Bryan Bockbrader

Director/Writer/Thespian VANish is available to stream free on Amazon Prime. More stuff coming soon!

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

I flew Spirit almost exclusively for 23 years. Just me and my duffel bag “personal item” that I had to punch like Mike Tyson into the testing bin so I wouldn’t pay extra for it. Sure it was uncomfortable, sure there were obnoxious passengers, sure they had delays. But for the prices I paid you could have threw me in the luggage cargo hold and I wouldn’t have complained.

Rest easy old Yellow. @SpiritAirnvm

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 24

Skyfall (2012)****

Skyfall is definitely my favorite of the Craig era Bonds. After getting shot accidentally by Moneypenny, 007 takes a beachside hiatus until a bomb threat on M, played by Judi Dench, brings him out of retirement. The villain is a former MI6 agent named Silva played by Javier Bardem. Bardem chews up any scene he’s in and is a top tier franchise baddie. He is hell bent on destroying M for leaving him to die with the Chinese when Hong Kong got transitioned in the 90s. Knowing that MI6 is compromised because of Silva’s hacking skills, 007 takes M to his childhood home Skyfall in Scotland. It’s there they make a last stand against Silva and his goons with old school tactics and weaponry. It’s my favorite set piece of the series and the silhouette shots alone are masterful. Sam Mendes did a fantastic job of directing an unforgettable Bond that succeeds on multiple levels.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 19

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 23

Quantum of Solace (2008)**1/2

Starting off right where Casino Royale ends, Bond races his Aston Martin around Italy after kidnapping a member of the secret group he’s been investigating. Upon questioning “Mr. White”, he escapes MI6 custody and Bond diverts to one of his associates, Dominic Greene, in Bolivia. Greene is in charge of a nonprofit environmental group that is actually damming the water up so he can run a monopoly on the utilities. This entry is actually the shortest of the series and I’d say most fast pace. The shootout at the climax in the Bolivian hotel in the middle of the desert is a highlight.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 1 Kills: 16

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 22

Casino Royale (2006)***

For Daniel Craig’s first incarnation as the British spy, Bond goes back to his roots. In the pre-credits scene he isn’t even a 00 agent yet. After he gets his two required kills and graduates to 007, his first assignment is to investigate a banker financing terrorists. With the help of an MI6 accountant named Vesper, played by Eva Green, they track the banker to a poker tournament. There, Bond must beat the banker at his own game and find out who he’s working for. This installment features adrenaline-filled chase sequences and a climax in Venice involving a sinking Palazzo. A double cross at the end puts Bond in revenge mode and is his driving force the remainder of the series.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 13

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 21

Die Another Day (2002) **

Pierce Brosnan’s last outing as Bond is a mixed bag. It starts off strong with an explosive hovercraft chase through the mine-laced Korean demilitarized zone. We found out later though that the Korean general he thought he killed actually gets a DNA transplant in Cuba, turning him into an….Englishman. As a billionaire Englishman, his plan is to use a satellite laser to completely destroy the demilitarized zone so North Korea can invade the south. With the help of a CIA agent named Jinx, played by Halle Berry, they thwart these plans. There’s a palace made of ice in the film which is a “cool” location and is the backdrop for a car chase between Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish and a Jaguar. A little too much noticeable CGI in this one but still entertaining albeit borderline ridiculous.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 23

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 20

The World is Not Enough (1999) **1/2

After probably the longest pre credit scene in the entire series involving a spectacular boat chase through London, 007 is on the hunt for whoever used him to indirectly blow up an oil tycoon at MI6 headquarters. The trail leads him to the oil tycoons daughter, Elektra, and a her former terrorist kidnapper Renard. He finds out that they were in on the explosion together and their goal is to destroy Istanbul so her pipeline creates an oil monopoly in the region. Highlights include a ski sloping getaway from parachuted in snowmobiles and escaping tree trimming buzzsaw helicopters.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 3 Kills: 22

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 19

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) ***

This installment is probably the most well paced of any in the series. 007 is hot on the trail of media mogul Eliot Carver who has been “creating” his own news stories. His current headline is dangerously close to starting WW3 between Britain and China. With the help of a Chinese spy, played by Michelle Yeoh, the twosome uncover Carver’s diabolical scheme to raise ratings by causing chaos. Bond navigates a remote controlled car, destroys a helicopter on a motorcycle in Vietnam, and tears apart Carver’s stealth boat on the South China Sea all at a relentless speed. Brosnan’s southmore effort solidifies him as an action packed agent of destruction.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 3 Kills: 30

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 18

Goldeneye (1995) ****

After a 6 year hiatus in the series, the Bond producers find their new secret agent in Pierce Brosnan. This time the mission is set in St. Petersburg and Cuba as Bond is hot on the trail of Goldeneye, a satellite capably of sending the world back into the Stone Age. Sean Bean plays the treacherous villain 006 along with Famke Janssen, a henchwoman who kills with her….thighs. This action oriented installment includes a tank chase and shootouts that paint Bond as a one man killing machine. Goldeneye was a huge hit and established 007 for a whole new generation of fans. Two years after its release it also gave us a Nintendo 64 game that was the king of console multiplayer gaming in the 90s. Kids from all over basked in the Bond universe as they shot their friends in split screen.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 37

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 17

Licence to Kill (1989) ****

Perhaps the most brutal Bond film ever made, Licence to Kill is a uniquely satisfying addition to the franchise. Campy this film is not as Dalton’s Bond is out for pure revenge on a Colombian drug lord who almost kills his CIA buddy Felix. 007’s path for vengeance takes him from the Florida Keys to South America. Highlights include an airplane highjacking in midair and an amazing tanker truck chase on a curvy mountain highway. Benicio Del Toro plays a knife welding henchman in one of his first roles and ends up grinded to bits. Speaking of kills, this is the first PG-13 movie in the series and actually needed trimmed to avoid an R rating.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 10

