Monthly Archives: November 2013

Moonraker

I was braced for a terrible movie after hearing how awful Moonraker was, but I honestly didn’t think it was as bad as the rap it gets. The notes I wrote for Moonraker were less than helpful – a couple pages of random quotes without context but very few notes on the actual content of the movie. Hmm. So as a result, this review is going to be half-baked. Sorry folks!

Plot in twenty words or less: Unlike the last movie where the baddie wanted to start an undersea colony, this one wants a MOON colony.

How it’s aged: On the one hand, it feels semi-recent because of all the blatant product placement (Steinway! Marlboro! Seiko!) but there are still some pretty ridiculous scenes, like the one where James is shocked! by a woman with the title of Doctor. Come on, was that really still a shocker in 1979? I guess this is the space industry we’re talking about, since only one female astronaut had gone into space by the time Moonraker came out.

Something that was just weird and/or WTF y’all: Why does Bond even allow himself to be strapped into contraptions operated by another person? He inevitably brushes close up to death every time something like this happens. You’d think he’d learn, but NooooooooOOOoooo he got into that stupid flight simulator. Of course. 

Obligatory feminist commentary: Didn’t take a lot of notes on this. See above re: female astronauts.

Completely hypothetical cultural reference points: The doorbell ring sounded like the tonal-pattern  from Close Encounters of the Third Kind – which came out two years before. (Also, not a hypothetical point, as Spielberg gave permission for this use).

Superficial Thing that did not Amuse Me: The puns seems to be getting worse with each Roger Moore film: “Why did you hurt my python?” “I discovered he had a crush on me.” Look, I love a terrible pun now and then, but this is getting excruciating.

Superficial Thing that highly Amused Me: I loved the gondola/hoverboat combo.

Interesting and possibly dubious thing I learned from Wikipedia: The cable (for the cable car) that Jaws bit through was made out of licorice. Yum!! 

Martini rating: Four martinis martini-glass-1-32px_blogjamesblogmartini-glass-1-32px_blogjamesblogmartini-glass-1-32px_blogjamesblogmartini-glass-1-32px_blogjamesblog

Administrative information concerning this viewing:
Drinks consumed: Forgot to note it down.
Food eaten: Also forgot to note it down. Oops.
Viewed on: November 10, 2013
Viewing Partner: Boyfriend, Cat, Sasha Holiday, Dominic LeFihre*
*Not her/his real name. All my viewing buddies are getting Bond-girl/Bond-baddie aliases.

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