The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[Mazer Rackham]

Curious not everyone is reflecting as big a decline as they are. Bigger news is Twilight perhaps failing to meet expectations, the most anticipated movie of 2012.

[FormerBondFan]

Let's see how it plays out. Skyfall had pretty high ticket sales on Monday (a federal holiday) and even Tuesday. On a conference call this week, the MGM CEO said he expected worldwide ticket sales would exceed $800 million (after already recording $550 million).

What an insult to the entire pop culture. A reason why not support James Bond anymore.

[bjmdds]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

[English Agent]

I often read Nikki Finke's posts at Deadline............and she does seem to get her knickers in a twist at times over BO forecasts!

[English Agent]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

BJ........were there any parts of SF that you did like apart from the opening which you have alrady mentioned?

[The Sweeney]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

It's all part of the reboot - reinventing them for newer audiences who never grew up on Bond.

I heard some dumbass DJ on the radio the other day who was involved with a Bond quiz before watching Skyfall - she didn't even know who Q was, and never heard of George Lazenby.

[carl stromberg]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

BJ........were there any parts of SF that you did like apart from the opening which you have alrady mentioned?

My favourite part of Skyfall was the end of the end credits.

[English Agent]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

BJ........were there any parts of SF that you did like apart from the opening which you have alrady mentioned?

My favourite part of Skyfall was the end of the end credits.

Blimey..'Carl..' that was a long wait to sit thru' all thoase adverts, and then the film, just to see that....hope it was worth it....haha!

Bet you cant wait for Bond 24!

[bjmdds]

Well Bond 23 is off 60% on Friday in the USA and the weekend gross estimated by boxofficemojo looks totally wrong for all of the films. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=d ... bond23.htm

[bjmdds]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

BJ........were there any parts of SF that you did like apart from the opening which you have alrady mentioned?

I found it rather belittling to long time Bond fans. We know this stuff already, it has already happened, now it's happening again. The final shootout at the Skyfall OK Corral had The Hounds Of the Baskervilles feel to it in the marsh areas. I thought Dench's acting was average at best and NO way worthy of Oscar consideration. For some reason Broccoli & Company enjoy belittling the good guys and making them all look inept. Severine's acting....pathetic......send Berenice back to acting school. These are all miscast roles which dumb down Ian Fleming's creation and disparage his creative genius. Blame it all on Broccoli. It's all on her.

[bjmdds]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

It's all part of the reboot - reinventing them for newer audiences who never grew up on Bond.

I heard some dumbass DJ on the radio the other day who was involved with a Bond quiz before watching Skyfall - she didn't even know who Q was, and never heard of George Lazenby.

That's what I mean Sweene. Morons like this rush out to praise a film not even knowing what the heck they are talking about. CR was a better film than Bond 23, and I hated that too, but it dealt more with spy intrigue than damaged psyches.

[English Agent]

I sat through Bond 23 again just to make sure I missed nothing..........it was more boring the second time around and the plot is nothing more than an origin story for a male M, MP, and Q. The problem remains we already know these characters since 1962 so how can we be meeting them for the first time? Deadline's estimate for Bond 23 seems off but I hope they are close to being correct.

BJ........were there any parts of SF that you did like apart from the opening which you have alrady mentioned?

I found it rather belittling to long time Bond fans. We know this stuff already, it has already happened, now it's happening again. The final shootout at the Skyfall OK Corral had The Hounds Of the Baskerville feel to it in the marsh areas. I thought Dench's acting was average at best and NO way worthy of Oscar consideration. For some reason Broccoli & Company enjoy belittling the good guys and making them all look inept. Severine's acting....pathetic......send Berenice back to acting school. These are all miscast roles which dumb down Ian Fleming's creation and disparage his creative genius. Blame it all on Broccoli. It's all on her.

Yes...though less climatic and different from the usual Bond endings....i too thought there was a touch of the 'Hound of the Baskervilles' to the ending in Scotland.
I did think 'Severines role was much too short, in fact her only real sequence was of that at the casino...............also surprisingly, some people have commented on the forums, wanting to know why she disapeared in the film...having not realised that she had been shot dead by Silva........that sequence was cut so quickly, that people didnt realised she had been killed by SIlva for betraying him!

