Skip to content
10/05/2026
  • YOUTUBE CHANNEL
  • TWITTER
  • FACEBOOK
  • INSTAGRAM

HaphazardStuff

Movie reviews, James Bond projects & Haphazard Stuff

Primary Menu

HaphazardStuff

  • Home
  • James Bond Series
  • Remake Recon
  • 1980s Teen Comedies
  • Hey, Remember…
  • Movie Clichés
  • Film Noir
  • Monsters, Aliens & Disasters
  • Superhero Series
  • Action Flicks
  • Documentaries
  • Comedies
  • Thrillers
  • Docudramas/Biographies
  • Sci-Fi Movies
  • Underrated Gems
  • Stinkers
  • Random Reads
  • Haphazard Projects
  • YouTube Channel
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson

The Swarm 1978 Michael Caine Katherine Ross bee attack disaster movie
  • Disaster

The Swarm (1978) – A Review

1

A review of the 1978 Irwin Allen disaster film The Swarm about attacking killer bees, starring Michael Caine, Katherine Ross, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Olivia DeHavilland and Fred MacMurray

Read MoreRead more about The Swarm (1978) – A Review
Somewhere In Time, 1980. The film is based on the Somewhere In Time, 1980.

The film is based on the 1975 sci-fi romance novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. He would also write the screenplay.

Director Jeannot Szwarc wanted to make the film and presented it to Universal Pictures. At first they refused, then Szwarc reminded them about the success of Jaws 2, which he directed and it became Universal's biggest box office hit in 1978. The studio agreed to green light Somewhere In Time if the budget stayed at $4 million. 

Reeve had gotten ahold of the script, loved it and took a lower salary to play the lead role. Of course, Superman had just come out, was a massive success, so his agents were reluctant at the decision. However, Reeve was eager to prove he could play a romantic lead and got the role.

Numerous actresses auditioned for the role of 1912 stage star Elise McKenna. Szwarc would ask the actresses if they had ever been deeply in love. Seymour was the only actress who said, "No.". That answer won her the role with Szwarc feeling the character needed to be innocent and who hadn't experienced a life-changing romance yet.

Reeve and Seymour had instant chemistry on-screen. Years later Seymour revealed they genuinely fell in love with one another during the making of the film. Both single at the time, they had an off-screen romance, which they kept secret from the crew. They maintained a lifelong friendship. Seymour would later name one of her sons after him.

When it was released, Somewhere in Time was a disappointment at the box office in the U.S., but was a massive hit in Asia. The film would later be discovered from airings on cable tv and home video. The film became more popular years after its original release and has become a fan favorite. 

An annual fan convention takes place a the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan where the movie was filmed. Fans come dressed in 1912 costumes, take tours, watch the film and listen to music. Both Seymour and Reeve have attended past conventions. 

Reeve would say he felt the film was ahead of its time and called it one of his proudest moments, right alongside Superman.
Bond POV in Tomorrow Never Dies #BondPOV #Tomorro Bond POV in Tomorrow Never Dies

#BondPOV #TomorrowNeverDies
You Only Live Twice, 1967. On September 30, 1966 L You Only Live Twice, 1967. On September 30, 1966 Lewis Gilbert filmed the scene of Q giving James Bond 'Little Nellie'.

The scene of the Little Nellie parts being brought out in four suitcases and the quick cutting assembly of it was filmed at Pinewood Studios.

In reality the real autogyro could not be broken down and fit in four suitcases. The production crew built a special non-flying mock-up specifically for the 'unboxing' and 'assembly' scene.

Ken Wallis, the inventor and pilot of the real Wallis WA-116 Agile autogyro, supposedly loved the idea of his aircraft being packed into suitcases and how it was introduced in the film so much, he kept the four huge suitcases as a memento.
Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra in Spectre. When Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra in Spectre.

When Belluci was contacted about a role in Spectre she was initially confused. She was told by her agent that Sam Mendes wanted to meet her for a role in the James Bond film. Belluci flew to London for a dinner with Mendes.

Bellucci arrived at the restaurant, "I just blurted out, 'I’m not a girl, I’m a mature woman. Do I have to replace Judi Dench?'”

"He was laughing, and I was, like, “Why do you call me? I’m 50 years old. What am I going to do in James Bond?” He said, “For the first time in history, James Bond is going to have a story with a mature woman. The concept is revolutionary”‘.

