When a man is knighted, he is called “Sir” – such as Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney…..etc.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II invested Oscar-winning Judi Dench with the Insignia of a Companion of Honour at Buckingham Palace on October 26, 2005

I hope that when I become a “grandmother” – I will age as nicely as Dame Judi Dench.  A true treasure and role model for all of us. 

Skyfall – Official Poster – from IMDB.com

Skyfall (2012)

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan, and Ian Fleming (characters)
Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris

From the opening moments of this James Bond film you know it will be filled with everything that makes a Bond film great. There are the typical cheesy Bond moments of the classy casino, the car/motorbike chase, the Bond girl, and Bond kicking arse all around and surviving against the odds, and his one-liner wit. But you also see another side of Bond. The scriptwriters and Daniel Craig have given us better version of the rough-edged Bond you see in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. He isn’t the slick, nothing-ruffles-my-hair Bond of the Bronson or Connery age. He is a rugged and beaten up Bond. And in a lot of ways Daniel Craig has given James Bond a humanity that you don’t really see in the older films. The producers were on the right track when they convinced him to take the part. Daniel Craig looks sexy even as a beaten up alcoholic who comes back to life to save the woman he truly loves. I mean you can’t beat that.

The one thing that shouldn’t have surprised me but did was that Skyfall is a beautiful film. Sam Mendes has made an absolutely stunning film to watch. Every shot is gorgeous, and not just because Daniel Craig is in the shot. You can watch the music video for Adele’s Skyfall and see how visually brilliant they have made this film, but you don’t get the full effect unless you are sitting in a dark cinema with the full scale picture. I have no words for how delightful this film is to watch. It goes without saying that Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and the rest of the cast are brilliant but they have really stepped up the quality of this franchise all around.

I have to admit, I did take a moment during one of the slower parts of the film to work out whether my incredibly high expectations were making me love the film, or if it was just that I loved all Bond films – I even love Moonraker – or whether Skyfall was just a really good film. What was the conclusion I came to? It is an excellent film. From everything from the story to the actors to the justification for the fight scenes, everything fits together to make Skyfall a great film on its own. Even if you didn’t know anything about Bond you could still enjoy this film and appreciate it for a good action film. I don’t want to give anything away but there are some great hark backs to old Bond films that make this film a Bond fans delight.

Go and enjoy the fall.

4/5

As I set up this blog to document what I am doing, at long last here s the update on my first costume project. It is a mini project; in that there are 6 weeks in total for the researching, making and the final shoot.
For this project i had to choose a portrait of a Shakespearean character to recreate. I picked this lovely picture of Dame Judi Dench playing Viola in the 1969 production of Twelfth Night. f all goes to plan the next few updates should be step by step on how i made the image.

On a side note this project is now nearly finished as i have been trying to upload this particular information for over 2 weeks now, WordPress sort it out, it’s not funny!

Yesterday I went to see the latest James Bond film, ‘Skyfall.’ I had been meaning to go and see it for sometime, but finally got round to going to the cinema yesterday afternoon.

What I must say first of all is that if you manage to watch the film, as I did, behind an elderly couple where she is a bit deaf …. then that will add to the enjoyment of the film no end. Towards the beginning of the film, Bond follows a Baddie to a skyscraper where an assassination is about to take place. In the process of gaining access to the building the Baddie shoots a couple of security guards. Just after the first shooting, the old bird in front said (rather loudly) ‘Oh dear…’ which kind of set the tone for the afternoon.

My parents watched the film a week before I did and my Mum couldn’t help but let slip a couple of key plot lines and also vented her frustrations at the ending. ‘It did go on a bit. I wanted to go and kill him myself. He just refused to die. I could have killed him much quicker…’ At the time I thought my Dad’s look of horror was due to the declaration that his wife of 49 years wanted to kill a man, but it was, with hindsight, a look of horror that Mum was going to blurt out the surprise ending to the film. Thankfully she didn’t. And nor have I

The film is quite long, but I have to say I was enjoying it so much it didn’t feel like 2.25hrs at all. As I am a bit of a car freak, I was loving the Audis, the Jags, the Land Rovers and…..the Aston. I particularly loved the part of the film where he goes to get his DB5 from the garage – and the reaction of the audience in the cinema. A comforting ‘ahhhh.’ 

The stunts are one of the major draws of a Bond film as they do not use CGi as seems to be the norm these days. And spectacular they were. I understand they got through 15 Audi A5′s when they were filming the opening (I just wish I was given one – lovely cars) The use of the helicopter in the final few scenes was brilliant too.

I have to say that Mr Craig is the best Bond by far and the introduction of a new ‘Q’ works well (Ben Whishaw- from BBC’s ‘The Hour’), Dame Judi is an excellent ‘M’ – the Church of England could do well to make note – see, you can put a woman in charge…

I have not seen a Bond film at the cinema before, but I would go and watch this one again given half the chance. And the DVD will be duly purchased in due course.  As would an Audi A5 Coupe and a Jaguar XJ. But maybe after the lottery win.

