The 5 Best James Bond Movies Ever

James Bond is one of the best characters in cinematic history and has been apart of some of the best action movies ever made. He also is one of the most well known and most quoted character ever from tirivial details from the way he says his name to the way he orders his vesper martini. With Skyfall being the 23 Bond film ever made, I have compiled a list of my favorite Bond movies. Seeing a I wasn’t born until the Brosnan era, my bias for the newer movies is clear. Given the promise showed by its trailer, I believe Skyfall will also be on this list come Friday

#5 You Only Live Twice

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as YOLO, but You Only Live Twice was an exciting Bond film that even served much of the inspiration for the Austin Powers franchise. Bond fakes his own death before going to Tokyo to investigate the hijacking of an American spacecraft. Blofeld, the main antagonist, appeared in six in several James Bond movies and has a baldhead, scar along his face, and a cat. Does Dr. Evil ring a bell? It also marked the temporary retirement of Sean Connery from the role, before later coming back for two more films. 

 #4 Dr. No

Dr. No was the very first bond film ever made, setting the precedent for the rest of James Bond movies to come. Sean Connery was suave, sophisticated, and lethal in his first installment as the super spy. The movie included a great villain, in the titular Dr. Julian No and a beautiful Bond girl in Honey Ryder. Director Terence Young injected as much humor as he could into the script, making scenes including murder and sex much less offensive and every Bond film has followed suit since. 

 #3 Goldfinger

The third Bond movie ever made, Goldfinger was a major financial and critical success. Including a Bond girl named “Pussy Galore” and the infamous Oddjob, whose height was a critical asset in the Goldeneye video game, Goldfinger was the movie that introduced his famous use of gadgets as well as the infamous “shaken, not stirred” martini line. Bond also manages to escape death from lasers, Oddjob, and plane crashers all why stopping Goldfinger from stealing gold from Fort Knox. 

 #2 Goldeneye

Goldenyeye has everything a bond fan could ever want; intense action scenes, two beautiful women, and one excellent villain. Alec Trevelyan is one of the best bonds villains ever. Being ex MI6, he is Bond’s match is physicality and fighting and in the end, it’s Bond’s tenacity that propels him to victory. It was also the first time Pierce Brosnan played Bond, doing an excellent job and setting the tone for the next four films. Lastly, the opening scene where Brosnan rides a motorcycle off a cliff to skydive into a falling plane has to be one of the coolest cinematic scenes ever. It also spawned the best N64 game ever.

 #1 Casino Royale

The origin story fans deserved, Casino Royale showed a side of James Bond viewers have never seen. Not only was Bond making rookie mistakes on chases, but he was shown to vulnerable for the first time. He was ready to leave his life as a spy for one of love with Vesper and for a time being was everything bond was supposed to be not. From the very opening scene, the movie sets a serious tone and Daniel Craig shows that he means business as bond. He also packed on tons of muscle and choreographed fight scenes well for some of the most realistic fighting scenes across the entire series. 

The Best James Bonds: Ranking the Actors who played the Iconic Hero

James Bond is one of the longest living and adored characters in cinematic history. With the first movie coming out in 1962, Skyfall marks the 50^th anniversary of the world class British spy. Daniel Craig marks the sixth actor to play Bond and although his casting was panned, his performance was widely praised. In honor of Skyfall  coming out this week, I have ranked my favorite James Bonds of all time from worst to best. 

#6 George Lazenby

With only one film as Bond under his belt, Lazenby is the least popular and well-known Bond. He won the role due to his performance in a screen-test fight scene. In his only film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, he had tensions with the director and Connery was eventually lured back to the role. 

#5 Timothy Dalton

Dalton was only cast as Bond only due to Pierce Brosnan’s lack of availability. Dalton did a great job in his first installment, The Living Daylights, which was both a critical and financial success. However, his follow up, License to Kill, was exceptionally lackluster and he rendered easily replaceable.

#4 Roger Moore

With 7 films under his belt, Moore is tied for the most Bond films of all time. A suave ladies Man, Moore is often remembered for his sexual exploits than his fighting style. He was a bit soft compared to some of his predecessors and successors, making him fourth in this list. 

