The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[The Sweeney]

Also, most sane people, even fans of Craig in CR, are mainly complaining about the film, not the actor himself.

Quark is the result of the direction chosen by the actor himself is the problem. This is the Bond he wanted to make and he is in it up to his eyeballs.

I don't have a problem with his take on the character at all. I thought it was very in line with the cold-blooded character of the novels.

It's Forster who needs a kick up the ass for making a lightening fast Bond film, stripped down slimline version. This was his intention, as he went on record saying he thought CR was too long.

[Kristatos]

I do know that Babs Broc had wanted to get rid of Brozza much earlier, the studio (MGM) leaked it to test the waters. The Brozza estrogen brigade responded quickly and MGM saw no percentage in replacing him. In fact MGM refused Craig for the role (several times I think), it was not until after Sony bailed them out and Sony came to the helm that Craig was cast. However Sony was not enthused about Craig and required a 24 screen test process after they couldn't convince Babs to go with a more appropriate choice. Sony heads wanted someone else and a few times talked to Brozza about coming back. Once it was done they had no choice but to put there all behind it and of course no dissenting voice would be tolerated (or remembered) in there new happy idealistic nuclear family.

How do you know all this, Mazer?

[The Sweeney]

The original incarnation was called CraigisnotBond.

The original incarnation was called PierceisBond, before his replacement had even been cast.

I had not heard of PIB before this.
I do know that Babs Broc had wanted to get rid of Brozza much earlier, the studio (MGM) leaked it to test the waters. The Brozza estrogen brigade responded quickly and MGM saw no percentage in replacing him. In fact MGM refused Craig for the role (several times I think), it was not until after Sony bailed them out and Sony came to the helm that Craig was cast. However Sony was not enthused about Craig and required a 24 screen test process after they couldn't convince Babs to go with a more appropriate choice. Sony heads wanted someone else and a few times talked to Brozza about coming back. Once it was done they had no choice but to put there all behind it and of course no dissenting voice would be tolerated (or remembered) in there new happy idealistic nuclear family.

I wonder if Sony will be called back to do the next one...?

[Mazer Rackham]

Also, most sane people, even fans of Craig in CR, are mainly complaining about the film, not the actor himself.

Quark is the result of the direction chosen by the actor himself is the problem. This is the Bond he wanted to make and he is in it up to his eyeballs.

I don't have a problem with his take on the character at all. I thought it was very in line with the cold-blooded character of the novels.

It's Forster who needs a kick up the ass for making a lightening fast Bond film, stripped down slimline version. This was his intention, as he went on record saying he thought CR was too long.

I do. Bond was not a coldblooded wanker in the Book, more coldblooded than the movies but not a cold uncharismatic muscled up thug lugging around the world on crash tour. Fleming's alter ego was cultured and refined man who apparently and uncharacteristically for the Birts had the fortitude to be a service servant and kill for peace. But he never reveled in it and never looked for it.

I know you were inspired by the Bourne movies but that kind of mindless genre, action heavy flicks are antithetical to true Bond.
One point about Vesper; Bond does think of her from time to time and she does get a passing mention about her gave site in OHMSS but she was hardly the defining character they want to make her in the movies. He never investigated or looked up her past. She didn't make him who he is or alter his reaction to women or the world around him. Bond was Bond and never needed a woman to define him, well maybe until Tracy.

[Mazer Rackham]

I do know that Babs Broc had wanted to get rid of Brozza much earlier, the studio (MGM) leaked it to test the waters. The Brozza estrogen brigade responded quickly and MGM saw no percentage in replacing him. In fact MGM refused Craig for the role (several times I think), it was not until after Sony bailed them out and Sony came to the helm that Craig was cast. However Sony was not enthused about Craig and required a 24 screen test process after they couldn't convince Babs to go with a more appropriate choice. Sony heads wanted someone else and a few times talked to Brozza about coming back. Once it was done they had no choice but to put there all behind it and of course no dissenting voice would be tolerated (or remembered) in there new happy idealistic nuclear family.

How do you know all this, Mazer?

I read about it when it first happened as well as from other research. All of it is/was available online at one time.
Sorry I don't have links if that is what you want. Google may have a few of them still but it is hard to say.

[Mazer Rackham]

I wonder if Sony will be called back to do the next one...?