It’s a disappointment. There, I’ve said it. Oh, it’s better than “Quantum of Solace”(one of the weaker Bonds, as it seemed to serve mostly as epilogue to the one preceding it), but it’s no “Casino Royale”. “CR”, of course, served to successfully reboot the series 4 years after Pierce Brosnan wrapped up his 4-film run with the character(Brosnan’s greatest being 1995′s “Goldeneye”, which was also his first—a trend?). So good was “Casino”, that it’s the only Bond film to make my annual Top Ten list in my 27 years of compiling one. It’s one of the best. “Quantum” is one of the worst. And “Skyfall” is in that middle section somewhere. I don’t quite understand the rapturous praise that many top critics are bestowing upon it(although, as usual, Walter Chaw of filmfreakcentral.net is pretty solidly on the money with his analysis). I mean Bond used to be fun. It’s all brooding now…and just wait until they get into 007′s back story. I’m all for a little gravitas, but give me a break. If I want to watch the Dark Knight vs. Hannibal Lecter…well, I’ll simply pull one of those films off of my DVD shelf. I own them all. So, obviously I am fond of them. But enough is enough. Keep them away from my Bond! Well, at least I got to see the Aston-Martin again. But then its fiery demise(wipes away tear), as well.

Hey relax—it’s far from being all bad news. In fact, if you’re one of those 007 fans who judges their Bonds by the opening sequence—this one is a corker that includes a motorcycle chase across rooftops, and a fist fight atop a moving train. Then you get to the usual Bondian nonsense about “something vital” that has to be recovered(whether it be a chip or a disc, or a Faberge egg—you know how it works). The film almost never recovers from that rousing beginning, though. There’s a battle in a Shanghai skyscraper that’s pretty cool. And there’s a gorgeous African-American female agent introduced in the opening scenes. She(Eve as played by Naomie Harris)becomes an integral part of this particular adventure, and eventually has a stunning late-film reveal. Wait for it…wait for it…I KNEW IT! Enjoy. And Javier Bardem is an Academy Award-winning actor who milks every single flamboyant aspect of his character of main bad guy Raoul Silva. And although he’s pretty awesome and certainly up to the task, I do question a certain reveal of his character during his first meeting with 007. What’s the purpose? Oh well, it does set up a killer Bond comeback line at the end of that conversation. Which, btw, has me questioning whether or not that aspect of Silva’s character was created simply for the quip. Dame Judi Dench, in her 7th showing as M(dating back to the Brosnan days), gets her best written appearance in the series this time around. There are welcome homages to “Goldfinger”(the gold standard for many of us aficionados)and “Live and Let Die”(hint: it’s komodo dragons instead of alligators this time). So, it’s respectful of the Bond legend. And there’s even strong hints that the brooding Bond of the last two films will leave his depression behind next time. Hallelujah and amen to that!

So, what contributed to making “Skyfall” one of the “middle quality” Bond adventures? Maybe we begin with director Sam Mendes. He’s a theatre director. And the Oscar-winning helmer of 1999′s Best Picture winner “American Beauty”. He is not an action film director. So, why is he here? Beats me. Also, are filmmakers aware that plunging uncontrollably into water from distances of a hundred feet or more is almost never survivable? It’s not a soft landing, folks. And the whole background info section of Bond’s tortured, orphaned past. Again, he’s not Batman. And if you don’t make a “Silence of the Lambs” connection involving a mid-film imprisonment and escape, I’d frankly be quite surprised. And there’s a level of misogyny a couple of times in this outing that gave me pause—even for a Bond film. Hey, 007′s sexual conquests are almost always given an artful, untimely demise. But allow James at least one second to grieve. That’s really all it takes. Plus, the film goes on FOREVER. Clocking in at 2 hours and 23 minutes, the lone lesson it could’ve learned from “Quantum of Solace” is brevity. I was really eager to report that the new 007 adventure was among the best. I’m certain that Daniel Craig is the finest Bond since Connery. It’s been a four-year wait for this one, and I hated to be let down. But I was. Maybe you won’t be. But, of course, “James Bond Will Return” as the credits say. So, alas…maybe the next one for me.    Grade: B-

“Skyfall” Royal World Premiere red carpet, Royal Albert Hall.

DAVID GIAMMARCO, DANIEL CRAIG, and the family of James Bond producer Harry Saltzman, including HILARY SALTZMAN and STEVEN SALTZMAN, celebrate the Royal World Premiere of the 50th Anniversary James Bond film “Skyfall” at the Tate Modern.

DAVID GIAMMARCO and BEN WHISHAW celebrate the Royal World Premiere of the 50th Anniversary James Bond film “Skyfall”, photographed at London’s Tate Modern Museum after-party.

James Bond secretly meets the new Quartermaster for MI6 at London’s National Portrait Gallery. The scenes between BEN WHISHAW as the new “Q” and DANIEL CRAIG were lensed on location amongst the world’s finest paintings after museum closing hours, accomplished throughout a single night of filming.

James Bond (ROGER MOORE) faces down assassin Francisco Scaramanga (CHRISTOPHER LEE) in the climactic duel of “The Man With The Golden Gun” (1974), filmed on the island of Khao Phing Kan, located off the south west coast of Thailand. Published posthumously in 1965, The Man with the Golden Gun was the last James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming, who was a cousin of Christopher Lee.

