SkyFall - Retro James Bond
POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 19:14
VIEWED: 8173
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My son and I do not miss a James Bond film ever since, well since he was old enough (12-13 y.o.) to see a 007 flick. We were not gonna miss this one.
I sent him a text and he called back eager to get in line with me. We went to a great theater, with stadium seating and a giant screen. We barely made the opening scene, we sat down and eased back into our seats, only to be brought to the edge.
Wow, what an opening sequence. Action right off, just like in the good old days with my fav Sean Connery. Daniel Craig for me, has been an excellent choice for the title role and this movie did not disappoint, save for one thing, the Bond girl was not that hot - but that's minor. Overall the movie delivered in action, plot and performances, especially that of Javier Bardem as the requisite baddie - he was deliciously evil.
I couldn't help but notice that the film had a nostalgic feel to it. Gone were the usual 007 gadgets, the custom cars and elaborate escape sequences. What you got was a mix of old and new James Bond - a dash of Connery with a hint of Brosnan. Of course, Craig's take is somewhat in the classic style of the original 00-agent, Sean Connery, choosing to use whatever means necessary to defeat the baddies chasing after him. This was an excellent mixture of character study and action. We find out a little more about 007s origins and why he is the way he is. It was flawlessly told, almost too flawless, but it drove home the plot with ease and aplomb with nary a wrinkle. Plus it had enough humor to break the tension of the action on screen.
The question remains: did it live up to the 007 brand - I say YES, in capital letters. Director Sam Mendes captured the essence of the original without losing anything on the modern take of the legendary character. There are a number of surprises, but they all fit well within the storyline and actually enhance the legend. Bond is alive and well, for die-hard fans it's a treat, but for the casual moviegoer - get the popcorn ready.
SGG
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Skyfall Review: Could This Be The Best Bond Movie Ever?
By Tim Dunn
http://www.newsforshoppers.com/skyfall-review-could-this-be-the-best-b
ond-ever/36710771/
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A man's gotta know his limitations. ~Dirty Harry
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I just saw "Skyfall" this past week with my sister and I REALLY liked it! Great Bond flick! It had several nods to the past, "Goldfinger" especially (they had a James Bond marathon on SyFy this past week, too). The two reviews above say it better than I could.
I've watched every Bond movie ever made (more than once), but I still have a question for those of you who know more about Bond than I do.
Select to view spoiler:
I was surprised that "James Bond" is his real name. I'd always assumed it was his "spy" name but that clearly isn't the case, at least as revealed in this movie. Is that true in the books?
Thanks! If you're a Bond fan, I strongly recommend "Skyfall"!
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SPOILERS............WARNING................SPOILERS
You know something SaveWash, as much as I would like to say I've read the books, no I haven't.
I assumed as well that his was a made-up "spy" name and that his "real" name would be Hubert McTavish or Engelbert Prim, you know something god-awful geeky like that.
Still though, I discovered something new as well, that he was an orphan and that he was trained at an early age; which for me, by the way, is a masterstroke to include in this latest installment of our beloved superspy.
Brilliant also was the emotion Bond showed toward M. It made our hero a human being and breathed new life into a previously one dimensional character. Sam Mendes should be commended for taking such a chance and for his brilliant direction.
SGG
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In the book version of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (I haven't seen the film) Bond was in love with Tracy di Vincenzo. I cried at the end. But, I was a girl, so...
bun
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Finally saw it today. The best Bond ever, is my first take. Best song by far, and best opening credits. I wanted to see those again at the end. So interesting and not the flat lame cartoons they usually have, like even in Casino Royal. I've been looking at some goth design things lately in an unrelated activity, and it was so bizarre to see gothic elements show up in a bond intro, moreso that they fit Adele's amazing song so well. And in an IMAX theater - nice!
I don't feel ready to sum up my thoughts on the rest of the movie. I'll have to see it again to figure what really worked and didn't with the plot. Setting aside the cerebral, though, I though it was absolutely beautiful and tense in the way that bond movies ought to be. Every second in Shanghai was perfect. The light up buildings and glass walls, and OMG, the Bond beauty in the casino with that dress? Flawless! The character Eve (no spoilers) right from the beginning I liked her.
Deeper issues I won't get into until I see it again. The fact that I want to see it again says a lot. I'll have to get in one or two more views before I dive into the Hobbit. I can't handle that one the until the crowds drop a bit.
