3:00 PM on 11.19.2012
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Matthew Razak
Screenwriters Mark Purvis and Robert Wade have been responsible for both the dumbest Bond screenplay and one of the smartest, and after five films they've decided it's time to move on from the franchise. The duo wrote screenplays for all of Daniel Craig's films along with The World is Not Enough and Die Another Die. While we can't blame them for Quantum of Solace's issues since they were on strike at the time we can blame them for pretty much all of Die Another Day (though the screenplay deserves a bit more credit than it gets).
At the fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival Wade explained they were leaving and revealed that Sam Mendes and Skyfall's other screenwriter John Logan had an idea for the next film. “We’re very happy to have done five Bond movies, I think we’ve gotten it to a good place. I know that John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with a plot for another one, which takes the pressure off because these films take up a lot of time.”
Mendes isn't confirmed for the next Bond yet, but I don't think anyone would be too upset with him coming back. As for Purvis and Wade l'm not too upset to see them leave. Their two best screenplays (Casino Royale and Skyfall) were both re-written by others to get them to perfection and I think with the ending of Skyfall being what it was it's a fine time to get some fresh ideas in.
[via Collider]
3:00 PM on 11.16.2012
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Hubert Vigilla
Unfortunately it looks like the opening credits sequence to Skyfall is kaput all over the internets. We're going to make it up to you with this installment of Flix for (not so) Short. More Bond for you, baby. Everything or nothing.
Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is a feature-length documentary on the James Bond series. You may remember Xander's extremely positive review of Everything or Nothing from a few weeks ago. Here are some choice excerpts:
Everything or Nothing is a wonderful record of one of the most beloved, culturally vital institutions in film history. The six-Bond gunbarrel is worth the price of admission alone... It's the documentary a series as important as Bond deserves, and you won't get a bigger compliment out of me than that.
So give Everything or Nothing a watch already, and also give Xander's review of Skyfall a read as well.
[Via The Film Stage]
12:00 PM on 11.15.2012
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Matthew Razak
Bond film's opening credits are things of legend. Maurice Binder, the man behind all of them up until his death in 1991, not only made them iconic, but actually pushed film technology forward when creating them. As the art of credit sequences slowly dies thanks to more and more films shoving them at the end of the movie there's Bond, and especially Skyfall, is a testament to what a good opening credit do for a film. It also helps to have Adele's souring vocals backing you up.
Daniel Kleinman took over the reins for the series after Binder and has produced some stellar (and some not so stellar) opening credit sequences for the films. Skyfall might be his best artistically, though it's not quite as much fun as GoldenEye's bevy of naked women destroying symbols of Soviet Russia or as clever as Casino Royale's striking sequence. The opening definitely sports the most Bond we've seen in a title sequence in a while and foreshadows both Bond's character and the film's story wonderfully. It helps set up Bond's inner struggle in the film wonderfully, and easily trumps Quantum of Solaces's lackluster opening (not done by Kleinman).
What's your favorite Bond opening sequence?
[via Badass Digest]
8:00 PM on 11.09.2012
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Hubert Vigilla
Skyfall made US landfall today in non-IMAX theaters. Like Xander's review of Skyfall, many other critics have heaped high praise on the film. (As Flixist goes, so goes the people of all nations.) EIC Matt also saw Skyfall -- I think twice already, jeez -- and will geek out with Xander about it in the next Flixist Bondcast.
So with Skyfall out and Bond at the top again, we have tonight's Flix for (not so) Short -- 50 Years of James Bond: The Movie. This two-hour long project is comprised of clips from the 22 previous Eon-produced Bond movies in chronological order, all of it telling an archetypal Bond story based on the "James Bond Formula." That's right: five minutes of Dr. No, then 5-10 minutes out of From Russia with Love, then Goldfinger, and so on, ending with the final five minutes of Quantum of Solace. And it's all supposed to make sense in an odd way.
I haven't had time to watch all of 50 Years of James Bond: The Movie, but it's a pretty fascinating experiment so far, with some genuinely funny/creative/astounding transitions between films.
[Via The Playlist]
9:00 AM on 11.08.2012
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Hubert Vigilla
Skyfall is finally out in the United States in IMAX theaters today, with a traditional theater release starting tomorrow. It seems right to highlight this infographic that chronicles every sex scene in a Bond movie (except for Never Say Never Again, also known as The Film That Must Not Be Named.) The "nymphographic" was created by Emma Prince (aka TinyMaster), and it tallies all the women, the various sexual encounters, and the places where each tryst took place.
Surprisingly, Bond did it three times in a choo-choo train, but would not, could not in a plane. He could so, did so inside a hot tub, and even in an iceberg mini-sub. He did it plenty times on a comfy bed, and several of the ladies wound up dead.
By the way, if you haven't read it already, Matt and Xander had a great film-by-film rundown of the Bond series in last month's Across the Bond mega-feature. It's well worth your time and will help get you psyched for Skyfall.
Take a look at the infographic in the gallery.
[Movieline via First Showing]
12:00 PM on 11.07.2012
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Xander Markham
[This review was originally posted last month for the UK release of Skyfall and as a finale to our Across the Bond series. It has been reposted to coincide with the US release of the film.]
This review will be spoiler-free, making it one of the hardest I've ever had to write. Not only because I'm a Bond nerd of unhealthy magnitude, no doubt demonstrated by the Across The Bond feature Flixist has been running for the past nine days, but because many of Skyfall's biggest joys come from its celebration and repositioning of a fifty year cinematic legacy. That's not to suggest there isn't plenty for non-devotees to enjoy as well: these days, Bond follows the trend of the times, and the movie's central set-piece offers a very British take on The Dark Knight's formula for sprawling urban epics, before moving to the remote highlands for a climactic showdown which blends the 'Englishman's home is his castle' ethos of Straw Dogs with a strong nods to Ian Fleming's Spy Who Loved Me novel.