DAVID GIAMMARCO, SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE, HILARY SALTZMAN and STEVEN SALTZMAN toast the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond films before the Royal World Premiere of “Skyfall” at Royal Albert Hall.

Caption (left to right): STEVEN SALTZMAN, DAVID GIAMMARCO, HILARY SALTZMAN, and CHRISTIAN MOORE celebrate the Royal World Premiere of the 50th Anniversary James Bond film “Skyfall” at the Tate Modern Museum.

DANIEL CRAIG and Dame JUDI DENCH on location in the highlands of Glencoe, Scotland, for filming of the escape to James Bond’s ancestral home Skyfall, courtesy of the iconic Aston Martin DBV.

The entrance to Skyfall Lodge, Glencoe, Scotland.

Bérénice Marlohe lets her hair down at the Tate Modern after-party following the Royal World Premiere of “Skyfall”.

They say Momofuku’s pork buns are to die for, and they’re not kidding.  The juicy, succulent pork belly comes enveloped in a soft, doughy shell, with sliced cucumber adding a little extra flavour.  These things literally fly off the shelves–even at $10 for two!

Now you might be wondering, what kinda overweight, brain-dead Alberta redneck goes to a classy Asian restaurant and orders chicken wings?  This guy!  And I gotta say, Momofuku’s smoked chicken wings are darn-tootin’ delicious!  Topped with scallions and seasoned in a light oyster sauce, they’ve got the most amazing flavour–basically, they taste like bacon!  No really, I had to check under the skin to make sure they weren’t hiding bacon bits in there somewhere, but I couldn’t see any.  I suppose that the act of smoking the chicken (next to the pork belly, perhaps?) gives them that distinctive taste that just blew me away.  Because if there’s one thing better than chicken wings, it’s bacon-flavoured chicken wings.  Now, if they could only incorporate beer into the recipe somehow, I’d take up residence at the Shangri-La so I could eat there every day!  (Alas, I can’t quite afford a private residence there, so it’s probably to my benefit that the wings aren’t beerified…)

…

Though I wandered right past Richmond and onto Adelaide in my chicken-wing bliss, I still made it to the Scotiabank Theatre with plenty of time to catch the 12:40 screening of Skyfall.  Well, make that the 12:55 screening after all the ads and previews, but of course, that’s nothing new.  The movie itself is quite lengthy, almost two-and-a-half hours, but you don’t want to be one minute late, as it opens with a death-defying action sequence that actually ends with Bond’s obituary being typed up at MI6 headquarters.  Of course, he doesn’t really die; otherwise, the next two hours wouldn’t be terribly exciting, now would they?

In some ways, Sam Mendes’ take on the Ian Fleming franchise isn’t your typical Bond film.  Agent 007 emerges from the dead a step slow with a shaky hand, and while he’s hardly Mr. Bean out there, he suddenly seems more vulnerable than, say, Sean Connery ever did.  One could also speculate that his little accident has rendered Bond sexually impotent; the two romantic scenes cut away before we see anything too steamy, almost as if we were watching them on Ted Turner’s AMC network.  (Which isn’t to say they didn’t shoot more footage that ended up on the cutting floor to keep the movie under three hours, I suppose.)  Mind you, Bond remains the same stone-cold, suave, emotionless shell despite his physical shortcomings.  Post-coital Heineken aside, Daniel Craig plays the part pretty well.

Of course, Craig’s acting doesn’t necessarily stand out next to Oscar winners Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem, who share a couple harrowing scenes.  Bardem, the award-winning villain, plays another bad guy here, though in contrast to his stone-cold killer from No Country for Old Men, his Raoul Silva is scheming, calculating, possibly homosexual and definitely mentally unstable.  Dench is once again MI6 matriarch M, and has clearly established herself as the queen of the secret service.  Ralph Fiennes also plays a supporting role, though I hardly recognized him (dude’s looking pretty old).

When it comes to the storyline, the writers obviously went by the old adage “Go Big or Go Home.”  The main premise, complete with the compromised agents and the blowing up of a government building, almost seems lifted from Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise, while the big, dramatic conclusion is a cross between Home Alone, A Fistful of Dollars and (insert movie full of explosions–Bad Boys II?–here).  Mind you, Bond films have always contained some level of violence, so it’s not as egregious as Guy Ritchie’s take on Sherlock Holmes, for instance–but the epic battle royale at the end was perhaps just a bit overblown.  But with all that said, it was still a highly entertaining film.  Here’s hoping they don’t overdo the aging, broken-down Bond bit next time around, however.  Because watching a James Bond who uses violence as a last resort is kinda like seeing a Sherlock Holmes who fights with his fists–it just doesn’t seem right!

Barber also confirmed that the film’s screenwriter John Logan “has begun developing the scripts for the next two Bond films.”

In Britain, James Bond is often noted and deservedly listed as the greatest movie character of all time. Appearing 50 years on in his 23rd venture, the character still remains as prominent and instantly recognisable since Sean Connery’s iconic portrayal of James Bond in 1962 archetypal classic Dr. No. James Bond created in 1953 by the unforgettable Sir Ian Fleming and ever since has turned into a true symbol of Britain. Characterised by his suave nature, way with the ladies, overcoming of villains and the imperious over-the-top explosions and far-fetched action sequences, admired by men and attracted to by women, everyone knows James Bond.

