The James Bond Complex

*This episode was recorded on November 7th, 2021.

Hello, dear listeners!

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. But before looking ahead to 2022 and the highly anticipated 60thanniversary of our favourite film franchise, we’ll spend just a couple more weeks looking back at the undisputed highlight of 2021, No Time to Die. Much like last week when Emery and Jason a delightful roundtable, Matt and Edgar do the same with a new trio of guests.

And what a band of Bond aficionados we’ve offered the mics to. Mike Reyes of Cinema Blend and established “Bond expert”, Bill Koenig of the Spy Command blog and pop culture historian, and Alan J Porter, co-author of The James Bond Lexicon and member of the On Her Majesty’s Secret Podcast fleet of shows.

With so many great minds together in one virtual room, it’s no wonder the breath of topics was wide: absentee guests due to hair salon appointments, doing a Naomi Harris double-bill with Venom 2, aunties betraying their nephews, getting biblical (No no, not that! Just listen to the episode…), CGI body parts, parents beating their Bond villain children, shots of pregnant women in 3D, and NEVER, EVER saying you have all the time in the world to a loved one.

So sit back, relax, and begin 2022 with us with our next to last episode reviewing NTTD, until of course Matt and Edgar do the traditional 2-part 4 hour long scene-by-scene review some time down the road. Obviously.

Please follow:

Alan J. Porter on Twitter at @BondLexicon

Bill Koenig on Twitter at @TheSpyCommand

Mike Reyes on Twitter at @MrControversy83

Thank you to Mike and Cinema Blend for allowing us to use a clip of their press junket interview last fall with the cast and crew of NTTD . 

Hello, ho ho ho, dear listeners!

2021 trickles towards the finish line and, for the first time in the podcast’s near 4-year existence, it was a year during which we witnessed a new Bond movie. It certainly felt great to get one. Regardless of the controversies surrounding “No Time to Die”, from pre-production entanglements, the film’s plot, to real worldwide shaping challenges, it feels safe to say that most fans are breathing a sigh of relief. We now officially have 25 Bond films to talk about.

Speaking of the fans, what better direction for the 2021 Christmas Special than to pass the mic over to them and hear what they have to say about Daniel Craig’s Swann song? This week’s episode features a few listener audio reviews for NTTD. This is but the warm up however, as future weeks will have extended group conversations about the movie, each one with a different pairing of hosts and collection of guests.

As for this week, our friends certainly make several astute comments that have us pause for thought. For instance: Bond jinxing himself with key phrases, getting “the feels” Avenger: Endgame style, knowing the ending before seeing the film the first time, hard hitting journalism questions like “Are you gonna do another Bond???”, the best horror movie never made, and the unanimous consensus: please marry us, Paloma.

So sit back, relax, roast those chestnuts on an open fire with hot cocoa, slurp down a Vesper in one swig, and enjoy the No Time to Die themed 2021 Christmas Special.

Thank you to recurring guests and friends of the show Bill Koenig and Simon Drake, local Montreal friend Mathieu Nadeau aka Matt #2, and first time caller Marcus Petäjä for their NTTD reviews!

Hello dear listeners,

It comes as no surprise that we absolutely love Pierce Brosnan. A terrific actor and personality, we’re always game to discuss one of his films.

Naturally Matt and Edgar are tickled pink to turn on their mics and record an episode about a Brosnan spy film! Yes, that’s right listeners, this week we analyze a spy caper starring Brosnan as an MI6 agent sent on a covert mission to foreign country! Intrigue, action, sex!

Pierce Brosnan stars as Andy Osnard in The Tailor of Panama.

Were you expecting someone else?

If you think spies and liars can weave good yarns, you should tune in to this episode to check out the stuff we have in store: falling asleep on John LeCarré films, keeping scorecards to understand the author’s plots, being more Bond than actual James Bond, demonstrating behaviour that would make you a jerk in any era, the importance of paying money for facts, Jamie Lee Curtis’ personality, and much more.

So sit back, relax, take a swig of tequila, and enjoy the latest of The James Bond Complex in which we review The Thomas Crown Affair! Hold on..

Welcome back to Jamaica! 

With film producer, director and uber James Bond fan Simon Drake, we'll take you through caribbean Island Crab Key. Not only will you get to learn about poisonous caterpillar, giant octopuses and guano production! We discuss fascinating characters such as Honey Ryder, Quarell and of course the title character; the sadistic and lethal Dr. No! 

Hello dear listeners,

We’re certain you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for the epic conclusion of our For Your Eyes Only review. Matt, Jason, and Edgar and saved up all the best, brightest, and most insightful comments for last. After all, Part 2 represents the very last time we record an original review for a Roger Moore film.

We’re extremely proud of this one. How could we not be when we cover such profound topics as: the only Bond woman to leave 007 flaccid, kids cursing out movies, FYEO’s influence on determining Olympic host cities, Mission: Impossible being a bunch of cheap copycats, grounding the Fast and Furious franchise, Jason singing (!), concluding the Victor Tourjansky trilogy, and declaring statements that sound like questions?

So sit back, relax, grab yourself an ice cream and enjoy the latest episode of The James Bond Complex. Brought to you by Seiko Holdings Corporation.

Hello dear listeners,

It seems only fitting that given Sir Roger Moore’s impressively long tenure as James Bond 007, the podcast would take nearly 4 years to discuss every one of his efforts.

That’s right friends, the time has finally arrived to dissect Moore’s 5th outing, 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, the only one of his Bond movies we’ve never reviewed. There is an irony to the fact that FYEO waited last, considering that, by most standards, it’s not a Moore film fans bring up regularly. LALD, TSWLM and even AVTAK generally get mentioned before this slightly more serious entry is considered.

And maybe because Matt, Jason, and Edgar saved it for last is the reason why they have so much to say about it. Topics in Part 1 range from: more of Matt’s singing (no less than 3 times in fact), gender fluid pool side parties, being on a first name basis with Roger, living 2 minutes into the future, the movie that destroys the code name theory, Bond being a time lord, hockey legend Guy Lafleur in a Bond film, a dissertation of Roger Moore as James Bond, and much more.

So sit back, relax, have a place of pasghtetti and enjoy the latest episode of The James Bond Complex. After all, this one’s for your ears only.