James Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is the man assigned to guide Craig, in this, his swansong film, and damn does he create one of the most entertaining films of the entire year. From its opening frames to closing credits, No Time To Die is a cinematic rush that never eases up and Fukunaga delivers one hell of a Bond film for cinemagoers. As a viewer of this film, you feel Fukunaga’s enthusiasm for this classic hero and the genre in which he exists. And Fukunaga gives us everything we could want out of a Bond film in No Time To Die. A staunch hero, deadly villains, beautiful women, exotic locations, heart-pounding action and a vivacious score all encapsulate you as an audience member in the moment of No Time To Die. Film fans have been aching for a cinema experience like this for some time now, and No Time To Die delivers everything you could want from a Bond film.

Fukunaga’s approach to No Time To Die is to build a film that is both a throwback to classic Bond film’s of the 1960s, but also to create a film that feels entirely contemporary in its construction. It’s sleek, sexy and stylish, and there’s a terrific edge and pace to the movement of the narrative. No Time To Die’s story also leads into some very original territory for Bond to act in, especially in terms of the threat that he has to face this time around, and it’s an entirely fresh example of how the spy genre can be used to deliver compelling entertainment. No Time To Die also fits completely into the arc of Craig’s character development through four previous films, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre, and brings together the narrative story of all these previous films as Bond sets out to save the world.

No Time To Die is a film where no expense has been spared in its creation and it certainly shows on screen. This picture is gorgeous to look upon, and as an audience member, you’ll bask in the visual splendour that is presented to you. From the cinematography of Linus Sandgren, the production design of Mark Tildesley, the art direction of Mark Harris and Tamara Marini, the set decoration of Véronique Melery and the costume design of Suttirat Anne Larlarb, everything in No Time To Die comes together to build a very sexy and stylish film. To look at this film is to experience the quintessential coolness that we’ve come to expect of a Bond film, but also to experience something of immense beauty. The visuals that we witness are just stunning to look upon, and the ambience generated by Bond’s crisscrossing global mission will result in your excitement levels dialled all the way up.

Making his fifth and final appearance as secret agent 007 James Bond is Daniel Craig and he pulls out all the stops to give one hell of a final performance. Having to contend with an explosive new threat to global peace and security, along with overcoming his own personal burdens and trust issues, Bond’s mission is very much to find a way back to becoming a hero in No Time To Die after the events of the film’s explosive first act rob him of his will to fight the good fight. Climbing tooth and bail back into the fray, Craig’s Bond realises that there are far bigger stakes raised this time thanks to an elusive and dangerous new enemy, and things take a very personal turn for Bond as he jumps back into battle.

For Craig, No Time To Die is the circle coming complete as we see the end to his character growth as James Bond. For four films we have seen him move from a mere blunt instrument used by MI6 to fight the world’s most terrifying villains, to a man who has come to find a sense of place and purpose in his missions. That mission in No Time To Die is ultimately the most personal of all of the missions that Bond takes on and it’s do or die this time around. Along with his all-guns approach to stop the bad guys in their place, Craig’s Bond also has to contend not only with the love and relationships of his past but what has resulted from the love he has shared. And this makes for a very big surprise for audiences in No Time To Die. Craig truly gives everything of himself to No Time To Die, and the resulting performance is a deeply personal one as he puts his final stamp on the debonair super spy.

Standing next to Bond in No Time To Die, and reprising her role as Dr. Madeleine Swann from Spectre, is Léa Seydoux and she undergoes considerable character development as Swann as the action unfolds before us. From romantic moments shared with Craig’s Bond to being placed into the clenches of death-defying action scenes, Seydoux has a very important role to play within the narrative of No Time To Die and her actions propel Bond’s own as the narrative moves forward. While she was an interesting love choice for Bond in Spectre, it’s here in No Time To Die where we learn more about her character and motivations, and how her past has shaped her present. Seydoux again brings great gravitas to her performance, as she is prone to do, and she helps to bring out many revealing moments related to Bond’s own emotional state within No Time To Die, which have major ramifications for the film as a whole.

While Bond’s unresolved romantic feelings might be met by Seydoux’s Swann, it’s his professional status within MI6 that is questioned and challenged by Lashana Lynch as Nomi, a new 00 agent who doesn’t take a liking to the old war dog. Very much representing the new 00 of our tech-savvy 21st century, Nomi is a smart and capable field agent who sees herself as Bond’s successor and a far better one than that. She’s a ‘by-the-book’ agent, compared with Bond’s status as a ‘rogue actor’ and when they meet there’s a fun and playful tension that Craig only exasperates further throughout the film. Lynch handles herself in the part well, and she’s a great foil for Bond as they go up against the forces of Spectre and an even murkier enemy, and her addition to the film certainly keeps the drama interesting.