“Bond. James, Bond” is a phrase known throughout the world, and along with “Vodka Martini; Shaken, not stirred” has become a truly iconic representation of the character throughout each portrayal from Sean Connery to George Lazenby, Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan to the for want of a better term; “resurrection” of the series by the current James Bond in Daniel Craig.

As fun and ludicrous as the classic Bond releases between 1962 all the way up to Pierce Brosnan’s final appearance in 2002’s Die Another Day, people have always recognisable the explosive nature of the film, and their far from gracious presentations of action sequences. A new dawn was born in 2006 when Craig took over, giving a new leash of life to the character in Casino Royale.

Casino Royale was a much needed film for all film fans. For classic Bond fans and just in general action movie fans, it gave the character a more realistic platform to work on, with better premises, star studded casts and all together intelligent screenplays, miles away from the cliché of the Roger Moore of Timothy Dalton Bond embodiment. Perhaps realistic is a stretch too far for even the most civilized of Bond fans, but they’re now certainly smarter films.

And so after the overwhelming success of Casino Royale, and the marginal triumph of Quantum of Solace (I don’t remember it all too well), we are brought the long awaited follow up in Skyfall.

Taking over from a large bunch of unknown directors, the impressive Sam Mendes of American Beauty and Road to Perdition fame is allowed the chance to put his marker down to prove his capabilities in all genres of cinema, from riveting dramas to gangster classics and now to big, explosive actioners like Skyfall.

An intelligent film that benefits itself in more ways than one, it truly is the most complex, witty, well paced and entertaining Bond feature I’ve ever seen. A real accomplishment, one that I hope isn’t just labelled as “another good Bond film”, but instead labelled as a great tale of mortality, with heart and a mouth watering cast. Daniel Craig has never been better.

84/100

At the moment, Skyfall has opened in theaters in the US this past weekend and has broken records to have the highest grossing opening weekend for any Bond film in history. It has even crossed the $100 million mark already and the $500 million mark internationally.

Starring Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, and Helen McCrory.

James Bond’s last mission has gone horribly awry. Now this failure has resulted in the exposure of several agents and a full-scale war on MI6. Agent 007 (Daniel Craig) is believed to have died in Southern Turkey. Meanwhile, M (Dame Judi Dench) attempts to relocate MI6 to the labyrinthine underground bunkers used by Winston Churchill during the Battle of Britain. After such a glaring failure, Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) raises concerns about M’s competence. Back from the dead, Bond returns to England when he hears of the recent terrorist attack. Now he is out of practice and not up to par for an MI6 agent. He is the only person who can save M’s reputation. Bond must operate in the shadows with only field agent Eve to guide him. Priority one is to root out the criminal mastermind Silva (Javier Bardem) who organized these attacks. But after this criminal’s past is brought to light the world’s greatest secret agent realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

      Skyfall is based on the novel “Carte Blanche” by Jeffrey Deaver. He is the first American to write a novel commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate. After the dour Quantum of Solace, the Bond franchise really needed a knockout. To this, director Sam Mendes says, “Mission Accomplished.” This is not his first rodeo when it comes to action films that have a dark and thoughtful atmosphere. Mendes approach to the action film is classical and elegant. You will find no erratic and blurry fight sequences. What really makes Mendes’ direction great is the attention that he paid to the touchstones that fans wanted to see. Franchise enthusiasts will enjoy this film the most as it draws upon Bond’s extensive 23-film history. All of the traditions and tropes that made 007 such a success are given due credit. This movie’s slick, sleek and sexy feel kindles memories of Sean Connery, Jaws and Odd Job. However, it also feels completely contemporary. For those who have not yet warmed to Craig’s portrayal of Bond, this is the best showcase yet. He shows more of the wit and devil-may-care attitude that was downplayed in the previous two films. Bond also shows new facets to his personality, especially concerning his tough-as-nails boss M. Costarring cast included Rory Kinnear, Bérénice Marlohe, Naomie Harris and Albert Finney. Ben Whishaw reprises the role of Q. In this installment, Q is less the humorous gadgeteer and closer to a young Zuckerberg-esque computer genius. No Bond film would be truly complete without a great opening sequence. The title song provided by Adele blends with the art of Daniel Klienman to create an opening that is nostalgic of old-school James Bond.

Whether you are completely new to this franchise or a lifelong fan, this installment is a sure-thing. This movie is brimming over with thrilling action, beautiful people and just enough James Bond one-liners. Skyfall will leave you shaken AND stirred.

Daniel Craig: the Modern Bond

Daniel Craig has now settled into the role of James Bond, 007 and seems to be cruising with it. he still has hang ups on colleagues touching their ears when using earpiece radios; when will they get the message? His Bond is distinctively different from all the others and the writers and Sam Mendes have established the character not as an infallible super spy, but as a super spy with many flaws. As is the case with the other movies he flutters through this film as a tortured soul. So a little bit like Jason Bourne then. And there is that obligatory reference out of the way.

