"Bond: James Bond." Probably the most memorable recurring line in film history, the actor saying it has changed yet again--with some controversy.
Daniel Craig is the new Bond, and personally, I see him as being TERRIFIC. Not okay, not good, but GREAT. Anyone who has seen "Layer Cake" knows his intensity and screen presence is up to the task. He's a blond, but this doesn't bother me much--I've never been one to believe that Bond has to be a certain type (hell, Connery is a Scotsman through and through, and Lazenby was Australian, Moore English, etc.), and am confident he will not only pull it off, but excel in doing so.
The other bit of good news deals with the subject of the next film. It's Casino Royale, the original Bond story, and it's going to be done, in my opinion, better than any Bond film in the last 20 years. Part of the reason I wrote the first Apparite book was to recapture that early Bond Cold War feel, when the books seemed more realistic (like From Russia With Love) and the character a real person. The films, I think, have strayed from the tense to the ridiculous and, basically, I had given up on them when I heard of Royale's upcoming release, which has me excited to see a Bond film for the first time in years.
I group the Bond films like this:
The Great:
From Russian With Love
Goldfinger
The Very Good:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (always under-rated, as is Lazenby)
Dr. No
For Your Eyes Only (rating reduced only by an awful musical score by Bill Conti)
The Enjoyable:
The Man With the Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Octopussy
The Somewhat Enjoyable But Utterly Ridiculous:
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
The Basically Not Very Good At All But It's Bond So People Went Anyway:
All the rest except Moonraker.
The Absolutely Dreadful:
Moonraker. Oddly, the book is great, but the film is the worst of all. Almost unwatchable.
I'll catch Royale when it comes out and post a review. Unless I'm missing the mark, it should be a good one. For now, though, here's my rating of the Bond actors:
#1 Connery--the original. Tough, cool, and could pull off the one-liners.
#2 Dalton--I liked him; I thought he had a harder edge than anyone but Connery.
#3 Lazenby--Only had the one chance, but it resulted in a very strong film. If you haven't seen it, you will be shocked at how good On Her Majesty's Secret Service really is.
#4 Brosnan--Pretty good, but he always had a "TV" kind of feel for me. I think he was great as Thomas Crown, however.
#5 Moore--his breezier portrayal of Bond almost killed the series (though the fault was not his own, I believe), and resulted in some of the really poor outings (like Moonraker), though he shone in Eyes Only, which was his strongest effort.
Where will Craig be? Honestly, I think he may end up tied with Connery at the top. I really do.
Daniel Craig is the new Bond, and personally, I see him as being TERRIFIC. Not okay, not good, but GREAT. Anyone who has seen "Layer Cake" knows his intensity and screen presence is up to the task. He's a blond, but this doesn't bother me much--I've never been one to believe that Bond has to be a certain type (hell, Connery is a Scotsman through and through, and Lazenby was Australian, Moore English, etc.), and am confident he will not only pull it off, but excel in doing so.
The other bit of good news deals with the subject of the next film. It's Casino Royale, the original Bond story, and it's going to be done, in my opinion, better than any Bond film in the last 20 years. Part of the reason I wrote the first Apparite book was to recapture that early Bond Cold War feel, when the books seemed more realistic (like From Russia With Love) and the character a real person. The films, I think, have strayed from the tense to the ridiculous and, basically, I had given up on them when I heard of Royale's upcoming release, which has me excited to see a Bond film for the first time in years.
I group the Bond films like this:
The Great:
From Russian With Love
Goldfinger
The Very Good:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (always under-rated, as is Lazenby)
Dr. No
For Your Eyes Only (rating reduced only by an awful musical score by Bill Conti)
The Enjoyable:
The Man With the Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Octopussy
The Somewhat Enjoyable But Utterly Ridiculous:
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
The Basically Not Very Good At All But It's Bond So People Went Anyway:
All the rest except Moonraker.
The Absolutely Dreadful:
Moonraker. Oddly, the book is great, but the film is the worst of all. Almost unwatchable.
I'll catch Royale when it comes out and post a review. Unless I'm missing the mark, it should be a good one. For now, though, here's my rating of the Bond actors:
#1 Connery--the original. Tough, cool, and could pull off the one-liners.
#2 Dalton--I liked him; I thought he had a harder edge than anyone but Connery.
#3 Lazenby--Only had the one chance, but it resulted in a very strong film. If you haven't seen it, you will be shocked at how good On Her Majesty's Secret Service really is.
#4 Brosnan--Pretty good, but he always had a "TV" kind of feel for me. I think he was great as Thomas Crown, however.
#5 Moore--his breezier portrayal of Bond almost killed the series (though the fault was not his own, I believe), and resulted in some of the really poor outings (like Moonraker), though he shone in Eyes Only, which was his strongest effort.
Where will Craig be? Honestly, I think he may end up tied with Connery at the top. I really do.
posted by I. Michael Koontz | 8:20 AM
1 Comments:
I think the Carousel of Progress was first used in a World's Fair (New York's in the 30's?) before being co-opted by Disney, but I, to, recall corporate sponsorship of it (something Disney has historically inclined to look for).
And if it was indeed used in a book for a gay sex scene--well, I bet it's used for humor and irony, because that's about all I think the C of P is useful FOR at this point! I have a feeling that the location would be different in a film, which would be too bad.
Nevertheless, I'm doing it again--with my family--next time we're there. It's so strange and different compared to any other current Disney ride it simply has to be experienced.
Post a Comment
<< Home