The rest of the Bond family are also present and accounted for with Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner and Ralph Fiennes as M. All of them get their moment within the action of No Time To Die, but it’s Ralph Fiennes’ M who has a very senior role to play within the story of No Time To Die. Part of the focus of Fukunaga’s film revolves around the idea of secrets and their eventual cost, and its M’s own secrets that lead to the point of contention in No Time To Die and this results in moments of on-screen tension shared with Craig’s Bond. Ana de Armas brings a sultry, fun-loving quality to first-time field agent Paloma which makes for a very fun Bond girl moment, while Bond veteran Jeffrey Wright again brings the bravado and comradeship Bond needs as CIA operative, and his long-time friend, Felix Leiter.

Finally stepping out of the shadows and providing No Time To Die with its villainous menace is Academy Award winner Rami Malek as the elusive and dangerous Lyutsifer Safin. And he’s a very sinister figure for Bond to contend with. A calculating, focused and destructive force, Malek’s Safin is certainly the most threatening and disturbing villain that Bond has ever had to fight. With his scarred face and hungry eyes, he’s like a half-crazed jackal just waiting to pounce and his disquieting presence has a disturbing effect on audiences. Malek gives Safin a malice that recalls the great Bond villains of the 1960s and his commitment to this creepy character is sure to get under the audience’s skin. Malek makes for a stellar villain in No Time To Die and he completely holds the attention of the audience when he appears on screen.

No Time to Die is a cinematic experience of the broadest and grandest scale. Operatic in design and presentation, it is a Bond film of exotic locations, big action set pieces and intense character moments and it’s a very fun experience to be caught up in. This broad style marks it out as a very masculine film and keeps to the form of Craig’s character of Bond. Fukunaga and his team do nothing small within this film and its giant set pieces wrap you up in the moment. No Time To Die’s opening in Matera, Italy is unbelievably impressive and sets the tone for an adrenaline-charged cinematic experience that floors the throttle and leaves off the break. Bond’s mission in Cuba to apprehend a rogue scientist is a pure adrenaline rush and the film’s climactic act and battle in the confines of Safin’s brutish island fortress base also gets you wrapped up in the action of No Time To Die.

The stunt team who have worked on all of the Craig era Bond films have always pushed for excellence with each new film and this has resulted in some of the most epic action moments ever captured on celluloid. They bring this same commitment to excellence in No Time To Die and it shows fully on-screen. Making the most of the film’s exotic locations, and Bond’s ability to blow them up results in some epically cool moments. A case in point is the film’s opening scene in Matera which results in one of the coolest chase scenes you’ll ever witness as Bond pushes the limit of the famed Aston Martin DB5. But it’s not just an adrenaline rush that you get with these action scenes, but you also come to realise how revealing they are of Bond’s character and that these scenes play a pivotal role within the narrative structure of No Time To Die’s presentation.

The James Bond films have always been about pure escapism and that’s exactly what get here with No Time To Die. It’s a film of grand locations, massive scale, epic action and tells the ultimate story of good versus evil. In viewing this film I feel like No Time To Die is the perfect James Bond film. Yes it is Craig’s swansong as the character, and yes it is the final chapter in his arc as the character, but with its construction and presentation as a cinema event, No Tiem To Die and its director Cary Joji Fukunaga fully lean into what a James Bond film is, and what kind of an experience it’s supposed to be. It’s a product of pure entertainment and is the kind of spectacle that draws in the power of the cinema and why we go to the movies in the first place.

No Time To Die is far and away the best film of the entire year, and it’s a rollicking good ride from beginning to end. Breathlessly entertaining, and with a committed performance from its lead star, Daniel Craig, it’s the perfect film for him to go out as the character and audiences will be very pleased with what they witness up on the big screen with it. After all, nobody does it better than James Bond.

Image: Universal Pictures

The post ‘No Time To Die’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Along with the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond, Spectre would also see the return of director Sam Mendes who would expand his study of the character of James Bond, while also broadening the world in which he acted in. Once again Mendes would bring the same operatic elegance he had to Skyfall in Spectre, and Spectre was an utterly gorgeous film to look upon. Where Skyfall had a punchy and polished noir quality to its visuals, Spectre instead offered up a starker, stripped-down style, and presented audiences with an even grander and bigger canvas on which Bond was able to operate in. Mendes also gave Spectre this essential retro-cool Bond feeling about it, with its setting and design feeling very much inspired by the Bond films of the Sean Connery era and the design and artistry of the great Ken Adam. Spectre also had a feeling of grand opulence about it, which was reinforced by the megalomaniacal size and scale of the crime syndicate that gave the film its name, and this really made an impression on audiences.

While it was of such considerable scale and size, Spectre also happened to be in my mind the most intimate of all of the Craig Bond films to date. In his narrative and plotting, Mendes again went back into Bond’s past and used the baggage of the secret agent’s youth to draw out a narrative of him duelling with a very dangerous and very personal villain. Spectre was also very much in keeping with the sequel narrative that Mendes was working to with its storytelling literally succeding the events of Skyfall and tieing in together the events of all of the previous Craig films to craft a single narrative thread for Bond to follow.

