Countdown to Skyfall - it's here

Ahh well I'm off to the cinema to see Skyfall..........

Countdown to Skyfall - Bond fans left cold

I'll be going to see Skyfall this coming Monday, but a few of my friends have been already and what I'm hearing is not good. One friend, a life long Bond fan who loved Daniel Craig in the role, told me that this one is worse than Quantum of Solace - too slow and sleep inducing, he told me. Apparently it's even hinted that Bond is, or was once, bisexual -now that's all very well and not to sound homophobic because I most certainly am not, but you can't have a gay James Bond. The Bond created by Fleming, was a heterosexual fantasy - I could see this subtext myself from Casino Royale,in my opinion a vastly overrated movie. When they recreated the Ursula Andress scene of her coming out of the sea in her bikini,but with Daniel Craig in his skimpies - what the fuck was that all about? Another friend also told me that the new Bond movie is so homoerotic that Craig spends most of it with his shirt off.

James Bond should be a smooth, Vodka/Martni drinking, womanising semi-superman and not the beer drinking, unshaven lout with a penchant for cock that he seems to have become. What next? Will the next movie see a Mr Moneypenny? Will the gun-barrel opening be re-shot so we see Bond walking down the shaft of a penis?

Ahh well, look out for my own review this coming Monday night when I will have seen Skyfall.

Countdown to Skyfall - The Blofeld that never was

Donald Pleasence may have nailed the role of Blofeld in the James Bond thriller, You Only Live Twice but he was not the first actor cast - indeed filming had already started with the late Jan Werich in the role. The Czech born actor had already filmed many of his scenes (as pictured left) when Cubby Broccoli and director, Lewis Gilbert grew anxious with the casting choice.

"He looked more like a benevolent Santa Claus rather than Bond's arch enemy.'Lewis Gilbert.

After several week of filming it was decided to replace Werich and Donald Pleasence was brought in to take over the role.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Countdown to Skyfall - Bond Gay Subtext

I'm keeping an open mind on this until I see the movie, but rumors are floating around the net that the new James Bond movie features a gay scene involving Bond.

Apparently Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem (Silva) have an "erotically charged scene" in Skyfall  in which Silva strokes Bond's chest.

Bond reportedly asks the villain: "What makes you think this is my first time?"

Movieline's Frank Diagiacomo asked Craig about it at the press junket:

"What are you going to do?"  Craig replied breezily, getting a nice laugh from the crowd, but then he added: "I don't see the world in sexual divisions."  He then  changed the subject from Bond to to Bardem's wonderfully flamboyant character, Silva. "Someone suggested that Silva may be gay," Craig said with a big smile. "And I'm like, I think he'll f**k anything."

Producers suggest it's all a power struggle. As for Bardem:Asked how Silva's "sexuality informed [Bardem's] interpretation of the character, the actor responded; "It  was part of the game, but it’s not entirely the game."  Bardem explained that his "main goal" as Silva was creating "uncomfortable situations" for anyone who crossed his path. "Within that, you can read anything that you want or wish," Bardem said. "But  it was more about putting the other person in a very uncomfortable situation where even James Bond doesn't know how to get out of it."

Ever since Craig took over as Bond we have had a loud majority saying that we finally have  Fleming's Bond - He doesn't drink vodka Martini but Heineken and he's gay!

 Full story HERE

Contdown to Skyfall - Dirty Bond

Clint Eastwood as James Bond - can anyone imagine that? No didn,t think so but the actor recently confirmed in an interview that he was indeed offered the role of the British secret agent way back in 1971 and if, all had gone to plan, Eastwood would have gone onto film Live and Let Die directly after Dirty Harry. Least that' s the way I imagine the timeline would have went since Eastwood doesn't specify when the offer was made other than saying, "After Sean Connery left."

For the full interview go HERE

It's almost impossible to imagine what kind of Bond Eastwood would have made - on the surface no one would be able to take his casting seriously, he has too much baggage, there are too many pre-conceived notions of what an Eastwood movie is but back in the day Eastwood, although a big star, was not the much loved legend he is today. And in 1971 James Bond was probably bigger than Clint Eastwood.


