Bond, James Bond

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MissGoddess
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Re: Bond, James Bond

Post by MissGoddess »

I enjoyed it, too.
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knitwit45
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Re: Bond, James Bond

Post by knitwit45 »

Thanks, Chris, I think it is now on my gotta see list!
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movieman1957
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Re: Bond, James Bond

Post by movieman1957 »

I hope you enjoy it Nancy.

One other thing to add about things being sacred - PG13. In the last however many years it would be too easy to let these get into R ratings but too their credit they are still bringing these films in the PG13 rating. A couple of four letter words, some implied sex with no nudity all shows it can be done.
Chris

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Re: Bond, James Bond

Post by RedRiver »

When all modern movies seem to have left all that behind we still get a stylish, exotic title sequence.

Without that, it's not a Bond film! Even more crucial is the pre-title teaser you described. That, more than anything, defines this wonderful series.
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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WOW! What a way to end the year!
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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“SKYFALL” ( 2012 ) - SAM MENDES

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SPOILERS AHEAD - - -

James Bond relevant in the 21st century. Is the idea of James Bond an anachronism.


I enjoy Daniel Cragg CRAIG as James Bond. He’s older, beat up, worse for the wear, pouches under his eyes, skin creased with welts and bruises; craggy. Being a spy is not antiseptic. It is brutal. Mmmm...I love him this way. “Skyfall” is not as energetic and dynamic a film as previous Bond films. Sam Mendes is not an action director; he's a peoples' director. There were many parts that were slow and quiet. And thoughtfull. And that’s okay. Mendes' helms thought-provoking, character-driven films: ( “American Beauty” “Road to Perdition” “Revolutionary Road.” ) There's a fantasy element here, but moreso it is rooted in reality. And serious themes. “Skyfall” is about people and their place in a changing world. This tells a story of man vs. this digital age; this age of youth and shadows. Are M and Bond dinosaurs? I think they prove that they are not..that MI-6 is not. Villains might have to step up their game. But revenge is still a good motive. It’s a bit of an origin story. They both prove we need more than just a finger to “occasionally pull the trigger.”

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Daniel Craig was born to play James Bond

Wow! I know. What a declaration. I am convinced of it. Now, I loved Dalton and Brosnan. And Sean Connery is in a class by himself. But I am totally sold on Daniel Craig as James Bond. He’s commited. When he’s shot and plummets down to the river...and over a waterfall :shock: Bond uses it as an opportunity to get away from it all. The last thing he hears in his earpiece while fighting a bad guy is “take the bloody shot!”

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Bond's body is a nice tight hard little package. But his skills have lost a step. This is illustrated nicely. I was in shock when M lies to Bond and knowingly sends him on a mission when he’s not up to par. ( We know something he doesn't know. ) He's vulnerable. He tires easily. He can’t hit his target. But I realize, it is M's faith in Bond. He’s caring. He tried to care for a downed fellow agent ( who later dies. ) He cares for M. He cares for Severine...and Eve. But he can’t save everyone. “Skyfall” gives Daniel Craig the chance to act opposite three powerhouse actors: Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench and Albert Finney:

THE CAST:

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[u][color=#FF0000]MOVIEMAN1957[/color][/u] wrote:'M' is the Bond girl.
Brilliant! MovieMan. Brilliant...and true! Your review was spot on in capsulizing the movie. Nice!

RALPH FIENNES plays Gareth Mallory. He’s a suit. A bean counter. A desk jockey. He’s moved with the times and questions M’s capability to run MI-6. BERENICE LIM MARLOHE is Severine. She is a black widow and looks the part - - owned by the bad guy. Her manicure is like claws. Her lipstick practically black. And she winds up a notch on Bond’s well-worn belt. ( Looks similar to another old nemesis of Bond’s, doesn't she? ) She was bought and sold as a young girl. British actress NAOMIE HARRIS is Eve. She’s a poor shot, but very efficient and can kibbitz with Bond. She’s a gorgeous girl, with a smashing wardrobe. I believe her out in the field and I want her out there with Bond. But boy does she know how to...shave. The great ALBERT FINNEY is gamekeeper, Kincaid. He's no "mystic sage" like Hoagy Carmichael or Juano Hernandez. He knew Bond when. Maybe like Batman's Alfred. Kincaid's loyalty is unquestionable. It was great seeing Finney out there. Gravitas. You believe him! JAVIER BARDEM is madman and ex-agent Silva and I must say Javier is not afraid to play mad. His sadistic William Tell game is one example. He goes for it, but not in an over-the-top way. He even makes a 'move' on Bond. He is one of the actors lucky enough to play opposite JUDI DENCH as M. She's commanding. She makes hard choices. She makes mistakes and must live with sending men to live or die. I love her - - hands stuffed in her pocket, drinking her booze, straight-up. I love her look, older - weathered...beautiful. Love when she chastises Bond ( “Where the hell have you bean?” ) or counsels him. She'll do things on her terms. She's a tough ol' bird. And she breaks your heart.

