No Time To Die: Production Diary

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  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    edited October 2017 Posts: 4,043
    It's not perfect but neither is any Bond entry including OHMSS ( my favourite).

    CR has some questionable dialogue moments, the brilliant Vesper intro is almost scuppered by the ham fisted product placement and the little finger moment later on is cringe worthy.

    Also as thrilling as it's staged the Miami sequence is generic and feels like a Raiders knock off but bar that it still remains the best this era has to offer so far.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Shardlake wrote: »
    CR has some questionable dialogue moments, the brilliant Vesper intro is almost scuppered by the ham fisted product placement and the little finger moment later on is cringe worthy.
    Rolex? Omega!
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Shardlake wrote: »
    CR has some questionable dialogue moments, the brilliant Vesper intro is almost scuppered by the ham fisted product placement and the little finger moment later on is cringe worthy.
    Rolex? Omega!
    Omega must go. Sick of them, even though I own one. The last film was the last straw. Enough.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    bondjames wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    CR has some questionable dialogue moments, the brilliant Vesper intro is almost scuppered by the ham fisted product placement and the little finger moment later on is cringe worthy.
    Rolex? Omega!
    Omega must go. Sick of them, even though I own one. The last film was the last straw. Enough.
    In my opinion, Omega derailed itself since 2012. I used to love the Seamasters, but they're getting uglier every year. Time to go back to the Rolex Submariners.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    bondjames wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    CR has some questionable dialogue moments, the brilliant Vesper intro is almost scuppered by the ham fisted product placement and the little finger moment later on is cringe worthy.
    Rolex? Omega!
    Omega must go. Sick of them, even though I own one. The last film was the last straw. Enough.
    In my opinion, Omega derailed itself since 2012. I used to love the Seamasters, but they're getting uglier every year. Time to go back to the Rolex Submariners.
    Fully agree. They are very well built but quite bulky. The Sub or Explorer is the way to go.

    My concern is more to do with their marketing in the respective films though. It's just too much. Rolex was never so obvious or 'needy'.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I think it was done brilliantly in Goldfinger, and even in GoldenEye (that laser scene was awesome, even though that was an Omega). If they do it in the vein of those, it'll be perfect.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    TripAces wrote: »

    But it is a flawed film and has not aged well at all. In terms of production design, SF and SP beat it by a wide margin, and I suspect both films will age much better.

    An overly long parkour scene that also borders on nonsense. Thanks, Martin.
    An embassy set that is so fake it looks better suited for 60s filmmaking. Thanks, Martin.
    An attempt to make downtown Prague look like downtown Miami by placing a few palm trees along the street. Ugh!. Thanks, Martin.
    An overly long Miami airport action sequence that includes a 747 taking out police cars. Thanks, Martin.
    The worst line and line delivery during DC's tenure: "I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood." Ugh. Thanks, Martin.
    And it would seem that in order to include his drawn-out action sequences, he cut much of the material for the PTS.

    These are the ramblings of a madman

    I concur.
  • Dave_the_RaveDave_the_Rave London
    Posts: 7
    nikos78 wrote: »
    Equal emphasis on plot and action and exemplary internal and external rhythm of shots, something that Mendes lacked (DB10 reveal, anyone?).

    Hi there @nikos78 -- Can you tell me what is meant by "internal and external rhythm of shots"...? Its an interesting turn-of-phrase, but I don't really understand what is meant by it. Thanks.
  • edited October 2017 Posts: 386
    I have CR below only films: OHMSS and FRWL. It is a Bond masterpiece.

    There's a glorious romanticism to it that has rarely been surpassed.

    Indeed, I think the Craig era is notable for its law of diminishing returns.

    Not even Connery was immune to the phenomenon. Roger Moore and Tim Dalton are the exceptions.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited October 2017 Posts: 4,554
    TripAces wrote: »

    But it is a flawed film and has not aged well at all. In terms of production design, SF and SP beat it by a wide margin, and I suspect both films will age much better.

