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You're tricked by how good the cinematography is. The action themselves are boring as hell and have absolutely zero life to them.
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Bond 24 title and cast to be revealed on December 4 [Live now]
- Thread starter Pachimari
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You're tricked by how good the cinematography is. The action themselves are boring as hell and have absolutely zero life to them.
There has been more than one M throughout the series:
Bernard Lee as Sir Miles Messervy
Robert Brown as Marian Hargreaves
Judi Dench as Barbara Mawdsley (brosnan films) and Olivia Mansfield (craig films)
Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory.
Not trying to point out anything, just thought people would find that information (their names) interesting.
I didn't realise Judi's M had ever had her name actually revealed. Interesting she had 2 different ones for the bonds.
Yep. Her brosnan era name was in the screenplays and official novelisation and her Craig era name was written on the bulldog urn at the end of Skyfall.
The most important thing to note is that Judi Dench's M in the Brosnan films is a COMPLETELY different M to the one she plays in the Craig films. Very few people are aware of that, unsurprisingly.
Yeah but he looks like hes 35
Vigilant Walrus
Member
I was floored when I saw Skyfall when it came out... And Waltz as a villain?
ughhh i just came out my nose!!!!
ughhh i just came out my nose!!!!
Is that opinion that unusual? At the very least most people consider Diamonds are Forever one of the worst Bond films. The Man With the Golden Gun isn't very good either.
To me, Quantum of Solace is in my top 6 so far. It was a fantastic Bond movie. Skyfall is way further down the list.
That said, I don't think we'll get the same tone as Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. With the new cast of Moneypenney and Q back, as well as Blofeld, I think it'll be more over-the-top fun than the past 3 Craig films.
My dad really don't like Daniel Craig. To him, his films aren't Bond films. He love Connery though. I think it have to do with age.
Like, I think Timothy Dalton is the best Bond so far.
That said, I don't think we'll get the same tone as Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. With the new cast of Moneypenney and Q back, as well as Blofeld, I think it'll be more over-the-top fun than the past 3 Craig films.
My dad really don't like Daniel Craig. To him, his films aren't Bond films. He love Connery though. I think it have to do with age.
Like, I think Timothy Dalton is the best Bond so far.
They haven't started filming yet lol
No it's common sense. QoS is also not his weakest film, it's much tighter and more effective than Skyfall.
I own two variations of the complete set of the original Ian Fleming novel series, a variety of limited edition Bond production books, a collection of limited bond car corgi models, the 1962-1995 VHS collection, original special edition DVD collection, ultimate DVD collection and the blu ray collection.
Yeah, I would call myself a bond fan.
One of my favourite actions scenes in recent years is the Tennyson sequence all the way through to the end of the court shooting. It doesn't necessarily have the best set pieces, action moves or choreography, but every element of it is motivated strongly by character - there are quite a few major character turns in the space of about 30seconds - 1 minute - without a line of dialogue. It's actually pretty crazy and it's no wonder why the sequence is so emotional/gripping.
So the whole poem is very effective but it's actually when Silva walks in that things fire up. He desires one thing and one thing only - revenge on M, and when he finally gets his opportunity to shoot her at near point blank range, he panics (Or maybe it's overconfidence) - he's never been this close to success. This is a character defining moment for him - so obsessed with revenge that he considers it a defining moment of his life to end M's life. M is also defined - she stands tall, refusing to budge even in the face of death.
It's in that split second that Silva lets his guard down, because by the time he's ready to fire again, Fiennes has lept to throw M out of the way, and cops a bullet himself. That's development for Fiennes because up until this moment, the viewer's seen him as an icy bureaucrat, a man of words: We now learn he's a man of action. We also learn he has an affection for M (or that he at least recognizes the importance of her role in the organisation), despite being at odds with her for the previous portion of the film.
