My Reaction to Daniel's Interview...

Now, I'm sure Daniel Craig is a great, caring and loving person. But, after reading the interview this week about if he should come back as James Bond or not, I was a bit surprised for him to say, "I'll come back for the money." Now, I'm sure it was all taken out of context and not really meant to sound mean or selfish or anything, but that is not the classiest thing to say. Clearly, if you're an actor, for any movie or for any job, in the end of course you want to get paid. That is the whole point of acting, or any job for that matter, not just in show business. Acting IS in fact a job. Of course, like with other things, it's a different kind of job, it's a job we all would love to do or at least attempt. So, of course we do it for the money. At the same time, you've got to have the heart in it to act. I was just a bit disappointed when he said that because it sounded a bit petty and selfish. Being James Bond is in fact not like any other acting job. It drains you I'm sure and demands a lot from your body but there are upsides to it I'm sure. You get the girls, the gadgest, the cars, the locations and most of the time a great bond (no punn intended) with the producers. You also get many fans the world over. When you are interviewed, you don't just say you'll do it for the money. In my opinion, he should have just said how greatful he was to be chosen the part for one of the most famous acting gigs around. If you're James Bond, you're in!

Me-not being a fan of Daniel's Bond, and not ashamed to admit it-feel like the other actors in the role, had far more respect and appreciation for the part, with the exception of Sean Connery, who after several films felt he wasn't getting the money he deserved on the set. Now, Sean Connery is an interesting case. James Bond made him [Sean] who he is today and even though he left the part wanting to continue other projects, he was lured to come back for a large sum of money. Now, the money wouldn't be for him though. He would only do the part again if he could use it to help fund the Scottish Education Trust Fund which would allow students to pursue their careers in art, music, and other careers in Scotland. Now, if that isn't selfless, I honestly don't know what is. Knowing exactly what it was like to be poor, Sean wanted others to succeed in his homeland. He was a coffin cleaner before becoming a body builder, a small time actor and then James Bond. Roger Moore, after filming his sixth Bond film in India, noticed all the poverty and poor living conditions and joined UNICEF as an ambassador. How cool is that?! Timothy Dalton really wanted to capture the essence of the books written by Ian Fleming and cared about preserving the way the character was intended to be. Pierce Brosnan was originally going to be 007 in the 80s until he finally got the part in 1995. He was a smashing success as 007 and during his time as Bond, he and his wife went around the world supporting clean oceans and less toxins in our air. Even now he is a sponsor for that. It was said that Brosnan wanted too much money for another film after Die Another Day and that he quit when he didn't get it. However, that is not the truth at all. The producers wanted someone younger for the part and one day just called Pierce on the phone basically telling him he was fired. It had nothing to do with the money. Again, yes these are acting jobs and of course money is going to be involved. That's a given. But it's not just about that.

For Daniel Craig to say he would only come back for the money is an all time low. Near the end of the interview, Craig was asked who should replace him as James Bond, to which he replied, "Look, I don't give a fuck. Good luck to them! All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we've left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that's all." Fair enough, the man has every right to his opinion. However, when he replied, "You've got to step up. People do not make movies like this any more. This is really rare now. So don't be shit ... Just make sure you're great. You've got to push yourself as far as you can. It's worth it, it's James Bond." Well, that is a pretty strange statement considering what a drastic change he brought to the role. All muscle and no sophistication. He's like a killing machine. That's not how James Bond should be.

Well, there goes my rant, I just had to get that off my chest and into my blog. Check out the article here.

Until next time, see you all in theaters this November for SPECTRE! 

Licence to Kill: A James Bond Retrospective

 

A James Bond Retrospective

So, you think Daniel Craig is the world's first bad ass, ruthless and hard edged Bond? Think again. This trend was started 20 years before Casino Royale with 1989's Licence to Kill. The movie is more violent, personal and out of the ordinary than any other James Bond film before or after. With extreme violence, revenge and determination, this is the ultimate and most underrated movie of them all!

Released in the summer of 1989, Licence to Kill was Timothy Dalton's second and final performance as Agent 007. Having one film under his belt, the producers made a movie focusing on Dalton's strengths. In this movie, Bond isn't just on another assignment for the good of England. He's on his own and is on a personal vendetta to avenge his best friend. This is a no non-sense kind of Bond and something most fans of the series have long been waiting for. Where Roger Moore's seven films had an emphasis on humor and gags and even a mission in outer space, Timothy's films had an emphasis on realism, espionage and vulnerability. This is the Bond that bleeds, cries, stresses and at times grows stubble. This is the Bond straight from the character that Ian Fleming books. Licence to Kill is not for the faint of heart. It is a movie filled with action and best of all, Timothy is the James Bond that is a killer and ruthless agent who just happens to be on the side called "good".

As I mentioned earlier, James Bond is on his own and uses his skills and ingenuity to get himself out of danger. When Felix Leiter, ex CIA agent now working for the DEA, is informed that Franz Sanchez has entered the U.S., it is up to him and an off-duty 007 to apprehend him. Catching Sanchez just in time before he manages to escape to Cuban airspace, Bond and Felix proceed to Felix's wedding. They literally drop in to wed. Once on route to Quantico, a crooked cop aids Sanchez in his escape for a reward of $2,000,000. After Bond departs Felix's house, Sanchez's goons kidnap Felix, rape and murder his new wife, and maul him with a shark. The authorities are informed, along with James Bond, cancelling his flight back to London, and the search is on to find Sanchez. When Bond arrives at Felix's house, he discovers that Felix is not in fact dead, but seriously injured with a note reading: "He disagreed with something that ate him." Furious, Bond informs the Americans but nothing is done. It is as if no one wants to take care of the situation and overlooks it. Well, Felix is Bond's best friend and he will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this. What are friends for?

