The James Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary in spectacular style with Skyfall, the 23rd film in the series and Daniel Craig’s third outing as 007. Skyfall takes every hallmark of the series and pushes them farther than ever. It’s all there—exotic locations, incredible action sequences, a fascinating arch villain, gorgeous women, the best new Bond song (by Adele) since Shirley Bassey’s “Diamonds Are Forever,” some interesting personnel surprises (my advice: don’t read the spoiler reviews!), and of course, the car.
The locations (Turkey, Shanghai, Macau) are especially stunning, thanks to director Sam Mendes’ (and the Coen Brothers’) go-to man, Roger Deakins, whose painterly, watchful cinematography continually captures moments of beauty and stillness in the midst of danger and frenetic action. As for the villain, you can easily learn the actor who plays him, but as I think in this case it’s much better to be surprised, I will only say that he is as terrifying and charismatic and sad as Hannibal Lecter.
Naomie Harris gives almost as good as she gets as Bond’s field associate. And Bérénice Lim Marlohe’s Sévérine is as gorgeous and tragic as a Bond woman has been, with a sadly all-too-relevant real-world backstory.
It’s been some time since we got to see “Q” in a James Bond movie. He’s basically been absent since Desmond Llewelyn passed away in 1999, even though John Cleese took up the official “Q” moniker in Die Another Day. Still, Llewelyn will always be “Q” to us.
That hasn’t stopped the makers of Skyfall from giving it a try, however. They’ve introduced a new ‘Q” for the upcoming movie, played by Ben Whishaw, and we’ve got a clip of him, with Daniel Craig’s James Bond, for you today.
Even though he’s a new “Q”, we sorta like the kid. He could end up being okay after all.
After waiting for a bit of extra time for the next James Bond movie to arrive, it’s almost here. Skyfall is the name and from the looks of this latest trailer, it’s going to be pretty great.
But really, we’re big Bond fans around here so we would see it no matter what. The fact that it appears to be awesome is just a bonus.
Check out the new trailer below. Look for Skyfall to arrive on November 9.
Last week, to celebrate the actual 50th Birthday of the cinematic James Bond, Adele’s new theme song for Skyfall was officially released. The song was incredibly well received, mostly because the song is damn near perfect, but unless you watched some hastily edited fan edits you had to imagine what this theme would sound like over top of some real Bond action.
Thankfully there is someone really smart behind the marketing of Skyfall, as a new trailer just hit featuring the soon to be iconic new tune prominently. Somehow the already phenomenal song feels even better when you see Bond do his various Bond-y things, particularly that last beat of the trailer.
The anticipation for the third Daniel Craig Bond film is reaching it’s boiling point. At this point everyone seems to have let the bitter memory of Quantum of Solace wash away from their memories and are allowing all of the goodwill this movie is putting out drive their excitement.
This has been a banner anniversary year for Bond, and after some shaky years with a writer’s strike hindered Quantum and the bankruptcy scare of MGM, it is a welcome revival of the spy who loves us all. Except probably cold war era Russians, but everyone else for sure.
Check out the new trailer after the jump and stay tuned to The Flickcast for any last-minute news as Skyfall approaches.
Perhaps more than the Aston Martin, the Walther PPK or the martini’s, the signature Bond title tune is among the most important aspects of any 007 film. There have been some classic songs, some alright diddys and some downright duds over the years, so does Adele have what it take to deliver on Skyfall‘s titular ballad?
Well thankfully that is a question we do not have to wait for the release of Skyfall next month to answer. The song has been officially unleashed to the internet and it is with great relief we can report that it is actually pretty damn good. The last film, Quantum of Solace, had a title song that most people were not a big fan of, so the bounce back in quality for Skyfall is especially noticeable.
Unlike previous major pop star attempts at Bond themes, Adele manages to find the classic groove of the series roots without making the song all about her. As opposed to Madonna’s Die Another Day or the aforementioned Another Way To Die, which just seemed like advertisements for the artists and not a viable addition to the tapestry that was those particular films.
With the next James Bond actioneer, Skyfall, set for release in November, you can bet your hard-earned dollars we’re going to start seeing a crapload of promotional material for the movie. One of those promotional materials just happens to be a new commercial for Heineken featuring Ian Fleming’s master spy.
