BOND MONTH: Best/Worst Bond Girls

Now we come to probably the most popular topic of discussion when talking about the Bond movies; the Bond girls. Who were the best leading ladies that graced the screen alongside the likes of Sean Connery and Daniel Craig? We'll get to those later, but first let's get the worst Bond girls out of the way. Going a bit shorter than before with only a Top 4 of the worst Bond girls in franchise history.

 



4. Jinx (Halle Berry) (Die Another Day)



 



For the record, I do think Halle Berry is a very good actress when given the right material. Can't say she really fits for a Bond movie, though. To simply put it, she uses a 'your mama' comeback in the film. Yes, a 'Your Mama' joke in a James Bond movie. Need I say more?

3. Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland) (The Man with the Golden Gun)

 



So you take one of Bond's secretaries from the Ian Fleming novels and reduce her to being a damsel in distress and give her nothing to do except go around in a bikini? That's what they did in this film and you can see how bad of an idea this was.

2. Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) (The World is Not Enough)

 



A Bond girl who has certainly graced many of the 'worst Bond girls' list, usually named the worst Bond girl of all time. But, I don't think she was that bad. Compared to the next Bond girl on this list, she at least helped Bond occasionally although that's still not saying much. Really, this was just a case of miscasting.

1. Stacey Sutton (Tanya Roberts) (A View to a Kill)

 



Compared to Jones, Sutton was just a straight-up damsel in distress. I literally can't remember if she ever helped Bond once throughout the entire movie. She was just there to be saved by him all the time. Should I also mention that at the time this came out, Roger Moore was even older than Roberts' mother at this point? Moore was already too old to begin with, but that alone should have been a clear warning sign for the filmmakers at this point.

And now, the Top 5 Best Bond Girls of all time...

5. Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) (Goldfinger)

 



Probably the most famous Bond girl ever, and easily the one who has attracted the most controversy solely because of her name. Her name was almost changed just because the filmmakers were concerned about the censors. Still, even with that ridiculous name, she was one of the classiest Bond girls to have ever graced the screen alongside 007.

4. Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) (Tomorrow Never Dies)

 



While she wasn't the first Bond Girl to do so, Yeoh's Wai Lin is one of the few Bond girls who can rival Bond as a secret agent. In fact, Wai Lin might even be Bond's superior. She doesn't even really need 007 because she is very much capable of taking care of herself.

3. Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) (The Spy who Loved Me)

 



Like Wai Lin, Agent XXX is in every way Bond's equal. What makes her superior to Wai Lin is her own revenge storyline when she learns that Bond had killed her lover (during the opening sequence of the film), which creates some great romantic tension between them. Of course, like any great Bond girl, Bach has terrific chemistry with the leading Bond of the film, in this case Roger Moore.

2. Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) (Casino Royale)

 



Vesper is one of two Bond girls who ever stole the heart of '007', and probably the most complex Bond girl to date. When it is discovered that she betrayed him, it not only destroys Bond on a mental level, it drives him throughout 'Quantum of Solace' because he did truly love her. On top of that, Green has fantastic chemistry with Craig.

1. Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

 



It takes a special girl to not only be the love interest of Bond in a Bond movie, but to also be the only one he ever popped the question to. That honor belongs to Diana Rigg's Tracy, and while it's sadly true that their relationship ends on a tragic note, the film took its time to build up their relationship just to break our hearts when it ends. That final scene is not only the saddest moment in any Bond film, but one of the saddest moments ever put on film.

NEXT UP: MY TOP 5 WORST BOND FILMS OF ALL TIME

BOND MONTH: Best/Worst Opening Sequences

Whether or not they ultimately connect to the overall plot of the movie or not, you can't go wrong with a great pre-credit sequence. The James Bond franchise has had some exceptional opening sequences over the year, and we're going to honor them today. But first, let's get the worst ones out of the way.

5.Live and Let Die

I'll give this one credit for the fairly serious mood it creates right off of the bat with the deaths of three British agents back to back, but this is one opening sequence that doesn't really stick out. I really can't explain why.

4. You Only Live Twice

Another rather forgettable opener, despite finishing with James Bond's supposed death.

3. Diamonds are Forever:

The last Bond movie to star Sean Connery (for EON, specifically) is a film with an opener that could have worked really well. It follows Bond as he hunts down Blofeld before sending him to his supposed death in a pool of super-hot mud. The reason why this sequence had so much potential to it is because it could serve as Bond getting revenge on Blofeld for the death of his wife Tracy from the previous movie, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. However, the reason why it doesn't work is because Sean Connery is back in the role as Bond and it's just not the same without George Lazenby in the role.

2. For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only opens up with an excellent reference to 'OHMSS' as Bond visits his wife Tracy's grave to pay his respects. Then, he enters a helicopter which is controlled by a mysterious man in a wheelchair stroking a white cat. Of course, this is meant to be Blofeld, even though he is not officially listed as Blofeld due to legal reasons. I'm okay with that, and I can even ignore that, like 'DaF', this is a different Bond than George Lazenby (in this case, Roger Moore). The main problem I have with this sequence is when the scene concludes with Blofeld being dropped down a chimney stack by Bond. Talk about the worst way to kill off the best Bond villain of all time, especially the one who had a key role in Tracy's death.

1. A View to a Kill

Ski chases may be common in Bond movies, but this one is pretty weak. First of all, we get our first warning that at this point, Moore is too old to play the role of Bond anymore. It's pretty clear that his stunt double is the one doing all of the work here. But most importantly, why did the filmmakers decide to go with the Beach Boys' 'California Girls' for the music? This is easily the most out of place music in any Bond film by far.

Now that we got the worst openers out of the way, here are the best Bond Opening Sequences of all time...

5. From Russia With Love

The first thing that this opening sequence does great is establish Robert Shaw's Red Grant as a truly intimidating foe for Bond. The two go through a hedge-maze trying to kill one another until Grant ultimately succeeds. But before you start to fear that Bond is truly dead, it was only a test for Grant to prove himself to his superiors. A truly suspenseful opening and an excellent way to start off the film.

4. Skyfall

What a superb way to bring back Bond after a four year hiatus. This opening sequence has some really terrific action sequences as Bond and field agent Eve track down mercenary Patrice to attempt to recover a stolen list of undercover agents. It concludes with probably the best of Bond's 'supposed deaths' when M orders Eve to shoot Patrice, but she shoots Bond by mistake. Of course we know he's not really dead, but this one probably had the most impact compared to 'You Only Live Twice' or even 'From Russia With Love'.

3. The Spy Who Loved Me

We all remember the finale of this great opening sequence where Bond jumps off a cliff after escaping his pursuers on skis and then opens up his Union Jack parachute. When it comes to some of the most iconic moments in franchise history, the final shot of this scene is one of them but of course the sequence itself is top of the line.

2. Goldfinger

My friend Augie put it best, this one is just plain classic. Three words, 'shocking... positively shocking'.

1. Casino Royale

So if Skyfall's opening helped get Bond back on track after a four-year absence, Casino Royale was an exceptional start to Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond with its black-and-white opening sequence where Bond earns his '00 agent' status by killing a traitorous MI6 chief and his contact. It perfectly establishes the Bond that Craig portrays, and immediately sucks you in for the rest of the movie that comes after. That is why it is the best opening sequence to any Bond film ever made.

NEXT UP: THE BEST OF BOND'S ALLIES (M, Q, Monnypenny, etc...)