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Every James Bond movie has separate iconic songs to get listed, but the James Bond Theme has become synonymous with the franchise name. It has been the signature music since Dr. No in 1962. Before Daniel Craig took the legacy baton forward in 2006, every Eon-produced James Bond movie featured Monty Norman’s created theme song. Although Monty Norman wrote several songs for other musical stage plays, including Pinocchio, Stand, and Deliver, he will forever be remembered for composing the iconic James Bond music.

A snippet from Dr. No | Credits: United Artists

Despite his illustrious career, Norman’s association with the “Dum di-di dum dum” guitar que arranged by the John Barry Orchestra will always be iconic. Vic Flick, who used to work with John Barry as a guitarist is popularly known for playing that particular guitar riff, has died. To honor his legacy, let’s look at a few unknown facts about the theme music.

Paul Engelen, the British makeup designer who earned two Emmys and two Oscar nominations in a fabulous career that included work on Reds, Batman, The Phantom Menace, Gladiator and Game of Thrones, has died. He was 75.

Engelen died Nov. 3 of cancer at his home in West Sussex, England, his son-in-law (and fellow makeup designer) Daniel Lawson Johnston told The Hollywood Reporter.

Engelen also did makeup for three James Bonds — Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig — on the 007 films The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).

He teamed with Blake Edwards on Victor/Victoria (1982), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun (1987) and Munich (2005) and with Ridley Scott on Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Robin Hood (2010).

Engelen shared his first Academy Award nom with Rick Baker...

Movie buffs everywhere look forward to Tarantino‘s upcoming season of his film podcast with his past collaborator Roger Avary. Earlier in August, The Video Archives podcast would post on their social media, inviting fans to send in questions in an analog fashion — by postcard. Their post read, “You may have heard rumor that we’re gearing up for Season Two. On instagram, Gala outlined the perfect way to get your question answered: a postcard! Want to send one?” Then, the post provided the address to get your questions to Tarantino and Avary.

Just in time for Halloween, The Video Archives podcast announced the return for season 2 on October 29. Additionally, they have announced that you can find full, ad-free episodes and aftershows on their Patreon. Their post reads, “The store is officially open starting October 29th. Find us over on @Patreon for full, ad-free episodes and The Aftershows. https://patreon.

The James Bond and Star Wars franchises are perhaps the best examples of film franchises evolving to ensure their longevity and continued success. As a result, it is easy to understand why both have lasted decades and rank among the most successful film franchises. However, the launch of Star Wars directly affected the James Bond franchise back in 1977.

The success of Star Wars affected plans for the Bond franchise (Credit: Lucasfilm).

George Lucas took the world by storm when he debuted his sci-fi space opera saga’s first installment in theaters, with the film becoming a global sensation. As a result, producers of the Bond franchise decided to capitalize on the audience’s interest in space-themed stories by launching a similar movie. Here is how the release of Star Wars derailed the original plans for Bond.

The James Bond Franchise Changes Its Plans to Capitalize on Star Wars Success

The Spy Who Loved Me...

Steven Spielberg once revealed that he was rejected twice from helming a James Bond film. He shared that it was right after the success of his blockbuster film, Jaws. When he approached producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, he shared that Spielberg didn’t have enough experience to direct a big-budget film like James Bond.

Steven Spielberg | Elena Ternovaja, licensed under Cc By-sa 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

However, Spielberg had the last laugh since he became one of the pioneer filmmakers in the industry. He has far outgrown the spy thriller franchise, which is looking to reboot the character for a modern audience after Daniel Craig retired from the role.

Steven Spielberg Was Rejected From Helming A James Bond Film Despite His Jaws Success Roger Moore and Lois Chiles in Moonraker (1979) | Credits: MGM

James Bond films were brought to life by six different actors and directed by twelve different directors. Steven Spielberg could...

Is it wrong to say something good came out of fascism? Probably. And it should be noted that Venice International Film Festival’s founder, Guiseppe Volpi, though a leading figure within Italy’s National Fascist Party, did ultimately oppose Benito Mussolini‘s government and the country’s alliance with Germany and Adolf Hitler. Nonetheless, his legacy is tainted as a result of this association, even with his and his family’s massive contributions to cinema.

The Venice International Film Festival began in 1932 as a result of Italy’s growing appreciation and interest in film. The Floating City had already played host to an arts festival known as Venice Biennale since 1893, so this film section was tied in and quickly overshadowed all other showcases. The actual event is held on the island of Lido rather than in the city’s central hub. This location was chosen in order to increase tourism...

