First time I noticed this for me, too. I actually thought I was missing a part or some explanation had passed me by. Nope, they really mean it.
It’s the very special theory of Bond-relativity where time moves in any direction the tale demands - and fastest when going sideways upwards.
Since I read your explanation what is strange/curious about this night of the Junkanoo I probably can’t watch this movie anymore without thinking about this. I have never thought about it for a moment, but you’re right: it is very strange. 
It’s what Fleming intended Bond to be, a constant stream of exciting events moving so swiftly the reader doesn’t pause to question their probability - or lack of. Translated into film idiom it works perfectly when timing, plot and editing pull us along.
We’re not meant to put it under the magnifying glass. Jim has done a splendid job doing just that with his 007th chapter and 007th minute series. Take a look at his piece on GOLDENEYE’s film tie-in and you’ll see how the whole affair suddenly seems most absurdly timed.
Same with geography and wrist-activated weapons. Bond is always where he needs to be, and is equipped with what he needs for any situation.
Group Stage for Sets and Locations has concluded, as follows:
| Group A | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 18 | 32 | 73.5 | 9 |
| No Time to Die | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 22 | 24 | 67.7 | 9 |
| Octopussy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 60.3 | 9 |
| TND | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 44 | -20 | 35.3 | 3 |
| Die Another Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 59 | -50 | 13.2 | 0 |
Filmed in Cornwall, the Costwolds, Cadiz and in a Computer, Die Another Day was probably going to struggle anyway (not least because it is Die Another Day), but there’s a PALACE OF ICE! which apparently makes no impression whatsoever. The three way points tie gets itself decided on goal difference but that’s a reasonably hefty haul for Octopussy, definitely Lucky Loser number 1. Because of that, the usual Second Round draw will have to be redrawn, because LL1 plays the Winner of A in normal circumstances. As for that Winner of A, that’s not the most overwhelming victory for Goldfinger and could this be the category that causes it a stumble? That said, there is a CATHEDRAL OF GOLD! which looks all rather lovely.
| Group B | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRWL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 12 | 43 | 82.3 | 12 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 57.4 | 6 |
| GoldenEye | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 33 | 2 | 51.5 | 6 |
| Quantum of Solace | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 37 | -7 | 44.2 | 6 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 58 | -48 | 14.7 | 0 |
A group going perhaps for the more “realistic” (in context) approaches with the Winner and the Runner-Up, although the boringly realistic stuff in Licence to Kill gets its just reward. For Your Eyes Only feels more outdoorsy than the others here, and to be fair, does shuttle about its locations reasonably efficiently even if this means the film goes on and on a bit. GoldenEye and Quantum of Solace get by as Lucky Losers, although that luck might run out if they come up against…
| Group C | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSWLM | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 7 | 54 | 89.7 | 12 |
| Casino Royale | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 32 | 4 | 53 | 9 |
| Spectre | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30` | 38 | -8 | 44.1 | 6 |
| Live and Let Die | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 46 | -24 | 32.4 | 3 |
| TMwtGG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 47 | -26 | 30.9 | 0 |
Blimey.
Although Casino Royale obviously qualifies as a Runner-Up, it will do so out of the Top Ten, which is a rarity for it. Not sure why The Man with the Golden Gun fares so badly, given that they made the absolute most of that island location. Spectre’s sets and locations, filmed as they are through a thick fog, seem to overperform.
It was perhaps inevitable that The Spy who Loved Me would do well, but it’s not doing quite as well as…
| Group D | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonraker | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 6 | 56 | 91.2 | 12 |
| Thunderball | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 17 | 34 | 75 | 9 |
| Dr No | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 39 | -10 | 42.7 | 6 |
| The Living Daylights | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 47 | -26 | 30.9 | 3 |
| AVTAK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 61 | -54 | 10.3 | 0 |
…Moonraker, being The Spy who Loved Me WITH HITLER! IN SPACE! with a fairly stunning victory and setting a fierce pace right from the off. Even with such august competition, Thunderball continues to do its stuff and Dr No gets through as Lucky Loser 6. As for A View to a Kill - a lovely chateau, a lovely Eiffel Tower, a lovely brace o’blimps, a lovely Golden Gate Bridge - are we spoiled by other things?
I confess I can’t recall much about The Living Daylights’ sets and locations other than Austria looked cold and Kamran Shah has some very nice scatter cushions.
| Group E | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 18 | 33 | 74 | 12 |
| YOLT | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 18 | 33 | 73.8 | 9 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 37 | -2 | 48.6 | 6 |
| DAF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 40 | -11 | 42 | 3 |
| TWINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 61 | -53 | 11.6 | 0 |
You Only Live Twice has a FRICKIN’ VOLCANO in it so was probably always going to do well, but it lost out to OHMSS (just), again perhaps a more realistic choice, realism here presented by an Alpine spinning top brimful of hypnotised dolly birds with an overenthusiastic response to spuds.
Diamonds are Forever losing out, despite using an oil rig - evidently there to herald the imminent oil crises of the 1970s rather than something quickly to hand because all the money had been spent on Connery’s girdle. TWINE… TWINE’s just really dull-looking, innit? As well as being dull in all other aspects.
