tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post3724531699561371140..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Bond-arama: No. 0011 Quantum of Solace (2008)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-46440199040496151752016-04-21T09:02:07.209-04:002016-04-21T09:02:07.209-04:00I'm glad someone agrees that QOS is a great fi...I'm glad someone agrees that QOS is a great film . I see it as a non - typical Bond film ...It's more of a revenge thriller . It has many different layers you usual don't see in action films or Bond films . Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-69506891719780815692013-11-17T15:06:17.136-05:002013-11-17T15:06:17.136-05:00Backthrow, Interesting idea. I think they stick w...Backthrow, Interesting idea. I think they stick with Quantum because they have already created it. But why not make Blofeld the head of it?<br /><br />Soros is indeed Blofeld!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-6664055581883711482013-11-17T13:06:17.753-05:002013-11-17T13:06:17.753-05:00Andrew,
I think the chances that the current prod...Andrew,<br /><br />I think the chances that the current producers would do either a remake, or a retro piece, are pretty close to nil (though I'd love to see the latter tried sometime). However, I could easily see them bringing back Blofeld/SPECTRE, though in rebooted form, for the Craig (or post-Craig) era, but in a way that would be a lot different than Donald Pleasance in a volcano base. They'd probably retain his baldness and perhaps his white cat (maybe), but as someone more along the lines of Mr. White in CR or Greene in QOS (and Mads Mikkelsen's "La Chiffre", as well as Javier Bardem's "Silva" are at least as weird as the cat-stroking cueball). I mean, 'Quantum' is pretty much an analog for 'Spectre', since they couldn't get the rights to use 'Spectre' in new films up to now. And 'Spectre' was used in place of 'Smersh', from the early books, since I guess Broccoli & Saltzman didn't want to go too 'cold war' with the 1960s films (apart from FRWL, and even that toned down a lot of the Soviet stuff from the novel), since it probably would've affected international film sales in some quarters.<br /><br />Who knows, maybe they'll continue to use Quantum, but then reveal that name as an alias of Spectre, which could be treated as an old threat, long thought dead, or a completely new (rebooted) one. Or, since we really haven't seen/heard from the head honcho (if there is one) of Quantum yet, maybe it'll be Blofeld (the producers opting not to use Spectre at all). I bet the writers and producers are weighing such possibilities as we speak. <br /><br />George Soros is essentially Ernst Stavros Blofeld, so the character isn't <i>that</i> far-fetched, in today's reality, LOL.Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83271960356221627092013-11-17T01:19:27.607-05:002013-11-17T01:19:27.607-05:00Backthrow, That's interesting, though I can...Backthrow, That's interesting, though I can't imagine they would go back to Blofeld now. Not unless they decided to do some sort of retro piece.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-60471086925499515912013-11-16T18:42:45.446-05:002013-11-16T18:42:45.446-05:00Here's some pretty big 007 news, finally cappi...Here's some pretty big <a href="http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/movies_battle_for_bond_is_over.php3?t=&s=&id=03598" rel="nofollow">007 news</a>, finally capping a legal saga that persisted for over 50 years.<br /><br />What this means is, if Eon Productions wants to bring back or reboot Blofeld and/or SPECTRE, in new films or remakes (though I highly doubt they'd ever do the latter), they can. Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-51251768264121350262013-11-16T14:28:33.835-05:002013-11-16T14:28:33.835-05:00Thanks Glenn!