It may be quite some time until we learn what Quentin Tarantino’s 10th and final film will be now that The Movie Critic has been removed from the slate, but we do at least have another Qt project to look forward to: season two of The Video Archives Podcast which, he co-hosts with Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avary.

While we don’t know the release date, a post on The Video Archives Podcast X page teased that the sophomore season is in fact coming: “You may have heard rumor that we’re gearing up for Season Two. On instagram, Gala outlined the perfect way to get your question answered: a postcard! Want to send one?” Then, the post provided the address to get your questions to Tarantino and Avary. This is actually one of the cooler elements to the Video Archives Podcast; sticking with the analog theme to the series,...

Ridley Scott, renowned for his visionary approach to filmmaking, set out to challenge the conventions of the sci-fi genre with his 1979 film Alien. In a bold move, he envisioned Alien to be the complete opposite of Star Wars. Further, deliberately crafting a storyline that diverged sharply from the space opera’s epic, heroic tones.

A still from Alien (1979) || credits: 20th Century Fox

Instead of the adventurous and optimistic universe of George Lucas’s creation, Scott’s Alien introduced audiences to a darker, and intensely terrifying world. Further, redefining the sci-fi landscape with its unique, horror-driven approach.

Ridley Scott on Making Alien the Opposite of Star Wars

Star Wars set a new standard for science fiction movies. Following which, the late 1970s saw a wave of similar sci-fi films. Studios quickly released movies like Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Disney’s The Black Hole, the sci-fi-infused James Bond adventure Moonraker, and...

Star Wars paved the way for many subsequent science fiction films, including the original Alien. During an interview director Ridley Scott revealed he wanted Alien to be the “antithesis” of Star Wars. He also said that he had 2001: A Space Odyssey in mind when he directed Alien.

The original ‘Alien’ was the most beloved of the ‘Star Wars’ cash-ins

George Lucas’ Star Wars came out in 1977 and changed cinema forever. In 1978 and 1979, many film studios released Star Wars cash-ins. We got Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Disney’s The Black Hole, the sci-fi James Bond romp Moonraker, and the bold Japanese Star Wars rip-off Message from Space. The most beloved of the bunch is Alien. Part of the reason why fans remember Alien a lot more than Message from Space is that Alien told a story that wasn’t derived from Star Wars in any meaningful way.

During a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter,...

Our journey through Michael Caine’s 80s work reaches one of his best: Educating Rita, co-starring a powerhouse Julie Walters in the title role.

Michael Caine showed no sign of slowing down as he entered his third decade as a leading man. The 1980s would see him win his first Academy Award (Hannah And Her Sisters), tackle new genres such as horror (The Hand) and shark-based revenge movie (Jaws The Revenge) while continuing to work with interesting new auteurs like Brian De Palma (Dressed to Kill) as well as old friends from classic Hollywood such as John Huston (Escape To Victory).

Film by film, I’ll be taking a look at Caine’s 1980s filmography to see what hidden gems I can unearth alongside the more familiar classics…

Spoilers for Educating Rita ahead…

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert

Tagline: Frank Bryant is a professor of literature. And Rita is his newest student.

A Happy Gilmore sequel has been greenlit at Netflix, with Adam Sandler returning to star. More details here.

Back in March, there were reports that a sequel to Adam Sandler’s 1996 golf comedy Happy Gilmore had been written, and actor Christopher McDonald had read it. Given the popularity of the film, it seemed to be a question not of if, but when.

We now have the answer, as the sequel has officially been greenlit by Netflix.

The original film, directed by regular collaborator Denis Dugan and written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, followed Sandler as the titular character, an aspiring ice hockey player who enters a high-profile golfing tournament to earn money to buy his grandmother’s house.

Though his angry outbursts and profane patter initially cause outrage, his skill and tenacity eventually win through in the end. Featuring memorable supporting turns from the much missed Carl Weathers, the imposing...

Show-stopping stunts have long been as important to the James Bond movie formula as gadgets, villains, and the appropriate amount of workday martinis. While the early Connery movies didn’t emphasize such stunts quite as much as future installments did, audiences soon came to expect in the 1970s to see Bond put his life on the line in some incredible stunt sequence for queen, country, and our entertainment.

While other action franchises have certainly raised the bar for film stunts since then, there is a charm to the best Bond stunts that can’t easily be replicated. They’re conceptually creative, they’re often done practically, and they have gradually helped shape the considerable mythology of the world’s greatest spy. They’re as stylish as an expertly tailored suit and as dangerous as an assignment from M. These are the best James Bond stunts ever.

