Aaron Taylor-Johnson Rumored As New James Bond: Signing Deal This Week
Reports come from UK sites who state the British actor will be replacing Daniel Craig.
Reports come from UK sites who state the British actor will be replacing Daniel Craig.
“CODA” wins Best Picture, Dune wins six awards, Will Smith for Best Actor for “King Richard.”
The Denis Villeneuve-directed films wins big taking home six Oscars.
The Oscar Awards 2022 nominations have been released which includes the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dune, Shang-Chi, and more. Netflix’s The Power of the Dog leads the way with 12 nominations, and WB’s Dune has 10 nominations including Best Visual Effects along with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Shang-Chi, Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy, and
Henry Cavill says he is open to a return as Superman as well as playing James Bond. In a new interview prior to next month’s release of the highly anticipated second season of The Witcher on Netflix, Henry Cavill tackles questions surrounding the show, Superman, James Bond, and even Marvel with THR. Henry Cavill on a
The 25th James Bond movie, No Time To Die, opens next week with the early reviews now hitting the net, and its Rotten Tomatoes Score is made known. With 97 reviews presently accounted for, James Bond No Time To Die has a lukewarm 82% Rotten Tomatoes Score among critics (Audience Score will come online with
Ahead of the release of No Time To Die, Daniel Craig says that the character of James Bond should not be a woman. Instead, Craig says new characters should be created. “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?” Craig
Warner Bros. has announced a new release date for Dune, which moves the movie away from the Oct. 8 release for James Bond: No Time To Die. Dune will now be released Oct. 22 in theaters including 3D and IMAX, and will also be screened at the upcoming Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. WB
Amazon has purchased MGM studio for the a purchase price of $8.45 billion with IPs including James Bond, Robocop, Rocky, Tomb Raider, and many more. In regards to the James Bond franchise, Amazon will only own 50% as the other 50% and complete creative control is still owned by Barbara Broccoli and her brother, Michael
Sean Connery, known for playing James Bond, has passed away at the age of 90. The BBC reports that his family confirmed that Sean Connery died overnight in his sleep, while in the Bahamas, and that he had been unwell for some time. The actor who is also known for a plethora of other roles
The James Bond: No Time To Die release date has been pushed back to Easter weekend 2021 from its Nov. 20, 2020 release. The 25th movie in the franchise will now get released on April 2, 2021. “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time
Tom Hardy is said to be the new James Bond as Daniel Craig exits the role following No Time To Die. The casting hasn’t been officially confirmed as the rumor comes from what is claimed to be a reliable scooper, The Vulcan Reporter. According to the rumor, Tom Hardy was expected to be announced as
The second trailer is released for James Bond: No Time To Die which is the last time we’ll see star Daniel Craig as 007. “The mission that changes everything begins… No Time To Die in cinemas this November,” teases the video description. “The past isn’t dead,” says Bond which leads to the familiar music score and
In a battle of epic proportions, Godzilla vs Kong will be taking on the new James Bond film, No Time To Die. As a result of the fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus, MGM, Universal and the Bond producers recently pushed back the release date of the new James Bond movie from April 10 to Wed. Nov.
In an ironic twist associated with the title, James Bond: No Time To Die sees its release date delayed because of the fear of the coronavirus which is also causing cancellations throughout Hollywood. “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the
The new James Bond: No Time To Die trailer is released as Daniel Craig returns as 007 for the last time. In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking
Check out a first look at Daniel Craig in James Bond: No Time To Die, which marks the 25th film in the franchise. The image comes from Empire who notes this is a dressed-down version of Bond with “no suit, no bow tie, just a scuffed-up (formerly) white top, a natty pair of braces, and
The James Bond 25 title is officially revealed as Daniel Craig returns to star in “No Time To Die.” The official James Bond Twitter account announced the reveal with a video of Craig in addition to the theme music: Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, 007 in… NO TIME TO DIE. Out in the UK
It is being reported that Captain Marvel star Lashana Lynch will be the new 007 in the upcoming James Bond 25 movie. Details from the script have leaked online also offering that “Bond Girls” will now be replaced with “Bond Women.” The Daily Mail reports the change, which features black British actress Lashana Lynch as
The James Bond 25 movie suffers another set back as star Daniel Craig suffers an injury while performing a stunt for a scene that causes filming to be placed on hold. The good news is that Daniel Craig isn’t too badly hurt as it is reported he will be back filming within a week. The