Heineken you say? Why, isn’t that a beer? I thought James Bond drank a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred? Sure, everybody knows that. . . Everybody except, it seems, the makers of Skyfall.
In the new Bond film, 007 is a beer drinker. His brand of choice? Heineken, of course. Yeah, we don’t really like the idea either.
Even so, the commercial is pretty cool and from what we’ve seen so far, the movie looks pretty cool too.
Even though some people found the last James Bond movie, Quantum of Solice, less than spectacular, we’re still glad Bond is back and coming to a theater near us in the new film Skyfall. We’ve alreadybroughtyouinfo about the new movie and now there’s a new trailer.
For those of you unfamiliar with Skyfall, here the synopsis:
Daniel Craig is back as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Not only does the film look stunning and full of exciting action and drama, but Skyfall also boasts one of the best casts ever for a Bond film. Aside from series regulars Craig and Dame Judi Dench as M, the film also features Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finny and Javier Bardem.
Check out the new trailer after the break. Look for Skyfall to arrive on November 9.
There is a new James Bond movie coming and, despite the mixed reception of Quantum of Solace, it will be heavily anticipated. So we have waited for the first teaser patiently, waiting for that first real morsel of the film to get excited about.
That time has come as the first teaser for the film has hit the interwebs. For those of you unfamiliar with the plot and circumstances of Skyfall, here is it’s synopsis:
Daniel Craig is back as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Not only does the film look stunning, but Skyfall also boasts one of the best casts ever for a Bond film. Aside from series regulars Craig and Dame Judi Dench, the film also features Ralph Finnes, Albert Finny and Javier Bardem. One thing is certain, this film wont lack for talent.
CinemaCon has been the source of many interesting and exciting movie news items in the past few days. One major player at the theater owner convention was Sony who brought with them lots of info on it’s 2012 slate.
The folks at ComingSoon.Net are reporting that Sony made it clear that they are looking ahead in regards to one of it’s marquee franchises:
Sony’s President of Worldwide Distribution Rory Bruer talked about Sony’s slate for 2013 and beyond and confirmed that James Bond would indeed be back in 2014 with the 24th movie in the franchise and the follow-up to Skyfall.
This is expected news, but still great to hear confirmed. Daniel Craig is signed on for a total of 8 Bond films, and after the MGM bankruptcy fiasco it began to look like we might not get to see them all. Now that we have confirmation that the films are back to a quick turnaround of every other year we should be seeing a lot of our favorite Super Spy in the coming decade.
Sony also showcased the first footage from Skyfall at the event. Early word is that it looks good, but the teaser footage was a bit to fast paced to get a true feeling of it. We should be seeing the first teaser some time soon ourselves, so keep an eye peeled to The Flickcast for all your Bond news.
In the old days (you know, before things like YouTube) we had to rely on newspapers, magazines and TV shows like Entertainment Tonight to get our movie and TV news. Now we’ve got the Internets and a whole bunch of new and cooler ways.
One of those new ways is the personal videoblog made by directors of big movies. Much like Peter Jackson did during his filmmaking adventures with The Hobbit, director Sam Mendes has taken up the cause and is doing video dispatches while directing Daniel Craig in the production of the next James Bond film Skyfall.
His first one is pretty short, only 90 seconds, but in it the director talks about his Bond nostalgia and few glimpses of actual filming taking place with Craig in action as Bond. It’s pretty cool and hopefully the first of many.
Check it out after the jump. Look for more from Mendes as production on Skyfall progresses. The movie itself arrives in theaters on November 9.
Sometimes the first official image from a movie can drastically change the public’s perspective of an upcoming film. It can show you an exciting new look from a main character, or it can give you hints to the story or plot. Then some times the first official still is just a man sitting by a pool in the dark.
Empire has debuted the first official image from Skyfall. A lonely and sullen looking Bond playing footsie with a swimming pool after hours. Maybe that watch is a new Q gadget, or perhaps there are sharks with laser beam head gear just out of frame!
Yeah, not exactly the most exciting first still in the history of movies, but it is still notable for a few reasons. One, it is James Bond, and with the recent strife with MGM, seeing him officially in Skyfall is nice to see. There was real concern that the movie would never get made, but it is really happening.