 #3 Pierce Brosnan

Bronsnan averaged the most kills per film making him the most lethal Bond of them all. With four films under his belt, Brosnan was impeccably suave, sophisticated, charming and daring, establishing himself as an immediate fan favorite. The only blemish on his career was the poorly done Die Another Die, which lead the franchise to decide to go in a new route. 

#2 Daniel Craig

Although he is still new, Craig’s first two performances as bond were stellar and Skyfall could make him number one on this list. Craig is intense, ripped, and incredibly believable as the world class spy who manages to fight and survive every encounter he faces. By far the most believable fighter and spy, Craig was the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA (the British equivalent to the Academy Awards) for playing bond. 

#1 Sean Connery

Having created the legend, the man is James Bond. Tall, dark, handsome, charming and suave, he created one of the most envied men in all of cinema history. Connery also had the broad build of a fighter, as he was an amateur bodybuilder who even competed in the Mr. Universe contest.  His portrayal received the blessing from Ian Fleming himself and is one of the reasons the legend of James Bond has lived on for 50 years. 

Trailer of the Week: Gangster Squad

Gangster Squad is this week's trailer of the week, showing an incredible story with great promise. Based on a true story, Gangster Squad follows the story of  Los Angeles cops going deep undercover to save the city from Mickey Cohen and an influx of eastern criminals. Starring Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen, and Josh Brolin and and Ryan Gosling as the leaders of the squad, this movie is star packed. The movie was pushed backed from a September release date due to re-shoots caused by the Aurora theater shooting. However, the newly edited trailer is epic, showing an epic shootout in Chinatown as well as a love triangle between Penn, Gosling and the red hot Emma Stone.  With Michael Peña and Nick Nolte rounding out the cast, Gangster Squad will surely be the best movie out this January.

Link to Gangster Squad Trailer

The Top 5 Movie Villians of All-Time

Villains are often the best character in any movie. They’re scary, threatening, and often leave us with nightmares for weeks. They lack a sense of morality, leading them to bend and break the rules, creating some of the most interesting scenes in history. Sometimes you can’t help but root for them, but as people want good to prevail, they are destined to lose. In honor of Halloween, I have compiled a list of my top 5 villains of all-time.

5) The Terminator, The Terminator

The terminator is a ridiculously scary killing machine that has not been programmed to understand the meaning of the word, “stop.” Arnold Schwarzengger is great as the titular killing machine. He’s got the imposing body as well as robotic body language and he seems to be an insurmountable threat. I know if a robot or human that’s 6’2” and 240 pounds comes at me, I’m getting out of the way. 

4) Hannibal Lector, The Silence of the Lambs

Anthony Hopkins stars as the incredibly eerie and creepy Dr. Lector. Hopkins does actually not have that much time in the film, but his presence is felt in every second he’s on screen. He went on to win an Oscar for his performance, was knighted by Queen of England, and became one of Hollywood’s creepiest actors of all time.

3) Hans Landa, Inglorious Basterds

Christoph Waltz went from unknown to a household name over night with his take as Hans Landa. In a movie filled with ridiculous scenes and dialogue, Waltz steals the show with a brilliant performance, seeming to truly enjoy hunting jewish people. You never once question his motives nor his passion for his job. He was rewarded with an Academy Award for his role and pretty much a spot in any future Quentin Tarrantino movie. 

2) Darth Vader, Star Wars IV-VI

Possibly the most intimated voice in cinematic history, Darth Vader is one of the greatest villains of all-time. Incredibly powerful and ruthless, Darth Vader commands the screen compared to the much smaller Luke Skywalker. Although his legacy was slightly tainted by poor performances  by Hayden Christensen and Jake Lloyd in the prequels, Darth Vader will forever be remembered for striking fear into the hearts of Star Wars geeks everywhere. Disney just bought Lucas Films yesterday and has green-lit Star Wars 7. I'm hoping, as are many, that Darth Vader and the Star Wars legacy is not further tarnished.

1) The Joker, The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker was truly extraordinary. Ledger went to great lengths that most actors never do, locking himself in a hotel room for weeks developing the voice and walk of the character. Most people are unaware that Ledger helped create the character and design the make up. The Joker was his creation and he gave quite an unforgettable performance. It surprised no one that he won the Oscar for best supporting actor, despite being part of a comic book movie. His legacy will forever be remembered. 