10. The Big Dam Bungee...

Dan Goozee, the acclaimed artist who created posters for such films as Clash of the Titans, Superman IV and the James Bond movies Moonraker, Octopussy and A View to a Kill, has died. He was 80.

Goozee died April 7 at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center of an age-related condition he had battled for two years, his son, Rob, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The unassuming Goozee spent years as a Walt Disney Imagineering theme park consultant, crafting conceptual artwork for Disneyland Paris and Tokyo DisneySea, for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder rides, for the Imagination Pavilion and Seas Pavilion at Epcot and for the Tree of Life attraction at Animal Kingdom.

He also handled effects work for Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).

Born in 1943 in Astoria, Oregon, Daniel Goozee worked on weekends at movie theaters that his father and uncle owned and operated in nearby Seaside, then graduated...

Happy Gilmore star Christopher McDonald said he’s seen a script for a sequel to Adam Sandler’s popular golf comedy. Brace yourselves for Happy Gilmore 2…

Of all the comedy films Adam Sandler made in the 1990s, few are as beloved as Happy Gimore. Directed by regular collaborator Denis Dugan and written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, the film followed Sandler as the titular character, an aspiring ice hockey player who enters a high-profile golfing tournament to earn money to buy his grandmother’s house. Though his angry outbursts and profane patter initially cause outrage, his skill and tenacity eventually win through in the end.

Featuring memorable supporting turns from the much missed Carl Weathers, the imposing Richard Kiel, also known as Jaws from the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, and a violent clash with genial game show host Bob Barker, the film also saw...

The Story: A New York cop is unwillingly recruited as an assassin for a top-secret government agency, Cure. Re-christened Remo Williams (Fred Ward), he’s sent on the trail of an unscrupulous weapons dealer, but first must survive his training with Chiun (Joel Grey) master of Sinanju.

The Players: Starring: Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Kate Mulgrew & Wilford Brimley. Music by Craig Safan. Directed by Guy Hamilton.

The History: The Adventure Begins…and ends, with this, the lone big-screen adventure of Remo Williams, the veteran of well over a hundred pulp novels (published as “The Destroyer” series – written by Warren Murphy & Richard Sapir). This was an attempt by Dick Clark (of all people) and the then-fledgling Orion Pictures to launch their own James Bond-style series of adventures. While people may laugh at the attempt now, they definitely had reason to think this could work, with the brain trust at Orion the...

“How can a short, blond actor with the rough face of a professional boxer and a penchant for playing villains, killers, cranks, and cads pull off the role of a tall, dark, handsome, and suave secret agent?”

So asks the front page of the website Daniel Craig is Not Bond, one of many fan-sites launched in the wake of the actor getting cast as James Bond for Casino Royale back in 2005. Nearly two decades later, the question seems laughable, as Craig elevated the franchise into something rich and emotionally dense, touching on qualities the series rarely attempted.

The 20/20 hindsight about Craig’s tenure comes in handy with the escalating rumors that Eon Productions have offered Aaron Taylor-Johnson the Bond role. On paper, Taylor-Johnson seems like the safe choice, a conventionally handsome white Englishman, a veteran of big-budget movies such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla, and Tenet.

To be frank,...

When Gene Roddenberry began developing the screenplay for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1975, expectations for how a science fiction film could look and feel were rapidly shifting. "2001: A Space Odyssey" offered moviegoers a 70mm trip to outer space, while "The Omega Man," "Soylent Green," and the "Planet of the Apes" series fed off the sociopolitical tumult of the times to thrust audiences into dystopian futures of our own foolish making.

Where did a show that was, at its core, a dream of racially and ethnically inclusive space exploration fit in an era of consciousness-raising spectacle and pessimistic earthbound forecasting? Though the series had failed to enthrall a sizable enough viewership to survive more than three seasons during its initial run on NBC in the late 1960s, "Star Trek" had become popular in syndication with 1970s couch potatoes. There was clearly a hunger for more, and there weren't any...

The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. explores the legacy of global espionage, making its history legible and compelling to a contemporary audience. So, it’s fitting that its latest exhibit displays a dozen-and-a-half vehicles associated with the person who may be, oxymorons aside, the world’s best-known fictitious super-spy.

This show, “Bond In Motion,” opens March 1 and features iconic cars from 007’s six decades. These include the self-cloaking Aston Martin Vanquish from Die Another Day, the remote-controlled BMW 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies, the surface-to-air missile-firing BMW Z8 from The World is Not Enough, and, perhaps the world’s most famous car, the machine gun–concealing, oil slick–emitting, license plate–rotating, seat-ejecting Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger.