Daniel Craig would return in his fourth appearance as super-spy James Bond in Spectre, and whereas Skyfall was about him re-connecting back to his old self as Bond, Spectre was very much about him going into the internal mind of Bond and discovering the reasons and motivations for why he acts the way he does. While Craig has continued to deliver one of the sharpest and coolest portrayals ever of the dapper and debonair 007, Spectre gave him considerable room to explore the humanity of James Bond, along with what it would truly mean for Bond to actually fall in love and truly devote himself to one single woman. Added to this was also a sense of a hunter’s single-mindedness as he pursued SPECTRE around the globe and you had a very interesting take for James Bond this time around.

As a viewing experience, Spectre also felt more like a team film, rather than just the lone acting Bond pursuing this evil organization and its mastermind across the globe. A newly minted and sternly worded M (Ralph Fiennes), the talented and quick thinking Moneypenny (Naomi Harris), the technologically minded Q (Ben Whishaw) and the ever-dependable Tanner (Rory Kinnear), all played key roles in Spectre. And it was very fun to see Bond act as part of a group to stop SPECTRE in its tracks, especially in the third act, and this really gave the film a new and different kind of energy. Bond’s supporting team were also not mere spectators that popped up for a scene or two, but each had a key part to play within the film’s narrative and this certainly kept things interesting.

Bond would also get his fill with two thoroughly gorgeous women in Spectre, including Monica Bellucci as the sexy Lucia Sciarra and Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, a beautiful and soulful woman who would finally steal away his heart. Both Belluci and Seydoux made for great Bond Girls and each of them had their own part to play in the narrative and added to the story’s impact. Bellucci, as she is prone to do, was effortless in her portrayal of the femme fatale vixen, while Seydoux was a capable new woman in Bond’s life who was on an equal footing with him. She would also give this old war dog a chance to properly explore the idea of a greater love than just the bliss of a single night’s passion. Seydoux’s Swann was also of key importance to the film’s third act, and her time spent with Bond in Tangier and the Sahara lent to some of the film’s most stunning imagery and emotionally intense moments.

Spectre had a terrific sense of history about it as it took from the past of the character and brought it back into the modern era and none was this more so clear than with the film’s chief antagonist. Stepping out of the shadows to bring the chaos down on James Bond was none other than two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Franz Oberhauser, later revealed to be the megalomaniacal Ernst Stavro Blofeld, James Bond’s ultimate nemesis and Waltz truly made the part his own. Written as a brotherly figure to Bond, with a dangerous grudge to bear against him, Waltz gave Blofeld a calculating, sadistic intelligence that made him out as a special kind of villain for Bond to contend with, one who partook in great enjoyment in tormenting Bond, and who was more than happy to cause as much chaos as possible as long as it made Bond suffer.

Not only was Spectre a story of immense scale in the narrative, characters and location, but also in its action and Mendes certainly put Daniel Craig through the grinder with this one. His intention was to start off big, and the film’s opening chase and helicopter fight through Mexico City on a packed out ‘Day of the Dead’ was an incredibly epic spectacle to witness. From this opening, Mendes and his team expanded on this idea of big action which included an intense car chase through the darkened streets of Rome; Bond smashing through the Alps in a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander; an intense mano-a-mano fight scene on a moving train between Bond and Dave Bautista’s Mr. Hinks, a brooding, brute of a killer sent to dispatch 007; the destruction of SPECTRE’s Sahara desert compound, which included the biggest ever explosion committed to celluloid, and a final confrontation between Bond and Blofeld in an explosive London showdown. If you were an action junkie you absolutely loved what was on offer here and I have to say that it was the film’s Mexican aerial helicopter fight that got my blood pumping the most.

For audiences and Bond fans, Spectre felt like a different experience altogether, and watching it back again you can feel that Mendes was working to explore new territory with the character, while also trying to reinterpret the historical Bond in a brand new light. Mendes was also working towards a film that was nothing short of the word ‘blockbuster’, and Spectre was a film of immense scale and size and audiences were in for a grand experience worthy of the world’s greatest super spy. While the film does have its faults, I feel like it was a very ambitious attempt by Mendes to search for new ground in the Bond franchise, along with bringing the Craig movies as a whole together as a franchise, and which will now be brought full circle in the forthcoming No Time To Die. While initially many people saw the film as Craig’s final chapter, now we can look upon it as the set up to his final act as James Bond, and acting as an intermediary narrative that sets up the things to come in No Time To Die.

Spectre is a colossal event sized movie and you certainly feel the epicness that Sam Mendes was searching for when bringing it to the big screen. It’s big, lavish and packed full of a mix of retro-cool and modern excellence, and is an important chapter to witness as we now head into Daniel Craig’s final turn as James Bond.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas on October 7.

The post The Bond Countdown – ‘Spectre’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

An ex-MI6 agent steals a hard drive with top-secret information to carry out a vendetta on Bond’s overseer, M. Bond must face his past in a bid to try and save M.