Honorable Mention: Bane, The Dark Knight Rises

I may be a bit biased towards Batman, but it's because the movies were so well done. Menacing and powerful, Tom Hardy is electrifying as bane. Throughout the film, his physical prowess and fighting ability is tremendous. Although Hardy is small in stature, he made Bane appear to be a giant through an incredible use of body language. Batman’s physical strength is clearly no match for Bane, but his mental strength allows him to persevere.

New Wolverine Poster Released

The poster for The Wolverine was released yesterday, exciting comic-book geeks everywhere. It's simple, showing the outline of Hugh Jackman with his claws out with a Japanese motif. The Wolverine is expected to take place after X-Men: The Last Stand and follows Hugh Jackman all the way to Japan, where he is suggested to train with a samurai warrior. Still, several months away, this poster has begun the hype for what should be the best Wolverine installment yet.

The Top 5 Fitness Inspiring Movies of All-time (for men)

Everybody likes a buff guy. Or at least Hollywood seems to think so. In almost every single action movie and even some non-action movies, viewers are shown a buff guy to swoon over. Their thought process is simple; men want to be that guy and women want to be with that guy. As a fitness buff myself (pun intended), I do not mind seeing the muscley hero and often find it inspiring. On more than one occasion, I have left the movie theater to go to the gym immediately after. Thus, to perhaps help other fitness minded people, I have complied a list of the top 5 fitness-inspiring movies of all time.

5) Pumping Iron

Pumping Iron is the bodybuilding documentary that made Muscle beach and Arnold Schwarzenneger a household name. It helped sparked a fitness revolution in the 70’s and 80’s causing many people to start lifting weights. Throughout the films entirety, viewers are shown the hard training bodybuilders do and lifestyle they live. Often glamorized, a viewer can’t help but feel compelled to workout. However, Pumping Iron does do a serious disservice by not mentioning the use of steroids.

4) Rocky 3

Sylvester Stallone was not out of shape in the first two Rocky films, but he wasn’t exactly ripped either. Perhaps Stallone was tired of all the recognition Arnold was getting for his body and it inspired him to get in shape and he definitely did. Stallone is ripped to shreds in Rocky 3, causing envy amongst many male viewers and likely an increase in gym memberships.

3) Any Mark Wahlberg Movie.

From Boogie Nights to The Fighter, Wahlberg is ripped! Known for not wearing a shirt, Wahlberg was made famous as a Calvin Klein underwear model and he kept his good physique through hard training over the years. Look out for Pain and Gain next year, as Walhberg put in 40 pounds to play a body builder and is his biggest size ever.

2) Any Matthew McConaughey Movie

Born with great genetics and an aversion to clothing, McConaughey is shirtless in just about every movie he has ever made. Even at age 42, he trained hard for Magic Mike and was in the best shape of any actor in the movie. Sadly, the Texas-born actor has lost 30 pounds for a role as an aids victim and his body may never be the same again.

1) 300

This one is no surprise. Most of the male actors do not wear any shirts in this movie and almost all of them are exceptionally toned. Although rumors of steroids and digital color shading were brought up, no one can deny how ripped Gerard Butler is in this movie. Training immensely hard for eight months, he created one of the most physically envied movies ever to exist.They even created a workout off the movie, where you complete 300 repetitions of various exercises to target your whole body. Be aware, it's not easy.

Christian Bale Body Transformations

Actors often undergo huge body changes to fit a role. Whether its bulking up to play a super hero or slimming down to play a drug addict, the changes are often immensely difficult and drastic. Christian Bale has done both. The Welsh actor is notorious for changing his body roles, made infamous by his jaw-dropping performance in The Machinist, where he lost 60 pounds (1/3 of his body weight). Bale then immediately put on slabs of muscle to play the caped crusader in Batman Begins. Instead of staying built for the Batman sequels, he had to lose weight for roles in between each film, essentially erasing all the progress he made. Sure, his changes are probably easier for him to do with Hollywood personal trainers, but an exceptional discipline is definitely required. The photo below shows all of his transformations in the past twelve years and with The Fighter 2 expected to happen, Bale's transformations are far from over as he will likely have to slim down once again.

A method actor, Bale has become a physical chameleon fitting into the desired shape each role commands.