Quantum of Solace Appreciation Thread- We Found a Better Place to Meet

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  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,400
    Getafix wrote: »
    Some of the dialogue in CR but Craig and Green make it work IMO. The sillyness of their 'little fingure' conversation does convey the genuine moment of closeness/intimacy where they finally, fully connect, IMO. It's a cheesy line but actually appropriate to the scene and the context. They're totally at ease with each other and on the verge of giving into love - as Bond says, his guard is down. Perhaps it could have been done better, and differently, but it's not the worst dialogue we've seen in a Bond movie.

    It's definitely a mark against the film tho, and one of the reasons I think CR is overrated. Fans just aren't comfortable admitting it has faults.
    3:-O
  • Posts: 15,125
    Getafix wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    Limited? One trick pony? These are both really odd statements, given the success that he's had in a wide variety of different roles across numerous genres. Have you guys seen his films? Fair enough if you prefer Craig - I don't really have a problem with that - but the knocking of Damon just doesn't square with his actual work as actor. Have you guys seen The Talented Mr Ripley; Invictus; Bourne; The Departed; Oceans 11; Behind the Candelabra etc. etc. ? If you have, I don't really understand how you can seriously claim that he is a limited actor.

    I think it's also worth bearing in mind that without Bourne and Damon's performance in those films, it's quite possible that EON would never have cast Craig in the first place. We'd probably be living through a continuation of the Brosnan era, with Henry Cavill in the lead role.

    I really like Matt Damon, actually, as a person and an actor. The Talented Mr Ripley is actually one of my favorite movies and he gave one hell of a performance in it. Maybe his best. I also enjoyed his Bourne movies, although I do not think the role is that great to begin with. All the same, I find Craig the best actor.

    Fair enough. DC is very good.

    I also love the Talented Mr Ripley.

    Amazing movie. Flawless casting too. And Damon's best performance. I would love to see him as Bourne again (sorry for the bad pun), that said I rather wished he had made a sequel to Ripley, unfortunately Minghella is dead.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,425
    Getafix wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    Layer Cake is a cool movie - I enjoyed it, and Craig basically gave us his proto-Bond in that. I don't think Babs cast DC because of Munich - it was surely because of Layer Cake. Never liked Road to Perdition and was disappointed and underwhelmed by TGWTDT.

    If you're under the misapprehension that four Spielbergs trumps a Scorcese, an Eastwood, a Minghella and a Coen Brothers, I think you might want to reassess your hand before doubling down.

    An Eastwood? Hes made some good films but to compare him to Spielbergs legacy it codswallop. Dan has worked for David Fincher TGWTDT and Sam Mendes pre bond in RTP. Scorcese efforts in the last 10 years to get Decaprio and Oscar have been a bore. The Coen Brothers films are an acquired taste. But it's a casting agent not a director who makes that call the truth is Dan has shown on screen he can offer more than Damon. Damon is one dimensional. And I believe it's on the Everything or Nothing DVD Babs talks about looking out for the next Bond and seeing Dan in Munich.

    Codswallop? Again, a strange statement given Eastwood 's CV.
    I don't think it's unreasonable to mention Spielberg and Eastwood together at all. Again, are you actually aware of what Eastwood has done as a director? Let alone his acting work.

    In fact you could argue that over the last decade or so the older man has actually done the better work.

    Their simple story telling style is actually not dissimilar and something I admire in both of them. The recent American Sniper could easily have been directed by Spielberg (in fact almost was, I think). Two great American mainstream directors.

    In terms of director taking away Eastwood s acting roles. Spielberg is a pioneer of modern cinema Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993). Not to mention War Horse or the 150 other films he's produced. Spielberg has stepped away from the big blockbuster world to do smaller scale meaningful history telling films. Eastwood is not a pioneering film maker and has not directed anything on the scale of the above. If you still think they are on par you need to have your head checked.

    Wow. Big, bold and slightly daft statement.

    As to whether they're on a par, I guess that's a matter of taste. I'm fairly sure that there are a lot of sane people out there who'd pick Clint as a director over Spielberg.

    Clint has two best director Oscar wins (which I think is the same as Spielberg), plus a further three nominations. His films are often category-defying and have been widely lauded by his peers. He deels with fascinating issues, and has been making 'meaningful' movies arguably a little longer than Spielberg. I think you'd struggle to find any one in Hollywood who holds him in as low regard as you seem to.

    Again, I'm not knocking Spielberg. But as with your need to knock Damon, in order to somehow elevate Craig in comparison, I don't really get it. I don't really care who you prefer, but the idea that Clint is not a top level Hollywood director in his own right, or very much someone who can be interestingly compared to Spielberg, is absurd.

