Well, I know some people didn't understand the reason for the airplane bombing attempt in CR. Theoretically, one had to have at least a basic understanding of short selling. Most people didn't care though. The bad guy wanted to blow up an airplane.
I share your opinion but I think Nolan might overdo it. To this day I speculate about the meaning of Inception, which is great fun but wouldn't necessarily suit a Bond movie. I think a good Bond movie needs a decent director but not one with an eccentric style that tends to exceed genre limits. The same applies to Quentin Tarantino, I think.
"I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman. "
"- That is something to be afraid of."
Funnily enough I agree, Bond is essentially a British icon and
needs a British director to get the brst out of the character. I'm
not saying other directors couldn't do it, just it would be easier
for a home grown one.
Funnily enough I agree, Bond is essentially a British icon and
needs a British director to get the brst out of the character. I'm
not saying other directors couldn't do it, just it would be easier
for a home grown one.
Well I guess that rules me out!
HOLY GOD ALMIGHTY!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!!! WELCOME HOME!!!!
I share your opinion but I think Nolan might overdo it. To this day I speculate about the meaning of Inception, which is great fun but wouldn't necessarily suit a Bond movie. I think a good Bond movie needs a decent director but not one with an eccentric style that tends to exceed genre limits.
I can understand that certainly, but most directors unfortunately said "Well, it's a Bond movie and went with the grain". I'd rather have Nolan than Spotiswoode, Apted or (as far as Skyfall is concerned) Mendes. Campbell did something special with Casino Royale. Forster, in some ways, tried to make Quantum of Solace a more emotional human experience, different from the other Bond films, but unfortunately the writers' strike constraints resulted in the plot being generic. Overall, since we've had at least a dozen safe films in the series, we can afford an intellectually ambitious one.
The issue I have is just the complacency in the Bond franchise when it comes to writing and new ideas. The action scenes are envy of the world as far as movies go. They can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on CGI and robust set-pieces but they somehow cannot afford the cash for a good writer. I hope nothing but the best for Spectre, but after Casino Royale each film got less original. Skyfall, in many ways, was a step back, with a story that wasn't even coherent.
Outside of the core Bond fans, like ourselves, many movie buffs roll their eyes when they think of the franchise and cite it as the example of formulaic writing. Nonetheless, the corny dialogue and acting in many bits. A franchise that's a household name with so many resources available to it, unable to take a creative risk. A number of directors and actors declined working for the series. When actresses audition the part for a Bond girl, the mentality isn't that "This will challenge me as an actress and utilize me creatively". It's more so "This part will make me famous so I can find better movies".
I don't have a specific list of demands for a Bond movie. I don't mind if it's campy, dark, violent, tame, minimalist, maximalist, as long as it's original, creative, unique and well-done. With the Bond franchise, once you've seen one film, you've seen most of them. The plots are predictable and there's very little surprises. We know one Bond girl will die and one will make out with Bond at the end of the movie. We know Bond will cordially meet a villain, snoop on his activities, get kidnapped by him, escape and then kill him. We know the movie will have a chase sequence in the middle, an evil lair at the climax and a happy ending.
How many Bond movies were there in which one wouldn't be able to predict what happens to the characters in the 2nd half?
From Russia With Love (doesn't follow the formula much at all)
Goldfinger (had a number of clever moments)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Living Daylights (false defection plot deviates from the evil villain plot)
The World Is Not Enough (got corny, but the plot was original and pleasantly convoluted)
Casino Royale 06 (having the villain as a desperate gambler instead of a world ruler, and a convincing romance)
That's 6 out of 23 which are remotely surprising or intellectually stimulating.
I can still appreciate movies like Live and Let Die, which are super-fun, but when the majority of films end up like that, it's simply a matter of which films do the formula best. And as a result, you have clear winners like The Spy Who Loved Me. And clear losers like Die Another Day and Diamonds Are Forever.
I'm a big fan of the series. I'm not trying to bash it - just providing some constructive criticism.
Funnily enough I agree, Bond is essentially a British icon and
needs a British director to get the brst out of the character. I'm
not saying other directors couldn't do it, just it would be easier
for a home grown one.
Well I guess that rules me out!
HOLY GOD ALMIGHTY!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!!! WELCOME HOME!!!!
