The Story: A New York cop is unwillingly recruited as an assassin for a top-secret government agency, Cure. Re-christened Remo Williams (Fred Ward), he’s sent on the trail of an unscrupulous weapons dealer, but first must survive his training with Chiun (Joel Grey) master of Sinanju.
The Players: Starring: Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Kate Mulgrew & Wilford Brimley. Music by Craig Safan. Directed by Guy Hamilton.
The History: The Adventure Begins…and ends, with this, the lone big-screen adventure of Remo Williams, the veteran of well over a hundred pulp novels (published as “The Destroyer” series – written by Warren Murphy & Richard Sapir). This was an attempt by Dick Clark (of all people) and the then-fledgling Orion Pictures to launch their own James Bond-style series of adventures. While people may laugh at the attempt now, they definitely had reason to think this could work, with the brain trust at Orion the...
The Players: Starring: Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Kate Mulgrew & Wilford Brimley. Music by Craig Safan. Directed by Guy Hamilton.
The History: The Adventure Begins…and ends, with this, the lone big-screen adventure of Remo Williams, the veteran of well over a hundred pulp novels (published as “The Destroyer” series – written by Warren Murphy & Richard Sapir). This was an attempt by Dick Clark (of all people) and the then-fledgling Orion Pictures to launch their own James Bond-style series of adventures. While people may laugh at the attempt now, they definitely had reason to think this could work, with the brain trust at Orion the...
- 3/23/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
For a long time, "Moonraker" was considered by many hardcore James Bond fans as the nadir of the franchise. Based on the third novel in Ian Fleming's 007 series, the film was rushed into production to take advantage of the blockbuster sci-fi craze kicked off by George Lucas' "Star Wars" and Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Like most adaptations of Fleming's work pre-2006's "Casino Royale," the film was a goofy, gadget-laden departure from Fleming's grittier, more grounded books. But for some, "Moonraker" went several steps too far.
From the cheeky references to the aforementioned '70s smashes (particularly punching in a door code with the five-note "Close Encounters" theme) to the laser-gun battle on Hugo Drax's space station, "Moonraker" played like self-parody. And to a degree, it is. But now that we've seen the series successfully course-correct several times over the next four decades,...
From the cheeky references to the aforementioned '70s smashes (particularly punching in a door code with the five-note "Close Encounters" theme) to the laser-gun battle on Hugo Drax's space station, "Moonraker" played like self-parody. And to a degree, it is. But now that we've seen the series successfully course-correct several times over the next four decades,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Beijing, May 22 (Ians) In a tit-for-tat move against the US, China has banned the sale of US-based Micron Technology’s chips in the country, citing “national security risks”, the media reported on Monday.
The Chinese government said that Micro products will be banned for sale to the country’s key information infrastructure, as the US continues to tighten control on China-based tech companies, reports South China Morning Post.
The US Commerce Department replied to the ban, saying it “firmly opposes restrictions that have no basis in fact”.
“We will engage directly with Prc (People’s Republic of China) authorities to detail our position and clarify their action,” the department said in a statement
“We also will engage with key allies and partners to ensure we are closely coordinated to address distortions of the memory chip market caused by China’s actions,” the US Commerce Department added.
The decision came after Chinese...
The Chinese government said that Micro products will be banned for sale to the country’s key information infrastructure, as the US continues to tighten control on China-based tech companies, reports South China Morning Post.
The US Commerce Department replied to the ban, saying it “firmly opposes restrictions that have no basis in fact”.
“We will engage directly with Prc (People’s Republic of China) authorities to detail our position and clarify their action,” the department said in a statement
“We also will engage with key allies and partners to ensure we are closely coordinated to address distortions of the memory chip market caused by China’s actions,” the US Commerce Department added.
The decision came after Chinese...
