Never say never, especially when it comes to Bond.
According to reports, Sam Mendes has decided to return to direct the next 007 movie after initially bowing out of the project. Mendes had, at first, declined to direct Bond 24 due to his commitment to directing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear on stage in London. However, after some persuasion from Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Mendes has agreed to come back to helm 007’s next adventure.
An article from the U.K.’s Daily Mail adds, “[the] Bond family has told Mendes they will wait until all his theatre projects are out of the way and then he can commit to Bond 24 full-time. Mendes, unofficially, has agreed.”
Additionally, Bond 24 will be written by John Logan, who helped write the script for Skyfall.
Looks like Christopher Nolan is now out of the running, but as I said earlier: never say never to Bond.
James Bond will return, but his Skyfall director has decided not to join him. Sam Mendes has confirmed that he will not be returning to direct the yet untitled Bond 24, taking time instead to focus on other projects.
In an article with EmpireOnline.com, Mendes stated that it was a difficult decision for him to pass up the Skyfall sequel. Mendes said, “Directing Skyfallwas one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”
As of now, the only other creative member from the Skyfall team set to return is John Logan, the screenwriter of movies like Hugo and The Last Samurai. It’s been rumored that Bond 24 and Bond 25 will be a film in two parts.
Who would you like to see direct the next James Bond movie? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. As for me, I have my fingers crossed that Christopher Nolan has some time on his hands now that his Batman trilogy is over.
It’s only been a few days into 2013, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to take one last look at the best and worst from 2012. This particular blog is dedicated to the best entertainment events from 2012, along with some of the bad moments. Bear in mind, a majority of these categories were a) made up off the top of my head and b) are, for the most part, based on movies that I’ve seen so far. If there’s a movie that I haven’t seen, you’ll know immediately.
With that being said, let’s hand out the prestigious “Nerdy” awards.
Best Superhero:
2012 was the year of the superhero. Whether it was Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Captain America saving New York City from Loki, Peter Parker coming into his new spider-abilities or Bruce Wayne protecting Gotham from a ruthless madman, superheroes dominated 2012.
Winner:
Batman (The Dark Knight Rises)
SorryAvengers fans. The one movie that I’ll remember most from this year is The Dark Knight Rises. Although it has it’s fair share of plot holes, (but, to be honest, what movie doesn’t?) director Christopher Nolan has managed to make an exciting and thoughtful conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy. With a cast featuring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, Nolan’s tale of the Dark Knight comes to an exciting and thrilling finale.
Honorable mentions:
The entire cast of The Avengers, Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man)
Best Movie Villain:
Winner:
Tom Hardy as Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)
This was a tough decision. The other runner-up in this category was Javier Bardem in Skyfall. But, ultimately, Hardy’s performance as the ruthless warlord holding Gotham City hostage won out. Chilling, menacing and ruthless, Bane managed to capture the audience with his terrifying plan to hold Gotham hostage with a nuclear bomb. While I still prefer Heath Ledger’s Joker, Hardy managed to make breathing issues terrifyingly awesome.
Biggest Surprise:
Winner:
The Avengers
Now, I have to be honest when I say that when The Avengers came out, I was the opposite of excited. My honest opinion was that Marvel was rushing out its superhero movies solely to get The Avengers made, and for that reason, I refused to see it in theaters. But when I eventually saw it on DVD, I actually felt bad for my stubbornness. Again, while I preferred The Dark Knight Rises, Joss Whedon manages to hold his own with a movie of this size. Stellar performances by the entire cast.
Best Comeback:
Winner:
James Bond (Skyfall)
Nobody does it better than Bond, James Bond. As I said in my review of Skyfall as well as my countdown of the James Bond movies (the rest of the list will be finished shortly), Quantum of Solace was a huge disappointment from the elements that worked so well for Casino Royale. After a four-year hiatus due to MGM’s financial troubles, director Sam Mendes helped to re-reboot the Bond franchise with, arguably, one of the series best movies, as well as being one of the best movies of the year. Sam, please come back and direct Bond 24. Additionally, James Bond also takes home a “Nerdy” award for Best Spy of the Year. The Bourne Legacy and Taken 2 never stood a chance against the suave and sophisticated 007.
The “Thank God”/Most Anticipated Award:
This particular award goes to a movie that I have been looking forward to for the entirety of the year.
Winner:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
I know what you’re thinking: “How did the last Twilightmovie make it onto this list?” Well, one reason, really: this series is finally over. I won’t have to listen to another “Twilight is better than Harry Potter” or listen to another argument over Team Edward or Team Jacob. And don’t get me started on the fact that Twilight took the idea of splitting their last movie into two parts from that other successful fantasy series? You know, the one that actually had a plot and interesting characters? So, thank God this movie finally came out. Fingers crossed that a remake is not in the future for these movies.