Form table
| % form | Outcome of Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 91.2 | Winner Group D |
| 2 | The Spy who Loved Me | 89.7 | Winner Group C |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 82.3 | Winner Group B |
| 4 | Thunderball | 75 | Runner-Up Group D |
| 5 | OHMSS | 74 | Winner Group E |
| 6 | You Only Live Twice | 73.8 | Runner-Up Group E |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 73.5 | Winner Group A |
| 8 | No Time to Die | 67.7 | Runner-Up Group A |
| 9 | Octopussy | 60.3 | Lucky Loser 1 |
| 10 | For Your Eyes Only | 57.4 | Runner-Up Group B |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 53 | Runner-Up Group C |
| 12 | GoldenEye | 51.5 | Lucky Loser 2 |
| 13 | Skyfall | 48.6 | Lucky Loser 3 |
| 14 | Quantum of Solace | 44.2 | Lucky Loser 4 |
| 15 | Spectre | 44.1 | Lucky Loser 5 |
| 16 | Dr No | 42.7 | Lucky Loser 6 |
| 17 | Diamonds are Forever | 42 | |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 35.3 | |
| 19 | Live and Let Die | 32.4 | |
| 20 | The Living Daylights | 30.9 | |
| 21 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 14.7 | |
| 23 | Die Another Day | 13.2 | |
| 24 | TWINE | 11.6 | |
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.3 |
Top two are going to take some beating. Seems a balance of the fantastical and the slightly-less-fantastical-but-still-quite-silly-really. Draw for Second Round needed slight pokery of the jiggery sort, but threw up (as t’were) some interesting combinations.
Form table after Second Round for Sets and Locations
| % form | Change in (form) / position since Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 89.4 | (-1.8) / - |
| 2 | The Spy who Loved Me | 89.4 | (-0.3) / - |
| 3 | OHMSS | 76.8 | (+2.8) / +2 |
| 4 | Thunderball | 74.1 | (-0.9) / - |
| 5 | Goldfinger | 74.1 | (+0.6) / +2 |
| 6 | From Russia with Love | 74.1 | (-8.2) / -3 |
| 7 | You Only Live Twice | 73.2 | (-0.6) / -1 |
| 8 | No Time to Die | 66 | (-1.7) / - |
| 9 | Octopussy | 60 | (-0.3) / - |
| 10 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.8 | (-5.6) / - |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 48.3 | (-4.7) / - |
| 12 | Skyfall | 43.6 | (-5) / +1 |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 43.6 | (-7.9) / -1 |
| 14 | Dr No | 42.4 | (-0.3) / +2 |
| 15 | Diamonds are Forever | 42 | (-) / +2 |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 38.9 | (-5.3) / -2 |
| 17 | Spectre | 37.6 | (-6.5) / -2 |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 35.3 | |
| 19 | Live and Let Die | 32.4 | |
| 20 | The Living Daylights | 30.9 | |
| 21 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 14.7 | |
| 23 | Die Another Day | 13.2 | |
| 24 | TWINE | 11.6 | |
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.3 |
Couldn’t be tighter.
Moonraker holds on to top spot as its unrounded form is 89.44, whereas The Spy who Loved Me is 89.4 dead. Fight, though, most definitely on.
Similarly, with the three films on 74.1, the unrounded averages decides the placings, and for GoldenEye and Skyfall lower down the table.
Quarter-Finals often see shaking about and carnage.
Good.
Form table after the Quarter-Finals for Sets and Locations:
| % form | Change in (form) / position since Second Round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Spy who Loved Me | 86.3 | (-3.1) / +1 |
| 2 | Moonraker | 85.3 | (-4.1) / -1 |
| 3 | OHMSS | 76.8 | (-) / - |
| 4 | From Russia with Love | 74.1 | (-) / +2 |
| 5 | You Only Live Twice | 66.9 | (-6.3) / +2 |
| 6 | Thunderball | 66.7 | (-7.4) / -2 |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 65.7 | (-8.4) / -2 |
| 8 | No Time to Die | 63.8 | (-2.2) / - |
| 9 | Octopussy | 57.9 | (-2.1) / - |
| 10 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.8 | |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 48.3 | |
| 12 | Skyfall | 43.6 | |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 43.6 | |
| 14 | Dr No | 42.4 | |
| 15 | Diamonds are Forever | 42 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 38.9 | |
| 17 | Spectre | 37.6 | |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 35.3 | |
| 19 | Live and Let Die | 32.4 | |
| 20 | The Living Daylights | 30.9 | |
| 21 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 14.7 | |
| 23 | Die Another Day | 13.2 | |
| 24 | TWINE | 11.6 | |
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.3 |
Ooh.
With the Semi-Finals playing out now, the top two are on a collision course, but have to get through some potentially tough encounters, although perhaps it’s a bit of a surprise to see No Time to Die in the final four? It does all look quite nice I suppose.
Some choppy-changey elsewhere and where Thunderball, From Russia with Love and The Spy who Loved Me finally end up in relation to Goldfinger will have some effect on the overall route towards Best Picture at the end of the month…
Form table after Semi-Finals for Sets and Locations
| % form | Change in (form) / position since Quarter-Finals | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 83.2 | (-2.1) / +1 |
| 2 | The Spy who Loved Me | 81.5 | (-4.8) / -1 |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 74.1 | (-) / +1 |
| 4 | OHMSS | 72.6 | (-4.2) / -1 |
| 5 | You Only Live Twice | 66.9 | |
| 6 | Thunderball | 66.7 | |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 65.7 | |
| 8 | No Time to Die | 58.9 | (-4.9) / - |
| 9 | Octopussy | 57.9 | |
| 10 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.8 | |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 48.3 | |
| 12 | Skyfall | 43.6 | |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 43.6 | |
| 14 | Dr No | 42.4 | |
| 15 | Diamonds are Forever | 42 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 38.9 | |
| 17 | Spectre | 37.6 | |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 35.3 | |
| 19 | Live and Let Die | 32.4 | |
| 20 | The Living Daylights | 30.9 | |
| 21 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 14.7 | |
| 23 | Die Another Day | 13.2 | |
| 24 | TWINE | 11.6 | |
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.3 |
Rarely does it come down to the last Deathmatches to decide a category, but with the top two here flinging shuttles and supertankers at each other, the Final still has much to play for both in Deathmatchplay and the overall form. OHMSS can still get to third with a solid victory in the Third Place Death-Off, although slight surprise contender No Time to Die has held its own pretty well thus far and not even a walkover will mean it drops out of the Top Ten. However, even with the general increase in production values that they could be considered as demonstrating, the Craig films have probably underperformed here?