Stepping into the director’s chair this time was revered dramatic director and Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, and he brought a thoroughly new and distinct vision to the character of James Bond in Skyfall. Mixing both operatic elegance and racy film noir together resulted in the astonishing Skyfall. And Mendes really new what he was doing with this project. Placing emphasis on character, narrative and scale, Skyfall felt like a truly modern Bond experience and a lavish one at that. Every frame of this film was gorgeous to look upon, and Mendes gave the film an elegance and sexiness that was distinctively its own and not inspired by the past. But it was his focus on the character of James Bond, and the forces that drive him, along with the relationship to his boss and mentor M (Judi Dench) where this film really made its mark.

Audiences had grown to accept Bond as an icon, and for many years and many Bond films, the emphasis was on the past inspiring the present for plenty of retro throwback cool. Here in Skyfall, Mendes and his team worked to place the emphasis on the modern and make James Bond stand out on his own on a technologically interwoven planet and where new threats arose more from lone actors rather than nation-states. Giving Skyfall a tech edge, and finding a new place for Bond within it made the character that much cooler, and Mendes was also able to give the film its own iconic status. From its opening moments, this film gripped audiences, and its pace was well-thought-out with each event feeding into the next for a well-balanced and purposeful narrative. Skyfall was Bond made contemporary and with its added sense of operatic scale and dramatic depth, audiences were in for an intense ride.

Skyfall also gave Bond star Daniel Craig new avenues to explore as the tuxedo-clad superspy. And he looked damn cool while doing it. Beaten, broken down and renouncing his 00 status, it was only when tragedy hit close to home that Bond returned to put things right and we were seeing a new shade to Bond’s character as that of a hunter who was on the prowl. Craig again brought out his tough elegance in the part and whether it was racing a motorcycle through the streets of Istanbul or prowling the smoke-filled halls of a Macau casino, Craig would display effortless cool as the debonair 007. In my own mind, Skyfall was a perfect portrait of James Bond as a character, being equal parts devil-may-care and dashing, and this was truly Ian Fleming’s character remade for a brand new age with Bond reinvented for a modern era.

Of incredible importance to the success of Skyfall was the presence of Academy Award winner Javier Bardem as the film’s lead villain Raoul Silva. A dangerous and unhinged cyber-terrorist, Silva also happens to have once been an MI6 operative under M’s control, but whose own actions turned him into a rogue asset that had to be terminated. Swearing revenge, he turned his attention to destroying M and everything around her. And with Silva we had a terrific villain for Bond to face down. Silva was a perfect opponent for Bond, and was very much Bond’s equal and a man who could go to war with him on a level footing, which until Skyfall we had not seen Craig’s Bond have to contend with. With his sickly blond hair and stark eyes, Bardem’s Silva was a completely distinctive character and the infamous first meeting between Silva and Bond created an uneasy tension, which was only amplified by Bardem’s sadistic creep factor. Bardem’s Silva was a definite highlight of the film and the Bond villain that we’d long awaited for and wanted to see.

A central tenant to the impact of Skyfall was the presence of Judi Dench’s M, Bond’s long-time superior and mentor, and who had a vital part to play in the film’s narrative as the target of Silva’s deranged plan for revenge. Skyfall is also the most intense of Bond and M’s relationship, especially when explored through the film’s third act when Bond and M seek refuge in Bond’s childhood estate home in Scotland, and where the layers of his past, and the impact of this past on his character, is revealed. As always Dench is once again superb in her role as M, and there is an almost understated love between Bond and M, which is explored here as we come to see M as a somewhat ‘mother figure’ to Bond. This subtext in the film, which had not been explored in previous Bond films gave the narrative so much further depth and made Skyfall’s third act and emotionally wraught ending that much more powerful.

As an experience, Skyfall definitely added some serious sex appeal to its setting, and of all of Bond’s recent appearances courtesy of Daniel Craig, Skyfall certainly ranks as the most scintillating and sexy. Bringing the sex appeal to this instalment was the glamourous, elegant and sexy Bérénice Marlohe as the scintilationg and salacious Sévérine. A classic femme fatale in both attitude and action, Sévérine was an eningmatic presence within Skyfall and elevated the Bond girl troupe to a new level. Dangerous and alluring, she was a vixen temptress who weaved her way around Bond and you couldn’t help but be drawn into Marlohe’s performance as Sévérine. Added to the sex appeal of Skyfall was also the presence of Naomie Harris as Eve, a new MI6 field operative who is later revealed to be Eve Moneypenny, and Harris added her own level of tension to Eve’s interactions with Bond. There was a terrific flirty back and forth between Bond and Eve, courtesy of Craig and Harris, and this added sexual tension between these two characters certainly made their interactions very interesting to watch.

If there was one central part of production that aided unequivocally to the success of Skyfall then it was far and away the visual eye of legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. Regarded as the greatest cinematographer of all time, Deakins brought his lavish visual touch to Skyfall and shot one hell of a gorgeous movie. Painting scene after scene with his terrific understanding of light and shadow, Deakins captured the modern operatic quality that Mendes was searching for here in Skyfall and the imagery before our eyes was beautiful to look upon. Key standout scenes from the film included Bond’s fight with an elusive hitman in a neon-lit Shanghai, his meeting with Sévérine in the smokey elegance of a Macau casino and the film’s penultimate firefight on the burning Scottish highlands of Bond’s past. All of it was captured in the perfectly rendered high-dynamic-range detail of Deakins lens, and his touch was the key in elevating this film to a new standard for both the Bond film and modern cinema in general.

