CR, Craig a hit in N Y
highhopes
Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
I'll admit I'm not big on Fox news, but their entertainment reporting is incredibly intelligent and incisive. 
[line]
New 007: Shaken or Stirred, He’s a Hit
By Roger Friedman
Fox News
Daniel Craig is about to become a big movie star. I’d say the whole thing should kick in around 10 p.m. ET on Friday. By then, the first shows of “Casino Royale” will have sold out, MGM/Sony will breathe a deep sigh of relief and women all over America will be telling their friends to see the new James Bond.
If last night’s New York screening at the Ziegfeld was any indication, not only is Craig going to be big, so is the movie. Director Martin Campbell and producer Barbara Broccoli have reinvented Bond very wisely as a less foppy, more masculine kind of hands-on spy who has a view to a kill and doesn’t mind going through with it.
The new James Bond, you might say, is buff and ready.
Indeed, Campbell pays such slavish attention to Craig’s physique that when the movie’s villain comments on how Bond takes care of his body, the audience is allowed a big chuckle. You can’t imagine Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan spending this much time at the gym. In fact, the old James Bond was far too narcissistic to think he needed a work out. But Craig’s edition obviously has a personal trainer and a mirror.
That said, "Casino Royale" should be a smash hit. It’s simultaneously old-fashioned filmmaking and very much cutting edge. Campbell has used a lot of ideas from films like Matthew Vaughn’s “Layer Cake” — which starred Craig — and a film that Vaughn produced, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” This James Bond likes to mix it up; he’s very physical and active in a way that Bond has never been in the past.
Like the good Bond movies, this one has a pretty swell opening sequence that follows the animated titles and a good new theme song by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. The action takes place on a construction site, and it’s really hair-raising. It’s got an acrobatic feel and an unexpected freshness.
From then on, Bond continues as a newly invented, younger, stronger kind of spy. Luckily, he still has Judi Dench, as M, to rein him in. Her scenes are notably droll and lend this Bond movie some much-needed humor. (Craig, at least the way he’s written, is lacking in that area.) A favorite scene is Bond nearly giving away M’s real name, after breaking into her home.
The rest of the cast is just about unknown, with Jeffrey Wright and the great Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini the only anchors. Otherwise, it’s up to newcomers, including the beautiful and sexy Eva Green as Vesper Lynd — Bond’s love interest — and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Le Chiffre to move the action along, and they do it skillfully.
While "Casino Royale" looks great, too, some things about the script are not completely intelligible. The movie is about 20 minutes too long. During a long lull in which Bond resigns his post and declares his love for Vesper Lynd, you can take a candy and bathroom break. I never figured out what happened to Giannini’s character, or who the enemy really was in this film. Suffice it to say, it doesn’t matter.
And yes, there are great locations: Venice never looked better, and Montenegro turns out to be the perfect Bond setting. The Bahamas get a long treatment, courtesy of Sol Kerzner’s Ocean Club and Atlantis resort. I got a big kick out of seeing Jerry Inzerillo, the unsung hero of the Kerzner empire, sitting in on a poker hand during one of the casino scenes. Bravo!
I leave you with this spoiler: If you’re like me, there are two lines that must be spoken in a Bond movie to make it authentic. One is the introduction, “Bond, James Bond.” The other is any reference to martinis being shaken and not stirred. You’ve got to be patient and wait till nearly the end. But like the movie’s payoff, the wait is worth it. And when the final words are spoken, you know Craig will be back in two years with the next installment.
[line]
New 007: Shaken or Stirred, He’s a Hit
By Roger Friedman
Fox News
Daniel Craig is about to become a big movie star. I’d say the whole thing should kick in around 10 p.m. ET on Friday. By then, the first shows of “Casino Royale” will have sold out, MGM/Sony will breathe a deep sigh of relief and women all over America will be telling their friends to see the new James Bond.
If last night’s New York screening at the Ziegfeld was any indication, not only is Craig going to be big, so is the movie. Director Martin Campbell and producer Barbara Broccoli have reinvented Bond very wisely as a less foppy, more masculine kind of hands-on spy who has a view to a kill and doesn’t mind going through with it.
The new James Bond, you might say, is buff and ready.
Indeed, Campbell pays such slavish attention to Craig’s physique that when the movie’s villain comments on how Bond takes care of his body, the audience is allowed a big chuckle. You can’t imagine Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan spending this much time at the gym. In fact, the old James Bond was far too narcissistic to think he needed a work out. But Craig’s edition obviously has a personal trainer and a mirror.
That said, "Casino Royale" should be a smash hit. It’s simultaneously old-fashioned filmmaking and very much cutting edge. Campbell has used a lot of ideas from films like Matthew Vaughn’s “Layer Cake” — which starred Craig — and a film that Vaughn produced, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” This James Bond likes to mix it up; he’s very physical and active in a way that Bond has never been in the past.
Like the good Bond movies, this one has a pretty swell opening sequence that follows the animated titles and a good new theme song by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. The action takes place on a construction site, and it’s really hair-raising. It’s got an acrobatic feel and an unexpected freshness.
From then on, Bond continues as a newly invented, younger, stronger kind of spy. Luckily, he still has Judi Dench, as M, to rein him in. Her scenes are notably droll and lend this Bond movie some much-needed humor. (Craig, at least the way he’s written, is lacking in that area.) A favorite scene is Bond nearly giving away M’s real name, after breaking into her home.
The rest of the cast is just about unknown, with Jeffrey Wright and the great Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini the only anchors. Otherwise, it’s up to newcomers, including the beautiful and sexy Eva Green as Vesper Lynd — Bond’s love interest — and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Le Chiffre to move the action along, and they do it skillfully.
While "Casino Royale" looks great, too, some things about the script are not completely intelligible. The movie is about 20 minutes too long. During a long lull in which Bond resigns his post and declares his love for Vesper Lynd, you can take a candy and bathroom break. I never figured out what happened to Giannini’s character, or who the enemy really was in this film. Suffice it to say, it doesn’t matter.
And yes, there are great locations: Venice never looked better, and Montenegro turns out to be the perfect Bond setting. The Bahamas get a long treatment, courtesy of Sol Kerzner’s Ocean Club and Atlantis resort. I got a big kick out of seeing Jerry Inzerillo, the unsung hero of the Kerzner empire, sitting in on a poker hand during one of the casino scenes. Bravo!
I leave you with this spoiler: If you’re like me, there are two lines that must be spoken in a Bond movie to make it authentic. One is the introduction, “Bond, James Bond.” The other is any reference to martinis being shaken and not stirred. You’ve got to be patient and wait till nearly the end. But like the movie’s payoff, the wait is worth it. And when the final words are spoken, you know Craig will be back in two years with the next installment.
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Roger Moore 1927-2017
Sorry -- I added a spoiler tag