James Bond: Skyfall

[rocketeer]

I thoroughly enjoyed Connery, but those movies were too campy, almost cartoonish in retrospect.

Did I read someplace that was why Michael Cain made those Len Deighton Films, The Ipcress File, and Funeral in Berlin. Only Billion Dollar Brain was not quite believable.

 

[AmateisGal]

Hi All

Skyfall was great. Clearly Craig's best Bond to Date and I would rate Skyfall in the top 6 best Bond films of all time.
The lady's were super, the locations super, the clothing super. Craig established himself as the second best Bond of all time and should he make 2 more films of Skyfall's caliber he may just become The Best Bond.

I didn't spot any fedoras in the film. Did I miss any? Anyway great movie worth the price of admission.
Best regards
CCJ

Yay! Glad you liked it!

 

[AmateisGal]

Saw Skyfall today and loved it. I personally think Craig is the best Bond of all, I love the more realistic, dark and gritty feel to his movies. I thoroughly enjoyed Connery, but those movies were too campy, almost cartoonish in retrospect.

I do think Craig depicts Bond as Fleming describes him in the books. I still remember the uproar over hiring a BLONDE actor to play the part. There were die-hard fans who promised to boycott the movies. Not the smartest move on their part... lol

 

[Worf]

Good if not great. Didn't need to be 2 hours 23 minutes long but it rarely lagged. Nice resetting of the Bond sage BUT I'm not sure Craig wants to stay with it. At the end of the last two Bond films they previewed the title of the next one. Not so this time. Craig is a human, realistic Bond, he gets shot, he bleeds, he hurts, he loves he loses. Friends, lovers and colleagues die. He's Bond fully realized. No gadgets this time, but the old Bond (Connery) is paid tribute to. Bardiem is also a realistic villain with a purpose beyond money or world domination, he want revenge and gets it in spades. Women were swooning in this one, in the audience I mean. Well done, next up Lincoln.

Worf

 

[ButteMT61]

I hope you enjoy Lincoln, Worf. Gonna watch again tonight. I love the subject, and DDL is one of my favorites. BTW, he intentionally raised the octave of his voice. I heard an interview...it's something that hits you at first - expecting the deep, low, big-man voice. Gotta love a guy that sweats the details. There's more to it - I'll see if I can find an online transcript.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I saw it last night and liked it a lot. For me, it was better than Casino Royale. (Alas, I just can't remember a single thing about Quantum of Solace beyond its dumb title, though I know I saw it.) Sam Mendes was an unlikely choice for director, but he did great!

As an old-school Bond fan, I loved all the nostalgic touches for the 50th anniversary - the Aston-Martin, the PPK, Moneypenny, etc. And starting in Istanbul was a nice callback to From Russia With Love! And while I was surprised that the gun barrel sequence wasn't used at the start, it was a definite hoot to see it at the end.

Now it's a Bond film, so it was filled with wall-to-wall impossibilities and implausiblities - and I won't subtract any believability points, like I would on other films. With Bond, you just have to go with it. It's comic-book storytelling, and I'm fine with giving it boatloads of suspension of disbelief... just as in comic-book films.

And that big third-act sequence at Skyfall, so unlike anything in any previous Bond film. I liked it, but I'm not sure that it really fit. It's always a treat to see Albert Finney, though.

As usual, outstanding cinematography by the great Roger Deakins (as I've said here endlessly, my favorite of all current DPs) - working in digital for the first time(!), no less. Great action scenes, all of them. Fine performances from everyone, though like some other folks here, I still have some difficulties with Craig. He's a very good actor, but he just doesn't come across as Bond to me... I can't figure out why - he's got the presence and he's believable, but something still rubs me wrong. He seems like a character actor, not a lead... But hey, I'm an old hardcore Connery fan, and the truth is, I haven't much liked any of the other Bond actors.

Only one thing really bothered me: John Barry deserved a co-credit on the score! Newman leaned SO heavily on the James Bond Theme and classic underscoring of the sixties films that there should have been a "And Based on Themes by John Barry" credit, as in the non-John Williams-scored Harry Potter films. I mean, Newman's own original compositions made zero impression.