Draw has been, done, gone for next category - Score.
Obviously, Songs have already been subjected to a vote, back in the summer. Now it’s all the rest of da moosic, which would include other renditions of the song as heard in the film, anything played over the credits that wasn’t a Song per se (eg Dr No and OHMSS) and anything played over the end credits. And The James Bond theme, as and when it appears.
To avoid bickering about whether Tosca or London Calling or bits of Lawrence of Arabia are included - they are (it’s easier to say so and I am a lazy man). Basically anything musical that didn’t come into the “Songs” category earlier.
With that garbled and none-too-convincing parameter set, draw was based on how the form table concluded at the end of “Best Supporting Villains” a few days ago. I suspect it will set no precedent as some of the Groups are going to be a bit tough. Groups are:
Group A
From Russia with Love
Live and Let Die
No Time to Die
GoldenEye
Quantum of Solace
Group B
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
For Your Eyes Only
The Living Daylights
The Man with the Golden Gun
Group C
The Spy who Loved Me
Octopussy
OHMSS
Spectre
A View to a Kill
Group D
Diamonds are Forever
Casino Royale
Skyfall
Dr No
Tomorrow Never Dies
Group E
Moonraker
Goldfinger
Licence to Kill
TWINE
Die Another Day
Deathmatch Sets & Locations has produced a winner and, when it came to it, it was Moonraker going stratospheric. Exospheric, even.
Winner: Moonraker
Runner-Up: The Spy who Loved Me
Third: OHMSS
Fourth: No Time to Die
Final form table
| % form | Change in (form) / position since Semi-FInals | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 82 | (-1.2) / - |
| 2 | The Spy who Loved Me | 74.6 | (-6.9) / - |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 74.1 | |
| 4 | OHMSS | 72.1 | (-0.5) / - |
| 5 | You Only Live Twice | 66.9 | |
| 6 | Thunderball | 66.7 | |
| 7 | Goldfinger | 65.7 | |
| 8 | Octopussy | 57.9 | (-) / +1 |
| 9 | No Time to Die | 55.5 | (-3.4) / -1 |
| 10 | For Your Eyes Only | 51.8 | |
| 11 | Casino Royale | 48.3 | |
| 12 | Skyfall | 43.6 | |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 43.6 | |
| 14 | Dr No | 42.4 | |
| 15 | Diamonds are Forever | 42 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 38.9 | |
| 17 | Spectre | 37.6 | |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 35.3 | |
| 19 | Live and Let Die | 32.4 | |
| 20 | The Living Daylights | 30.9 | |
| 21 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 14.7 | |
| 23 | Die Another Day | 13.2 | |
| 24 | TWINE | 11.6 | |
| 25 | A View to a Kill | 10.3 |
More soon
Deathmatch outcomes to date
| Villain | Film | Song | Bond | Woman | Hench | Titles | Victim | Costume | BSV | S&L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Skyfall | From Russia with Love | Live and Let Die | Thunderball | OHMSS | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | Goldfinger | Moonraker | Moonraker |
| Runner-Up | Moonraker | OHMSS | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Diamonds are Forever | Skyfall | Goldfinger | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | TSWLM |
| Third | Goldfinger | The Spy who Loved Me | You Only Live Twice | From Russia with Love | Thunderball | Goldfinger | OHMSS | No Time to Die | Thunderball | The Spy who Loved Me | OHMSS |
| Fourth | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Goldfinger | Goldfinger | Thunderball | YOLT | You Only Live Twice | Dr No | Live and Let Die | NTTD |
Moonraker is the only back-to-back winner, and still nothing for the 1980s nor the Brosnans. Just two categories to go…
| Ten Top Ten Places | Nine Top Ten Places | Eight Top Ten Places | Seven Top Ten Places | Six Top Ten Places | Five Top Ten Places | Four Top Ten Places | Three Top Ten Places | Two Top Ten Places | One Top Ten Place | Yet to bother the scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | From Russia with Love | Moonraker | You Only Live Twice | Live and Let Die | Dr No | The Man / Golden Gun | A View to a Kill | Die Another Day | ||
| Thunderball | OHMSS | Skyfall | Diamonds are Forever | Licence to Kill | For Your Eyes Only | TWINE | ||||
| The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | GoldenEye | Octopussy | Spectre | ||||||
| Tomorrow Never Dies | The Living Daylights | |||||||||
| No Time to Die | Quantum of Solace | |||||||||
…some clear spacing emerging in who gets into the Top Tens, and how frequently. No particular change for who doesn’t, and the frequency of that, although a couple of solid categories for Octopussy have seen it emerge as a more credible player.
Most Valuable Player
| Placings | Wins | Top Ten | Top of Form | MVP points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 19 |
| From Russia with Love | 5 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 18 |
| OHMSS | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 16 |
| Casino Royale | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | 5 | 1 | 10 | 16 | |
| Thunderball | 4 | 1 | 10 | 15 | |
| Moonraker | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| Skyfall | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | |
| Live and Let Die | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| You Only Live Twice | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Diamonds are Forever | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| No Time to Die | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Dr No | 1 | 3 | 4 |
…although because it has never been placed (Semi-Finalist or better), Octopussy may be a credible player but not a valuable one. Meanwhile, at the top, the net is closing in on Goldfinger, perhaps?