Despite all the promotion and interviews that revolved around Belluci appearing in a Bond film, her character has very little screen time. What did you think of Belluci's Lucia? Did she deserve to have a more prominent role?

#jamesbond #monicabelluci #bondgirl #spectre
CORRECTION! I have to set the record straight for CORRECTION!
I have to set the record straight for the Bond community.

In a previous post about the final pool scene in Never Say Never Again, I described how it was filmed at Sean Connery’s estate in Nice, France - THAT IS INCORRECT!

Fortunately, some fellow Bond fans contacted me to point out the error and correct me that the final scene of NSNA was actually filmed at producer Kevin McClory’s waterfront estate on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, which was called Sigrist Estate.

Several Bond fans reminded me of the book The Battle for Bond by Robert Sellers. It recounts the history of McClory, Ian Fleming, the Bond lawsuits, and how the rights to Thunderball became McClory’s, who subsequently went on to produce the unofficial Bond film NSNA.

The book details a visit to McClory’s Bahamas home years after NSNA when the estate fell in disrepair - “There was the obligatory swimming pool, a beautiful lagoon-like pool that had been designed by Larry Hagman’s wife. It had featured at the end of Never Say Never Again; Rowan Atkinson was thrown into it. In fact that whole final scene, Connery relaxing in an outside Jacuzzi etc, was filmed on McClory’s estate. In one shot you can clearly see the house in the background.”

Simon Firth author of Filming James Bond in The Bahamas - and certainly knows 007 locations in the Bahamas - also contacted me. He said, “that scene was filmed at Kevin McClory’s now demolished house on Paradise Island. The space has been taken up by the Atlantis Resort complex.”

Thank you for the correction @simonjamesfirth

So, there you have it. As a massive Bond fan I don’t want to pass on faulty 007 lore. I wanted to correct it as soon as I learned of my error - especially considering it was Connery’s final film scene as 007. Thank you for the debriefing Bond fans!

If anyone happens to know the date the scene was filmed, that would be an added bonus to know!

Anyway, McClory’s Bahamas estate is long gone. So there’s no chance of any of us fans going to visit it, tossing Rowan Atkinson in a pool and winking at a camera. 

Special thanks to the @Thunderballs007 for the great behind the scenes photos of NSNA!
Filming the final scene of Never Say Never Again a Filming the final scene of Never Say Never Again at producer Kevin McClory's Bahamas estate.
Martine Beswick has one of the unique honors of ap Martine Beswick has one of the unique honors of appearing in two Bond films - as different characters .

The Jamaican-British actress and model originally met with director Terence Young for a role in Dr. No. Young felt she was too young and didn't have enough experience. However, he felt there was a possible role for Beswick down the road. Fast forward to From Russia With Love and Young cast her as Zora, one of the fighting gypsy girls. Beswick and Young became friends.

While Young was casting for Thunderball and facing problems of finding an actress to play agent Paula Capian who is an 'island girl', he thought of Beswick and she was cast. Beswick was living in London at the time she no longer had a tan. For two weeks before filming began in the Bahamas, she was instructed to sunbathe everyday.

#jamesbond #thunderball #fromrussiawithlove #martinebeswick #bondgirl
Kristina Wayborn as Magda in Octopussy. "Let's pu Kristina Wayborn as Magda in Octopussy.

"Let's put it this way, up to now you are the least lethal and, by far, the prettiest of Kamal's friends that I've come across."

Wayborn had been Miss Sweden in 1970. Miss Scandinavia in 1971, working as a popular model and an actress when she was cast as Magda in Octopussy.

Barbara Broccoli had seen Wayborn's performance as Greta Garbo in the 1980 TV movie The Silent Lovers and had also remembered a pin-up poster she had done where she posed alongside a tiger - an image that closely resembles something straight out of Octopussy. She told her father Cubby Broccoli about Wayborn, Initially, Wayborn was considered for a role in For Your Eyes, but it hadn't happened.

When casting for Octopussy began, Wayborn was invited for a meeting and she was offered the role of Magda without being asked to audition. At the time, she said she thought, “Are you kidding me? I’m going to be in bed in Roger Moore?"

Wayborn sustained several injuries while filming, wanting to perform many of her stunts herself.

#jamesbond #octopussy #kristinawayborn
The Name of the Rose is murder mystery set in a 14 The Name of the Rose is murder mystery set in a 14th-century Italian monastery. Franciscan friar Willam of Baskerville investigates a series of bizarre murders. 

