Episode 63: Thankful for Bond, James Bond

 "Bond, James Bond." Those words have introduced us to the world's most dashing, ruthless, and seemingly indestructible spy, British MI6 secret agent 007. The creation of author Ian Fleming first appeared in the novel Casino Royale in 1953, and went on to appear in 11 more novels and two short story collections. But Bond is best known to the public for the long-running series of films, which started in 1962 with Dr. No. As we celebrate all things Bond, we'll discuss a little bit of everything, but focus on the films.

With 24 films in the series, there's a lot to discuss! We'll go over our personal favorite films. These are heavily colored by nostalgia, of course. There's a fondness for Live and Let Die, as it was one of the first Bond films all of us saw. And Goldfinger is a strong contender.

There are now six actors that played Bond in the series, and each bring their own qualities to the screen. Do you like Connery's toughness? or Moore's more light-hearted approach? Did Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby get enough time in the role? Daniel Craig has been playing Bond for 14 years now - who should replace him?

We can't talk about Bond films without talking about the music of the films. Besides the Bond theme, there have been so many songs connected to the films. You have the classic Shirley Bassey vehicles like "Goldfinger," "Diamonds are Forever," and  "Moonraker," and then the pop and rock songs like "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney, "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton, and "Nobody Does it Better" by Carly Simon. Some have succeeded and some have fallen short of the mark. 

As usual, we'll ramble around a bit but it's sort of like a turducken - there's a whole bunch of things stuffed in here, but they're all good!

For the Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares an anniversary gift he got for his wife, Lieutenant Jasmine -hmm, sure he got it for her! Feast your eyes on Sideshow Collectibles "The Child" life-size figure. At 16.5" tall, you'll want to give it a cuddle! 

Here in the States, we are closing in on Thanksgiving. This year, it may seem a little harder to feel thankful. But while it has been a rough year for us all, let's hope that 2021 will be better. And despite it all, your Planet 8 crew is thankful for being able to put together new episodes every couple of weeks, and for the comments and feedback you have shared with us. We hope that in these difficult times, we may have provided a few moments of escape for you all. 

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Thanks for listening!

Episode 43: May The Force Be With You...We Have Spoken!

As 2019 came to a close, fans had Star Wars coming at them on both the big and small screens: we were ending the fabulous Mandalorian TV series on Disney +, and the final movie in the "Skywalker saga," Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, was released. Dare we say, reactions to these two productions couldn't be more different. The Planet 8 crew first discusses their feelings -we search our feelings -about Episode IX, a film that has continued the controversy from The Last Jedi. We came out of the film with a lot of questions, some frustrations, and a few things we enjoyed. We just wish there had been more.

On the other side of the galaxy, Disney + really hit it out of the park with the last half of The Mandalorian. We reviewed the first half of the season in episode 40, and all three of us absolutely loved it. The last four episodes delivered on the set up of the first four. We all felt that the conclusion was very satisfying. The final episode was thrilling; it had the right amounts of action and heart. And it's perfectly set up for the second season, as Mando is now bound to the Child and must help find his home. We discuss what we hope to see in the second season...which feels so very far away right now! 

For our Sensor Sweep, we keep our Star Wars theme, as Commander Larry discusses his experience meeting Anthony Daniels, aka C-3PO, during his tour for his book, I am C-3PO. Larry found Mr. Daniels to be a charming gentleman.

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That's all for us this time friends. We look forward to hearing your thoughts about Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian. Are you looking forward to more Star Wars from Disney +? What kind of shows would you like to see? Let us know. Leave your comments here, or hit us up at our other telecommunication locations:

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Thanks for Listening!

Our closing song is Star Wars by The Lounge Brigade.

Episode 40: This is the Way: The Mandalorian at the Half-Way Mark

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It's here -the first live-action Star Wars series! And so far, everyone seems to agree -The Mandalorian is a hit! Your Planet 8 crew has eagerly awaited the debut of this Disney +  show, created by Jon Favreau, with contributions from Dave Filoni of Clone Wars and Rebels fame. Set about five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the show depicts a time of uncertainty and unrest as the Alliance attempts to build from the ashes of the Empire. In the outer rim territories, the mysterious bounty hunter known as The Mandalorian forges a living hunting down bail jumpers and other low lifes, when he receives a bounty commission from former Imperials laying low. And from there, his life gets very complicated...

It's not a surprise to say that our episode is heavily SPOILER-FILLED from minute one, so you may not want to listen unless you've seen the first four episodes of The Mandalorian! We will discuss just about every detail of the show, being long-time Star Wars fans, and this show really hearkens back to the original trilogy in many ways. But it also brings a fresh take on the universe, which we thoroughly enjoyed!

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What are some of the influences we detected for the show? What were the little details we flipped over? How much does Commander Larry love Baby Yoda? Take a listen and then be sure to chime in with your thoughts too!

For our Sensor Sweep, no, it's not Star Wars, but Godzilla we turn to, as Chief Engineer Bob tells us all about the exciting new Godzilla Showa Era boxed set from Criterion! Almost as big as the King of Monsters himself, this eight disc bluray set covers Godzilla films from 1954 to 1975 and comes in a beautifully illustrated hardcover book. You can get it from Criterion or other fine retailers.

OK, that's it for this transmission. If you've seen The Mandalorian, what are your thoughts so far? Got anything to say about the Criterion Godzilla collection? Anything else you need to get off your chest? Leave a comment below, or try our other communication resources:

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Thanks for listening - we have spoken!