Runners-up:
Skyfall,The Avengers,The Dark Knight Rises, Django UnchainedLes Misérables
Best Actor:
Winner:
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln)
No contest here. If he doesn’t win the Academy Award for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, I will have lost all faith in the Oscars and the Academy itself. Whenever he’s in the room, he exudes a sense of power and dynamism, and manages to capture the attention of everyone. Powerful, evocative, thought-provoking, Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance is, perhaps, his best role so far.
Best Director:
Winner:
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Having not yet seen Les Misérables, Zero Dark Thirty, The Hobbit or Django Unchained yet really narrowed down my list of best directors. However, the “Nerdy” goes to Spielberg for Lincoln. Spielberg manages to elicit good performances from the entire cast (including Sally Field, who should be nominated for best actress, Tommy Lee Jones and David Strathairn) as well as tell the story about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Spielberg’s talent for good storytelling and impressive dialogue has never been more evident than in Lincoln.
Best Picture (That I Saw):
Lincoln
My opinion might change after seeing Zero Dark Thirty, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables and Django Unchained, but the best movie of 2012 (that I saw) is Lincoln. Masterfully directed, amazing performances from the entire cast and relevant to our modern political culture. Lincoln should win Best Picture at the Oscars this year.
What were your favorite movies of 2012? What movies are you most looking forward to in 2013? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Neal Purvis (left) and Robert Wade (right) have confirmed their departure from the Bond series, after writing the scripts for the previous five 007 movies.
With Skyfall celebrating the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, the 23rd movie also marks the departure of a few familiar faces. Series regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have recently said that they will not return to write the script for the yet untitled Bond 24, scheduled to be released in 2014.
In an article from Den of Geek, Purvis said about the departure, “We’re very happy to have done five Bond movies. I think we’ve gotten it to a good place. I know that John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with a plot for another one, which takes the pressure off because these films take up a lot of time.”
Purvis and Wade joined the Bond ‘team’ with 1999’s The World is not Enough and wrote the scripts for all the following Bond movies up to Skyfall.
Wade added, in the same article, “We were going to stop with Quantum Of Solace, but it’s good to go out on a high with Skyfall.“
Skyfall co-writer John Logan has reportedly been hired to write a two-story arc for Bond 24 and Bond 25 and will be writing the script for the 24th installment alone.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether or not director Sam Mendes will return to direct Bond 24. Given the track record so far, it doesn’t seem likely that Mendes would return for another Bond. However, Logan has added that he and Mendes have a good idea of where Bond 24 would most likely pick up at.
What are your thoughts on Bond 24? Who would you like to see direct? Should they continue with the “Quantum” story arc from Quantum of Solace? Or go in an entirely new path?
After a long four year absence, and the financial troubles that faced MGM Studios (as well as the critically panned Quantum of Solace), James Bond has finally returned to theaters in a movie that reflects on mortality and the changing face of terrorism.
After having been “killed in action” on a failed assignment (not a spoiler, it was in the trailer) James Bond comes back for active duty when MI-6 comes under attack from a threat that seems to be targeting M (played once again by the incredible Judi Dench). As MI-6 comes under scrutiny, James Bond and M decide to defy government officials in order to restore the organization’s former glory.
Unlike previous Bond movies, Skyfall puts Dench’s M in the spotlight, as she becomes the target of rogue agent Raoul Silva (played masterfully by Javier Bardem). Wait, character development? In a James Bond movie? It can’t be!
Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) takes over the director’s chair for the 23rd installment of the franchise. And the choice, I believe paid off for the Bond franchise, as Mendes spends quite a lot of the movie establishing character and developing the mystery surrounding the plot. (I should also point out that although Skyfall is an ‘action’ movie, it feels more like a mystery, with action pieces that fit in around it.) The movie takes its time with character development, unlike its predecessor, which focused solely on incorporating action scenes.
It also appears that Mendes had another influence while making this movie. He stated in an interview how director Christopher Nolan affected his style of direction. According to an article from Collider.com, Mendes says “What Nolan proved was that you can make a huge movie that is thrilling and entertaining and has a lot to say about the world we live in…that did help give me the confidence to take this movie in directions that, without The Dark Knight, might not have been possible.” (Check out the full article here: http://collider.com/sam-mendes-skyfall-the-dark-knight/204523/). While watching this particular movie, there are eerily similar parallels to TDK, such as the battle between Bond and Silva being one of intelligence, and how police fight crime on a modern-day basis. Even Silva’s mannerisms are similar to that of Ledger’s Joker, in that he’s a meticulous planner, always has a way out for escape and is exceedingly eccentric.
