No Time To Die: Production Diary

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Comments

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2018 Posts: 23,883
    @Strog, good points. I recall feeling that SF was a return to 'classic Bond' in many ways, and not just because of the reintroduction of familiar elements. It was in the flow of the film and the aesthetic. It was more relaxed rather than frenetic. Somehow it still felt fresh due to the removal and repositioning of traditional elements (no Bond girl, ending at Bond's home rather than the villain's etc. etc.)

    I can imagine that some may think me mad for saying the above, but it's how I felt at the time. Less so these days however, where I see the film as being more distinctive and 'different' than I did at the time.
  • Posts: 19,339
    The scene where Bond approaches Mathis' villa and then the conversation they have is beautiful cinematography,with rich colours and Craig's outfit.

    That alone is enough to show that QOS has it.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited May 2018 Posts: 15,715
    @Strog I think SF was a very natural direction the Craig tenure was heading towards, with him becoming more and more like the 'traditional' Bond of the 1962-2002 era, while still keeping the freshness of CR/QOS and Craig's energy/intensity. What I don't understand is why would EON (or why would people ask) to revert back to CR/QOS style deconstruction/stripping back the cliches/Bond formula for Craig's last. It seems to me like a very obvious lack of cohesion in this tenure. If that is where Craig Bond would end up in Bond 25, why didn't they continue on with QOS in 2012 by diverting the formula and removing tropes/cliches even more, rather than re-introducing Q, Moneypenny and whatnot. His films are genuinely very watchable and entertaining, but IMO there is a very clear lack of vision when looking at his 4 (soon 5) films as a whole tied-in journey.
  • Posts: 4,408

    @Strog I think SF was a very natural direction the Craig tenure was heading towards, with him becoming more and more like the 'traditional' Bond of the 1962-2002 era, while still keeping the freshness of CR/QOS and Craig's energy/intensity. What I don't understand is why would EON (or why would people ask) to revert back to CR/QOS style deconstruction/stripping back the cliches/Bond formula for Craig's last. It seems to me like a very obvious lack of cohesion in this tenure. If that is where Craig Bond would end up in Bond 25, why didn't they continue on with QOS in 2012 by diverting the formula and removing tropes/cliches even more, rather than re-introducing Q, Moneypenny and whatnot. His films are genuinely very watchable and entertaining, but IMO there is a very clear lack of vision when looking at his 4 (soon 5) films as a whole tied-in journey.

    Bond movies are always made on a film-by-film basis.

    Personally, I don't want another run-of-the-mill Bond film that feels compelled to follow the story points of Craig's era. I want a Danny Boyle movie. For me, Spectre was so overburdened with cliches and Bond movie conventions. What made both CR and SF work so well was the ability to adhere to the tenants of the franchise whilst bringing a new subversive spin.

    The fact that Craig will be in his 50s and still playing the role leaves open the possibility of doing an "Old Man Bond" type story. The Craig films have openly accepted that his Bond is ageing, so I can't see this thread being dropped.

    However, I think Eon are in the Danny Boyle business and will let him do his thing. If Boyle does direct than he can be expected to do something that really defies convention. If people thought SF was edgy, then they are in for a shock.

    There was also some talk that someone on AJB had met Boyle who once again confirmed the story. Every interview I've seen Danny Boyle has seemed a very personable and friendly man. I've seen some videos of young people coming up to him asking advice on the film business and Boyle always takes his time to listen to them. He's a genuinely sweetnatured man, so I can imagine he'd confirm his involvement in such an offhand way.

    The only thing I struggle to accept is that someone would confront Boyle and mention "don't include Bond's dead dog". What a boneheaded and idiotic thing to say to an Oscar-winning director. I think he made that bit up for the sake of self-aggrandising himself on the internet.

    Meanwhile, adding more credence to the story is how Boyle's latest is actively filming in Gorleston in Suffolk. Plent of images on Twitter of Boyle mixing withe the locales

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  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Re: Boyle: I'm sure he's a lovely man. It's really quite irrelevant to me. I just want a good Bond film from him, to atone for the last one which I can't stand.

    Re: Bond's dog: It's obviously a play on the John Wick story and also a subtle hint to avoid the family drama and revenge elements which have polluted the films of late. Nothing wrong with that really.

    Still, I honestly didn't get any 'news' out of that interview, with all due respect to the ajb'er.
  • Bentley007Bentley007 Manitoba, Canada
    Posts: 575
    In regards to the Cashley Persia rumours. I have read through all of them over the past couple years. He has been right and wrong before but always presents his information as subject to change. What I have noticed is when he has been wrong he does not often repeat the rumour in multiple posts. This is the second mention of both a female protege and female villian by him so I take that as a pretty solid indication. If it turns out to be wrong so be it but I appreciate the rumours no matter what.

