the m0vie blog

John Barry, RIP

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Darren

I had hoped to end James Bond January as a celebration of one of the most iconic film franchises ever produced. It as a fantastically organised event – thanks to the legend that is Paul Thain over at Paragraph Film Reviews. Through the month, we had some surprising good news. Despite the shadow that loomed over MGM, the next Bond film (Bond 23, as it is known) would enter production. It would be released for the film’s fiftieth anniversary, would see Daniel Craig return and would be directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes. That was good news, and it really contributed to the atmosphere of the month.

1933-2011

Unfortunately, as the month came to a close, there was bad news. It’s tragic to end the month with the passing of John Barry. Barry had a tremendous career that others can do far more justice to than I would dare attempt. A legendary composer, his work is instantly recognisable – even if you don’t know you’re listening to it. It’s rare for a composer to exude pure and refined class and sophistication, while still remaining truly accessible. Barry did that. He won an Oscar for his work on Born Free, a soundtrack that I can sing along with even though I have never seen the film. I imagine there are more than a few readers who can say the same thing.

There are those who will sum up his career more eloquently than this truncated blog post, but he was a master. He worked on twelve of the Bond films, however his work was so iconic that the only major departure from his style occurred with GoldenEye (and this was promptly corrected for Tomorrow Never Dies). Perhaps his most iconic Bond theme is for Goldfinger. There’s a video below embedded of Barry conducting an instrumental rendition.

However, my own personal favourite John Barry theme comes from You Only Live Twice:

And I have a soft spot for Diamonds Are Forever, where he famously coaxed Shirley Bassey to give it lots and then some.

Rest in peace.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, born free, daniel craig, diamonds are forever, GoldenEye, Goldfinger, james bond, James Bond music, John Barry, john barry rip, rip, sam mendes, Shirley Bassey, you only live twice | 4 Comments »

James Bond January in Review

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Darren

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, and I’m not sure I should bring them back – but, hey, it might be nice to have an index of all the James Bond January shenanigans I got up to this January. Let’s start with the reviews of the 22 films – all of them:

Sean Connery
- Dr. No
- From Russia With Love
- Goldfinger
- Thunderball
- You Only Live Twice
George Lazenby
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Sean Connery, again
- Diamonds Are Forever
Roger Moore
Timothy Dalton
- The Living Daylights
- Licence to Kill
Pierce Brosnan
- GoldenEye
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- The World is Not Enough
- Die Another Day
Daniel Craig
- Casino Royale
- Quantum of Solace

I also did some James Bond related posts in the month. I wondered about the “James Bond is just a codename” theory, pondered what Bond 23 might have in store for the franchise and wondered if Bond gets away with so much because we dismiss a lot of its British nationalism as “quaint”.

Apart from all that, I wondered if the film 300 was actually racist, and dared to suggest it wasn’t. I took a look at Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming X-Men: First Class and superhero nostalgia. I also pondered what Christopher Nolan’s Bane might look like. It was a fun month, and I hope that next month will be just as exciting.

Thanks again to Paragraph Films for throwing the whole “James Bond January” thing together. It was a joy to take part.

Filed under: Months in Review | Tagged: films, George Lazenby, GoldenEye, james bond, james bond january, Movies, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film), pierce brosnan, Scotland, sean connery, the living daylights | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Darren

The words “too big to fail” are, understandably, bandied around quite a bit over the course of Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. While they refer, of course, to the bloated financial institutions holding the world’s democracy to ransom, it’s hard not to get a sense that they could also apply to Stone’s film. The financial crisis continues to prove that Stone’s original Wall Street was a powerful condemnation of all-consuming unchecked capitalism, and one might assume that the timing is right for a sequel. Indeed, Stone’s attempts to make his movie reflect on the harsh economic climate are admirable – but one gets the sense that the director is unable to decide where to focus the camera. As a result, the film loses a lot of its punch as it jumps around from macro-economics to personal tragedies without thinking too much of the gap between them.

Family fortunes?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Carey Mulligan, frank langella, Good The Bad & The Ugly, Gordon Gekko, josh brolin, oliver stone, shia labeouf, Wall Street | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Salt

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Darren

This post is part of James Bond January, being organised by the wonderful Paragraph Films. It’s the final post I’m doing as part of it, looking at last year’s pretender to the “super spy” crown.

I pride myself on my suspension of disbelief. Richard Donner convinced me that a man could fly. My favourite film of 2008 was about a man who dressed as a flying rodent who took on a psychotic clown in downtown Chicago. I recently enjoyed a movie where the inner workings of a computer were represented as neon motorbikes. The film of the year features a crack team of specialists who break into people’s dreams and steal their ideas (or plant new ones). And yet Salt taxes my suspension of disbelief.

Are they arresting her for a Salt?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: angelina jolie, chiwetel ejiofor, Chuck Norris, film, jack bauer, liev schreiber, Movie, non-review review, review, richard donner, salt, Sleeper agent | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Quantum of Solace

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Darren

Note: I have another review of the film here, but this was written as part of “James Bond January”, after watching all 22 films in quick succession. This post is part of James Bond January, being organised by the wonderful Paragraph Films. I will have reviews of all twenty-two official Bond films going on-line over the next month, and a treat or two every once in a while.

