No Time To Die Another Day (aka The Beginning Of The End)

It is no secret if you have glanced at some of these posts over the years that my love of movies is quite varied. However, when it comes to a favorite film franchise there is one that stands out above the rest, and that singular series is the heroics of James Bond 007. I became hooked on the superspy when I was in high school.

I had seen Goldeneye in theaters prior to knowing who James Bond was and didn't understand that this movie was a sequel to 16 other movies that had come before it. I simply thought he was a suave, womanizing, hard-drinking secret agent with a plethora of gadgets to help get him in and out of trouble. It wasn't until one day while working at Blockbuster that my co-worker and I decided to put Dr. No in the store-wide TV display VCR on a slow Saturday morning. Despite having to pause two or three times due to customers walking in (because movies were made to be watched in one uninterrupted sitting), I was enthralled. When our shift ended I had promised my co-worker we might continue watching the series another day that our schedules matched up at work, but instead I rented From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice and binge-watched (before that was a thing) all four of them at my house that afternoon and evening. It was at that moment I was hooked.

I spent the next three decades viewing all the movies and documentaries, reading the Ian Fleming-written and continuation novels and short stories the films were based on, collecting items of interest from the film series, and following as much news as I could that would scratch the itch that was 007 related.

I've created lists and rankings of everything I can think of related to the franchise. Some of those lists have made their way to this blog, and have been updated multiple times over the years.

So it was with great shock and ultimate sadness that I learned this morning that Amazon MGM Studios has purchased creative control from the Broccoli family for the rights to produce James Bond content. Nobody knows the details right now of how much influence Barbara Broccoli will still have, but she seems to have lost interest in the property since Daniel Craig stepped down from the role, which has resulted in nothing of substance happening since the release of No Time to Die in 2021.

Those who are excited (or maybe just not as dismayed as the majority) see this as an opportunity to get more James Bond content in a quicker turnaround time. When the films first started coming out in the 1960s, they released one every year. That quickly became one movie every two years, and that was the pattern most of the time through the Pierce Brosnan era of the 1990s and early 2000s. That changed drastically when Daniel Craig took on the role and Barbara Broccoli and her stepbrother, Michael G. Wilson, were in full control.

I personally am not interested in a James Bond universe that has movies, TV shows, theme park attractions, and other media content being cranked out. All I really want is a well-made movie every two years. And this is the mentality of a lot of (if not most) 007 fans. With the takeover by Amazon, many of us fear the intellectual property of James Bond is going to be turned into an algorithm-based franchise that has scripts and ideas churned out by AI with the single goal of diluting the character and stories into something that can reach as many people as possible without really pleasing, or offending, anyone.

While this comparison probably isn't fair or the exact same thing, it is the closest thing we have to what is currently going on, so it is unavoidable. However, what most of us are afraid of is what Disney has done with the Star Wars franchise. Honestly, it has been a mixed bag of what Disney has done with the franchise of light saber-wielding Jedi. On the big screen, they created a new trilogy that started off fun and exciting, but ended up angering the masses. However, they also released Rogue One, which is one of the best films in the entire franchise, and Solo, which is ... fine.

The small screen is where they have had the most success, but also some of the biggest flops. They either nailed it with The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka, or the shows were reviled and the Internet's racist, pitchfork mob mentality really flourished with The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Acolyte. The most recent show, Skeleton Crew, seems to be the only one that hasn't had a visceral reaction from the fanbase so far, but I think the overall consensus is it is fun and enjoyable. There has also been some animated television shows, of which The Bad Batch is the only memorable addition.

Disney has also capitalized on the fantasy world of Jedi, Sith, and the evil Empire in a land far, far away by cashing in on theme park attractions, like Galaxy's Edge and Galactic Starcruiser.

If you look at everything Disney has done with Star Wars objectively, they've had some highs that haven't quite reached the peak of what George Lucas did, and they've had some lows, which have made us take a deep introspection on the prequel trilogy and it turns out they look like masterpieces of cinema compared to what The Acolyte and The Rise of Skywalker did. But the same can be said over the course of 60 years with James Bond. From Russia with Love and Goldfinger were great. So is Casino Royale and Skyfall. However, The Man with the Golden Gun, A View to a Kill, Die Another Day, and Spectre are at the bottom of the barrel for the franchise.