Sean Connery pursued the role of William of Baskerville. The character is a combination of the 14th century philosopher and theologian William of Ockham and Sherlock Holmes. 

Based on Umberto Eco's novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud had spent four years preparing for the film, doing extensive location scouting and casting. He had wanted actors with "distinctive" and non-Hollywood faces to present an accurate depiction of the medieval setting. The cast includes F. Murray Abraham, Christian Slater, Elya Baskin, Ron Perlman, Michel Lonsdale and William Hickey.

Annaud had envisioned an unknown actor for the part. When Connery expressed interested in playing the role, Annaud was reluctant fearing his casting would be too distracting and the film would become "James Bond in an abbey".

However, after talking with Connery and him giving a compelling personal reading Annaud changed his mind. In a later interview Annaud said he read it "exactly how I heard it in my brain." 

Connery's casting brought with it concern to Columbia Pictures. At the time Connery's career was in a bit of a slump and the studio pulled out of financing the film, feeling that Connery could only do James Bond and nothing else. Annaud was forced to find new backing, which led the film to be a German-Italian co-production.

Even the book's author Eco was not happy with the decision of Connery playing the main role. In a later interview Annaud recounted an early screening of the film Eco watched. "He hugged me and he said, 'What I feared the most is what you succeeded the most. Sean Connery is fantastic.'" 

The Name of the Rose had mixed success in the U.S., but was a massive hit in Europe. Connery's performance earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor and was a turning point in his career. The following year he would star in The Untouchables where he would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 
#seanconnery
Follow on Instagram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNy63FbgqhQ
haphazardstuff HaphazardStuff @haphazardstuff ·
10 Sep

Bond girls in blue

#jamesbond #bondgirls #bondgirl

Reply on Twitter 2097961279512019230 Retweet on Twitter 2097961279512019230 1 Like on Twitter 2097961279512019230 8 Twitter 2097961279512019230
Load More
  • A Comedy To Die For – Vampires SuckA Comedy To Die For – Vampires Suck
  • Movie Clichés – The Ugly Girl in GlassesMovie Clichés – The Ugly Girl in Glasses
  • An Ominious Bond ArticleAn Ominious Bond Article
  • The Towering Inferno (1974) – A ReviewThe Towering Inferno (1974) – A Review
  • Roman Polanski’s Pirates (1986) – A ReviewRoman Polanski’s Pirates (1986) – A Review
  • The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) – A ReviewThe Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) – A Review
  • The Fan Reaction To The New Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe Fan Reaction To The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) – A ReviewBohemian Rhapsody (2018) – A Review

You may have missed

Tough-Guys-1986-comedy-Kirk-Douglas-Burt-Lancaster
  • Comedy

Tough Guys (1986) – A Review

0
Luckiest-Man-In-America-2024-Paul-Walter-Hauser
  • Docudrama

The Luckiest Man in America (2024) – A Review

0
Barbara-Broccoli-On-Denis-Villeneuve
  • James Bond

Broccoli Supports Villeneuve As Bond 26 Director

1
Denis-Villeneuve-Directing-Bond-26
  • James Bond

Denis Villeneuve To Direct James Bond Film

1
Trap-2024-Josh-Hartnett-thriller
  • Thriller

Trap (2024) – A Review

0
haphazardstuff HaphazardStuff @haphazardstuff ·
10 Sep

Bond girls in blue

#jamesbond #bondgirls #bondgirl

Reply on Twitter 2097961279512019230 Retweet on Twitter 2097961279512019230 1 Like on Twitter 2097961279512019230 8 Twitter 2097961279512019230
Load More
Somewhere In Time, 1980. The film is based on the Somewhere In Time, 1980.

The film is based on the 1975 sci-fi romance novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. He would also write the screenplay.

Director Jeannot Szwarc wanted to make the film and presented it to Universal Pictures. At first they refused, then Szwarc reminded them about the success of Jaws 2, which he directed and it became Universal's biggest box office hit in 1978. The studio agreed to green light Somewhere In Time if the budget stayed at $4 million. 

Reeve had gotten ahold of the script, loved it and took a lower salary to play the lead role. Of course, Superman had just come out, was a massive success, so his agents were reluctant at the decision. However, Reeve was eager to prove he could play a romantic lead and got the role.