Those calling Skyfall a 'classic' Bond are wide of the mark, however. It is unlike any other entry in the series, driven by theme rather than plot and with a distinct identity to its visuals, soundtrack and direction. The Bond series' deliberate visual uniformity has given it a reputation as a no man's land for technical artists, but Skyfall is very much the amalgamated product of Sam Mendes' character-driven theatrical background, Roger Deakins' stunning use of colour and composition, and Thomas Newman's subtly evocative score. For the first time since the early Connery era, the people behind the camera represent top tier talent operating at the height of their powers, and it shows in every gorgeous frame.
9:00 AM on 11.02.2012
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Matthew Razak
It's a tough fight these days between James Bond and Harry Potter for most beloved pop culture character, but Bond has stuck another blow against the young wizard. Skyfall has just broken the UK record for best opening week in history by pulling in £37.2 million ($59.8 million U.S. dollars) in its opening week. That's pretty epic.
With rave reviews across the board and, most importantly, from our own Xander Markham. Skyfall looks like it's going to be a ridiculously popular Bond entry. Americans don't get to see it for another week, where I doubt it will be toppling any U.S. records simply because it doesn't involve superheroes or young adult novels, but it'll probably become the top grossing Bond film ever pretty easily if this UK opening is any indication.
1:00 PM on 10.29.2012
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Matthew Razak
Xander is today watching Skyfall before I will, but just a few days ago neither of us had seen it so we sat down to talk about all the other James Bond movies we had seen. We planned to cover everything in one podcast, but that turned out to be impossible. Seriously, there's crap on the editing floor that no person ever need hear. The Bondcast, as we're boringly naming it, is simply two massive Bond fans talking about everything Bond.
We think it came out pretty well, but we're both insanely into Bond so it's also possible that we were speaking in some language we made up through our shared love of James Bond and we didn't even know it. Please give it a listen and let us know if anything we say makes any sense at all. If it does you're in for some in depth discussions on each and every Bond and, like any fine Flixist podcast, jokes about penises.
Find us on iTunes (write us a review!), the Amazon App Store, or by this direct link!
5:00 PM on 10.26.2012
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Thor Latham
Bet you didn't expect news about a Bond sequel so soon did ya? Hell, Skyfall hasn't even released in the states yet! Of course, that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to the Bond franchise, because it's not like we're not going to get a sequel. There is a precedent being set here, however, because it looks like Bond 24 and 25 are actually going to be written as a pair, with an overall story arc that will span both films. John Logan, who co-wrote and won an Academy Award for Gladiator, apparently pitched his two film Bond story to producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson while Skyfall was in production, and they took right to it. Logan had a hand in the Skyfall script, and this will be the first time since before The World is Not Enough that Neal Purvis and Robert Wade won't be handling writing duties for the world's most suave spy.
If you have any doubt that the world needs any more Bond, you better check out our month full of Bond features, and if you haven't already, you best read Xander's review of Skyfall. Or else.
8:00 PM on 10.25.2012
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Nick Valdez
[Losing My Virginity articles are reviews written by someone who still hasn't seen an incredibly popular movie after all these years. LMV reviews are interesting in that they can offer the perspective of a person who's untainted by the cloud of commonness that surrounded a famous film of the past, and also show how well it has stood the test of time.]
I have never seen a James Bond movie before now. Well, completely anyway. I've seen bits and pieces of Dr. No,I know of Goldeneye because of that too-cool-for-school Nintendo 64 game, and I know that James Bond has supervillains because of that one episode of The Simpsons. My point is, I've managed to not see any of the fifty (FIFTY!) years worth of Bond films for some reason or another. This brings us to The Spy Who Loved Me.
Since this was my first foray into the Bondverse, I had no idea where to start. Should I have gone recent and just watch the Craig films, or should I start at the beginning with Connery? Matt suggested I started at TSWLM since Moore's absurdity is a nice way of easing into the Bond behemoth. And he was absolutely right.
The Spy Who Loved Me is a delicious burrito. Its meaty insides have a compelling Bond and dangerously cheesy lines and sequences, all while wrapped in a tortilla of pure wacky fun.
2:00 PM on 10.25.2012
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Matthew Razak
This is the end. Across the Bond has covered all 22 James Bond films and we're all the better for it. It's been quite a ride, and you'd think Xander and I would be all done with Bond, but that's the beauty of having this many movies: by the time you're done you're in the mood to start all over again. If you didn't keep up with everything you can click that handy link up there and check out our full coverage of the series.
As for Quantum of Solace... well, it was no Casino Royale, but the Bond series has done worse. With a writer's strike, a horrible action director and a few other issues it manages to still be fun. Check out our full thoughts below.
8:00 PM on 10.24.2012
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Hubert Vigilla
Earlier this month, Titan Books released The James Bond Omnibus Volume 004. It's the latest collection of daily 007 comic strips in an oversized format. The original James Bond comic strips ran in Europe from 1958 to 1983. These particular strips in volume four were published in The Daily Express from 1971-1975.
The first two omnibuses mostly contained retellings of classic Bond films and Ian Fleming novels, like From Russia with Love, Goldifnger, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Following with the the third omnibus, this recent volume collects nine original James Bond stories by writer Jim Lawrence (credited as "J.D. Lawrence" on the strips) and artist Yaroslav Horvak.
There's one comic where James Bond takes out a raging panther with a giant vase.
Yeah, it's pretty awesome.
Black Rock
Bond Month!