In terms of the cinematic experience, Skyfall is the complete and total James Bond package. Narrative, character, action, location and production all came together in this monumental movie, and audiences were truly given the ultimate modern Bond incarnation with this story. Skyfall is a perfect Bond film and it makes for a very compelling and rewarding watch for audiences who are looking for a bit of supercharged adventure.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas on October 7.

The post The Bond Countdown – ‘Skyfall’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

James Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organisation from eliminating a country’s most valuable resource.

Picking up the directorial reigns from Martin Campbell would be director Marc Forster, a filmmaker who was more known for his dramatic depth, but who seriously supercharged the action in this one. Where Campbell’s Casino Royale was a classic romantic spy film, Forster put his emphasis on the action and on a wounded 007 who was very much out for blood. Quantum of Solace moves forward at an explosive pace and of all of Craig’s Bond films, it’s the most action-packed and is a rather brutal watch with this slightly unhinged secret agent going straight forward to get his revenge. But what’s interesting is that even with all its high-end action, Forster still brings his dramatic lens to bare and in Quantum of Solace we’re seeing the cost of what it means to be James Bond, and how much of a heavy toll it can be to bare.

Forster’s direction also plays a serious part in moving the James Bond narrative forward and aligning it more to the classic structure of the Bond films. While Casino Royale was about becoming James Bond, Quantum of Solace is about what it means to be James Bond and that means inhabiting a dangerous new world that goes above rudimentary terrorist acts. While only briefing mentioned in Casino Royale, audiences come into contact with the mysterious and dangerous new organization of Quantum, who are bent on global domination and establishing their new world order. It’s fantastic to see Craig’s Bond begin to operate against much larger forces, while also having to go it alone and rely on his skills and instincts to get the job done. As an audience member, it’s great to see this classic Bond narrative structure made contemporary and Forster does a fine job with this.

After his exceptional work on Casino Royale, Daniel Craig again returns to the big screen as James Bond and this time the stakes get cranked up for cinema’s greatest super spy. Reeling from his betrayal at the hands of Vesper Lynd, Craig’s Bond is on the hunt and willing to get down and dirty when it comes to dismantling a dangerous and secretive new threat. Quantum of Solace is Bond with the choke chain taken off and Craig goes for the jugular. It’s a very direct performance from Craig, and while Bond does treat himself to a few treats, such as a tryst with the scintillating MI6 officer Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton), Bond is all business. While Bond does crack plenty of heads this time, Forster’s direction also helps pull out a very damaged performance from Craig and Quantum of Solace is very much about why James Bond does what he does and how this man justifies his profession and existence.

Stepping up as a new Bond girl is Olga Kurylenko as the salacious and headstrong Camille Montes, a Bolivian agent who comes into Bond’s world and whose own quest for revenge gets mixed in with his mission. Kurylenko’s Camille stands out amongst other Bond girls as she can go head-to-head with the debonair super-spy and can match his advanced combat skills and action. While she never becomes especially close to Bond, and there are no outward romantic feelings between the two of them, she essentially offers the audience a mirror image by which we can view Bond as both are suffering and consumed by a need for revenge. It’s Camille who opens Bond up to what he may become, asking him to reflect on this before it’s too late. Kurylenko cuts a great figure as the fearless Camille and her presence in Quantum of Solace helps to modernize Bond and give him a different type of woman to play off.

Quantum of Solace is also an important film for the emphasis that it places on the relationship between Craig’s Bond and Judi Dench’s M. While there was some interaction between the two of them in Casino Royale, this takes on deeper significance within Quantum of Solace and we begin to see the complex dynamics at work here. While they bicker back and forth between one another, and Bond’s straight and often to the point methods rile up M, it’s very clear that she trusts Bond completely and this film helps to illustrate this as the sharks begin to encircle them both. Both Craig and Dench are two of Britain’s most capable and respected performers and it’s fantastic to see them at work in a closer manner and it helps to establish a deeper level of trust and respect between the two characters.

Stylistically, Quantum of Solace is very much a throwback to the classic Sean Connery era Bond films and especially the design style of the great Ken Adam. While director Marc Foster is telling a modern story and making the classic Bond tropes contemporary, the film’s sense of style and design recalls the fantastic elements of classic Bond films like From Russia With Love and Thunderball. From its art deco and retro-future architectural design to a focus on classic vehicles and a throwback style in relation to the film’s costuming, Quantum of Solace is packed out with retro-cool. In addition to this classic design ethos, another incredibly important addition to the film was the pairing of Daniel Craig with noted menswear designer Tom Ford, who re-crafted Bond’s look for a new age with an ultra-masculine flair that signalled his dominance as a daring debonair man of action.