While tracing clues throughout Florida, Bond discovers that Sanchez is no longer in the States but in his home country of Isthmus City (fictional South American Country) that he is in complete and utter control over, even with a fixed president and rigged elections. Soon, M goes to Florida to find Bond, telling him that he needs to let this situation go and leave the Americans to "clear it up." Bond refuses and tells M that he is resigning from the Service. To this, M denies Bond's resigning and instead revokes his license to kill. Escaping, Bond is now on the run from his own boss. This is something we've never seen before in a Bond movie: people on his own side trying to kill him.  Bond arrives to Isthmus and attempts to meet Sanchez.

Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez

When 007 reaches Sanchez's casino, he meets with him and they have a pleasant conversation while Bond can think of nothing else but to kill him for what he did to his friend. Looking for work--which isn't all that far from the truth since he is no longer part of MI6--Sanchez allows Bond to join his organization and trusts him enough to allow him to stay in his large mansion. James Bond is in! If this was an official mission he hit the jackpot! He now has the perfect chance to kill Sanchez. How does he do it? He does it by framing those loyal to Sanchez by making it look like they were indeed ripping him off, while all Bond has to do is watch while the pins fall one by one. You see, Sanchez isn't just a textbook Bond villain who wants to take over the world. What makes Sanchez so unique is that "loyalty is more important to [him] than money." If you double cross Franz Sanchez, you're done. So, as long as you do what he says, he will repay you greatly, but if you do something wrong, you're out of the picture permanently. He also has a henchman, Dario, played by a 22 year old Benicio del Toro. Keep an eye out for him throughout the picture! 

Q comes all the way from England to help 007

Now, this movie is not without humor or fun. When Miss Moneypenny discovers that James is missing, she sends out Q while he's on leave. Q arrives, has some gadgets for 007 and sticks around. This film marks Desmond Llewelyn's longest performance in the role. There are some great gags here and there and even though this isn't like previous Bond films, that does not mean it is void of elements that make a Bond film a Bond film.

Dario discovers 007

One of the men that Sanchez has hired for a cover operation is Milton Krest played by American actor Anthony Zerbe. His death is the ultimate death of all involving his head imploding in a decompression chamber. In order to keep the film from an R rating in America, the scene where you actually see his head implode with blood splattered all over the glass was cut. You need to get the original edition for the movie to see such a horrible scene. And to be honest, Dalton is the only Bond that could pull it off. It is not pretty and every time I watch that scene my heart pounds. It is intense. 

A grinder...what a way to die.

The climactic scene in this movie is just amazing! It involves tanker trucks used to transport drugs without detection. Bond is finally discovered when Dario recognizes him from an earlier encounter. Listening to a tour of how the drugs are concealed  in gasoline, Dario puts a gun to 007's back and tells him to be quiet. After a small quip from Sanchez, "You keep the gas, as a bonus. And if there's a problem with customs, no evidence." Bond starts a fire and sends people screaming. His cover blown, even though he still goes by James Bond, Sanchez realizes that Bond is trying to kill him and demands to know who has sent him. Punching him and putting him in a conveyor, Dario hangs over Bond and spits on him while cutting the rope used to tie him to the end of the belt, leading to a grinder right below. Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) shows up and shoots Dario and Bond pulls him from underneath him and another gross scene occurs. He is crushed alive! Catching up with Sanchez, Bond, with the help of the beautiful Pam, flies a plane over and manages to steal a tanker. Bond is now in control of one of the tankers and catches up with Sanchez for a fight to the death. When the final truck is knocked down a hill, Sanchez is about to kill Bond for his betrayal. "You could have had everything." Bond re

James Bond after burning drug lord Sanchez alive.

plies, "Don't you want to know why?" Showing him a cigarette lighter that Felix had given him during the wedding, Sanchez puts two and two together and realizes that Felix was Bond's friend and before he can say anything, Bond sets him on fire and a huge explosion occurs with a mix of the gas from the fallen tanker and Bond's lighter. Now, here is where we see James Bond cry for the first time. He is torn up, bloody, and totally stressed. Having killed Sanchez, his revenge is over and he can now go back to his life as an agent. What a great story! This is Fleming's Bond!

Now, the advertising campaign for this film is quite a let down and perhaps one of the reasons why not as many people saw this compared to Dalton's previous outing as 007. During production, the title was changed at the last minute from Licence Revoked to Licence to Kill. Now, there is a lot of different speculation as to the real reason it was changed, but the most common and reported reason is because when MGM did a survey, most Americans thought it was referring to a revoked drivers license as opposed to James Bond losing his license to kill. In addition, another speculation is that most Americans didn't know what "revoked" meant. Now, I'm assuming it was the first reason. I could see how people could assume it would refer to a drivers license. But...come on now. You should just look it up and find the meaning for yourself. There have been other James Bond titles such as Thunderball or Octopussy that to the casual viewer must sound ridiculous. I supposed the reasoning for that is because they were titles from the Fleming novels. In this case, both titles Licence Revoked and Licence to Kill are original titles and the first not to be used in a Fleming book.