Quibbles...squibbles

* I still want Maurice Binder back. Though the title sequence does tell the tale of Bond's memories and “near death” experience, I confess I do like the sexism of showing the girls weaving in and out of the sequence in interesting ways.

* I love REVENGE as a motive but I wished we saw some of what Silva previously went through as an agent, to warrant his hateful Oedipal feelings towards M.

* I don’t like the gimmick of Bardem wearing a blonde wig.

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Girls, I’ve seen Bardem in person. Trust me...he’s got it! Puhleeze, there’s enough to differentiate him from Bond, he didn’t have to go all wiggy. When he shows the effects of having taken a cyanide pill...I freaked! Brava!

* I want my gun barrel at the beginning of the movie to announce Bond and start things off, not at the end as an afterthought - ( Love how he swivels around and fires ) - I think there are certain 'Skeins of Bond' mythology that should be maintained.

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:

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Train travel...the only way to fly! - The fight was exciting. The crane crawling and crushing those veddy expensive cars!

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A clash of old and new ways.

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Eve gives Bond a close shave. Yep, that scene was a pulse racer. A twist on a love scene.

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OH MAN!!! She's back!

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I liked Eve and Bond going from radio frequency to live voices as they case the Macau casino.

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Another notch, perhaps...but Bond basically wants to protect.

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The boogey man. Insanity encased. This reminds me of Hannibal Lechter.

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Us against the world. Humans in a digital age.

* * * * * * * *

MY FAVORITE LINES:

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M: "Take the bloody shot!

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Bond: “I know when a woman’s afraid and pretending not to be.”
Severine: “What do you know about fear?”
Bond: “All there is.”
Severine: “Not like this. Not like him.”


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SILVA: "She sent you after me, knowing you're not ready, knowing you would likely die. Mommy was very bad"

Silva caresses Bond slightly..traces his Adam's apple; none of that male panic. Just:

BOND: "What makes you think this is my first time?"

* * * * * * * *

M and Bond stand before Scotland.

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The last stand. You can’t go home again...

Bond goes back to ancestral estate ( ha ! ) Back to his beginning and does things the basic, old-fashioned way - like Ewoks against Imperial fighters. Machines don't have hearts. Machines can't think, feel...perceive. Adele’s voice understands. She sings the theme to “SKYFALL.” Bassey's voice soared. Adele reaches down...descends...deep into the beautiful melancholia of memory. ( I can almost picture the haunting voice of Amy Winehouse going to those depths. ) You can listen to the theme by clicking the picture above. Despite my quibble, the visuals of the title sequence were impressive. It IS Bond's story. Fifty years from now, when Bond's story goes on...I can only hope one of my descendants remembers me, and whispers to me about the movie. I'm sure I'll hear them, where ever I am.
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MissGoddess
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Re: Bond, James Bond

Post by MissGoddess »

I've been waiting for your review! :D I knew you'd get all the details in that I couldn't possibly. I was trying to remember what Sam Mendes had done before, thank you for refreshing my memory. I'm glad he took a classy approach. To me, the last few Bonds were action flicks, this was something much more and worthy of the 50th anniversary. Loved all the references to past Bond movies (yes, why do so many villains have to bleach their hair? :D ) and I was particularly impressed that the second act was even better than the first. Rare in any kind of movie. Judi Dench had her best outing yet as "M". This time she was given time and opportunities to show more of herself and yes, break your heart like you say. I did NOT expect that (what happened).

I'm still not sold on Craig, (I can't help it, something's missing for me. I don't dislike him, however.) He was much better supported this time by an excellent cast and given the best script so far. My reserve didn't get in the way, I did enjoy him and the movie was terrific. I think I've only seen one other "new" movie this year and I can't even remember what it was. This one was worth it. I'll be seeing Hitchcock next, and I doubt it will be half as fun as Skyfall but it is ironic that it's another British setting.

I enjoyed the song, too, by Adele. This was my first ever time hearing her sing, though I have been hearing a lot about her. I like your comparison to Bassey...spot on. She reminded me of Bassey's style but as you say, she skims the bottom-tones and Bassey "soared" and it works in both cases. I saw that Adele co-wrote the song, too.

The title sequence itself seemed to pack in references to not only the plot points of Skyfall but a lot of previous Bonds, which may have been a bit too "cluttered", but it was not bad at all. The music kept it up there.