[English Agent]

Well Bond 23 is off 60% on Friday in the USA and the weekend gross estimated by boxofficemojo looks totally wrong for all of the films. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=d ... bond23.htm

True, the Twilight film will gross massively over the weekend and will take most of the takings, but it is expected that the other films will come back into the frame more, throughout the weekend. Saturday is expected to be a good day for Bond ....but we shall see. Anyway as of this moment worldwide SF must surely of passed CR and QOS at the worldwide BO.

[bjmdds]

Correct EA. As this plays out over time people will sour on Bond 23 as they did on QOS and now I feel that the main reason it did so well was due to NO competition. Now that Twilight has arrived, Bond has dropped off considerably, almost as much as QOS: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ ... s/?a=70195

[English Agent]

Mind you, if SF does take anything close to $40 mil this weekend that will be a very good result considering the impact of an opening weekend from another blockbuster..........and we still have to see how long SF will run in the theatres, whether it will have a long run like CR, or a short one like QOS!

[bjmdds]

The minions will decide they threw out enough money on Cr-egg the first 2 weeks, right FBF? EA, tell me if anything in Bond 23 outdid this scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16BFrEBZQS4 THIS is escapism in a spy film by an actor who is older than DC yet looks 20 years younger. It's all about MI:5, right FBF?

[FormerBondFan]

The minions will decide they threw out enough money on Cr-egg the first 2 weeks, right FBF?

So full of themselves, the minions are

It's all about MI:5, right FBF?

And give me Star Wars 7.

[Omega]

Mind you, if SF does take anything close to $40 mil this weekend that will be a very good result considering the impact of an opening weekend from another blockbuster..........and we still have to see how long SF will run in the theatres, whether it will have a long run like CR, or a short one like QOS!

Saturday should be bigger than Friday and they still have Imax. I think the vampires don't have Imax or 3d. Not sure about 3d. But no question that not having Imax in the US is hurting them, easy record breaker with it. Mazer said it was a game of higher prices and fewer people, twilight needed those higher prices to break the records.

I kind of giving up on deadline, two weekends where they royally botch predictions on friday. But they were right about the total on sunday, it'd be funny if there were right about the 30 million in the end.
I also tried to ask a question there but since the answer contradicted what the big boss was saying they deleted it, which makes them the same as other Hollywood flunky websites.

Spyfall I think was overestimated for the second weekend because the weekday was so good and nobody got last weekend right, even high estimates were too low, even in the UK it opened where it was expected to. Looking at all the movies coming out between here and the hobbit I think the US will be a short run, but still break records, the first week guarantees it.

[Omega]

Yes...though less climatic and different from the usual Bond endings....i too thought there was a touch of the 'Hound of the Baskervilles' to the ending in Scotland.
I did think 'Severines role was much too short, in fact her only real sequence was of that at the casino...............also surprisingly, some people have commented on the forums, wanting to know why she disapeared in the film...having not realised that she had been shot dead by Silva........that sequence was cut so quickly, that people didnt realised she had been killed by SIlva for betraying him!

They were all like these are Bond women, not girls, but they didn't us a one of them well, old boy action movie.
Wasn't Severines death colder than that, didn't Silva want to be capture to implement the Jokers plan,er, I mean Silva's plan. So wasn't Severine following the plan by helping Bond and he killed her anyway?
I always though a good bond girl you could never be sure about her motivations, maybe she is using Bond, maybe she is helping.

[bjmdds]

Lawrence Meyers: " I’ve never been bored in a Bond film until this one. Because Silva is merely seeking revenge, is uninteresting as a character, and plows his way through ridiculous plot holes, we simply have stopped caring. The writers concentrated too much on character and not enough on Bond set-pieces. Bond films have big climaxes. This was low-tech and low-rent. Mendes also proves, once again, that his talent begins and ends with his ability to put great images on film. But his storytelling and pacing are awful. They always have been. “American Beauty” was a vastly overrated film, and “Road to Perdition” took a great concept and delivered the most plodding chase film I’ve seen. I think the filmmakers were too intent on making a “thinking man’s Bond film,” and that’s just not something one should attempt. Conclusion: Believe me, it kills me to have to write this review. After watching every Bond film over the past three years and reviewing them in great detail, after seeing the great trailers, and after the last two outings, I wanted to love this film. Again, there are many strong points here, but my advice is to ditch Mendes next time. Get back with Martin Campbell. Put QUANTUM back in play. Hire back writer Bruce Feirstein, who elevated the first two Brosnan pictures. And get back to Bond. I give “Skyfall” TWO STARS."