    An overly long parkour scene that also borders on nonsense. Thanks, Martin.
    An embassy set that is so fake it looks better suited for 60s filmmaking. Thanks, Martin.
    An attempt to make downtown Prague look like downtown Miami by placing a few palm trees along the street. Ugh!. Thanks, Martin.
    An overly long Miami airport action sequence that includes a 747 taking out police cars. Thanks, Martin.
    The worst line and line delivery during DC's tenure: "I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood." Ugh. Thanks, Martin.
    And it would seem that in order to include his drawn-out action sequences, he cut much of the material for the PTS.

    These are the ramblings of a madman
    Where hasn't CR aged well? I know there are not many smartphones around in that film, but that's about it for me. For fun I just watched the parkour scene on Youtube, and it looked as good as always.

    CR is still in my top 4. But for your consideration, I offer up the following scene.

    Note the awful MacGyver-like closeup, following Bond's somersault, and then the extreme close-up of the antique speaker, because we all need to be reminded of where the siren is coming from, and then the scene ends with cringe-worthy art direction--fake, painted skies and fake painted trees. It is indeed that bad.

    Despite what some are saying, CR is far from perfect and Campbell is not God. LOL



  • edited October 2017 Posts: 5,745
    Having just caught up with Villeneuve's Sept. 15 Google Talk, he briefly mentions doing another sci-fi picture next, which would be Dune (the conversation was about keeping characters away from screens like phones and computers in sci-fi movies, and how he wanted to do that in Dune). There wasn't anything about schedules brought up, but it was a good look into his headspace and how casual and confident he was that Dune is his next movie.

    The Dune talk starts around 10:15.



    Granted I believe this interview was recorded before he confirmed he was also in talks with the Bond producers over Bond 25.

    I hate to speculate but 2049 was just so good I'm not able to stop myself; I think there's strong potential for Villeneuve to sign on for Bond 25 next. That gives a few months of quiet and pre-production before jumping into another movie this year, and it also gives him a creative break from his back-to-back sci-fi projects. This also gives him time to "meditate" (as he calls it) on adapting Dune so that he is better prepared for convincing a studio to give him the (likely) massive budget Dune is going to require.

    Of course the other stakeholders in the Dune movie may not be interested in waiting around, and I don't think he's going to give that movie up for anything, even Bond.

    Again, I'm focused on distributor news before anything else, but I like to imagine there is a fair argument that the Villeneuve talk is probably serious.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    I imagine Villeneuve would be a far better fit for something like Dune, which in the right hands, could be a belter.

    Ultimately I think for better or worse, this is the course the Craig films are set on now.

    Lets just hope when Bond 26 comes around and the role is recast we can get a nice, classic style, fun adventure.
  • Posts: 11,119
    While it certainly isn't my favourite, no doubt CR is the greatest of all the Craig films in his tenure as Bond.

    CR is indeed the best of Craig. But sometimes I think we forget SF. Perhaps it's not Craig's best, but it is at least the biggest competitor to CR in terms of quality, originality, cinematography, story and characters. I know SF is not so popular in here. But fact is, SF is almost as critically acclaimed outside this forum, especially in comparison to CR. So, SF is not better than CR, but it still is a close fight.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    While it certainly isn't my favourite, no doubt CR is the greatest of all the Craig films in his tenure as Bond.

    CR is indeed the best of Craig. But sometimes I think we forget SF. Perhaps it's not Craig's best, but it is at least the biggest competitor to CR in terms of quality, originality, cinematography, story and characters. I know SF is not so popular in here. But fact is, SF is almost as critically acclaimed outside this forum, especially in comparison to CR. So, SF is not better than CR, but it still is a close fight.

    I think Skyfall is fairly popular on here still.

    It certainly isn't one of my favourites, and pales in comparison to CR but you will find far more people on here that agree with you than you think
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited October 2017 Posts: 15,423
    While it certainly isn't my favourite, no doubt CR is the greatest of all the Craig films in his tenure as Bond.

