Richard sits in with CTV NewsChannel anchor Jennifer Burke to discuss the life and legacy of Roger Moore and have a look at the “Live and Let Die” set diary!
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Richard sits in with CJAD Montreal afternoon host Natasha Hall to discuss Roger Moore’s life and legacy.
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
By Richard Crouse – Metro In Focus
Who’s your favourite James Bond?
Daniel Craig suits up again in the latest Bond flick, taking his fourth spin as the super spy in Spectre. The film’s overseas reviews have been very strong and it will likely dominate the weekend’s box office but who among us would call Craig the best Bond?
I have a theory that the Bond nearest and dearest to your heart is the first 007 you saw projected on the big screen.
Popular consensus tells us that Sean Connery, who played the role in six films spanning 1962 To 1971 and then once again in 1983’s non-officially sanctioned Never Say Never Again, is the best Bond. As cool as Connery was he isn’t my top of the pops. Dr. No, the first 007 movie, came out before I was born and Connery more or less permanently parked his Aston Martin around the time I entered grade two.
The Bond that made the biggest impression on me was Roger Moore. I know critically speaking he wasn’t the most beloved Bond. Pauline Kael once wrote about him, “Roger Moore is dutiful and passive as Bond; his clothes are neatly pressed and he shows up for work, like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension.”
I also know that hardcore spy fans considered Moore too well-mannered and pleasant to be effective, but he was my first, and I guess the first cut is the deepest because I still have a fondness for his breezy take on the super agent.
But that’s just me.
To get a broader picture I did a highly scientific Double-Blind Bond Peer Reviewed In House Clinical Trial (in other words I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends) to determine the world’s favourite 007 portrayer.
The contenders were Connery, George Lazenby, Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Craig — everyone who has played Bond in one of the 24 officially sanctioned 007 movies.
Several contributors brought up others like Barry Nelson, who played James Bond in a 1954 television adaptation of Casino Royale. Also mentioned were David Niven’s turn as Bond in 1967’s Casino Royale and another actor who has never played 007. “Clive Owen,” suggested one poster, “once they get around to casting him in the next one.”
After eliminating the unofficial 007s and non-Bonds a team of experts (OK, it was just me reading through the posts as Live and Let Die played on the TV behind me) sifted through the results.
Pollsters said Brosnan Is Not Enough to ’90s Bond Pierce Brosnan who came in dead last with just 1.9 per cent of the vote.
“I liked Pierce Brosnan because he embodied all the others combined,” wrote one positive poster. “Charm, humour, ruthlessness, cunning.”
Timothy Dalton earned 3.9 per cent with one respondent saying, “If there really was an agent who was an assassin with a licence to kill … it would be him.”
At 9.8 per cent, George Lazenby fared better than Brosnan and Dalton even though he only made one 007 film.
My favourite Bond came in third with 15.6 per cent, just behind Daniel Craig’s 21.5 per cent. “Craig gets me wanting to watch whereas the others are placeholders,” wrote a Facebook friend, “Sorry.”
By far and away, Sean Connery was the winner with a whopping 39.2 per cent of the vote. This comment seems to sum up the reason why people like him. “Sean Connery because Sean Connery!”
Who is your favourite Bond? Chime in at @metropicks.
Great repackaging of the all the official Bond movies. The films have been lovingly restored and haven’t looked this good since Sean Connery had a full head pf hair. The discs are packed with extras, some recycled from previous reissues, others done specifically for this set. Not be to missed are Roger Moore’s commentary tracks for his Bond films. If that Bond thing hadn’t worked out so well for him he could easily have had a second career as a stand-up comic.
There was a time when a spy movie starring Roger Moore was cause for excitement. It was a guarantee of cool gadgets, some intrigue and at least one character with a name like Kitty Galore. His new film has all those things, except instead of a Stun Gas Cigarette or a storyline about a villain trying to destabilize Western Europe or character with a vaguely sexual name we get a kid friendly romp with, as the tagline says, “real spies… only furrier.”
The story involves Kitty Galore (voice of Bette Midler), once a cat spy for M.E.O.W.S. now a villain with a plan to broadcast a sound via every cell phone, TV and radio on earth that will drive all the dogs in the world mad. Her “Call of the Wild” will “make the world her scratching post.” Between her and victory, however, is a group of dogs, cats and even birds working together to fight against their enemies—both foreign and domesticated. They vow to stop the spread of radical felineism.
Along with the appeal of the voice cast, which includes Nick Nolte, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Applegate and the former Bond, Roger Moore, whose character’s name, Tab Lazenby, is a cheeky reminder of another former Bond portrayer, the big thing “Cats & Dogs” has going for it is cute appeal. Cute, that is if you find a cat wearing a bunny suit adorable. Or if sad puppy dog eyes are your thing. If not, maybe you should go see “Inception” again, but animal lovers, especially young ones, will find much to enjoy here.
The movie is a pleasant, if forgettable, mix of mild action for the kiddies, talking, performing animals—it really is amazing what a good trainer can do with a bottle of liquid meat, (yes, there is such a thing)—and some pop culture references for the adults. The “Silence of the Lambs” gags feel a bit tired, like something from a Jay Leno monologue, but there are some good puns and the odd quote worthy joke.
The downside, and it is an occasionally very steep downside, is the inclusion of several human characters.
My first nominee for a trip to the kennel is Jack McBrayer who plays an inept magician named Chuck. McBrayer is very funny on “30 Rock” as Kenneth the NBC page but with every film role he takes on is revealing his lack of range. Here he is only half a degree away from Kenneth, but without the charm he brings to his television work.
Next up for a visit from the dog catcher is Fred Armisen. He’s not terrible in the movie, but he’s not really good either. He just is. And that’s disappointing from a performer who has created so many memorable characters on “Saturday Night Live.”
“Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” is a rare breed, an action movie for tots that tosses a bone or two to the grown ups as well.
