Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012)

"Take the bloody shot!"

 

Introduction

The possibility of Skyfall achieving acknowledgement at the Academy Awards is not without merit. An outstanding cast, Oscar-nominated composers and cinematographers with, for the first time ever, an Oscar-winning director, clearly establishes Skyfall as a film which has broken the rules regarding James Bond filmmaking. Despite this, Skyfall additionally manages to respect the series with the usual tropes of 007 by seamlessly advertising tourist hot-spots including Shanghai, Istanbul and – in the year of the 2012 Olympics – London. It includes exceptionally attractive ‘Bond Girls’ including Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe, but it is Judi Dench’s ‘M’ who is the central female character. We witness the re-arrival of Q (Ben Whishaw), offering a clear attempt at re-aligning all the facets which make James Bond so engaging. This film took "the bloody shot" and is a game-changer – and makes no attempt at hiding its influences.

 

“Storm’s Coming” 

 

It is interesting that, in a year whereby Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises advertised the term ‘a storm is coming’ as Bruce Wayne harked back to his roots, the James Bond film delves deeper than any other James Bond film since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in exploring where 007 emerged from – and additionally uses the line “storm’s coming” to precede the final act. The film begins as 007 is shot during a mission in Turkey attempting to retrieve a list of undercover-agents, which has managed to get into the wrong hands. The plot is similar to the McGuffin in Mission: Impossible and the infamous ‘Noc’ list. Unlike DePalma’s thriller, Skyfall continues initially under the assumption that Bond is dead – whilst M is held accountable for the loss of the agent and the missing list. Suffice to say, due to a terrorist-attack on MI5, 007 returns to England. But he is a broken-man and has to re-establish himself as the skilled-spy that he truly is.

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have tried to change the Bond series for decades. Licence to Kill changed the formulae as Felix Leiter became a victim to Robert Davi’s ‘Sanchez’ (and his sharks), whilst Bond in true Dirty Harry form, “went rogue” to avenge his best friend’s death. Goldeneye became self-aware as the villain was alternate-agent 006 (Sean Bean), mocking the characteristics of Bond which we love. The World is not Enough saw ‘M’ become a victim as Sophie Marceau’s ‘Elektra King’ double-crossed the whole of MI5 and even Die Another Day pre-dated Daniel Craig as Brosnan’s Bond was tortured by scorpions during the opening sequence. Until Casino Royale all these attempts simply failed under the pressures of the expectations of the Bond series – so Die Another Day jarringly blended the torture at the start with a diamond-laser finale.

In 2006, Martin Campbell and Daniel Craig proved that James Bond can be so much more - and in Skyfall, all these elements come together to create a 007 adventure that truly represents James Bond in the modern era. No more token-gestures at change – Skyfall truly, and literally, destroys the “House that Broccoli-and-Saltzman built", in favour of a series built on firmer foundations. Scott Mendelson writes how these elements are what weaken Skyfall, stating the we are "drudging along recycled territory" whilst the filmmakers themselves offer only mere "periodic pandering" to fans of the series. I would disagree - after 23 films, this is what we have all wanted. It is simply a shame that they have tried (and failed) so regularly since Brosnan was cast to change the formulae without losing what we all love about the series.
 

Influences Further Afield

What separates Skyfall further from the franchise is the incredible direction of Mendes behind the camera. Rather than merely turning to action-films to inspire him, Mendes turns to films as diverse as Apocalypse Now, The Usual Suspects and Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight to create mood and depict scenes. Marc Forster failed to evoke the action depicted in The Bourne Trilogy in Quantum of Solace, but it seems that Mendes knew that this direction was the wrong tone for James Bond. Whilst Jason Bourne was rough, off-the-radar and uncontrollable – James Bond can be clean cut, exemplifies extreme class and style and his attitude borders on blatant arrogance. His snarky quips representing his personal, supreme confidence in his skill. Jason Bourne would be unlikely to discuss his sexual-experiences with an enemy when tied to a chair – as James Bond does with the brilliant villain Silva (Javiar Bardem). It is this use of character that not-only separates James Bond from the Jack Bauers and Ethan Hunts of the world, but it also separates Skyfall from all of its predecessors.

Indeed, supporting cast members Judi Dench and Naomie Harris manage to provide a scope to the film that the lone-wolf in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace lacked. Harris’ ‘Eve’ is much more than a token ‘Bond-girl’, whilst M manages to garner more screen-time than any other actor other than Bond himself. The fact that Oscar-winner Judi Dench holds the role assures you of the quality of her depiction of ‘M’ in her seventh-outing as 007’s superior. In this film particularly, her role is one to be commended and celebrated. Indeed, she is as conflicted about the morality of her role in MI5, leading men into battle, as James Bond is about his espionage work on the front-line. Therefore, it is simply poetic that Silva is a character (not unlike Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye and Scaramanga in TheMan with the Golden Gun) who is physically and mentally 007’s reflected-rival, adding a further dimension to the Mother-Child relationship between Bond and M.
 