Finally Bond arrives, kicks down the door, and his first legitimate action in the scene is to kick a nearby gun over to Eve. Considering last time Eve was seen with a gun she shot Bond in the chest and Bond had since outright told her he doesn't trust her in the field at all, this is a defining moment for their relationship. Bond, through action, is telling her that he does absolutely trust her.
Now, the audience has seen Fiennes step out of his bureaucratic stereotype, but Bond hasn't. When a bodyguard dies and drops his gun, Fiennes leaps into action, grabbing the gun, sliding to the other side of the room while firing a few shots at Silva. Bond notices this at a glance, and it's in that moment the two develop a new level of respect for one another. "This isn't the man I thought he was at all." He even gives Fiennes a sneaky wink before his next action, a sign of camaraderie.
Finally, a character defining moment for Bond himself. Intelligent and resourceful, he decides to shoot the fire hydrants to blow smoke across the room. The real genius of this though, is that he's pinpoint accurate with his bullet - for the first time since his injury at the start of the film. He's no longer injured. He's no longer nervous: Bond has his confidence back and with that action, he's once again justified his place in the company.
Once again, all of this stuff is done in 30-60sec, all completely visually. And it's all clearly communicated to us in digestible, logical chunks. That's some pretty good storytelling. Well written. Well directed.
I wasn't really using that as an 'excuse' for Skyfall. It's a nice tweak, for sure, but it's not gonna keep the film afloat.
M isn't always central. The character is usually in one or two scenes in most Bond films before Craig - a bit part player, an NPC doling out quests. The Craig films expanded her role, for sure, but never has she been as prominent as she is in Skyfall. She's without a doubt the second main character, which is a place usually reserved for the primary Bond girl. Whatever you want to label her as, she's a major character with a major arc, prominent throughout most of the film including the climax. Moneypenny's arc may be 'awful.' I don't necessarily agree but she's really not a major character. She's used in the first scene as an extension of M's powerful reach. She'll pop up again a few times to have some banter with Bond, pop up again in the above scene to share that nice moment, then disappear again until the epilogue. She's really not a Bond girl in the same way Vesper or Camille were. Obviously neither was Severine and thus, there's really only one character that can be aptly named the primary Bond girl - M. If you'd rather call her just "the second main character" that's fine too. Either way, that Moneypenny isn't as well rounded as Vesper or Camille isn't really strike against Skyfall. She's in more of a Felix Leiter type position.
This is the Bond girl, Lea Seydoux:
And Christoph Waltz as Blofeld:
For those who aren't in on the casting.
So far I'm not fan of all the news. I don't like that Sam Mendes is directing. I'm not familiar with the actors but I'm not too fond of them right now, which may change when I see the movie.
The only things I like at this moment is the cinematographer and that they are shooting a car scene in Rome.
And Christoph Waltz as Blofeld:
For those who aren't in on the casting.
So far I'm not fan of all the news. I don't like that Sam Mendes is directing. I'm not familiar with the actors but I'm not too fond of them right now, which may change when I see the movie.
The only things I like at this moment is the cinematographer and that they are shooting a car scene in Rome.
demosthenes
Member
So excited for this!
Rktk
Member
One of the many reasons Quantum of Solace was so mediocre was because it was a sequel to Casino Royale in the traditional sense, we had plot carrying over whereas most Bond films are more self contained, this new Bond will probably be more like that.
The Widget
Neo Member
The Bond Girl
Lol
I wonder if we will find who sings the theme at this event
Also Stephen Hawking.
Deadly Cyclone
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Android18a
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007: Always shoot first? 
OriginofHysteria
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My body is ready
Perfect Blue
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CAN'T WAIT
Craig is my favourite Bond, Casino Royale is my favourite Bond in general, and despite the weird backlash Skyfall got here I really liked that one too.
Craig is my favourite Bond, Casino Royale is my favourite Bond in general, and despite the weird backlash Skyfall got here I really liked that one too.
a bit off topic, perhaps, but how I wish they (EON or Forster or whoever was responsible) had chosen this Shirley Bassey/David Arnold theme for Quantum of Solace instead of the Jack Black/Alicia Keys one, which I find terrible.