Also this is the 5oth anniversary of James Bond, which is a huge deal. The Golden Anniversary for a cinematic icon is important to recognize, and any opportunity this year to talk about Britain’s most dashing spy will be used. Hopefully they will be more meaty in the future.
Last year Trent Reznor lead a resurgence of main stream musicians turning to film scores. The 80′s saw a lot of this trend, most notably Danny Elfman, of Oingo Boingo fame and Christopher Franke of Tangerine Dream. The best two scores from 2010 came from popular musicians in Reznor’s The Social Network and Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy. 2011 might be shaping up the same with one notable score by The Chemical Bros. already released.
Reznor is back again, with compatriot Atticus Ross, for another David Fincher score. This time writing the music for a film that seems much more up the ally of the Nine Inch Nails artist. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a dark, thrilling murder mystery that seems a [perfect fit for they style of music Ross and Reznor have made previously.
Much like The Social Network, this score is deceptively complex, with subtle tracks that wash over your mind like the blankets of snow that define the movie. The music is not overly orchestral, but that works to the advantage of the film, helping cement a ton of tension and keeping everything feeling a bit off.
The James Bond films are one of the longest and most storied film franchises in the history of cinema. Despite over twenty films and nearly five decades of action, the series has been rather consistent in the score department. For well over three fourths of the James Bond films music dudties have been held by two men, the late great John Barry and excellent David Arnold.
It was assumed that Arnold would be returning for his sixth Bond film with Skyfall, but it seems the delays caused by MGM have actually caused Arnold’s schedule to be too full, he will be spending much of the next six months being the musical director for the summer Olympics. MI6 is reporting that in Arnold’s absence, director Sam Mendes is calling on a long time collaborator to fill his shoes.
American composer Thomas Newman will be scoring the new James Bond film, “Skyfall”, due out later this year. It will be his first 007 adventure.
Newman has been a long time collaborator with “Skyfall” helmer Sam Mendes, having scored four of the directors other films: “American Beauty” (1999), “Road to Perdition” (2002) [which also starred Daniel Craig], “Jarhead” (2005) and “Revolutionary Road” (2008).
Newman is an interesting choice for a big budget action film, but in many respects so is director Sam Mendes. One thing is for certain, Newman always brings his A game, so you can expect to hear an exceptional Bond score once Skyfall hits theaters later this year.
Those who caught Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig get in all kinds of trouble in the American remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo probably left the theater wanting more. And even though the film didn’t do very well in theaters, they’ll be getting just that.
According to Sony, the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is still moving forward despite the lingering perception that Dragon Tattoo has underperformed. “[Dragon Tattoo] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book,” a Sony rep tells EW.
In November, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal told us that The Girl Who Played With Fire was definitely a go, with a targeted late-2013 release date.
But Dragon Tattoo, which has grossed $60 million in the U.S. since its release on Dec. 20, is being perceived as something of a box-office disappointment (although moviegoers are enthusiastic — it received an A from audience-survey firm CinemaScore — and it seems to be holding up well over time as it chugs toward the $100 million mark).
So if you haven’t seen the film yet, you had better rush out while it’s still in your local theaters. And if you have, and don’t feel like waiting a year+ for more, check out the original Swedish trilogy on Instant Netflix today.
The James Bond franchise is bigger than one actor. It is all about the character of James Bond. However, the most recent iteration of that character, actor Daniel Craig, is extremely popular. So much so that producer Michael G. Wilson has come out publicly with his wish to keep Daniel Craig on board for a record number of films.
“Daniel’s been a terrific Bond, a superb actor and a terrific man. The fans love him and I don’t think there’s a better actor to play the part… Filming has gone very well so far and I’d love Daniel to surpass Roger’s record and do eight pictures. Daniel’s been an absolute pleasure to be around because he takes the role so seriously. There’s really no one more passionate about making these films work than him – he’s a film maker’s dream.
A lot of people have said Daniel’s been their favourite Bond since Sean Connery and I can’t argue with them. He’s doing a great job.”
No deals are in place and all of this is likely conditional on the success of the next two Bond films, but it is great to hear the filmmakers have so much confidence in their current Bond.
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via iTunes