    Actually, I think their film making style, and choice of subjects, has been converging over recent years, making their films very much open to comparison. You could see either of them having directed a number of each others' films over the past couple of decades - the subject and style of film making just seem to fit.

    They both share an interest in and respect for the WW2 generation and the sacrifices they made. They've both dealt with issues that touch on race/ethnicity and how we deal with it. They're both no strangers to action movies.

    Overall, Spielberg has directed more big Hollywood blockbusters (many of which are of course classics)but as I said above, if anything, I think Clint's become more successful and arguably the better and more interesting director over the past decade. Yes, Spielberg has made a massive contribution to film as a producer as well, but Clint's acting contribution is not exactly insignificant. These are two titans of Hollywood. Arguing over who is the best is perhaps a little pointless, but I don't think you're thesis that one is clearly head and shoulders above the other holds water at all.

    I don't have an issue with someone prefering Spielberg, but not sure why this has to be done by unconvincingly trying to claim that Clint is an also ran, when he's clearly also one of the top Hollywood directors.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2015 Posts: 23,883
    I don't want to sidetrack this thread, but for those who like Patricia Highsmith I recommend Purple Noon (Talented Mr. Ripley essentially but made in the 1960's in French - Alain Delon is amazing in it) and Ripley's Game (John Malkovich as Ripley). I really enjoyed them both.

    I wish they'd go for a full redo adaptation of all her Ripley novels - there's potential for a blockbuster series here.
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    Posts: 2,138
    I'm not knocking Damon to elevate DC that's the most absurd comment yet. Damon as a leading man doesn't stand up he's a good supporting actor that's about it. Eastwood as a director has done well but once he has delivered Cinema gold like Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan then you can not compare the two. Sam Mendes won the Academy Award for American Beauty and Golden Globe for director for Revolutionary Road and Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes is not on par with Spielberg either. Ron Howard another who has a few academy award wins again there is no comparison even if he was Ritchie Cunningham.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,425
    bondjames wrote: »
    I don't want to sidetrack this thread, but for those who like Patricia Highsmith I recommend Purple Noon (Talented Mr. Ripley essentially but made in the 1960's in French - Alain Delon is amazing in it) and Ripley's Game (John Malkovich as Ripley). I really enjoyed them both.

    I wish they'd go for a full redo adaptation of all her Ripley novels - there's potential for a blockbuster series here.

    I believe there are several film versions of TTMR. I've wanted to see the Alain Delon one for a while. I also enjoyed Ripley's Game but found Malkovich's predictably OTT performance makes it actually a more cartoonish and less disturbing film than the Damon movie.

    If you're a big Highsmith fan, did you see The Two Faces of January with Vigo Mortensen? I thought it was pretty good. It has a very similar look and feel as TTMR. I remember watching it actually and (as parts of it are set in Istanbul) comparing it to SF and wishing the Bond films could capture some of the weirdness, tension and genuine sense of danger.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,189
    In terms of which director is the more "adult" of Spielberg and Eastwood I'd have to go with the latter. Films like Changeling, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and his Two Jima films explore some fairly dark topics that a lot of other directors probably wouldn't touch. Yes he made Schindlers List but on the whole Spielberg tends to go more for "genre films" or films that reflect his "inner child". I can't really imagine Eastwood being particularly interested in directing a film about Peter Pan or aliens. That said, Eastwood (arguably) hasn't made a film as influential on cinema as Jaws or E.T during his career.

    Both directors are very different. I don't get the impression Eastwood is all that interested in science-fiction. His taste seems to be more fact-based dramas.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2015 Posts: 23,883
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    I don't want to sidetrack this thread, but for those who like Patricia Highsmith I recommend Purple Noon (Talented Mr. Ripley essentially but made in the 1960's in French - Alain Delon is amazing in it) and Ripley's Game (John Malkovich as Ripley). I really enjoyed them both.

    I wish they'd go for a full redo adaptation of all her Ripley novels - there's potential for a blockbuster series here.

    I believe there are several film versions of TTMR. I've wanted to see the Alain Delon one for a while. I also enjoyed Ripley's Game but found Malkovich's predictably OTT performance makes it actually a more cartoonish and less disturbing film than the Damon movie.

    If you're a big Highsmith fan, did you see The Two Faces of January with Vigo Mortensen? I thought it was pretty good. It has a very similar look and feel as TTMR. I remember watching it actually and (as parts of it are set in Istanbul) comparing it to SF and wishing the Bond films could capture some of the weirdness, tension and genuine sense of danger.

    Thanks @Getafix. I did not even know about The Two Faces of January. I will check it out as soon as I can. The Delon version of TTMR is very good, if you can get over the fact that it's in French. Cinematography is beautiful, in that romantic 1960's sort of way.