For one as I am sure many of those who have seen have noticed, he has a major fucking drinking problem, and M even remarks whether he had run out of drink after he comes back to her apartment as the prodigal son. It is not just in this movie that this is noticeable but all the Daniel Craig, Bond movies. His excessive drinking seems less like Frank Sintara’s cool endorsement of whisky and more like Frank from Shameless’ pitiful drunk. Still at least he is in great shape; and for the third time in as many films he shamelessly shows off his torso like proud peacock from the scene in Shangai. Another flaw shows that he is not at his peak when it comes to weaponry which proves fatal in one instance. And his final flaw is the question that whether his age has an impact on performing his duties. Age is also the major theme of the movie and one that is handled subtlety.

We can also see in ts Bond film more insight into the character’s back story although without giving too much away. There is a contradiction in parts when Bond claims his country as England although he is Scottish so he should perhaps be incorporating all the countries from the British Isles no? The tortured soul of Craig’s Bond is explained by a family tragedy, which explains why he mostly never smiles.

M

1995 was the first appearance of Judi Dench as the character M in the film Goldeneye. The film was the debut of a new Bond but also of a new and entirely different M. First of all she was a woman, which changed the relationship between Commander Bond and his superior.  She maintained the role of the strongest woman throughout the series.  The relationship was maternal, it was also explored in greater depth a hate but mostly love attitude towards each other. But most importantly it dismissed the almost anonymous role of James Bond’s boss throughout the entire franchise by showcasing a really important actress in an otherwise silly action films by getting the character more involved in the plot. And no matter what you thought of any of the bond films from 1995, she was ALWAYS the best thing in it.

In Skyfall she rescues the film considerably from trading on familiar ground. Dench’s M has always been steely and a bit of a battling ram but we get to see a little bit of vulnerability that really rounds out her character and is not so far away from the Queen Victoria role that she played in Mrs. Brown. She makes mistakes in the movie one of them you can probably see in the trailer but she is ready to be accountable for them and like Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra, she has no regrets.

Being attacked on all fronts; from a cyber terrorist who wants personal revenge, to Ralph Fiennes who is trying to push her out of her job, to a member of a government inquiry who wants to lay blame, and finally from James Bond and his ongoing issues, we are made to sympathise but also acknowledge that she has the resilience to come through in the end. Judi Dench owns this movie. This is a film not just about a tough super British spy but about a tough battle axe of a woman who takes no shit and so the film’s focus is as much about her as it is about James Bond.

The exchanges between her and Bond, her and her employees, and her and the bureaucrats she has to deal with are always sharp, witty and forceful. Her finest moment comes during a public inquiry (that bears a veiled social commentary to the Leveson inquiry with shades of Wikileaks).  Coming from a relentless verbal attack from a lady on the panel, she recites the poem Ulysses by Tennyson which aptly describes her character and her handling of the situation. It is M‘s “My way” and a literally and truly poetic moment that is in sync with the rest of the film.

The old ones are the best

Craig’s Bond is no spring chicken and this is constantly referenced throughout the film. Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee wants to get rid of him because he feels that he is too old and even remarks that being a spy is a “young man’s game”. The new Q (Ben Whishaw) who Bond undermines initially because he feels that he is too young, remarks to Bond that “we” don’t do exploding pens anymore when Bond is unimpressed with the gun and radio that he is given. And when Eve is helping shave Bond with a cut throat razor she remarks to him that “the old ones are the best”. The age theme is also extended to M, a lady who has done it all seen it all, served her country well but she is questioned about her decisions because people feel that she has lost it through age. Therefore there are efforts to have her removed from her post through transition, or the sack.

Bond women

Besides M, the women in this film are mainly peripheral, and though there is the obligatory sex scene there is not much sex going down in this movie. There are more important things at hand. There are three objects of desire in Skyfall, one woman we don’t get to know her name. There is Eve, (played by Naomi Harris) a colleague who flirts with Bond but we don’t perceive that they have sex and the femme fatale played by Berenice Marlohe.

Bond villain

The biggest sexual chemistry comes from an unlikely source: the Bond villain. There is even a bit of sexual harassment dished out by Bond’s antagonist. Javier Bardem like Samuel L. Jackson has a penchant for wigs for his various acting roles (they may have it written into their contracts) and he gives a memorable blonde and camped up turn as the Raoul Silva the camp grotesque in the mould of Heath Ledger’s Joker or Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber. At times I felt he needed to tone it down as there is too much effort in trying to steal the show but his bad guy does provide much of the film’s humour.

Conclusion and Verdict

I am not a self confessed Bond fan but I found the film immensely enjoyable. The writing was excellent and the performances great. It was brilliantly directed by Sam Mendes who has shown that he is capable of handling such material, and it had terrific action set pieces.

VERDICT

8/10

Have you ever seen the film They Live? Well if you have, the advertisements for Skyfall that have bombbarded our consiousness prior to its release is a kind of Orwellian way fo us to support this movie and  OBEY.  Buy Coke Zero, drink Heineken, wear Cartier, but above all watch Skyfall:

Skyfall Coke Zero

Skyfall Heineken

Skyfall Sony

[photo credits: Estrel's Caramel Cakes]

    Having a cookies in breakfast isn’t a bad idea after all. In fact it is a healthy food and you can get many nutrients. Like carbohydrates which is good for boosting our energy, fiber which is good in digestion and many more. Also, pairing cookies in a milk is a delicious and nutritious meal a person could eat.The picture above was named “Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies” and it has lots of walnuts and Belgian chocolate chips and costs only for 70 Php.