But it also includes lesser-known Bond vehicles, like a snowmobile from Die Another Day, a three-wheeled, motorcycle-based Tuk-Tuk from Octopussy, a hang-glider from Moonraker, and a submarine from Diamonds are Forever,...

Olivia Colman, the powerhouse actress who seamlessly navigates between hilarious and heart-wrenching roles, is a British treasure. From her “Broadchurch” to her Oscar-nominating performances in “The Favourite” and “The Father,” she’s captivated audiences with her raw talent and versatility.

A still from “The Favourite”

Known for her down-to-earth personality and great humor, Colman isn’t afraid to poke fun at herself or dive headfirst into eccentric characters. But beyond her acting prowess, Colman also possesses a surprising hidden talent that would make even the master of impersonations, Tom Hiddleston, take notice.

Suggested“This is a crime against humanity”: Fans Claim Olivia Colman’s Deleted Scene in ‘Barbie’ Justifies Greta Gerwig’s Oscars-Snub as a Writer and Director

One Can Not Miss This Olivia Colman Impression of a Pigeon

A still from The Bear season 2

Olivia Colman and Irish actor Jessie Buckley recently appeared in an interview with Ali Plumb on BBC Radio One.

Even the most die-hard 007 fans know that James Bond movies don’t always hit. There’s the yellow face of You Only Live Twice, the pigeon double-take in Moonraker, the surfing in Die Another Day. But never has the franchise done worse than when a certain Louisiana police officer bumbles into the otherwise solid Live and Let Die.

Yes, I’m talking about Sheriff J.W. Pepper, a loudmouth distraction who sort of makes sense in the American-set Live and Let Die, but then he somehow also shows up in Thailand to further drag down The Man With the Golden Gun.

Modern viewers meeting the character for the first time today will likely be confused by Pepper’s shtick. But to the viewers of the early 1970s, Pepper not only hit as a funny joke, but he was very much in line with Bond’s history of pop culture Johnny-come-latelyisms.

Alec Mills, a camera operator on five James Bond films before becoming a cinematographer on the Timothy Dalton-starring The Living Daylights and License to Kill, has died at 91.

Mills died on Monday, his son, Simon Mills, announced. He was living in an assisted-care home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, he said.

Mills operated a camera on Peter Hunt’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Lewis Gilbert’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979) and John Glen’s For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983).

Glen then tapped him as his director of photography on The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989), both starring Timothy Dalton.

Mills also was a camera operator on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969), Roman Polanski’s Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Gulliver’s Travels (1973), John Guillermin’s Death on the Nile (1978) and Richard Marquand’s Eye of the Needle (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1982).

Mills helped found the Guild of...

Alec Mills, who served as a camera operator on five James Bond films before graduating to cinematographer on the Timothy Dalton-starring The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, has died. He was 91.

Mills died Monday, his son, Simon Mills, announced. He battled dementia and was living in an assisted care home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, he said.

For 007 movies, Mills operated a camera on Peter Hunt’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Lewis Gilbert’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979), and John Glen’s For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983).

Glen then made him his director of photography on the only two Bond films to star Dalton, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), with the latter shooting mostly at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.

Mills also was a camera operator on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1969), Roman Polanski’s Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Gulliver’s Travels (1973), John Guillermin’s...

Los Angeles, Jan 18 (Ians) Rapper Kanye West posted a photo of his new teeth on his social media.

His new bling is a titanium set of dentures that is completely unique for the Stronger rapper’s mouth and is rumoured to cost $850,000.

The next photo was a screenshot of a Google search for ‘Jaws’, the famous James Bond villain, who appeared in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and ‘Moonraker’, reports ‘Mirror.co.uk’.

This Instagram post is apparently Kanye’s way of comparing himself to the famous baddie. Kanye’s new mouthpiece was done by doctor Thomas Connelly in Beverly Hills alongside Naoki Hayashi, a Master Dental Technician.

Connelly spoke to the Daily Mail about working with the controversial rapper.

“Ye was a pleasure to work with every step of the process,” he said. “His vision for designing unique art transcends the dental progression. The marriage of his Vision with...

More than two decades ago, "Chicken Run" clucked its way onto the movie scene and became a runaway hit. The stop-motion animation movie was clever and strange, and unlike any of its contemporaries at the time (CGI-heavy flick "Dinosaur" and wacky Disney one-off "The Emperor's New Groove" bookended it at the year's box office). "Chicken Run" was also a surprisingly rich text, a movie that included plenty of moments of parody and humor meant to appeal to adults as well as kids.