Road to Best Picture
| Villain | Film | Song | Bond | Woman | Henchperson | Titles | Victim | Costume | BSV | S&L | Average | Position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4.86 | - |
| 2 | The Spy / Me | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5.85 | +1 |
| 3 | From Russia… | 5 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6.01 | +1 |
| 4 | Thunderball | 9 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6.21 | -2 |
| 5 | OHMSS | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 7.35 | - |
| 6 | Casino Royale | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 8.1 | - |
| 7 | Moonraker | 3 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 8.24 | +1 |
| 8 | Skyfall | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 8.57 | -1 |
| 9 | DAF | 14 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 10.65 | - |
| 10 | YOLT | 17 | 20 | 6 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 12.89 | +3 |
| 11 | GoldenEye | 16 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 13.04 | - |
| 12 | No Time to Die | 21 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 13.06 | - |
| 13 | Live and Let Die | 15 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 13.52 | -3 |
| 14 | FYEO | 24 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 13.8 | - |
| 15 | Dr No | 11 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 14 | 14.45 | - |
| 16 | Licence to Kill | 10 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 13 | 25 | 11 | 22 | 15.6 | - |
| 17 | Octopussy | 23 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 15.61 | +3 |
| 18 | Spectre | 13 | 13 | 23 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15.76 | -1 |
| 19 | TND | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 23 | 18 | 16.41 | - |
| 20 | TLD | 25 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16.56 | -2 |
| 21 | QoS | 22 | 16 | 22 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 16 | 17.45 | - |
| 22 | TMwtGG | 8 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 9 | 21 | 12 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 18.16 | - |
| 23 | AVTAK | 12 | 24 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 14 | 22 | 14 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 19.56 | - |
| 24 | TWINE | 19 | 23 | 10 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 20.27 | - |
| 25 | Die Another Day | 20 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 23.18 | - |
…similarly here, the chasing pack are maintaining that chase. Similar thing at the bottom of the pile; a couple of decent categories and Die Another Day could draw in A View to a Kill and TWINE and potentially finish above them. I use “potentially” in the sense that I have potential to be an astronaut given that I can see the Moon. However, it actually is mathematically feasible.
MY GOD IT’S TENSE.
The tension just continues.
Groups following the end of the Group Stage for the Score category
| Group A | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRWL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 17 | 34 | 75 | 12 |
| Live and Let Die | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 21 | 25 | 68.9 | 9 |
| No Time to Die | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 50 | 6 |
| Quantum of Solace | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 40 | -14 | 39.7 | 3 |
| GoldenEye | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 56 | -45 | 16.4 | 0 |
A John Barry score tops the group. This might prove monotonous but then if you are tolerating this Deathmatch rubbish, monotony might just be your special thing; you utter winner.
Talking of utter winners (in the sense of utter losers), GoldenEye, eh? OK, it does sound like someone with all their kitchenware strung to them being flung into the pit of doom and then recorded from a mile away, but is it that bad? (Clue: yes, it is). That result won’t do any good for its chances of remaining a Top Ten film overall as we scuttle quite rapidly towards the end of the year that has been, in so very many ways, 2023.
No Time to Die - absolute bang average really. Instant review, now that the rocket dust has settled a bit.
| Group B | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YOLT | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 16 | 28 | 80.8 | 12 |
| Thunderball | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 72.5 | 9 |
| The Living Daylights | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 58.6 | 6 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 37 | -14 | 38.4 | 3 |
| TMwtGG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 51 | -42 | 15 | 0 |
A John Barry score tops the group. Told yer.
Although, fair play (not an attribute often within one’s possession), a John Barry score also falls to the bottom. The tootly brassy noodlings of For Your Eyes Only aren’t enough to be a Lucky Loser, however. Solid performance from The Living Daylights makes it a dead cert for Lucky Loser 1.Thunderball does Thunderball. So very well.
| Group C | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 4 | 52 | 93.3 | 12 |
| TSWLM | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 24 | 12 | 60 | 9 |
| Octopussy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 36 | -12 | 40 | 6 |
| AVTAK | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 39 | -18 | 35 | 3 |
| Spectre | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 47 | -34 | 21.7 | 0 |
A John Barry score (possibly THE John Barry score) tops the group, high as an Alp and probably nailed on as an overall winner subject to a real shock coming. Is Spectre a score or a photocopy? Discuss (don’t; it’ll be boring). Octopussy continues its decent run of form of late to make it to Lucky Loser 6 (just) and whilst The Spy who Loved Me does qualify of course as Runner-Up, that’s 10th place form so it may have other concerns when it comes to overall placing at the end of all this twerpery.
| Group D | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAF | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 18 | 28 | 66.9 | 10 |
| Casino Royale | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 20 | 24 | 68.8 | 10 |
| TND | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 33 | -2 | 48.4 | 4 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 39 | -14 | 41.6 | 4 |
| Dr No | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 50 | -36 | 21.9 | 0 |
A John Barry score tops the group, but it’s a bit of a mess, this one. Not the most convincing win (at Group level, it’s all about the net votes rather than form) so although Casino Royale outplays it, Diamonds are Forever tops out. Tomorrow Never Dies and Skyfall get through as Lucky Losers, which really buggers up the standard Second Round draw so it had to be re-done, which ate seconds of whatever life I have left.
