At the Movies...

[Rorschach]

Well we were discussing "Taken 2" T.G. of IK, so have you seen any movies you've liked?
Which BTW is the main purpose of having this movie topic.

[T.G. of IK]

Well we were discussing "Taken 2" T.G. of IK, so have you seen any movies you've liked?
Which BTW is the main purpose of having this movie topic.

Yes I did notice, hence my comment reguarding a sequel. Didn't, however, realise this threads main purpose. Thanks for the heads up There are quite a few movies I like, even though I'm no movie buff nor do I go out of my way to see movies on the big screen. "No Country for Old Men". Javier Bardem played his character very well. "Enemy at the Gates", just to name a couple. Movies are so subjective, I don't read reviews as one mans yawn is anothers thriller.

[Rorschach]

True.

But then a real stinker is usually a real stinker and vice versa.

Bardem is in the new Bond flick.

[Rorschach]

Skyfall
November 1, 2012 - 8:00PM
Philippa Hawker

Skyfall - directed by Sam Mendes, and number 23 in the official James Bond series - is a long, handsome, austere and confidently intense work with a curiously patriotic thread running through it. It feels as if it has been made with Britain's Olympics year in mind - not surprising, perhaps, given that 007 and the Queen had already made a guest appearance at the opening ceremony.

It begins in globetrotting style, then returns to Britain, the emotional centre of the action. Skyfall has a heritage feel, an embrace of old-school espionage values and a plot that revolves around events from the past and returns to origins. A Turner painting is discussed; Tennyson is quoted at length; Union Jacks are displayed; "exemplary British fortitude" is invoked; MI6, under attack, is forced to relocate to premises that were part of Winston Churchill's wartime bunker.

Yet times have changed, and the old is being expected to make way for the new. M is being pressured to retire by an incoming chair of intelligence and security (Ralph Fiennes) and Bond has a new Q (Ben Whishaw) who looks about the same age as Harry Potter. He has a somewhat disdainful attitude towards gadgets: he's a computer guy. "Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't really go for that any more," he tells Bond, although he does prove to be a useful ally later in the film.

Dastardly deeds are now digital: hard drive theft, online leaks and computer hacking are an essential element of the villain's modus operandi. Yet the film also maintains a commitment to action. Stylish, visually engaging sequences include a long pre-credit chase that takes place in Istanbul, over rooftops and on top of trains, and a combat scene in Shanghai that uses the futuristic nighttime cityscape to maximum effect.

When it comes to Bond women, this time M is the one who matters most. She is a target, even more than 007 himself. Skyfall marks an intriguing phase in the life of Judi Dench's character, strongly associated once again with her British bulldog china figurine, but also identified more than ever as a ruthless operator whose loyalty seems limited. How are we to understand her actions? She is invoked in maternal terms, but they have a touch of the Medea to them.

Alhough a sense of the past is important to the film, and there are regular gestures towards previous Bond incarnations, old values (and a classic gadget from the vaults) are not depicted in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. This is a Bond film that takes itself quite seriously. Craig can deliver a line with an ironic inflection, but he's not really sending himself up. He's a cool, grim, somewhat vulnerable figure, an old dog learning new tricks, dealing with the challenges of ageing and change. This Skyfall 007 is not particularly hedonistic, although he doesn't mind a drink, and the sexual encounters in the film are fleeting and discreetly presented.

Indeed, it's the villain, Silva, who makes the most overtly seductive moves on Bond. The role is not exactly Javier Bardem's most chilling work, but that's hardly his fault. He is playful, petulant and vengeful; he likes to make a musical entrance (courtesy of Charles Trenet and the Animals); he has a bad blond coiffure and a fair amount of intervention from the make-up department. And he's part of a version of a family romance that plays out in the final stages of the movie, explosively and conclusively.

A new Bond film, we are assured in the closing credits, is on its way - Skyfall provides reasons to look forward to more.

Skyfall opens on November 22.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ ... z2B16HZHsC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Genre
Action/Adventure
Running time
143 min
Director
Sam Mendes
Screen writer
John Logan, Patrick Marber, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Actors
Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben Whishaw, Judi Dench, Albert Finney
OFLC rating
M
Year
2012
Language
English

[Rorschach]

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey... apparently Boxing Day release in 3D and the first of 3 parts.
Not a particular fan of 3D, nor of stretching out a story to rake in more profit.
I guess we will have to wait and see.

[Rorschach]

"SKYFALL" is certified FRESH...

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/skyfall/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rorschach]

http://www.thevine.com.au/entertainment ... prometheus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rorschach]

Skyfall.

50 years of Bond they tell us. The best bond yet. Well in all honesty that is just hype. I still prefer Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond, James Bond in Casino Royale. My next favourite in the series, would be Roger Moore’s, Live and Let Die. But hey that’s just me.

The 23rd Bond film joins a franchise that has been a fun but very mixed bag. To be sure none were ever totally disappointing. Skyfall is certainly not a disappointment, unless of course you believe the hype. It has great action, music, cinematography. From my point of view, sadly it suffers from some unconvincing plotting, and poor dialogue.

There has been a lot made of the Bond directorial debut of Sam Mendes, which to me at least is just a part of the hype. Mendes direction for this film is adequate, but nothing extraordinary. Also on board is the acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins, who ensures that, from the opening chase scenes, the night scenes in Shanghai up to the penultimate scenes on the moors of Scotland, the visuals are but visually striking and beautiful.

Craig is again in my opinion the ultimate Bond, even if a little handicapped by the writing. “M”, Dame Judi Dench, is again more than up to the task, perhaps her real life situation impacting on the role and the direction and outcome for her character.

I was disappointed in Javier Bardem’s character, the villain of the piece, Raoul Silva. Both on a physical and plotline level. I guess the hype once again played into this. He is not the ultimate Bond villain, the hype would have you believe. The inconsistency of the writing with this character is a major flaw. He is presented as; a gleefully malicious, pathologically egocentric, overtly bisexual sociopath. You know his obsessive “insanity” is going to be his downfall. You wonder why given his capabilities and ultimate goal, he doesn’t seek it in another more consistent way.
The Bond girls? What of them? One turns out to be someone unexpected and frankly unwanted and the other has far too short a time on screen than usual for one playing her type of role. The younger “Q”, Ben Wishaw sans pimply complexion, is called spotty by Bond in an anachronism that won’t be missed by anyone. Again, poor writing. Or should we blame the make-up department?

The finale, drags us back to Bond’s ancestral home in Scotland. The back story seems added on and the strategically nonsensical, (writers pay attention), is again problematical.

All in all Skyfall is an enjoyable Bond movie, not the worst, but also not the best, regardless of the hype and the attempt by stakeholders to brand it so.

If I had to rate this movie, I’d give it 6.5 out of 10.

[AiA in Atlanta]

2 films seen this year that stick with me are Lincoln (which I saw last night) and Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

[Rorschach]

No it's not... but I am looking forward to THE HOBBIT.