- 5/22/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
It’s been nearly forty years since the tenth installment in the James Bond franchise, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” graced movie theatres everywhere, with its nefarious World War III apocalypse schemes and car-to-submarine Lotus Esprits. “The Making of the Spy Who Loved Me,” originally made for BBC Open University, packs over three hours’ worth of interviews, behind the scenes footage and sequences from the original film into a remarkable look into the production of the 1977 spy flick.
Read More: Watch: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Documentary Details Showdown For Rights To The Classic American Western
In comparison with most of the James Bond films, “The Spy Who Loved Me” is not a direct adaptation of Ian Fleming’s original novel, and contains no similarities to the book other than the title, which the filmmakers were given permission to use by the Fleming estate. Since there was no material from which to adapt a film,...
Read More: Watch: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Documentary Details Showdown For Rights To The Classic American Western
In comparison with most of the James Bond films, “The Spy Who Loved Me” is not a direct adaptation of Ian Fleming’s original novel, and contains no similarities to the book other than the title, which the filmmakers were given permission to use by the Fleming estate. Since there was no material from which to adapt a film,...
- 10/10/2016
- by Mark Burger
- Indiewire
By Hank Reineke
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit up front that Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s character, Remo Williams (aka “The Destroyer”) has played a small, but significant role in my life.
My older sister had been a high-school friend of one of the author’s daughters. Though the passing of time has made the chronology of events a bit hazy, I’m guessing it was through that friendship that I was first introduced to Warren Murphy’s teenage son. It was the son who – upon learning I was a big fan of his father’s pulp-paperback novels – graciously gifted me a personally autographed copy of The Destroyer #3: Chinese Puzzle (1972). This now-tattered paperback proudly sits on my book shelf to this very day. This, I guess, would have been about 1978. I was seventeen years old. I’m fifty-four now and admit I hadn’t...
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit up front that Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s character, Remo Williams (aka “The Destroyer”) has played a small, but significant role in my life.
My older sister had been a high-school friend of one of the author’s daughters. Though the passing of time has made the chronology of events a bit hazy, I’m guessing it was through that friendship that I was first introduced to Warren Murphy’s teenage son. It was the son who – upon learning I was a big fan of his father’s pulp-paperback novels – graciously gifted me a personally autographed copy of The Destroyer #3: Chinese Puzzle (1972). This now-tattered paperback proudly sits on my book shelf to this very day. This, I guess, would have been about 1978. I was seventeen years old. I’m fifty-four now and admit I hadn’t...
- 12/6/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Moonraker
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood
UK, 1979
Moonraker has the unique distinction of being the most absurd and over-the-top Bond film produced in 50 years of the series. Spy films exist in a genre unto themselves, but the Bond films sometimes like to crossover into other popular genres as well. The first clear example of this was 1973’s Live and Let Die, which mimicked the then popular Blaxploitation genre. When Moonraker was released however, the Bond series took this genre crossover to its extreme, resulting in a Bond film as much a science fiction saga as it is screwball comedy. Certainly one of the strangest Bond films to date, Moonraker holds a unique admiration among Bond fans and remained the highest grossing of all the Bond films until the release of Goldeneye in 1995.
Before Moonraker came 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me which concluded with the end credit...
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood
UK, 1979
Moonraker has the unique distinction of being the most absurd and over-the-top Bond film produced in 50 years of the series. Spy films exist in a genre unto themselves, but the Bond films sometimes like to crossover into other popular genres as well. The first clear example of this was 1973’s Live and Let Die, which mimicked the then popular Blaxploitation genre. When Moonraker was released however, the Bond series took this genre crossover to its extreme, resulting in a Bond film as much a science fiction saga as it is screwball comedy. Certainly one of the strangest Bond films to date, Moonraker holds a unique admiration among Bond fans and remained the highest grossing of all the Bond films until the release of Goldeneye in 1995.
Before Moonraker came 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me which concluded with the end credit...
