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Journal Cliff's Journal: Who was the Best Bond Babe? 32

Journal by Cliff
OK, so I have to admit, I've been watching the "007 Days of Christmas" on SpikeTV and watching these films (many of them much worse than I remember them) I am struck by the inconsistency of Bond's leading women. Some are strong, others are just there for the scenery. So I though I'd ask my JE circle (those interested, of course) who their favorite Bond Babe was.

I wanted to like Halle Barry from Die Another Day, but after a fairly strong start (her first 2 scenes) she went rather flat.

Now I'm watching Moonraker, and I'm struck with how capable "Dr. Goodhead" (*groan*) was in that film. She was smart, she was strong, she could even fly a space shuttle. I guess you could call her a "rocket scientist". And to top it off, she worked for the CIA.

Now for me, I'd have to go back and rewatch most of the films. I'd park my butt in front of SpikeTV for the rest of their marathon, but taking a 90 minute movie and inflating it to 3 hours of mostly-the-same-commercials over, and over, and over again is enough to turn my brain into watery tapioca (since right now, the holidays have turned it into molasses). I'll be tuning in for spots, but if I have to see another commercial for The John Henson Show, I'm going to blow a gasket. So for now, I leave you with this helpful, but incomplete reference.

So as a guess for "Favorite Bond Babe", I guess I'd have to go with Michelle Yeoh. She was a take-no-prisoner's type and kept her wits about her. And she also kept Pierce Brosnan on his toes.

As for SpikeTV? I wanted to like it, but once the Bond marathon is over, I'm removing it from the cable line up. For something touted as "The First Cable Network for Men", I'm woefully underwhelmed.

Maybe next JE I'll ask about Favorite (and least annoying) Doctor Who companion, but I'm giving you guys some time to talk me out of it...
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Who was the Best Bond Babe? More

Who was the Best Bond Babe?

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  • So why limit yourself to just one?

    Oh, this was not "who would you do, pick one" :)

    While I always like Ms. Barry I liked that girl who played a Greek chick and was good with a crossbow. I also liked the Russian chick who liked to leave guys with a perminant smile on their face.

    • Melina Havelock, played by the lovely French actress Carole Bouquet.

      I take it you like brunettes...

    • Especially since there have been quite a few strong women in Bond movies.

      I have to say that your choices resonate with my top 5. The "Greek chick" with the crossbow, someone has already identified, and the other was Famke Janssen, now of X-Men fame. I'm still hoping she can pull off a decent Jean Grey in the next X-Men outting. Her performance in the first was underwhelming with a bit more juicy bits for her in the second.
      • Oh yea! I forgot about her being Jean Grey too!

        My only criticism of her in X-Men was with the wardrobe people, not her. Higher heels folks. You can't go wrong.
      • All this talk of strong women, yet no one remembers Grace Jones (Mayday) from "A View To A Kill"?!?! ;-)
        • Oooh! I totally forgot about "A View to a Kill".

          I blame Timothty Dalton.

          Gotta stick Grace in the top 10, if only because I really do like her music.
          • Negatory good buddie. "A View to a Kill" was the last Roger Moore entry.

            BTW, read the books. I think Dalton's performances were closest to what Ian Fleming envisioned.
            • That was my first thought, but then it occurred to me that Dalton was so good and his movies were strong so maybe Cliff just forgot the largely lousy A View to a Kill existed.
              • I never used to care for Dalton one bit. Since my last viewing of every Bond film (it's been about five years since I saw every one within a two month period, but I've seen the isolated movie here and there) I've read every Bond novel (and the collection of short stories entitled 'For Your Eyes Only'. Sadly, I can't find a copy of 'A View to a Kill') and really must make time to sit down and watch Dalton's efforts again. From what I remember, he really had the cold-hearted SOB down pat in a way that Brosnan
                • If I ever have the time, I'm going to have to sit down and read the stories, if I can ever find them.
                  • Find which stories? The Fleming novels? Most libraries have them, and the publisher has been re-releasing them over the past 18 months in a 'pulpish' like edition. Amazon, if you don't have some sort of religious aversion to them like some seem to.

            • Ack! (Score:2)

              by Cliff ( 4114 ) *
              You're right. It was one of the later Moore flicks. *sigh* -- A Mr. Davi was the bad guy and Grace was his flunky.

