Pierce Brosnan ended his run as James Bond in 2002 at nearly 50 years old. I felt he did a nice job in the role despite that, in my opinion anyway, the films could've been better. They were ok but fell short. Brosnan had completed his contract (3 films with an option for a 4th) and producers were looking for to go younger. The next Bond film would not come out until 2006 and it would feature Daniel Craig in the role of 007.
On a side note, the Brosnan era gave us Dame Judi Dench as the new "M." This was pretty much casting genius. Not that the other actors who portrayed the character were bad (not the case at all), it's just that there was more interaction between "M" and Bond. Dench is very judgmental with Bond, she makes no qualms about how he works but although she may not agree with his tactics she is happy with the results. Nice work.
Lots of different names had swirled around about who was going to replace Brosnan. The name I remember hearing was Clive Owen (which I thought would've been a very good piece of casting) but producers settled on 37 y/o Daniel Craig. Craig had starred as Paul Newman's weasely son in The Road to Perdition, an Israeli agent in Munich (a great film). Most notably he played the lead in the gangster film, Layer Cake which was an excellent film. So guys like me had no problem with Craig being 007 and his 1st role would be Casino Royale ( the franchise would get a complete reboot at this point).
To date Craig has done 2 bond films and is currently film his 3rd Bond film entitled Skyfall set for a late 2012 theatrical release. Craig followed up Casino Royale (2006) with A Quantum of Solace (2008). Casino Royale (after undergoing a reboot) starts off with Bond earning his newly attained "00 status" and the rocky start he gets off to. I won't mince word about this film, I loved it! Craig had a raw edge to him and you get to see him try to combine that raw edge with the charm & debonair that we've become accustom too. Everything about this film was done well (maybe it's a stretch to believe that he lives through that car crash at the end but he is James Bond) and you see that Bond makes mistakes (something you never saw the character do before) and let's his emotions cloud decisions. You also get t see Bond is more clever than people give him credit for ("M" calls him a "blunt instrument" and he turns around and breaks into her apartment, decodes what "M" stands for and hacks into her computer).
I saw A Quantum of Solace in the theater and I've managed to only see it once and I recall not liking it as much as Casino Royale (Casino was so awesome the follow up film really had the odds stacked against it). It got mixed reviews in the critic community as well. When possible I would like to see this film again to give it a another chance. I dig the plot device of a international corporate cabal trying to control things (it's my belief that this is actually happening to a degree) and again you get to see Bond continue to hone his skills as an MI6 operative.Something else that happens during Craig's (thus far brief but hopefully longer) tenure is that Bond is vulnerable. Connery got knocked around a bit but not like Craig. Moore never got knocked around as much as Connery and only Brosnan comes close as Craig. Craig had to endure his genitals getting smacked in Casino Royale and you get to see the "scars" of his employment. Even when Connery got worked over by Dr. No's thugs, he didn't look too bad afterwards.
When Skyfall is released later this year, it will mark the 50th year of James Bond in film. I for one am looking forward to it's release.
Instead of ranking all the Bond films I will just do a top 10 list. These are my personal opinions and I'm not going to take into account any box office numbers or Rotten Tomatoes ratings. I think that Lazenby and Dalton get an unfair rap but that's how it goes. Here are the rankings:
For no other reason than for beer & skittles, here are my top 5 Bond film theme songs and the artists who performed them:
That pretty much wraps it up. With any luck maybe I will spot a few familar faces while standing in line for Skyfall later this year. A happy and safe 2012 to everyone and as always your opinions and comments are welcome. See you on down the road!
On a side note, the Brosnan era gave us Dame Judi Dench as the new "M." This was pretty much casting genius. Not that the other actors who portrayed the character were bad (not the case at all), it's just that there was more interaction between "M" and Bond. Dench is very judgmental with Bond, she makes no qualms about how he works but although she may not agree with his tactics she is happy with the results. Nice work.
Lots of different names had swirled around about who was going to replace Brosnan. The name I remember hearing was Clive Owen (which I thought would've been a very good piece of casting) but producers settled on 37 y/o Daniel Craig. Craig had starred as Paul Newman's weasely son in The Road to Perdition, an Israeli agent in Munich (a great film). Most notably he played the lead in the gangster film, Layer Cake which was an excellent film. So guys like me had no problem with Craig being 007 and his 1st role would be Casino Royale ( the franchise would get a complete reboot at this point).
To date Craig has done 2 bond films and is currently film his 3rd Bond film entitled Skyfall set for a late 2012 theatrical release. Craig followed up Casino Royale (2006) with A Quantum of Solace (2008). Casino Royale (after undergoing a reboot) starts off with Bond earning his newly attained "00 status" and the rocky start he gets off to. I won't mince word about this film, I loved it! Craig had a raw edge to him and you get to see him try to combine that raw edge with the charm & debonair that we've become accustom too. Everything about this film was done well (maybe it's a stretch to believe that he lives through that car crash at the end but he is James Bond) and you see that Bond makes mistakes (something you never saw the character do before) and let's his emotions cloud decisions. You also get t see Bond is more clever than people give him credit for ("M" calls him a "blunt instrument" and he turns around and breaks into her apartment, decodes what "M" stands for and hacks into her computer).
I saw A Quantum of Solace in the theater and I've managed to only see it once and I recall not liking it as much as Casino Royale (Casino was so awesome the follow up film really had the odds stacked against it). It got mixed reviews in the critic community as well. When possible I would like to see this film again to give it a another chance. I dig the plot device of a international corporate cabal trying to control things (it's my belief that this is actually happening to a degree) and again you get to see Bond continue to hone his skills as an MI6 operative.Something else that happens during Craig's (thus far brief but hopefully longer) tenure is that Bond is vulnerable. Connery got knocked around a bit but not like Craig. Moore never got knocked around as much as Connery and only Brosnan comes close as Craig. Craig had to endure his genitals getting smacked in Casino Royale and you get to see the "scars" of his employment. Even when Connery got worked over by Dr. No's thugs, he didn't look too bad afterwards.
When Skyfall is released later this year, it will mark the 50th year of James Bond in film. I for one am looking forward to it's release.
Instead of ranking all the Bond films I will just do a top 10 list. These are my personal opinions and I'm not going to take into account any box office numbers or Rotten Tomatoes ratings. I think that Lazenby and Dalton get an unfair rap but that's how it goes. Here are the rankings:
- Casino Royale: Craig does a lot of his own stunts & it's the most physical of any of the Bond films. Maybe because its the most modern (as great as some of the films are some don't stand the test of time due to technological advances in film).
- Thunderball: Again it's my favorite of the Connery era.
- From Russia With Love: Widely regarded as the best overall Bond film by some (like my Dad).
- Goldfinger: See above
- For Your Eyes Only
- Dr. No
- The Spy Who Loved Me
- Live and Let Die
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- A Quantum of Solace
For no other reason than for beer & skittles, here are my top 5 Bond film theme songs and the artists who performed them:
- Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney (the best hands down end of discussion!)
- You Know My Name by Chris Cornell (Casino Royale)
- Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey (a classic that stands the test of time!)
- A View To A Kill by Duran Duran (yes I enjoy Duran Duran, it's not grounds for a lawsuit!)
- Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon (The Spy Who Loved Me)
That pretty much wraps it up. With any luck maybe I will spot a few familar faces while standing in line for Skyfall later this year. A happy and safe 2012 to everyone and as always your opinions and comments are welcome. See you on down the road!
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