SKYFALL Post-Release - Page 18

The movie is just as much about her as it is about Bond.

 

I'll be surprised if we DON'T get the classic style HQ.  I expect M/Moneypenny's office set to be mostly the same, at least.  Q Branch will get a spiffy upgrade from their makeshift digs during Skyfall though.

 

As for a vehicle?  Expect Bond to have a brand new Q Branch-supplied mode of transportation.  The tips of that hat were not only for the anniversary.  They are intentionally walking down the path towards "classic Bond" again.  The producers, Craig, and the fans have all stated a desire to do so and I have no doubt they will continue heading towards that destination at a slow pace.  I'm not expecting Moore-esque antics and zaniness, but don't be surprised if things get a little more heightened and archetypal in Craig's final two outings.

 

 

Part of me thinks they might actually keep them at the end during Craig's run.  The other part of me thinks that they've already decided to return them to the front in the next one to quiet the constant bitching.

 

 

It absolutely was.  M is definitely the main "Bond Girl" of Skyfall.

The reveal of the car certainly got the biggest reaction in both of my viewings of this movie. I was surprised by this at the first showing because the audience was a lot smaller (I went to the very first showing in the morning, and there were only around twenty or so people present) because I noticed that the audience was quite young. It's quite comforting to know that the majority still recognised it as the Goldfinger car despite that movie being released prior to most of them being born.

 

Yeah, M was definitely the Bond girl of the movie and, if I'm right, only the second one in the entire franchise that Bond has wept over when she was killed. Good doing, Dame Judy! Incidentally, I know that she retired from the Bond movies because of her eye problems. I do hope she won't be retiring from movies altogether as I really like her as an actress.

I don't think she has 100% retired from acting, but I don't expect to be seeing a lot of her in the future.  I believe she wanted to retire from the series in a proper fashion though (similar to Desmond Llewelyn in TWINE), instead of just randomly not showing up in a future entry.  She definitely went out like a pro and had a fantastic arc to finalize her character.

To be honest Splinter Cell always seemed like a good modern take on the crazy gadgets and toys of Q branch.  Modern, sexy, designed as an extension of already plausible or soon to be existing technology etc. 

That's good to know and I agree that she went out like a pro!

 

Incidentally, this photo always causes me to chuckle for some reason:

 

I want that hat.

Saw it last night; I liked it, but was strangely cooled about the entire thing. I could recognize what I was seeing was well-made and I do love me some Craig Bond, but I thought it lacked the emotional heft it so clearly wanted to have.

 

• Would have liked a bit more introspection into the character. At least more than "HE'S OLD!!!" and "HE'S AN ORPHAN!!!" (And the worst thing about it is--He doesn't have any parents!!!)
• So wait....He fucked Money Penny and went on two full-on missions with her and never asked for her name once?  I'm sure I'm missing something here.
• "What makes you think I haven't done this before." I giggled.
• Javier Bardiem is certainly the star-player here; able to meld a character that's fun, creepy, and outright menacing. That speech he gives to M after he's captured was brilliant.

 

 

All in all, it's a solid action film. Whether or not it's a good "Bond" film I don't think I have any right to say, but I was expecting more from this. Maybe a second viewing will change my mind.

He didn't fuck Moneypenny.  Note that the scene simply ends with the shaving.  Not even a kiss.  When's the last time Bond fucked a chick and we didn't see the afterglow, or at least a kiss?  There was heavy flirting, but he didn't fuck her.

I got the sense that after the shaving, they were gonna 00Fuck.

This. Girl was asking for some 00-lovin the moment she appeared at the door.

If he'd kept unbuttoning her blouse without her swatting his hand away, maybe.  Once they cut to the next scene and there was no sex shown, I immediately thought, "She's definitely Moneypenny."

  I don't think Bond used his license to shag with Eve. Bond movies are always crystal clear on who Bond is having sex with.

 

 While I hope Bond 24 does have a tricked out 2014 Aston Martin, the main reason I wanted to see Q return was for the banter between Bond and him; which they had in Skyfall.

I don't know... I really like the original one.

Are you guys new to Bond movies? He did not bone Moneypenney.

Because the Craig run isn't at all known for tweaking the formula.

So are we saying that simply because she's an established character? Seriously, I'm asking because I'm not really familiar with any of the older Bond films.

 

The way that scene is directed--it looks like a booty call. Two attractive agents just looking to bone each other before a mission. Sure, we don't see the actual act, but the implication is certainly there.

 

 

Also: this is kind of a silly argument.

I have to agree. If we are meant to think Bond didn't fuck her, then perhaps the scene was confusingly shot or edited. When we got to the end of the movie, I suddenly found myself questioning my assumption (based on that scene) that Bond fucked her.

Double post?