  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    That "exchange" sounds made up to me. Why would Boyle say "we don't start shooting until December". That's pretty obvious slip up to make for someone with so much experience. As if it wouldn't occur to him that anything he tells this chap will find its way online within 5 minutes. Boyle must be a terrible lair like Paris Carver.
  • Posts: 5,767
    patb wrote: »
    Re all this negativity re new ideas, execution is a key ellement. If rumours had come out re the climax to SF , many of you guys would have hated the idea, been worried, depressed etc

    And yet, due to good execution, it played a role in reaching both critical and financial success. Also (unlike SP), these ideas/rumours don't alter the Bond universe. They are 100% just within the movie. Some fans seem to want basically the same Bond movie everytime (Dr No set the template) and any excursions outside of the template leads to loss of sleep!

    There has to be room for some creativity.
    I seriously doubt that there is anyone who wants the same film over and over. People who love DN usually also love at least FRWL, which is a pretty different film as far as the plot structure is concerned...

    But I must admit I much prefer the repetetiveness that was part of the 60s, 70s and 80s over the castration of the character that is recently talked about.

  • Posts: 5,767
    He’s right though. SF’s cinematography is creative whereas QoS’s really isn’t. Deakins relied on his vision whereas whoever shot the previous film just copied and imitated the Greengrass-directed Bourne films.
    Now you´re talking about the editing if at all. The cinematography is totally different from Greengrass´ films.

  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    Posts: 1,889
    That "exchange" sounds made up to me. Why would Boyle say "we don't start shooting until December". That's pretty obvious slip up to make for someone with so much experience. As if it wouldn't occur to him that anything he tells this chap will find its way online within 5 minutes. Boyle must be a terrible lair like Paris Carver.

    I'd say there is no importance to Boyle's "we" because this person is recalling the (unverifiable) conversation and not transcribing the quote directly from a recording he made. Had this been a video interview, then it'd be a very different situation of course.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    After SF, which should have remained a standalone film, they should have just gone back to the style of CR/QOS. Easily achievable. Only real difference would be Craig's age and the new MI6 cast.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Remington wrote: »
    After SF, which should have remained a standalone film, they should have just gone back to the style of CR/QOS. Easily achievable. Only real difference would be Craig's age and the new MI6 cast.

    yes it would have been possible but after a behemoth of a success like SF they wanted more of the same. makes sense - commercially
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    Getafix wrote: »
    Remington wrote: »
    After SF, which should have remained a standalone film, they should have just gone back to the style of CR/QOS. Easily achievable. Only real difference would be Craig's age and the new MI6 cast.

    yes it would have been possible but after a behemoth of a success like SF they wanted more of the same. makes sense - commercially

    True, but look where that got them critically lol.
  • edited May 2018 Posts: 11,425
    I don't know. we go round in circles on this. SP actually was well received outside the US
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    No, they should have avoided the CR/QoS approach. Casino only works as a one off, not the first part in a however many part saga. SF actually did a good job of closing out that series thematically and opening the door for formula to return again. If SP had just been a straight stylistic Bond film, it would have been decent but it had to love up to the weighty nature of Skyfall, so it became more than it should have been. B24 should have been more lightweight, and they could have built to a finale.
  • Posts: 11,425
    I actually think SP is a slightly lighter formulaic entry. I prefer it to SF although neither ranks very high for me. SF is somewhere just above the Brosnan films for me.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    Getafix wrote: »
    I actually think SP is a slightly lighter formulaic entry. I prefer it to SF although neither ranks very high for me. SF is somewhere just above the Brosnan films for me.

    But all the worst parts are when they try adding in geopolitical nonsense, socail commentary, and tying previous entries together. If it was "nothing but" the straight formula Bond, it would have more respect among the fans.
  • Posts: 11,425
    fair enough

    is their geopolitics in SP? you mean the tedious 9 eyes subplot?
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2018 Posts: 6,288
    bondjames wrote: »
    Very good points @DaltonCraig007.

    I can only imagine that they decided to go back to the tropes because they'd heard that certain sections of the fanbase (or general public) wanted them back. After all, Craig has commented frequently how people come up to him and ask him 'why so serious?'.

    Good point. It's hard to have a lighthearted Bond and real stakes. That's why CR and QoS felt so visceral and powerful to me. (And weirdly, it makes me think of MR. If there had been more scenes like Corinne's death and the centrifuge, imagine how improved the film would be.)
    bondjames wrote: »
    I also assume that they decided to go back to it because that was always the intended evolution of the Craig Bond reboot character, namely starting as raw rookie without trimmings and ending fully formed.

    More than anything, reading your post confirms to me that this era and arc is actually finished, despite their apparent desire to prolong it for one more film. Bond is fully formed now and has been since the end of SF.

    SF is an odd duck. Mendes clearly liked the more serious direction of Bond but also wanted to return filmic Bond to his roots in the final scenes. He also copied the end of CR by showing us Moneypenny coming into her own just as Bond did.