The initial reaction from most of us fans is disbelief that the family business of James Bond is closing down and the big superstore took over. However, that happens with almost every family business, so it isn't really that shocking. I guess what surprised us the most is that after 60 years it is over. We don't know what will be next in the franchise. I'm sure Amazon with make some content that is enjoyable and some that's not so much, but in our hearts and in our minds, we know that it won't be the same. The franchise certainly isn't dead, although I'm sure there are some fans out there that say it is dead to them, but for a lot of us it is a transition that we won't be able to fully embrace.

In The World is not Enough, there was a scene from Desmond Llewelyn as Q that ended up being his final appearance. He told Bond, "I've always tried to teach you two things. First, never let them see you bleed." Bond then asks, "And the second?" Q's reply, "Always have an escape plan."

This might be the escape plan fans needed to gracefully bow out of the franchise they have loved so dearly for more than half a century.

A Personal Movie Hall Of Fame

With the recent announcement of the Academy Award nominees, it has been another disappointing year for movies. I was speaking with some friends the other day about Oscar's Best Picture category in the past when they only had five selections each year. During that time, the category was made up of at least three popular movies that most filmgoers had heard of with one or two artsy films thrown in for good measure. It always resulted in at least two or three other great movies being left off the list and people claiming those films had been shunned by the Academy.

When it was announced the Academy would be expanding that category to allow for up to 10 nominations, it seemed we'd be getting an average of eight or nine movies that were mostly known by the general population, again with two or three avant-garde pictures to appease the critics.

When I was a kid, the film that took home Best Picture was usually a fantastic watch that was enjoyable to the masses and would be remembered for years to come. Was it always the "best picture"? No, not always. But it was usually a great movie that had its fans. You could always make an argument that another great movie that year had been technically better or was better for other aspects. Yet, it was still a movie that had been digested and talked about by film lovers and casual filmgoers alike.

However, take the last decade of nominees and hardly any of the movies can be considered popular. Oppenheimer is definitely the most-liked and most-viewed of any Best Picture winner in the past two decades. But outside of the Christopher Nolan biopic, the other winners (and many of the nominees) have to be considered niche films. Heck, the winner from 2021, CODA, cannot even be viewed unless you have Apple TV, which I do not.

This has led me to wanting to embrace and celebrate the past films of greatness. I guess this won't be much different than the National Film Registry's list of movies, but I plan to induct 10 films initially and then each subsequent year after that I will add five movies to my list of greatness. These are my personal favorites and are a mix of critically acclaimed and nostalgically loved movies.

So without further ado, the initial inductees into the Matt's Pantheon of Greatness is:

The Godfather (1972)

Casablanca (1942)

From Russia with Love (1963)

Citizen Kane (1941)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Back to the Future (1985)

King Kong (1933)

The Great Dictator (1940)

Jaws (1975)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The Wager

I am in the middle of a new book I got for Christmas and it is a very riveting story about a British group of sailors who are shipwrecked, mutiny, and murder one another off the coast of South America. The book is called The Wager and it is written by David Grann, who authored the recent Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon.

Something that really jumped out at me was the description of a captain in the British navy. His position required, "command of temper, integrity of purpose, vigour of mind, and abnegation of self." Abnegation of self means rejection of one's self and tending to the needs of your crew. I think that is a very astounding description of what all people should strive for. If only we could all control our tempers, have the highest commitment to a goal, a healthy mind, and put others before ourselves.

Bond Film Category Rankings

I haven't done an update of my James Bond rankings in several years and with the release of No Time to Die in 2021 I need to get these categories down on paper. Starting this year I began showing the kids all the James Bond movies, watching them from the very beginning with Dr. No and we have gone through the first 19 films so far. I expect we will finish all 25 in early 2024. After watching all the films again I haven't really thought about shuffling these categories again, but this is how I felt about each of the films, music, characters, pre-title sequences, etc. since watching No Time to Die a few times.