    CR is indeed the best of Craig. But sometimes I think we forget SF. Perhaps it's not Craig's best, but it is at least the biggest competitor to CR in terms of quality, originality, cinematography, story and characters. I know SF is not so popular in here. But fact is, SF is almost as critically acclaimed outside this forum, especially in comparison to CR. So, SF is not better than CR, but it still is a close fight.
    SF has great visuals and some minor good scenes. But, despite its different template that didn’t follow any previous Bond film’s outlook, it’s still uninspired and raining with flaws and plot holes. The reason SF made that much money was because it was advertised very well and that 50th anniversary movie event also played a very large factor. And then, with the critics throwing obligatory compliments at the film, it became an initial wow for many audiences (but it didn’t fool me with all these pretenses). SF will very easily lose it to CR in terms of being an original film with high quality handling /and/ as a genuine Bond film. Very easily. SF felt like a festival orchestrated by George R.R. Martin wannabes. CR on the other hand delivered a proper post-9/11 spy thriller with quality and tendency dedicated for it with no overblow connecting the dots.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,882
    Whilst any director wants to put their stamp on their work, I want a director who understands and respects Bond. I don't want a director that wants to mix things up too much, a _____film featuring James Bond.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,331
    Agreed, Well said.
  • edited October 2017 Posts: 4,619
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us who want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Sue me but I like SF and it sits in my top 5, yes it's flawed but I still enjoy the heck out of it, I can't say that about a good number of the other entries.

    Maybe in 20 years I'll look at it more critically and like some of the films I loved as a kid ( this my 40th anniversary as a fan) I might not see it so highly who knows.

    My recent watch of it I looked at it more critically than I have before, the score is unmemorable, Harris inconsistent performance also the flaws. The plot holes and also the similarity to Nolan's Bat trilogy but I still find it thrilling to watch.

    As for DV signing on, I'm due to see BR 2049 at 16:30 in IMAX today and I'm so excited. Considering myself a big fan of the man's output and not thinking he's dropped a stinker yet, the idea of him directing Bond 25 is likely to change my attempt to temper my expectations for SPECTRE's follow up due to my reaction to that film.

    Denis does not sign on unless he's entirely happy with the script and said that he wouldn't have done 2049 if it hadn't of compelled him.

    I think it's safe to say that he certainly would have passed on SP considering the state it was at when Mendes started shooting it.

    Craig I'm sure has not come back to go out on a standalone entry. I think he's been shown an outline of something that will follow on, bring back Waltz at the least and likely other cast member of SP possibly.

    Now if this is the case and DV does take up the job I look at this as a real indication that they got their act together much more confidently and Denis while continuing the story will bring something new to the table.

    I think it is safe to say that it will be quite serious and a darker entry to bring Craig's era to an end but I'd rather see something compelling that DC can get his teeth into dramatically because the attempts to make him more light hearted and flippant doesn't work.

    It would be very odd for him to come back and just make his last shout a classic standalone entry with all bells and whistles like some would like, infact I think it's highly unlikely.

    I think if you've had enough of this woven approach of all his entries you might as well write this film off and just accept that it will be more of this story.

    I do agree that the next Bond should not go down this approach and we should get more independent films but I also don't want EON taking notes from other spy franchises like Kingsman & MI and make the films OTT or start making A to B travelogues.

    How they go after Bond 25 will indeed be very interesting but I certainly don't want anything like the more OTT Moore entries or TND, TWINE & DAD happening.

    I'm afraid I'm not one of those wanting them revisting old ground just to appease the fans desire for nostalgia and familiarity.
  • Posts: 1,162
    While it certainly isn't my favourite, no doubt CR is the greatest of all the Craig films in his tenure as Bond.

    CR is indeed the best of Craig. But sometimes I think we forget SF. Perhaps it's not Craig's best, but it is at least the biggest competitor to CR in terms of quality, originality, cinematography, story and characters. I know SF is not so popular in here. But fact is, SF is almost as critically acclaimed outside this forum, especially in comparison to CR. So, SF is not better than CR, but it still is a close fight.

    Originality and SF in the same sentence simply don't fit together.
  • MinionMinion Don't Hassle the Bond
    Posts: 1,165
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us ewho want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.

    I’m really not sure what Sony was expecting. The original Blade Runner, classic it may be, was also considered a flop back in its day. Traditionally, heady high-concept science fiction have never been huge blockbusters unless you’ve got blockbuster names behind it like Nolan or Cameron.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited October 2017 Posts: 23,883
    TripAces wrote: »
    CR is still in my top 4. But for your consideration, I offer up the following scene.