Renowned artist Bob Peak who did artwork for the first six Star Trek films, Apocalypse Now, and even The Spy Who Loved Me, did amazing new and original illustrations for Licence Revoked. Again, it would have been something never seen before in a Bond film. Check these out:

 Rejected artwork by Bob Peak for Licence Revoked

 

Now, why they felt they needed to change the artwork and total campaign due to a last-minute title change I will never understand. The artwork is the artwork. The text and letters come in later. Studios need to realize, that illustrated movie posters are still artwork. They only become a poster when fonts are added to them along with the cast and crew. Other than that, it is just a piece of art like any other. At the same time, once you are an artist working for such a large corporation like Disney, or MGM, it is now in the hands of the studio and they basically own your work. That being said...it was a shame to do a half-assed job on Photoshop such as this:

Now, if this doesn't say half-assed, I honestly don't know what does. This is the British poster used for the film. Note the title change from "Revoked" to "To Kill" and the lack of originality used. These images are just cut and pasted and this does not bring the viewer into the film. The color scheme is unimpressive and it looks very tacky. Not the smartest choice to cut down costs for the production.

That being said, Licence to Kill is one of my all-time favorite James Bond films because it is the most quotable, violent and action-packed film in the series. It's hard to believe that people consider this to be one of the worst movies. It has action, suspense, beautiful locales, gorgeous women, subtle humor and gadgets while still containing an element of grandiose. It is realistic, believable and leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what will happen next. Will James Bond survive on his own? Has he met his match? It leaves you wanting more. Now, some feel that the locations in the film are bland and not exotic enough or that it feels like James Bond meets Miami Vice. I can certainly see that point of view. You need to remember though that at the time this movie came out, it had much competition with films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon 2, Die Hard (1988), Batman, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Ghostbusters II; all summer blockbusters and Bond had to compete with that. So, by making Bond a bit more down to earth and not a Roger Moore every-hair-in-place-coming-out-unscathed, something more was needed. It was time for James Bond to be up in the big leagues with American action movies and make it more current and to the times (according to the producers). In addition, it was getting more and more expensive to film in England so for the first time this Bond film was produced in Churubusco Studios in Mexico City and filmed in Mexico along with Florida. So, it felt like more of an American film with a British actor in the role. At the same time, over looking this, it is a Bond film and I think it captures the spirit of James Bond. I highly recommend this film.

As mentioned before, this is Timothy Dalton's second and final turn as Agent 007. In this short amount of time, Dalton certainly made the character his own. Serious at times, deadly and of course suave, Dalton read all of the James Bond books written by Ian Fleming and really wanted to depict that onto the big screen. In the long run, James Bond is an assassin and a killer and his license to kill status is what allows him to do so without getting into trouble with the law. Not as much time for the ladies as Roger Moore had, it was all about the mission with Dalton. In this case, it was all about revenge and friendship and how far people will go until a debt is settled, even if it isn't authorized. Now, some say that Timothy takes the fun out of the character, but you have to remember, Roger Moore was such a drastic change from the original character, it became almost ridiculous and totally out of context where the only relation to the books was the title. That's not who James Bond is. James Bond is something that every man wants to be and at the same time know that it can take a toll on you. Bond is not a superman, he's not an alien, he's human and yes, he does have time for the girls, but it is for the good of the mission. That does sound a bit harsh, but that is what the character was originally written to be. Just as Roger Moore didn't want to copy Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton sure as hell had no intention of copying Moore. I'm glad that Timothy was Bond and his films still live on to this day! The only reason why people prefer Craig now, is that Dalton came way before his time. The audience wasn't ready for a ruthless and dark Bond. Now that it's all about action movies and dark stories, people are now ready for this image of 007 that HAS been seen before and in a more classic and sophisticated way. Timothy Dalton is "son of Connery, father of Craig."

James Bond will return in SPECTRE this November! 

*Today, the 12th of September would have been Desmond Llewelyn's 101st birthday! I honestly had no idea until a friend of mine informed me of the news! We lost Desmond a few days after the release of his final 007 film in 1999 and I just wanted to give thanks for his wonderful performance in the role and all his other roles! We miss you, Q! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father's Day 007 Special 2012

On Father's Day, 2012 I took my dad to see both of the Timothy Dalton 007 features that were showing at the local movie house. Not knowing that it would be that crowded, since Timothy Dalton is a very underrated Bond in my opinion, I was dead wrong when I got there. So many people showed up for it and it was pretty cool! It was practically a full house! Now, these weren't the Sean Connery films or anything, in which case I'm sure every seat would have been taken, but still nonetheless it was the Dalton movies and it was just nice to see so many people come and see his movies. Of course when we got there, there was a screaming little girl asking her father, "Daddy, are these scary movies? Daddy? Daddy! Max took my seat!" I was automatically thinking to myself, Now why on Earth would you take your kid to a Bond movie? Especially the dark ones with Timothy Dalton? Anyway, as the feature started, everything took off pretty well and the theater was pretty quiet, including the little girl. I swear, that girl's voice was so loud you could hear it several blocks away! Anyway, onto the experience. Before the movie started, there was a guess star Q&A with former Playboy playmate Diana Lee-Hsu, who had a minor part in Dalton's second film, *Licence to Kill. Talking about how she got the job, she also mentioned how they used her for the opening credits scene. As she was explaining how they had to cover her private parts for the sensor, she explains, "They had to cover my twin peaks [breasts] and my hidden valley [vagina]." Naturally, the audience laughed at her politically correct use of the terms. I mean, there were several little kids in the audience so it was just as well, and naturally they didn't get it. Heck, the kids were probably sleeping by the time she was done with the interview. After she left, the first Dalton film started. The Living Daylights. It was great fun and brought Bond back to the Connery days with a gadget filled Aston Martin. When Dalton was first seen on the screen walking the Gun Barrel, everyone in the audience applauded including me and the first dramatic zoom in of Dalton also garnered great applause. This is what makes a Bond movie so fun to watch in a theater. You are surrounded by fans and no matter who the actor is playing Bond, you still cheer for him. Now, unfortunately I'm not sure how audiences reacted to George Lazenby's Bond, but that's a whole different story that I'm not going to get into at this point. Anyway, after watching The Living Daylights, Robert Davi was another special guest from Licence to Kill. He played Franz Sanchez, the main antagonist to Dalton's Bond. Coming in with a hat and a lot of jewelry, Davi talked about his experience on the film and also talked about his personal carer as an actor-turned singer. Anyway, after the questions in the audience were asked and all that, he started sighing autographs. At this time, it was already like around 10:30 and the movie was two hours and ten minutes, so things had to get cracking. So, while he was signing, the lights went down and we got right to the next film, Licence to Kill. The second film is honestly my favorite of the Dalton movies in that it is far more memorable and the villains are much more interesting. If you do watch this movie, be on the lookout for a 22 year-old Benicio Del Toro as Davi's henchman Dario. Anyway, when the last movie was over, we headed home and it was about 1am. And of course, summer school started the next day but who cares...it was a Bond special! lol **If you're wondering why I spelled Lisense with a "c", it's because that is the spelling the film used. They kept the British spelling for some reason.