Anyway, I thought it was the best Bond flick in decades, and I'm glad I saw it on the big screen.

 

[randooch]

I sure liked it. 50 year old McCallan's shall never cross my lips after seeing the shot glass scene, though.

Hard to believe Craig can run like that at 44 years old. What a stud!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Nice (spoiler-loaded) rundown on just how insanely, absurdly complicated the villain's plan is:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/silva-skyfall-flaw-in-the-evil-plan.html

But as I said above, it's a Bond flick, so you check logic at the theater door...

 

[AmateisGal]

Nice (spoiler-loaded) rundown on just how insanely, absurdly complicated the villain's plan is:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/silva-skyfall-flaw-in-the-evil-plan.html

But as I said above, it's a Bond flick, so you check logic at the theater door...

LOL. That was a fun read. I think all Bond villains have insanely absurd plots, which just makes them that much more fun.

 

[flat-top]

Skyfall (alternate title: Moneypenny Begins).

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . . I read a few of Fleming's novels, and I have to say that Craig really manages to nail the character as Fleming wrote it. Bond is not a comedic type at all (like Roger Moore)- he's hard-nosed and gritty and a trained killer.

Oh, he was capable of a smart remark here and there. In "Live and Let Die," Fleming has Bond tell Mr. Big, "Those who deserve to die -- die the death they deserve. Write that down. It's an original thought." Earlier in that book, when Felix says that if Bond wants to pass himself off as American, the word to avoid at all costs is "Ectually," Bond tells him that word is not part of his vocabulary. In "Diamonds Are Forever," Bond tells Felix Leiter as they climb into the latter's Studillac, "This sort of thing's all right for kids who can't afford a real car." And of course he displays a good deal of charm with the ladies he meets in each story.

But for the most part, yes, the JB of the novels is not a wisecrack artist a la John McClane of "Die Hard" or Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe.

 

[AmateisGal]

Oh, he was capable of a smart remark here and there. In "Live and Let Die," Fleming has Bond tell Mr. Big, "Those who deserve to die -- die the death they deserve. Write that down. It's an original thought." Earlier in that book, when Felix says that if Bond wants to pass himself off as American, the word to avoid at all costs is "Ectually," Bond tells him that word is not part of his vocabulary. In "Diamonds Are Forever," Bond tells Felix Leiter as they climb into the latter's Studillac, "This sort of thing's all right for kids who can't afford a real car." And of course he displays a good deal of charm with the ladies he meets in each story.

But for the most part, yes, the JB of the novels is not a wisecrack artist a la John McClane of "Die Hard" or Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe.

Agreed. The occasional witty remark is a trademark of Bond, though I can't help but think that Roger Moore epitomized the comedic Bond. (My prejudice is showing here - I never cared for any of the Moore films).

 

[Marcus]

I was sold on Craig after Casino Royale. I fully appreciate the Connery/Moore Eras for what they were. I haven't really watched the Dalton/Brosnan versions enough to really form an opinion. My dad was Columbia House member (are they even around anymore??) and he got a Bond movie a month, so we had all the Connery/Moore films (Dalton/Brosnan were not on the scene yet). So I grew up watching those. When I first saw that Casino Royale was coming out to reboot Bond...I actually laughed a bit because all I knew was the 60's version. Then I a saw the trailers and was intrigued. Saw the movie on DVD and was blown away. I like Craig's no-nonsense, stold cold killer approach to the role. He could actually make a great Bond badguy to be honest (ala Robert Shaw). As mentioned before, he has enough humanity to show his vulnerabilities and crack a small joke now and again without being Moore-esque overboard with it.

Skyfall probably showed about as much Bond one-liners as I hope they go with it. Just enough to make him Bond, but still keeping it Craig's iteration. There were some scenes that could have been shortened up, but this looked to be a transitional movie for Craig's version. I won't elaborate on why for those who have not seen it, but I will say you learn a bit more about Bond's past than in most (if any) previous movies. Bardem was great IMO. Bond villains have always been a bit "out there" and he pulled it off magnificently. It did have some great homages to the old days of Bond that true fans will pick up on. My wife was even excited to see it and this a big deal for her since she's never gave Bond movies a second thought.

