it's a james bond november

One of the mysteries of Howard is that I -- a non-violent, easy-going guy -- am such a fan of the James Bond movies.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie, Dr. No.  I have the first 20 (out of 23 films altogether) on DVD, have seen all of them multiple times, and I have memories of when each film was brand new.  I have a book, The Essential Bond (thanks, Jon!), and Wikipedia, of course, that have me knowing more about the history of the Bond films than is normal.  For me, it's pure escapism: the stories themselves are often really silly.

I've been watching several of the old Bond movies on DVD the past few days, partly to escape commercial TV and partly to mentally prepare for the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, that comes out later this week.  To tell the truth, the newer releases haven't been as much fun as the old ones -- too serious, too Bourne-like -- but I of course wouldn't dream of missing it.  I hope that Jon and Tom go with me.  It's become part of the tradition.