Surprisingly, Skyfall dares to break the traditional formulaic trend of previous installments by delving into the mysterious past of the secret agent, a topic which no James Bond movie has attempted to explain before. In addition, while discussing Bond’s past, the movie also introduces us to a new Quartermaster (Q), played by Ben Whishaw. My personal favorite Q was Desmond Llewelyn (who played the role from From Russia with Love to The World is not Enough, a span of 16 years), but Whishaw holds his own, playing a younger more computer savvy version of his predecessor. As he tells Bond, “I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.” While it’s nice to see Q reintroduced to the series, it’s better to see that the gadgets introduced in Skyfall are minimal and not unbelievable. Even Whishaw’s Q comments on the sometimes ridiculous nature of previous Bond gadgets: “Were you expecting an exploding pen?”
Craig, as usual, is fantastic in the role, playing the role of a tired, uninterested spy, who will do anything to protect his boss.
I say this as a compliment to Craig’s performance: Craig’s Bond looks and feels uncomfortable in a suit. That is to say, he doesn’t want to be a spy, it’s just something that he has to do.
Joining Bond on his journey are fellow agent Eve (played by Naomie Harris) and the mysterious Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe), who both manage to pull off their roles. However, it feels that these two are more like secondary characters, whereas Judi Dench’s M becomes the real Bond girl of this movie: all the action transpires around her and her past. Additionally, Ralph Fiennes plays his role of Gareth Mallory, a high-ranking British Government official, with a lot of charisma and energy. Needless to say, I look forward to seeing him in future Bond movies.
But the real star of the movie is Javier Bardem, who plays Bond’s nemesis and M’s tormentor Raoul Silva.
“Why so serious, 007?”
Bardem plays the villain as a tormented soul, both physically and psychologically, and wants nothing more than to make M suffer for all his anguish. The way Bardem portrays him is brilliantly evil, making him, clearly, the best James Bond villain in the entire series.
One of the elements that I really enjoyed about Skyfall was the score. Although I do prefer David Arnold’s themes, Thomas Newman brought a fresh new beat to the Bond legacy. Adele’s theme for the movie fits perfectly in a title sequence (to which, thank God, series regular Daniel Kleinman returned) that was quite simply, stunning:
While Skyfall does celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, its references to previous Bond movies are somewhat more subdued than those of Die Another Day, which were less of a hint and more of a jab-in-the-shoulder to the series age. Subtle references include the infamous ejector seat in Bond’s Aston Marton DB-5, as well as Q’s line about exploding pens (a key gadget in 1995’s Goldeneye). If this is Bond’s 50th anniversary, I look forward to another 50 years.
In my countdown of previous Bond movies, I would easily place Skyfall as the second best James Bond movie, narrowly beating out Goldfinger.
If you haven’t seen Skyfall, go out and see it. It’s quite possibly, one of the best James Bond movies ever made. The layers of mystery and depth that Skyfall reaches are quite remarkable for a Bond movie. It feels like a Rorschach inkblot test, wherein you see what you want to see in terms of the symbolic nature of the movie.
It’s been four years since we last saw James Bond on screen. Granted, not the longest absence in the Bond series (That would go to the six year gap between Licence to Kill and Goldeneye.), but it certainly feels like an eternity.
However, to celebrate the series’ 50 year anniversary, Bond is back in his 23rd film, Skyfall.
What makes this particular installment more amazing is the level of prestige that this movie carries. Firstly, helming this movie is Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes (who won for 1999’s American Beauty). In addition, the screenplay was written by series regulars Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, as well as John Logan, who helped on the screenplays for Hugo, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd and The Last Samurai. Based on those two elements alone, you know that this movie is going to be great.
Additionally, the cast for this movie is full of actors who are of prestigious quality. Obviously, you’ve got Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 (one of the best, I might add), and Judi Dench comes back as M. However, this new cast includes French actress Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine (who, interestingly enough, claims that her portrayal was based on Famke Janssen’s femme fatale Xenia Onatopp in Goldeneye); Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End), playing a field agent named Eve; Javier Bardem as a villain named Silva and Shakespearean actor Ralph Fiennes as someone named Gareth Mallory. In addition, the series will be reintroducing Q with British actor Ben Whishaw, pictured below.
So what makes me think that this movie will be better than any of the others? Firstly, let me say that my personal favorite Bond is Casino Royale (just narrowly beating out Goldfinger). I thought that it was a great reintroduction to a classic character. The follow-up, Quantum ofSolace, was a horrible mess of a movie. Hopefully a director like Mendes would have seen the absolutely atrociousQuantum and decided to make the movie a little bit more memorable and much more engaging for the audience. With a cast and a crew like this, what could go wrong? My only hopes are a) that the editing crew from Quantum was fired and b) Daniel Kleinman, famous for doing the opening Bond credits for Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is not Enough, Die Another Day and Casino Royale returns for Skyfall. Because the title credits for Quantum were so awful and unoriginal.
Enough chat, though. Take a look at the trailer for the movie and let me know what you think.
Skyfall is slated to open in November of this year.
Rather Be A Nerd 