Dr No and Licence to Kill (Group E) produced identical statistics but on overall form, Dr No beats Licence to Kill because its margin of defeat to the next worst player in its Group was less than Licence to Kill’s. It’s FIFA-level corruption, to be (dis)honest.
However…
| Group E | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonraker | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 13 | 38 | 79.8 | 10 |
| Goldfinger | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 15 | 34 | 76.6 | 10 |
| TWINE | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 33 | -2 | 53.4 | 6 |
| Die Another Day | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 49 | -34 | 25.8 | 3 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 50 | -36 | 21.9 | 0 |
…Licence to Kill did lose to Die Another Day which claims a Group Stage match win, a great rarity (and frankly, Licence to Kill should be poon-ish-head for losing to Die Another Day. And for “Dirty Love”. And for “Wedding Party”. And for “existing”).
John Barry, etc.
Form Table after Group Stage
| % form | Outcome of Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | 93.3 | Winner Group C |
| 2 | You Only Live Twice | 80.8 | Winner Group B |
| 3 | Moonraker | 79.8 | Winner Group E |
| 4 | Goldfinger | 76.6 | Runner-Up Group E |
| 5 | From Russia with Love | 75 | Winner Group A |
| 6 | Thunderball | 72.5 | Runner-Up Group B |
| 7 | Live and Let Die | 68.9 | Runner-Up Group A |
| 8 | Casino Royale | 68.8 | Runner-Up Group D |
| 9 | Diamonds are Forever | 66.9 | Winner Group D |
| 10 | The Spy who Loved Me | 60 | Runner-Up Group C |
| 11 | The Living Daylights | 58.6 | Lucky Loser 1 |
| 12 | The World is Not Enough | 53.4 | Lucky Loser 2 |
| 13 | No Time to Die | 50 | Lucky Loser 3 |
| 14 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 48.4 | Lucky Loser 4 |
| 15 | Skyfall | 41.6 | Lucky Loser 5 |
| 16 | Octopussy | 40 | Lucky Loser 6 |
| 17 | Quantum of Solace | 39.7 | |
| 18 | For Your Eyes Only | 38.4 | |
| 19 | A View to a Kill | 35 | |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 25.8 | |
| 21 | Dr No | 21.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 21.9 | |
| 23 | Spectre | 21.7 | |
| 24 | GoldenEye | 16.4 | |
| 25 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 15 |
Yikes.
Die Another Day so close to breaking out of the 20s, but fails to do so yet again. That finish may well help drag others closer to its lowly overall status, however.
That’s some Top Six, from one chap. Bit surprised Tomorrow Never Dies hasn’t done better, but it’s still in the game.
Most accurate description ever.
Form table after Second Round for “Score” category
| % form | Change in (form) / place since Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | 93.5 | (+0.2) / - |
| 2 | You Only Live Twice | 82.3 | (+1.5) / - |
| 3 | Moonraker | 81.5 | (+1.7) / - |
| 4 | Goldfinger | 71.9 | (-4.7) / - |
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 71.2 | (+4.3) / +4 |
| 6 | From Russia with Love | 69.4 | (-5.6) / -1 |
| 7 | Thunderball | 68.6 | (-3.9) -1 |
| 8 | Live and Let Die | 68 | (-0.9) -1 |
| 9 | Casino Royale | 64.5 | (-4.3) / -1 |
| 10 | The Living Daylights | 57.5 | (-1.1) /+1 |
| 11 | The Spy who Loved Me | 57.4 | (-2.6) / -1 |
| 12 | The World is Not Enough | 45 | (-8.4) / - |
| 13 | No Time to Die | 41.2 | (-8.8) / - |
| 14 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 41 | (-7.4) / - |
| 15 | Skyfall | 40.4 | (-1.2) / - |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 39.7 | (-) / +1 |
| 17 | For Your Eyes Only | 38.4 | (-) / +1 |
| 18 | A View to a Kill | 35 | (-) / +1 |
| 19 | Octopussy | 34.4 | (-5.6) / -3 |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 25.8 | |
| 21 | Dr No | 21.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 21.9 | |
| 23 | Spectre | 21.7 | |
| 24 | GoldenEye | 16.4 | |
| 25 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 15 |
With 80% of the Top Ten, it’s safe to say already that John Barry “wins” but as for individual scores. OHMSS just gets stronger and stronger (despite that awful song about Christmas trees; I know how they are grown - in dung (appositely)).
Big climb there for Diamonds are Forever, and big drop for Octopussy but not so big it is to the advantage of Die Another Day. No-one would wish to see that. Nor listen to it, apparently.
The Spy who Loved Me drops out of the Top Ten, unusually, but it’s close between it (now a non-combatant) and The Living Daylights, which may have a tough Quarter-Final on its hands - voting still open…
Form table after Quarter-Finals for “Score”
| % form | Change in (form) / place since Second Round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | 91.8 | (-1.7) / - |
| 2 | Moonraker | 80.9 | (-0.6) / +1 |
| 3 | You Only Live Twice | 78.8 | (-3.5) / -1 |
| 4 | From Russia with Love | 69.4 | (-) / +2 |
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 68.2 | (-3) / - |
| 6 | Goldfinger | 67.8 | (-4.1) / -2 |
| 7 | Casino Royale | 64.5 | (-) / +2 |
| 8 | Live and Let Die | 63.2 | (-4.8) / - |
| 9 | Thunderball | 60 | (-8.6) / -2 |
| 10 | The Spy who Loved Me | 57.4 | (-) / +1 |
| 11 | The Living Daylights | 51.6 | (-5.9) / -1 |
| 12 | The World is Not Enough | 45 | |
| 13 | No Time to Die | 41.2 | |
| 14 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 41 | |
| 15 | Skyfall | 40.4 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 39.7 | |
| 17 | For Your Eyes Only | 38.4 | |
| 18 | A View to a Kill | 35 | |
| 19 | Octopussy | 34.4 | |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 25.8 | |
| 21 | Dr No | 21.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 21.9 | |
| 23 | Spectre | 21.7 | |
| 24 | GoldenEye | 16.4 | |
| 25 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 15 |
With (as predicted) The Living Daylights dropping to eleventh, the John Barry dominance percentage of the Top Ten reduces to 70%. What a complete disaster.