~for more info go to : http://estrels.com/

“If cookies be the food of love…munch on.”
~Dame Judi Dench

]]> http://jkinsleyfilm.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/skyfall/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:21:47 +0000 jkinsleyfilm http://jkinsleyfilm.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/skyfall/ Synopsis

Latest Bond film in which Daniel Craig tries to track down a list of his colleagues targeted by an ex-insider Silva (Javier Bardem).  He is shot chasing an enemy agent in Turkey.  He goes into hiding and when Silva attacks MI6 headquarters killing six employees.  Bond returns and fights with his foe from Turkey in Shanghai, and in Macau meets Severine (Bérénice Marlohe).  Silva’s a prisoner, escapes and searches for Bond and Q (Judi Dench) who stays in Skyfall Bond’s Scottish home…

Criticism

I read somewhere that the author of the Bond books, Ian Fleming, overheard his wife and the critic Cyril Connally laughing aloud from a Bond novel.  Then in 1962  Dr No turned up and Fleming did not care for Connery as Bond.  Skyfall is the 50th anniversary film.  From hack lowbrow paperbacks Bond has achieved cultural significance.  From being a working class fantasy the franchise has now become a popular cultural phenomenon yet in content it’s still the same old escapist infantile nonsense.  What’s interesting is how the film has tracked cultural change over the years.  From the ’60s consumerist aspirations we get the jaded effeteness of Moore, then the classier hi-tech Brosnan, and now we get Daniel Craig competing with Batman, Bourne, Bruce Willis and co.  The Bond movie has gone from self parody to self congratulatory self referencing in occasionally poignant ways.  One heart tugging plot of this Bond film is the relationship between M and Bond.  She is his mother, sister, and overall confidante.   M is threatened with retirement by Ralph Fiennes’ Malory, then she is up before a government enquiry into MI6 activities.  She eloquently (if not too convincingly) fights her corner as she explains the changed nature of the enemy: not cold war transparency but the opacity of the terrorist who can be anybody, the case for hi-tech paranoia.  How do you, though, make war on terror if terror is the result of war in the first place?  War makes war on the result of war?  This leads us to the strange business of cold war espionage as such, it is inherently futile since neither side could be allowed to win because both cold war enemies were symbiotically sustaining bureaucracies, mirror images providing a mutual raison d’etre:  M then quotes from Tennyson to illustrate her beliefs then we cut to Silva and his goons intending to kill M (this is borrowed from Coppola’s Godfather christening scene cutting to gangster killings).

Q is now played by Ben Whishaw.  The lab clowning has been replaced by a serious young computer nerd equipping Bond with a gun only he can use.  There are rueful comments on youth and age.  Moneypenny is played by Naomie Harris, she starts out in the field but goes back to the office.  Bond himself has to retrain in MI6′s new underground headquarters.  The icy killing machine of previous films is still there but now he is self lacerating, the human flaws more apparent beneath the flippant thuggish-ness.  The heterosexual athlete of the 20th century is even prepared to admit being gay.  The franchise is in the confessional box even as it continues to wallow in Brit smugness (after its helicopter stunt in the 2012 Olympics).  Javier Bardem as the villain is plausibly complicated, he is wounded by what he sees as M’s capacity for treachery and deceit, the villain-good guy boundaries have become more nuanced and uncertain.

The killer gadgets here are the computer, a tube train, and a Shanghai elevator.  One fight sequence is back-dropped by a giant screen showing a jellyfish, so we go from cold hi-tech to tortured family issues in a grimly austere Scottish house.  I suppose this is meant to be a journey from sin to redemption.  We  get more sentimental referencing as Bond uses the Goldfinger Aston Martin (M makes a joke about being ejected from it).  Nature’s dangers are macho fetishes: the scorpion poised on his hand as he drinks, the fight in a Komodo dragon pit.

There is frantic action enough for the Bond fan, and it could be the best of the lot as it raises a glass of fifty year old malt whiskey.  It is after all directed by Sam Mendes.  Reliable action man nonsense.

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

In her 7th and final role playing “M” in Skyfall – the latest in a series of 23 James Bond movies produced over the past 50 years – Dame Judi Dench appears before Britain’s Intelligence and Security Committee to defend her record as head of MI6 – the government agency which supplies Her Majesty’s Government with foreign intelligence.

Under pressure to explain breaches in MI6’s internal security, the 007 matriarch waxes poetic, quoting a few lines from one of her late husband’s favorite poems:

“…We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Students of the late Professor Arthur R. Reil, Jr.’s English Lit course at Fairfield University – having memorized all 70 lines of that particular poem (as well as several odes and sonnets) – recognized Dench’s reading immediately as Ulysses, written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1833.