Numerous actresses auditioned for the role of 1912 stage star Elise McKenna. Szwarc would ask the actresses if they had ever been deeply in love. Seymour was the only actress who said, "No.". That answer won her the role with Szwarc feeling the character needed to be innocent and who hadn't experienced a life-changing romance yet.

Reeve and Seymour had instant chemistry on-screen. Years later Seymour revealed they genuinely fell in love with one another during the making of the film. Both single at the time, they had an off-screen romance, which they kept secret from the crew. They maintained a lifelong friendship. Seymour would later name one of her sons after him.

When it was released, Somewhere in Time was a disappointment at the box office in the U.S., but was a massive hit in Asia. The film would later be discovered from airings on cable tv and home video. The film became more popular years after its original release and has become a fan favorite. 

An annual fan convention takes place a the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan where the movie was filmed. Fans come dressed in 1912 costumes, take tours, watch the film and listen to music. Both Seymour and Reeve have attended past conventions. 

Reeve would say he felt the film was ahead of its time and called it one of his proudest moments, right alongside Superman.
Bond POV in Tomorrow Never Dies #BondPOV #Tomorro Bond POV in Tomorrow Never Dies

#BondPOV #TomorrowNeverDies
You Only Live Twice, 1967. On September 30, 1966 L You Only Live Twice, 1967. On September 30, 1966 Lewis Gilbert filmed the scene of Q giving James Bond 'Little Nellie'.

The scene of the Little Nellie parts being brought out in four suitcases and the quick cutting assembly of it was filmed at Pinewood Studios.

In reality the real autogyro could not be broken down and fit in four suitcases. The production crew built a special non-flying mock-up specifically for the 'unboxing' and 'assembly' scene.

Ken Wallis, the inventor and pilot of the real Wallis WA-116 Agile autogyro, supposedly loved the idea of his aircraft being packed into suitcases and how it was introduced in the film so much, he kept the four huge suitcases as a memento.
Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra in Spectre. When Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra in Spectre.

When Belluci was contacted about a role in Spectre she was initially confused. She was told by her agent that Sam Mendes wanted to meet her for a role in the James Bond film. Belluci flew to London for a dinner with Mendes.

Bellucci arrived at the restaurant, "I just blurted out, 'I’m not a girl, I’m a mature woman. Do I have to replace Judi Dench?'”

"He was laughing, and I was, like, “Why do you call me? I’m 50 years old. What am I going to do in James Bond?” He said, “For the first time in history, James Bond is going to have a story with a mature woman. The concept is revolutionary”‘.

Despite all the promotion and interviews that revolved around Belluci appearing in a Bond film, her character has very little screen time. What did you think of Belluci's Lucia? Did she deserve to have a more prominent role?

#jamesbond #monicabelluci #bondgirl #spectre
CORRECTION! I have to set the record straight for CORRECTION!
I have to set the record straight for the Bond community.

In a previous post about the final pool scene in Never Say Never Again, I described how it was filmed at Sean Connery’s estate in Nice, France - THAT IS INCORRECT!

Fortunately, some fellow Bond fans contacted me to point out the error and correct me that the final scene of NSNA was actually filmed at producer Kevin McClory’s waterfront estate on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, which was called Sigrist Estate.

Several Bond fans reminded me of the book The Battle for Bond by Robert Sellers. It recounts the history of McClory, Ian Fleming, the Bond lawsuits, and how the rights to Thunderball became McClory’s, who subsequently went on to produce the unofficial Bond film NSNA.

The book details a visit to McClory’s Bahamas home years after NSNA when the estate fell in disrepair - “There was the obligatory swimming pool, a beautiful lagoon-like pool that had been designed by Larry Hagman’s wife. It had featured at the end of Never Say Never Again; Rowan Atkinson was thrown into it. In fact that whole final scene, Connery relaxing in an outside Jacuzzi etc, was filmed on McClory’s estate. In one shot you can clearly see the house in the background.”

Simon Firth author of Filming James Bond in The Bahamas - and certainly knows 007 locations in the Bahamas - also contacted me. He said, “that scene was filmed at Kevin McClory’s now demolished house on Paradise Island. The space has been taken up by the Atlantis Resort complex.”

Thank you for the correction @simonjamesfirth

So, there you have it. As a massive Bond fan I don’t want to pass on faulty 007 lore. I wanted to correct it as soon as I learned of my error - especially considering it was Connery’s final film scene as 007. Thank you for the debriefing Bond fans!