The first movie functioned as a riff on "The Great Escape," the 1963 war film starring Steve McQueen, but the new sequel film, "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget," chose a different parody path. In an interview with /Film, director Sam Fell confirmed that "Dawn of the Nugget" was influenced by heist films, so much so that it earned a pointed nickname during production. "We called it 'Chicken Impossible,...

The "Star Trek" movie franchise was almost a one-and-done fiasco. Paramount had the highest of hopes when they released "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" on December 7, 1979, and, at first, it appeared as though their commercial expectations would be exceeded. The film scored the biggest opening of the year with a gross of $11.9 million (slightly better than the openings for "Alien" and "Moonraker"), but mixed reviews and ho-hum word of mouth (particularly from non-fans) kept it from being the runaway blockbuster it needed to be given its then exorbitant $44 million budget. It wound up being the fourth highest grossing film of 1979 behind "Kramer vs. Kramer," "The Amityville Horror" and "Rocky II").

The film's primary problem was its length and lack of action. At 132 minutes, Robert Wise's movie kind of lumbered; there are long, reverent shots of the U.S.S. Enterprise that, for many in the audience, quickly went from awe-inspiring to tedious.

October has arrived, and Amazon Prime Video is not lacking in great new movies to stream this month. The bulk of the James Bond library is available to stream on Prime Video starting on Oct. 1, so pick your favorite era and play your marathon accordingly. There’s also a bona fide new release hitting just in time for Spooky Season – the 1980s-set time travel horror film “Totally Killer,” starring “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” lead Kiernan Shipka. And the Nicolas Cage Dracula film “Renfield” also hits Prime Video this month.

Whether you’re looking for scares, thrills or a classic rom-com, we’ve got you covered. Check out our picks for the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in October 2023 below.

The James Bond Franchise Eon

Ok so this is more than one film, but if you’re a James Bond fan you can now stream a slew of entries...

There’s a lot to watch on Prime Video in October and, as you may have guessed, there’s spooky stuff galore in amongst Prime’s usual rotation of extensive library content.

In the movie Totally Killer, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka travels back in time to the 1980s to stop a serial killer. Then there’s Make Me Scream, a Halloween special that challenges celebrities to “a gruesome game of terror.” Renfield will also be streaming on the service for anyone who’s been dying (muahahaha!) to catch the Nic Cage Dracula film.

Outside of Prime Video’s more creepy fare, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will debut, Upload will be back for a third season, and new film Awareness should scratch your sci-fi itch. Meanwhile, for Frasier heads – those who consider themselves utterly Frasier-pilled – all eleven seasons of the Cheers spinoff show will be streaming at the touch of a button.

If you’re looking for a complete list of every new movie and TV show coming to Amazon Prime Video in October, you’ve come to the right place. This month kicks off with a slew of great library additions, from James Bond films to relatively new releases (“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and the Nicolas Cage Dracula movie “Renfield”) and beyond.

There are also some high-profile originals landing in October. The third season of the sci-fi comedy series “Upload” arrives on Oct. 20, while Oct. 6 marks the release of the Prime Video original film “Totally Killer,” a fun slasher set in the 1980s that stars Kiernan Shipka.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in October 2023 below, followed by a complete list of new arrivals for Freevee in October as well.

Arriving October 1

Frasier, Seasons 1-11 (1994)

Hit, Season 3 (2020)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

A Guy Thing...

To clarify right away, James Bond, Jr. (Corey Burton), the title character from a barely-remembered 007-adjacent 1991 animated series, is not the son of James Bond. More confusingly, James Bond, Jr. is actually the nephew of James Bond. "He learned the game from his uncle James," the theme song makes very clear. This means that James Bond did indeed have a brother, but also that his brother was named James as well ...?

As of this writing, "James Bond Jr." is the only TV adaptation to date of Ian Fleming's ultra-popular James Bond book series. It came at a fascinating time in the history of the James Bond franchise, as Timothy Dalton's two-film run had come to an end, and a messy rights dispute behind the scenes kept Bond off the big screen for years. It also likely didn't help that the Berlin Wall fell in November of 1989, calling...

The Creepshow 2 episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Its hard for a sequel to be better than the original – no, hey! Don’t close the article and please hold all hate in the comments until the end. I’m not saying Creepshow 2 (watch it Here) is better than the first movie, that’s just silly. Ok, so it’s hard for sequels to eclipse their previous iteration. Godfather II is always the answer to that but there are other things that you can prefer. Some people prefer the breakneck action of Aliens to the slasher in space of Alien. Others may enjoy Friday the 13th Part 2 with its higher violence (although it does have the same body count) and introduction to Jason to part 1’s mommy revenge story.