Perhaps a slightly surprising win for Diamonds are Forever over Goldfinger in their Quarter-Final, although to give it some credit, Diamonds are Forever hardens like Connery’s arteries onto fifth place in form.
It may all be about the Running-Up…
Form table after the Semi-Finals for “Score”
| % form | Change in (form) / place since Quarter-Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | 87.6 | (-4.2) / - |
| 2 | You Only Live Twice | 75.6 | (-3.2) / +1 |
| 3 | Moonraker | 74.7 | (-6.2) / -1 |
| 4 | From Russia with Love | 69.4 | |
| 5 | Goldfinger | 67.8 | (-) / +1 |
| 6 | Diamonds are Forever | 64.7 | (-3.5) / -1 |
| 7 | Casino Royale | 64.5 | |
| 8 | Live and Let Die | 63.2 | |
| 9 | Thunderball | 60 | |
| 10 | The Spy who Loved Me | 57.4 | |
| 11 | The Living Daylights | 51.6 | |
| 12 | The World is Not Enough | 45 | |
| 13 | No Time to Die | 41.2 | |
| 14 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 41 | |
| 15 | Skyfall | 40.4 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 39.7 | |
| 17 | For Your Eyes Only | 38.4 | |
| 18 | A View to a Kill | 35 | |
| 19 | Octopussy | 34.4 | |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 25.8 | |
| 21 | Dr No | 21.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 21.9 | |
| 23 | Spectre | 21.7 | |
| 24 | GoldenEye | 16.4 | |
| 25 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 15 |
Might just be about re-arranging the also-rans but the Third Place Death-Off and the Final itself could still have impact on how this concludes. All is not ended.
In that vein, the draw for the charmingly festive final subject area of “Death” will take place later.
Catching up on a bit of homework now that the in-laws have buggered off home after Christmas, to whatever circle of Hell it is from which they are emitted.
Winner: Score
1st: OHMSS
Runner-Up: You Only Live Twice
Third: Moonraker
Fourth: Diamonds are Forever.
John Barry carries the day. Others also ran.
Final Form Table - Score
| % form | Change in (form) / place since Semi-Finals | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHMSS | 87.1 | (-0.5) / - |
| 2 | Moonraker | 72 | (-2.7) / +1 |
| 3 | From Russia with Love | 69.4 | (-) / +1 |
| 4 | You Only Live Twice | 68.4 | (-7.2) / -2 |
| 5 | Goldfinger | 67.8 | |
| 6 | Casino Royale | 64.5 | (-) / +1 |
| 7 | Live and Let Die | 63.2 | (-) / +1 |
| 8 | Diamonds are Forever | 62.5 | (-2.2) / -2 |
| 9 | Thunderball | 60 | |
| 10 | The Spy who Loved Me | 57.4 | |
| 11 | The Living Daylights | 51.6 | |
| 12 | The World is Not Enough | 45 | |
| 13 | No Time to Die | 41.2 | |
| 14 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 41 | |
| 15 | Skyfall | 40.4 | |
| 16 | Quantum of Solace | 39.7 | |
| 17 | For Your Eyes Only | 38.4 | |
| 18 | A View to a Kill | 35 | |
| 19 | Octopussy | 34.4 | |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 25.8 | |
| 21 | Dr No | 21.9 | |
| 22 | Licence to Kill | 21.9 | |
| 23 | Spectre | 21.7 | |
| 24 | GoldenEye | 16.4 | |
| 25 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 15 |
Probably inevitable when it came to it, but Diamonds Are Forever slipped a bit to allow marginally more cheer for “Anyone who isn’t John Barry”. How noble. Its munificence is boundless.
Overall Deathmatch knockout results
| Villain | Film | Song | Bond | Woman | Hench | Titles | Victim | Costume | BSV | S&L | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Skyfall | From Russia with Love | Live and Let Die | Thunderball | OHMSS | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | Goldfinger | Moonraker | Moonraker | OHMSS |
| Runner-Up | Moonraker | OHMSS | The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Diamonds are Forever | Skyfall | Goldfinger | Casino Royale | From Russia with Love | TSWLM | YOLT |
| Third | Goldfinger | The Spy who Loved Me | You Only Live Twice | From Russia with Love | Thunderball | Goldfinger | OHMSS | No Time to Die | Thunderball | The Spy who Loved Me | OHMSS | Moonraker |
| Fourth | From Russia with Love | Casino Royale | Casino Royale | Goldfinger | Goldfinger | Thunderball | YOLT | You Only Live Twice | Dr No | Live and Let Die | NTTD | DAF |
Nothing from the 1980s and not a Brosnan in sight.
A run of 9 films and none of them getting close. It needed to die (for a bit), didn’t it?