Timothy Dalton: The Forgotten 007

For most people, the name Timothy Dalton is foreign to fans of James Bond, or just people in general. Dalton, whom had just made two James Bond film, was sadly short lived between Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan but the mark he left behind was a unique one. In 1987, Tim made his debut as the new James Bond. His immediate predecessor was Sir Roger Moore, who had made a total of seven films as 007 from 1973 through 1985. During Moore's tenure, the Bond character turned into a slapstick, pretty boy, play-it-safe kind of Bond. Gone was the sense of danger, espionage and suspense of what Ian Fleming's original idea of Bond was. James Bond films turned into family entertainment for all. This was a 12 year experience. Now, Timothy Dalton's 1987 film, The Living Daylights took all this away and brought Bond back to his roots as a ruthless British agent with a license to kill. Now, mind you audiences were not expecting such a drastic 360 degree turn after Moore. Gone was the pretty boy style and the jokes and back was the ruthlessness that Connery brought to the role, and more! Timothy Dalton gave the world his own interpretation of Bond and brought the character from the written page of Fleming's books. A Shakespearean trained actor, Dalton took the role of 007 most seriously. His first film didn't show Bond as a ladies man, but rather a "one lady" man. He was badass and you would totally buy him as a killer. He wasn't one to mess around. Even his tagline for a teaser poster for The Living Daylights read, "The most dangerous Bond. Ever." It was true! The Living Daylights was an instant hit and made $191 million at the box office beating the last two previous Roger Moore outings. It also beat out Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Dalton was the new Bond and despite what some of the critics and fans said, he brought Bond back to his roots. Two years later, in 1989, Dalton returned as 007. This time, it was a mission for Her Majesty's Secret Service, but rather, a revenge story. The new movie Licence to Kill really brought out Dalton's strong side as James Bond. Bond was on his own and out to avenge he maiming of his best friend and death of his wife. Bond this time would anything and everything to kill the man responsible. Roger Moore, or any other actor that played Bond would not have been able to sell that film the way Tim did. This was meant for Timothy Dalton in mind. Any weak spots Dalton had in The Living Daylights would be eliminated and all his strength would come to play.

Filming the climax to Licence to Kill

 

 

The reception for Licence to Kill was unfortunately quite poor. The violence factor in this film was so dark it became the first ever James Bond filmed with a PG-13 rating. The Bond series was no longer a family event and the drastic change came too soon for some. Dalton was and is the most badass 007 in terms of how he portrayed the character and his style. I think he even out beats Daniel Craig. Dalton had originally been signed on for three films, but after Licence to Kill, there was a lawsuit between distributor MGM and 007 production company EON which lead to a six year hiatus before there next film would come out. During this long gap (1989 to 1995), Dalton decided to step down from the character and the role was given to Pierce Brosnan who continued on the legacy of 007. The film GoldenEye--which was Brosnan's first role as Bond--previously known as The Propery of a Lady, was written with Timothy in mind since he was still signed onto play Bond at the time. Timothy Dalton stands out as the more ruthless James Bond ever, and he is a precursor to the current James Bond, Daniel Craig. The world today accepts Craig as an action killer and less of a spy, because it is much more accepted...well highly praised for that matter these days; especially after the influence of the Jason Bourne films. Dalton certainly came before his time and if he were James Bond today, odds are he would be far more accepted. Long live 007 #4!

The World Is Not Enough Review/Retrospective

"I could have given you the world."
--"The world is not enough."
"Foolish sentiment."
--"Family motto."
-Elektra King and James Bond

For the 19th James Bond film, Pierce Brosnan had his third turn at bat as the suave and sophisticated agent 007. And now, James is not just on an assignment, but a very personal one at that. I'll be discussion the plot, the characters and the experience I had when watching what is perhaps on of my favorite and most quotable James Bond films in the entire series. This was also the first one that I actually sat down and watched. The first big screen 007 adventure for me would 2002's Die Another Day.

JAMES BOND AIN'T GOT TIME FOR THAT SHIT!

"You seem to have had a small reversal of fortune."