Live and Let Die (1973) was, of course, the début for Roger Moore in the role and took place largely in the US as Bond tracks down a group of drug smugglers led by the mysterious Mr. Big.
There are scenes in the latter section of the movie where Bond used a Magnum 44 (popularised by Eastwood in Dirty Harry) so maybe Clint wouldn't have been totally out of place in the tux. He could certainly handle a Magnum better than anyone else around.

Live and Let Die contains a lot of comedy which Eastwood was never really know for but the actor was not averse to comedic roles during the period. In fact in many episodes of Rawhide there were  character moments played for laughs and Clint would never totally shy away from semi comedic roles - Two Mules for Sister Sarah, Kelly's Heroes, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way you Can and its sequel. And that's not even touching on Paint your Wagon or City Heat. And the first person who mentions the dire Pink Cadillac can leave the room.

Clint, of course declined the role of Bond, explaining:

"I thought that James Bond should be British. I’m of British descent but by the same token I thought that it [Bond] should be more of the culture there and also, it was not my thing, it was somebody’s else’s thing."

Eastwood did play a James Bond-alike character in the Eiger Sanction (1975) but the least said about that the better.

Myself, I'm kinda glad it didn't happen - I'm a huge Eastwood fan and  maybe Eastwood would have carried Bond off but if he had taken the role and made several other Bond's then we may not have had High Plains Drifter, Josey Wales and Dirty Harry certainly wouldn't have gone to five movies.



And what would Eastwood's Man with the Golden Gun, Spy who Loved Me and Moonraker have been like?

It's a tantalizing idea.

Countdown to Skyfall - Good reports

Things are looking good for Skyfall with advance reviews on Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a 100% positive rating. One critic even went so far as to call this Sam Mendes' best film. Kim Newman, a critic I greatly respect, was in a very flattering mood in his review of the movie.


"The usual Bond formula finds the agent wrecking some villain’s scheme, but here Silva – Bardem hugely enjoys the chance to create an all-purpose monster character – is dismantling MI6 out of pique and the hero is in a corner.  It’s distinguished from the Bournes by class and classiness – replete with Tennyson quotes and musings on lost Empire – and this manages to be elegiac and celebratory at the same time." Kim Newman

I'm really looking forward to this new Bond movie and I'll be first in line when it goes on general release next week, but I've still got a sour taste in my mouth after Quantum of Solace and although I thought Casino Royal was a pretty decent action film it just didn't and doesn't feel like a Bond movie to me. I've yet to take to Daniel Craig's Bond - physically he seems all wrong to me, but I am hoping that it will be third time lucky for me. It's been so long since I've seen a movie that actually felt like the series I grew up watching, that I've got high hopes for Skyfall. It certainly seems to be a bigger movie than Quantum of Solace and Craig does look good in the trailer, but trailers are designed to make any film look awesome.

Countdown to Skyfall

Adele's chunky theme for the new James Bond movie failed to make it to the top spot in the UK charts but did hit number 2- "Now then, now then, now then pop pickers (Whoops enough with the Jimmy Saville impersonations! Try Jimmy Young instead!) -  Adele's theme to new James Bond film Skyfall has missed out on the number one spot in the UK singles chart.No Bond theme has ever topped the charts in the UK and it had been thought Adele's effort could achieve the feat.

Mind you that's no reflection on the song itself - Skyfall is a great theme sung with gusto by Adele and the UK music charts are hardly filled with good music these days.

Countdown to Skyfall - This Bond may soar

The signs are looking good for the new James Bond movie, Skyfall with early  reviews being mostly good. Yesterday saw a special press screening in London.  Robbie Collin at British newspaper The Telegraph said director Sam Mendes' Bond was comparable to Christopher Nolan's darker, grittier "Batman" from the "Dark Knight" franchise, while many of the critics called Skyfall the best Bond film ever. There were some cooler remarks with Geoffrey McNab at the Independent  criticizing the film for being "occasionally ... repetitive," however he still gave the film four out of five stars. However most comments were totally positive with Baz Bamigboye at the Daily Mail gave "Skyfall" five stars , calling it "pure classic 007 fare, back on firm footing after the less than memorable 'Quantum of Solace.'" And comedian Graham Norton, who hosts a TV talk show on BBC 1, tweeted: "Skyfall is perfection!!!!!"

