Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

General Bond discussion from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by dirtybenny »

No V, the main site for this forum! As in Danielcraigisnotbond.com! The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

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dirtybenny wrote:No V, the main site for this forum! As in Danielcraigisnotbond.com! The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Yep. We are going to republish the rants on the main page. Well I guess it's republishing.
Check it out http://danielcraigisnotbond.com/index/b ... ekly-rant/
We have a comment area too, we haven't had much use for it but if you all want to have some fun and comment there we will give it a try. :cheers: :cheers:
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Veronica »

dirtybenny wrote:No V, the main site for this forum! As in Danielcraigisnotbond.com! The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Gosh,sorry. Guess I was just so tired that I read CBn instead of DCinB.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by The Saint 007 »

dirtybenny wrote:The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Which is too bad, seeing as how they allow people to post freely about any other Bond actor. Your rants are presented in a constructive manner that make some good points regarding the Craig era, and don't come across as just an angry fan letting out their frustration.

But regardless, congratulations on the promotion of your rants, Benny! :cheers:
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by dirtybenny »

Veronica wrote:
dirtybenny wrote:No V, the main site for this forum! As in Danielcraigisnotbond.com! The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Gosh,sorry. Guess I was just so tired that I read CBn instead of DCinB.
That's OK V, I suppose I confused matters by using the abbreviation.


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dirtybenny wrote:The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Which is too bad, seeing as how they allow people to post freely about any other Bond actor. Your rants are presented in a constructive manner that make some good points regarding the Craig era, and don't come across as just an angry fan letting out their frustration.

But regardless, congratulations on the promotion of your rants, Benny! :cheers:

Thanks Saint, perhaps once Craig has left and whomever the new actor takes over, Craig criticism will be allowed.

Everyone feel free to comment on the main site, as that is where "journalists" go first when looking for anti Craig news, especially now that he's possibly on the way out!
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Omega »

The Saint 007 wrote:
dirtybenny wrote:The mainstream fan sites aren't ready for me yet!
Which is too bad, seeing as how they allow people to post freely about any other Bond actor. Your rants are presented in a constructive manner that make some good points regarding the Craig era, and don't come across as just an angry fan letting out their frustration.

But regardless, congratulations on the promotion of your rants, Benny! :cheers:
congrats!


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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

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Rant 35: Daniel Craig “The “Best” Actor to Play Bond”

That line has been bandied about for a few years now, even poor old Roger Moore and Honor Blackman have uttered it. Whether they actually believe it or were somehow cajoled is to be debated, however when you consider the backhanded manner in which Mrs. Blackman said it, I believe the later. But what exactly does that phrase mean? What makes Craig the “best” actor? Is he the most talented? Most awarded? Most highly trained? What precisely does this mean?

I suppose one could make arguments for the later, awards and training. Craig attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican, whether or not that’s a big deal I really don’t know, nor do I really care. As awards go he’s won a few British based statuettes but most of those were for Bond performances and as we know, in Britain, Bond, good or bad gets the hardware.

When it comes to the former that is the litmus test for how good an actor is. You can attend all the best schools and be handed all the trophies, however that is no guarantee of good performances. Look, I will freely admit I am not a follower of Craig’s repertoire outside of Bond, so for all I know he could be the second coming of the great Thespis, the first actor of ancient Greece, although considering he’s starring in vehicles such as Cowboys and Aliens I highly doubt it. Judging solely from his Bond performances though, Craig doesn’t match up to any of the previous 5 Bonds, even Lazenby, considering that was his first acting gig ever, acts circles around Craig.