The Destruction of the Past

As a fan of the series, the final-act is what is noticeably different to previous outings. Even Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace had an almost-cliché finale as huge, exotic locations – Venice and the Atacama Desert in Chile respectively – set the scene for an explosive ending that would-not be out of place in any other Connery or Moore adventure. Skyfall sets the scene in the highlands of Scotland. The misty moors and dusty chandeliers are hardly the expensive ‘quality’ we are used to seeing in the series. But it is Roger Deakins that turns the location into a ghost-town that accurately represents the story which Purvis, Wade and Logan are telling. Again, this is not your usual James Bond film and the end of this film is like no-other. Sam Mendes has peeled back the layers of the character to reveal his history and his past – something that many may see as sacrilege. But Deakins cinematography is simply glorious; capturing the mood and emotion attached to the moment. After Vesper (Eva Green) ‘stripped away his armour’ in Casino Royale - only for him to bury it deep within his soul after her betrayal; Skyfall destroys every other human characteristic James Bond had, and the final act represents how much has been taken away to make 007 a lethal man with a licence to kill.

Fans of the series will leave the film with a similar crooked smile on their face. We will think to ourselves “Now he is James Bond!” the same thing we thought when the sniper-rifle hit Mr White at the end of Casino Royale. In that respect, a niggle of frustration may creep through as it has almost been three films now of ‘understanding’ James Bond. Can’t we simply have a James Bond adventure? Can’t we see a story contained unto a single film without a self-referential collective ‘aah’ when he says the same “You must be joking” line we have heard too many times in the series? Maybe. In fairness, this is what Quantum of Solace should’ve been. This is what the 20^th film, Die Another Day, dreamt it could’ve been. But it is 50 years since Dr No, and this film is a way that truly celebrates that success. No other franchise has such longevity and, therefore, captures 50 years of stylistic changes and cultural shifts over the period of its release. This film will remain a special film for many reasons – the use of James Bond’s home town, London; the political and personal relevance to the nature of terrorism in the 21^st century; the dramatic finale. It is only fitting that the film ends where it all began, almost daring younger and new-fans of the series to pick up the box set and go back to the start. Because behind all the Oscar-nominees and Oscar-winners; behind the cast and crew; behind the two producers who have managed to maintain the series since GoldenEye are fans of the series – like we are. And we only want what is best for Bond – and this could be the very best of the entire series.

Who Score's on 007 Skyfall?

Germain Lussier writes for /Film about the replacement of David Arnold on the 23rd Bond film Skyfall:

"To be honest, I couldn’t pick one of Arnold’s Bond scores from the other (I’m more of fan of his Roland Emmerich collaborations) and, usually, most of the Bond music news is attached to the pop star who sings the opening credits song. Arnold’s a fine composer, but it almost feels lazy that he kept getting asked back when each director is so radically different."

Read the full article here: http://www.slashfilm.com/thomas-newman-scoring-skyfall-sam-mendes/

As a huge fan of the James Bond franchise - and someone who truly enjoys the wide variety of scores to the 007 films, I couldn't diagree more!

David Arnold is the only composer who has comfortably succeeded John Barry. Many have tried - Eric Serra, Michael Kamen - but none have managed to balance new scores with traditional James Bond themes as successfully as Barry until David Arnold came along.

For example, Tomorrow Never Dies, manage to introduce a solid pace with modern electronic music without ignoring the iconic theme - Arnold even managed to get Moby involved to created his own version of the 007 theme. The World is not Enough and Die Another Day proceeded to get more electronic and technological. You simply have to compare the electronic percussion on the track 'Whiteout' for Die Another Day to the 'Hamburg Break Out' in Tomorrow Never Dies to see how, initially a contemporary use of technology then became more a excessive use of equipment.

Thank God, David Arnold completely changed his palette when working on Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The sound effects are no more and Arnold ensures that, in the same way as the films have 'gone back to their roots', the music has too. 'Night at the Opera' on the Quantum of Solace score harks right back to the track 'Capsule in Space' from You Only Live Twice showing the direct influence of John Barry.

More evidence? The Proms at The Royal Albert Hall this year had a performance whereby themes by Barry and Arnold were performed. You can see the direct influence and correlation between the two composers - my own post covering the Proms has a video included showing the memorable performance.

In closing, it is worth noting that I do love Thomas Newman. I often listen to his scores for American, Beauty (check out my Incredible Soundtracks post), Wall-E and Finding Nemo. And, in fairness, between From Russia with Love and John Barry's final score The Living Daylights, the odd film had a different composer, only for Barry to return to the franchise in the next film. Composers as diverse as Marvin Hamlisch on The Spy Who Loved Me, George Martin on Live and Let Die and Bill Conti on For Your Eyes Only.

I have a feeling that most composers want to "do" a James Bond film and this was Newman's chance. I doubt Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are foolish enough to destroy their connection to David Arnold. If this Sam Mendes 'vision' doesn't wholly work, I'm sure David Arnold will be back on board for the 24th film. Or at least, I hope he is back.