I'm eager to see Skyfall after being totally pissed with Quantum of Solace and whilst I've yet to take to Daniel Craig in the title role I am hoping that this time he doesn't seem so thuggish and brings back some of the smoothness to the lead role. The fact that Q is back and (possibly) Moneypenny gets a big thumbs up in my book. There's also a spoiler free review of the press screening over at MI6 - click HERE.

And anyone wondering why there's a pic of Clint Bond attached to this article - simple really, Clint Eastwood is one of the unlikely choices who has been offered the role of Bond in years gone by.


 

Countdown to Skyfall: For your ears only

AudioGo have released all new audio book recordings of Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels - I've just listened to an eight hour recording of Her Majesty's Secret Service with David (Dr Who) Tennant doing the reading. And a damn good job Tennant did too!

“I am delighted to say that Ian Fleming Publications and AudioGO are thrilled to be working together to present some of Britain’s best-known actors reading Ian’s classic Bond novels, for your ears only...”

Lucy Fleming

Each novel is read by a different actor and each set features an intreview with the respective reader on what Bond means to them. So far I've only heard OHMSS (truly a great Fleming novel) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here's a list of titles now available:

• Casino Royale read by Dan Stevens
• Live and Let Die read by Rory Kinnear
• Moonraker read by Bill Nighy
• Diamonds Are Forever read by Damian Lewis
• From Russia With Love read by Toby Stephens
• Doctor No read by Hugh Quarshie
• Goldfinger read by Hugh Bonneville
• Thunderball read by Jason Isaacs
• The Spy Who Loved Me read by Rosamund Pike
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service read by David Tennant
• You Only Live Twice read by Martin Jarvis
• The Man With The Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh

Check out the AudioGo website HERE

Countdown to Skyfall - John Gardner's Brokenclaw

After completing the novelization of the film, Licence to Kill, John Gardner returned to his Bond series proper with his tenth book in the series.

The book neatly dovetails with Win, Lose of Die and after expressing frustration over a lack of action after his year-long mission with the Royal Navy , Bond threatens to resign.  M however orders Bond to take a vacation and so  Bond travels to Victoria, British Columbia where he is intrigued by Lee Fu-Chu, a half-Blackfoot, half-Chinese philanthropist who is known as "Brokenclaw" because of a deformed hand.

This book was something of a disappointment and Gardner risked alienating long time fans of Fleming's books by having Bond become a tea drinker - Fleming had long established that Bond hated tea. It  may only be a small aspect of Bond's character but it annoys readers who know the series well. Gardner himself often listed this as the least favourite of his Bond novels. The writing doesn't seem to hold the usual vigour which often made the Gardner books so entertaining. Maybe the fact that the author was recovering from prostrate cancer while writing the book has something to do with it not being up to the usual standard.

For a Bond novel the narrative is very slowly paced and for much of the book nothing seems to be happening. The climatic battle between Bond and Brokenclaw, with bows and arrows of all things, also falls flat.

John Gardner wasn't quite himself when writing this book and through no fault of his own, it shows in the finished product. If you've never read a Gardner Bond before then this is not the one to start with - it's got some redeeming qualities but these are few and far between. Still the author wasn't quite finished with 007 yet and there was still some good stuff to come.

Countdown to Skyfall - Daniel Craig's knickers snapped up

Back in the day, we used to get to see curvaceous women prancing about in skimpy costumes in our James Bond movies, but in this crazy mixed up modern age it is Daniel Craig who prances about in the skimpies. What was that all about?


So iconic have Craig's powder blue knickers become that an anonymous bidder paid  £44,450 at auction for the shorts Daniel Craig wore to recreate the Ursula Andress scene from Doctor No, in his first James Bland movie, Casino Royale.