James Bond 25 has found a new director and release date as the film will now be helmed by Cary Fukunaga and get released February 14, 2020. The James Bond producers announced the news on social media. “Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig announced today that #Bond25 will begin filming at Pinewood Studios
Following the departure of Danny Boyle over creative differences, now it is being reported James Bond 25 has veteran Skyfall writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade back on the franchise. The duo have written six previous James Bond films also including Spectre, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale, Die Another Day and The World Is Not Enough. According to the
Last month saw it learned that director Danny Boyle had left the James Bond 25 movie over creative differences with the producers, which includes star Daniel Craig, and now the villain of the film is revealed with actor Saïd Taghmaoui. The UK tabloid sites then reported that Boyle left because he didn’t want to kill the character,
Last week saw it learned that Danny Boyle had exited the director’s chair on the upcoming James Bond 25 movie, said to be over “creative differences.” The producers on the movie, which includes star Daniel Craig, previously released the following joint statement about Boyle’s dismissal: “Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced
Following the news of James Bond losing its director, now the fan-favorite choice to replace Daniel Craig, with Idris Elba, says that he won’t be playing the character. “No,” Idris Elba responded when asked by Good Morning Britain if they were looking at the next James Bond. The 45-year-old actor actually fueled rumors and speculation, as he
James Bond 25 loses its director with Danny Boyle as the movie’s producers officially announced the departure, which is said to be over “creative differences.” “Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25,” the official James Bond OO7
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:22850:]]
Give up the Ghost
A Film Review of Spectre
I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Daniel Craig Bond films, and it has less to do with the man himself and more to do with the adventures his character undertakes. For a fictional character that has been there and done everything, Daniel Craig’s Bond rarely saw the opportunity to properly peacock by engaging in some rather pedestrian plots. That was, of course, until Skyfall (2012) where MI6 comes under direct attack and James Bond was called upon to demonstrate some semblance of actual human weakness yielding a more compelling character and a more interesting story overall. With such a breath of fresh air, one would think that this trend would easily blend into Spectre. It has the same director (Sam Mendes), some of the same writers (Neal Purvis and Robert Wade) and much of the same cast, so naturally, it stands to reason, no?
No. And I’ll tell you why. Skyfall presented audiences with some specific details extracted from the nebulous origin of this iteration of Bond, but what made that exposition pay off in a big time way was how it was inexorably linked to how the arcing conflict played out. Bond was outmatched and nearly paid for it with his life, but loyalty to a mother figure in M forces him back in the game despite the fact he isn’t ready for it and uses the setting of his broken past as a means of survival and in a way, redemption. Spectre is a film that once again attempts to hit the audience’s “G” spot for nostalgia by linking the current conflict back to his boyhood and recent past. Unfortunately, no ground work was laid in this (or any other) Bond film to make the hard connections audiences need for any of those story elements to matter. In fact, every connection between Bond and the bad guy is simply spoken from the horse’s mouth in a matter of minutes with some of the least cryptic rhetoric from a Bond villain to date. “It was me all along,” spoken by someone we have never met, nor even alluded to is a flaccid revelation. No tension is built, no conspiracy is ruminated, it simply gets to that moment in the movie where things need to move forward instead of aimlessly and boom; the audience knows the “what” and has a glance at the “why”. Screen writing is not just any form of literature. It must always be mindful of using words “to show” rather than “to tell” both audiences and producers of film. Dialogue is an effective tool in filmmaking, but if it happens to be a crutch, it’s already too late to realize it’s actually a noose.
What ground my gears the most regarding Spectre is a cancerous trend not exclusive to the recent Bond films, but to all action/adventure films coming out of Hollywood these days: vanilla villains. They talk big games, but don’t do much. They claim tortured pasts without showing its effects. Their bark is much worse than their bite. They are the least interesting antagonists in the world and they are everywhere. (I’m looking at you too Marvel films!) Christoph Waltz is an amazing, Academy Award winning actor and his ability to create compelling characters for the screen was recklessly mishandled by Sam Mendes and the entire production staff of Spectre. Waltz was given practically zero material to work with: no real back story, no clear cut motive and virtually no screen time. In many ways, his character doesn’t even need to be in this film for it to turn out in exactly the same way. Why even cast an extra, let alone Waltz, to play a role of such inconsequence?