 

Proms 2011: Prom 38 - Film Music Prom

I originally wrote this post on 13th August 2011, but never got round to publishing it. Finally I found the YouTube videos that show what I managed to see, so that you can watch them too. Better late then never ...

Last night I 'prommed' for the first time. I have never been to the Proms and this year I was informed of a 'FILM MUSIC PROM' that was taking place. I 'prommed' and paid £5 to stand in the gallery to watch. It was incredible.

Act 1: Herrman, Morricone and Walton

Prom 38 began with Bernard Herrman's unforgettable music from The Man Who Knew Too Much. I was not alive when Hitchcock created his first version in 1934 with Peter Lorre and nor was I alive for the second version, in 1956 - but both ended with a climactic murder in The Royal Albert Hall. To think that, in the new millennium in 2011, I stand in the gallery watching an Orchestra perform the same music - heading towards the inevitable crash of a cymbal is incredible. This led to music from Citizen Kane and then a flawless rendition of Herrman's string-only-score for Psycho. This was amazing as the music literally felt like it was reaching out to the audience and then moving back into the orchestra. When the strings play the 'Knife' sequence it looks as if the orchestra themselves are stabbing their instruments all in unison. The faint pluck equally takes you back to the bathroom Marion Crane was killed within.

Morricone's stunning Cinema Paradiso theme followed and, to finish the act we had an arrangement by Muir Mathieson of Henry V. I have not seen the film but I was well aware of the popularity this score has within 'classical' circles. I visited a friends house only recently and her Father had collected every issue of the publication 'Gramophone'. He showed me an article on Film scores and Henry V was noted as one of the best film scores created. To see it live was a great precursor to watching the film itself.

Act 2: Williams, Greenwood, Bennett and Barry

It was inevitable that John Williams would pop up at some point at a Film Music evening. More Oscars to his name than anyone in the world, he has produced some of - if not the - Best Film Scores in the world. He is the most famous composer - well known by anyone who loves cinema and music. We heard a little Star Wars, providing a brilliant start only to then be gently led to hearing a live rendition of the theme from Schindler's List. The fact that Williams composed both scores simply adds to my amazement that it is the same person. I was told many years ago that the Jurassic Park theme was the last brilliant John Williams score - I would argue that Hedwig's Theme from the Harry Potter films are equally memorable.

We listened to a few pieces by Jonny Greenwood (Norwegian Wood) and Sir Richard Rodney Bennets Murder on the Orient Express, but it was the finale which blew the doors off.

James Bond often gets mentioned multiple times in conversations - and I have a personal love for the music. John Barry and David Arnold are the two strongest composers for the franchise - despite good efforts from Eric Serra (Goldeneye), Michael Kamen (Licence to Kill) and Eric Serra (For Your Eyes Only). David Arnold not only knows the craft, but he knows Barry's scores - and this was so clear in the final piece of the evening. A suite that shows a clear link between John Barry and David Arnold's scores - the classics are obviously there: Barry's 007 theme, You Know My Name, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service but it was a great parrallel between a theme from You Only Live Twice and Quantum of Solace that really strikes a chord - David Arnold is the natural successor to John Barry, and this suite proves it.


A brilliant evening I shall never forget! To think it cost £5!!!

From Russia With Love (Terence Young, 1963)

"The first one won't kill you; not the second, not even the third... not till you crawl over here and you KISS MY FOOT!"

Introduction

The problem with Dr No was the lack of success it earned in the US. In fact, Dr No gained an audience slowly but surely in Europe so producers decided that From Russia with Love would capitalise on the European market it had already established. Additionally, the structure of this 007 adventure is unlike any other 007 film - rather than the crazy action films that became the genre-of-choice for James Bond, From Russia with Love was firmly rooted in the Spy-Espionage genre. Something fascinating about this film is how it is reminiscent of the train-espionage stories such as Murder on the Orient Express (1934) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) but, importantly, is missing Ken Adams as he was working on a little known film with a long title called Dr Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb with Mr Kubrick...

The Sequel to Dr. No...

At the time, this was the only sequel to Dr. No. Nobody knew what was to become of this franchise. People say "the problem with James Bond and his women in the franchise, is how he 'moves on' so quickly". You never see the break-up or any long-term relationships ... well this is simply not true. In fairness to the producers, they attempted to include this element in From Russia with Love through the ongoing relationship Bond has with Miss Sylvia Trench. Who is she you ask? You simply need to skip back to the Dr No and ask who introduced us to 007 in the first place ("Trench, Sylvia Trench - and you are"/"Bond, James Bond"). There is even a mention of a scar James Bond has on his body ... is this a subtle reference to the break-up between Bond and Honey Ryder - the knife-wielding shell-finding hottie. Imagine these subtle hints in 1963, whereby you know Dr No inside and out. Unlike the many Bond film, we even have to wait 17-minutes before we even see James Bond on screen again. We see a fake James Bond in the first 5-minutes, but the actual James Bond is not seen for nearly 20 minutes as the film carefully sets up the film - and indeed sets up the franchise with a bigger reveal of SPECTRE.