If anyone happens to know the date the scene was filmed, that would be an added bonus to know!

Anyway, McClory’s Bahamas estate is long gone. So there’s no chance of any of us fans going to visit it, tossing Rowan Atkinson in a pool and winking at a camera. 

Special thanks to the @Thunderballs007 for the great behind the scenes photos of NSNA!
Filming the final scene of Never Say Never Again a Filming the final scene of Never Say Never Again at producer Kevin McClory's Bahamas estate.
Martine Beswick has one of the unique honors of ap Martine Beswick has one of the unique honors of appearing in two Bond films - as different characters .

The Jamaican-British actress and model originally met with director Terence Young for a role in Dr. No. Young felt she was too young and didn't have enough experience. However, he felt there was a possible role for Beswick down the road. Fast forward to From Russia With Love and Young cast her as Zora, one of the fighting gypsy girls. Beswick and Young became friends.

While Young was casting for Thunderball and facing problems of finding an actress to play agent Paula Capian who is an 'island girl', he thought of Beswick and she was cast. Beswick was living in London at the time she no longer had a tan. For two weeks before filming began in the Bahamas, she was instructed to sunbathe everyday.

#jamesbond #thunderball #fromrussiawithlove #martinebeswick #bondgirl
Kristina Wayborn as Magda in Octopussy. "Let's pu Kristina Wayborn as Magda in Octopussy.

"Let's put it this way, up to now you are the least lethal and, by far, the prettiest of Kamal's friends that I've come across."

Wayborn had been Miss Sweden in 1970. Miss Scandinavia in 1971, working as a popular model and an actress when she was cast as Magda in Octopussy.

Barbara Broccoli had seen Wayborn's performance as Greta Garbo in the 1980 TV movie The Silent Lovers and had also remembered a pin-up poster she had done where she posed alongside a tiger - an image that closely resembles something straight out of Octopussy. She told her father Cubby Broccoli about Wayborn, Initially, Wayborn was considered for a role in For Your Eyes, but it hadn't happened.

When casting for Octopussy began, Wayborn was invited for a meeting and she was offered the role of Magda without being asked to audition. At the time, she said she thought, “Are you kidding me? I’m going to be in bed in Roger Moore?"

Wayborn sustained several injuries while filming, wanting to perform many of her stunts herself.

#jamesbond #octopussy #kristinawayborn
The Name of the Rose is murder mystery set in a 14 The Name of the Rose is murder mystery set in a 14th-century Italian monastery. Franciscan friar Willam of Baskerville investigates a series of bizarre murders. 

Sean Connery pursued the role of William of Baskerville. The character is a combination of the 14th century philosopher and theologian William of Ockham and Sherlock Holmes. 

Based on Umberto Eco's novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud had spent four years preparing for the film, doing extensive location scouting and casting. He had wanted actors with "distinctive" and non-Hollywood faces to present an accurate depiction of the medieval setting. The cast includes F. Murray Abraham, Christian Slater, Elya Baskin, Ron Perlman, Michel Lonsdale and William Hickey.

Annaud had envisioned an unknown actor for the part. When Connery expressed interested in playing the role, Annaud was reluctant fearing his casting would be too distracting and the film would become "James Bond in an abbey".

However, after talking with Connery and him giving a compelling personal reading Annaud changed his mind. In a later interview Annaud said he read it "exactly how I heard it in my brain." 

Connery's casting brought with it concern to Columbia Pictures. At the time Connery's career was in a bit of a slump and the studio pulled out of financing the film, feeling that Connery could only do James Bond and nothing else. Annaud was forced to find new backing, which led the film to be a German-Italian co-production.

Even the book's author Eco was not happy with the decision of Connery playing the main role. In a later interview Annaud recounted an early screening of the film Eco watched. "He hugged me and he said, 'What I feared the most is what you succeeded the most. Sean Connery is fantastic.'" 

The Name of the Rose had mixed success in the U.S., but was a massive hit in Europe. Connery's performance earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor and was a turning point in his career. The following year he would star in The Untouchables where he would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 
#seanconnery
Follow on Instagram
  • YOUTUBE CHANNEL
  • TWITTER
  • FACEBOOK
  • INSTAGRAM
Copyright © All rights reserved. | CoverNews by AF themes.