This time last year I'd say no. Now after all that has happened. Maybe. Depends how healthy MGM is and how successful their fund raising efforts have been.
Aside from Bond and the Hobbit and Thomas Crown their portfolio had a slew of rehashes and remakes

[Mazer Rackham]

Got to throw this bone out there since we have been talking about him so much today.
To Jackman's credit and as a testament to his range as an actor he makes these different looks, look cool. Convincingly so.

[katied]

Have you ever thought about this possibility - by the time Craig has finished his tenure as Bond (probably another 2 films at least) he will have a wider fan base than he does already, and whoever replaces him will come under the same fire that you guys have given Craig.

Of course.I feel sorry for whoever takes Craig's place,'cause even if he's a popular favorite,there will still be people that hate him.(stating the obvious,I know..)

[Omega]

I just came back from seeing The Bourne Mimicry, official title is Quantum Of Solace. First of all, I just watched The Bourne Ultimatum two night's ago. I did not like the rapid skaking cameras during the fight scenes in The Bourne Ultimatum and I certainly felt the same way about The Bourne Mimicry. I felt as if I was watching the same film twice in terms of action, car chases, roof top chases, etc. Pure Mimicry. For those who delve into this 'realistic' portrayal of Bond by Craig, I have this to say. How many doors, windows, and glass frames can Craig's Bond break through without breaking a single bone in his body, no limping, no apparant loss of function, just facial cuts as the end result? If Brosnan had done this, he would have been mocked. Next, the Superman flying routine by Craig out of the plane was a mockery as well, and again, Brosnan would have been laughed at for that same scene. There was also a disturbing underlying political theme in this film which no review anywhere has addressed and it goes to Craig's, Haggis', Forster's, and even Eon's it seems, liberal political view of the world. This film portayed the USA and the UK as the 'bad guys' in the world whose only ambition was to obtain oil at any cost. Craig's Bond statement to M in regards to the USA and oil was a direct attack on USA policies. In Connery's era, we knew who the bad countries were and it was left to the USA and the UK to save the world. There was a deliberate shot taken by the producers/director/writer of TBM in their obvious protest to the Iraq war, where the USA and the UK were at the forefront, to cast a negative light on both of our governments, and I personally take offense at it. This film had little ecological underlying themes to me, and the villains and the poverty stricken back drops were totally unappealing as well. This film looked like it was quickly edited as well, and the Bond gun firing sequence at the end was no change for the better as well. TBM is a Rambo,Transporter, Bourne, Die Hard type of film. The theme song was trash. Vesper's boyfriend's role was far too short. I found little if any feel to this as a Bond film. Again, Craig is NOT Bond. In all, not a film I care to see twice in the theatres, and I would rather watch NSNA instead. At least that film was based on a TRUE Bond character. By the way, there were 18 people TOTAL in the noon time showing on Thanksgiving in the theatre. That does not bode well for the film's long term success.

Interesting review bj, and you are right about the politics angle. I honestyly think you are the first person to bring it up, but you do have a point. There was definitely an underlying anti American agenda in the film....

I mentioned in one of my reviews that there was weird tone to these movies now.I didn't say is what it was becasue it didn't occur to me that it was coming form a political direction.I lumped it in to the strange tone these movies have now with rape and water rights and that is political left wing stuff. Before i thought it was just strange and unenjoyably tone to make the story some how relevant when it wasn't, now its pretty clear it was motivated by a political agenda from the makers and writers/

I had liked that Bond didn't get messy with politics, who could stand the old movies if they had a Watergate theme and Vietnam in the background. the Clinton jokes in TND and Twine worked well enough then dated now. Tomorrow Never Dies had Bond parachuting in Vietnamese waters and it was good becasue it wasn't 1975 when it was made.

[Omega]

About jackman
his attitude is part of the reason he is a big star
in this interview he comes through in aces and stands up for the folks who love the weapon x.

Hugh Jackman will leave the "Wolverine" franchise alone - if you guys hate it.

That's what he told Moviehole today - that if audiences don't go for next year's "X-Men" prequel he'll gladly walk away from the series and forget all about the sequel he's already developing in his noggin.

''If it’s clear to us on May second or third that that’s gone, then I’ll walk away happily", Jackman says of the audience appeal in the character. ''I’m not going to flog something – or flog a dead horse, or try and make movies that people don’t really want to go and see. I have no interest in that. Even no matter how much I love the character. So there are many prerequisites".

And although he'd personally like to do a sequel, he's not going to do it just for the hell of it.