    Was there ever a plan? Only Eon knows for sure. But they won't admit to mistakes--for example, I doubt we'll ever see the release of the original QoS ending.
  • Posts: 6,601
    DC always said, he wanted to earn those formula things and it was planned from the start to have them back. So SF was a Natural execution of this plan. IMO where they followed the moaning of the fans, who after 3 different filmscwanted even more tradition and hence, no bleeding, more humor, no real suspense, which could be seen in most of the other films, because Bond was so much larger then life always. Times have changed and fun and suspense need to be very well balanced.
  • Posts: 16,154
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Anymore of Bond dealing with Bond and MI6 created problems is not something I want to see. So I hope that you are wrong there.

    I don't remotely like any of these ideas.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,133
    The MI6 traitor angle has been done too death.
    The something from Bonds past has been done to death.
    The Bond girl who is Bonds equal has been...done to death.
    I would be happy with the old formula film. I don't know if today's PC society would approve.
    Maybe a retweaked version would help. Without using any of the above elements as a story basis.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Couldn't agree more. Well said Benny. :-bd
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Seconded.
  • Posts: 6,601
    I dont think it would work today, if you made another Moore or Brosnan film. Sp tried, didnt it. It was successful, but not overall loved. I dint believe, having a brainless Bambi girl, would work either.
    Agree on the personal angle though. I think a dark Thriller sort of film would work best. Going Logan seems too obvious to me and people would kill the idea just because it was just recently done anyway.
  • edited May 2018 Posts: 1,661
    The problem is the franchise has lasted so long it's hard to come up with fresh ideas. Personally I would like to see one Bond film dedicated to showing the 00 division. The division is attacked by nano technology or AI robots or some dark web tech. The ending is sort of a homage to the earlier Bond films where we see Bond and a few 00s leading a team to destroy the bad guys. Mission Impossible has stolen the thunder in terms of a secret spy organization under threat but it's time for Bond to do it. The OOs is the ultimate secret service organization. I'm talking about the division itself, not MI6.

    I'd love to see some of the other 00s in action - some could be captured or killed, others helping Bond in the big attack on the enemy base scene in the third act.

    Then again, we could forget all that and have Bond mope about about mourning some lost love (Vesper's ghost appears!) or M telling him "don't make this personal." Heh.

    The more I think about this plot idea - it's probably better suited to the next Bond actor. A soft reboot where you can reintroduce the 00s in a new-ish way. Personally I'd go with robots taking on the 00s - even if it does remind people of the Terminator films. Who cares! Let's see some robots in the franchise. It's the 21st century!
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Danny Boyle's a very interesting director. When I first heard he had pitched something to EoN, I was thrown through a loop-- Boyle and Bond...? But I was instantly curious.

    In the end, whatever the synopsis of the film may be, Boyle will execute as Boyle's always done. If there's humour in 25, it'll be twisted and dark humour, as seen in his other films (I doubt there'll be any Christmas comes once a year jokes, or twitching eyebrows to slam home a point).

    I expect what Boyle will deliver is something none of us could predict.

    If anything, the film will be interesting.
  • Posts: 12,466
    It’s far too early, but I am very optimistic about Boyle and his direction for Bond 25. I think we’re going to get our freshest Bond outing since CR.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited May 2018 Posts: 5,185
    FoxRox wrote: »
    It’s far too early, but I am very optimistic about Boyle and his direction for Bond 25. I think we’re going to get our freshest Bond outing since CR.

    CR blew my mind the first time, SF as well, the two movies after those were rather meh (but i do like a lot about them).
    If they can manage to do that a third time i won't mind if they take some creative freedom to achive that. You can't accomplish that with a rehash of old ideas. As long as they don't change the character. Showing him from a different perspective is something else entirely.
  • Posts: 4,408
    Lea Seydoux has been at Cannes this year where she is serving as a judge alongside once touted Bond director Denis Villeneueve.

    She has also recently signed on for a new film, 'The Horse Boy' which starts filming in October. I suppose there is a possibility she could start Bond in the new year if she was to return. I really like Madeline as a character (Lea's soulful performance was the highlight of SP for me). However, the character was painfully underwritten despite the latent potential.

    Madeline feels too much like overhang from the Mendes era. If Boyle does come in, I don't think Lea would be a comfortable fit. I'd have only wanted her to return if Mendes returned. Thankfully, that isn't happening.

    http://variety.com/2018/film/news/ari-folman-set-to-direct-the-horse-boy-with-lea-seydoux-joel-kinnaman-exclusive-1202802766/

    Lea-Seydoux-In-Louis-Vuitton-2018-Cannes-Film-Festival-Jury-Photocall.jpg
    Cannes-2018-Lea-Seydoux-sexy-et-langoureuse-en-robe-blanche-transparente.jpg

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