Quantum of Solace is a strange film. In many ways, it feels more like a return to the Bond formula than its direct predecessor, and yet it feels like less of a Bond film. It isn’t a case that film takes the franchise in a new direction while retaining its core identity (as Licence to Kill did, for example), but the feeling that there’s been a fundamental shift in the series, occurring under the radar. It feels as if, though the movie can talk the talk, there’s something different in the step – it can’t quite walk the walk, unfortunately.

Don’t leave us dangling…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bond girls, British Empire, casino royale, daniel craig, films, james bond, jason bourne, Movies, non-review review, quantum, quantum of solace, review, Roger Moore, sean connery, sex, villains | 3 Comments »

Venom Optional: Early Thoughts About Christopher Nolan’s Bane…

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Darren

When it was first announced last week, the choice of Bane as a Batman villain seemed a little… odd. I had reckoned that Nolan might opt for a modern villain who had yet to appear outside of comics or would return to a classic Batman villain, but I didn’t reckon he’d pick a modern villain who had already appeared on the big screen. Though I honestly doubt we have to worry about Nolan rehashing Batman & Robin, he seemed an odd choice for the sequel’s villain. However, after giving it some thought, he doesn’t seem such a bad choice. The fact that Tom Hardy is playing him certainly helps.

I'm kinda glad Nolan stayed away from the big guns...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: anne hathaway, bane, batman, bruce wayne, Christopher Nolan, League of Assassins, ra's al ghul, The Dark Knight Rises, tom hardy | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Casino Royale

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Darren

This post is part of James Bond January, being organised by the wonderful Paragraph Films. I will have reviews of all twenty-two official Bond films going on-line over the next month, and a treat or two every once in a while.

Casino Royale was breath of fresh air for the Bond franchise. The twenty-first film in the series, it represented something akin to a “back to basics” philosophy, pulling back from the camp excesses of Die Another Day to offer us a version of Bond which was a thriller rather than an action comedy. It’s a familiar pattern for low-key entries to follow over-the-top instalments (after all, the producers followed Moonraker with For Your Eyes Only), but arguably not to the same extent. While other movies made the pretense of operating within the same continuity (with numerous references, for example, to Bond’s marriage from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Casino Royale was an attempt to completely start from scratch, with a new actor playing a James Bond who was new to his 00-agent status.

What’s on the cards for Bond?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: casino royale, daniel craig, eva green, GoldenEye, james bond, james bond january, mads mikkelson, Movies, non-review review, pierce brosnan, quantum of solace, quentin tarantino, review, Roger Moore, vesper, vesper lynd | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Morning Glory

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Darren

Early in Morning Glory, our plucky female lead (TM) is interviewing for a position at a major morning show. Asked to outline her vision, she states that “no story is too high or too low” for the show to tackle. Unfortunately, the film makes it clear that the emphasis on that last part. Because this is exactly what we need – a movie about how morning shows aren’t dumb enough.

It's a news day...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: american chat shows, american media, Devil Wears Prada, Diane Keaton, films, harrison ford, jeff goldblum, lowest common denominator, media, meryl streep, Morning Glory, morning shows, Movies, news, non-review review, rachel mcadams, review, Ty Burrell | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Die Another Day

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Darren

A new watch. Your twentieth, I believe.

How time flies.

– Q and Bond go all meta on us

I next joined Pierce and co at the premiere of Die Another Day in 2002, which marked the 40th anniversary of the series. When asked later what I thought of the film, I merely said “interesting”. In truth I thought it just went too far – and that’s from me, the first Bond in space! Invisible cars and dodgy CGI footage? Please! They gave the public what they wanted, though maybe they too realised there was only so far they could push it before Bond became a caricature of himself, and the funeral directors were called in.

– Sir Roger Moore, who seems like a lovely guy

Truth be told, Die Another Day doesn’t quite deserve the reputation that it has earned over the years. But, then again, I can appreciate A View to a Kill, so what do I know?

Close, but no cigar...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: British Empire, diamonds, Die Another Day, Elliot Carver, film, gustav graves, history, homage, james bond, james bond january, Movie, non-review review, pierce brosnan, reference, review, Roger Moore, toby stephens, United States | 11 Comments »

Captain America? &%#$ No! Thoughts on the Naming Controversy…

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Darren

Last year, I remarked that – although it was perhaps the least likely of Marvel’s movies to be awesome – Captain America: The First Avenger was going to be the most interesting movie on their slate to follow, at least when it comes to international markets. Predictably enough, Marvel have decided that not everyone on the planet is going to be cool with a movie about a literal American super-patriot. They will be dropping the title “Captain America” completely, simply selling it as “The First Avenger” in Russia, the Ukraine and South Korea. I, for one, am quite disappointed.