You can thank Sony BMG/Music Entertainment for that. Same situation as Tomorrow Never Dies when the original theme by David Arnold was rejected in favour of a shitty Cheryl Crow song for marketing and promotion reasons.
It was a shame, as Surrender was a theme interwoven throughout the entire Tomorrow Never Dies soundtrack. At least it played at the end credits, I guess.
This is the Bond girl, Lea Seydoux:
And Christoph Waltz as Blofeld:
For those who aren't in on the casting.
I approve.
Well, actually not a huge fan of Waltz, but i'm sure he'll do a fine job.
Icefire1424
Member
That or "007 in New York", which doesn't really work as a title.
Quantum of Solace was one of my favorite short stories actually.
I think a lot of Bond films follow that formula, not just Craig's.
They probably won't announce Waltz as Blofeld anyway, it'll be whatever his cover name is (assuming he actually is playing Blofeld). They hid Moneypenny's identity the same way too when they first announced Skyfall.
FunkyPajamas
Member
Even then, perhaps they'll try pulling an Into Darkness' Khan.
Title needs to be Skyrise: Rise of the Bond.
massivekettle
Member
It does, you are right. But to me, he is out-Bourned by Bourne in some aspects.
Is Bond 24 going to take place at some point in the US? Remember a few years back they said they would be going to places like New York and it never materialised...
Oh, they'll definitely hide it. Even in Bond films where the villain isn't a classic villain revisited, they've done deceptive things before if his real identity is part of the plot. But what I meant is, do we know for certain if his character is meant to be Blofeld? Is the leak credible?
Don't know, it wasn't the same guy who leaked that Waltz was cast in the first place, but they did also mention that the movie would be officially announced the first week of December which I don't think had been said before either. So maybe?
I actually prefer the Jack White/Alicia Keys one it actually has some drive to it.
Who does Craig? lol
He really should be thanking the whizzes who pull his terribly aged face into shape in post...
Fox Mulder
Member
2015 is gonna be a crazy year for movies.
That's actually interesting because I don't think any Bond title is 'safe.' If the first Bond film was made today, or it was taken over by a different corporation tomorrow, you can bet your ass that every film released would be titled "James Bond: [subtitle]." Hell, if they could really have their way, a reboot would simply be titled "Bond".
There is simply no other franchise that has the balls to completely jettison the prominent brand word in the title of the film. Sure, posters always carry a big "007" but the title itself always stands alone. And it always seems to work. I love that there's a title that somehow just sounds 'Bondian' and the entire market is just supposed to pick up on that, and they generally do. Even movies based on books that do have completely unique titles always get the brand slapped on their title come adaptation time. The book 'New Moon' became "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." "Catching Fire" became "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".
So relative to the rest of the industry, I'd say the Bond titles are unnaturally unsafe (Not to mention Quantum of Solace, only two movies ago, is one of the most balls-out crazy titles ever slapped on a blockbuster).
Rickelodeon
Member
Skyfall was fucking excellent. But apparently people decided it sucks. Whatever, so excited for this bring on the Waltz.
Rktk
Member
Skyfall was widely praised, these "people" are in the minority, they're haters and they can't be trusted.
NekoFever
Member
Skyfall's title and cast was announced in November 2011 and the movie came out October 2012.
Its 11am. Not exactly early.
Unless you're in America - but its a British franchise, announced in Britain by a British company just before British lunchtime.
Bleh. The final set piece in the film is like a filmmaking workshop on escalation in action, utilizing character in action, passage of time in action, staging in action. It's phenomenal. It's understated. It's all built around character. Something practically no other film in the entire franchise has done as successfully. Oh yeah and it's fucking gorgeous the entire time.
Broken Joystick
At least you can talk. Who are you?
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