The skimpy shorts, which were featured in an iconic scene from the 2006 flick which was Craig’s first appearance as the British secret agent, were among a number of items sold in a 007-themed auction last Friday (October 5). The auction took place as part of Global James Bond Day, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the film franchise.

With proceeds from the event donated to a number of charities including Unicef UK and Childline, other popular Bond memorabilia from the 50 items which went under the hammer included a navy woollen suit to be worn by Craig in new 007 film Skyfall, which raised £46,850, and an Aston Martin DBS car driven by the actor in Quantum Of Solace, which was sold for £241,250.

The Archive congratulates the buyer of Craig's knickers though would like to point out that a similar pair can be picked up for a fiver at Marks and Spencers. However the Archive is old school and Craig's knickers don't do anything for us and so here's a pic of Ursula in hers.

Countdown to Skyfall - Bond's Kill infographic

Designer Brendan Dawes has illustrated data the Guardian newspaper compiled on James Bond's on-screen kills in an homage to the famous title sequence of Dr. No.The highly stylised sequence, created by Maurice Binder, features circles of different colours jumping across the screen in geometric formations, and was preceded by the now familiar shot of Bond swivelling to pick off a would-be assassin (also created by Binder).


Dawes' graphic uses the same coloured circles to represent Bond's body count. Each red circle represents ten kills, and each blue-green circle a single death.

You can find the original article and graphic HERE

Countdown to Skyfall - Dr No

It was 50 years ago this very day that a little movie called, Dr No hit the silver screen and the world was introduced to James Bond. Our first glimpse of Bond on the screen was provided by the then virtually unknown actor, Sean Connery.

Sean Connery was excellent in the role, many still maintain that he was the definitive 007, but the screen Bond was not exactly the literary Bond - there were aspects of the literary Bond that the producers were wise to leave out in order to make a more straightforward thriller.

However Dr No was very nearly not the first Bond film.

Saltzman and Broccoli had already commissioned Richard Maibaum to adapt Thunderball as the first film in the deal they had made with United Artists. And the script was actually finished when it was decided Dr No would be the debut Bond pic.



"Those who have read the book will be disappointed," an horrified Ian Fleming said, after seeing the movie. "But those who haven't will find it exciting. Audiences laugh in all the correct places."



Fleming was not initially impressed with Connery but he did over time warm to the actor but maybe his opinion of Dr No was rather harsh - the film did set the template for all that followed, featuring many of the series essential elements - Bond/M scene, jet to an exotic locale, three girls (one bad, two good), Monypenny flirtation, a megalomaniac villain with a secret lair.

Connery as Bond was excellent, despite what the author's opinion was - films and books are two different mediums and a truly faithful adaptation of any book is an impossibility. But in the sense of capturing the essence of the excellent books, Dr No is faultless. The scene where Bond shoots Professor Dent in cold blood sums up the man with a license to kill and variations on this scene have been played out in virtually every Bond movie since. Bond doesn't enjoy the deed but does it in a cold detached way, the way of a professional killer which is just what Bond is. After the man is dead Bond puts a superfluous bullet into the man's back and then calmly removes his silencer. The extra shot was absolutely shocking to a 1960's audience.

If there is a problem with Dr No it is that it feels disjointed - the first half plays out like an hardboiled but exotic detective story while the second section seems more like a sci-fi adventure. But that's a minor quibble against what truly is a classic piece of cinema.


The film though was not that well received by much of the press - "A fascist film uncorrupted by morals," said Richard Whitehall in an article that completely rubbished the film. Another critic was horrified and likened the film as the modern equivalent to feeding the Christians to the lions.

In terms of financial gain the film was a massive success in the UK  and made it's budget back easily. However the producers were a little uneasy about all the negative press and didn't release the movie in America until the following May - they had no need to worry as the film was an even bigger success with US audiences.

It was clear James Bond was going to be around for a very long time.