Of all of Craig’s turns as Bond, Quantum of Solace is certainly the most action-heavy and the intensity doesn’t let up for a moment. Craig ran the gauntlet here and the film kicks off with a bang with its explosive and adrenaline charging car chase that kicked up plenty of gravel and elevated the audiences heart rate. What followed was an onslaught of action, with Craig jumping from a daring rooftop gun battle to a brutal bone-breaking knife fight, followed by a jet boat collision coarse in Haiti with Kurylenko’s Camille. But it was the film’s epic aerial chase scene over the Bolivian desert that was the film’s show-stopping piece and this was a piece of action cinema that was epically shot and cranked up the volume with the spectacle it delivered.

Quantum of Solace was a great next stage in Daniel Craig’s career as James Bond. It’s the first time where he starts to mature as the character and introduces him into a more Bond-esque world. The action’s intense, the narrative’s crisp and the visual palette is packed together with a terrific mixture of both retro flair and contemporary style and it is an important step in Bond’s new mission for this new generation of cinemagoers.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas on October 7.

The post The Bond Countdown – ‘Quantum of Solace’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

For Craig, life as Bond began back in 2006 with the release of Casino Royale, which attempted to re-set the Bond character and present his origin story, and how this tough, but yet untested secret agent would become the man every guy wants to be and every woman wants to be with. We’re going right back to the beginning with Casino Royale as we countdown to the release of No Time To Die, and Casino Royale is a great place to start.

After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, Secret Agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.

Starting right back at the beginning, New Zealand director Martin Campbell was once again selected to re-introduce audiences to Bond, just like he had done with Pierce Brosnan with Goldeneye, and he started Casino Royale off with a bang! Adapting the first of Ian Fleming’s spy novels, Casino Royale is an incredibly faithful adaptation to the original source novel and keeps much of the plotting and characterization of both Bond and the first Bond girl, Vesper Lynn, although updating it for a modern setting and tieing in elements of contemporary terrorism and money laundering into the plot. Casino Royale also hits audiences hard, and this is felt in the very first scene. Its action scenes are in-your-face and contain some gut-punching moments which reinforce the idea that Craig’s Bond is a new Bond, a tougher Bond, a more capable Bond. Campbell’s direction of Casino Royale reinterprets the landscape of just what a Bond film is, and the audience’s reaction to this film is something altogether completely different.

Buttoning up the tux and stepping into the gun barrel this time is Daniel Craig as secret agent 007 James Bond, and the actor completely makes this character his own. Recalling the devil-may-care flavour of Sean Connery, while also offering up an aggressive and concentrated performance, you buy into Craig performance as Bond here. Craig invests in Bond’s history as a Navy man and a former Special Forces Operator who is now taking on the new challenge of service to Queen and Country within MI6. With his unique charismatic cool and tough guy capability, Craig was effortlessly able to hold the attention of his audience. He’s a peak alpha male, with the coolest cars, the best suits, one hell of a physique, the ability to charm any woman he meets, and to jump into any sort of action at ease. And this made for the most entertaining of viewing experiences.

But stepping aside from his action and heroics, Craig’s Bond is a complex man, who is juggling an intense and dangerous morality and who is having to reconcile with the ugly world in which he operates in. Craig’s performance feeds into the character here and there was a real honesty and integrity that he brought to Bond’s characterization in Casino Royale. Throughout the film, we’re seeing James Bond become James Bond and it’s not until Casino Royale’s ending and the final iconic scene that this man finally becomes the legend. It’s in this final scene where Craig asserts his command over the role and puts his stamp on the character. No one truly does it better as Bond than Craig and audiences couldn’t help but be charmed and inspired by his performance.

Standing next to Craig’s Bond in Casino Royale is the gorgeous Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, the very first Bond girl and the one to steal his cold heart. As Vesper Green shapes the very definition of the Bond girl persona with her performance. Glamourous, confident, intelligent, beautiful, alluring and the first woman who can match Bond and go toe-to-toe with him, Vesper gives Casino Royale it’s character drama and as the interaction of these two eventually grows to that a loving affair, the stage is set for some very big twists that many viewers did not see coming. Like Craig, Green is on top of her game here as Vesper and she helps to bring audiences into the narrative of Casino Royale, while also giving them a unique frame to view Bond in. While there is an amazing romance that is shared between the two of them, Green’s Vesper is also able to recognise the self-destructive character of Bond, along with giving us a reaction to the constant violence that informs the character. In terms of Bond Girls, Green re-characterizes her character here and sets the scene for what audiences should expect from future Bond Girls with Craig’s career as Bond.

Alongside Vesper, another key character to the Bond universe is re-introduced in Casino Royale in the form of the ever-dependable M who is once again played by Dame Judi Dench. Returning to the character after overseeing Pierce Brosnan’s turn as 007, Dench once again provides an interesting foil to Craig’s Bond as M, this time around as an authority figure who is trying to rein in an overly aggressive employee. While there is a respect held between the two of them, here in Casino Royale we see Craig’s Bond testing M and seeing just what he can get away with in terms of operational procedure, while M is far more observant and widely focused than Bond is aware of. But of course she knows he’ll get the job done. Casino Royale is the first chapter of a more intensive relationship between M and Bond and it shapes the canvas for what is to come.