It all starts, as most Bond films do, in a glamorous country and this is no exception: Bilbao, Spain. 007 is on a mission to discover the cause of death of a fellow MI6 agent and find out who killed him. When he enters the Swiss Bank, the manager of the bank seems to skirt the issue and act as if he has no idea what Bond is talking about. He has money ready for 007 that was stolen from Sir Robert King, a multi-millionaire who owns oil pipelines across the globe, for a report that the late-agent was killed for. Bond, however has not only come for the money to be returned, but to discover who in fact killed that agent. Bond being Bond, is stubborn and doesn't let it go resulting in the goons of this "manager" to come and take him out. After an awesome and action-packed shoot out, Bond notices that someone has escaped alive: the secretary of the bank. Brosnan sells the part in this scene and has officially made the part of James Bond his own. It is said that when an actor plays James Bond gets to his third movie, he managers to make the part his own and he is really to get deeper with the character and not just by face value anymore.
He is in that territory for no-nonsense and will stop at nothing to get the job done.

After the shoot-out, one person escapes the office but not before the police are summoned. Bond looks around to find and an exit and once he turns another corner, a gun is aimed right at him. Putting his arms up, there is a shot somewhere out of the window and the man dies instantly freeing Bond to escape. Who the heck was it that shot this person? Was it a fluke? Were they trying to aim for 007? No time to thing, Bond uses his own ingenuity and pulls out the strong for a set of blinds and ties it around his belt, and then goes to one of the bodies on the floor and ties it around his belt. Grabbing the suitcase with the money, Bond jumps out the window and lands perfectly onto the streets of Spain while the police enter into an lifeless room with only once survivor: The man that Bond ties the string to. Quite the getaway!

Q-Boat

Meanwhile, back in London, James Bond returns the money and and Sir Robert King is there to pick it up. After having a brief squabble with Moneypenny, Bond is summond into M's office where he meets King himself. It turns out that M and Sir Robert read law in Oxford together and had quite a background. After King leaves and goes to inspect his money, Bond and M have a little drink. When Bond pours himself a drink, he realizes something is not right. He has some kind of chemical reaction taking place and automatically things something is wrong. Bond exclaims, "King! The money!" Rushing through halls and corridors of MI6 HQ, it is too late and the room King is in explodes, along with the money, ripping a gaping whole that is visible outside of HQ! Looking out of the building through the reckage, Bond notices a laser sight on him and then quickly turns out of the way avoiding it. Heading into Q Branch, Bond quickly jumps into a small boat equipped with a ton of weapons and gadgets and goes after the culprit who tried to kill him.

Now, this is perhaps one of the most spectacular stunt chases in the entire series of films! Now only is it a good 14 minutes before the open credits, but it is highly entertaining and non-stop! After chasing her from the River Thames to the streets of London--yes, the boat is able to drive on land as it has boosters on the back--they finally end up at an event featuring hot air balloons. Jumping out of her boat, the secretary holds some of the people at gun point and tell them to release the balloon so she can escape from 007. Bond, managers to ram the boat on the shore and jump and catch one of the ropes hanging from the balloon and is taken mid air. With him trying to avoid bullets from the assassin, he pleads with her to make a deal. "We can make a deal, just tell me who's behind this! Who are you working for?!" As she threatens to blow up the balloon, Bond screams, "Don't do it! Don't blow us up! I can protect you! Do you understand?! I can protect you!" And with them, she simply replies, "Not from him!" She fires the gun at he gas for the balloon and it explodes in a ball of fire, sending Bond falling down only to have his fall broken by the Millennium Dome.

Main Title sequence by Daniel Kleinman in the tradition of the late Maurice Binder

Now, when I first saw this movie, I was totally blown away by the action and suspense used here! This all happens in the course of 14 minutes! It like a mini-movie. But that is what every James Bond pre-title sequence is about. It is a small action-packed set piece used to get the audience intrigued and pulled into the story. Sometimes the pre-titles sequence can have nothing to do with the story that follows, or sometimes, like in this case, it can have a lot to do with it and will just continue where it leaves off. Great film is about to come on with one of my favorite opening themes in the entire series. One of them, meaning I have a lot more, but this is one of them. By the looks of this sequence, you can see that "oil" is the main theme and that this is going to be a far more personal film than some that have come before.

Now, we enter the story in Scotland. There is a major funeral occurring and it is the death of Sir Robert King. Observing the event in a sling, due to his injury with the hot air balloon, James spots the eye of a young women dressed in black whom is mourning the events: Elektra King, the daughter of Sir Robert.

007's new ride: BMW Z8

Since the London branch of MI6 is no longer safe, the team moves into their Scotland location. So, Q and his gadgets are there now and he is in fact seeking retirement. He has appointed a new fellow to follow in his footsteps as the Quartermaster of MI6 and introduces 007 to his new car, a BMW Z8 with special features as always. After a few jokes here and there, Q bids farewell to Bond and his last pieces of advice is to "never let them see you bleed." Bond says, "And the second?" "Always have an escape plan." With that, Q pushes a button which sends him under the floor and that is the last we see of the great Desmond Llewellyn. After 17 films, his days of doing the James Bond films are over and he has had a long run!
Meanwhile, as the story continues,  Bond, who tries to look deeper into the information on Elektra King is unable to due to there needing to be a clearance level. When Bond confronts M about it, she tells him that there is a personal connection with Elektra and herself. You see, Elektra was kidnapped by a terrorist named Renard and Sir Robert tried everything he could to get her back. He even goes to M and is told not to pay the ransom. They all thought they had time on their side and to use her as bait. But it was to no success. Eventually, Elektra is released by killing two of her captors and heads back home. But, you see...after the death of Sir Robert, there still is an investigation that needs to be fulfilled and Bond needs to stop Renard from getting his hands back on Elektra.