THE ULTIMATE EDITION DVD - available on both standard disc and blu-ray - it's a great transfer of the movie itself which has been restored to the highest possible standard and presented with a booming 5.1 soundtrack. There is a commentary from Terence Young and assorted members of the cast and crew and a second disc comes packed with special features including the detailed documentary Inside 007 as well as TV spots, the original trailer, a couple of vintage presentations and footage of the premieres of the James Bond series. All of the Ultimate Collection DVD's offer a rounded product that provides much more than just the film.

Watching the film prior to writing this piece (I don't know how many times I've seen it, maybe a dozen or more times) I enjoyed it fully even if I did know everything that was coming. It is perhaps the toughest of all the Bond movies, and is much slower paced than is usual. The latter point is no criticism - it's great to see the characterization being built, particularly in a Bond movie - the series quite often shuns characterization for an explosion or two or three.

Dr No then, in terms of the movie Bond, is where it all started and the entire series still feels its influence. Daniel Craig's first Bond movie, Casino Royale played with the scene of Ursula Andress emerging from the sea, only this time it was Bond we were supposed to ogle - think maybe the producers got a bit confused there. And Halle Berry had an almost identical scene,even down to the bikini, in Die Another Day. Bond's introduction - the name's Bond, James Bond - has been replicated in mostly every film that followed.

Countdown to Skyfall: New teaser

Countdown to Skyfall: The Best Bond movies

Issue 381 of the world's longest running Sci-Fi magazine, Starburst (on sale now) is a James Bond special. There are some great Bond related articles, including a look at Skyfall within the magazine,but the part I found especially interesting, not to mention surprising was the reader's poll to find the best of the Bond movies.

The magazine compiled a reader's chart of all of the Bond movies upto Quantum of Solace and it was a shock to find Live and Let Die in the top spot - whilst I wouldn't agree that this is the all time best Bond movie I do take solace from the top spot being held by a Moore picture. On Her Majesty's Secret Service came in at number 2 with Casino Royale (Craig's version) at number 3.

It was also surprising to see Connery's highest placing at No 4 with Goldfinger, whilst Goldeneye, which in my opinion is a better bond than Craig's Casino Royale was No 5.

At 6 was From Russia with Love and The Spy Who Loved me was no 7. The rest of the top ten was made up with Living Daylights at 8, You Only Live Twice at 9 and Licence to Kill coming in at 10. I won't list the rest of the charts, you'll have to buy the mag to find out the placing of all of the others but I will tell you that Die Another Day held the bottom spot.

It's an interesting poll and shows that Moore's Bond is held in far higher regard than most people realise. It is also cool to see On Her Majesty's Secret Service so high in the poll as many Bond fans have long considered this one to be vastly underrated.

The poll is bound to split opinion and so just for fun,here are what I consider to be the 10 best Bond movies.

1-Goldfinger
2-For Your Eyes Only
3- From Russia with Love
4- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5-Goldeneye
6-The Living Daylights
7-The Spy who Loved Me
8-Live and Let Die
9-Licence to Kill
10-You Only Live Twice.

And for the worse Bond film of all time I would definitely vote for Quantum of Solace.

Countdown to Skyfall - Alternative themes and leaked Skyfall theme

The James Bond themes songs have often become as famous as the movies themselves, and over the years there have been many song rejected at the eleventh hour by the producers. Quite often these song have been better than the chosen titles, and finally we have (we think) a leaked version of the forthcoming Skyfall that some naughty poster stuck on You Tube

Here are several rejected Bond themes.

Countdown to Skyfall - Skyfall theme lyrics

According to the world wide web a section of the Skyfall theme song sung by Adele goes - “Let the sky fall/Let it crumble/We will stand tall/And face it all/together. This is the end/Hold your breath and count to ten/Feel the Earth move and then/Hear my heart burst again."

Apparantly the song is piano led and in the style of classic Bond themes

Countdown to Skyfall - Coke Zero Campaign

Countdown to Skyfall - It started here

The Origin of James Bond 007

 In a couple of months we will have a new James Bond movie, as the film franchise celebrates fifty years, but to get to the real 007 you must return to Ian Fleming's original canon.



“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soul-erosion produced by high gambling – a compost of greed and fear and nervous tension – becomes unbearable and the senses awake and revolt from it.”