Top Ten of Everything
| Eleven Top Ten Places | Ten Top Ten Places | Nine Top Ten Places | Eight Top Ten Places | Seven Top Ten Places | Six Top Ten Places | Five Top Ten Places | Four Top Ten Places | Three Top Ten Places | Two Top Ten Places | One Top Ten Place | Yet to bother the scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | From Russia with Love | Moonraker | Skyfall | You Only Live Twice | Live and Let Die | Dr No | The Man / Golden Gun | A View to a Kill | Die Another Day | ||
| Thunderball | OHMSS | Diamonds are Forever | Licence to Kill | For Your Eyes Only | TWINE | ||||||
| The Spy who Loved Me | Casino Royale | GoldenEye | Octopussy | Spectre | |||||||
| Tomorrow Never Dies | The Living Daylights | ||||||||||
| No Time to Die | Quantum of Solace |
The top three here cannot be caught but perhaps one of them could differentiate themselves in the final Deathmatch category?
Die Another Day - I predict - won’t. Unless being very obviously crap is a differentiator, and I won’t stand in the way of your misguided self-esteem by challenging that.
Most Valuable Player
| Placings | Wins | Top Ten | Top of Form | MVP points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 5 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 20 |
| Goldfinger | 6 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 20 |
| From Russia with Love | 5 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 19 |
| Casino Royale | 6 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 17 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | 5 | 1 | 11 | 17 | |
| Thunderball | 4 | 1 | 11 | 16 | |
| Moonraker | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 15 |
| Skyfall | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | |
| You Only Live Twice | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| Live and Let Die | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Diamonds are Forever | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| No Time to Die | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Dr No | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Rumours of OHMSS’ demise seem to have been exaggerated. Still a reasonably open field with just the one category to go.
More soon…
Your “Journey” (ugh) to Best Picture
One category to be decided - still possible changes here as some overall average finishes are getting bunched up. Die Another Day’s not going to win.
| Villain | Film | Song | Bond | Woman | Henchperson | Titles | Victim | Costume | BSV | S&L | Score | Average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4.83 |
| 2 | From Russia… | 5 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5.75 |
| 3 | The Spy / Me | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6.17 |
| 4 | Thunderball | 9 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 6.25 |
| 5 | OHMSS | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7.00 |
| 6 | Casino Royale | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 7.67 |
| 7 | Moonraker | 3 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 7.75 |
| 8 | Skyfall | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 9.08 |
| 9 | DAF | 14 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 10.42 |
| 10 | YOLT | 17 | 20 | 6 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12.17 |
| 11 | Live and Let Die | 15 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 13 |
| 12 | No Time to Die | 21 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 13 |
| 13 | GoldenEye | 16 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 24 | 13.92 |
| 14 | FYEO | 24 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 14,5 |
| 15 | Dr No | 11 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 14 | 21 | 14.58 |
| 16 | Octopussy | 23 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 15.92 |
| 17 | TLD | 25 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 16.08 |
| 18 | Licence to Kill | 10 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 13 | 25 | 11 | 22 | 22 | 16.17 |
| 19 | TND | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 16.17 |
| 20 | Spectre | 13 | 13 | 23 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 23 | 16.33 |
| 21 | QoS | 22 | 16 | 22 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 17.33 |
| 22 | TMwtGG | 8 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 9 | 21 | 12 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 18.75 |
| 23 | AVTAK | 12 | 24 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 14 | 22 | 14 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 18 | 19.42 |
| 24 | TWINE | 19 | 23 | 10 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 12 | 19.58 |
| 25 | Die Another Day | 20 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 22.92 |
Getting a bit more up to date - Group Stages of “Deaths” outcomes…
| Group A | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonraker | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 11 | 43 | 83.6 | 12 |
| DAF | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 28 | 9 | 57.4 | 9 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 55.8 | 6 |
| Spectre | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 34.6 | 3 |
| TWINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 51 | -38 | 20.3 | 0 |
Moonraker continues its late-in-the-game surge, and will take top place in the Form table with a mighty outcome, there. That’s some gulf between it and the Runner-Up, although Diamonds are Forever has its charms when it comes to this category. Boiling mud. Scorpion. Drowning. Exploding helicopter. Exploding oil rig. Scalpels. A series of shootings. Some more drowning. Lovely.
The rest - slightly unmemorable in the creativity or impact of the Deaths concerned, and death by exploding hot air balloon, murdering one’s (unconvincing) lover and then impaling yer love rival on a plutonium rod seems just not Enough, along with the World.
| Group B | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Time to Die | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 15 | 47 | 77.6 | 12 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 33 | 2 | 51.5 | 9 |
| TSWLM | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 36 | -4 | 47.1 | 6 |
| Live and Let Die | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 40.1 | 3 |
| Dr No | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 45 | -22 | 33.9 | 0 |
Interesting outcome. Who dies in No Time… oh yeah, that.
Licence to Kill doing well here and that’s probably right; one of its (few) appeals is the quality of its deaths. The Spy who Loved Me doing pretty poorly, although will go through (just) as a lower Lucky Loser.
Live and Let Die a bit low, but perhaps the deaths there do have an overinflated opinion of themselves. Dr No has a dragon, and that’s still not going to get it to qualify further - what more do you people want? It’s a frickin’ dragon.
| Group C | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRWL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 11 | 42 | 83.4 | 12 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 65.5 | 9 |
| Octopussy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 51.1 | 6 |
| TND | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 43 | -26 | 28.3 | 3 |
| TMwtGG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 47 | -34 | 21.7 | 0 |
TBH Skyfall has been on the slide of late and needed a bit of a boost; here it comes in the shape of … an old lady. Hmm. From Russia with Love has fairly blunt deaths, but perhaps the Grant one is amongst the most satisfying of the series. That, and Chuck Lee.