Some Cliff Notes for Biology majors: Ulysses is the ancient warrior hero of Homer’s Odyssey. British poet Tennyson envisions Ulysses speaking this narrative after having returned from the Trojan War to Ithaca, the kingdom he rules. Before he leaves Ithaca to embark on his final voyage, Ulysses describes his boredom with domestic life and fear of old age, longing for a return to his lifelong quest for adventure and knowledge.

Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria’s reign and remains one of Great Britain’s most popular poets. But when Tennyson wrote Ulysses, he was living in cramped quarters with his mother and nine of his ten siblings, with little income and in failing health. The poem was written shortly after, and influenced by the death of his close friend, the poet Arthur Henry Hallam (1811–1833), who was engaged to Tennyson’s sister Emily. The parallels between the plight of Ulysses and Tennyson’s personal circumstances continue to be the focus of countless, thoroughly boring Ph.D. dissertations.

Although it has been the subject of sniping since the film’s release, the Skyfall screenwriters’ rationale to interrupt their action movie with a brief poetry reading was very clear, and in my view, displayed noteworthy cinematic craftsmanship by providing the “British Bulldog Moment” that’s an essential element in every James Bond installment.  (For movie-goers who miss the point of the poem, Skyfall’s screenwriters provide a Union-Jacketed, Royal Doulton ceramic bulldog that “M” bequeaths to 007.)

What’s far less clear – some 40 years after Professor Reil forced me to memorize Ulysses – is how I can still remember and recite verbatim at least the first 10 lines of that epic poem (and up to 15 lines, after downing 3 Guinness stouts)…but I can never remember a new name or phone number for more than 30 seconds unless I write it down.

Even as a youngster I have always watched James Bond! I loved the action, ‘romance’ and the thrill of the chase…. I was a Tom Boy when I was younger, I grew up in a fabulous close surrounded by woods and all my friends and family were boys, so naturally climbing trees, building camps and sawing logs (and my hand a few times!) was fairly normal. I even scarily played kiss chase with the girls?! in my pre-school… I did grow out of that but my penchant for adrenaline, speed and being competitive has never wained.

So for me, not only was it exciting that another Bond film had been released, but it still featured the beautifully crafted Daniel Craig and I got to watch it at the IMAX, London…. for the boys and fellow action junkies, watching it on such a large screen with the music surrounding you, it has a way of  sucking you into the film, like you are there with them saving the world again. For the girls and fellow Daniel Craig lovers, just imagine Daniel Craig…..big screen…..not a lot of clothes on…

The Casting – No Spoilers I promise

As with every bond film, you pretty much know what to expect in terms of the characters, Bond, M, Q, a villain, at least one Bond girl… and this time did not disappoint.

The incredible and fabulous Dame Judi Dench was at her true excellence and even with her face in HD and 20 metres high she still looked beautiful! Daniel Craig, was buffed and toned to within an inch of his life and his acting was the same. Personally I thought the Bond Girls fell a little flat, and I LOVED Q, Ben Whishaw was brilliant, he brought James Bond back into the 21st Century. His quirky nature, and youthful charm made him instantly likeable.

The Star of the Show Goes to….

But for me the absolute star of the show was Javier Bardem, the villain. His portrayal of the character was so sinister and underlying with such depth, emotion and hatred, you had a scary love/hate tug of war with him. I have always been a fan of his since I saw him in No Country for Old Men and he certainly did not let me down in Skyfall.

There have been 23 Bond Films made and 6 actors that have played James Bond over the years and for me, with the help of exceptional screenwriters, actors and production/cinematography, I think this is the best James Bond film yet!

The film starts with Bond on a mission with another unnamed female agent chasing after a man who has stole a disc that holds the names of all the MI6 undercover operatives in terrorist organizations.  Bond and the man end up fighting on the top of a train racing over bridges and through tunnels.  The unnamed female agent has a shot at the man with the disc but it isn’t a clean shot but rather one that is blocked by Bond with a tunnel coming up.  M tells her to take the shot and rather than hitting her target, hits Bond and that is how the film starts.

Bond has been declared dead and England is still in a state of turmoil with the possibility of the list that holds their undercover agents being revealed.  M is being held responsible and after a meeting with the head of the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory, it has been hinted that M should retire gracefully from her position so that she may retire with grace and dignity. M rather forcefully states that she wasn’t going to retire and leave MI6 in a bigger mess than she had gotten it. Which is when the trouble really begins. It seems that someone is targeting M from her past and has no problem targeting MI6 agents to get to her. Whereas its only after MI6′s headquarters are bombed does Bond decide to return from the dead.

The film focuses on what happens when someone who is highly intelligent decides to go up against Britain’s secret service and the head of that organization instead of being a villain who wants to control the world or bring down a world power. Not only that but we get to see a new side of Bond, a Bond that deals with being seriously injured but more so, betrayal. I know some people have said that it reminds them of Nolan’s Batman saga but I can’t help but find that to be further from the truth.