- 11/3/2015
- by Tony Nunes
- SoundOnSight
The Spy Who Loved Me
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum
UK, 1977
There’s an undeniable lasting appeal to Bond. Lasting 50 years is certainly proof of that, but there’s something deeper. After all, one can point to Star Trek and Doctor Who as cultural icons that have stood the test of time, but there’s something different about Bond. Trekkies or Whovians faced ostracization for many years, the fans relegated to dark corners and hushed tones of conversation. Ordering a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, however, paints someone as the very opposite of a nerd, something that has never changed throughout the run of Bond. So what stands Bond apart? It can’t be the saving the world aspect of things; after all, there are many heroes and heroines who’ve saved the world on a regular basis, perhaps with more frequency than Bond,...
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum
UK, 1977
There’s an undeniable lasting appeal to Bond. Lasting 50 years is certainly proof of that, but there’s something deeper. After all, one can point to Star Trek and Doctor Who as cultural icons that have stood the test of time, but there’s something different about Bond. Trekkies or Whovians faced ostracization for many years, the fans relegated to dark corners and hushed tones of conversation. Ordering a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, however, paints someone as the very opposite of a nerd, something that has never changed throughout the run of Bond. So what stands Bond apart? It can’t be the saving the world aspect of things; after all, there are many heroes and heroines who’ve saved the world on a regular basis, perhaps with more frequency than Bond,...
- 11/3/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Christopher Wood, a novelist who under the pen name Timothy Lea wrote the ribald Confessions series of novels and films and who, under his own name wrote the screenplay to the James Bond film Moonraker and cowrote The Spy Who Loved Me, died earlier this year at age 79. His death did not become widely known until this week, following former Bond star Sir Roger Moore paying tribute to him on Twitter October 17. How sad to hear Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood has died…...
- 10/23/2015
- Deadline
The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker screenwriter Christopher Wood has died, aged 79.
Wood's daughter Caroline Wood is only now confirming that Christopher passed away back in May at his apartment in France, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"[He] wouldn't necessarily have wanted an obituary. It was not his way," Caroline said.
The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker's James Bond actor Roger Moore paid tribute to the scribe on Twitter today as well.
"How sad to hear Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood has died. He wrote two of my best," Moore wrote.
How sad to hear Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood has died. He wrote two of my best.
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) October 17, 2015
Apart from his Bond movies, Wood's screen work also included the television show Lovely Couple, the Confessions series and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
Wood wrote a number of novels in the historical fiction, comedy and action genres as well.
Wood's daughter Caroline Wood is only now confirming that Christopher passed away back in May at his apartment in France, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"[He] wouldn't necessarily have wanted an obituary. It was not his way," Caroline said.
The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker's James Bond actor Roger Moore paid tribute to the scribe on Twitter today as well.
"How sad to hear Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood has died. He wrote two of my best," Moore wrote.
How sad to hear Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood has died. He wrote two of my best.
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) October 17, 2015
Apart from his Bond movies, Wood's screen work also included the television show Lovely Couple, the Confessions series and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
Wood wrote a number of novels in the historical fiction, comedy and action genres as well.
- 10/23/2015
- Digital Spy
Stars: Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston, George Coe, Charles Cioffi, Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Kilpatrick, Michael Pataki | Written by Christopher Wood | Directed by Guy Hamilton
Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris… the eighties action movie megastars, but what about Fred Ward? I’ll admit this is the first time I’ve seen Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins… but now I have I know it deserves to be high on top eighties action movies lists.
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins… starts with a faked death and a new identity. Forced to be a part of a secret organisation known as Cure he is put into training with Chiun (Joel Grey) a master of an ancient Korean martial art known as Sinanju. As his training progresses he makes good progress, but soon his skills are needed for a mission not only to protect his country but also Cure itself.
Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris… the eighties action movie megastars, but what about Fred Ward? I’ll admit this is the first time I’ve seen Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins… but now I have I know it deserves to be high on top eighties action movies lists.