All this typing has made me thirsty....time for a Vesper!

 

[gear-guy]

Craig is awesome, he and his writers have move the Bond franchise to the 21st century. Not near as many toys but old school save the world with brains and brawn. I think the Craig is the best bond since Connery and I hope that he is good for another three or four more. Oh I watched Skyfall last night and WOW. Great movie. If I were twenty years younger, better looking, and in shape, I would want to be a British secret agent.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

....."Bond,..James Bond". No one else for me even touches what Sean Connery did with the role. What has happened with most of Hollywood is trick computerized insanity that goes a bit too far for me. Great acting and a great story line will always win over budgets and dreamworks. Not to go off topic for film or actor work, just watch Spencer Tracy in Jekyll and Hyde. That is the same great acting ability as what BOND has with Mr. Connery. Sorry, the new bond does not fair well with me, to even be in a soap commercial. He would however, make a great player of the role of some washed up boxer that took too many hits to the head, or a public bus driver.

 

[ButteMT61]

You appear to be in th minority in that take.

 

[AmateisGal]

I was sold on Craig after Casino Royale. I fully appreciate the Connery/Moore Eras for what they were. I haven't really watched the Dalton/Brosnan versions enough to really form an opinion. My dad was Columbia House member (are they even around anymore??) and he got a Bond movie a month, so we had all the Connery/Moore films (Dalton/Brosnan were not on the scene yet). So I grew up watching those. When I first saw that Casino Royale was coming out to reboot Bond...I actually laughed a bit because all I knew was the 60's version. Then I a saw the trailers and was intrigued. Saw the movie on DVD and was blown away. I like Craig's no-nonsense, stold cold killer approach to the role. He could actually make a great Bond badguy to be honest (ala Robert Shaw). As mentioned before, he has enough humanity to show his vulnerabilities and crack a small joke now and again without being Moore-esque overboard with it.

Skyfall probably showed about as much Bond one-liners as I hope they go with it. Just enough to make him Bond, but still keeping it Craig's iteration. There were some scenes that could have been shortened up, but this looked to be a transitional movie for Craig's version. I won't elaborate on why for those who have not seen it, but I will say you learn a bit more about Bond's past than in most (if any) previous movies. Bardem was great IMO. Bond villains have always been a bit "out there" and he pulled it off magnificently. It did have some great homages to the old days of Bond that true fans will pick up on. My wife was even excited to see it and this a big deal for her since she's never gave Bond movies a second thought.

All this typing has made me thirsty....time for a Vesper!

Excellent comments, and I agree on all counts. Yeah, the Bond villains have always been over the top. I mean, really, Odd Job had a hat that could slice through a statue! Dr. No had bionic hands! And everyone was bent on world domination. In retrospect, Bardem's character's goals are on a much smaller scale since he really wanted to destroy MI6 and M's reputation more than anything.

 

[bond]

Bond here, saw sky fall last night and I liked about half of it,dirt bikes on rooftops,and snoozed through the other half, Judy Dench, boring. Film depended too much upon gratuitous gun fighting and explosions.
I have to agree with Daniel after seeing this film and listening to the dull dialogue I would rather watch repeats of Sean Connery as the Real Bond.And what was with Javier Bradems character ? What a disappointing villan to say the least, although a great actor in his own right. They could have thrown in some more female eye candy to make up in part.
Craig is ok but he needs a better vehicle than sky fall.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The main things I have to say about "Skyfall," now that I have seen it, are:

1) Bond fan or not, you *need* to see it; and
2) It's the first film in many years that I plan to go back into the theatre to see again. At the matinee showing (aka five bucks a pop), of course; I'm notoriously cheap; but I'm going.

Adventure, properly written and filmed, still works. And this one is a grand adventure.

(Oh, and Bond fans will note that the script people actually did their Fleming research, and had Bond's parents' names correct!)

 

[lewisskimonster]

Greetings.
My wife and I went to see it on Friday, and can say that we both liked it. Its starts out fast and hard for the first few minutes, before it settles in. Lots of action, as one would expect, and really kept the interest. I'm not much of a movie goer, but I think that the villian in this is the same guy who was the villian in Silence of the Lambs. He played a great part. Go see it!