I didn't think QOS was great th...Thanks Glenn!<br /><br />I didn't think <i>QOS</i> was great the first time I saw it. I thought it was good but it didn't really grab me. But it grew on me a lot with the second showing and then with each subsequent showing. That said, I was still surprised by how negative the negative reviews were. In hindsight though, I see little reason to respect the opinions of the media critics. Take Roger Ebert for example, Ebert attacked the film because he thinks James Bond films shouldn't be violent and he thinks the villains need to be cartoon villains... seriously. He also doesn't like the Camille doesn't have a suggestive name -- he suggested Camille Squeal. He also thinks Bolivia isn't worth Bond's time, which is kind of asinine, plus he completely misses the point that Quantum has tentacles everywhere and this is just one battleground. Because he doesn't understand what Quantum is, he also doesn't see how the various parts of the movie relate.<br /><br />Ebert is fairly representative of most of the criticism I saw. To him, the Bond franchise is a joke and he doesn't like it when it tries to lift itself about the level at which he placed it. He's also proven time and again that he can't understand anything that isn't layout in exposition.<br /><br />On <i>Skyfall</i>, that one has admittedly been rather hard to place. Personally, I would like to have listed it here and I suspect it will eventually fall to this number... or possibly even below <i>Goldeneye</i>, but at this point it's such an overwhelmingly popular film that it's hard to say yet where it should go. Right now, anything lower than Top 10 would probably be seen as unrealistic, but I'll bet that will change over time.<br /><br />On <i>Taken</i>, I enjoyed the film a lot, but like you, I also felt that everything was too easy for Neeson. And I definitely felt that in the sequel, which just feels like they are going through the motions.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-59598597781804603412013-11-16T13:48:50.129-05:002013-11-16T13:48:50.129-05:00Andrew, I agree with you on QOS. I was really plea...Andrew, I agree with you on QOS. I was really pleased with the return of the hard nosed, realistic Bond in Daniel Craig from the comic book character he'd turned into in so many previous films, especially that last Brosnan abomination.<br /><br />Casino Royale was excellent and I quite enjoyed QOS, but then I started to see a lot of negative reviews for QOS, which surprised me. I thought perhaps I'd missed something, so I rewatched both films and enjoyed them just as much the second time around. Not sure why so many complaints about shaky cam. When utilized carefully, it feels as if you're right there in the action. Of course, it can be over done, but I haven't seen any films I can think of where it was so bad it gave me a negative reaction to the entire film.<br /><br />Your placement of QOS here is reasonable and I think you're right about future ranking. If I were doing a list I might have it in the top ten right now. Regarding Skyfall, I'm not sure where I'd rank it as yet because it didn't feel like a traditional Bond movie, which isn't a negative. Just a few too many plot holes that didn't make any sense on first viewing, so need to rewatch.<br /><br />Taken was an okay movie, but the problem I had was everything worked out too perfect. After awhile, it just lost its drama because Neeson just walked right in and had his way with no real serious resistance, which I thought wasn't very realistic. Sure, we all cheer for the hero, but making it so easy for him, tension is lost and it makes you wonder what was the point. You know from the beginning he's going to win in the long run, but I need to feel some doubt along the way, otherwise it's just a walk in the park.<br />Glennhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/313287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-50474875553772482412013-11-15T13:53:47.049-05:002013-11-15T13:53:47.049-05:00Patriot, LOL! I was just kidding of course. :)Patriot, LOL! I was just kidding of course. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-55057214041567482732013-11-15T13:47:54.109-05:002013-11-15T13:47:54.109-05:00Andrew.....That was exquisite!! ("You are SO...Andrew.....That was exquisite!! ("You are SO wrong")Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01533169053860540075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-73942978195843190702013-11-15T12:34:22.646-05:002013-11-15T12:34:22.646-05:00Dave, It's hard to say which is the better mov...Dave, It's hard to say which is the better movie, but <i>Quantum</i> made more than twice as much as <i>Taken</i> and it seems to be a television a lot more. So clearly general audiences disagree. Also, <i>Quantum</i> has a very coherent plot and every character in it has absolutely clear motives.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-11564833509442803062013-11-15T01:52:52.105-05:002013-11-15T01:52:52.105-05:00Taken is a much better film in all respects. It ma...<i>Taken</i> is a much better film in all respects. It may have done terrible things to French tourism, but the quick cuts and shakycam worked to the film's advantage. They weren't overused, and they added to the underlying theme if the ticking clock. More to the point, there was a coherent plot with a definite protagonist and villains with clear motives. All of these are sorely lacking in QoS. And yes, this was one of the three Bond films that I thought would be ranked too high, and each of which I thought were somewhat or very inferior to <i>GoldenEye</i>. We'll see if the next two films are the others I'm thinking of; they certainly couldn't be ranked higher than I expect them to. Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-4226909901204413372013-11-14T22:33:32.056-05:002013-11-14T22:33:32.056-05:00Dave, I think the better comparison is to Taken, w...Dave, I think the better comparison is to <i>Taken</i>, which came out around the same time. Both films go for a very tight, close-up, cold-blooded series of action scenes. And they use quick edits and the shakycam to make it work. I don't normally like the shakycam, but I think it works for both films.<br /><br />In terms of not liking it, this one is rather hard to rank because opinions on it really are in flux. When it came out, it did major business, but everyone panned it. But then it quickly caught on in the "after market" and it has worked its way into regular rotation in a way that other films below it have not. So I definitely recognize that the choice is controversial, though I think that in 10-15 years the high ranking will be more than vindicated.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13933981057039646582013-11-14T22:29:07.352-05:002013-11-14T22:29:07.352-05:00John, Skyfall is another one that's hard to pl...John, <i>Skyfall</i> is another one that's hard to place. I think it's not as good a movie as most people think, but the public really embraced it and I'm not sure how it will be perceived 20 or 50 years from now.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-70617686538662599752013-11-14T20:32:31.530-05:002013-11-14T20:32:31.530-05:00Clearly, I need to see QOS again, since in my only...Clearly, I need to see QOS again, since in my only viewing to date, it bored me to tears. I probably have contradictory requirements when it comes to Bond movies, which ideally run along a knife edge between realism and escapism. On the other hand, this latest post places Skyfall in the top ten, which is pretty damning of the entire franchise, in my view!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105609617071999765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-82256095207425959112013-11-14T18:02:39.430-05:002013-11-14T18:02:39.430-05:00Sorry, I just don't get it. To quote Martin Ba...Sorry, I just don't get it. To quote Martin Balsam in <i>Psycho</i>, if it doesn't gel it isn't aspic. To be sure, the last five minutes are great. Bond leaves a bad guy in the middle of a desert with only a quart of motor oil to drink. Then he confronts Vesper's killer, just as he's about to "seal the deal" with a lovely young naïf from Canadian Intelligence. And we get the return of the iconic gun barrel sequence. Perfect. <br /><br />The rest of the movie is a mess. Hypercuts and shakycam galore. I realize that the writers' strike didn't help matters, but it seemed like the producers were going for a less stupid version of either <i>The Transporter</i> or <i>Fast and Furious</i> franchises. Not horrible for a one-off action flick, but totally beneath Bond. <br /><br />What was Mathis doing there? Last we saw of him, he had been tased (just before poisoning Bond) and and taken away to the MI-6 equivalent of Guantanamo Bay. Now he's running around Austria free as a bird. Something get missed in the writing process? And the free fall sequence was just plain dumb, worse than <i>Moonraker</i>. <br /><br />Granted, I felt the same way when I first saw <i>The Big Lebowski</i>; didn't like it at first, now I love it. Maybe I'll feel the same way about this one, but I ain't holding my breath. Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-82566163865360185372013-11-14T16:17:00.108-05:002013-11-14T16:17:00.108-05:00PikeBishop, You are SO wrong! Just kidding. :)
I...PikeBishop, You are SO wrong! Just kidding. :)<br /><br />I see why they included it. It reinforces the idea that this Bond is truly callous. This is the playboy stuff I talk about above, that he will sleep with women because it entertains him or because it helps him get what he wants, but he doesn't get all teary-eyed like the last several Bonds. This is how Connery played the role as well and I think it's effective as part of his character.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-34628561645721734042013-11-14T16:09:27.288-05:002013-11-14T16:09:27.288-05:00I actually kind of liked Gemma Atherton's &quo...I actually kind of liked Gemma Atherton's "Strawberry Fields" character. She was perfect as a "glasses pretty-hair tied back professional" but you just know she was one of the best romps Bond ever had." And Bond's reaction to her grisly death and upon learning that she wasn't a trained field agent and basically just an MI-6 paper pusher, comes acrross to me as good character moment for him.PikeBishophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761380937971970762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-25568214387697575952013-11-14T15:46:44.701-05:002013-11-14T15:46:44.701-05:00Jed, The interesting thing is that the middle is t...Jed, The interesting thing is that the middle is the most traditional. You have Bond checking into a nice hotel, seducing Aterton, and letting the villain know that he's watching him. You see that in every Bond and I think it always slows the plot.<br /><br />On <i>Casino Royale</i>, I think the Casino is an amazing setting and that will be hard to beat.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-72318923672312649282013-11-14T15:38:04.882-05:002013-11-14T15:38:04.882-05:00I don't really disagree other than to add, for...I don't really disagree other than to add, for some inexplicable reason I can't put my finger on, there seemed to me to be a slow spot in the middle. I own the blu-ray, but have only screened it twice, so perhaps I should slide it out and give it a re-look. Casino does have the advantage of the great setting of the casino, and the finale in Venice, which may give it the slim advantage.