Guilty Pleasure Confession

Readers, forgive me, for I have chosen to give in to that which we poke fun at.

I was up late the other night and I was watching License to Kill. You know, the second Bond flick with Timothy Dalton? Well, maybe you don't.

Anyway, I was watching and I remembered how TBS used to be the best as every year, they would showcase Bond films in a Bond Marathon. Fifteen days Bond films, with usually three every evening. There would be some overlap, but that was nevermind. Bond, Bond babes, the gadgets, usually a competent villain, and the infrequent decent storyline. Arguably the worst Bond flick (disagree? leave a comment!), A View to a Kill was considered my favorite when I was in fourth grade. Why? Only because it was the newest and had Duran Duran sang the title song. I know now that my taste sucked, but I still watch it to see the rock salt-loaded shotgun. TBS doesn't do the marathons anymore, but it appears that many channels play the Bond films time to time, so I can get my fix.

Who was the best Bond? I think a lot of that depends on when you started watching him. Sean Connery was really good. I grew up with Roger Moore. George Lazenby? A philanderer's dream, but not quite. Timothy Dalton wasn't bad, but came across as a bit too angry at times. Pierce Brosnan was an exceptional actor. Daniel Craig, the new one, played the role extremely well. I see him as a cross between Connery's intensity, but with Brosnan's sophistication. The best sense of humor probably came from Connery. Of course, his was a different time. In the end, I think each represented his movie(s) to the best and as such should be respected as such. I can't imagine anyone else but Dalton spouting off, "I must have scared the living daylights out of her", a cheap plug for the movie. Even when Connery came back for the "unofficial" Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Not my favorite, but eh...

The best Bond girl? All of them. You can't pick anyone over another. Each again, brought something special to her film and...um, forgive me a sec.

Honey Rider. Pussy Galore. Plenty O'Toole. Bambi & Thumper. Holly Goodhead. Bib Dahl. Octopussy. Xenia Onatopp. Wai Lin. Christmas Jones (remember "Christmas only comes once a year"?). Not to be confused with "professional" entertainers or working girls, these handily capable vixens provided a helping hand in more ways than one to the needy Bond.

Okay, I lied. My favorite? Pam Bouvier, played by actress Carey Lowell. You may recognize her from some of the Law and Order episodes. Walking hottness, but again, you probably have your favorites. But for Pam, give me a girl who can pilot any vehicle, handle a gun, con a con-artist televangelist Joe Butcher, and still satisfy Bond.

Yowza.