tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post7194269663322750304..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: His Word is BondSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-72717562003184549672013-11-01T10:22:19.414-05:002013-11-01T10:22:19.414-05:00I like the quips. They sometimes come across as pu...I like the quips. They sometimes come across as pure cheese, but they're fun. <br /><br />I'm really interested to see where the series goes. I do wonder how many more Bond films Daniel Craig has in him--he's only a few months younger than I am.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-32513070484046279042013-11-01T07:01:43.607-05:002013-11-01T07:01:43.607-05:00Good observation about Bond's vices, alcohol d...Good observation about Bond's vices, alcohol dependency, etc.<br />I loved the in-jokes, and also the funny one-liners in Skyfall, my favorite was the tube station "he's keen to get home" remark. Almost like going back to the 70s and 80s Bond movies again with Roger Moore(I realize I'm in the minority in the blogosphere favoring the Moore era)<br /><br />Of the recent Bond titles, Skyfall is one of my favorites, along with Golden Eye, and Casino Royale. Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-72643252338776176082013-10-31T07:36:21.475-05:002013-10-31T07:36:21.475-05:00You have summed up in fewer than 150 words exactly...You have summed up in fewer than 150 words exactly what I wanted to say. Damn, I wish I could be that concise!<br /><br />Yeah, the update in relevance is precisely what made this work for me. Perhaps it's the influence of the <i>Bourne</i> movies and perhaps it's the negative influence of <i>Austin Powers</i>, but in either case I'd have a really difficult time buying into a "let's take over the world from our underground lair" scenario today.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-74758882687012036722013-10-31T02:22:28.578-05:002013-10-31T02:22:28.578-05:00Last night I saw Skyfall on television by coincide...Last night I saw Skyfall on television by coincidence and remembered having just read your review. You are exactly spot on on all points. Particularly about Craig making Bond a grittier and far more real character. So what if it borrows from the Bourne francise, this is what made the Bourne stories good. <br />But what I found most remarkable was the update in relevance. Bringing the MI6 itself into question, discussing leaks of information, secrecy versus openess and the vulnerability of massive intelligence structures against mavericks. With the recent NSA case it is almost as if reality imitates fiction. <br />I also found that making the story focus on M as a personal battle with Bond championing his mentor was a clever plot. Seen before, but rarely this well. And a lot more realistic than some world domination plot.TSorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208153011927807857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-20146328151356950052013-10-30T14:27:09.641-05:002013-10-30T14:27:09.641-05:00I'm trying to get my daughter to watch this. I...I'm trying to get my daughter to watch this. I think she'd dig the Bourne movies, too. I'd like to revisit <i>Casino Royale</i> one of these days as well. I remember really liking it, but I'm honestly not sure I remember exactly why.<br /><br />I contend Bond needed to be modernized and "gritty rebooted." The classic Bond is far too camp to make it in the modern world. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-22750250891463234402013-10-30T14:23:27.398-05:002013-10-30T14:23:27.398-05:00I really enjoyed Skyfall and think it does a nice ...I really enjoyed Skyfall and think it does a nice job in balancing some of the elements (the cars, the international locale, etc.) that make the series great but pulls it into the modern landscape. This trend was started most recently with Casino Royale like you mention (and springs back to the underrated Dalton films), but the balance really works here. I'm still partial to Casino Royale since it gives him a great origin story, but Skyfall is right behind it for Craig. I'm looking forward to checking it out again at some point.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-42205575370405676132013-10-30T11:39:05.542-05:002013-10-30T11:39:05.542-05:00I'm simply pleased to know that someone out th...I'm simply pleased to know that someone out there is more of a curmudgeon than I am.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-50982752879826855602013-10-30T11:14:04.373-05:002013-10-30T11:14:04.373-05:00You're right: I did misunderstand you on Dalto...You're right: I did misunderstand you on Dalton. Thanks for the clarification.<br /><br />And I don't have a problem with more realistic motivations for the villains (although the one in Skyfall still had a ridiculously complicated plan that relied on numerous coincidences to work and whose ultimate goal was simply to walk into a building - something he could have done without almost all of his machinations.)<br /><br />Hey, I'm an old grump about the Star Trek reboot, too. Entertaining movies? Yes. Star Trek? Not remotely.