Snyder’s epic-looking Netflix effort comes complete with lightsabers and exotic space princesses. Can it revive a neglected style of film-making?

For a genre that pretty much inspired the entire blockbuster era, space opera has become weirdly hard to get hold of beyond Star Wars. After the original trilogy’s barnstorming success in the late 70s for Lucasfilm, there were umpteen abortive attempts by other studios to grab themselves some of that good space fantasy dollar, but nobody really got anywhere useful. Disney’s appalling The Black Hole is barely remembered these days, while Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond the Stars is perhaps memorable only for giving a certain James Cameron an early break on special effects. There was even a James-Bond-in-space movie, Roger Moore’s Moonraker, although it hardly registers as one of 007’s most scintillating adventures.

Flash forward to the present day, and space opera seems to...

For a long time, "Moonraker" was considered by many hardcore James Bond fans as the nadir of the franchise. Based on the third novel in Ian Fleming's 007 series, the film was rushed into production to take advantage of the blockbuster sci-fi craze kicked off by George Lucas' "Star Wars" and Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Like most adaptations of Fleming's work pre-2006's "Casino Royale," the film was a goofy, gadget-laden departure from Fleming's grittier, more grounded books. But for some, "Moonraker" went several steps too far. 

From the cheeky references to the aforementioned '70s smashes (particularly punching in a door code with the five-note "Close Encounters" theme) to the laser-gun battle on Hugo Drax's space station, "Moonraker" played like self-parody. And to a degree, it is. But now that we've seen the series successfully course-correct several times over the next four decades,...

A studio performance of one of the track singles from Ben Howard’s latest album “Is It?” has just been released. True to his habitual indie rock and folk this song does not let us down.

“Is It?” was released earlier in the season, and is the fifth album in his impressive musical career.

“Is It?” Track Listing

1. “Couldn’t Make It Up”

2. “Walking Backwards”

3. “Days of Lantana”

4. “Life in the Time”

5. “Moonraker”

6. “Richmond Avenue”

7. “Interim of Sense”

8. “Total Eclipse”

9. “Spirit”

10. “Little Plant”...

Rick Dalton, the fictional star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” has died at the age of 90. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Dalton starred as the lead in “Bounty Law” before pivoting to several smaller Western films and series including “Nebraska Jim” and “Tanner.”

Tarantino announced the character’s death via tweet through The Video Archives, a podcast co-hosted by the director and his “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary.

“We are saddened by the news of the passing of actor Rick Dalton, best known for his roles in the hit TV series ‘Bounty Law’ and ‘The Fireman’ trilogy.”

The tweet also offered additional information about the history of Dalton, stating that “Rick passed away peacefully in his home in Hawaii and is survived by his wife Francesca. Rip Rick Dalton 1933-2023.”

We are saddened by the news of the passing of actor Rick Dalton, best known for...

"Have you seen something strange in the sky these days?" They're coming, they're invading! Bubbles, giant white bouncing bubbles! Batten down the hatches, get the defense system ready. This amusing three minute sci-fi mashup is the latest creation from French filmmaker / editor Fabrice Mathieu (we also posted his In the Shadow noir short a month ago). Attack of the Giant Bubbles is a cinema mashup short film using the white bubbles from the 60s TV series The Prisoner and some footage from classic sci-fi films including: Forbidden Planet, Mars Attacks!, Moonraker, Space: 1999, Thunderbirds are Go. It also has a kind of Independence Day vibe. Just another fun video made by Fabrice - makes me want to watch all these. // Continue Reading ›...

In 1977, a movie you might have heard of called Star Wars came out and thoroughly shifted the kind of movies Hollywood considered blockbusters. Until then, the idea of an epic sci-fi fantasy grossing hundreds of millions of dollars was considered laughable, and the genre was regarded as B-movie material at best. Star Wars changed that thinking, and suddenly studios were bending over backwards flooding theaters with their own sci-fi epics. This led to Star Trek getting a crack at the big screen, with the original crew headlining a movie that, at the time, was one of the most expensive movies ever made. In this episode of Revisited, we dig into Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Flashback to 1978. Star Wars was still making a mint, and Universal took the pilot episode for a Star Wars-knock-off series they developed, Battlestar Galactica, and released it in theaters. It made a stunning $41.8 million internationally,...

February ushers in a new slate of movies and TV shows making their way to HBO and HBO Max, from a slew of James Bond movies to the recently released Olivia Colman-led “Empire of Light” to, yes, the Puppy Bowl.

“The Terminator,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Footloose,” “Taxi Driver” and “The Silence of the Lambs” all mark notable library offerings this month, in addition to “Superbad,” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and “Eighth Grade.”