Sam Mendes directed an amazing Bond film. I have to say that this is as good if not better than Casino Royale. The acting was amazing, the writing was great and the reveal of some of the plot made me giggle quite loudly.  Dame Judi Dench did another fantastic job as M, Ralph Fiennes as the bureaucrat Gareth Mallory was also amazing. Part of me couldn’t help but dislike Mallory at first but as the movie progresses you can’t help but like him. Naomi Harris was also very good as her character (don’t want to ruin the surprise) and I have to say I liked how they set that story line up very well and I do love Ben Whishaw’s Q….a whole bloody lot. Seriously Q as the whole nerd/hacker/inventor/head of a division was super sexy. Don’t ask me why I think so, I just do….then again I do find Ben Whishaw rather attractive.   And of course Javier Bardem’s Mr. Silva was beyond amazing as the villain. I have to say that I can’t help but be in awe of how talented Bardem is in his portrayal of a villain and Mr. Silva has to be a rather unique and evil villain that I have seen in recent days.

I definitely recommend this for any fan of the Bond series and definitely if you are a fan of Daniel Craig’s James Bond.  Heck I want to see it again and just might if I have the time.

So my observant ways helped me get to see Daniel Craig. I was riding on the Tube to see an art exhibit and peeked over someone’s shoulder to look at what they were reading. Instead I glanced at an advert for the opening of Skyfall– the latest Bond movie. So within five minutes my flatmates and I went from doing nothing to going to a movie premiere on a Tuesday night. It was quite fun:)

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Daniel Craig returns to the role of MI6 agent, James Bond, under the watchful eye of Sam Mendes (Jarhead). He is joined at MI6 by the perrenial Dame Judi Dench and newcomers Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, Ben Whishaw as Q, and Naomie Harris as Eve. MI6 must take on the mysterious and sinister Silva played by Javier Bardem. This film chronicles the story as Bond hunts down a terrorist who has stolen a hard drive which contains the identities of all NATO agents currently undercover.

Warning: I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but sometimes it is inevitable. Keep that in mind as you proceed past the jump.

What I Thought:

Let me get this out of the way. I am not the most hardcore Bond fan, but I have grown up watching Bond since I was a child. I watched Sean Connery escape impossible death traps and utilize intricate gadgets. I caught glimpses of these movies in bits and chunks. The first Bond movie I truly remember watching was Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan. A new love was born with both the movie and the game. Brosnan was the Bond of my generation, but I sought out an opportunity to rewatch Connery and Moore. I fell away from the film franchise as the Brosnan films progressed, but my interested was piqued when I heard about the reboot starring Daniel Craig. I was pleasantly surprised by the changes in tone and feel of these new Bond films. Where the Bond films had become full of pastiche and caricature, Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale went deeper into the character of Bond. Quantum of Solace continues the story of the inexperienced and damaged superspy as he seeks revenge for the loss of his love. It also set up the criminal organization Quantum, similar to the classic SMERSH. And now we are to Skyfall, the film which celebrates the 50 year anniversary by branching the modern films and the classic films masterfully.

Daniel Craig leads an amazing cast as he revisits the layered and dramatic version of James Bond that he had begun in Casino Royale. Bond has seemingly moved on from the trauma of the first film. Bond has changed drastically from the last film, but he is still recognizable as a cold man of mystery. Craig’s modern portrayal of Bond begins to sync up with the suave and charismatic Bond of Connery era espionage.

As I mentioned before, Goldeneye was the first full Bond film I enjoyed. With that movie, I was introduced to the MI6 matron, M played by Dame Judi Dench. In previous films, I never truly got a sense of who M. This film does a good job of giving M an identity. Dench brings the stern yet motherly role to life as she scolds and motivates Bond.

Javier Bardem plays arguably the most memorable Bond villain in nearly twenty years. Silva is a traditional Bond villain in his eccentricities, but he is a modern Bond villain in all the ways the mdoern movies have pushed. Modern Bond villains have motivations not reliant solely on control of the world, and Silva’s motivations are incredibly stirring and follows the theme of the film.

At this point in the new series, we’ve reached the second act of Bond’s new story. He’s entered a new world. Technology has taken over the world of espionage, and Bond’s traditional methods are old hat. This film also succeeds in transitioning Bond from the original films to the modern films in a way that Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace did not. Both of the previous Daniel Craig films dive into the new narrative which they are telling. Skyfall leaves room to address the changes made in the modern movies and make references to the world of the previous films. Any moment involving the Aston Martin is proof of that. The thematic transition from old-fashioned to modern does feel a little ham-handed as the script continuously has characters mentioning it, from Ben Whishaw’s modern Q to the dark and sinister Silva.

Credit must also be given to veteran cinematographer, Roger Deakins. From the opening shot of Bond silhouetted in a doorway to a closing shot featured in the trailers and screenshot above, Deakins lights the world of this darker, less extravagant Bond in a way that accentuates the secrets of the spy world and accentuates the seriousness of the story. Look at any shot in the trailer and witness the work of a legend in filmmaking.

In Summary:

You may have been burned by Quantum of Solace, but you’d be remiss to pass on this installment in the Bond film franchise. Fans of both versions of Bond will enjoy this film as it brings the best qualities of both together. Masterful performances from stars Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, and Javier Bardem. The 50-year anniversary is marked well by a film that helps to establish a new Bond franchises in a way that some believe Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace failed. I also have to point out that despite a spoiler that has been covered by many of the rumor sites, it didn’t make the story point any less poignant or meaningful. An era has ended, but the new era looks to be set on strong and sure footing.