This not-so-goddess gives Skyfall two manicured (but not pointy) thumbs up!
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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Thanx girl and helloooooooh there Miss G!!! And how ARE you? I dare say you've got your hands full with those two mini-Bonds at home who climb the heights of the kitchen and their boxes. And play with their food from their German Grandmother. Ha! ...And I see Mitchum is represented with, who is that...Laird Cregar's & Orson Welles' bloomers... :shock: :shock:

I saw "Skyfall" twice...back to back screenings like I used to as a kid, loaded up with Raisinets, popcorn and Sprite. But all that sugar and caffeine did not effect my "high" on James Bond. I don't mind action flicks...like 'em, in fact. But "Skyfall" was steady as she goes with following a story asking very serious questions. The second act was really good wasn't it. It almost felt like NOT a Bond film. It was an interesting feeling and meshed nicely with the first act. I also did not expect what I saw.
[color=#8000BF][u]MissGoddess[/u][/color] wrote:...I'm still not sold on Craig, ( I can't help it, something's missing for me. I don't dislike him, however. )
You're not? Well, that's okay. At least you don't dislike him.
( ...yes, why do so many villains have to bleach their hair? :D )
Yeah...leave the blondes to Hitchcock.

( May I put in a bid for "LINCOLN" for you. It was great and Daniel Day-Lewis was fascinating. Or Denzel Washington's new film: "FLIGHT" which was excellent. BTW...neither one of them are blondes. )

In the Bond title sequence I didn't notice other references to Bond, but it was cluttered as you say.

...Or maybe I just need to give the film a third go 'round. Glad you liked the movie. :-)
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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( May I put in a bid for "LINCOLN" for you. It was great and Daniel Day-Lewis was fascinating. Or Denzel Washington's new film: "FLIGHT" which was excellent. BTW...neither one of them are blondes. )

I've heard good things about Denzel's (Oscar worthy) performance. I'm leery of LINCOLN...he's just about the only politician (aside from Marcus Aurelius) I ever cared anything about and I'm not sure I could handle my "myth" being deconstructed by anyone other than John Ford. :D It also amazes me they had to import an actor to play such an "American" figure!
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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Thanks Theresa for your review. We have several very good writers here and you are among them.

I was thinking while I was watching it that there are a few similarities to "GoldenEye." You pictured one but also that Silva is a former wronged agent just like Sean Bean's "Trevellyan" was. That was also a revenge plot.

I like Craig very much. He's a different Bond even then Dalton and Brosnan. They were tough, though not as, but there is a deeper seriousness here. Even when he does drop a line it is less cheeky than sarcastic. And delivered with a bite.

I like the way the characters are fleshed out. Even on those we don't see that much of like Q and Mallory I felt like we got enough background to get to know who they are.

I liked that it was less techy than the other films. It was wit and raw power. And some good luck.

Someone mentioned it in a review that MGM's money trouble delayed this long enough for the release to coincide with the 50th anniversary. It may have given enough time to make sure they got it right.
Chris

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Re: Bond, James Bond

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MissGoddess wrote:( May I put in a bid for "LINCOLN" for you. It was great and Daniel Day-Lewis was fascinating. Or Denzel Washington's new film: "FLIGHT" which was excellent. BTW...neither one of them are blondes. )

I've heard good things about Denzel's (Oscar worthy) performance. I'm leery of LINCOLN...he's just about the only politician (aside from Marcus Aurelius) I ever cared anything about and I'm not sure I could handle my "myth" being deconstructed by anyone other than John Ford. :D It also amazes me they had to import an actor to play such an "American" figure!
They did it once before when Raymond Massey played Lincoln.

Also, CBS Sunday Morning interviewed Sally Field. She talked about how she won the part and about Lewis. There is probably a clip of it at the CBS website.
Chris

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Re: Bond, James Bond

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Thanks, Chris. I'll ask my friend who devotedly watches Sunday Morning. And great point about Massey! Although Canada is a wee bit closer. :D

So what pills was 007 popping?! I bet I've seen them in my cabinet during the past couple of years. :o

I haven't any problems with where people come from (culture, race, etc) if they do the job well. Just look at Miss Scarlett!
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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I was just reading a bit on Craig at Imdb.com. I like him better now I read his background. I thought I detected a wee bit o' Liverpuddlian tones in his speech. And his Dad owned a pub. Sold! :D
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Re: Bond, James Bond

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Well, I thought Daniel Day-Lewis was Canadian too. Wrong again. :) Leigh is a perfect example.

I don't remember the pills Bond took. I only remember the cyanide reference of Silva's. Miss Maven might remember as she saw it twice.

Did you (or Maven) see it in imax? I just saw it in a regular theater that was not too crowded but had a nice cross section of older and younger people.
Chris

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Re: Bond, James Bond

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Silva even mentions the pills (and alcohol) but not what kind. The scorpion bit scared me! You think it was real?

I didn't even know it was being presented as an Imax. too bad, because the theater I went to does have Imax screenings. So that was why that line was much longer! :D
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
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