Let’s start where it all began with CR. Craig’s tour de force, the picture they all point to as evidence of his thespianic skill. Of course we all remember Craig’s introduction in the black and white PTS, Craig’s alabaster edifice emerging from the inky blackness, stone faced and craggy. He speaks in monotone to Dryden the crooked section head he is there to kill, as the men talk we flash back to an earlier occurrence concerning Craig and another man locked in combat in a third world men’s room. As the men crash around the toilets smashing through the partitions Craig’s expression remains nonexistent! The most telling point is when Craig gets the upper hand against his foe and plunges the man’s head in to a sink full of water. Craig drowns the man literally killing him with his bare hands; however, Craig’s face displays a look that can be best described as mildly disinterested. Now before you scream “Cold blooded bad assed assassin!” this was Craig’s first kill, where it all started, ground zero! Dryden even goes so far to say “Made you feel it, did he?” Apparently not, as I said he murdered this guy with his bare hands, this should be a very emotional and visceral act, teeth should be clenched, eyes aflame with rage, but Craig has a look on his face as if he’s checking his watch, “Oh my, look at the time, (glug, glug) 3:30 already, (glug, glug) I have an appointment for a manicure in an hour! (glug, glug, glug).

Cut to Madagascar, where Craig’s rather loud shirt up stages him and his monotonous drone, Craig is speaking via ear piece to a lesser agent who in his 3 lines of dialogue looks like Peter O’Toole by comparison, I mean at least this guy puts a little inflection in his voice! Craig takes off running after the bomb maker he was tasked with watching played by Sébastian Foucan a glorified stuntman, as he was brought in for his Free-running ability, however he acts circles around Craig figuratively as he runs around him literally! Foucan is able to express fear, anger, and frustration as he leaps, bounds, and somersaults across the set while Craig in hot pursuit makes Schwarzenegger’s Terminator look like Lawrence Olivier! Craig crashes a bulldozer through a fence and pile of pipes; does he have a glint of determination in his eye, or even an expression of “Wow, I’ve always wanted to do that”? Nope, stone-faced, even as Foucan shoots at him, no fear or concern, instead he looks like a drivers license photo come to life.

As the chase continues Craig’s expression never changes, the two find themselves atop a gantry crane a hundred feet in the air locked in mortal combat, Craig looks bored despite punches and kicks coming his way, when Foucan pulls his gun and aims it a Craig point blank, is there a flash of surprise or fear across his face? No, he practically yawns! When the gun clicks signifying its lack of bullets, does Craig express relief? Again the answer is no! The same when Foucan leap frogs across two cranes to the building below, is there a sense of awe of the incredible act, frustration that he slipped from his grasp again, fear that he will have to complete the same feat himself? Nope, not even as he jumps across does his expression change from bored scowl, as he leaps to the next gantry you could insert footage of a gargoyle falling from a parapet and no one would tell the difference! Craig continues the expressionless pursuit through the construction site and in to the local embassy, where, as bullets fly Craig stands there with dead eyes and duck lips. The same holds true in all of Craig’s action scenes.

In QOS just as the beginning of CR, Craig kills a man with his bare hands; he kneels there yawning as the man bleeds out, not an ounce of expression. As he fights the main baddie Dominick Greene with flames licking at his coat tails and an ax violently swinging at his face Craig stands there doe eyed, I suppose he’s not afraid, as axes aren’t known to harm one another, what with Craig’s hatchet face and all!

In SF, Craig fights atop a train and the boredom is palpable, I could go on and on but you get the idea Craig’s face never matches his actions, my bulldog emotes more expression.

That brings up his love scenes, as I will be going in to more detail on this in the next rant I’m going to just mention this quickly. If you watch Craig, he never looks comfortable with members of the opposite sex on screen. Take his encounter with Caterina Murino as “Solange” for example, they start with a make out session on the rug, Craig kisses her as he does all his female costars, like a suffocating mackerel. As Solange makes her way to more “vital” areas Craig looks more nervous than aroused.

Now on to his actual “acting” his line delivery is about on par with “soap opera” stars, but that would be an insult to soap actors. The dull back and forth between Craig and Green is delivered with almost sheer boredom, although one can hardly blame them based on the lines they were working with.

Look I could go on and on but I’d only be repeating myself as each scene runs in to another from one film to the next, Craig standing there slack jawed and bored, eyes dead and lips ducked. So I’ll leave you with this, twice in the series Craig cracked a smile and looked truly at ease, in both of those scenes he shouldn’t have been, they are namely the two times he was tied to a chair and molested, going so far as to outright laugh while having his tender bits made more tender in CR! “Best” actor to play Bond? Hardly!
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by The Saint 007 »

We really need another actor with the charm and effortlessly cool style of Sean Connery and Roger Moore again, who were the most universal of the Bonds, in my opinion.