Even Dr No himself is referenced as we see the-man-with-the-cat (no name as yet...) introduce Col. Klebb (Lotte Lenya) to Chess-Master Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal) to concoct a plan to steal the Lektor and set-up Russia against England. Though setting up the franchise, you know the producers had no idea how big this would be as the 'more-than-the-previous-installment' selling-points are included: "Bond is back, and this time there are More locations, More bad-guys and More Women.

Indeed, if they continued to double-up the amount of women in comparison to the previous film, by now, the 23rd James Bond film would be wall-to-wall women-on-women action with James Bond in the centre holding his ... gun. From Russia with Love shows how the 'bad guy' Red Grant gets a massage by a female masseuse who wears only her underwear (why? that is surely not professional etiquette). The love interest, Tatiana, hops into bed completely naked (Bond still as the voyeur ... remember Dr No when we see, unknown to Honey, Bond observing her emerge from the water...). Kerim Bey's mistress writhing about on the bed, nearly falling out of her dress whilst a gypsy-fight midway through is clearly only there for arousal as it finishes to show the two women, not only content in putting aside their differences for James Bond, but also taking part in some love-making, together, with James Bond.

Setting Up The Future

Through setting up SPECTRE for multiple films planned for the future, unknown to the filmmakers, many other components date back to From Russia with Love. Desmond Llewelyn is on screen for the first time as gadget-master 'Boothroyd' - aka, Q. He would become a part of the series through to The World is not Enough. At this point, he has no problems with Bond - he explains the briefcase, the basic weapons and his scene is complete. The Q laboratory is not seen - but I believe it is clear that the island of SPECTRE, whereby we see the training SPECTRE assassins receive, predates the Q-lab and it appears that, to include it again in Goldfinger, they had to create the same type of lab for the good-guys - turning what was once SPECTRE's "lab" and becoming Q's lab.

But the hugely exotic locations are even more classical and inviting to see - the tunnels underneath Istanbul and the San Sofia Mosque are a few locations which, aesthetically, show a real beauty that the blue-sea and beaches of Dr. No couldn't hold a candle to. But, this was inevitably something that now had to be 'topped' in future films - ensuring that the next Bond film would be almost action-film postcards of exotic locations.

Inevitable Sex, Swinging and the Sixties

But this is still 1963 and no James Bond is good without a good dose of sexism - and we do indeed get this through the banter between Kerim Bey and James Bond. Constantly James Bond laughs about Kerim Bey's multiple children - and wives, whilst Kerim Bey mocks James Bond's job - stating that, regarding the questioning of Tatiana, Kerim states "is that all you want?" and the two laugh. After all - women are only there for sex.

But the sixties was also a time for swinging - it didn't matter who you are or where you are from, men and men, women and women - it was all ok. So we see a hint of lesbianism in Col. Klebb - a very butch woman in a dominant, masculine military role for the time. She touches Tatiana to hint at how attractive she finds her - and it is abundantly clear that her feelings are more than platonic.

But hey, that's the sixties. Cinematically, the sixties also proved to be the high-point for Alfred Hitchcock as he always gained success at the box-office. Hitchcock noted how he enjoyed the traditional train journey and this is exemplified in films such as Strangers on a Train, The Lady Vanishes and North by Northwest. Hitchcock and James Bond are often intertwined through history and From Russia with Love is the most overtly influenced Hitchcock-James Bond. Not only do we have the train journey but, as soon as he sets foot on the train, the whole narrative becomes 'Hitchcockian'. In the style of the best 'who-done-its', Kerim Bey is murdered and Bond has to find out who has committed the crime. Additionally he begins to realise that he is completely unaware of the true threat - originally assuming it is Russia. He retreats to his cabin and questions Tatiana - the elegant, blonde haired and blue-eyed love interest - a woman who is as beautiful as Grace Kelly and Kim Novak. Getting off the train, it becomes even more obvious as a helicopter swoops down to hit Bond - completely referencing North by Northwest. It would not be until Marnie in 1964, that Connery himself would work with Hitchcock.

But Why, oh Why ...

Some funny problems with the film. As much as I love it - it is not set in Russa. At All. We see Istanbul, Belgrade, Zagreb and Venice. But no Russia. I assume we are talking about Tatiana, who is Russia herself. Or the Lektor, as it is sent from Russia, with love... but, ultimately, we never see Russia and though a great title, I think most people go into the film in the hope of seeing Russia at the centre.

In the finale, Klebb tries to kick him with a poisoned-spike in her shoe (we will see this shoe again in Die Another Day). It is a clever plan and, when used previously, Kronsteen is killed because he doesn't see it coming. Klebb, the fool, reveals the spike early into her fight highlighting what Bond needs to steer clear of. Even if it wasn't poisoned, it would bloody hurt.

Finally, at the very end, as Bond and Tatiana sail on a gondola through Venice, he holds the film-reel that shows the two having sex and Tatiana asks "what is it?" and he replies: "I'll show you and then he kisses her and they move out of screen. Are they going to have sex? In a gondola?? An open-top gondola for everyone in Venice to see??? That is nuts. He clearly won't show her, and is putting her into an uncomfortable position before she wil re-emerge and say "can we go back to the hotel as this is very public".

