Catching Bullets - Memoirs of a Bond Fan
Catching Bullets
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Bond is back!
And so are his fans.
CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN
by Mark O'Connell
Splendid Books
Published in the UK/US in September
From the offbeat vantage point of a movie-mad teenager whose grandfather was chauffeur to legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli, CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.
When Jimmy O'Connell took a job as chauffeur for 007 producers Eon Productions, it would not just be Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore and Sean Connery he would drive to James Bond. His grandson Mark swiftly hitches a metaphorical ride on a humorous journey of filmic discovery where Bond movies fire like bespoke bullets at a Thatcher-era Catholic childhood marked with divorce, a closet-gay adolescence sound-tracked by John Barry and an adult life as a comedy writer still inspired by that Broccoli movie magic.
“Mark O’Connell is a great new writing talent and we are delighted to be publishing his first book,” says Splendid Books’ Editorial Director Shoba Vazirani. “Catching Bullets is very funny and he brings a genuinely new insight into the Bond film phenomena.
“The book is a fascinating journey, in which Mark reconsiders all the Bond films as they fire into his and everyone’s cinema-going memories.”
Furthermore, writer and actor Mark Gatiss - star of the BBC drama SHERLOCK - has penned the foreword to CATCHING BULLETS. “We are absolutely delighted that Mark Gatiss, who is a huge Bond fan, has written a superbly witty and incisive foreword,” says Shoba Vazirani. “Author Mark O’Connell has penned a very funny, interesting and poignant book in Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan and Mark Gatiss’ foreword complements it perfectly.”
In addition former Bond girl Maud Adams, who starred with Roger Moore in the 007 film OCTOPUSSY has contributed an afterword to the book. “To have Mark Gatiss and Maud Adams flanking the shoulders of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a true honour,” says Mark O’Connell.
You can pre-order CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN at www.splendidbooks.co.uk
And check it out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/catchingbullets
and author Mark O'Connell's Twitter page https://twitter.com/Mark0Connell
And so are his fans.
CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN
by Mark O'Connell
Splendid Books
Published in the UK/US in September
From the offbeat vantage point of a movie-mad teenager whose grandfather was chauffeur to legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli, CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.
When Jimmy O'Connell took a job as chauffeur for 007 producers Eon Productions, it would not just be Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore and Sean Connery he would drive to James Bond. His grandson Mark swiftly hitches a metaphorical ride on a humorous journey of filmic discovery where Bond movies fire like bespoke bullets at a Thatcher-era Catholic childhood marked with divorce, a closet-gay adolescence sound-tracked by John Barry and an adult life as a comedy writer still inspired by that Broccoli movie magic.
“Mark O’Connell is a great new writing talent and we are delighted to be publishing his first book,” says Splendid Books’ Editorial Director Shoba Vazirani. “Catching Bullets is very funny and he brings a genuinely new insight into the Bond film phenomena.
“The book is a fascinating journey, in which Mark reconsiders all the Bond films as they fire into his and everyone’s cinema-going memories.”
Furthermore, writer and actor Mark Gatiss - star of the BBC drama SHERLOCK - has penned the foreword to CATCHING BULLETS. “We are absolutely delighted that Mark Gatiss, who is a huge Bond fan, has written a superbly witty and incisive foreword,” says Shoba Vazirani. “Author Mark O’Connell has penned a very funny, interesting and poignant book in Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan and Mark Gatiss’ foreword complements it perfectly.”
In addition former Bond girl Maud Adams, who starred with Roger Moore in the 007 film OCTOPUSSY has contributed an afterword to the book. “To have Mark Gatiss and Maud Adams flanking the shoulders of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a true honour,” says Mark O’Connell.
You can pre-order CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN at www.splendidbooks.co.uk
And check it out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/catchingbullets
and author Mark O'Connell's Twitter page https://twitter.com/Mark0Connell
Comments
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#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN
Barbara Broccoli, co-producer of the James Bond films, has penned a personal Prelude to Splendid Books’ new title CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN. Barbara, whose father Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli co-founded the 007 films, has described Mark O’Connell’s debut book as “a wonderfully funny and touching memoir.”
“To be given Barbara Broccoli’s personal and heartfelt salute to CATCHING BULLETS is a real honour,” says Mark O’Connell. “Barbara’s encouragement and warm praise sees the journey of writing this book come full circle. And like those white circles that launch every 007 movie, her kind Prelude is a fitting way to start this book and honour my Grandfather Jimmy who, in different ways, drove us both to Bond.”
CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN is witty and smart and comes from the offbeat vantage point of a gay teenager whose Grandfather Jimmy was chauffeur to 007 producer Cubby Broccoli. It is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.
“We are delighted that Barbara Broccoli has lent her support to Mark and CATCHING BULLETS in this way,” says Steve Clark, Publishing Director at Splendid Books. “It’s a real tribute to Mark, who has always sought to present his personal take on the institution that is James Bond – and his Grandfather’s story – with integrity, originality and humour.”