Craig gets praise for his acting ability, adding more depth to the Bond character, being involved with many of the creative decisions, and doing some of his own stunts. To his hardcore fans, Craig is more passionate about the Bond films than any of the other actors before, and will not be so easily replaced. This image Carl posted the other day says it all:

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I understand that fans love to praise their favourite Bond actor, but for me, all of the Craig hype and anti-classic Bond propaganda has gone way overboard.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Veronica »

What they mean by "best actor" is that he is a "serious",artsy actor interested in psycho babble and "character devolpment" and today that stands for "real" acting. If we are talking about classical Shakspearean training obviously Dalton takes the cake.
And that's the thing. Everything they praise Craig for Dalton did better.
Dalton is a much better actor and a much better Fleming's Bond. You can't even compare Craig to Connery,Moore or Brosnan because he so desperately lacks charisma these men have it's unbelieveable.
And true,I don't see Craig's acting being any better than Lazenby's and he never even acted before OHMSS! Lazenby had more than one facial expression and he didn't gave an impression of a robot so he definitely scores higher than Craig.
Craig best actor to play Bond? Just as much as he is the best Bond since Connery. That means he isn't.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Omega »

Good point about Craig and the sex scenes, Gemma what's her face said it was like kissing her father, something like that.


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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

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The Saint 007 wrote:We really need another actor with the charm and effortlessly cool style of Sean Connery and Roger Moore again, who were the most universal of the Bonds, in my opinion.

Craig gets praise for his acting ability, adding more depth to the Bond character, being involved with many of the creative decisions, and doing some of his own stunts. To his hardcore fans, Craig is more passionate about the Bond films than any of the other actors before, and will not be so easily replaced. This image Carl posted the other day says it all:

Image

I understand that fans love to praise their favourite Bond actor, but for me, all of the Craig hype and anti-classic Bond propaganda has gone way overboard.
I believe Daniel is more dependent on stunt men than his predecessors, after all Spectre featured Man in a Mask as 007. Danile was not even on set most days of filming. Being that Daniel only has one facial expression this man in the mask standing in for him actually makes sense.

Still there was there is this belief left over from the Casino Royale PR machine that Daniel is a bad ass macho bloke, who being a man's man (however you want to interpret that) did his own stunts. Except in Casino it was very evident he was not doing his own stunts, the effort to disguise it was abysmal. For me this just compounds the problems with Daniel because there was the can't drive a standard transmission and hates to film the love scenes stories that leaked out. I believe all of them because we have seen the evidence with our own eyes. Every movie he is more awkward with the female lead than teenagers at their first boy girl dance. After Casino Daniel denies he can't drive stick because as he smugly put it all the cars he owns are so much more posh, those cars are so expensive and luxurious they come with jar of Grey Poupon and automatic transmissions. Lets all forget the interview for Layer Cake where he said he almost wrecked the Audi trying to drive in a straight line. (edit He could not even park his (new money) Cadillac Escalade in front of his house in LA, he was the laughing stock of Hollywood)

If anyone ever wondered what a Steve McQueen 007 would be like, we have seen it sans McQueen's personality with Daniel Craig. The Craig before Barbara was a totally different person, a much more likeable bloke, after Barbara he is a stuck up duck faced poser trying with all his might to appear like a tough guy from Zoolander.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Veronica »

Being Bond certainly stroked his ego. Not to mention Barbara and her amount of praise for Craig. But I think that from the beginning Craig finds this role beneath him. After all he is a "serious" actor interested in dramas and character devolpment.
That's why Craig movies are so pretentious. Barbara loves the recognition she gets from critics,Craig is doing "deep" stuff because everything else is just beneath him and on top of it you have men like Mendes and Waltz who said more than once they would never get involved with the franchise if it was still as "cartoonish" as before.
In the end we have a group of people that just stroked their egos with making a movie so desperate to be something "character driven" and "serious" and it ended up to be the opposite. A dour rip-off on Austin Powers.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by mcbride007 »

Daniel Craig does not produce great acting in his Bond films. IMO he is a bit dour and wooden. He is miserable so critics say this is great serious acting. Also his four Bond films are action films and do not require great acting.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by dirtybenny »

It's been awhile in the making but here's a new one!






