THE name is Bond. James Bond.
Ian Fleming’s secret agent in the service of Her Majesty The Queen, is probably one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time, and this month an M-Net Movies James Bond pop-up channel will feature every 007 movie, celebrating 55 years of the suave Bond.
DStv Premium viewers will be able to enjoy the Bond action on channel 109 from 9am on Thursday, February 23 until the afternoon of Sunday, March 5.
The self-styled “official” series produced by Eon/Danjaq began in 1962 with Dr No and Spectre in 2015, was the 24th film. These comprise six starring Sean Connery, one starring George Lazenby, seven starring Roger Moore, two starring Timothy Dalton, four starring Pierce Brosnan and four starring Daniel Craig.
There are at least two “rogue” James Bond films made by other studios, including the 1967 spoof Casino Royale starring David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, which will also be shown on the pop-up channel.
All the films will be screened in chronological order (check your EPG and schedules on DStv.com for the exact screening times). The channel will be streamed on DStv Now as well, but noton regular Catch Up due to limited space. With the movies, the documentaries Now Pay Attention 007 (2000), Best Ever Bond (2002) and something that will be debated for eternity), Bond Girls Are Forever (2012), and Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (2012) have been scheduled.
First weekend schedule
(subject to change)
Thursday, February 23
Dr No (1963) 9.10am
From Russia With Love (1964) 11.03am
Goldfinger (1964) 1.03pm
Thunderball (1965) 2.53pm
You Only Live Twice (1967) 3.03pm
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 7pm
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 9.21pm
Friday, February 24
Live and Let Die (1973) 8.35am
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) 10.37am
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) 12.42pm
Moonraker (1979) 2.47pm
For Your Eyes Only (1981) 4.53pm
Octopussy (1983) 7pm
Never Say Never Again (1983) 9.10pm
A View To A Kill (1985) 11.23pm
Saturday, February 25
Casino Royale (Peter Sellers Spoof TV Movie) 9.35am
The Living Daylights (1987) 10.30am
Licence to Kill (1989) 12.20pm
Goldeneye (1995) 2.52pm
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) 5.01pm
The World Is Not Enough (1999) 7pm
Die Another Day (2002) 9.08pm
Sunday, February 26
Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007 7.20am
Bond Girls Are Forever 9am
Now Pay Attention 007! 9.50am
Best Ever Bond 10.45am
Casino Royale (2006) 12.23pm
Quantum of Solace (2008) 2.52pm
Skyfall (2012) 4.38pm
Spectre (2015) 7pm
For Bond trivia, go to www.cultbox.co.uk/features/trivia/100-pieces-of-james-bond-trivia
in the week
Girls (M-Net Edge, 9pm): Golden Globe-winner Lena Dunham returns for the sixth and final season of the acclaimed dramedy following the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of young women.
The first episode of season six is built to push all of Hannah’s (Dunham) worst and best tendencies together, and to test exactly how far she’s come, writes Kathryn VanArendonk on vulture.com.
“The biggest non-Hannah story belongs to Marnie (Allison Williams), who’s still trying to sleep with Ray (Alex Karpovsky), but seems unwilling to actually commit to him.”
Quarry (M-Net Edge, Tuesday at 9pm): Logan Marshall-Green stars as Mac Conway, an ex-Marine returning to Memphis from the Vietnam war in 1972. Struggling with what we now know as PTSD (it was first introduced/diagnosed/recognised in 1980), he is approached by a shady figure with an offer that could change his life forever. The series is based on the novels of Max Allan Collins.
Big Little Lies (M-Net, Wednesday at 8.30pm): This one is a Big Deal (capital letters intended). It’s executive produced by David E Kelley (creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, and Harry’s Law, and husband to Michelle Pheiffer). Its two headline stars, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, are joined by Shailene Woodley in what is described as a subversive, darkly comic drama about three mothers whose apparently perfect lives unravel - to the point of murder. Other notable cast members are Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood).
Sex & The City (M-Net Edge, Wednesday at 9pm): If there’s anything guaranteed to make you feel old, it’s realising when some of your favourite series made their debut. This HBO one came out in 1998 (yes, do the maths) and ran until 2004, with 94 episodes. Sarah Jessica Parker made her name as Carrie Bradshaw, writer of a newspaper sex column. As such, her lifestyle - which includes Manolo Blahnik shoes, and endless rounds of cocktails, lunches, and parties - is highly unrealistic, to which any freelance columnist can attest. This didn’t stop the show from being a cult success, however.
Carrie and her friends Kim Cattrall (as Samantha Jones), Kristin Davis (as Charlotte York), and Cynthia Nixon (as Miranda Hobbes), had multiple continuing storylines that tackled relevant and modern social issues such as sexuality, safe sex, promiscuity, and femininity, while exploring the difference between friendships and romantic relationships. During the show’s six-year run, Carrie had many lovers played by actors who went on to have significant careers Timothy Olyphant, Dean Winters, Craig Bierko, John Slattery, Jon Bon Jovi, Vince Vaughn, David Duchovny, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ron Livingston, John Corbett, and of course, Mr Big himself, Chris Noth.
Reign (M-Net Edge, Thursday at 7pm): Among my eclectic viewing pleasures are many, many series - each one fulfilling a different role. There are the comedies, the dramas, the mindless bubblegum for when I want to fall asleep, documentaries, and the serious, intelligent shows. Then there is this one, which could fall into the bubblegum category since it is so loosely based on historical fact as to be meaningless, but what keeps me coming back are the costumes. Designed by Meredith Markworth-Pollack, who worked on Hart of Dixie and Gossip Girl, they are not even close to authentic to the period. But they are gorgeous. The plots are soapy, the relationships dramatic, the men dashing,
and the women beautiful.
This is the fourth and final season of Reign, which Wikipedia correctly describes as a “highly fictionalised series which follows the early exploits of Mary, Queen of Scots”. In the season’s premiere, Catherine (Megan Follows) is scrambling to hold onto power; Mary (Adelaide Kane) fails to make any foothold of power at all; while Elizabeth’s (Rachel Skarsten) got all the power she needs. And, everywhere, men try to back them into corners.