Despite HBO Max pulling a number of originals from its roster over the past several months, HBO Max originals premiering on the platform this month include a Dionne Warwick documentary, an adult European animated series titled “Poor Devil” and “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special” based on the popular animated series.

HBO Max is also beefing up its sports offerings by streaming soccer matches featuring the U.S. national teams,...

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and HBO Max got the memo. With its list of new releases for February 2023, the HBO streamer is bringing a very special Valentine’s Day episode into the fold.

Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special premieres on Feb. 9 and finds Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together. Consider this a fun little aperitif for the fast approaching Harley Quinn season 3 – which will feature none other than freshly-installed DC czar James Gunn. Other HBO Max original series this month include another C.B. Strike special on Feb. 6 and Spanish-language animated comedy Poor Devil a.k.a. Pobre Diablo on Feb. 17.

February also looks to be a jam-packed month for movies on HBO Max. February 1 sees the arrival of many appealing library titles like Birdman, Casino Royale, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Terminator. Later on HBO Max...

The Incredible Hulk, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1962, is a character born more from universal monster movies and 1950s sci-fi than more modern notions of complex, interlaced comic book lore. In the original comic books, a spindly physicist named Bruce Banner was exposed to a strange type of radiation while saving a soldier from a nuclear bomb test. Rather than killing him, the radiation mutated his body into that of a bulky, over-muscled brute. He eventually shrunk back to his normal size, but Bruce eventually found that whenever he got angry, he would transform back into an unstoppable radioactive ogre. Indeed, he was so angry, he couldn't speak or think clearly.

The Hulk became one of the more popular characters in a new wave of Marvel Comics that debuted in the 1960s. He was popular enough to be included in the Avengers, a mash-up superhero team comic...

Writer/Director Joe Cornish discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Attack The Block (2011)

Rocks (2019)

Poltergeist (1982)

Gremlins (1984)

Avanti! (1972)

Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)

The Last Wave (1977)

Witness (1985)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Fearless (1993)

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)

Gallipoli (1981)

The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)

The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

The Rescuers (1977)

Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Moonraker (1979)

The Adventures Of Tintin (2011)

Bambi (1942)

Dumbo (1941)

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

This Island Earth (1955)

Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)

The Thing From Another World (1951)

Matinee (1993)

The Lord Of The Rings (1978)

The Omen (1976)

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exterminator (1980)

Friday The 13th...

Bella Hadid wished her fans a happy New Year’s on Instagram with a swimwear photoshoot from her tropical beach vacation.

In her photos, Hadid poses in a pool surrounded by an array of greenery wearing a white bikini featuring a halter-neck top.

“Happy néw year my sweets… i pray only the best for you,” she captioned the photoshoot, adding a string of palm tree and shamrock emojis.

In a separate post, Hadid emerges from the ocean wearing the same two-piece set with a pendant chain necklace.

The 26-year-old model also donned a red halter-neck top, jeans, a pair of red Alaïa clogs and a layered necklace to a “tea party.”

On her trip, she brought along the James Bond novel Moonraker by Ian Fleming and Nora Ephron‘s Wallflower at the Orgy, a collection of magazine pieces she wrote before becoming a famous filmmaker.

She was joined by her boyfriend,...

There must be few things more daunting to a filmmaker than taking on the mantle of directing a new James Bond movie. Bond movies are cinema’s equivalent of a Philippe Petit-level highwire balancing act. Over 25 films, fans have carved out an understanding of what they expect from 007. There must be action, adventure, romance, and a dash of comedy. Yet for all the expectations surrounding the world’s most famous secret agent, the recipe isn’t set in stone; in fact, it’s forever evolving.

Where once Bond might have been defined by the wry humor and slapstick gags of Roger Moore, the more modern 007 of Daniel Craig played it straight. Bond has been known to take forays into the world of science fiction, either in an attempt to match box office rivals like Star Wars or in an attempt to address the concerns of an ever evolving technological world.

Director Mat Whitecross was handed a large task with "The Sound of 007." The filmmaker, who also directed the hilarious "Oasis: Supersonic," had to tell 60 years of history in a 90-minute documentary. The brisk doc easily could've been a six-hour miniseries exploring the life of composer John Barry or going through all the ins-and-outs of every single theme song. Whitecross didn't have that kind of time, but with the time he did have, he made a documentary that should entertain even the mildest of Bond fans. 