Films

25. A View to a Kill

24. The Man with the Golden Gun

23. Diamonds are Forever

22. Moonraker

21. Die Another Day

20. Octopussy

19. Quantum of Solace

18. For Your Eyes Only

17. Spectre

16. Tomorrow Never Dies

15. Thunderball

14. The Spy Who Loved Me

13. You Only Live Twice

12. No Time to Die

11. The World is not Enough

10. Licence to Kill

9. Live and Let Die

8. Dr. No

7. Goldeneye

6. The Living Daylights

5. Skyfall

4. Goldfinger

3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

2. Casino Royale

1. From Russia with Love

Theme Songs

25. Moonraker

24. All Time High (from Octopussy)

23. Licence to Kill

22. For Your Eyes Only

21. Die Another Day

20. Diamonds are Forever

19. Another Way to Die (from Quantum of Solace)

18. Writing’s on the Wall (from Spectre)

17. The Man with the Golden Gun

16. No Time to Die

15. A View to a Kill

14. The Living Daylights

13. Thunderball

12. Tomorrow Never Dies

11. From Russia with Love

10. You Know My Name (from Casino Royale)

9. You Only Live Twice

8. The World is not Enough

7. Skyfall

6. Live and Let Die

5. Goldfinger

4. Goldeneye

3. Nobody Does it Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

1. James Bond Theme (from Dr. No)

Soundtracks

25. Goldeneye

24. The Man with the Golden Gun

23. Spectre

22. Die Another Day

21. No Time to Die

20. For Your Eyes Only

19. Licence to Kill

18. Diamonds are Forever

17. Dr. No

16. Casino Royale

15. Moonraker

14. Octopussy

13. A View to a Kill

12. You Only Live Twice

11. The World is not Enough

10. The Spy Who Loved Me

9. Tomorrow Never Dies

8. Quantum of Solace

7. The Living Daylights

6. Goldfinger

5. Live and Let Die

4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

3. Skyfall

2. Thunderball

1. From Russia with Love

Girls - Beauty

25. Pussy Galore (from Goldfinger)

24. Melina Havelock (from For Your Eyes Only)

23. Domino Derval (from Thunderball)

22. Pam Bouvier (from Licence to Kill)

21. Kissy Suzuki (from You Only Live Twice)

20. Dr. Holly Goodhead (from Moonraker)

19. Natalya Simonova (from Goldeneye)

18. Mary Goodnight (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

17. Wai Lin (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

16. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from No Time to Die)

15. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from Spectre)

14. Vesper Lynd (from Casino Royale)

13. Anya Amasova (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

12. Tiffany Case (from Diamonds are Forever)

11. Kara Milovy (from The Living Daylights)

10. Dr. Christmas Jones (from The World is not Enough)

9. Camille Montes Rivera (from Quantum of Solace)

8. Octopussy (from Octopussy)

7. Jinx (from Die Another Day)

6. Tracy Di Vicenzo (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

5. Severine (from Skyfall)

4. Stacey Sutton (from A View to a Kill)

3. Honey Rider (from Dr. No)

2. Solitaire (from Live and Let Die)

1. Tatiana Romanova (from From Russia with Love)

Girls - Character

25. Stacey Sutton (from A View to a Kill)

24. Dr. Christmas Jones (from The World is not Enough)

23. Tiffany Case (from Diamonds are Forever)

22. Jinx (from Die Another Day)

21. Mary Goodnight (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

20. Kissy Suzuki (from You Only Live Twice)

19. Severine (from Skyfall)

18. Melina Havelock (from For Your Eyes Only)

17. Dr. Holly Goodhead (from Moonraker)

16. Domino Derval (from Thunderball)

15. Kara Milovy (from The Living Daylights)

14. Camille Montes Rivera (from Quantum of Solace)

13. Natalya Simonova (from Goldeneye)

12. Wai Lin (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

11. Solitaire (from Live and Let Die)

10. Anya Amasova (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

9. Octopussy (from Octopussy)

8. Pam Bouvier (from Licence to Kill)

7. Tatiana Romanova (from From Russia with Love)

6. Honey Rider (from Dr. No)

5. Pussy Galore (from Goldfinger)

4. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from Spectre)

3. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from No Time to Die)

2. Vesper Lynd (from Casino Royale)

1. Tracy Di Vicenzo (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

Girls - Overall

25. Melina Havelock (from For Your Eyes Only)

24. Kissy Suzuki (from You Only Live Twice)

23. Domino Derval (from Thunderball)

22. Mary Goodnight (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

21. Dr. Holly Goodhead (from Moonraker)

20. Tiffany Case (from Diamonds are Forever)

19. Dr. Christmas Jones (from The World is not Enough)

18. Natalya Simonova (from Goldeneye)

17. Stacey Sutton (from A View to a Kill)

16. Pam Bouvier (from Licence to Kill)

15. Jinx (from Die Another Day)

14. Pussy Galore (from Goldfinger)

13. Wai Lin (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

12. Kara Milovy (from The Living Daylights)

11. Severine (from Skyfall)

10. Camille Montes Rivera (from Quantum of Solace)

9. Anya Amasova (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

8. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from Spectre)

7. Dr. Madeleine Swann (from No Time to Die)

6. Octopussy (from Octopussy)

5. Vesper Lynd (from Casino Royale)

4. Solitaire (from Live and Let Die)

3. Honey Rider (from Dr. No)

2. Tatiana Romanova (from From Russia with Love)

1. Tracy Di Vicenzo (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

Girls – Films’ Most Attractive

Dr. No – Honey Rider

From Russia with Love – Tatiana Romanova

Goldfinger – Jill Masterson

Thunderball – Fiona Volpe

You Only Live Twice – Kissy Suzuki

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Tracy Di Vicenzo

Diamonds are Forever – Tiffany Case

Live and Let Die – Solitaire

The Man with the Golden Gun – Mary Goodnight

The Spy Who Loved Me – Anya Amasova

Moonraker – Manuela

For Your Eyes Only – Bibi Dahl

Octopussy – Octopussy

A View to a Kill – Jenny Flex

The Living Daylights – Kara Milovy

Licence to Kill – Lupe Lamora

Goldeneye – Xenia Onatopp

Tomorrow Never Dies – Professor Inga Bergstrom

The World is not Enough – Elektra King

Die Another Day – Miranda Frost

Casino Royale – Solange Dimitrios

Quantum of Solace – Camille Montes Rivera

Skyfall – Severine

Spectre – Estrella

No Time to Die – Paloma

Villains

25. Brad Whitaker (from The Living Daylights)

24. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from Diamonds are Forever)

23. Aris Kristatos (from For Your Eyes Only)

22. Gustav Graves (from Die Another Day)

21. Kamal Khan (from Octopussy)

20. Lyutsifer Safin (from No Time to Die)

19. Karl Stromberg (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

18. Elliot Carver (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

17. Max Zorin (from A View to a Kill)

16. Dominic Greene (from Quantum of Solace)

15. Franz Oberhauser (from Spectre)

14. Dr. Kananga (from Live and Let Die)

13. Rosa Klebb (from From Russia with Love)

12. Emilio Largo (from Thunderball)

11. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from You Only Live Twice)

10. Elektra King (The World is not Enough)

9. Franz Sanchez (from Licence to Kill)

8. Le Chiffre (from Casino Royale)

7. Rauol Silva (from Skyfall)

6. Alec Trevelyan (from Goldeneye)

5. Francisco Scaramanga (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

4. Dr. Julius No (from Dr. No)

3. Hugo Drax (from Moonraker)

2. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

1. Auric Goldfinger (from Goldfinger)

Villain Deaths

25. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from Diamonds are Forever)

24. Franz Oberhauser (from Spectre)

23. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from You Only Live Twice)

22. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

21. Gustav Graves (from Die Another Day)

20. Karl Stromberg (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

19. Kamal Khan (from Octopussy)

18. Brad Whitaker (from The Living Daylights)

17. Francisco Scaramanga (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

16. Aris Kristatos (from For Your Eyes Only)

15. Rauol Silva (from Skyfall)

14. Auric Goldfinger (from Goldfinger)

13. Elliot Carver (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

12. Lyutsifer Safin (from No Time to Die)

11. Dr. Kananga (from Live and Let Die)

10. Hugo Drax (from Moonraker)

9. Rosa Klebb (from From Russia with Love)

8. Dr. Julius No (from Dr. No)

7. Le Chiffre (from Casino Royale)

6. Emilio Largo (from Thunderball)

5. Dominic Greene (from Quantum of Solace)

4. Alec Trevelyan (from Goldeneye)

3. Franz Sanchez (from Licence to Kill)

2. Elektra King (The World is not Enough)

1. Max Zorin (from A View to a Kill)

Henchmen

25. Professor Dent (from Dr. No)

24. Elvis (from Quantum of Solace)

23. Gobinda (from Octopussy)

22. Alex Dimitrios (from Casino Royale)

21. Primo (Cyclops) (from No Time to Die)

20. Emile Leopold Locque (from For Your Eyes Only)

19. Jaws (from Moonraker)

18. Helga Brandt (from You Only Live Twice)

17. Patrice (from Skyfall)

16. Stamper (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

15. Necros (from The Living Daylights)

14. Nick Nack (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

13. Zao (from Die Another Day)

12. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (from Diamonds are Forever)