Octopussy continuing a late run of improvements and will go through as a Lucky Loser. Bond murdering many, many people with a missile is obviously to its benefit.
| Group D | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 21 | 26 | 69.1 | 12 |
| Goldfinger | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 19 | 27 | 71.3 | 9 |
| Casino Royale | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 22 | 21 | 66.5 | 6 |
| Quantum of Solace | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 44 | -23 | 32.5 | 3 |
| Die Another Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 58 | -51 | 10.6 | 0 |
Who dies in OHM… oh yeah; that.
Casino Royale coming through as a very strong Lucky Loser, there, and the anomaly of the Group Stage is that Goldfinger has a better form showing, but OHMSS won all its games so does come out on top. Might that be a portent of final outcome?
Die Another Day ends the year with another last place, and that’ll probably be last place on the Form table too. Can matters ever improve? Doesn’t leave one with much doubt that the reboot was absolutely necessary; they had reached extinction point.
| Group E | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderball | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 16 | 29 | 74 | 12 |
| YOLT | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 67.7 | 9 |
| TLD | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 59.8 | 6 |
| GoldenEye | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 39 | -19 | 33.6 | 3 |
| AVTAK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 51 | -42 | 15 | 0 |
Thunderball doing its Thunderball thing here, and GoldenEye fails (to give it its full title). Perhaps, in terms of this year’s round of 13 Deathmatches, the least surprising outcome.
The Living Daylights comes in as a Lucky Loser; it does give of good in the way we die. Just as I don’t swim in the sea because of Jaws and I don’t take a shower because I like to smell, and also Psycho. I avoid sliding glass doors because of The Living Daylights. That, and I’m too lazy to go to the supermarket. It’s probably the latter, tbh.
Form table after Group Stage
| % form | Outcome of Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 83.6 | Winner Group A |
| 2 | From Russia with Love | 83.4 | Winner Group C |
| 3 | No Time to Die | 77.6 | Winner Group B |
| 4 | Thunderball | 74 | Winner Group E |
| 5 | Goldfinger | 71.3 | Runner-Up Group D |
| 6 | OHMSS | 69.1 | Winner Group D |
| 7 | You Only Live Twice | 67.7 | Runner-Up Group E |
| 8 | Casino Royale | 66.5 | Lucky Loser 1 |
| 9 | Skyfall | 65.5 | Runner-Up Group C |
| 10 | The Living Daylights | 59.8 | Lucky Loser 2 |
| 11 | Diamonds are Forever | 57.4 | Runner-Up Group A |
| 12 | For Your Eyes Only | 55.8 | Lucky Loser 3 |
| 13 | Licence to Kill | 51.5 | Runner-Up Group B |
| 14 | Octopussy | 51.1 | Lucky Loser 4 |
| 15 | The Spy who Loved Me | 47.1 | Lucky Loser 5 |
| 16 | Live and Let Die | 40.1 | Lucky Loser 6 |
| 17 | Spectre | 34.6 | |
| 18 | Dr No | 33.9 | |
| 19 | GoldenEye | 33.6 | |
| 20 | Quantum of Solace | 32.5 | |
| 21 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 28.3 | |
| 22 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 21.7 | |
| 23 | TWINE | 20.3 | |
| 24 | A View to a Kill | 15 | |
| 25 | Die Another Day | 10.6 |
Same old names at the top, same old names at the bottom. That said, No Time to Die springs a surprise (albeit a surprise one sees coming from about the third minute in).
Form Table after Second Round for “Deaths”
| % form | Change in (form) / position since Group Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonraker | 83.5 | (-0.1) / - |
| 2 | From Russia with Love | 82 | (-1.4) - |
| 3 | No Time to Die | 77.6 | (-) / - |
| 4 | OHMSS | 72.9 | (+3.8) / +2 |
| 5 | Thunderball | 72.1 | (-1.9) / -1 |
| 6 | Goldfinger | 66.5 | (-4.8) / -1 |
| 7 | You Only Live Twice | 64.7 | (-3) / - |
| 8 | Skyfall | 61.8 | (=3.7) / +1 |
| 9 | Diamonds are Forever | 58.9 | (+1.5) / +2 |
| 10 | Casino Royale | 56.5 | (-10) / -2 |
| 11 | The Living Daylights | 52.3 | (-7.5) / -1 |
| 12 | Licence to Kill | 51.8 | (+0.3) / +1 |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 49.3 | (-6.5) / -1 |
| 14 | The Spy who Loved Me | 44.7 | (-2.4) / +1 |
| 15 | Octopussy | 43.2 | (-7.9) / -1 |
| 16 | Live and Let Die | 39.1 | (-1) / - |
| 17 | Spectre | 34.6 | |
| 18 | Dr No | 33.9 | |
| 19 | GoldenEye | 33.6 | |
| 20 | Quantum of Solace | 32.5 | |
| 21 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 28.3 | |
| 22 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 21.7 | |
| 23 | TWINE | 20.3 | |
| 24 | A View to a Kill | 15 | |
| 25 | Die Another Day | 10.6 |
As is traditional, the Second Round often brings about “change”. Dramatic fall down the stairwell for Casino Royale, there, and OHMSS shooting upwards like a goon from a snowblower.
The Spy who Loved Me’s marginal gain may assist a little in the overall Best Picture position but that’s a low finish overall for a film involving exploding ski sticks, death by shark, death by explodo-copter, death by shot-apart groin, death by feathers, death by missile and multiple deaths by having the jugular vein bitten out by a 7ft+ giant with razor teeth. Obviously normal enough causes of death round your way, then, so your eyelids remain unbatted.