Rant 36: Daniel Craig; “The Spy Who Refused to Come out of the Closet”


Many have said here, on other forums and in articles that Craig played Bond in SF as a closeted homosexual, while I concur with that statement I suggest Craig has played the character that way from the very beginning.

Let me start off by defining what I mean by closeted homosexual. I’m not referring to your “confirmed bachelor” cousin who brings his “friend” to all the family get togethers. I’m instead referring to the sexually confused, self-loathing, individual who denies his own homosexuality even to himself. Think of those who take part in those ridiculous “pray away the gay” seminars and live their lives in abject denial.

I alluded to this in the last rant, when discussing Craig’s first sex scene as Bond where he rolls on the rug with Caterina Murino.

As I stated in that rant Craig looks terribly uncomfortable with his partner, going so far as to make a noticeable gulp as she kisses her way down his chest towards more “vital” areas. He blurts out “May I ask you a personal question?” as if he’s Dustin Hoffman and she’s Mrs. Robinson. After he’s literally “saved by the bell” (her telephone) he looks physically relieved, and then for no apparent reason is angry as he orders caviar, as if mad at himself for feeling that relief. By contrast Craig looks far more comfortable locked in the arms of the ill-fated woman’s husband in the following museum scene.

When Craig returns to the islands to find her deceased he couldn’t care less, but not in the dispassionate, emotionally removed fashion as suggested, but more like he would were she a dead henchman rather than the tragic, sacrificial lamb she is.

Also alluded to in the sex scene is Craig’s penchant for married woman. Now I’m no literary Bond scholar so correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember that being a character trait of Bond’s. It speaks to a fear of commitment, which I’m sure was meant to depict a straight man with a “bachelor’s taste for freedom” who wants to continue to “play the field”. However it’s portrayed in such a way as to suggest my theory, he dates married women because he doesn’t want to spend any more time with them as necessary, when he flatly says “It keeps things simple”.

Jump ahead to Craig’s first meeting with Vesper on the train, it’s meant to be this deep introspective where two people delve into each other’s psyche, but instead comes off like a housewife meeting up with her “gay friend” over lunch. It’s all so “Girl, oh no you didn’t!” and “Ooooh, you bitch!” The vibe continues through the ride to the hotel, checking in and getting ready for the evening including the rather silly “dinner jacket” scene.

When Craig finally does decide he likes this girl it’s in an “Oh well, might as well be somebody why not her” sort of fashion. At no point does the relationship really blossom in to this “grand love affair” we’re supposed to be witnessing, which goes directly to the lack of chemistry between the actors and that has to be Craig’s biggest deficiency as Bond.

Craig is most out of his element in his scenes with members of the opposite sex, nowhere is this more apparent than in QOS where his big (and only) seduction is asking Fields to help “find the stationary” from the other side of the room, then sits behind the woman and kisses her back in such a cautious, disgusted way that suggests she’s either radioactive or contagious, also at the end of the film he out of nowhere, awkwardly gropes at Olga Kurylenko like a prepubescent teen who’s contractually obligated to kiss the icky girl. Olga’s initial reaction is priceless, with a genuine look of “Where did that come from?!”

On to SF where Craig begins by banging some native girl up against a wall, the bored scowl on his face unmistakable, as if he would rather be anywhere else at that moment. Cut to the shaving scene with Moneypenny again it feels so platonic, the sexual tension that was supposed to be palpable is nonexistent. Craig’s tryst with the ill-fated former sex slave on the yacht is more of the same with Craig’s face in its usual sour, disinterested scowl, as if he’s simply going through the motions out of compulsion. When he had the chance to save her he doesn’t, instead waiting until just after she dies to spring in to action, to spare himself from having to put up with her on the ride home.

In SP Craig’s love affair plays out just like CR, in that he “falls in love” with Swann because it might as well be her if it has to be someone. They again start off disliking each other but he suddenly finds himself in love only because he thinks he needs to be. Once again the chemistry is downright fictional as both seem physically repulsed by one another even after “falling in love”.