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins… starts with a faked death and a new identity. Forced to be a part of a secret organisation known as Cure he is put into training with Chiun (Joel Grey) a master of an ancient Korean martial art known as Sinanju. As his training progresses he makes good progress, but soon his skills are needed for a mission not only to protect his country but also Cure itself.
- 7/6/2014
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Moonraker
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood
UK, 1979
Moonraker has the unique distinction of being the most absurd and over-the-top Bond film produced in 50 years of the series. Spy films exist in a genre unto themselves, but the Bond films sometimes like to crossover into other popular genres as well. The first clear example of this was 1973′s Live and Let Die, which mimicked the then popular Blaxploitation genre. When Moonraker was released however, the Bond series took this genre crossover to its extreme, resulting in a Bond film as much a science fiction saga as it is screwball comedy. Certainly one of the strangest Bond films to date, Moonraker holds a unique admiration among Bond fans and remained the highest grossing of all the Bond films until the release of Goldeneye in 1995.
Before Moonraker came 1977′s The Spy Who Loved Me which concluded with the end credit...
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood
UK, 1979
Moonraker has the unique distinction of being the most absurd and over-the-top Bond film produced in 50 years of the series. Spy films exist in a genre unto themselves, but the Bond films sometimes like to crossover into other popular genres as well. The first clear example of this was 1973′s Live and Let Die, which mimicked the then popular Blaxploitation genre. When Moonraker was released however, the Bond series took this genre crossover to its extreme, resulting in a Bond film as much a science fiction saga as it is screwball comedy. Certainly one of the strangest Bond films to date, Moonraker holds a unique admiration among Bond fans and remained the highest grossing of all the Bond films until the release of Goldeneye in 1995.
Before Moonraker came 1977′s The Spy Who Loved Me which concluded with the end credit...
- 11/15/2012
- by Tony Nunes
- SoundOnSight
The Spy Who Loved Me
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum
UK, 1977
There’s an undeniable lasting appeal to Bond. Lasting 50 years is certainly proof of that, but there’s something deeper. After all, one can point to Star Trek and Doctor Who as cultural icons that have stood the test of time, but there’s something different about Bond. Trekkies or Whovians faced ostracization for many years, the fans relegated to dark corners and hushed tones of conversation. Ordering a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, however, paints someone as the very opposite of a nerd, something that has never changed throughout the run of Bond. So what stands Bond apart? It can’t be the saving the world aspect of things; after all, there are many heroes and heroines who’ve saved the world on a regular basis, perhaps with more frequency than Bond,...
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum
UK, 1977
There’s an undeniable lasting appeal to Bond. Lasting 50 years is certainly proof of that, but there’s something deeper. After all, one can point to Star Trek and Doctor Who as cultural icons that have stood the test of time, but there’s something different about Bond. Trekkies or Whovians faced ostracization for many years, the fans relegated to dark corners and hushed tones of conversation. Ordering a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, however, paints someone as the very opposite of a nerd, something that has never changed throughout the run of Bond. So what stands Bond apart? It can’t be the saving the world aspect of things; after all, there are many heroes and heroines who’ve saved the world on a regular basis, perhaps with more frequency than Bond,...
- 11/14/2012
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
James Bond 007 Declassified File #11: "Moonraker" This series will trace the cinema history of James Bond, while also examining Ian Fleming's original novels as source material and examining how faithful (or not) the films have been to his work. Directed by Lewis Gilbert Screenplay by Christopher Wood Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and William P. Cartlidge and Michael G. Wilson Characters / Cast James Bond / Roger Moore Dr. Holly Goodhead / Lois Chiles Hugo Drax / Michael Lonsdale Jaws / Richard Kiel Corrine Dufour / Corinne Clery Sir Frederick Gray / Geoffrey Keen Chang / Toshiro Suga Manuela /...
- 10/18/2012
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
To mark the 50th Anniversary of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time and with filming well underway on James Bond’s 23rd official outing in Skyfall due for release later this year, I have been tasked with taking a retrospective look at the films that turned author Ian Fleming’s creation into one of the most recognised and iconic characters in film history.