Still The Best

Despite these concerns, it is my favourite James Bond film. It is not cheap and it shows a style of James Bond that the current producers should try hark back to. The fight at the end alone shows how incredible James Bond is: the deep blues and shadows, a fight that is rough and aggressive, fist on fist, grabbing, and dangerously holding each close to sharp shards of glass from broken windows.

It is a brilliant film and, as a starting point, this shows a the type of James Bond, on-screen, that should have continued. Fact of the matter is that Goldfinger made more money so, Mr. Accountant, you do the Math.

I have recently read Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Franchise by James Chapman and at the same time, I am re-listening to The Hollywood Saloon podcasts, titled Bond Never Dies. I would highly recommend these books and podcasts as many ideas and parts of my research would be credited to both these sources.

Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster, 2008)

"This man and I have some unfinished business."

Introduction

This is a little unconventional, I appreciate that, but I think it will be a case of fillng in the blanks over the years. I have recently watched all the James Bond films and, with Quantum of Solace, I have now finished. I have written a post on Dr No - which you should really check out.

After Casino Royale, I was so excited about the film until the bad reviews arrived and then I heard the scathing attack from Mark Kermode. Before I sat down, the initial reaction was exceptionally negative and I do recall reviews even giving the film 1*. To say this upset me is putting it mildly because, for better or worse, the film does have problems and there is no point in pretending this isn't true.

The Continuation of Casino Royale

I always found it difficult to stomach the 'love' James Bond had for Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale - at least the film had amazing action sequences and incredibly tense poker matches. In Quantum of Solace this weak aspect to the story (M constantly reminding Bond about the tragedy - "It'd be a pretty cold bastard who didn't want revenge for the death of someone he loved") whereby Vesper's betrayal and 'importance' ultimately rings untrue. If it wasn't Bond's motivation, then it would be a better film - and, for better or worse, did it even have to be a motivation at all? For Gods sake - it's his job! Another problem with Quantum of Solace is the repetition of Bond 'going rogue' (another facet which provides much comedy on The Hollywood Saloon podcast) - he does this in Casino Royale, Licence to Kill and Die Another Day - 4 out of 7 films, Bond rebels against M and MI-6 and, suprisingly, is accepted back. I swear, if Bond goes rogue again, M should have him killed.

I remember when Casino Royale was released, James Bond fans were concerned that with a  reboot of the franchise, it would lead to remakes of the original James Bond films. Luckily, this does not happen - though in a similar way to From Russia with Love, whereby SPECTRE is introduced, Quantum of Solace provides a new 'group' that is undetected on MI6's radar: QUANTUM.

 

Bond Girl

 

One of the stronger aspects to Quantum of Solace is the casting of Olga Kurylenko as the girl-who-wants-revenge. Borrowing a theme we have seen before - The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only - she is much stronger than many characters. So strong, in fact, she does not even sleep with 007. Now that is strong - who can resist his charm. Funnily enough, having read a few books on the franchise, we have already seen this before. Timothy Dalton's James Bond was much more serious and, in The Living Daylights, he only manages to have sex with one girl - at the end. At the time, Bond fans found this a little strange - but now we can see that, as I have mentioned before, Dalton was ahead of his time. In fact, the one girl he has sex with in Quantum of Solace died in a similar manner to Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in Goldfinger - rather than covered in gold, Gemma Arterton's 'Strawberry Fields' is covered in oil and found later by MI-6. This begs the question that, upon reading the script, it was clear that Bond did not seem to get the ladies and so this sexual activity was squeezed in to ensure Bond did not remain celibate for one film.

 

One thing I laughed alot at was a use of the script mentioned on 'The Hollywood Saloon' podcast, whereby Olga's 'Camille' seems to appear multiple times, in a car, and state "Get in.". I recall listening to the podcast and hearing her say this time and time again - but upon watching the film, it is clear that this is a little 'feature' of Camille - she turns up int he car the first time "Get in.", Bond says some witty remark and she simply repeats her instruction "Get in". This happens twice - the second time to remind us of that special first meeting. So, though incredibly funny when hearing it used on The Hollywood Saloon, it is not as alien and out of place Andy and Jon imply. But Camille remains strong - with a motive that is never undermined by 007.

Flawed

With these flaws, we beg the question why. Is it the script? No. I don't think Purvis, Wade and Haggis did a bad job - I'm sure it could be improved, but the story itself works. Though it wasn't neccessary, I see the purpose in continuing the story from Casino Royale. This leads to the actors who, again, were brilliant. As I mentioned Kurylenko was great whilst Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene was suitably sinister, with a realistic edge. Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini and Jeffrey Wright, reprising their roles from Casino Royale, were suitably strong and, especially Leiter, I love his cynical edge. Wright gives the impression that he knows he is on the strong 'super-power' side - and that he will probably 'win' if he wanted to - but he is held back by superiors who can't do their job. This cynicism complements Judi Dench's M, who we trust and believe in as 007's superior.