Elektra King played by Sophie Marceau

Bond is sent in to visit and tell Elektra that she is of utter importance and that she is required to have Bond's protection to which she says, "I'm going to finish building this pipeline and I don't need your help." Bond doesn't give up and invites himself to check the servey lines with her. After they get to the top of the mountain in Azerbaijan, a crew of parahawks come down and try to kill her. Bond lures them asside and then manages to kill all of them manuverting in the snow. Bond is a major expert at skiing. Bond takes Elektra to a casino where he meets up with an old friend, Valentine Zukovsky. Offering to play a game of cards, Elektra wants to play a high draw and bet against a million dollars. Then, when Bond tells her she doesn't have to do this, she replies: "There's no point in living if you can't feel alive." To this, Bond gives off a look of puzzlement. When she loses the money, James Bond says, "Elektra, this is a game I can't afford to play." Then, later that night, Bond and Elektra have a nice of romance and now it is up to him to leave her while she's sleeping and continue on his mission to stop Renard.

Now, here is where the story gets far fetched. He bumps into a nuclear physicist by the name of Christmas Jones played by Denise Richards...of all people, and then has her lead him to Renard. Under the disguise of a Russian scientist, Bond spots Renard and threatens to kill him, only for him to say, "There's not point living if you can't feel alive." Bond is struck at this, because this is the exact same thing Elektra King tells him in a casino. A fight erupts and Renard gets away. How could he have used her exact words? This doesn't make any sense.

The film continues and eventually it is discovered that Elektra King framed her own kidnapping and began to fall in love with her captor. She wanted the oil and all it's conquest for herself and felt that her father didn't care for the family, but only the money. She is responsible for the death of her father. When Renard said he would not do anything to hurt her, she uses radiation on herself and some of her ear is missing! This woman is truly twisted. She ends up doing the entire staging and all the stress her father and M goes through is for nothing. She is the one that turned Renard, not the other way around. It wasn't Stockholm Syndrome after all. She did this to herself and that is what makes this film stand out on so many levels for me. Eventually, James Bond shoots Elektra at point blank range and says, "I never miss." The true secret agent is back and this time we are getting into the Timothy Dalton territory of focus for the mission and not for the jokes.

I personally consider this to be Pierce Brosnan's best effort as James Bond and would find myself watching it countless times back in the day. It would be a long four years before the next adventure would take place. Since this was the first James Bond film I had seen in it's entirety, this film will always have a special place for me and I highly will enjoy watching it over and over again. A high recommend and GoldenEye is a close second!



James Bond will return...

Die Another Day Review/Retrospective

An invisible car? A ring that can cut through glass? A palace made of ice? These are one of the many aspects that made the James Bond film Die Another Day a disaster for so many fans. Well, I'm going to talk about my personal aspect on this film and how I think there are some good and some bad aspects to the final film starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

It all started when I was in 10th grade. My fandom for James Bond was at it's peak, and I was finally going to see a Bond film in the theater for the first time! It was going to be with my favorite actor to play the role, and my friend James and I were constantly checking up on what the title was going to be and who was going to sing the main song. Low and behold, it came out and the title for the film was Die Another Day. A pretty straight forward title, catchy, nothing special really. But we were still excited. Since the song was released a few months before the movie came out, I remember hating it with a passion. I have no problem with Madonna, but the song was just full of distortions and pauses and it was a lot of electronica that I couldn't stand. Over time, however, it grew on me and I began to enjoy it.

Now, for those of you who have not seen the movie, I suggest you stop reading now or continue at your own risk. Here we go...

James Bond escaping in a hovercraft in North Korea

James Bond is on a secret mission to North Korea to infiltrate an arms dealer who has enough weapons and tanks to run a small war. It is up to Bond to stop him and complete his mission. When Bond arrives, he captures and steels the identity of a man sent to ship African conflict diamonds to the dealer, Colonel Tan Sun Moon. Bond hijacks the helicopter, puts a package of C4 under the tray of diamonds, and then heads over to make the trade. Hoping that Moon would open the case, Moon's assistant Zao takes the case from 007 and then has someone inspect it. After doing so, Zao get's a message from an unknown sender that has Bond's cover blown and outs his entire mission. With nothing left to do, James Bond then triggers the diamonds to blow with Zao caught the middle of it and a major chase ensues. This is a spectacular chase and how the makers were able to use hovercraft

was amazing! Those things are hard to steer and are exactly made for their ability to float over minefields, rather than escape and getaway. Anyway, by the end of the chase, James Bond manages to fight Colonel Moon and then has him fall to his death...or so we think. After the battle is over, Bond, with his cover blown, is captured and tortured in North Korea for a year and a half! Brilliant story-telling! We've never seen Bond captured let alone tortured brutally ever in the series! He always manages to get away in the skin of his teeth and hurry back to jolly old England. But not this time.

Now, this opening of the movie is utterly entertaining. I loved it! After James Bond is freed in a prisoner exchange with Zao-who was captured in England during Bond's imprisonment-he is taken back to his superiors but not welcomed back. Injected with a sedate he passes out and is then on a ship for an analysis on the condition of his body. M comes in and asks that Bond's status as a secret agent is revoked (nod to Licence to Kill) and that James Bond no longer has his freedom and was only taken out so no more secrets or leaks would be revealed to the Koreans, believing him to have cracked under torture. The way Brosnan portrays the character is so dark and serious and you believe that he is a man who has gone through a lot. This being the forth movie, Pierce has mastered the character and has made it his own. Bond, being Bond of course, managers to slow down his heart rate, which is possible for some people to do, though not entirely sure if that's accurate, and then manages to escape the ship he's on. Not in England, Bond is actually in Hong Kong and he swims to get to the main land. Now, mind you, James Bond has been tortured for quite some time and has a full beard, so when he checks in to his usual Hotel in Hong Kong, he is not recognized at first. But right away, Mr. Chang, the manager of the hotel, knows who he is. Chang comments, "Mr. Bond! It's been a long time!" Now, after this, Bond shaves and is back to his usual self. Now, some say this is when the story begins to slow down, and I can agree with that aspect.