With James Bond well established as a worldwide phenomenon raking in countless millions at the box-office, the tenth film in the series, The Spy Who Loved Me proved unexpectedly problematic in its journey to the screen and marked the longest gap between films since the series began. Due to personal financial issues Bond producer Harry Saltzman decided to sell his 50% stake in Danjaq S.A., the company he had established with Albert R. Broccoli to produce the Bond series. United Artists, who had...
With James Bond well established as a worldwide phenomenon raking in countless millions at the box-office, the tenth film in the series, The Spy Who Loved Me proved unexpectedly problematic in its journey to the screen and marked the longest gap between films since the series began. Due to personal financial issues Bond producer Harry Saltzman decided to sell his 50% stake in Danjaq S.A., the company he had established with Albert R. Broccoli to produce the Bond series. United Artists, who had...
- 3/29/2012
- by Chris Wright
- Obsessed with Film
Plus James Franco sees homoeroticism in Twilight, Other Asian dances for Tyler Shields, and Jeff Sheng's Don't Ask, Don't Tell photography.
Happy 27th birthday Scott Evans. Forever our Fub.
In Australia, 60 Minutes did a great segment on gay youth. They talked to out students, spent some time with MTV's out Ruby Rose, then chatting with the absolutely adorable Matthew Mitcham. The video isn't geoblocked, but it's not embeddable. Matthew talks about the power of being out, with that sexy Aussie accent of his. I felt very proud to be a gold medalist - an Olympic gold medalist. And I feel very proud, all the time, to be a gay guy. Yeah, I got no gay taunts or teasing from year ten, eleven, twelve onwards. Because you can't pick on me for being a fag. I know I'm a fag. I admit to being a fag. It's not funny to tell...
Happy 27th birthday Scott Evans. Forever our Fub.
In Australia, 60 Minutes did a great segment on gay youth. They talked to out students, spent some time with MTV's out Ruby Rose, then chatting with the absolutely adorable Matthew Mitcham. The video isn't geoblocked, but it's not embeddable. Matthew talks about the power of being out, with that sexy Aussie accent of his. I felt very proud to be a gold medalist - an Olympic gold medalist. And I feel very proud, all the time, to be a gay guy. Yeah, I got no gay taunts or teasing from year ten, eleven, twelve onwards. Because you can't pick on me for being a fag. I know I'm a fag. I admit to being a fag. It's not funny to tell...
- 9/21/2010
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 Chicago – James Bond continues working his way into your Blu-Ray collection with the release of Volume Three of MGM’s “James Bond Blu-Ray,” which includes HD versions of “The World is Not Enough,” “Goldfinger,” and “Moonraker”. Meanwhile, the unofficial Bond adventure, Fox’s “Never Say Never Again” hits Blu-Ray at the same time. All will make worthwhile additions to 007 fans with Blu-Ray players.
In case you missed it, Volume One of “James Bond Blu-Ray” included “Die Another Day,” “Live And Let Die,” and “Dr. No”. Volume Two includes “For Your Eyes Only,” “From Russia With Love,” and “Thunderball”. Both collections were released last October. With the new volume, that’s nine official Bond movies on Blu-Ray. In other words, there will be more volumes in the future.
James Bond Blu-Ray: Volume Three was released on Blu-Ray on March 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: MGM
I’m not sure how I...
In case you missed it, Volume One of “James Bond Blu-Ray” included “Die Another Day,” “Live And Let Die,” and “Dr. No”. Volume Two includes “For Your Eyes Only,” “From Russia With Love,” and “Thunderball”. Both collections were released last October. With the new volume, that’s nine official Bond movies on Blu-Ray. In other words, there will be more volumes in the future.
James Bond Blu-Ray: Volume Three was released on Blu-Ray on March 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: MGM
I’m not sure how I...
- 4/1/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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