"There’s a few story lines that are running my head which I think would be really cool, but unless the script is right, then I just don’t see the point in doing it. I’m probably at the point in my career where I don’t need it. And the last thing I want to do is just to push it on people, if it doesn’t warrant a full feature movie.''

And why did Jackman decide to tell Wolverine's story?

''Well, after X-Men, there was not, like, a fete accompli that I would do it. We basically got a great script. And I had the script and director. David Benioff, one of the great writers in Hollywood, came knocking at our door. And I went and had a meeting with him, and he told me his idea. And I just went, “That is so brilliant.” Now, I know this character by now, and he is a mad, mad fan of the comic books. He’s not cheap. But he came to us with this idea, which was smart and interesting. And it was also steeped in a deep love of the character, and the comic book history. So I just went, “Okay. There’s a reason to make this film.” I mean, I’d always felt there was a reason, storytelling-wise. Because as good a go as I’d had in X-Men I, II, and III, there was a lot of mystery left. I don’t think – we touched on it in X-Men II. But there were certainly a lot of mystery still left about his origins. I was always a mad fan, in reading the comics, of the Wolverine in Japan saga, which is one of the most famous. But ultimately, we all decided – I think rightly, after seeing the film – that you need to understand the character’s origins, to understand who he is. And to really get it. So that’s what the movie does. It goes right back to him as a kid, basically.''

[Mazer Rackham]

Interesting estimates for the 26th and 27th BO

Twilight Four Christmases and Bolt are doing very well. Twilight is a monster, it should break 100m today (Fri). So far Bolt is showing stronger than Quark. Australia and Transporter 3 are struggling a little with about 3m each day. Madagascar a little behind them with about 2.5m each day.

Quark did 4m and 4.6m.
Remember these are estimates the actual numbers will likely be different.

[bjmdds]

All of the films had a Thanksgiving bump up Friday in the USA box office, with TBM finishing an ESTIMATED 4th.

[bjmdds]

I just came back from seeing The Bourne Mimicry, official title is Quantum Of Solace. First of all, I just watched The Bourne Ultimatum two night's ago. I did not like the rapid skaking cameras during the fight scenes in The Bourne Ultimatum and I certainly felt the same way about The Bourne Mimicry. I felt as if I was watching the same film twice in terms of action, car chases, roof top chases, etc. Pure Mimicry. For those who delve into this 'realistic' portrayal of Bond by Craig, I have this to say. How many doors, windows, and glass frames can Craig's Bond break through without breaking a single bone in his body, no limping, no apparant loss of function, just facial cuts as the end result? If Brosnan had done this, he would have been mocked. Next, the Superman flying routine by Craig out of the plane was a mockery as well, and again, Brosnan would have been laughed at for that same scene. There was also a disturbing underlying political theme in this film which no review anywhere has addressed and it goes to Craig's, Haggis', Forster's, and even Eon's it seems, liberal political view of the world. This film portayed the USA and the UK as the 'bad guys' in the world whose only ambition was to obtain oil at any cost. Craig's Bond statement to M in regards to the USA and oil was a direct attack on USA policies. In Connery's era, we knew who the bad countries were and it was left to the USA and the UK to save the world. There was a deliberate shot taken by the producers/director/writer of TBM in their obvious protest to the Iraq war, where the USA and the UK were at the forefront, to cast a negative light on both of our governments, and I personally take offense at it. This film had little ecological underlying themes to me, and the villains and the poverty stricken back drops were totally unappealing as well. This film looked like it was quickly edited as well, and the Bond gun firing sequence at the end was no change for the better as well. TBM is a Rambo,Transporter, Bourne, Die Hard type of film. The theme song was trash. Vesper's boyfriend's role was far too short. I found little if any feel to this as a Bond film. Again, Craig is NOT Bond. In all, not a film I care to see twice in the theatres, and I would rather watch NSNA instead. At least that film was based on a TRUE Bond character. By the way, there were 18 people TOTAL in the noon time showing on Thanksgiving in the theatre. That does not bode well for the film's long term success.

Interesting review bj, and you are right about the politics angle. I honestyly think you are the first person to bring it up, but you do have a point. There was definitely an underlying anti American agenda in the film....

