From Russia With Love is considered the grittiest. It also has my favorite Bond girl in Daniela Bianchi.

Oh Her Majesty's Secret Service is the one with George Lazenby. I actually love that movie but that's often a deal maker for folks. But it has great sets and Diana Rigg and one of the best scores and some awesome action sequences. And James Bond in a kilt with a woman (Angela Scoular! I love her) writing her room number on his thigh in lipstick.

Thunderball is considered the quintessential Bond movie in many ways. That and Goldfinger set the template.

The Spy Who Loved Me is the best of the Roger Moore ones and entertaining, but it's still fairly light and tends towards the arch comedy.

Goldeneye is the best of the Pierce Brosnan ones and has Sean Beane.

But frankly if he didn't love the Craig Casino Royale, I don't think he'll like anything else better.

The latest ones don't do it for me either, for all that I can accept that they seem to be more what Fleming might have wanted. I miss the goofy props and innuendo.

I'm probably in a minority here, but I think Lazenby had the potential to be a great Bond. He showed a few growing pains in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but I think he'd have grown into the role.

Yeah I m suspicious that Beau won't like any Bond I show him. I grew up with Bond movies and haven't seen the classics in awhile so at least it will be fun for me.

Goldfinger is the best. Because it's the best. Pussy Galore!

I also rather dislike Bond, though. Even Goldfinger. Casino Royale was actually the only one I think I genuinely liked, and I was extremely disappointed by Skyfall.

and I was extremely disappointed by Skyfall.

How come? I thought it did a great job linking Craig-era Bond back into the Connery-Bond mythos.

I agree with Gris. I was disappointed (though perhaps not *extremely*) with Skyfall. I don't know if Gris agrees, but my main complaint was the plot. It was just ghastly.

I rented The Raven over the weekend on an impulse, couldn't finish it because it was so boring and badly lit and full of scenery chewing that was still boring.

Forced myself to finish today, since I'd paid money for it.

What an excellent premise squandered.

A part of me feels that if I'd been more intimately familiar with Poe's work, I'd have gotten more out of it. But then, if I'd been more familiar, and a fan of, said work, I'd be offended.

Juliebird!

I started watching it too and had to stop. At what point did you stop? I stopped at a particularly gruesome scene involving a swinging rounded axe. I was so out after that.

len, I stopped at so many points, but the pendulum scene I had my eyes covered. That was not the movie that I signed up for, and wasn't even a good barometer for the rest of the movie (which was pretty tame after that). But, I think I got through that (behind my fingers, and that shit went on for way too long) but bailed on the lovey-dovey scene shortly afterwards.

The dialogue was atrocious, every scene was too long, for the first time ever, I cared not a wit for Brendan Gleeson (so wrong!) and what I thought would be some decent eye candy (Luke Evans) was also woefully overwrought in his acting. And I am officially done, it seems, with John Cusack.

Surprisingly, I dug the damsel in distress. When the director wasn't making her do silly stuff like scream unrelentingly, she was quiet and competent for the most part.

But, I only finished it because I might as well know how it ends for my three bucks.