Bond 23 - Skyfall

Mendes is obviously a capable director. I hope the Bond franchise continues. Even as formulaic as it can be, I enjoy most Bond movies.

+1.

Especially after the recent reimagining of the Bond universe to be more gritty and dark instead of the often-times goofy and over-the-top Bond movies of the 90s and early 2000s. Come to think of it, the only good Bond movies of the last two decades (IMHO) were Golden Eye and Casino Royale.

I wasn't much impressed with Mendes' last few films (Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, and Away We Go). However, this bodes well for a reduction in shaky-cam usage, at least compared to Quantum of Solace. I can't imagine Mendes using much shaky-cam. It doesn't seem to be in his visual language at all.

+1

If nothing else, the fact that Marc Forster won't be back is a very good sign.

So with Mendes now involved......what are the odds of Kate Winslet becomming a "Bond girl"?

I still wanna see Salma Hayek as a bond girl.

Which, funny enough, was tried unsuccessfully 20 years prior with Timothy Dalton. Which may signal a change in the tastes of movie-goers, perhaps we've hardened along with the world around us. Roger Moore's slapstick style wouldn't make it today, in fact Brosnan's Bond wore out its welcome after the invisible car BS in Die another Day. And finally, the Bourne Identity came along and rendered James Bond obsolete. He had to change, or risk getting left behind.

I'd love to see that, Kate is HOT! But I can't see her as a Bond girl unless it was a Diana Riggs type part, where Bond falls head over heels for her.

+2

Ooooohhhhhhhhhh...Chigurh vs. Bond? That will be quite the showdown. I like it!

Was it Brosnan or the special effects / directing that killed Bond #5? I enjoyed each movie he was in until the last one (Die) when he was parachuting on a wing with a glacial tsunami occuring behind him, and I amlost threw-up. But in going back to the other films he was in, there moments where I would have loved to slap the writer / director and told them no. But it was never Pierce that made it bad (IMO).

And I loved the last two, so keep them coming.

Well said. I liked Brosnan.

I really only liked Goldeneye and to a lesser degree, Tomorrow never dies( why on earth did they put Sheryl Crow's theme in the title credits instead of K.D Lang's??). I didn't care for the World is not enough, and Die Another Day sealed the fate of the Brosnan era. Yeah, maybe it was more the directing/script/ writing in retrospect; having said that I find Brosnan harder to take seriously, even in the 'good' movies he did, after seeing Craig's performance. I prefer the grittier take on the character, which is why I have a great appreciation for the criminally underrated Timothy Dalton.

Bring back Pierce Brosnan and drop the current blockhead 007. Or give it to Ben affleck or anyone with some charm, humor, romance and finesse. Craig is a fine actor but IMO totally wrong for james bond...not for this kind of work. And I don't want to hear any nonsense that he's the accurate portrayal of the old original bond....sean connery and roger moore was nothing like this In fact I think Denzel can play 007 better than Craig.

Did you really use Ben Affleck and charm and finesse in the same sentence??

Affleck has zero charisma and even less on screen 'presence'. I dont think I can think of anyone worse as Bond than BF would be.

BTW, you may or may not be the first person I've seen that doesnt like craig as bond but you are definately the first person Ive ever seen that thinks Affleck has 'finesse'!

And another link from this press conference from Totalfilm.com:

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/bond-2...ull-transcript

Besides Affleck, I just realized several more that have aged and matured well and would fit much better than our current meathead 007. Christian bale haven't been a great batman but he's a great bruce wayne..who share the same panache and sophistication as Bond. Hugh jackman who I think is also another bad choice for Wolverine also would be a great 007 for this suave and sophistication. Lastly, there is Kevin costner who I wouldn't never think of 10 yrs ago but he has aged rather nice, and into a Jr Sean connery physically and character .

And all of the above mentioned ALL has that "wink" suave and sophistication for romance needed in James bond but can also handle a gun and action for 007. I know Craig is still popular but most are from the Joe six pack and handyman demographics. Trust me, most females young and old would agree with me and there fore submit my unofficial short list for the next 007 and not in any order:

Ben affleck
Christian bale
Huge jackman
Kevin kosnter

As someone who read all the Ian Fleming Bond novels in my youth (not that long ago, dammit), I think Daniel Craig most personifies the rough-hewn-yet-sophisticated man, complete with imperfections, that Fleming brought to life in his books. I still think Sean Connery is Bond, how could a rational man not?, but Craig is probably closest to the character in the books, IMO. I've greatly enjoyed the two installments of the Craig era we've seen thusfar.