Behind the scenes though, we are missing some people. Marc Forster chooses a different production designer - Peter Lamont who has been involved with the franchise since Goldfinger, leading the production department since For Your Eyes Only is replaced by Dennis Gassner. Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson are on editing duties (Pearson having worked on The Bourne Supremacy with editing duties shared with Christopher Rouse), new to the franchise, whilst the second-unit director had been changed again (Alexander Witt on Casino Royale, Vic Armstrong the three films prior) to Dan Bradley, the second unit director on The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. It was clear now, if there was any doubt with Casino Royale, that the Bourne Franchise was the style 007 was aiming for... but it simply doesn't deliver.

I think the buck stops with Forster. His choice to have multiple sequences edited together in a way that confuses and cuts too fast is constantly a source of frustration. The opening sequence as cars chase Bond, rather than dwell on the vast space and skill of the stunt drivers, seems to cut every 2-seconds to another image from a different angle. Further to this, we have Mr White's escape juxtaposed with a horse-race for no clear reason. One sequence, that starts off effectively, suddenly drops in quality when Forster tries to make it more grandoise. Bond realises who QUANTUM are, as they all try and leave the opera they are in attendance for and, following a nervous face-off against Greene, Bond is chased out and we see an incredible gun fight. I say 'see an gun fight' because you don't hear a thing. Now we have the Opera music over the action sequence, rather than the rat-a-tat-tat of guns firing whilst we cut back and forth between the action and the opera. Thanks Forster - you mistake me for someone who cares about Opera and Horse-Racing - I watch 007 for the action and the stunts.

Finale and Fitting in the Canon

I used to despise this film, but after a second watch, I simply think it is an exceptionally weak James Bond film. Forster tried something that completely didn't work and, now it is done, Broccoli and Wilson can learn from their mistakes and hire someone who can direct action ... like Sam Mendes (wait-a-sec ... Sam Mendes? As in the director of American Beauty and Revolutionary Road ... not exactly action...). The end of Casino Royale gave the impression that Bond was back - and we could watch the next film without the 'love' and just enjoy the action. What we got was constant references to his 'love' in the previous film and action sequences that are not memorable. The biggest concern is that nothing is memorable at all - Casino Royale had the free-running, the poker-match, the macchete-fight in the stairwell to remind us of great action. This balanced out the love side to things. Quantum of Solace has all that love-stuff - "I was sorry to hear about Vesper. I think she loved you." - but action sequences I canot vividly recall because how badly they were edited - nothing flowed. Can I remember a single stunt? Not really because it was so unclear. I remember the bit when Bond fell down and swung round - with foot attached to rope - killing 'Mitchell', but I just wish it was much clearer.

At the very least, by mentioning 'Quantum' at the end of the film shows that, in fact, there is much more to reveal. For example, we saw many, many members of QUANTUM at the Opera and, I would like to think, this is an opportunity for many missions in the future... lets just hope that with all the many extra months of prepatory time for Bond 23, they can right-the-wrongs of Quantum of Solace...

Top 5 Best 'James Bond' Title Songs

Ultimately, there are so many good James Bond songs! I whittled out the bad songs on a previous post and now I have to choose my Top 5. First off, all the songs mentioned in this post are brilliant. None of them are specifically bad - in fact, I look at the likes of Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney and The Wings and worry that it should be higher ...  but then I look at my Top 5and can't see how it could be squeezed in. Chris Cornell's You Know My Name was incredible but is it as iconic as the Top 5 I chose? I think not. Even Matt Monroe and Tom Jones I decided against because Tom Jones i merely a male version of Shirley Bassey whilst Matt Monroe, though a great song, has very little correlation with the Bond songs that followed Goldfinger. The James Bond Theme from Dr No and the the title credits for On Her Majesty's Secret Service are both instrumentals and we have to have some rules - namely a singer-theme-song.

5. Goldeneye - Written by Bono and The Edge from U2, this again set the standard after the hiatus between Licence to Kill and Goldeneye. Tina Turner comfortably sings her way trhough, as Bassey sang many years prior. The opening credits sequence, additionally, introduces Daniel Kleinmann to the scene - taking the mantle from Maurice Binder by using Russian symbols and iconography linking with the plot itself. I was very tempted to put Tomorrow Never Dies at this very spot but thought, ultimately, Sherly Crows voice is nowhere near as strong as Tina Turners making it inferior. Though, I may be tempted to claim that Tomorrow Never Dies, as a song, is better ...  but shame about the delivery.

4. You Only Live Twice - Nancy Sinatra singing the Asian-themed tune of You Only Live Twice. A brillaint song which, in fact, was so good it was sampled by Robbie Williams for his song Millennium.

3. Goldfinger/Moonraker/Diamonds Are Forever - Yes, I have put all of Shirley Bassey's songs together because, even though Goldfinger set the standard, the songs which followed it became equally distinctive and impressive. Diamonds Are Forever sampled by Kanye West and, with Moonraker, John Barry even had a dance-version placed over the end-credits. Shirley Bassey can do no wrong.