The doc is packed with fun facts, creative disagreements, and explores the history of the most beloved and disliked Bond theme songs. Maybe the fact that Prince was a big fan of "Another Way to Die" may not change people's minds about the Alicia Keys and Jack White collaboration in "Quantum of Solace," but still, it's nice to know the song found a fan in one of the all-time greats,...

The name’s Bond. James Bond. And if you want to play him, you better nail the James Bond screen test, which involves acing a key scene from 1963’s From Russia with Love.

At a recent event at the British Film Institute to commemorate the James Bond franchise’s 60th anniversary, producer Michael G. Wilson went into details about the casting process and which scene is always used to gauge whether or not a potential James Bond has what it takes. “We always use the same scene…and that’s the one in From Russia With Love, where Bond comes back to his room after the assassination, and he starts taking off his shirt, goes into the room to bathe. Then he hears something, takes his gun, goes in and the girl’s in the bed.” And you have now just pictured Idris Elba performing that scene is a James Bond screen test…...

James Bond (Daniel Craig) prepares to shoot in

No Time To Die,

an Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios film

Credit: Nicola Dove

© 2020 Danjaq, LLC And MGM. All Rights Reserved. Prime Video has announced that 25 James Bond films will be available to stream in the U.S., U.K, and other key territories as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the legendary film franchise. Prime Video also unveiled the official posters and trailers for the 60th anniversary celebration and for The Sound of 007, a Mat Whitecross-helmed feature documentary about the remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music that will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide. All 25 of the Bond franchise films and The Sound of 007 will be available October 5.

Additionally, following the live October 4 Eon Productions and David Arnold-created charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Prime Video will globally stream an...

Amazon’s Prime Video is celebrating cinema’s most iconic superspy with a James Bond 60th Anniversary event that will leave subscribers shaken and stirred. The party starts on October 5 with No Time to Die widely available to watch on the streaming platform alongside The Sound of 007, a feature documentary by Mat Whitecross focusing on six decades of music in the James Bond saga.

For a limited time, 25 Bond movies are hitting Amazon’s Prime Video for the James Bond 60th Anniversary presentation, including Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale,...

After closing an 8.45 billion deal last year to buy MGM, the longtime home of the James Bond franchise, Amazon has announced that 25 Bond films are heading to Prime Video in the U.S., UK and a few other territories.

The move is hailed as part of the franchise’s 60th anniversary.

Along with official posters and trailers, Prime Video also unveiled The Sound of 007, a Mat Whitecross-helmed feature documentary about the six-decade history of Bond music. The doc will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide. All 25 of the Bond franchise films and The Sound of 007 will be available October 5.

After the live Eon Productions and David Arnold-created charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall on October 4, Prime Video will globally stream an exclusive recording of the show. At the concert, guest vocalists and a host of stars will perform iconic Bond themes.

The 25 films...

James Bond fans will have plenty to feast on if they subscribe to Amazon’s Prime Video.

The streamer announced Thursday that 25 James Bond films — including the most recent installment, No Time to Die — will be available to watch on Oct. 5, along with The Sound of 007, a feature documentary from filmmaker Mat Whitecross about the six-decade history of music in the James Bond franchise. (No Time to Die is already streaming on Prime in certain markets.)

The 25 films coming to Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, Southeast Asia, Mexico and other regions of Latin America, excluding Brazil, for a limited time are Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me,...

At long last, all 25 James Bond films will be available for streaming in one place, with the entire 007 franchise officially landing on Amazon Prime Video starting next week on October 5.

For years due to various rights issues, the Bond movies were scattered across numerous disparate streaming services and never all in one place, with some — namely a couple of the Daniel Craig entries — being especially tricky to track down for streaming. As part of the 60th anniversary celebration for Bond, but also in no small part thanks to Amazon’s acquisition of MGM earlier this year, that’s finally changing, and Bond fans now have access to all the films as included with a Prime Video subscription.

However, Amazon specifies that the films will only be available “for a limited time,” and that includes subscribers in the U.S. but also the U.K., Australia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico/Latin America (excluding Brazil), Spain,...

Near the beginning of what many consider to be the definitive James Bond movie, 1964’s Goldfinger, Sean Connery’s 007 reveals himself to be simultaneously roguish and antiquated. The moment occurs when his latest conquest affronts his snobbish tastes—dismissing something to do with champagne and refrigerators. He thus believes it’s his duty to explain, “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Pérignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.”

Bond might’ve been the coolest fictional character around at the time of that movie’s release, but his musical tastes were clearly not. Fortunately for the superspy, his producers at Eon Productions were rarely so old-fashioned.

Over the past 60 years and 25 James Bond pictures, the Bond franchise has become synonymous in its better years with evolving with the times.