Oh - Bond's "gay" villain. I liked him. Bond had always had some sort of emasculated villain, which I've always found annoying. Bond fucks lots of chicks and carries big guns while the bad gay... not so much, and that rather crudely lets the (historically male) audience know who to ID with and who to hate. Which I find annoying because, really, it's always so transparent.
Kudos to these filmmakers for going all out - there was tongue in check humor there, as if someone come right out with a movie about the blatantly obvious though still strongly denied homoerotocism of cowboys. (Oh wait, someone DID do that that recently...) Bond's baddie was gayish, but that had nothing to do with what made him bad. James even suggested (tongue-in-check) that the flirting wasn't new to him, and he never corrected it. Bond is not afraid that someone might think him gay, so he's not swinging 2x4's wildly to make the point: "I ain't no gorramed filthy f%gg$t!" Good for him. More men ought to be like that.
Strangely, the thing I'm thinking of most is just what a beautiful film it is. I'm not a big movie goer, and I'm shocked at just how good they continue to get. Amazing.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SAVEWASH:
I just saw "Skyfall" this past week with my sister and I REALLY liked it! Great Bond flick! It had several nods to the past, "Goldfinger" especially (they had a James Bond marathon on SyFy this past week, too). The two reviews above say it better than I could.
I've watched every Bond movie ever made (more than once), but I still have a question for those of you who know more about Bond than I do.Select to view spoiler:
I was surprised that "James Bond" is his real name. I'd always assumed it was his "spy" name but that clearly isn't the case, at least as revealed in this movie. Is that true in the books?
Thanks! If you're a Bond fan, I strongly recommend "Skyfall"!
Being a very large Bond fan, I can answer your question(s) without hesitation...though hesitation isn't always a bad thing!
;P
But yeah...the novels have "James Bond" as 007's birth name (which original author/creator Ian Fleming borrowed from the author of the reference guide "Birds of the West Indies") and all the authors who took up the mantle have kept that tradition.
The whole "Bond as a code name" has come up due to the films having 6 different actors playing the character over a 50-year period and Bond's age not really changing much - well, the Roger Moore years did have him age and it got silly to see someone who should be nearly at pensioner age bedding women more than half his age and apparently doing action things that would hospitalize younger men - plus internal continuity being fairly fluid with very minimal referneces to previous films barring the odd moment or an anniversary film like The Living Daylights (25th anniversary of the film series' beginning), Die Another Day (40th anniversary), or Skyfall (50th anniversary of the film series' beginning). Well, that and the spoof version of Casion Royale with David Niven and Peter Sellers takes the non-canon stance of "James Bond" being a WWI-era spy who retired and MI6 gave the name to their replacement top agent to keep up the mythos...which the original didn't appreciate much ;P
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I always liked the "Bond as codename" fan-theory, especially since it let me count "The Rock" as a Bond film... But I felt that Casino Royale had already dispelled that one, as it depicted him as "James Bond" before earning his 00 rating.
Now, when they enevitably do re-cast the role again, I think it might be cool to work that into the new continuity - with Bond getting killed off somehow, and a new spy assuming his identity for the good of Queen and Country and all...
Excuse me while I soak in all these sweet, sweet conservative tears.
"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side." -- Rick "Frothy" Santorum
"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"
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Hey Mal4prez,
I just wanted to drop you a note about your review. I liked it, I liked it a lot. Gotta admit that I agreed with many of your observations, but I have to go do some family stuff right now, I will have more to say at a later date.
Thanks for posting dude.
SGG
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Oooooo, I'm liking that idea. Sort of like Batman or The Phanthom, someone taking over and continuing the legacy. I'm glad I've found some fellow Bond geeks here (and I am smiling as I type this), but I too thought it was a cover name, although I do like the reveal in Skyfall. Excellent Bond movie.
SGG
Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
I always liked the "Bond as codename" fan-theory, especially since it let me count "The Rock" as a Bond film... But I felt that Casino Royale had already dispelled that one, as it depicted him as "James Bond" before earning his 00 rating.
Now, when they enevitably do re-cast the role again, I think it might be cool to work that into the new continuity - with Bond getting killed off somehow, and a new spy assuming his identity for the good of Queen and Country and all...
Excuse me while I soak in all these sweet, sweet conservative tears.
"We will never have the elite, smart people on our side." -- Rick "Frothy" Santorum
"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"
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