Action Style |
Thank goodness they hired a stunt runner for Daniel Craig. Excellent hand to hand, close quarters combat. Decent car chases with an interesting dash of gunplay. General stunt work in this film was top notch. |
6/6 |
Action Frame |
Talk about an animated frame. Wow! The cinematography of Hoyte Van Hoytema is to be celebrated in this film. Both action and dramatic sequences are enhanced by his efforts at creating the picturesque, everywhere. |
5/5 |
Lead Performance |
Daniel Craig is still the Blue Steel of James Bonds, but also happens to present a Bond you can root for. Christoph Waltz on the other hand … see above. |
3/6 |
Supporting Performance |
Ray Fiennes as M is solid and I wish Ben Wishaw and Naomie Harris had more to do as Q and Moneypenny respectively. Lea Seydoux may be a babe, but her character was far too dull. What the heck was Drax the Destroyer doing in this film? |
3/5 |
Music |
Sam Smith’s The Writing’s on the Wall is everything you need in a Bond theme: seductive, emotive, and mysterious. It is echoed effectively in the dramatic soundtrack throughout. |
6/6 |
Sound F/X |
Par for the course, although I’ll admit to having a weakness for hearing the engines of super-cars chasing each other on the streets. |
3/5 |
“Moving” = 26/33
Digital F/X |
One mark of successful CG is the audience not knowing it was there at all, but I am uncertain if this was due to exceptional CG, or practical effects being so much better than the digital ones in this film. That said, there did seem to be some plasticity to some explosions and Drax gets dealt with by some goofy animation. |
4/6 |
Special F/X |
Chris Corbould as the special effect supervisor proves that practical effects can still have a wicked punch! Great use of vehicle stunts, explosions, ballistics and crashes. |
5/5 |
Costumes |
So many suits in this film. I’m not exactly pining for ridiculous “onesies” of Moonraker, but come on; can we get a little more creative here? |
4/6 |
Hair & Makeup |
Very acceptable battle damage on bodies and faces combined with gorgeous styling of female follicles. |
4/5 |
Exteriors |
Every Bond film is a potential exotic travelogue. I wish we could have gotten more exotic than Mexico City, though. |
5/6 |
Interiors |
I understand that MI6 has been in funding hell for the past few Bond films, but we really need to move these guys out of the sewers once and for all and dress it up with some more tech please. |
3/5 |
“Picture” = 25/33
Hook |
Even a 007 movie needs something more than “James Bond doing his thing” as the lead in to what exactly is happening, which we don’t exactly know for sure other than vague and undeveloped memories from previous Daniel Craig Bond films regarding the organization of Spectre itself. The hook is unclear and happened upon by chance. |
1/4 |
Conflict |
So the Legion of Doom DOES exist?! How do you fight them? Obviously, you run a couple of obstacle courses, shoot a few dudes and victory is assured. Oh wait, there was supposed to be a more meaningful, personal conflict at work? Sorry, no one got that memo. |
1/4 |
Resolution |
Can something resolve if it was never setup in the first place? Neither surprising nor satisfying, unless the article that reveals who gets tapped as the next James Bond counts as a dénouement for Spectre. |
1/4 |
Dialogue |
The moment to moment talking does an excellent job at keeping the audience in the moment, but these are all short term hits with no long term grand slam. |
4/6 |
Exposition |
What exposition? You mean this photograph and me telling you stuff about it you already knew, but no one else does? |
1/5 |
Character Uniqueness |
Blue Steel is certainly a unique looking Bond, but I was getting used to him not being played like Mr. Roboto in Skyfall. The main villain in this film is as common as they come. |
3/6 |
Character Relatability |
Super Spies and secret government cabals are beyond the grasp of “normies”. Too bad the whole sibling rivalry thing wasn’t developed in this film at all because lots of people could connect to that concept. |
2/5 |
“Story” = 14/34
Overall MPS Rating: 65/100
Spectre is a very average action film that looks better than the story settles on one’s mind. Perhaps the greatness of Skyfall is a difficult concept to surpass, but film franchises will always make the attempt to string things along, beyond their natural ends because they know those dollar bills will be there. I don’t expect Spectre to even knock on the door of Skyfall’s financial success long term. Still, I didn’t hate this film as much as some of my comments make it appear to be, but I certainly didn’t love it and I especially expected it to take Bond into even murkier waters leading to a more domesticated 007 who finally got out of the spy business (something Daniel Craig Bond was ready to do clean and clear at the end of Casino Royale). What if he had already been out for a few years, started a family, then Spectre takes them out to settle a vendetta, forcing a psychotic James Bond to break every rule in the book to quench an insatiable vengeance and proceeds to set the world on fire (literally) to achieve some twisted form of justice before committing to some ritualistic suicide that only makes up for about 10% of all the bad he committed? Hold everything! That’s way too much plot for a James Bond film. We’ll just have him shoot some people to stop a regurgitated attempt at world domination in the hopes of preserving civilization as we know it. Yawn.