As I said earlier Craig looks very uncomfortable with his female costars in these films, by comparison he looks as if he is quite at home when cozied up with the male cast. Anytime Craig is locked in close physical combat you can see a slight smile play about his lips, he appears to be enjoying these sessions far more than any love scene.

In the “ball scratching” torture scene from CR Craig is very relaxed and seems to be actually enjoying himself as this rather homoerotic vignette plays out. The same can be said about the infamous “coming out scene” in SF, where Craig comes right out and coyly suggests he’s been involved with men before.

Now where did this particular portrayal come from? I would expect this sort of “avant-garde” direction to come from Mendes, who can’t resist shoehorning gay characters or at the very least homoeroticism in to every one of his films, but obviously he didn’t come along until SF. I also certainly wouldn’t put it past Craig and/or Barbara Broccoli to green light such an “artistic” interpretation of the role; however I don’t give them that much credit to come up with it on their own. So where did it come from?

I suggest it is Craig himself who is a closeted homosexual. I know this theory will upset many a Craig fan, but if so I must ask why? If there is truly nothing wrong with being homosexual (and there isn’t) why would suggesting Craig is of that particular orientation be a bad thing? It shouldn’t be any worse than suggesting he dyes his hair or uses contact lenses. The only problem I have is it affects his chemistry with his female costars.

Here is why I think this theory is true, beyond his inability to express heterosexual enjoyment in his films.

There is a rumor, and I know it’s just a rumor, that Craig is cuckolded by his wife, who runs around town with various men, while Craig sits locked away at home, not exactly what one would expect from a young voracious movie star.

Then there is the statement from Craig where he states his displeasure towards those who dare disturb him when out with his “mates”. Normally that sort of desire for privacy is reserved for when one is out with their family or trying to spend a quiet evening with their lover, not when out for a raucous night with the boys. You would think that’s the time you’d want to be approached, perhaps take the opportunity to buy a fan a drink, make a new friend and build some good will, at least it would be favorable compared to the two previous examples. However Craig wants none of it, there is something to be said for wanting a bit of privacy, but he treats these pub crawls like dates. I can’t think of another celebrity who expresses such a strong desire for privacy when out with friends. Perhaps he’s afraid if someone got too close they may overhear a statement or two which may be embarrassing?

At any rate Craig’s Bond is embarrassingly awkward around women, and that could be chalked up to a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is the one I’ve laid out before you.
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Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Blowfeld »

I assumed some of this was because he was bored with the job.

In the way back machine there were rumours about Daniel early on. Honestly I do not care either way, it is not what would make him a miserable choice for 007. Plenty of openly homosexual actors who would be smashing as 007, because they would play him as butch as Ian wrote the spy. People of all persuasions love James Bond movies, they get why it worked and why people enjoyed it. Daniel's era has been about apologising for Barbara and Michael having to hide their faces at awards ceremonies for 'serious' films with high brow talent. Barbara sees Bond as draped in the ugly sins of the past and the decadence her father embraced for the character. Some of this is true however in her eagerness to reboot she threw out the charm which made 007 work.

If Daniel ever writes a tell all book where he reveals he purposely played Ian Fleming's "misogynistic" spy as a frustrated man in the closet in, ironically a world that would welcome him with open arms, I will have to admit he was a better actor than I credited him for. I have always assumed he was a terrible actor who 's awful performance was allowed to stand because it flew in the face of conventional wisdom of who 007 is supposed to be.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Blowfeld »

Way back machine rumours include, Daniel's "gay following" and scenes in his movies, "new 00" hates sex scenes, then Daniel's strange attack of a gay critic who praised Daniel for his tiny blue shorts, Daniel being "caught" at gay bars in New Mexico or was it LA, rumours of him and another actor being too close. Probably more than this.


Gossip mongering fuels so much, I think of old Hollywood so many stars knew of actors who were gay and never sold them out. John Wayne had to have known gay stars never betraying them. Which doesn't fit his image.