 They are the opening words from Ian Fleming’s 1953 debut novel, Casino Royale – the book that introduced James Bond 007 to the world. I know this book, so well, have read it so many times that I can write the passage above from memory.

Raymond Benson noted, in his excellent James Bond Bedside Companion (1984) that Bond is entirely humourless in this first novel, and for the most part I would go along with that but I wouldn’t say the character was entirely without humour. There is much resigned wit over being partnered with a woman and Bond even laughs at his own pretentiousness when ordering dinner. And in the latter sections of the book Bond is overly romantic when falling in love with Vesper, but for the most part Bond is a stiff no-nonsense type, which perfectly suits the seriousness of the story. And it is a serious story – Fleming set out to write the best spy thriller possible – and there is no time for frivolity.

A highly ingenious plot sees Bond trying to out gamble Russian agent, Le Chiffre who is trying to win back the funds he has misappropriated from his paymasters in order to finance a string of failed brothels. It is felt that if Le Chiffre fails to recover the monies he has embezzled his ruination will bring about the collapse of a Communist controlled trade union in Alsace, something that would be highly desirable to the British, Americans and French governments.



Fleming’s introduction of Bond at the Casino is masterful and shows him to live the kind of high life that was out of the grasp of most people. During the time the book was written foreign travel was attainable to only the wealthiest and the degree of description the author gives to the locales would have seemed incredibly exotic to the average reader.

 Fleming is heavy on detail – offering the minutiae of food, car engines, locations and weaponry. However the author manages to makes these passages exciting and interesting – he even fills several chapters explaining the rather complicated card game and yet the story moves like an express train. Fleming would pull off similar tricks several times in the series, most notably with the thrilling Golf duel in Goldfinger. Raymond Benson, again in his James Bond Bedside Companion, called this "the Fleming Sweep" and it is a term we will adopt for this article.



“Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice cold and then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”



Did Fleming consider a series of books when he wrote this one? I feel he did, several passages seem to suggest he is setting up character traits in Bond that will be used later. At one point Bond decides to resign from the service, telling Mathis while lying battered in a hospital bed: “History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.”

To which Mathis replies, “Don’t let me down and become human yourself. We would loose such a wonderful machine.”



Bond, by the point, has had enough – his body has been beaten almost to destruction and his mind has taken a similar treatment. Le Chiffre is dead, killed by a SMERSH assassin, and it all seems to have been so useless to Bond. He contemplates marriage to Vesper and a normal life, the kind of life the average person leads. But all this is not to be and when Vesper is revealed to have been a double agent. His heart hardens and he weeps real tears as he informs his people that she was a traitor – “Yes, dammit, I said, ‘was’. The bitch is dead now.”



Casino Royale is one of the best in the series (personally it’s my favorite) and the book sets up the shadowy world in which James Bond operates. The novel details the first meeting between Bond and Felix Leiter and we are told that Bond uses a .38 Police Positive. With this book Fleming provided wish fulfilment for many people including a soon to be President Kennedy whom it later emerged was a huge fan of Mr Fleming.

Countdown to Skyfall - almost James Bond

Who Dares Wins


Lewis Collins, then coming off the long running TV show, The Professionals, must have seen this vehicle as something of an audition piece for taking over from Roger Moore as James Bond. At the time the actor was the bookmaker's favorite for stepping into the shoes of 007 and the actor himself heavily campaigned for the role. As it worked out Moore stayed for another couple of Bond movies and by the time he hung up the Walther, Collins was no longer favorite.


Who Dares Wins, known in the US as The Final Option, was based largely on the Iranian Embassy Siege - Collins plays Peter Skellen, an SAS agent who has an elaborate cover created, in which he is thrown out of the SAS in order to infiltrate a militant group. Skellen does this in best Bond fashion by seducing the groups female leader. And then pretty much blowing up everything that moves.

The film was the third highest grosser of that year in the UK and a sequel was planned but unfortunately it never came to fruition but Who Dares Wins, holds up well and the action scenes are excellent.

The film won't tax your brains but it's a great action movie.

And you know what - Collins would have made a great James Bond.