Wednesday Wow - No Time to Die - James Bond

 Bond, James Bond.  Daniel Craig is back (finally) and No Time to Die is worth the long Covid wait. 

Ray and I saw it in the theater. It's over two hours, but stays intense - I did not debate in my head editing anything. The movie checked off all of the boxes I expect  for a James Bond movie.  Wham - the opening intro sequence is intense and really gets us immersed. 

Car chases - heck yeah and I love a sleek cool Aston Martin (with some extra super gizmos). 

Pretty women - well, of course. 

Daniel Craig with his shirt off - absolutely.  

"Shaken, not stirred"

Crisp editing and plenty of action, fight scenes, a brooding Bond, and an insane (? these days anything is possible) plot with chemicals and selective killing genetics. Don't overthink that too much. 

Villains - two!!  Rami Malek is a quiet sinister madmen.   Christoph Waltz as Blofield is behind maximum security bars (thanks  to James in previous film), but still  manufacturing Spectre chaos. 

James (Daniel) has been in this spy game for so long. He's seen it all. This is a rather reflective Bond - Ray even commented on the deeper character study. I give No Time to Die an  A in the Bond universe. It's worth seeing on the big screen.  And the Bond song - good one with Billie Eillish. 

Bond, James  Bond

Hollywood Hits

Sunday November 5th, I sat in plush seats at Bass Hall and enjoyed another Fort Worth Symphony program. I settled in when the opening John Williams notes soared - Theme from Raiders of the Lost Arc

The Hollywood Hits kept coming including a whole James Bond theme section. Very cool to hear Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, etc.

A vocalist -Kelly Levesque - sang some lovely numbers too. The guest conductor, Brian Byrne, was an Irish fellow with a pleasant manner and a good sense of humor. He talked about some of the numbers, and conducted his own theme from Albert Hobbs, a movie that starred Glenn Close.

The finale included grand movie themes - Tara's Theme from Gone With the Wind, Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago, and of course we finished with Rocky's Theme. I left the symphony ready for victory, but I had already won - my heart was filled with music.

Movie Madness - Spectre

Spectre is the latest James Bond movie and it does all the usual Bond stuff. In the overall scheme of movies, it gets a solid B for entertainment. However, I’m going to be picky in this review, and give it a C.  The last Bond movie, Skyfall, was truly a great movie – it had mystery, drama, action, and many holy cow! moments.  Compared to it, Spectre is a yawner and that’s a shame.  The rumor has floated for a while that Daniel Craig is ready to move on from the franchise. Frankly I think it shows. He’s still a decent actor and did the James Bond thing, but he lacked that extra sparkle, pizzazz, edgy humorous smile, and verve.

Cars – well, heck yeah – the Aston Martin gets an A+. No question

Opening credits – always Bondesque and these were good

Bond Theme sung by Sam Smith “Writing on the Wall” – heck yeah – the kid has a voice and this is a worthy song – A

Shaken not stirred reference – check

Bond Girl – pretty enough and yet a tad bland. Frankly, too too young. She had a pretty pout and could run in heels, but was not a standout

Opening chase scene and blast in Mexico City – very good opener. Well filmed and dramatic.

Balance of plot line about the Spectre organization and blah blah blah blah – rather boring

The new Q – this is a bright spot – the kid does a good job and injects some humor into the movie. The gadgets are okay. Back in the “olden” days, they were crazier. Technology now is almost ahead of Bond movies.

Moneypenny – attractive, but didn’t get to do much in this film. Generally her give and take with James adds something. Unfortunately, it must have been left on the cutting room floor.

Missing desperately – Dame Judi Dench as M. Yes, she left us in Skyfall and she’s sorely missed. Her crisp diction and toughness with James gave him some soul. Her scenes always crackled.  Ralph Fiennes is adequate.

Villain – Christoph Waltz – alas. He did his best with the part, but Javier Bardem set a high bar in Skyfall. Sorry – Christoph – just not wacko enough.

Are you seeing the theme? Skyfall truly added to the James Bond lexicon. Spectre is very pale in comparison.  I admit I saw this movie right after the Paris bombing tragedy and frankly it set a pall over the movie. I was sensitive as to the violence, the explosions, etc.  What used to be so “crazy” in the Bond films is now unfortunately on the evening news. I had high expectations, but had to settle for mediocre. As for the car………..oh yeah, still awesome.

Movie Review: Skyfall

Bond, James Bond. Aaah - we've celebrated those words for fifty years and over twenty plus movies in the franchise. Classics for the ages. Best ever was Sean Connery and Goldfinger - that's this critic's opinion. You may write in your favorites. But let's discuss the latest, Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig. Superb, exciting, and ranks high in the pantheon.

James Bond has been buried and is mourned. MI6 is moving on, but comes under attack. Cyber terrorism outs a multitude of agents and they are being killed. MI6 itself is blown to bits and has to relocate. And who shows up, but a very much alive James Bond. Daniel Craig's eyes gleam a steely blue, his face reflects weariness, and yes he was wounded and has to rehab. M herself, the great Judi Dench, greets him in her clipped tone and expects him to get to work. Can he pass the tests? Is he ready for the field? The new Q is a flop-haired youngster (Ben Whitshaw) with a few new gadgets in the arsenal.

It's all typical Bond movie, and yet raised to a higher level. Skyfall gives us a glimpse into James's history. We see the slightest of vulnerability, but also the dashing guts and glory too. Top notch goodies, plus a Scottish estate and an old Aston Martin. Cheers!

As for the villain - oh, Javier Bardem as Silva (an ex-agent) is a slippery snake oozing enough psycho charm to keep us interested. He matches wits and charm and then explosion for explosion. He's definitely up there in the list of great Bond villains. (Again, argue and write in your favorites - that's what makes 007 movies so fabulous).

I won't give away anymore. Skyfall is pretty girls, sexy intro, an Adele sung theme (rah), chases, explosions, and Daniel Craig doing it up right as Bond, James Bond. Go see this movie and come away shaken, not stirred, by the stunning camera work and slick pacing. Skyfall is a reason to go to the big screen movies.