality time with our 16-year-old cat.

Yes, this is the best picture of the lot.

The next movie in the marathon is "The Living Daylights" (1987), the first of Timothy Daltons (two) movies. However, Ed leaves for San Diego tomorrow (on business) so we won't watch it until Saturday night (probably).

Today (Tuesday) was another beautiful day. The alarm went off at 4:45am. By 6:45am, I had dropped Ed off at the airport and was back at home in bed for another hour (before the kids woke up). Eric came and walked the dogs (thanks for always looking after them Eric!). Nanna (who arrived yesterday) and The Zoo went for a long walk. Afterwards, we tried to get every ounce out of the good weather and we played on the jungle gym until the sun set and it got cold quickly.

Oh, I almsot forgot (well, actually I DID forget but the power of the internet lets me go back and update my post before you even noticed, maybe I didn't forget at all...). The kids turned 22 months old today! Where has the time gone (that's a rhetorical question as I do actually know where it's gone).

Here are some pictures of our day.

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon #11 and #12

After a two night visit, Poppa went home yesterday. The kids loved visiting with him and my garden thanks him also (he helped me weed and prepare it for the winter). Thanks Poppa.

Last night we watched "Moonraker" (1979). The major problem was that the movie was slow with a poor plot. I liked the Gorgeous Allie and there was Continuity (Jaws was in it).

I rated it a "7". Ed gave it a "6".

We're halfway through the Bond Series (the 23rd movie is due out in 2012). Eleven more to go.

I like plots best when "Spectre" is the Enemy. It makes the ludricrous plot that much more believable because a man with no face, a diabolical laugh and white cat (that he pets all the time) is behind it.

Tonight we watched "For Your Eyes Only" (1981).

This movie had it all; amazing theme song ("For your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton, ties for first place with Carly Simon "Nobody Does it Better"), Car Chase, Ski Chase, Underwater Fights, Gorgeous Allie, Ditzy Blonde, Great Plot that read like an Agatha Christie novel, Much Improved Cinematography, Continuity (the Evil Guy from #5, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" had a part) and everything ended as it should with words from a Parrot. I had not seen this movie before.

I rated it a "9" and Ed gave it an "8". Thunderball is still his favourite and I have to admit that the kung foo and James' Allie were top notch. For me, this tied.

In summary, below is the movie and what Ed and I (in that order) have rated it.
1. Dr. No, 6, 6
2. From Russia with Love, 5, 8
3. Goldfinger, 7, 7
4. Thunderball, 8, 9, (7.5 for Poppa)
5. You Only Live Twice, 7, 7
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 6, 5
7. Diamonds Are Forever, 7, 8
8. Live and Let Die, 6, 7, (7 for Poppa)
9. The Man with the Golden Gun, 7, 9
10. The Spy Who Loved Me, 7, 7
11. Moonraker, 6, 7
12. For Your Eyes Only, 8, 9.

Next up is "Octopussy" (1983).

  Besos, The Zoo

Last night we watched #4, "Thunderball" (1965) on DVD. The movie had been remastered which was better on the eyes, however, it made the authenticity of the movie seem less real. Your eyes think modern movie but the technology and cinemetography say ancient. It messed with my head a bit.

Poppa was our movie night guest tonight and he rated the movie a "7.5". Ed and I liked everything about the movie. It had a great plot that was easy to follow, tons of gadgets (for the car and Bond), great allies, music, you name it. The underwater fight scene was a bit long.

When this movie started, I had no idea that I'd ever seen it before. That was until the "pool scene". It should be noted that this movie is the reason why I'm afraid of swimming in pools (at night), lakes (almost all the time) and oceans (never). Whenever people would tell me that there was no such thing as sharks in pools, I'd remind them of the James Bond movie (I never quoted the name because I didn't know it).

Even so, I gave it a rating of "9" and Ed gave it a rating of "8".

Tonight we watched movie #8, (another one that we’d missed) "Live and Let Die" (1973). Roger Moore did an amazing job as a first time Bond, you wouldn’t even know it. Jane Seymour was a great Bond Girl. The theme song by Paul and Linday McCartney was my second favourite (To Carly Simon's, Nobody Does it Better)

The gadgets were great, the boat chase was epic (although a little long), and there were tons of really "smart" scenes. The problem was the plot (really hokey) and the ending (dragged on).

In turn, our ratings weren’t that good; Poppa "7", Ed "6" and I "7".

Next up is movie #11, "Moonraker" (1979). And we’re now back on track.

  Besos, The Zoo

The Mullet and James Bond 007 Marathon #10

For the past few months, people (family and friends) have been asking me "When I'm going to cut Max's hair". One even ventured to ask "What's up with Max's Mullet".

First off, while he has a lot of hair on the top and back of his head, it's pretty sparse/non-existant elsewhere. Secondly, his "laissez-faire" do is the latest rage. Finally, it keeps him warm in the winter. In turn, I'm waiting for the rest of it to grow in, the mullet to fall out of style and spring to come.