11. Mayday (from A View to a Kill)

10. Renard (from The World is not Enough)

9. Irma Bunt (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

8. Dario (from Licence to Kill)

7. Mr. Hinx (from Spectre)

6. Tee-Hee (from Live and Let Die)

5. Xenia Onatopp (from Goldeneye)

4. Jaws (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

3. Fiona Volpe (from Thunderball)

2. Donald "Red" Grant (from From Russia with Love)

1. Oddjob (from Goldfinger)

Allies

25. Sheikh Hosein (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

24. Estrella (from Spectre)

23. Felix Leiter (from Diamonds are Forever)

22. Felix Leiter (from Goldfinger)

21. Saunders (from The Living Daylights)

20. Jack Wade (from Tomorrow Never Dies)

19. Lieutenant Hip (from The Man with the Golden Gun)

18. Luigi Ferrara (from For Your Eyes Only)

17. Felix Leiter (from Live and Let Die)

16. Manuela (from Moonraker)

15. Kincade (from Skyfall)

14. Vijay (from Octopussy)

13. Sir Godfrey Tibbett (from A View to a Kill)

12. Raoul (from Die Another Day)

11. Rene Mathis (from Quantum of Solace)

10. Jack Wade (from Goldeneye)

9. Felix Leiter (from Thunderball)

8. Nomi (from No Time to Die)

7. Q (from Licence to Kill)

6. Quarrel (from Dr. No)

5. Marc-Ange Draco (from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)

4. Tiger Tanaka (from You Only Live Twice)

3. Valentin Dimitrovich Zukovsky (from The World is not Enough)

2. Rene Mathis (from Casino Royale)

1. Kerim Bey (from From Russia with Love)

Title Sequences

25. Licence to Kill

24. Moonraker

23. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

22. Octopussy

21. The Living Daylights

20. The Man with the Golden Gun

19. Quantum of Solace

18. You Only Live Twice

17. Spectre

16. Diamonds are Forever

15. Skyfall

14. No Time to Die

13. Dr. No

12. Tomorrow Never Dies

11. A View to a Kill

10. Die Another Day

9. Goldfinger

8. Goldeneye

7. For Your Eyes Only

6. The World is not Enough

5. Casino Royale

4. Live and Let Die

3. The Spy Who Loved Me

2. From Russia with Love

1. Thunderball

Pre-title Sequence

25. Dr. No (none)

24. Live and Let Die

23. For Your Eyes Only

22. Diamonds are Forever

21. The Man with the Golden Gun

20. You Only Live Twice

19. A View to a Kill

18. Licence to Kill

17. Moonraker

16. Die Another Day

15. Octopussy

14. Skyfall

13. Tomorrow Never Dies

12. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

11. No Time to Die

10. Casino Royale

9. From Russia with Love

8. Thunderball

7. The World is not Enough

6. Quantum of Solace

5. Goldfinger

4. Goldeneye

3. The Spy Who Loved Me

2. The Living Daylights

1. Spectre

Gun Barrel Sequence

25. Goldeneye

24. Quantum of Solace

23. Die Another Day

22. Octopussy

21. From Russia with Love

20. Moonraker

19. Goldfinger

18. The Spy who Loved Me

17. Spectre

16. Skyfall

15. Licence to Kill

14. The Man with the Golden Gun

13. A View to a Kill

12. Diamonds are Forever

11. Tomorrow Never Dies

10. For Your Eyes Only

9. You Only Live Twice

8. No Time to Die

7. Casino Royale

6. The World is not Enough

5. The Living Daylights

4. Live and Let Die

3. Thunderball

2. Dr. No

1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Favorite Scene

Dr. No – dinner with Dr. No

From Russia with Love – train fight

Goldfinger – laser torture

Thunderball – jet pack escape

You Only Live Twice – meeting Blofeld

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – ski escape from Piz Gloria

Diamonds are Forever – Las Vegas car chase

Live and Let Die – bus chase

The Man with the Golden Gun – bridge jump

The Spy Who Loved Me – ski jump

Moonraker – fight with Chang in glass museum

For Your Eyes Only – Bond climbing St. Cyrios

Octopussy – Mischka and Grischka chase 009

A View to a Kill – Golden Gate Bridge fight

The Living Daylights – Gibraltar exercise

Licence to Kill – skiing behind airplane

Goldeneye – tank chase

Tomorrow Never Dies – skyscraper banner jump

The World is not Enough – boat chase on the Thames

Die Another Day – sword fight

Casino Royale – free-running chase

Quantum of Solace – pre-title car chase

Skyfall – Patrice gunfight in Shanghai

Spectre – pre-title longshot and helicopter battle

No Time to Die – Bond tells Madeleine she has “all the time in the world.”

Actors

6. George Lazenby

5. Roger Moore

4. Pierce Brosnan

3. Timothy Dalton

2. Daniel Craig

1. Sean Connery

Ian Fleming Novels

14. Diamonds are Forever

13. Live and Let Die

12. You Only Live Twice

11. The Spy Who Loved Me

10. The Man with the Golden Gun

9. Octopussy and The Living Daylights

8. Thunderball

7. Moonraker

6. Dr. No

5. Goldfinger

4. For Your Eyes Only

3. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

2. From Russia, with Love

1. Casino Royale

John Gardner Novels

14. The Man from Barbarossa

13. Death is Forever

12. For Special Services

11. Win, Lose, or Die

10. Brokenclaw

9. Scorpius

8. Cold Fall

7. License Renewed

6. Seafire

5. Role of Honor

4. Nobody Lives Forever

3. Never Send Flowers

2. Icebreaker

1. No Deals, Mr. Bond

Raymond Benson Novels

6. Never Dream of Dying

5. DoubleShot

4. The Man with the Red Tattoo

3. High Time to Kill

2. The Facts of Death

1. Zero Minus Ten

Anthony Horowitz Novels

3. With a Mind to Kill

2. Forever and a Day

1. Trigger Mortis

One-Off Continuation Novels

5. Double or Nothing – Kim Sherwood

4. Solo – William Boyd

3. Devil May Cry – Sebastian Faulks

2. Carte Blanche – Jeffery Deaver

1. Colonel Sun – Kingsley Amis

Pointless Rant Of The Day

There is a new trend for drive-thru restaurants to send vehicles to designated parking spots if the food isn't prepared and ready to serve after paying at the first window. I understand it is to keep the line moving and keep the drive-thru lanes short so people think it will be quick and easy to get food at their establishment.

However, it is really obnoxious when I then get bamboozled into waiting at the parking spot for an extra four minutes because you don't want your line to get long. I already don't like the two lanes that merge into one that restaurants have adopted, and this is the latest annoyance about the fast-food dining experience.

If I didn't like sitting in my car to eat and listening to a podcast I might stop partaking in these types of dining establishments, but unfortunately I'm old and stuck in my ways. So instead I am just going to put up with it and be bothered by the world around me.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Rankings

Last night while driving to baseball practice with the boys, Jack and I got into a debate about Earth-level threats in the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In his mind he thinks every movie was a world-destroying threat (with several of his arguments going to, "What if you gave Hitler that weapon? He would have destroyed the world."). We never landed on how many of the 29 films were actually deemed world-threatening, but it did get me in the mood to rank them in order of my least to most favorite.