    Note the awful MacGyver-like closeup, following Bond's somersault, and then the extreme close-up of the antique speaker, because we all need to be reminded of where the siren is coming from, and then the scene ends with cringe-worthy art direction--fake, painted skies and fake painted trees. It is indeed that bad.

    Despite what some are saying, CR is far from perfect and Campbell is not God. LOL

    Just viewing that scene again makes me realize how far we've fallen of late while spending twice as much money. Time to get him back (even if that means an immediate recast) I say.
    JWESTBROOK wrote: »
    Of course the other stakeholders in the Dune movie may not be interested in waiting around, and I don't think he's going to give that movie up for anything, even Bond.

    Again, I'm focused on distributor news before anything else, but I like to imagine there is a fair argument that the Villeneuve talk is probably serious.
    The talks are definitely serious. Bambigoye doesn't normally get it wrong. Yes, I think if there is any chance he will lose Dune on account of Bond then Bond is a no-go. Dune is his baby and he recognizes the potential in it. So Bond will have to be ready to go before he accepts it. No screw ups like with SP in the back end.
    Roadphill wrote: »
    Lets just hope when Bond 26 comes around and the role is recast we can get a nice, classic style, fun adventure.
    That will be down to Babs. I don't have my hopes up.
    CR is indeed the best of Craig. But sometimes I think we forget SF. Perhaps it's not Craig's best, but it is at least the biggest competitor to CR in terms of quality, originality, cinematography, story and characters. I know SF is not so popular in here. But fact is, SF is almost as critically acclaimed outside this forum, especially in comparison to CR. So, SF is not better than CR, but it still is a close fight.
    I'm of the impression that SF is actually more acclaimed outside of the die hard forums. It is Craig's GF. The film that took him into a different league box office wise. CR is his DN. Critically acclaimed and career defining, but not a phenomenon.

    The interesting thing about SF is that it felt fresh for a Bond film (even though it was quite derivative from a narrative perspective). It is a triumph of visual film making and atmosphere building. A sleight of hand.
  • CASINOROYALECASINOROYALE Somewhere hot
    Posts: 1,003
    Does anyone else notice how they originally said CR and Qos were going to be the only Craig films connected? Then I guess they decided oh let’s just connect his entire series and say Blofeld was responsible and it was Spectre not Quantum! I will admit re watching the entire Bond series none of Craigs films really feel like a typical bond film. The whole style and feel is super different. Sure there are certain scenes with “bond moments” but they have really steered away from the traditional Bond film.

    Anyways! I am guessing Blofeld escapes and Madeline dies in Craig’s last film. You can’t just introduce Blofeld and have him drive off into the sunset with Madeline. What would the next movie even be like without Blofeld? Would Madeline just follow him around? It’s implied he basically quit.

    Pretty sure she dies and he escapes so Bond is forced back into service. They really have an opportunity here. Although with P&W it’s always a hit or miss. Sometimes they have good stories other times it’s just so cringey and bad.
  • Posts: 5,745
    Minion wrote: »
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us ewho want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.

    I’m really not sure what Sony was expecting. The original Blade Runner, classic it may be, was also considered a flop back in its day. Traditionally, heady high-concept science fiction have never been huge blockbusters unless you’ve got blockbuster names behind it like Nolan or Cameron.

    Yeah, but I think this was one of those movies studios green light for 1. Asia, and 2. artistic credibility and maybe a few technical Oscars (which BR2049 should handedly win, imo).

    I also agree that it is more likely Denis will be looking for something more secure than a Dune adaptation, but then again, his other artsy and sci-fi stuff has been successful, so he may be able to argue out of BR2049 slightly stalling.

    As for this Casino Royale discussion, which again should not be in this thread, I will say that I think it's fairly obvious the Spectre connections to the previous three Craig movies was just Sam Mendes trying to quickly do his own The Dark Knight, which is a shame.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited October 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Villeneuve has enough credibility attached to his name irrespective of whether BR2049 meets box office expectations (whatever they may be) or not. I'm quite certain he will do the project that means the most to him and not be influenced by whether it is a sure fire 'hit' or not. He's not Nolan and his films don't make that kind of money (yet), nor are they expected to.