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-82517056633051509412013-10-29T16:05:49.021-05:002013-10-29T16:05:49.021-05:00British Home Alone? You're not a Burn Notice f...British <i>Home Alone</i>? You're not a <i>Burn Notice</i> fan. Seriously, rigging the chandeliers and the floorboards is some Michael and Fiona shit. In fact, if memory serves, in one episode, two characters rig Christmas lights with shotgun shells. I completely expected a voice over at one point to say, "My name is James Bond. I used to be a spy."SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-82569220778360558082013-10-29T15:07:55.236-05:002013-10-29T15:07:55.236-05:00Good review SJ. Though I did feel like it was a bi...Good review SJ. Though I did feel like it was a bit overrated during its initial release, the movie still kicked plenty of ass that you'd expect a James Bond movie to do. Also, there was a certain level of emotion thrown into this one that made it stand out among the rest of the past decade or so, making it an altogether more compelling movie. However, that last-act was a bit too much like Home Alone, with more Brits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-46475892177713471832013-10-29T12:30:29.175-05:002013-10-29T12:30:29.175-05:00So I should clear this up first--I don't think...So I should clear this up first--I don't think Timothy Dalton was bland; I think the movie I saw with him in it was bland. I see that that wasn't clear from context, but that is what I meant. I rather like Timothy Dalton in general.<br /><br />I reference Bourne in the review. For me, this is where Bond <i>needs</i> to go to avoid becoming complete ridiculous camp. I almost referenced <i>Burn Notice</i>, since the third act feels very much like an episode of that show with the cobbled booby traps. <br /><br />I do think it would be a massive mistake to go back to that. People who want to take over the world or destroy the planet so that everyone dies except for their own people on board a submarine are silly in today's world. Bringing Bond into something relevant keeps the character relevant. And there's plenty of room in this style of character for him to out-muscle, out-gun, <i>and</i> out-smart his opponents.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-16888585977703078782013-10-29T10:08:41.808-05:002013-10-29T10:08:41.808-05:00I've seen every Bond film made, including the ...I've seen every Bond film made, including the "unofficial" ones (which ARE official to everyone except the Broccolis because those films also licensed the use of the character from Ian Fleming). Skyfall is my favorite of the Daniel Craig ones, but the character ceased being James Bond with Casino Royale. They made him "relevant" by aping the Jason Bourne movies that were popular at the time of the reboot. It completely went against what made the Bond character great. Bond doesn't outslug his opponents; he outsmarts them.<br /><br />As I was reading this I was thinking that you must not have seen the prior two Craig films, but then you mentioned you had seen one. Skyfall doesn't go away from the old Bond films; it actually returns more of the trappings of the Bond legacy missing from the first two Craig films, which is one of the reasons I liked it the best. The director is quoted on the BD as saying that he doesn't believe in gagdets because, get this, the ultimate gadget already exists in real life - the cell phone - and that fantasy can't compete anymore and that Bond fans will just have to get used to not seeing what they want to see. Of course, later in the same interview he gushes about how he loved the traditional Aston Martin car when he was a kid and guess what shows up in the film, complete with gadgets? It makes a difference if it's a gadget HE wants to see apparently.<br /><br />And as for Dalton being bland, I disagree. The very same things that Craig gets praised for - seriousness, more reality, a sense of purpose, etc. - are the very same things that Dalton brought to the character, but Dalton was criticized for making Bond too serious after the goofiness that was the later Roger Moore films. If anyone, it's Brosnan who is the one who brought blandness to the character. After Goldeneye I have trouble even keeping the following three Brosnan films from all blending together in my head. Nothing really stands out from them - except Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist (!?)<br /><br />So, I liked Skyfall and it was entertaining, but it's Jason Bourne, not James Bond.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-60807337049242680772013-10-29T09:22:54.234-05:002013-10-29T09:22:54.234-05:00The early Bond films are pretty good. They're ...The early Bond films are pretty good. They're a little campy at times, but the Connery Bonds are generally worth seeing. There are a couple of decent Roger Moore Bond films, but they get <i>very</i> camp in the middle and end of his run to the point where you wonder why you're still watching them. <br /><br />I've seen one of the Dalton films--my one-word review is "bland." I think I've seen one of the Brosnan films, too. <br /><br />I guess if you only see one more, see <i>Goldfinger</i>, because it's the quintessential Bond in a lot of ways. It's the best and most classic of the classic Bond films. I really like where they're taking the series and the character. It's darker and far more real, and Craig is damn good at it.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-33284308062862825072013-10-29T04:12:04.487-05:002013-10-29T04:12:04.487-05:00I've actually only ever seen 2... *maybe* 3 Bo...I've actually only ever seen 2... *maybe* 3 Bond movies. Casino Royale and Skyfall for sure. And I think one of the Brosnan ones, maybe. Skyfall is awesome and made me interested in going back and seeing the older ones, even though I know they're different in tone and style.<br /><br />And Silva is an amazing villain. His introduction one-take about the mouse is fantastic, as well.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08092564511948736386noreply@blogger.com