Iron Man 2

Thor: The Dark World

Eternals

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 3

Black Widow

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Thor: Love and Thunder

Captain Marvel

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Captain America: The First Avenger

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Thor

Doctor Strange

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The Avengers

Ant-Man

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Avengers: Endgame

Thor: Ragnarok

Iron Man

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: Civil War

Guardians of the Galaxy

Spider-Man: No Way Home

25 Days of Bond (Day 25)

Well, it has been a little more than one day since my last post in this series on the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die. If you have seen the movie, I think you may know why it took this long to post something about the movie. If you haven't watched it yet, I recommend you stop reading here and find a streaming service or the nearest Best Buy that will sell you a copy so you can view and make your life whole.

At this point I have given the spoiler warning and can go into my official review of No Time to Die.

1. This is hands down the most emotional Bond film since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The ending of Casino Royale is certainly poignant, but from start to finish the latest entry in the series will emotionally wreck you.

2. I like a pre-title sequence to be its own stand-alone adventure like the early films did, but boy is this one exciting. It is a little long and combines two story elements, which I normally don't like as I want it to be a few minutes long with Bond working on some unrelated mission, but the action and intensity in both plotlines is amazing.

3. The reference to Dr. No with the dots in the title sequence was a great touch and isn't an Easter egg that feels forced. True fans get it. Others probably don't even notice them.

4. From day one I have said that Billie Eilish's lyrics were the best of the entire series. They let the listener know exactly what the mood of the film is going to be and sum up Daniel Craig's entire time in the series. I'm not a huge fan of the song as I don't care for the seeming laziness in the vocals, but the lyrics themselves are a real highlight.

5. I'm not the only one to say this as she was a big hit for a lot of moviegoers, but Ana de Armas' character, Paloma, was outstanding. I really wish we had gotten more than just the Cuba sequence with her, but the time we do spend with her is excellent.

6. Welcome back Felix! And no, they killed Felix! This was the second moment that had me really worried in the movie (the first being when Bond says, "We have all the time in the world" during the pre-title sequence, which I then know was a sign of death for somebody). I have loved Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter. I really struggle in each viewing with this scene because it is hard to see him killed off. Maiming Felix is normal as it has happened in the books and films, but death was not an expected outcome. In my first watch I think my mouth was agape for about 7 minutes straight as I didn't know how to process it.

7. I've never been a fan of the MI6 crew being the Scooby gang during Craig's tenure. I like them making brief appearances and helping where they need to, but the last three movies have overutilized M, Moneypenny, Q, and Tanner. However, with that being said, the folks playing these characters are incredible actors and give phenomenal performances. When Ralph Fiennes came on board as the new M and had that final scene in Skyfall I went crazy because it was alluding to the type of relationship Sean Connery had with Bernard Lee. This ended up being a little more adversarial than I thought it would be, but it was still a great iteration of the character. Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris were excellent in their roles of Q and Moneypenny. We haven't seen much of Bill Tanner previously (with the exception of Pierce Brosnan's tenure and a no-named appearance in For Your Eyes Only), but Rory Kinnear's realization of the character has been the best so far in the series.

8. The reveal that Bond had a kid was ... interesting. Even after a year I am still on the fence about whether it was a good idea or not. However, that kid is freaking cute!

9. So let's talk about the elephant in the room. They killed off our hero. For nearly 60 years James Bond has gone to the brink of death saving the world. Audiences knew what they were going to get when they went to see the latest James Bond adventure: girls, guns, action, cars, gadgets, and James Bond living at the end to have one last bit of romantic time (normally in a sea transport of some kind). This one didn't live up to that expectation. Like the introduction of the child, killing off Bond is not something I thought would ever happen and I'm not sure how I feel about it. However, the music that goes along with that scene is some of the best in the entire series. I love John Barry's music, but what Hans Zimmer did to pull on my unemotional heart strings was a thing of beauty.