    Regarding BR2049: I'm quite glad they didn't attempt to pander to current audience expectations, but rather made an interesting and meaningful sci fi film. The only real issue with it is that one must see the first one to really appreciate the second, and many of today's generation have not, and likely never will.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited October 2017 Posts: 15,423
    Exactly! From the plot I've read on wiki and the things I've heard from friends, BR2049 is made for the fans of the original film (with its many versions) and doesn't need to please the mainstream audience. I am sure in the future the film will be hailed as a classic and will become a cult favourite like the first.

    And by the phrase "made for the fans" I don't need just shoving Easter Eggs and telling pretty much the same story as the first. They actually have brought original plot points in it that are new to the IP yet stayed true to the source material. Unlike the Star Wars films under Disney.
  • Posts: 15,818
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us who want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.

    I'm hearing BR2049 is boring as hell at nearly 3 hrs, with most of the film close-ups of Ryan's face staring at nothing. Harrison Ford is apparently in the film at some point, but you may need someone to wake up you just before Ford appears. I hope this isn't accurate as it's a bit disappointing. I still plan to see it this week.
    Perhaps B25 can be 3 hours long with mostly shots of Daniel staring into space? That could really cut the budget back if necessary. Joking aside, at this point I just want a director announced, and the ball to start rolling on Bond. It would be nice if B25 ran around the 2 hour mark or a bit over. I miss the days when I could catch a new Bond showing in the morning then again in the late afternoon/early evening and still have time for other things in between.
  • Posts: 462
    Agreed - while I feel that OHMSS, CR and even SF are justified in their running times, I've thought that SP was extremely bloated almost for the sake of it.
  • Posts: 5,745
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us who want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.

    I'm hearing BR2049 is boring as hell at nearly 3 hrs, with most of the film close-ups of Ryan's face staring at nothing. Harrison Ford is apparently in the film at some point, but you may need someone to wake up you just before Ford appears. I hope this isn't accurate as it's a bit disappointing. I still plan to see it this week.
    Perhaps B25 can be 3 hours long with mostly shots of Daniel staring into space? That could really cut the budget back if necessary. Joking aside, at this point I just want a director announced, and the ball to start rolling on Bond. It would be nice if B25 ran around the 2 hour mark or a bit over. I miss the days when I could catch a new Bond showing in the morning then again in the late afternoon/early evening and still have time for other things in between.

    I don't know who you're hearing about BR2049 being "boring" from but 1. I'd say the determining factor for its pace is whether or not you were comfortable with the pace of the first Blade Runner and 2. you should go watch the movie for yourself and not just echo wherever you get your takes from, especially in comparison to the general critical reviews of the film.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited October 2017 Posts: 23,883
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    It seems BR 2049 is underperforming, which is excellent news for us who want Villeneuve to direct Bond 25. If BR 2049 will end up being a box office flop, Denis will probably want to (and need to) direct a movie that will be a guaranteed hit next.

    I'm hearing BR2049 is boring as hell at nearly 3 hrs, with most of the film close-ups of Ryan's face staring at nothing. Harrison Ford is apparently in the film at some point, but you may need someone to wake up you just before Ford appears. I hope this isn't accurate as it's a bit disappointing. I still plan to see it this week.
    Perhaps B25 can be 3 hours long with mostly shots of Daniel staring into space? That could really cut the budget back if necessary. Joking aside, at this point I just want a director announced, and the ball to start rolling on Bond. It would be nice if B25 ran around the 2 hour mark or a bit over. I miss the days when I could catch a new Bond showing in the morning then again in the late afternoon/early evening and still have time for other things in between.
    It takes its time, no doubt about it. The first one was a much tighter affair and is still the superior effort (by quite some distance) imho. Could the new one have been about 30 minutes shorter? Perhaps, but I didn't mind the extra length. I was quite immersed in the narrative and the wonderful surroundings which Deakins imagined, but if one isn't I can appreciate how it would be extremely tedious. In a way, that's perhaps how the original appeared to some many years back.
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