In addition to Barbara Broccoli’s Prelude, CATCHING BULLETS has a Foreword by writer and actor Mark Gatiss and an Afterword by former Bond girl Maud Adams, who starred with Roger Moore in the 007 films OCTOPUSSY and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.
For a copy, go to www.splendidbooks.co.uk and all major stockists.
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Roger Moore 1927-2017
Flicking thru it, it looks like a good read, possibly tapping into the over 35-50 generation's memories. The author is no misery guts; he is able to stand up for the likes of Moonraker, correctly pointing out that it doesn't just borrow from Star Wars but other genres of the 70s; the Doberman savaging is out of Hammer Horror, for instance. And I agree that it's no biggie putting Moore's Bond in space, after all Connery almost made the trip in YOLT and this is the natural follow on.
The author makes the mistake many first-time authors make of getting overwordy, in an attempt to give the whole thing too much value and leave nothing overlooked. And some of us may feel it's a busman's holiday to read about someone's opinion of the Bond films - but it is a nice read all the same and would make a good Xmas present for fans of a certain age. It has a nice, converstional tone.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Feels like a damn good read. Mr Connell certainly knows his way with words and how to arrange them amusingly and pointedly originally, and what he likes, and what he's like . I have no allegiance pro the author - he and I are juxtaoposed on many things and have debated fiercely in the past - but there is no need to accuse this book of lack of purpose, or self-indulgence.
Okay, there may be a bit too much name-dropping, but hey, that's part of the raison of this book. (Did I mention Dorothy Squires died in a village just up the road from me?).
And when I next got into Stringfellows for some relaxation, I'll probably pick up another copy in the bookshop ins St Martin's Lane.
What's the Tascen book?
Yeah, I dipped into it again, it's a good read and not pricey. Unusual in that it's not chronological in some ways, in the order of his seeing the films. The last Moore film the author sees is TMWTGG, for instance, though surely most of us would have seen that by 1985, it had been on telly a few times by then surely.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Thanks 2Die. Much appreciated. BULLETS is considerably cheaper than the Taschen one too!
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I think more people will pick this book up in time...but many will be saving their pennies for the release of Skyfall goodies at the moment...
I do look forward to picking it up at some stage though -{
Thanks Sir Miles.
The feedback has been nothing short of great, from layman to fan alike.
For more about the book's reaction so far, check out my blog http://markoconnell.co.uk/ for SKYFALL thoughts, location snaps, Oscar predictions and a bit more.
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1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN now has a funky new trailer...please note no Maurice Binders were injured during the making of this title sequence....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2HHaJWzcA
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Warning: This is not your Dad's James Bond book! If you are expecting John Cork's The Legacy think again!
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Thanks sir!
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Also be sure to watch Cannonball Run because the line "I must warn you I'm Roger Moore!" is used frequently.
Just an example of Mark's sense of humor...he describes the Living Daylights' Necros as a "KGB-balloon-seller-come-Speedo-wearing-porn star."
Although his description of Kara Milovy with her "ceaseless sowester and rain mac" is still a mystery to me. Maybe because I'm American I have no clue what any of those words mean!
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
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On Sunday 7th July 2013 Bondstars held a globally attended event to mark thirty years since the release of Eon Productions' OCTOPUSSY.
Staged most aptly at Pinewood Studios just outside London the day was a marvellous celebration of 007, Pinewood new and old, the James Bond series, cinema and the sex and sari actioner that is 1983's OCTOPUSSY.
For reasons that those who are familiar with CATCHING BULLETS - MEMOIRS OF A BOND FAN will understand and recognise, taking CATCHING BULLETS to Pinewood held all sorts of memories, joys and first encounters.
OCTOPUSSY was this Bond fan's first trip to the cinema to see Bond. From those dancing white dots onwards, the film has and continues to hold great personal and professional resonance.
CATCHING BULLETS, Splendid Books and Mark O'Connell would like to thank Bondstars, Gareth Owen, Andrew Boyle and their hardworking team for a truly special day for a great many film and of course Bond fans with thirty year old Maud Adams crushes.
Cast and crew were in attendance including CATCHING BULLETS' Afterword contributor Maud Adams, her OCTOPUSSY co-star Kristina Wayborn, director John Glen, many of the 'Octopussy Girls' (including Carole Ashby and gymnastic choreographer Suzanne Dando), editor John Grover, designer Peter Lamont, sound editor Colin Miller, cinematographer Alec Mills, Executive Producer Anthony Waye and many, many more.
"It's for my scrapbook. I collect memories".
For a photo gallery and more from the CATCHING BULLETS page on Facebook....feel free to join the group too and tag yourself if you are in there...!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.610175782346108.1073741832.407779922585696&type=1
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Did you have to wear a tan Octopussy circus jacket in order to sneak in ?
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Yes, the book has always been available on Kindle. It made the charts (Film & TV) there not so long ago.
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