2. Nobody Does It Better - Prior to Carly Simon's theme to The Spy Who Loved Me, other than Matt Monroe in From Russia With Love, the themes were bombastic, grand and loud ... Carly Simon sang a song that sounded personal and romantic. The side to 007 we never truly see ... 

1. A View To A Kill/The Living Daylights - by Duran Duran and Aha respectively. These two songs could be played continuously and they still have two things in common - both catchy pop songs that, even at the time, were highly successful singles. Secondly, the songs are rooted in the 80's scene - that I believe seems to give the songs a little retro edge now. If only Spandau Ballet sang Licence to Kill! I couldn't decide on which one is better, so I cracked and - again - but them both at Number 1.

Top 5 Worst 'James Bond' Title Songs

I was all prepared and ready to complete a Top 5 Title Songs blog post, but alas, there are many good songs. I had to clarify, in the first instance, the good and the bad. From doing this, inevitably, I made an entire list of all the title songs and thought, why not prepare you for the Top 5 by revealing the worst 5 first!

The near-misses are The Man with the Golden Gun (though, ultimately a bad song, there is something funky and, dare I say it, "spunky" about Lulu), Die Another Day by Madonna - I have to concede that it is a bad song, but I respect that Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and David Arnold on signing off such a weird and electronic track.  If you are thinking of a song I haven't mentioned and it does not turn up on the list, then I deem that song to be ultimately good, but have yet to arrange where it would be placed - and whether it would even get a look-in regarding a Top 5 songs.

Lets move on though! First off, the worst James Bond Title songs...

5. For Your Eyes Only/Sheena Easton - too romantic and too longing ... not much Bond-like charisma. I think it is more a song for the girl in the film, not for 007...

4. Licence to Kill/Gladys Knight - I can see how Michael Kamen wanted to move back to the Bassey style of vocal, with an 80's edge, but alas, it did not work.

3. All Time High (from Octopussy)/Rita Coolidge - so dreary. It sounds like she's high on drugs singing this boring song. No no no.

2. The World Is Not Enough/Garbage - How sad that the band is called Garbage. I can't even remember the song that did make them famous. 'Ready to Go' was Republica ... 'Neighbourhood' was Space ... from a band like A-ha and Duran Duran to crap-brit-rock-band Garbage. Upsetting.

1. Another Way To Die (from Quantum of Solace)/Alicia Keys and Jack White - What on earth happened here. I think Alicia Keys is great - i have three of her albums and I have no problems in getting another. I think The White Stripes are cool, but this just doesn't work. Especially when you have the whole is-it-a-guitar-solo section ... only to find out that the juttery, incompetant guitar player was actually the solo. In its entierety.

Favourite Film Faces #16: Gerard Butler in 'Tomorrow Never Dies'

Having recently watched Tomorrow Never Dies, I was positive that some British television actors were on board the British ships. I was amazed to discover, that not only was a British cast member on board a ship - but in fact he was rumoured to be considered to be James Bond.

The thing is, too often in the James Bond productions, the actors know the 'big guns' - in Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli - before they take on the role. Take Timothy Dalton, originally considered way back in 1969, and then again, when Roger Moore was rumoured to leave following For Your Eyes Only. Then there is Pierce Brosnan - actually hired to be James Bond in 1987, but his contractual obligations on the TV-series Remington Steel, held him back! But alas, in both cases, they eventually became Bond in '87 and '95 respectively.

It would make alot of sense that, following Daniel Craig's three-film contract, they cast Gerard Butler, effectively a 'veteran' of the Bond franchise. He is currently 41 years old and, that might seem a little too old but bear in mind that Roger Moore was 46 in Live and Let Die and went on to make more James Bond films than any other actor ...

A-Z #37: Casino Royale

You can pick up hundreds of DVD's for a round-pound each - it doesn't matter. Its never about quantity, its about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and understanding why I own the films ... or you can tell me why I should sell 'em

#37 - Casino Royale

Why did I buy it?

This is where this whole A-Z thing can get a bit problematic. I am a self-confessed huge 007 fan. When we reach boxsets, I can discuss in more depth where this love came from, but suffice to say, I bought Casino Royale day-of-release having watched it at the cinema in Reading.

Why do I still own it?

Funnily enough, it is actually a film that, in due course, will be sold - but only to be upgraded by that sweet Blu-Ray version. Fact is, currently this on DVD, on the shelf. It really is an incredible film and the free-running start set the bar incredibly high frm the get-go. Ironically, once everyone jumped on the Daniel Craig bandwagon, they all seemed to turn on Brosnan who, for what its worth, was the James Bond of the ninties - in the mould of action films such as Die Hard  and Speed. Daniel Craig is gritty and built in the mould of The Bourne Supremacy - which is not a bad thing.

A flawless film that deserves its place in everyone's collection. Unlike the follow-up Quantum of Solace ...

Maybe you disagree ... maybe I should get rid of it permanaently?