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-8257815286970688302013-11-14T15:32:37.133-05:002013-11-14T15:32:37.133-05:00BTW, Dwizzum, let me point out that Goldfinger was...BTW, Dwizzum, let me point out that Goldfinger was much like Greene. He was a noted "industrialist" with business contacts in the British government. Ditto on Drax and many of the others. No one sees those as sucker punches. And the reason is that there is no anti-corporate statement made. They are evil men who are using their position... there is no statement that the companies themselves are inherently evil.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-18049172180528265282013-11-14T15:27:01.171-05:002013-11-14T15:27:01.171-05:00Dwizzum, If he's not a rogue agent, then why d...Dwizzum, If he's not a rogue agent, then why does he get replaced at the end? And in particular, why does he get replaced by the guy who tipped Bond off and ruined the mission? The other agent says as much and would have told the CIA that Leiter sabotaged the mission. If the CIA didn't see this guy as a rogue agent, they might have put a mark in his file, but they wouldn't have fired him and then replace him with the guy who ruined the mission.<br /><br />Also in terms of killing Bond, they were told that he had killed a bodyguard to an advisor of the British PM and that the British were coming for him with orders to take him back alive or dead. At the same time, they are told that he's coming to kill someone the CIA considers a good guy and deals with regularly. Also, we don't know if the CIA itself authorized that or if it was just the agent himself acting alone.<br /><br />As for what the CIA cares about oil rights, the CIA is an arm of American policy. And the very reason we have troops throughout the Middle East and why we work to keep places like China out of Africa and South America is because we are concerned about oil rights. Moreover, the job of the CIA includes monitoring the stability of countries all over the world. This is in their wheelhouse. They would care very much.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-7837492083119751992013-11-14T15:14:08.853-05:002013-11-14T15:14:08.853-05:00I disagree that the CIA was "rogue" agen...I disagree that the CIA was "rogue" agents. I did not get that at all. Felix tips Bond off, but he does it rather sheepishly. Just following orders indeed. The CIA was not looking the other way. The CIA was involved enough to try to murder a British agent in a rather obvious manner. What does the CIA get out of this deal? Oil rights? What do they care about that? To me, the US government or evil corporations are the ones who would care about oil rights. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Dwizzumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13426076114959867132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-54105968179043565192013-11-14T14:36:27.655-05:002013-11-14T14:36:27.655-05:00Backthrow, I like that line too. All in all, this...Backthrow, I like that line too. All in all, this film really excels at powerful understatement. Almost everything Leiter says is fantastically written too... short, simple sentences that ooze meaning.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-12360096994242221632013-11-14T14:35:19.911-05:002013-11-14T14:35:19.911-05:00Dwizzum, Taking over the country would be a mistak...Dwizzum, Taking over the country would be a mistake on many levels. First, if they took over, then some foreign power (like the US) is going to make them give it back. Ditto on the locals, who will revolt. That doesn't happen if you sit in the background. Secondly, trying to take over the country would let the world know who they are, something they don't want -- because they clearly have interests far beyond Bolivia. Third, taking over assumes they even have an army -- which they probably don't. Besides, why take over? It's not like they want to rule the country, they just want to rob the country. What better way to rob the country than to control a puppet government?<br /><br />And why water? Because water is becoming a global issue. It's a BIG deal around the world, almost as big as oil.<br /><br />On the sucker punches, this isn't corporations taking over, it's an evil conspiracy. These guys know they are villains and they act that way. Their corporations are just tools and there is no moment where you have someone defend this as capitalism or "this is what we do for our shareholders." This is just a conspiracy, not a slap at capitalism. Also, think about the fact that the villain is a billionaire <i>environmentalist</i>... Al Gore, Bill Gates, etc. Those guys are leftists, and you never see things like environmentalists made out as villains in Hollywood these days.<br /><br />In terms of the CIA, the story seems fairly clear that they are talking about rogue agents -- just like with Britain, where you have rogue bodyguards and Prime Ministerial advisors. In effect, the bad guys have their tentacles in various governments.<br /><br />And keep in mind, the CIA involvement is non-involvement, i.e. they've decided to turn a blind eye to this coup because they are happy being friends with whoever wins. We do that all the time. This isn't the CIA staging a coup, it's just them making sure they win no matter what happens.<br /><br />Also, keep in mind that in this film, everyone is dirty. That's kind of the point, that this is the dark underbelly of the world in which these guys operate.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13488497380620921422013-11-14T14:29:45.129-05:002013-11-14T14:29:45.129-05:00By the way, probably the thing I like most in QOS ...By the way, probably the thing I like most in QOS is Bond's line to M at the end, when she asks what happened to Greene.Backthrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02289433396695381105noreply@blogger.com