100% agreed and it just so happens I am in the middle of re-reading all the Fleming Bond novels since I recently aquired them for my kindle.

Not sure if serious. Regardless of whether you think Craig fits the bill, are you seriously suggesting BEN AFFLECK!!??


Ah, I see you've got Affleck in there again, so you're serious. Asides from how horribly miscast he'd be in that role, I can only imagine the uproar over a non-Brit playing the Bond character( well there is Lazenby but other than that). I think Clive Owen would have been a good choice for Bond 5 years ago, but he may be getting a bit long in the tooth now. Ideally someone playing Bond should be mid-late 30's, and age into the character over multiple movies. Funny enough Connery was only 32 when Dr. No debuted, but he certainly had a world-weariness and look that transcended his real-life age.

+1.

Goldeneye is the one Brosnan Bond film that I can go back & rewatch (Famke Janssen's presence helps ). Beyond that, I found they got more silly as time went on, although I always enjoyed Brosnan's take on 007. THe last one I will watch if it pops up on TV as long as the Halle Berry bikini scene has not happened yet - after that, I tune out.

The biggest crime during the Brosnan years was of course casting Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist.

I actually liked Dalton as Bond, in particular the rather dark revenge tale known as License to Kill. And for me, Craig - and the overall tone of Bond since his casting -works wonderfully in the post-BOURNE movie world. If someone wants a "lighter" Bond, there are several Roger Moore flicks to revisit.

Also agree with those elsewhere....Affleck would be a very bad idea (which will never happen, of course). I like Affleck usually as an actor - a lot as a director - but he is no Bond. I assume Ben would agree - leave the crazy action stuff to his BFF Damon....or his wife.

I enjoyed Goldeneye and to a lesser extent Tomorrow Never Dies. After that, meh. I think Brosnan was too clean cut and prissy for James Bond. I liked The Daltonator he was hard core and rigid, especially in License to Kill. And I think if Dalton hadn't been picked then Brosnan wouldn't have been chosen either (purely based on my own speculation). I think they look similar enough that they were able to transition Brosnan in as not too different looking than Dalton. It seems too bad that the classic days of Connery and Moore are gone. I think Connery is my favorite Bond, he has the suave appeal to the women in the movies, but he played it in a way that Brosnan never did. Moore on the other hand starred in some of my more favorite Bond films and he had witticisms that the others didn't quite bring to the screen.

I remember Craig was chosen to resemble more of the James Bond that Fleming created, both appearances and character. I thought Casino Royale was all right - better than the previous three films, but Solace was again, meh. I don't know who I would "Nominate" for a Bond role though, I've not given it any thought before. Just as long as it's not MATT DAMON! Hahaha!

I've found my recent "Bond journey" kind of interesting.

I grew up with Roger Moore as my generation's James Bond and I liked the Bond movies. I'd hear from "real bond fans" that Sean Connery was the "real/best" James Bond. I'd only really caught little bits of the Connery Bonds on TV and they always seemed a bit weird, seeing him as Bond when for me Roger Moore was James Bond.

I'd picked up all the Bond movies on Blu-Ray and have been viewing them chronologically.

Now I get it. Connery really was the whole package: suave, macho as hell, hard-assed, convincingly athletic and dangerous etc.
And of course impeccably dressed. Many of the clothes Connery wore still look killer, especially in the closely-tailored look of the 60's.
The kind of "Damn, I wish I was like Bond" kinda guy. Whereas Moore was the unfortunate recipient of 70's fashion, about which the less said the better.

Once I hit the Roger Moore movies I can now see them with the eyes of a Connery fan. Moore just seems a lightweight pansy in comparison. He doesn't look convincingly athletic or dangerous, and quips his way through the movies...and I'm not sure I've ever actually laughed at a Bond quip in my life. They are virtually always completely lame, so instead of coming off suave and witty, it's like watching your drunk uncle trying to pick up a woman at a party. Kinda embarrassing.

I do really want The Spy Who Loved Me to get to Blu-Ray, as that was the iconic Bond movie of my youth. But...it's been an education.

(I haven't even fully gotten to Daniel Craig's bond yet. I've seen certain scenes of Casino Royal many times, but not the whole movie).