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Simon and Jo: Revealing More

So, over the weekend - as stated previously - we shot a few viral videos on a range of subjects and now I have been able to put them in a side bar at the side. Nevertheless, the latest videos are embedded here. Hopefully it should garner 'The Simon and Jo Film Show' some attention and gain a few more listeners from across the globe. So, make sure you tell your friends about it! And then review it on itunes! And then write a letter to NBC, BBC and ABC telling them that they need to hire us. Full time. $100k per annum. For both of us. Easy.

I hope you enjoy this treat!





I even managed to place the MP4 onto the 'Movies' section of my ipod too and then watch them there aswell. Maybe the more mobile folks out there would rather do that ... who knows.

The Man with the Golden Gun (Guy Hamilton, 1974)

Introduction

A fair few months ago a few friends and I were having a grand old conversation about 007 which culminated in selecting from a new briefcase loaded with all twenty pre-Daniel Craig Bond films one to watch. If I recall correctly the possible choices were 'Goldeneye', 'From Russia with Love' and then - finally - 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. Fond memories of Scaramanga and - of course - Nick Nack forced us to choose the latter but, to be brutally honest, when watching it, it was simply not as good as we all remembered. I think we even considered cutting it short. We didn't ... but the thought crossed all our minds...

Quick Synopsis

Right, real quick, James Bond (Roger Moore) is on a mission to find the "Solex Agitator" - "a device that will harness the sun's radiation and give awesome power to whomever possesses it" - but he is not the only one trying to find this. He is up against Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) - The Man with the Golden Gun. He is an assassin who is hired to kill people, which he does regularly, successfully, with his Golden Gun. But it turns out Scaramanga has been hired to kill no one other than James Bond himself. So, Scaramanga is after Bond, Bond is trying to get away. Scaramanga has Andrea Anders (Maud Adams) - his lover - and Nick Nack (Herve Villechaize) - a small but lethal character - on his side, while Bond has the clumsy, but sexy, Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland) on his side. Eventually, they get to Scaramanga's remote island and fight it out and - stupid Mary knocks a switch nearly setting the Solex off - so Bond now, not only has to kill Scaramanga, but also has to get off the island before it blows. Luckily he does. And he wins.

What I reckon

Funnily enough, having just mentioned that 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' references Westerns (Indy's outfit) and Gangsters (Toht's outfit), while also dissing Roger Moore's later period as 007, 'The Man with the Golden Gun' uses both genres itself in the opening sequence as we see Scaramanga trying to shoot 'bad-guys' in his mirror maze, whereby Gangsters (amongst them Al Capone) and Western gunslingers turn up for him to shoot - eventually shooting a model of James Bond (shock!) to finish the sequence: cue Lulu.

I absolutely love the song and its always ignored when discussing top Bond themes. Good ol' Bassey and Tom Jones always steal hear squeaky thunder. Well it is a way better song than Garbage's 'The World is no Enough'.

One thing that I think was a choice by Guy Hamilton was to build a surrealist theme in the film. Not only do we have the strange, distorting mirrors and the blurs between reality and creating fantasy (Scaramanga's murderous fantasies of killing off the 'bad guys' in his maze), but also the MI6 base tilted, forced the perspective to be completely skewed.

We also have the Asian theme, whereby Bond visits Kowloon in Hong Kong and Bangkok in Thailand but this - to be honest - just makes me think of Connery and the days of 'You Only Live Twice' and the Japanese themes within that film. Then again, the beauty of the Gulf of Thailand is stunning - so stunning in fact that it was used in 'Tomorrow Never Dies' too.

Even now I reminisce about this film I look back thinking how brilliant it really is - but I now vividly remember the experience. Akin to Trevelyan in 'Goldeneye', Scaramanga is this fantastic contrast to Bond. They are both slick, suave and have impeccable taste but, I think Scaramanga says it himself, the difference is that Bond 'works for Queen and country', while Scaramanga does it for pleasure - and a lot of money. An interesting aspect is why Nick Nack assists Scaramanga - apparently Nick Nack will get Scaramanga's property if he is killed, so the challenges Nick Nack sets up are actually trying to kill him but, clearly, they fail. I'm sure Nick Nack could just sneak into his bedroom and saw his head off or something. And claim it was somebody else obviously.

But I think this is where we have the problem - all the plus points aside - there is one particularly brilliant part whereby Bond and Sheriff JW Pepper are chasing another car across a stretch of land and reaching a broken bridge Bond speeds over it turning a full 360 degrees around. The red car going the entire 360 looks absolutely brilliant but, mid flip, the strangest sound slips onto the soundtrack. The sound is the same you would use for a cartoon character slipping on a banana skin. I reckon this comedic tone to this film is what makes it so problematic - there is simply no need. Bond's one-liners are the comedy, the cheeky attitude he has to women is funny. We don't need dickhead Sheriff Pepper talking like a moron mid-chase.

Luckily, 'The Spy who Loved Me', I recall, as being a lot better but maybe that is the rose-tinted glasses again - Barbara Bach, The underwater base, the Lotus Esprit S1 turbo sports car that turns into a submarine ... good times ... I think ...