              Funny, but I have yet to see this on on SpikeTV and it's not in my DVD collection (which is currently boxed in storage, right now.
              • I'm not sure that I would have paid for it separately, but I've got the three original Bond boxed sets.

                Christopher Walken as a Bond villian. Works for me. Just wish it could have been in a better episode.
            • I think Dalton's performances were closest to what Ian Fleming envisioned.

              Perhaps so. But the fact remains that James Bond simply can't have a northern accent, and that for me is what ruined Dalton's chances of being a successful Bond.

              • Can't remember from the books where Bond is from. London? Anyway, we've had an Aussie and a Scot play the role, what's wrong with someone from up north?
                • Anyway, we've had an Aussie and a Scot play the role, what's wrong with someone from up north?

                  Simply the accent, which singles him out as working class, which just doesn't fit with Bond. Connery's accent is relatively mild (although it seems to have got stronger in recent years) yet still cultured, and Lazenby's was quite definitely not Australian. Both fitted the character reasonably well[1]. Dalton's didn't. IMHO, of course.

                  Incidentally, Brosnan does pretty well on the accent, and you wouldn't guess h

  • You had to ask a tough question.

    A short list... at any given moments, I'd take one of these.

    • Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) from Die Another Day
    • Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) from The World Is Not Enough
    • Kara Milovy (Maryam D'Abo) from The Living Daylights
    • Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) from For Your Eyes Only
    • Tracy (Diana Rigg) from On Her Majesty's Secret Service [Mrs. Bond has to make the list!]
    • The only one I'd disagree with is Kara. I thought she was a bit of a weak character.

      Miranda Frost: hot. Evil.
      Elektra King: Mmmm.... Sophie Marceau. I'd pay good money to watch her even in a French film.
      Melina was great, but I think FYEO is still my favorite Bond movie by a long shot.
      Tracy was a good character, and Diana Rigg did a good job, but I can't help but think that there were some atypical bits. She can go from being strong and capable to typically helpless damsel in distress.

      I can't pick just one.
  • I don't know who the best would be, but Denise Richards (The World is Not Enough) has to be the worst. I don't typically see a Bond movie expecting Oscar-winning performances, but she was bad.
    • Heh! I can't make up my mind about Denise Richards. Yes, she's a beautiful woman, but it seems she can't make up her mind as to whether or not she can act. My main problem with her Bond appearance is that she doesn't *sell* herself as an intelligent woman and is only there as "video dressing".

      Sad.
      • You have to consider the possibility that she simply can't sell herself - she was given a fairly straightforward role and she completely, and unintentionally, deadpanned it. Lesson learned there is if you want a character to seem intelligent, she should be played by an actress with some intelligence. Or at least the awareness of intelligence.

        Honestly, Denise is dumber than a box of hair. Don't get me wrong, though - if she's going to suck in a role, at least she sucked with tight shorts and a midriff-bari

      • I'll take a cup 'o that video dressing, thank you...

        DAMN is that woman hot!!
    • Amen to that!

      For me, I'm stuck between "Miranda Frost" (who really isn't a 'bond girl' cause she's evil), "Xenia Onatopp" (ditto, but famke is just frickin hot), and Halle. Sorry not to mention the 'old-school' chicks, but I got into bond a bit late and never dug the style...
  • Well now I know. It took many hours, but it was time enjoyed. In chronological order only:

    Mary Goodnight: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
    Major Anya Amasova: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
    Melina Havelock: For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    Kara Milovy: The Living Daylights (1987)
  • I've been over at PH & SH's house a lot this week and I've seen several of the Bond movies on SpikeTV. I've never really been a huge Bond fan, but they are entertaining on occasion.
  • I may be misremembering this...It's been a long time, and I don't even remember which Bond movie it was.
    Sexy Femme Fatale: I'm Pussy Galore
    Bond, James Bond: Of course you are, my dear!

    She wins on the basis of that line alone. However, If I'm having a senior moment here, and remembering lines that were never spoken, then I'll have to go back and do more research.
    • Ahhh... that line is from one of the more sillier Bond movies: Octopussy.

      How they got that name past the censors, is just plain BEYOND me.

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