The gossip pages want a headline and enough attention to get paid, hinting the new actor to play the straight stereotypical male James Bond is anything but straight will get them attention. There are so many more reasons to object to Barbara's in name only 007 I would hate to be sidetracked by irrelevancies. And give our detractors ammunition.

However there was oddly homosexual vibes since the reboot. Assuming it was intentional I ignored it, however maybe it was more than a slap to the face of traditional 007.
I am unsure how to balance out the rumours with the fact he betrays those closest to him for whatever female is the slightest bit welcoming of his attention. Why I always assumed he is rubbish at acting.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Kristatos »

Maybe he swings both ways. Or maybe the rumours are rubbish. I tend to favour the latter explanation. As for John Wayne, he is known to have stood by Montgomery Clift when the rest of Hollywood turned its back on him after he was outed as gay. The Duke felt that loyalty to one's friends outweighed any disapproval he may have of Clift's sexual leanings.
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Veronica »

Craig could be gay,after all there are rumors that George Clooney is gay as well but his PR hides that and the whole relationship with Amal is phoney. Either way I couldn't care less. As for that famous "gay" scene in Skyfall I think it's just PC thing,sucking up to "the right kind of people".
As for the terribly obvious lack of chemistry between Craig and ALL the female co-stars...it could be that he is truly uncomfortable when he has to do a love scene but I also think there's something to be said on the part of the actresses.
It also could be that they find him all around unattractive(which is pretty logical after all he is no Sean Connery no matter what some pathetic articles say) and they also don't try to invoke any chemistry. Even though Caterina Murino tried,poor woman.
I've read a couple of times how Craig and Green had excellent chemistry...where? In which movie? Certainly not in CR. The lines they had to utter didn't do them any favour either.
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dirtybenny
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Re: Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by dirtybenny »

Let me be clear by stating I'm NOT "gay bashing" or trying to spread rumors here, like everyone else on this site I couldn't care less who in Hollywood is gay, straight or bi, the purpose of this rant is to try to make sense of Craig's performance, it goes hand in glove with my last rant concerning Craig's acting. Is he a terrible actor who is so inept that he inadvertently portrays a voracious womanizer as a quasi-homosexual, or is he just a poor actor who is incapable of suppressing his own sexual orientation to the point it is visibly evident on the screen.

To your point Blofeld regarding our detractors, while I certainly understand where you're coming from, I don't really give a toss what they have to say, as they aren't going to get it anyway, no matter what we say they will find any little detail to pick apart so why concern ourselves with them.
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Dirty Benny's Weekly Rant

Post by Blowfeld »

dirtybenny wrote:Let me be clear by stating I'm NOT "gay bashing" or trying to spread rumors here, like everyone else on this site I couldn't care less who in Hollywood is gay, straight or bi, the purpose of this rant is to try to make sense of Craig's performance, it goes hand in glove with my last rant concerning Craig's acting. Is he a terrible actor who is so inept that he inadvertently portrays a voracious womanizer as a quasi-homosexual, or is he just a poor actor who is incapable of suppressing his own sexual orientation to the point it is visibly evident on the screen.

To your point Blofeld regarding our detractors, while I certainly understand where you're coming from, I don't really give a toss what they have to say, as they aren't going to get it anyway, no matter what we say they will find any little detail to pick apart so why concern ourselves with them.
At this point our detractors do not matter, in the early days it might have hurt to be smeared by the press as homowhatever. When asked to contribute a story I would be afraid of any of the stories with rumours about sexuality of the actor and scenes Barbara put in the movies.
This bothers me because it is fretting over perceived labels by the politically correct police. Who make it impossible to discuss real issues do to fear of being smeared with undesirable labels.

DB you've got a good rant, I couldn't tell you what Daniel is: repressed, curious, closeted, miserable in general, one thing is for sure a lousy lay.


We just don't care if the actor is gay, straight, asexual, a little of all the above, the knee jerk reaction is to be on the right side of popular opinion, even if we are not biased. How many reviews critical of one of Daniel's flops start out saying 'we know Craig is a great actor,, yet this moive sufferers on so many levels but not from this wooden actor's performance? It's the fear of going against the popular meme, I'm just as guilty.
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"Those were the days when we still associated Bond with suave, old school actors such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore,"
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