Hey Cart! How are you, kid? Yep, I'm still knocking about. Still a little off balance, but I'm glad to be back and I hope to be in full swing again soon. -{
The magic of Hollywood, we have a Scotsman playing an Egyptian
and a Frenchman playing a Scotsman. ) what next British actors
playing American Superheroes ?
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
How many Bond movies were there in which one wouldn't be able to predict what happens to the characters in the 2nd half?
I would add QoS which doesn't have a happy ending but Bond's emotional closure and the decision not to go for the revenge kill.
Skyfall was unpredictable in the sense that it didn't make any sense whatsoever and Bond "lost" because M dies. )
LTK also deviates from the formula, although going rogue seems to be very fashionable these days..
Otherwise, very good post. I personally would like to see them take more risks as well, but it could easily go very wrong too. And I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with a Bond movie with, say, a twisted timeline, splatter violence, foot fetish or a mandatory director cameo appearance (this is more Tarantino than Nolan of course). But hey, at least we get the sophisticated German bad guy this time!
"I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman. "
"- That is something to be afraid of."
I love the die hard films, so for the second half of the films did I think
Officer John McClane would lose ...... Er No !
Batman would he lose ............. Er No !
The Avengers .,.................... No!
Mission impossible ............. Again No !
Did any of this spoil my enjoyment of these movies ......er ... NO ! )
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I used the Search function and decided to resurect this thread.
For years I've championed Christopher Nolan to direct Bond, but after watching Tenet I have reservations. Perhaps he needs to prove he can make a straight forward thriller/action movie without using a (very) high consept idea to prove to the world how smart he is. Or maybe script writers who aren's his brother and BB as the producer is enough to reign him in?
I don't really have any new ideas at the moment. Steve McQueen is an excelent British director. A British director who's not white will also help convince those in need of convincing that Bond is moving with the times.
Denis Villeneuve is one of the best candidates, but he'll have to take a break from the Dune movie(s) to make it happen.
Alex Garland is a very good writer (Dredd, Sunshine), but "Ex Machina" proved he's a very good director too.
David MacKenzie showed great promise with "Hell or high water", but I understand "Outlaw king" was more average.
Much in the same way Ben Wheatley impressed with "Free Fire", but he hasn't proved himself in a big movie.
Then there is Carey Fukunaga. We haven't seen NTTD yet, but I'm hopeful. If NTTD is good he may be willing to make another?
I just read that Martin Campbell would be willing to direct the next Bond. Having directed both Brosnan and Craig's first outing - and being a big fan of GoldenEye and Casino Royale - I would definitely want him for the next one.
Comments
I share your opinion but I think Nolan might overdo it. To this day I speculate about the meaning of Inception, which is great fun but wouldn't necessarily suit a Bond movie. I think a good Bond movie needs a decent director but not one with an eccentric style that tends to exceed genre limits. The same applies to Quentin Tarantino, I think.
"- That is something to be afraid of."
Well I guess that rules me out!
HOLY GOD ALMIGHTY!!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!!! WELCOME HOME!!!!
AJB007 Favorite Film Rankings
Pros and Cons Compendium (50 Years)
I can understand that certainly, but most directors unfortunately said "Well, it's a Bond movie and went with the grain". I'd rather have Nolan than Spotiswoode, Apted or (as far as Skyfall is concerned) Mendes. Campbell did something special with Casino Royale. Forster, in some ways, tried to make Quantum of Solace a more emotional human experience, different from the other Bond films, but unfortunately the writers' strike constraints resulted in the plot being generic. Overall, since we've had at least a dozen safe films in the series, we can afford an intellectually ambitious one.
The issue I have is just the complacency in the Bond franchise when it comes to writing and new ideas. The action scenes are envy of the world as far as movies go. They can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on CGI and robust set-pieces but they somehow cannot afford the cash for a good writer. I hope nothing but the best for Spectre, but after Casino Royale each film got less original. Skyfall, in many ways, was a step back, with a story that wasn't even coherent.