I mentioned in one of my reviews that there was weird tone to these movies now.I didn't say is what it was becasue it didn't occur to me that it was coming form a political direction.I lumped it in to the strange tone these movies have now with rape and water rights and that is political left wing stuff. Before i thought it was just strange and unenjoyably tone to make the story some how relevant when it wasn't, now its pretty clear it was motivated by a political agenda from the makers and writers/

I had liked that Bond didn't get messy with politics, who could stand the old movies if they had a Watergate theme and Vietnam in the background. the Clinton jokes in TND and Twine worked well enough then dated now. Tomorrow Never Dies had Bond parachuting in Vietnamese waters and it was good becasue it wasn't 1975 when it was made.

The Bourne Ultimatum must have made Damon very happy to act in, given his liberal disdain for the very country that supports his acting income. The Bourne Mimicry even copied this political undertone as well making the USA and the UK governments out to be the bad guys. Since when is this a popular premise? Why do they get away with it? Why is there NO mention of this by any movie critics out there? Are they in agreement with Eon on this premise? Probably. As MGW said recently, "if we can get away with such a movie title, we can get away with anything." Maybe that is the problem. The public is apathetic and just goes along for the ride.

[The Sweeney]

All of the films had a Thanksgiving bump up Friday in the USA box office, with TBM finishing an ESTIMATED 4th.

How are the BO figures looking at the moment BJ? Still confident QoS will flop big time?

[bjmdds]

All of the films had a Thanksgiving bump up Friday in the USA box office, with TBM finishing an ESTIMATED 4th.

How are the BO figures looking at the moment BJ? Still confident QoS will flop big time?

It's going to be difficult topping the $600 million worldwide after this weekend and factoring in higher ticket prices and much more screenings, I doubt Eon would consider equaling CR as a hit.

[The Sweeney]

The Bourne Ultimatum must have made Damon very happy to act in, given his liberal disdain for the very country that supports his acting income. The Bourne Mimicry even copied this political undertone as well making the USA and the UK governments out to be the bad guys. Since when is this a popular premise? Why do they get away with it? Why is there NO mention of this by any movie critics out there? Are they in agreement with Eon on this premise? Probably. As MGW said recently, "if we can get away with such a movie title, we can get away with anything." Maybe that is the problem. The public is apathetic and just goes along for the ride.

In the UK, people are generally p!ssed off with politicians, after the Iraq war and now the banks failing left, right and centre. I think the general public really have no faith in the government anymore - hence why no one has bothered to mention the political angle in QoS.

What about in the US? I guess you've all had your faith restored recently with your new president being elected....

[bjmdds]

Jubilation here over an election result yet the stock market still poor and people are worried about this economy, yet this entire mortgage mess was warned about by the Republicans in 2005 and it was ignored. The Oh-bama campaigned against Bush's Iraq war policies yet wants to keep Bush's Secretary of Defense Gates. Some change.

[Kristatos]

What about in the US? I guess you've all had your faith restored recently with your new president being elected....

Funnily enough, the only critic I've seen bring this up was a right-wing critic in my local paper who has little reason to love Obama. Even so, he wondered if retooling "the ultimate symbol of Kennedy-era optimism" (as he called Bond) for the post-9/11 world wasn't rather bad timing when some of that optimism seems to be returning with Obama's election. CR was released at just the right time, QOS possibly not so much.

[English Agent]

The Bourne Ultimatum must have made Damon very happy to act in, given his liberal disdain for the very country that supports his acting income. The Bourne Mimicry even copied this political undertone as well making the USA and the UK governments out to be the bad guys. Since when is this a popular premise? Why do they get away with it? Why is there NO mention of this by any movie critics out there? Are they in agreement with Eon on this premise? Probably. As MGW said recently, "if we can get away with such a movie title, we can get away with anything." Maybe that is the problem. The public is apathetic and just goes along for the ride.

In the UK, people are generally p!ssed off with politicians, after the Iraq war and now the banks failing left, right and centre. I think the general public really have no faith in the government anymore - hence why no one has bothered to mention the political angle in QoS.

What about in the US? I guess you've all had your faith restored recently with your new president being elected....

Arghhh.......did someone mention politics, our current government is a bleedin disaster, wish we could change it now rather than wait to 2010.

Back to Bond, QOS grossed over $8 mil Friday (almost as much as last Friday). After 15 days QOS has grossed over $25 mil more than CR for the same period

Just a shame QOS wasn't a better film, then it could of done a lot better at the BO, considering the weaker than usual opposition i.e. Harry Pothead!

EA

[Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

A Hugo Chavez type would make a great Bond villian.