Casino Royale had a big job in re-igniting the flame behind James Bond and this film is all action! From its brutal opening beat down where Bond gains his 00 license, to the film’s showcase of the art of parkour, it’s explosive Miami airport showdown, fights scenes in staircases, Bond’s disturbing torture at the hands of Le Chiffre to the penultimate Venice chase, Casino Royale delivers with the blockbuster spectacle. The action in Casino Royale revolutionizes the Bond franchise and pushes it into a fresh new direction and those who were witness to it couldn’t help but be enthralled by it. Of all of its blockbuster action sequences, its parkour chase scene in Madagascar is definitely the most thrilling and is the first time that we get to see Craig’s Bond let loose. It’s an intensely shot scene that gets your heart rate going and the high-flying energy of this scene is what brands Craig’s Bond as a tougher more extreme character.

Going hand-in-hand with its action scenes, Casino Royale also invests heavily into the glitz and elegance of James Bond’s world and Campbell brings plenty of debonair flair to the big screen here. From locations that stretch from the sun-kissed tropical beaches of the Bahamas to the courtly elegance of Montenegro, Casino Royale pulls back to Ian Fleming’s long-hand and the gentlemanly life that he led, and which would, of course, inspire the world of Bond. And even though it’s heavy on the action, Casino Royale is a very romantic affair and builds on the intimate and passionate relationship that grows between Bond and Vesper. This film is a love story and along with giving Bond plenty of time for romance, it also helps to shape his character and showcase an operative who isn’t as closed off as he first appears, and who for the first time in his life is starting to shed his armour.

Casino Royale set the standard for what James Bond could be for a new generation and Daniel Craig delivered an exceptional performance as the world’s greatest super spy. With Casino Royale, we got the first chapter in a bold new reinvention of the franchise that has become a stalwart of modern blockbuster cinema and audiences sure were pumped to see more of Bond to come.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas on October 7.

Image: Sony Pictures

The post The Bond Countdown – ‘Casino Royale’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

In this special 45-minute retrospective, Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15-year tenure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage spanning from Casino Royale to No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, in the lead up to his final performance as the iconic secret agent.

Directed by Baillie Walsh, Being James Bond is a unique 45-minute documentary that summaries Daniel Craig’s entire performance as the debonair super-spy and it offers a complete overview of what being 007 has meant to the actor. Bringing together Craig alongside longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the film is an intimate discussion piece set against a collection of footage that goes into the extraordinary intricacies of what it meant to cast Craig in the lead role and what a rollercoaster ride it has been for him ever since.

Like all good stories, we need to start at the beginning. And Being James Bond takes us right back to the start of how Daniel Craig became James Bond. Regarded as one of England’s most talented and versatile performers, Craig is very upfront that he never saw himself leading a franchise on the scale of James Bond. But all of that changed very quickly. While many people will assume it was Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake that nailed Craig the role, it was in fact his turn as John Ballard, an intense, psychotic and zealous Jesuit priest in 1998’s Elizabeth that caught the attention of Babara Broccoli, and she knew she had found her man to take on the mantle of James Bond.

One of the coolest parts of Being James Bond is that long time 007 fans finally get to lay their eyes on actual footage from Craig’s secretive screen test for 2006’s Casino Royale. It’s very interesting to look upon the footage and see Craig playing with the role for the first time and you see shades of what is to come. Of course, after landing the role came an onslaught of very unwanted media attention and this is discussed at length by Craig, Broccoli and Wilson and it’s extremely interesting to hear Craig’s perspective on these troubling events, along with the shock, surprise and adulation that followed with the premiere of Casino Royale in 2006 and the return of an entirely new James Bond.

Being James Bond takes us inside the thoughts and mindscape of Craig throughout his journey as Bond through projects including Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. With each new film, we learn of the challenges around filming and just exactly what Craig was thinking and feeling. With this conversation, we really find out how each film affected him, and how he evolved with the role. And audiences are further offered an incredible collection of previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage that pulls you deeper into the process of Craig’s performance.

But beset by growing injuries Craig readily opens up about how he was willing to throw in the towel after a very difficult shoot for 2015’s Spectre, where a persistent knee injury caused him agonising pain and resulted in a much-circulated media appearance. But feeling that he still had unfinished business he soldiered on and was ready for one final crack at it and that’s where we now are with No Time To Die, which has the makings of the ultimate James Bond film.

Craig, Broccoli and Wilson give a deep insight into the new film and its significance to the franchise and Craig’s performance as Bond. Fans will also be very excited to see an incredible new collection of previously unseen footage that is sure to have them salivating for the final completed project. This is utterly the most moving part of the documentary and audiences actually get to see his final moments and a passionate final speech thanking the crew and team who brought the project to life. It’s here that we truly hear and feel what the experience and character of ‘being James Bond’ has meant to Craig and you can’t help but be touched by what this has meant to him.