Tracking Zao, Bond discovers he is in a clinic in Havana, Cuba. When he arrives, somehow Zao is undergoing gene therapy to alter his appearance to look like a German. Bond interrupts this procedure and has a fight with him, who still has diamonds stuck to his face after the case exploded back in Korea. Now, Bond meets up with CIA agent Jinx Johnson played by Halle Berry. Her character is very generic and does not bring anything new to this movie. After Zao manages to escape, Jinx then jumps off a cliff in a very poorly done CGI shot to her contact waiting for her on a boat. James Bond then managers to grab one of the diamonds that Zao has onto his face. What was Zao doing in a gene therapy center? Now, there's an awesome character here by the name of Raoul that Bond meets up with and it's a shame we don't see much of him. He tells 007 where those diamonds and upon closer inspection, tells Bond they belong to the Graves Corporation in Iceland.

One of the best fight scenes in the entire series

Bond arrives in England, and eventually tracks down Gustav Graves: a man who has just discovered diamonds in Iceland a year or so ago and has become a major millionaire. Hidden behind the cameras of a press conference at Buckingham Palace, Gustave graves arrives after him in a ridiculous publicity stunt in a parachute and says, "What a wonderful day to be come a knight." Which is quite clever and you can tell that his persona and look upon life is pompous and careless. Now, this is where the story gets me thrown off a little. This man, Gustav Graves, whom nobody's heard of until a year ago, manages to get knighted by the queen? Come on! I can understand he discovered the diamonds in Iceland, but shouldn't 007 be knighted if anyone should be? Let's continue. Now, here we go with the cameo of Madonna as a lesbian fencing instructor. Now, I see how people think her acting is lame, but I didn't have much of a problem with it. She has a student by the name of Miranda Frost (Rosemon Pike), who acts cold, and sometimes rude to 007. There's a line where James meets Gustav and they ask if she wants to place a bet on the winner, to which she replies, "No thanks. I don't like cock fights." Classic Bond. Anyway, this innocent fencing fight begins to escalate to the most memorable and awesome scene again never before seen in a James Bond movie. Bond is having a sword fight! It is so cool! I loved this fight and Bond and Graves literally tare this club apart and then it escalates to outside. Now, this is one of the most overlooked scenes in the entire movie and it should be recognized for that. After Bond wins, naturally, Gustav asks him to join him to Iceland over the weekend for a celebration of something. Something called Icarus...

James Bond's new ride equipped with all the usual refinements

Arriving in Iceland, James Bond is equipped with his new Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, that is invisible...but it is explained and the idea is not all that far fetched. Tiny cameras on all sides of the car act as a reflection that is bounced back on the opposite side rendering the car practically invisible to the casual eye. Long story short, it's a cool car and I love it. But, it does take away some of the realism in this film from earlier. The car is also well-equipped and just like with the previous Aston Martin used by Sean Connery, it has an ejector seat! The car is also gorgeous and probably is my favorite Aston Martin used in the entire series of films. A close second would be the one used by Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights.

Gustav Graves' Ice Palace in Iceland

The Ice Palace...yes...a ridiculously spectacular mansion that is made solely for the demonstration. James Bond then meets up again with Jinx, and they both watch together as Gustav Graves enters the podium to demonstrate his new satellite, Icarus. Icarus is made from diamonds and the official reason for this invention is to help solve the world's crop and global warming issues. Why would a man who found a diamond mine all of a sudden get knighted, in addition to having the ability to create his own satellite?

After the demonstration, 007 takes a look around and bumps into Miranda Frost, and discovers that she is an MI6 agent after all. Bond comments, "Ah, that's why you tried so hard not to be interested in me." Ensuring that 007 is not screwing up with the mission at hand, Miranda and James go into a bedroom to "keep up the facade of being lovers." Good one, James! After Bond and Frost get it on, he then gets ready to do some more spying and check out the nuts and bolts of this palace and what Graves really has up his sleeve. Returning to a location he was in earlier, Bond is waiting for Graves and discovers that he is indeed Colonel Moon! Bond says, "So you live to die another day, Colonel?" "At last, I was beginning to think you'd never guess." As 007 is about to alert Miranda that Graves is indeed the man he thought he killed a year and a half ago, a twist of events occur. Miranda is not only working for Graves, she was the one that blew Bond's cover a year ago! Now it all makes sense why Zao was getting a gene change and Moon invited Bond for this demonstration.

Bond escaping in Grave's ice-dragster

CRINGE TIME

Now, sad to say this is probably the worst scene in 007 history. Stealing an ice-dragster, 007 escapes the wrath of the outed Graves and his henchmen. When Graves uses the Icarus satellite to pin point Bond's location, there is a beam of light that melts the ice and nearly reaches 007. When Bond's snow vehicle gets to the end of the cliff and a tsunami is about to hit, what more is James Bond to do? Has he finally met his match? No...he uses the parachutes as sails and the hood of the vehicle as a surf board. The scene is very poorly executed and just is in no way plausible. I remember watching this with my dad and hearing him say, "Oh, come on!" I mean, it's one thing to suspense disbelief...but it's a totally other thing to go too far. The producers did the latter. The James Bond films are known for their stunts being done for-real. This was just a major factor of poor CGI and one of the main reasons why the majority of people hate this film.

