"Skyfall" theme song...

[The Ü™]

The gun barrel sequence has been leaked. Once again, it's at the end of the film. Why? Who fucking knows?

I know that with every replacement actor they have for Bond, they tend to speed it up a bit. But this is ridiculous. And his new pose is so artificial. I actually liked the gun barrel they had at the end of Quantum of Solace, and if they slowed it down a bit, it would've been perfect.

Will they ever have the sequence at the beginning again? They're destroying my childhood like George Lucas destroyed everyone else's.

 

[Totenkindly]

I don't know if I can reasonably equate the James Bond gun barrel modifications with the terrible act of rape committed upon my generation by the endless depravities of George Lucas.

Just saying.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

The gun barrel sequence has been leaked. Once again, it's at the end of the film. Why? Who fucking knows?

I know that with every replacement actor they have for Bond, they tend to speed it up a bit. But this is ridiculous. And his new pose is so artificial. I actually liked the gun barrel they had at the end of Quantum of Solace, and if they slowed it down a bit, it would've been perfect.

Will they ever have the sequence at the beginning again? They're destroying my childhood like George Lucas destroyed everyone else's.

It will be at the beginning of the next one.

From what I read, it makes absolute sense given the thematic content.

And I like this version of the sequence. It's pure vintage Bond.
He effortlessly channels the suave essence of Connery, finally embracing James Bond.

The pissed off supercharged Jason Bourne knockoff seems to have washed off of him.

 

[The Ü™]

It will be at the beginning of the next one.

From what I read, it makes absolute sense given the thematic content.

And I like this version of the sequence. It's pure vintage Bond.
He effortlessly channels the suave essence of Connery, finally embracing James Bond.

The pissed off supercharged Jason Bourne knockoff seems to have washed off of him.

Here are two of Dalton's unused gun barrels:

I absolutely love the first one...it's reminiscent to the one Bob Simmons did. It's probably my favorite gun barrel ever and they should've used it.

The second one is just a weird pose...it's like he's using a Japanese toilet.

 

[The Ü™]

It will be at the beginning of the next one.

From what I read, it makes absolute sense given the thematic content.

And I like this version of the sequence. It's pure vintage Bond.
He effortlessly channels the suave essence of Connery, finally embracing James Bond.

The pissed off supercharged Jason Bourne knockoff seems to have washed off of him.

Here are two of Dalton's unused gun barrels:

I absolutely love the first one...it's reminiscent to the one Bob Simmons did. It's probably my favorite gun barrel ever and they should've used it.

The second one is just a weird pose...it's like he's using a Japanese toilet.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

Muse created a Bond song and campaigned for the Skyfall position.

The producers turned them down cold.
So...a YouTube'r cut the song to the trailer...

Who's this Adele again?

 

[Totenkindly]

Heh. That's kinda kickin'!

 

[Totenkindly]

Skyfall. Today. Opening.

I bought Quantum of Solace BluRay + DVD for $15 this past week because it came with a free movie pass for Skyfall. (Not bad -- $5 for the BluRay, although the movie isn't as good as Casino Royale.)

Anyway... PSYCHE!

 

[SilkRoad]

Skyfall. Today. Opening.

I bought Quantum of Solace BluRay + DVD for $15 this past week because it came with a free movie pass for Skyfall. (Not bad -- $5 for the BluRay, although the movie isn't as good as Casino Royale.)

Anyway... PSYCHE!

I'm going to see it today, although it's been on in the UK for a couple of weeks already. Looking forward to it. I liked Casino Royale a lot but I haven't seen Quantum. Would you still recommend it? I might buy the DVD if it's cheap somewhere.

 

[The Ü™]

Quantum was crap, with nearly unintelligible action sequences. And the worst part is that it doesn't have any of the Bond trademarks, up to and including the "Bond, James Bond" line, all because they made the stupid move of getting an art house director who wanted to be different just to show how pretentious he is.

* * * * *

Anyway, I rewatched Die Another Day yesterday evening. Aside from atrocious blue-screen composites of Bond riding the waves with a parachute and car hood as a surf board, which looked like an animatic, some puns that were more misses than hits (but also some really good ones), and maybe Halle Berry's very existence, and of course, the theme song, I didn't think it was half bad at all.

 

[swordpath]

Skyfall. Today. Opening.

I bought Quantum of Solace BluRay + DVD for $15 this past week because it came with a free movie pass for Skyfall. (Not bad -- $5 for the BluRay, although the movie isn't as good as Casino Royale.)

Anyway... PSYCHE!

That's a great deal... Where did you get this?

 

[Totenkindly]

That's a great deal... Where did you get this?

Check at Wal-Mart. That's where I got this one -- it happened to be the last shelf copy at my local store.

But I've also bought BluRays like this at Best Buy. For example, when Prometheus was coming out, if you bought any of the Alien movies (1-4), they all had the stickers/keycodes on them for a free pass. It was awesome because BB was selling Aliens and Alien3 for only $10 apiece; basically you got a free BluRay for going to see Prometheus (or vice versa). They did similar promotions for Jason Bourne and some other movies, I've already used 4-5 offers similar to this one.

EDIT: It's basically a code -- you have to go to MovieTickets.com (or some similar site) and input the code, and it will give you a PDF/screen image that you print out and take to the theater with you.

 

[swordpath]

Check at Wal-Mart. That's where I got this one -- it happened to be the last shelf copy at my local store.

But I've also bought BluRays like this at Best Buy. For example, when Prometheus was coming out, if you bought any of the Alien movies (1-4), they all had the stickers/keycodes on them for a free pass. It was awesome because BB was selling Aliens and Alien3 for only $10 apiece; basically you got a free BluRay for going to see Prometheus (or vice versa). They did similar promotions for Jason Bourne and some other movies, I've already used 4-5 offers similar to this one.