Being James Bond is a fascinating inside look into one actor’s journey and craft as one of the 20th century’s greatest ever heroic characters and just what it has meant for Daniel Craig to be James Bond. For fans of the 007 franchise, it’s a must-watch documentary and it will have them amped and excited for what comes next in Craig’s final turn as super-agent 007 James Bond in No Time To Die.

The post ‘Being James Bond: The Daniel Craig Story’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Watch the final trailers for No Time To Die below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

James Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Building off of the trailers that have come to before, this new trailer focuses on the legacy of Daniel Craig’s James Bond beginning with 2006’s Casino Royale and which has now led hom to where he’s currently stationed in No Time To Die. The trailer then kicks into high gear and delivers some high-intensity action moments that showcase Bond doing everything he can to stop the reclusive megalomaniac known as Safin (Rami Malek).

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has pulled out all the stops with this new spy action blockbuster and we’ve got the makings of one excellent James Bond which is filled with all the trappings you want from such a film. Exotic locations, explosive action, beautiful women and a race o save the world, all of it is here in No Time To Die and I can tell you this is one film I’m certainly going to be watching on the BIGGEST screen possible.

Alongside this awesome new trailer, we also have the announcement of a brand new special documentary entitled Being James Bond. In this special 45-minute retrospective, Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15-year adventure as James Bond.

Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, in the lead up to his final performance as James Bond.

“A lot of people here have worked on five pictures with me,” Craig noted during the conversation with the films’ producers in Being James Bond. “I’ve loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one because I’ve got up every morning and I’ve had the chance to work with you guys, and that has been one of the greatest honours of my life.”

Said Broccoli in the film: “Daniel has just taken this, the character, the series, the whole thing, to a place that is so…extraordinary. And so emotionally satisfying.”

Watch the full trailer for Being James Bond below:

No Time To Die is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most amazing blockbuster events of 2021 and we cannot wait to see more when it arrives IN CINEMAS on October 7.

The post Daniel Craig brings the action one last time in ‘No Time To Die’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

But never one to let his fans down, Craig, on an appearance on the Tonight Show, updated fans with the reason behind the film’s move saying “here’s the deal this thing is just bigger than all of us and we just want people to go and see this movie in the right way and the safe way, and cinemas all around the world are closed right now and we want to release the movie at the same time all around the world, and this isn’t the right time. So y’know fingers crossed April 2 is going to be our date.”

In his interview with Jimmy Fallon, Craig also discussed martini making and just what the character of James Bond means to him. Watch the full clip below to see the entire interview:

But also seeing that the film has been delayed and not wanting to leave Bond fans high and dry, Craig also debuted a brand new clip from the film which offers an adrenaline charged peak at the film’s amped up bridge chase scene in Matera, Italy.

Watch it below:

Here’s the official synopsis for No Time To Die:

James Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

No Time To Die is set to arrive in theatres next year on April 2, 2021.

The post Daniel Craig gives us a new look at ‘No Time To Die’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Released online this morning, this new poster for No Time To Die sees Daniel Craig at his slickest in great classical image as Bond which finds him fitted out in a classic black and white tuxedo, along with brandishing the characters trademark Walther PPK/S.

It’s a striking image, and along with capturing the very essence of James Bond as a character, the poster also serves to highlight a new release date for James Bond with a confirmed arriving this November.

Alongside the poster, EON Productions and Universal Studios have also confirmed that a brand new trailer for No Time To Die will arrive later this week and this new trailer is sure to confirm the release date for No Time To Die.

No Time To Die was one of Hollywood’s first blockbusters to postpone its release to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that we’ve all been living through, and it’s release is something we’ve been desperately longing for. It’s one of my most anticipated films of 2020 and I can’t wait to see what Daniel Craig does with his final performance as the character.

Here’s the official synopsis:

James Bond has left active service when his friend Felix Leiter enlists his help in the search for a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that the scientist was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before.

No Time To Die will arrive in cinemas this November.

The post New poster and release date arrive for “No Time To Die’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

No country or character seems to be exempt from Covid-19’s reach, including James Bond himself, and now the release of No Time To Die has been moved from its original planned April 9 release date to November 12, 2020.

This decision has been made by Eon productions and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, have announced that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace that it is best that No Time To Die’s release be postponed till November 2020.

I must say that it’s an impressive and responsible turn on behalf of both everyone at Eon Productions and Universal Pictures, and is a great step to preserve audience safety, along with the box office success that everyone wants to see No Time To Die be.

While I like the rest of you had been hoping to see Bond’s return to the big screen in just over a month’s time, I don’t mind waiting a little longer to witness this awesome movie and the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond.

No Time To Die will now arrive in cinemas on November 12.

Image: Universal Pictures

The post ‘No Time To Die’ pushed back till November 2020 appeared first on SpicyPulp.