I didn't start watching Jamnes Bond movies until high school when Pierce Brosnan was playing the role. I really liked Golden Eye and the Brosnan movies that released afterwards, but it wasn't until Daniel Craig's turn as 007 in Casino Royale that I really loved a Bond movie. Director Martin Campbell gave us a human James Bond - one that actually was able to love and be hurt. As someone who has had his fair share of romantic ups and downs in life, it was nice to have a Bond I could relate to emotionally. And who better to break James Bond's heart than the lovely Eva Green? But Casino Royale not only gave us Eva, it gave us Mads Mikkelsen as the film's central villain. I loved his performance as Le Chiffre. This movie has been vying for the #5 spot in my all-time favorite movie list for years, and has only more recently started getting edged out by another film that released in 2018...

"How's your lamb?" -- Vesper
"Skewered. One sympathizes." -- Bond

Honorable Mentions: The Prestige. My goodness, what a ride The Prestige is. If Casino Royale didn't also release the same year, it'd definitely be my pick for 2006. And, believe it or not, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest did make the running to some degree. It's not a perfect sequel by any means, but -- Davy Jones! Bill Nighy's tentacled villain - and his pet the krakken - make that movie. Like The Lost World, it's definitely a guilty pleasure.
        - John DiBiase