Damn, I should go check for this.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

Most of the Bond blu-rays are 10 dollars at Best Buy. Save yourself 5 bucks.
They also have exclusive movies (as does Wal-Mart but Best Buy has the better selection).

 

[SilkRoad]

I loved it, FWIW

 

[Totenkindly]

It was pretty good.

I felt like it got a little thin in spots in the first half, but then it seemed to kick in and get some psychological teeth. Javier Bardem did an excellent job (as soon as he came on the camera, he was mesmerizing), and Judi Dench is always fun to watch.

And then there is that guest appearance by Valdemort...

It all kind of ended the way I expected (all the major plot points), but it was still satisfying.

There are two "Bond" women -- Eve and Severine. The one conversation between Bond and Severine is excellently acted by Severine, she conveys differing emotions simultaneously... again, rather mesmerizing. You can definitely see that the director (Mendes) is a good dramatist; his action scenes are at least sufficient and at times engrossing, but there is emotional depth between the characters and some of the set pieces are beautiful, in the way they are composed as well as the colors. He has a great eye.

The movie deals with the cycle of destruction and creation, which was kind of obvious from the trailers, and that's all I'll say. And the movie name has relevance.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

Now that it is out, I can post my thoughts:

With the exception of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, this is the only Bond movie that aspires to be more than its counterparts. Roger Deakins' stunning cinematography--coupled with Sam Mendes niche for engaging character work--automatically elevates Skyfall to the "Best of the Bonds" from the start.

In a more sensible world, the segment in Shanghai alone would yield Deakins an Oscar nomination. It was pure class; straight out of a classic Hitchcock movie. And the final half hour is the most Balls-out Bond set piece ever put on film.

Another thing: What the hell is going on with IMDb and this movie? There are a lot of users who have an inexplicable seething hatred for this movie, nitpicking any and everything about it. I don't even recall the backlash against Quantum of Solace being this bad.

 

[Totenkindly]

With the exception of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, this is the only Bond movie that aspires to be more than its counterparts. Roger Deakins' stunning cinematography--coupled with Sam Mendes niche for engaging character work--automatically elevates Skyfall to the "Best of the Bonds" from the start.

I like your first sentence quoted here. A lot of other Bonds just seem to be "painting by number" -- "here is the Bond formula, let's follow it... nothing more... oh, wasn't that fun??"

This movie clearly wants to do its own thing and follow its own path, and isn't happy with the old way of doing [Bond's] business.

... and then, there's the Aston Martin.

From a review that gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars:

If there’s anything in “Skyfall” to complain about it’s the underutilization of Bond girl Bérénice Marlohe. Her relationship with James isn’t entirely convincing but a stunning scene with Marlohe that’s loaded with bravado, sexuality and suspense quickly makes you forget the shortcomings of her character development.

This kind of dovetails with the comment I made earlier about her; I wish she had had more screen time, she was quite excellent in the scene being referred to. And I think until this point she had only done French TV.

 

[Poindexter Arachnid]

I like your first sentence quoted here. A lot of other Bonds just seem to be "painting by number" -- "here is the Bond formula, let's follow it... nothing more... oh, wasn't that fun??"

This movie clearly wants to do its own thing and follow its own path, and isn't happy with the old way of doing [Bond's] business.

Heh. The "numbers" thing culminated in the monstrosity that was Die Another Day. Even hardcore fans turned on Bond with that one. And while it is unlike any other, Skyfall was undeniably a Bond movie. It followed the typical beats, had the gadgets, exotic locales, fantastical set pieces, unrealistically beautiful women. However:

midway through the second act, it quits being a "Bond" movie and enters unexplored territory for the character and genre alike. It was a very ballsy move--one I was not expecting at all.

From a review that gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars:


This kind of dovetails with the comment I made earlier about her; I wish she had had more screen time, she was quite excellent in the scene being referred to. And I think until this point she had only done French TV.

Despite her short and underdeveloped screen time, she immediately turned out to be one of my favorite Bond girls of all time. There was a lot going on with this character beneath the surface and she had strong chemistry with Craig (more so than any of the other BGs). Another thought:

In this outing, Judi Dench's M was the "ultimate" Bond girl when you think about it. Severine was mostly a plot device used to display Silva's unrelenting cruelty.

Certainly Marlohe will turn up in more after her breakthrough in Skyfall (definitely a good thing--she was stunningly gorgeous with a strong screen presence and acting abilities to back it up).

 

[Totenkindly]

Agree with all that.

And interesting comment about M. In the Craig films, I would even daresay she is the only female that he truly loves... and she's also the authority figure in his life. It's kind of odd. perhaps if she had been much younger... but as it is, she's like the mother he hasn't really had for a long long time

In the movie, she makes a comment about the "orphans being the best selections for the program," and his calling her "mum" isn't just a throwaway terms, there's actually some real affection there, she IS the mother in his life not just emotionally but also even historically/realistically, she oversees the "family" of MI6

and even when she has ridden his ass and slapped him down, inspired him to believe in more that he does (like the whole situation with Vesper, where he finally comes to admit M was right about her), and he seems to value that -- and more importantly, under all the bickering, has a clear sense that she believes in him and will stand by him no matter what happens. As she does. She entrusts him with so much of what she values. very much like a mother/son relationship, with real love, for two people who rarely ever openly express such things.

Including the @!&^-ing bulldog!

Oh, I have to make some comment about the first meeting between Bond and Silva when Bond is tied to the chair. The whole scene left me deliciously on edge because it was playing so much against my expectations.

Plus, the most innocent body touches possible (as opposed to Le Chiffe perverse nut-crackers two movies ago), and I found this even more "violent" in a sense because of how it violated the normal body space we each have around us. I love that kind of thing.