Outside of the core Bond fans, like ourselves, many movie buffs roll their eyes when they think of the franchise and cite it as the example of formulaic writing. Nonetheless, the corny dialogue and acting in many bits. A franchise that's a household name with so many resources available to it, unable to take a creative risk. A number of directors and actors declined working for the series. When actresses audition the part for a Bond girl, the mentality isn't that "This will challenge me as an actress and utilize me creatively". It's more so "This part will make me famous so I can find better movies".
I don't have a specific list of demands for a Bond movie. I don't mind if it's campy, dark, violent, tame, minimalist, maximalist, as long as it's original, creative, unique and well-done. With the Bond franchise, once you've seen one film, you've seen most of them. The plots are predictable and there's very little surprises. We know one Bond girl will die and one will make out with Bond at the end of the movie. We know Bond will cordially meet a villain, snoop on his activities, get kidnapped by him, escape and then kill him. We know the movie will have a chase sequence in the middle, an evil lair at the climax and a happy ending.
How many Bond movies were there in which one wouldn't be able to predict what happens to the characters in the 2nd half?
From Russia With Love (doesn't follow the formula much at all)
Goldfinger (had a number of clever moments)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Living Daylights (false defection plot deviates from the evil villain plot)
The World Is Not Enough (got corny, but the plot was original and pleasantly convoluted)
Casino Royale 06 (having the villain as a desperate gambler instead of a world ruler, and a convincing romance)
That's 6 out of 23 which are remotely surprising or intellectually stimulating.
I can still appreciate movies like Live and Let Die, which are super-fun, but when the majority of films end up like that, it's simply a matter of which films do the formula best. And as a result, you have clear winners like The Spy Who Loved Me. And clear losers like Die Another Day and Diamonds Are Forever.
I'm a big fan of the series. I'm not trying to bash it - just providing some constructive criticism.
AJB007 Favorite Film Rankings
Pros and Cons Compendium (50 Years)
Why? Does somebody's camera need breaking???
Hey Cart! How are you, kid? Yep, I'm still knocking about. Still a little off balance, but I'm glad to be back and I hope to be in full swing again soon. -{
Balance? ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbvbIN0nN7A
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I appreciate the sentiment, Chris. And I'm not Spanish - I'm Egyptian!
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
and a Frenchman playing a Scotsman.
playing American Superheroes ?
I would add QoS which doesn't have a happy ending but Bond's emotional closure and the decision not to go for the revenge kill.
Skyfall was unpredictable in the sense that it didn't make any sense whatsoever and Bond "lost" because M dies.
LTK also deviates from the formula, although going rogue seems to be very fashionable these days..
Otherwise, very good post. I personally would like to see them take more risks as well, but it could easily go very wrong too. And I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with a Bond movie with, say, a twisted timeline, splatter violence, foot fetish or a mandatory director cameo appearance (this is more Tarantino than Nolan of course). But hey, at least we get the sophisticated German bad guy this time!
"- That is something to be afraid of."
Officer John McClane would lose ...... Er No !
Batman would he lose ............. Er No !
The Avengers .,.................... No!
Mission impossible ............. Again No !
Did any of this spoil my enjoyment of these movies ......er ... NO !
I used the Search function and decided to resurect this thread.
For years I've championed Christopher Nolan to direct Bond, but after watching Tenet I have reservations. Perhaps he needs to prove he can make a straight forward thriller/action movie without using a (very) high consept idea to prove to the world how smart he is. Or maybe script writers who aren's his brother and BB as the producer is enough to reign him in?
I don't really have any new ideas at the moment. Steve McQueen is an excelent British director. A British director who's not white will also help convince those in need of convincing that Bond is moving with the times.
Denis Villeneuve is one of the best candidates, but he'll have to take a break from the Dune movie(s) to make it happen.
Alex Garland is a very good writer (Dredd, Sunshine), but "Ex Machina" proved he's a very good director too.
David MacKenzie showed great promise with "Hell or high water", but I understand "Outlaw king" was more average.
Much in the same way Ben Wheatley impressed with "Free Fire", but he hasn't proved himself in a big movie.
Then there is Carey Fukunaga. We haven't seen NTTD yet, but I'm hopeful. If NTTD is good he may be willing to make another?
I just read that Martin Campbell would be willing to direct the next Bond. Having directed both Brosnan and Craig's first outing - and being a big fan of GoldenEye and Casino Royale - I would definitely want him for the next one.