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 16

The Living Daylights (1987) **

Timothy Dalton takes the reins as 007 in this installment. Dalton brings a realistic rawness to the character that hadn’t been seen up until this point in the series. He frantic searches for the KGB folks responsible for creating an agent assassination list. The Russians obviously don’t like him poking around and pursue him through Czech and Afghanistan. A car chase on an icy lake and a horseback gunfight on a Soviet airbase are some stand out scenes. This film has my personal favorite theme title song performed by A-Ha.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 6

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 15

A View to a Kill (1985) ***

The final time Roger Moore donned the dapper double OO agent he was already in his mid-50s. That doesn’t stop this one from being an entertaining send off from beginning to end. Christopher Walken plays a psychopath hell bent on flooding silicon valley to corner a monopoly on microchips. Grace Jones plays May Day, his iconic henchwoman who switches sides during the finale leading to an ultimate sacrifice. This one includes rigged horse races, a chase involving a fire truck, and a spectacular fight atop of the Golden Gate Bridge. Let’s not forget the rocking 80s Duran Duran title theme as well.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 4 Kills: 3

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 14 (Bonus)

Never Say Never Again (1983) **

So although not part of the official series, I couldn’t leave out Sean Connery’s last turn as Mr. Bond. This film was made by a different production company so the classic theme song is absent along with a few other omissions. Due to a copyright issue, this is essentially a remake of Thunderball. One can appreciate that they didn’t try to make a shot for shot rehash and added some freshness to the already done plot. This has one of my favorite kills (the exploding pen) but aside from Connery’s farewell to the role, it’s pretty forgetful.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 4 Kills: 4

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 13

Octopussy (1983) **

The British secret super spy travels to New Delhi in this installment in search of a jewelry smuggling ring. But this wouldn’t be a Bond film if it just stopped there. Instead, we also get an evil Russian general who wants to bomb an Air Force base in West Berlin using the guise of a traveling circus show. The circus (and smuggling ring) is run by a secretive woman named….you guessed it….Octopussy. The climax is as campy as the series probably gets involving 007 in a British flag hot air balloon, elephants, and female gymnastic assassins. There is a couple stunts on the top of a plane at the very end that might make Tom Cruise blush though.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 14

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 12

For Your Eyes Only (1981) **1/2

The fifth Roger Moore entry is all over the place….but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The main plot centers around retrieving a device that controls Britain’s submarines after the ship that was transporting it sank. The film has everything; a crossbow welding Bond girl out for revenge, ski sloping escapes, warehouse shootouts, car chases, underwater combat, and finally a raid on a mountain top monastery. It’s not the best Moore era Bond but it’s definitely a melting pot of what made this era fun.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 12

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 11

Moonraker (1979) **1/2

James Bond goes to space!!! Well, at least in the last 30 mins he does. The majority of the film takes place in Venice and Rio. Bond is on the trail of a madman who wants to kill off the world’s population from his space station and then reintroduce earth to his “super race” of people he helps create. Jaws returns in this one and has a harrowing one on one with 007 atop a cable car high above Rio. There is also an interesting laser shootout with astronauts in zero gravity space. Bond films always try to follow the times and with the success of Star Wars two years prior it’s not hard to see why “007 goes to space” was an easy pitch.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 3 Kills: 12

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 10

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) **1/2

The plot of this 10th entry revolves around 007 joining forces with a female Russian spy in search of both country’s missing nuclear submarines. What starts as business between the two agents ends in pleasure hence the title. The villain in this one has a pretty sweet underwater domain called Atlantis. It’s even got elevators equipped with trap floors leading right to shark tanks. There’s a pretty spectacular battle between said villains henchman and navel officers aboard a tanker. Speaking of henchman, this film introduces an iconic one played by Richard Kiel. Jaws, the immensely strong killer for hire sporting steel teeth, is a worthy advisory and relentless in his pursuit of the spies.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 17

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 9

The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) *1/2

007 chases down an assassin with plans to run a monopoly on….solar energy. As outrageous as the plot of this one seems, Christopher Lee does his best at bringing a human quality to the man with the golden gun. The movie mostly takes place in and around China including a beautiful island where the assassin maintains his lair. This Bond is quite minimalistic as it’s mostly a cat and mouse murder mystery between two men. The Golden Gun itself has went on to become popular in James Bond video game lore as a deadly secret weapon.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 2 Kills: 1

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 8

Live and Let Die (1973) **

Roger Moore makes his debut as the suave secret spy in this installment of the Franchise. 007 is on the hunt for the killers of three different agents which leads him to a small island in the Caribbean serving as a heroin plant. His journey also takes him to New York and New Orleans. He faces off against voodoo priests, gangsters, and even hungry crocodiles. Jane Seymour (in her first role) plays the fortune card reader Solitaire. One highlight includes a motorboat chase through the Louisiana bayou. This film also has the iconic Paul McCartney theme song based on the title.

Bond body count:

Lovers: 3 Kills: 7

[Bryan Bockbrader @bryanbockbrader]

Dry January Bond-athon day 7

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) **

Bond heads stateside for this entry into the series as he tracks down a diamond smuggling ring from Amsterdam to Las Vegas. While in Nevada, he confronts Blofeld (played by yet another actor) as he uses the Diamonds to build a satellite laser capable of destroying nuclear missiles. Bruce Glover (who looks just like his son Crispin) plays an unhinged hitman on the secret agent’s tail. 007 eventually foils Blofeld’s plans and leaves him to die as his ocean oil rig explodes around him. But does he perish….

Bond body count:

Lovers: 1 Kills: 7