Showing posts with label Daniel Craig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Craig. Show all posts

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Check This Out: Billie Eilish Sings the Latest Bond Song "No Time to Die"

There's going to be a lot of reason to talk about James Bond in 2020. It isn't just that this is the latest film in one of Britain's most popular franchises. It's also the 25th film and one that features the current Bond (Daniel Craig) stepping down after playing the role since Casino Royale in 2006. For the first time in almost 15 years, there are so many things up in the air for where things will go. However, there is one thing that will never go out of style: the Bond song. Just as Bond is expected to drive fancy cars and play with nifty gadgets, audiences have been expecting a new and definitive addition to the sonic canon of 007. This time around is one of the stranger choices with Billie Eilish taking on the role with the titular song for No Time to Die. If it's not the perfect kick-off for the Best Original Song contenders for next year, then nothing is.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Review: How "Knives Out" Reinvents the Whodunit is a Clear Success

Scene from Knives Out
The world of Agatha Christie is alive and well in director Rian Johnson's Knives Out. This murder mystery is an original story that pays tribute to the whodunit's of yesteryear while applying a glossy coat of 21st-century idealism over it. With the introduction of detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) out to solve the murder of Harlan Thrombley (Christopher Plummer), the story goes about the journey that makes for one of the most enjoyable films of 2019. On its surface, it's a familiar story where everyone's a suspect and the comedy thrives when people have their own grudges being yelled from across rooms in a form of defense. Their egos will never be put in check, however, so who will go so far as to reveal themselves in this mess? The answer is only part of the reason that this film succeeds as more than a Christie pastiche. It's the story of a modern society coming to terms with its own changing tides, and that elevates the film's relevance to something more than mystery fodder.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Composing Greatness: #10. Thomas Newman - "Skyfall" (2012)

Scene from Skyfall
Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011)

Scene from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The Full Length Trailer for "Spectre" is Bond Doing Bond in Bondly Ways

Daniel Craig
One of the many big movies of the Fall is likely to be the latest film in the James Bond series. Following the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Skyfall, director Sam Mendes returns to deliver Spectre. As one can expect, there will likely be more of the familiar espionage and fast cars to keep fans of the British spy series entertained. Today marks the release of the first full trailer, which co-stars Daniel Craig and Christoph Waltz and sees the hero going on his 24th adventure. In predictable fashion, it looks just about as good as the recent Bond movies get.

Friday, June 5, 2015

A Comparison Between "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Films (2009 and 2011)

Left to right: Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig
As the years have dragged on and the culture continues to find new fads, it is interesting to note the legacy of author Siteg Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." While the book itself is a behemoth - accumulating 15 million copies sold worldwide - there are two camps on the two main filmed versions and the heroines that are at the center. With American star Rooney Mara claiming that the sequel is pretty much not happening and David Lagercrantz writing the first book since the author's death in 2004 called "The Girl in the Spider's Web," it seems as opportune of a time as ever to look back on the two filmed versions and see how the language and visual outlines play into each other.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Can Adele's Theme for "Skyfall" Finally Get James Bond a Best Original Song Award?



It has been quite a year for the James Bond franchise. Starting with the Olympics Opening Ceremony in London, England, the British spy has jumped out of an airplane with Queen Elizabeth II and is now set to release a new movie starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, and Judi Dench and is directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty). With Skyfall opening on November 9, fans have eagerly been awaiting the release of the traditional movie theme. This time, it is from multiple Grammy-winning artist Adele. The song recently hit the internet. Does it stand a chance of winning Best Original Song?