In December 1976, Andrew and I had our annual Christmas pictures taken. In the picture, you can see Andrew sporting his own "unique" hairstyle. When I asked my mother "how she could do that to her child", she replied, "We thought he looked cute".
Worked for her.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

P.S. Happy Belated Birthday Andrew.

For the past few days, the kids have been feeding themselves with spoon and forks. Here they are eating homemade applesauce.


Both kids enjoy putting "Doll" into the highchair and giving it a bottle. In reality, they just want to suck on the fake bottle themselves.


I doubt that these pictures need an explanation.



Tonight we watched #10 "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977).


It was slightly painful to have to watch this movie again (because I knew the ending) but it was better than I thought. There was at least one reference to a previous movie (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). It's fun being able to understand the references. We didn't notice any continuity errors. I absolutely loved the theme song by Carly Simon, "Nobody Does It Better". There were several gadgets (related to a car) but no small ones (like a watch that doubles as a gun). Overall, it was a really well done movie, however, for me, it lacked the "smart" and "funny" factors.

Ed rated it a "7" as did I.

We initially thought that we would have to pause our Marathon until Nanna arrives (Thanksgiving Monday), as we're missing many movies (up until Brosnan), however, Poppa will be coming for a visit on Monday so he will bring up Andrew's DVD collection AND a DVD player. So, we have one night off (tomorrow, Sunday night) and then we're back at it. We can't wait.

  Besos, The Zoo

Phone Calls and James Bond 007 Marathon #9

This morning, while Ed and I were in the kitchen together (read on and you will see how this point is important), we got a call on the home phone. This is not unusual as our home phone number is also Ed’s business number. Before Ed answered it, he looked at the call display to see who was calling (yes, we screen our calls) and noticed that the call was coming from OUR OWN CELL PHONE. How is this possible you ask? Well, it's quite simple, while Ed and I were making coffee and breakfast, Max climbed up onto my chair, then onto the table, took the cell phone and ran into their bedroom (all undetected). He then managed to speed dial the home phone number. And all before Ed and I had been caffeinated. Straight out of a James Bond movie. We are in serious trouble.

Tonight, we watched the 7th James bond movie (it is the 9th in the series).


Note that we missed movie #8, "Live and Let Die" (1973). After watching movie #9, I am even sadder about missing #4 (Thunderball) and #8 as there were several scenes in which they referenced the previous movie. Seeing as I hadn’t seen them, I didn’t know exactly what was up but I did notice something. As Ed has seen almost all the movies so far (except the one with Lazenby), he brought me up to speed.

For the third time, the movie came in the original shrinkwrap packaging. It's our favourite movie so far. I rated it a "9" and Ed gave it a "7" (not sure how it can be his favourite when it got the same rating as others but he assures me that it can). It was just all around awesome. "Q" was in the movie but there weren't any gadgets (weird). Even still, the movie was great. Out of the 7 movies, it was the 5th one (in a row) that I haven't seen.

The next movie is "The Spy who Loved Me" (1977) and I know that I’ve seen it as it's from our own collection (not one of the ones that Ed bought from the garage sale, funny enough, it wasn't in their collection either). I hate watching movies twice when a) I've seen them in the past few months and b) when I can still remember the ending. However, I am willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of James... Bond that is.

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon #7 and Crayola Crayon Maker

Initially, I was going to give this movie a "9". Yes, I liked it that much. Then, Ed reminded me that Pierce and Craig are sure to bring the high ratings. Then, I remembered that I gave "From Russia with Love" a rating of "8" and it was really good. In fact, the plot was better but everything else about this movie was great. There was one tiny little inconsistency when during the car chase, James rolled the car onto two wheels and then in the next shot, it happened to be on the OTHER two wheels. Minor technicality and technically, they could have switched during the change in shot. Technically. Ed and I were laughing throughout the entire movie. I had not seen this movie before, Ed had (where have I been hiding?).

Once again, I'm a bit sad that we had to (temporarily) skip watching "Thunderball" as there are so many references to the previous movie. In this one, the super criminal was the same, kind of, just watch the movie.

In the end, I'm comfortable with my "8" rating. Ed gave it a "7".

We have decided that even though we don't have the next movie (#8, Live and Let Die (1973) we will press on and watch #9 "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974). This will be Roger Moore's second film.

Note. Ed did some reading up on Lazenby. Apparently, the James Bond Franchise originally signed him up to do 7 movies, however, his agent convinced him not to do anymore so that he wouldn't be typecast. I guess his agent figured unknown obscurity was better than hunk status. Agent = Jealous = Not Good Agent

On an unrelated note, anyone have a "Crayola Crayon Maker" (or crayon molds)? I have 3,000 crayons bits and I've decided that I want to make crayons. Amazon is selling them for $20USD (used). Better ideas?

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon #6

Tonight we watched "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969) with James Bond #2, George Lazenby.