When Bond returns to the Ice Palace to get Jinx, an awesome chase ensues with his Aston and Zao's Jaguar XKR. This is a pretty neat sequence and my second-favorite of the movie. Now, the stunts here are done for real and there really is racing on ice. The producers had several models of the Aston Martin just in case it should sink or fall under the ice. In one case, it almost did and they managed to get it out. The ice had to be just right in order for them to have cars driving on it. It worked and the result for the movie good! Christian Wagner, the editor for the film, chopped it up here and there to make it more "hip" and it really didn't need to be. He sped up some parts of the movie and slowed down others. It was a bit distracting like with the Madonna theme song for this film. Anyway, afterward, Bond and Zao enter the palace and a pretty good death scene happens when Bond shoots one of the chandeliers, killing Zao instantly.

Ice Chase!

Then, after leaving Iceland, James and Jinx go to a military bunker to meet up with M and the rest of MI6, while she deals with her superior Damien Falco of the NSA. They infiltrate Grave's plane, and find out that the real reason for Icarus is to clear a mine path for his troops in North Korea. It's a bit convoluted but you get the idea. James Bond then manages to kill Graves and then the plane is destroyed, along with Miranda Frost. The films ends with Jinx and James enjoying some vacation time in Korea until they go back to their lives. The End.

Pierce Brosnan's forth and final outing as Agent 007

Now, I enjoyed this film for the most part. It is in no way my favorite James Bond film, nor my favorite film starring Pierce Brosnan. I don't despise it as much as other people do, but I can see their reasoning as to why they dislike it. I'd watch it over Octopussy or For Your Eyes Only, but that is just my opinion and I'm sure many of you will disagree with me on that. It is, just as worthy of being a Bond film as any other and even though it could have been better, it certainly could have been a lot worse. The first half of the film was brilliant, as I said countless times. It just took a turn for the worst and got very far fetched in the end. The movie was made in 2002 and was in the #1 spot in America for quite some time. It was also a hit financially, if not critically. After this film was released, James Bond was out of the picture until 2006 when Daniel Craig stepped in and started making his mark on the series. After the first Jason Bourne film came out in 2002, the producers wanted to take a more realistic approach and bring James Bond back to his routes as a spy. Daniel Craig is certainly a good actor to play the part, however not so much as a spy. But that's a whole other discussion for another time. Thanks for reading!!!

JINX WAS GOING TO HAVE HER OWN SPIN-OFF SERIES BUT LUCKILY THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN...

 

SPECTRE SPOILED?

 SPECTRE

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Well...this certainly bites. The script to the new James Bond has been leaked as a result to the major leakage from Sony Pictures. I was so pissed when I heard this, but I guess I shouldn't really be all that surprised. This was after all, bound to happen. I really hope it was worth Sony to push forward with the release and making of the new mess starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. For those of you not in the know..as I'm sure is quite impossible considering how much information has been released world-wide, Sony Pictures Entertainment had their entire computer system hacked which resulted in the outing of a ton of e-mails, social security numbers, accounts and movie scripts. There's a movie that is set to release on Christmas day called "The Interview" which is about these two American producers that are sent to North Korea to "take out" the leader Kim Jung Un by simply shaking his hand. This is meant to be a comedy. Oh, wow...a duo comedy. My, my...how original is that? Anyway, this blog isn't about The Interview, it's about the new James Bond film being leaked. 

I'm not going to go into much detail about the script, but I did in fact read most of it and from what I have read, I'm not digging it at all. The third act of the movie was noted to be quite lame according to the producers and filming has already begun as of December 8th. Even before the script has been leaked, the third act was a problem for some of the producers and the only difference now is that it is known to the public. So, even if it was a great ending, I'm sure they would have to change it anyway since it was outed, so that might be a good thing after all.

Here's what we do know about the new film that everyone knows about: The movie is called SPECTRE, starring our man Daniel Craig as James Bond for the forth time. Since his last film, Skyfall, which became the highest grossing film in England, the highest grossing Bond film and garnering over $1,000 million worldwide, this new movie has a budget of $300 million and according to Daniel Craig, the script is even expected to be better. Well, from what I have read, I am not all that impressed. I hate to say it. But, in the end, it is the film and the execution that will be what counts. Of course, there are going to be a large share of action, car chases, girls, gadgets, including the debut of the new Aston Martin DB10, made specifically for this film.

James Bond's partner in crime. Aston Martin DB10. The car was made specifically for this film and only 10 have been produced. Unlike the BMW Z3 for GoldenEye, which was also made for that film, it will not be available to the public. I can't wait to see what she can do!

Sony Pictures bailed MGM out of bankruptcy in 2005 and has since been in charge of distributing the James Bond films since Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. Now...who will help bail out Sony? Well, considering that filming is still underway with SPECTRE, Bond is in good hands. This will be the fourth 007 film since the producers worked with Sony, and thus the first one with an outed script. As of the date this blog is written, December 17th, 2014, the James Bond team is well into filming in England with Daniel Craig (007) and Rory Kinnear (Tanner) filming on the River Thames. Check it out!

No matter what happens, I'm going to see this film. I don't care if anything is leaked or not, this IS a James Bond film and even though this is the first time in the films history of 50+ years where the script has been leaked, this is going to be a great addition to the fabulous collection of James Bond movies. There is always a setback and I'm just going to remain positive and happy about the release of this new film. Once a Bond fan, always a Bond fan. With the amount of money put into these movies, I doubt a group of hackers that compromised Sony will make the Bond producers bring their precious franchise to a close. Yes, everything must close, but we are far, far from the end of Bond movies. 

*Thanks goes out to Daily Videos on YouTube for the video!