Watching James Bond during the Coronavirus Pandemic

For some stupid goddamn reason I decided today that I would watch all* the James Bond films, in chronological order, and blog about every single one. It just seemed like the thing to do, and then I tweeted about it, so now I'm committed. This is my first post.

A bit of background might be in order, to give dear reader some context into why I'm undertaking this ordeal. I have already seen nearly all of the Bond films, although I don't know if I've seen any of the Dalton or Brosnan ones; they certainly spark no memories. So, for the most part I'm not going into this blindly. You will learn I have a marked preference for the Connery films, but also with a fondness for most of the Craig ones as well. The first Bond I saw in a cinema was probably The Man With the Golden Gun, and so for a brief period, for me, Roger Moore was Bond. That would obviously change once I was able to see the Connery films, which must have played on TV a lot during my youth, since I grew up in a time before home video (meaning VHS tapes) existed.

Another thing to keep in mind as we go through this experience - hopefully together, otherwise, why am I bothering? - is that I read all the Ian Fleming novels, over a fourteen day period one summer when I was in junior high. So my 'readings' of these films will be informed by my knowledge and love of the books.

In addition, while there will likely be a post on every film, the posts shouldn't necessarily be read as film reviews, but more as observational essays on the films by someone who has seen most, loved many, but yet is very aware of much that is problematic of the character James Bond when viewed through the lens of the 2020 world.

Let's get started then.

*By 'all' I mean all the EON productions, although I might take a swing at Never Say Never Again, especially since it starred Connery. But I'm not going to bother with that weird Casino Royale thing with David Niven and Woody Allen.