This was George Lazenby's one and only James Bond movie. Ed and I can't see why. I love his accent, cleft chin and "James Bond"ness. We thought that he had the potential to be (one of) the best, however, they didn’t really let him be James Bond (see the movie and you'll understand or don't see the movie and be disappointed). The script was absolutely horrible. The plot was lame and it took half of the movie to get to it. In turn, it made the movie long, too long. And the ending, well it just sucked. The storyline was the only thing that made the movie bearable and then they went and ended it like that. Tragic.

Ed rated it a "6" and I gave it a "5".

Tomorrow night we’ll be watching the 7th movie, "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) with Sean Connery (for the second time).

Hot Off The Presses. Uncle Andrew has the entire James Bond franchise on DVD and he's loaning it to us! Nanna will bring them to us on October 10. Knowing this, we may delay watching further movies out of sequence (note that we have Diamonds are Forever).

  Besos, The Zoo

Happy Birthday Bro & James Bond 007 Marathon #5

Today is Uncle Andrew's 36th birthday. Only a couple more years and then he'll be as OLD as me (tee, hee). Best.Uncle.Ever.

In tribute, we continued on with our James Bond Marathon. You see, the James bond series might well be my brothers favourite movies. So you ask, if that's the case, why didn’t you borrow the movies you're missing from him. And well we could have if he hadn’t gotten rid of his entire James Bond VHS collection several years ago. Note that he has since upgraded to DVD's.

When I asked Andrew to pick his favourite one he said; "that's too tough, I like them all". So there you have it people. They're ALL great!

Important Note. We regret to inform you that we skipped #4 "Thunderball" (1965) as we don't (yet) have it in our collection. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Tonight we watched the fifth movie in the James Bond franchise called "You Only Live Twice" (1967).


While this might be my favourite movie so far, I only rated it a "7" (so did Ed). I really liked the plot (although they could have removed some of the fluff, maybe 30 minutes worth) and James' allies (two women and one man) were absolutely amazing. They really made the movie. To top it off, there was even another (evil) woman that he got friendly with. The whole movie was "shot" in Japan, however, they even managed to involve "Q" (and his gadgets), M and Moneypenny. Interesting fact: The theme song was sung by Nancy Sinatra. Note that like the previous movie, I had not seen this before (I had seen the first two).

The problems were that there were too many continuity errors (in one shot she'd have a shirt on, in the next she'd only be in her bikini, another, he had a bare chest--Japanese custom and in another he'd have full chest hair) and many parts were unbelieveable (even for James Bond).

Tomorrow night we'll be reviewing the sixth movie, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969) with James Bond #2, George Lazenby.

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon #2 and #3

Last night we watched "From Russia with Love". I really like the movie and rated it an "8". It had amazing belly dancing, a deep plot (perhaps a bit too deep for my sleep deprived brain), gadgets from "Q" (although all of them were used in one scene) and there was some continuity from the previous movie ("Dr No"). Unfortunately, Ed didn't like it as much and rated it a "5".

The marathon continues with "Goldfinger" (1964).


To be honest, by the end of Goldfinger, I couldn't remember enough of "From Russia with Love" to decide which one I liked better (I am my fathers' daughter). Thankfully, several hours later, I can remember enough to give it a "7" rating. The gadgets were way better and the Aston Martin made its appearance, however, I didn't think much of "Pussy Galore" (although you’ve got to love her name). I wish that she'd been more on James' side. Besides, the picture of Sean Connery on the jacket front doesn't even look like him. Ed also gave it a rating of "7".

Ed gave the "restaurant" a "10" (he cooked his specialty peanut chicken).

And now we have a problem. We don’t have "Thunderball" (1965). We’d like to watch the movies in order, because so far, each one has mentioned the previous movie, however, we can't wait forever to find the movie in VHS format (no, we don't have a DVD player, well, we do on our computer but it wouldn’t be the same). I think that it's important that we continue on or else I may forget all of the movies.

Tomorrow night, #5, "You Only Live Twice" (1967).

  Besos, The Zoo

James Bond 007 Marathon

Ed came home today with an epic garage sale find. A box of VCR tapes. But not just any coveted VCR tapes but (almost) the complete James Bond library!

And so begins our 007 Marathon (there are 23 in total if you count "Bond 23" with Daniel Craig due out in 2012). Right where it all began. Hail Sean Connery and "Dr No" (1962). Let us know if you want to borrow them (we can even loan you our VCR).



Note that this tape (as with at least one other) was still in the original shrink wrap. Ed and I thought about ending our marathon (before it began) for the fact that the tape might be worth $3.52 in another 25 years. But, we decided that the game must go on.

Our review: In the beginning, the waiter offered him his favourite drink; Vodka martini MIXED not stirred. What? Later on, they said "shaken". Ursula was fabulous in her bikini. Sadly, there weren't ANY gadgets. We noticed one inconsistency; closer to the end of the movie while he's trying to escape through the water pipes (oops, I hope that I didn't ruin it for you), he uses his shoe to breakdown a barrier. Then, in the next shot, he has both shoes on. Ed gave it a rating of six out of ten and I'd have to agree.

Next up "From Russia with Love" (starring Sean Connery from 1963).

And last but not least, here are some pictures of the kids and their creations (taken today).

  Besos, The Zoo