I think that whether or not they did have sex, the movie definitely wants you to think they're abou to in that moment, presumably so that the reveal of her identity is a little more surprising. I guess they probably didn't but I don't think it's so crazy to think they did.

And yes, the reason people would assume they didn't is because the whole thing with Moneypenny in the classic films is that they always flirt but it's never consummated. But then, originally she also wasn't a former field agent.

 

No. We're saying that because if he did sleep with her it was treated differently than ANY of the times Bond slept with someone. 

I never got the impression they moved beyond the shaving. For one thing, they had work to do. Secondly, it just wasn't implied. 

I thought it was very clearly implied.  True, it's not as explicit as every other time he beds a Bond girl, but it's also way heavier than the flirting with Moneypenny has ever gotten before.  It's open enough for you to fill it in whichever way suits you, though.

See my problem is I can't imagine a scenario where James Bond backs down at that point. "Huh, OK, thanks for the shave then "Eve", I'll be seeing you around."

I think the idea was that they wanted to leave it vague so fans would be wondering and talking about whether or not Moneypenny and Bond have fucked for the foreseeable future of the franchise. They succeeded.

To me it felt like a Bond version of workplace flirting. 

Yup.

It'll be funny if the next Bond movie features MI6's Bring Your Child To Work Day and Moneypenny is sitting there with her tiny white baby who has a single curl of blonde hair.

and the child wants his formula shaken...not stirred.

Just saw this yesterday. Honestly, not quite feeling the love this is getting. It's good, no doubt. I enjoyed much of the film, but I'm certainly not on board with the "best ever" talk.

 

First, the good. Bardem is excellent, he's easily the highlight of the movie. The speech to M when he's captured and the reveal of that super-creepy jaw is absolutely fantastic. Also, that skyscraper fight is stunning. Just gorgeously shot. The whole film is beautiful, but that scene in particular is jaw-dropping.

 

The problem is, though, I was never really invested in what was going on. It just felt kind of inert to me. The quippy dialogue didn't ever feel particularly witty or sharp. The final act is just very strange. There's an egregious amount of ridiculous "hacker" nonsense (and seriously, this guy has been constantly hacking into your stuff, and you're going to plug his computer into your network?).

 

I don't know. I liked it, but I freaking love Casino Royale, and this one never felt alive like that movie did (at least for me).

I can see SKYFALL not being someone's favorite Bond movie, and maybe not even making their top 5 (though frankly it's a stretch), but I don't see how anyone can not let it land in the top ten. 

Who are we kidding...the child will be breastfeeding through the entire scene.

I agree.  I had mixed feelings about it upon first viewing...but after the second time I was ready to place it in a "top ten."  

Sebastian OB, Well Skyfall is not...Top Anything!   To me, it is the...Worst Bond Film.  I hope the next one is more exciting.

Ugh.  Duke. 

When I think of Casino Royale now, I think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byku-4Sl4zE

 

Just came from it & I agree 100% with this. SF is exactly what the franchise needs right now but it has pretty low replay value unlike CR, which has ridiculously high replay value.

Bardem was just...holy shit. An unbelievable performance.

I already have more of an urge to rewatch this one than I've ever had with CR

It's easily one of the top 2 or 3 best written Bond films. While watching it, I was comparing it to the franchise's previous attempt at "adult drama" TWINE. In light of SF, that film is utterly laughable.

 

SF is a Bond film that feels definitively "mature". It's a movie for adults. Which, after 50 years, is exactly what the franchise needs to be. Consequently, SF is not a very "fun" Bond film. FRWL, TLD, & CR are still the best at keeping a perfect balance between the heightened fantasy world of Bond with "adult" storytelling.

While I think that Skyfall is all that is right with James Bond, I would still rank Casino Royale over it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115305/

 

 

That would have also helped if License to Kill had been worth a tin shit to begin with. Skyfall, I think, is a nice middle ground between putting a new coat of paint on the classic formula without sacrificing the character-based focusing that Casino Royale did so well.

Thanks Brenner! 

Tom Cruise stole Daniel Craig's rightful role in Interview With A Vampire!

 

I can see why people like it. The cinematography is gorgeous, and I may give it a re-watch just because of that, but man....

 

This is not top five Bond. I think Bardem gives a really poor, over-the-top performance. He's Joker by the way of Norman Bates. The movie owes a lot to The Dark Knight, but I think Mendes already mentioned that in interviews. When it was revealed that Bardem being arrested was all part of the plan, I just rolled my eyes. And what was with the bizarre The Outlaw Josey Wales shoot-out? Doesn't fit the film at all, and it was just weird. 

 

It felt like an M film, which isn't why I watch Bond.

Kim Newman, author of The Anno Dracula series, gives it 4/5.

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137076

It's not in my Top 10. Can you live with that?