    Re: Malkovich in Ripley's Game - I agree that he is OTT. Unfortunately Malkovich is Malkovich - like Jack Nicholson or Christoph Waltz, he can't help chew up the scenery whenever he's on screen. I've always thought he'd be a great Bond villain for that reason.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Interesting points @BAIN. I wasn't thinking about it like that, but yes, I think there's defintiely a case for saying that Clint has been the more consistently 'cerebral' of the two directors. But Spielberg has made some really good movies in his later career. I'm a huge fan of Munich, Minority Report and Lincoln.

    They are different of course, but I also think there are some notable similarities between their ways of working as well. I genuinely felt that American Sniper could have been a Spielberg film. May be Spielberg would have given a slightly more nuanced view of the Iraqis in the film, but stylistically I thought there was a lot in common.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    It's hard to compare Craig and Damon. They're terrific at what they do. But both have similar limitations: Damon can't pull off a British accent (as he tried in Invictus) and Craig can't pull off an American accent (as he tried in Road to Perdition and Cowboys and Aliens...and neither of those asked him to pull off a contemporary one. RTP was Old Chicago and C&A was American Southwest).
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,425
    TripAces wrote: »
    It's hard to compare Craig and Damon. They're terrific at what they do. But both have similar limitations: Damon can't pull off a British accent (as he tried in Invictus) and Craig can't pull off an American accent (as he tried in Road to Perdition and Cowboys and Aliens...and neither of those asked him to pull off a contemporary one. RTP was Old Chicago and C&A was American Southwest).

    That might be because Matt Damon was trying (may be not all that successfully) to play an Afrikaner white South African (i.e. of Dutch origin) speaking English....

    He definitely wasn't trying to do a British accent though, which is may be why you thought it wasn't very good.

    I don't hold dodgy accents against either Craig or Damon though. Both are good actors. Not many actors can do good accents. I often think that even those who are supposedly good at it (Meryl Streep) are actually not that great. Accents are so hard to do. When somone does it well, it's really impressive.

    Any way, there is a great tradition of appalling accents in Hollywood. Imagine Mary Poppins without Dick Van Dyke's dreadful 'cockney' or The Untouchables without Sean Connery (was he even trying to do an Irish accent?) - they'd be lesser films.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,189
    I enjoyed Munich aswell but admit to not having seen Lincoln or indeed American Sniper yet.
    Getafix wrote: »
    Imagine Mary Poppins without Dick Van Dyke's dreadful 'cockney' or The Untouchables without Sean Connery (was he even trying to do an Irish accent?) - they'd be lesser films.

    ...or old Dickie Attenborough in Jurassic Park ;)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Lincoln, looks like a TV movie. and Connery puts on that Scottish accent. :))
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,425
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    I enjoyed Munich aswell but admit to not having seen Lincoln or indeed American Sniper yet.

    Both very good. American Sniper is historically totally misleading and portrays ordinary Iraqis as all 'terrorists' (even though all they're doing is resisting an occupying army), but is brilliantly made and gripping. It even changes fundamental aspects of the central character's own account of events. The only part which is true is that a man went to Iraq and shot lots of people.

    I enjoyed Lincoln. Don't know enough about the history to say whether it is accurate or not, but it's a well made film, with the usual show-stealing performance from Day-Lewis.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    Getafix wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    It's hard to compare Craig and Damon. They're terrific at what they do. But both have similar limitations: Damon can't pull off a British accent (as he tried in Invictus) and Craig can't pull off an American accent (as he tried in Road to Perdition and Cowboys and Aliens...and neither of those asked him to pull off a contemporary one. RTP was Old Chicago and C&A was American Southwest).

    That might be because Matt Damon was trying (may be not all that successfully) to play an Afrikaner white South African (i.e. of Dutch origin) speaking English....

    He definitely wasn't trying to do a British accent though, which is may be why you thought it wasn't very good.

    I don't hold dodgy accents against either Craig or Damon though. Both are good actors. Not many actors can do good accents. I often think that even those who are supposedly good at it (Meryl Streep) are actually not that great. Accents are so hard to do. When somone does it well, it's really impressive.

    Any way, there is a great tradition of appalling accents in Hollywood. Imagine Mary Poppins without Dick Van Dyke's dreadful 'cockney' or The Untouchables without Sean Connery (was he even trying to do an Irish accent?) - they'd be lesser films.

    That's an important clarification, too. Thanks.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    In Sean Connery's world, every accent/language is spoken with a thick scottish accent. ;)
  • Posts: 11,425
    TripAces wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    It's hard to compare Craig and Damon. They're terrific at what they do. But both have similar limitations: Damon can't pull off a British accent (as he tried in Invictus) and Craig can't pull off an American accent (as he tried in Road to Perdition and Cowboys and Aliens...and neither of those asked him to pull off a contemporary one. RTP was Old Chicago and C&A was American Southwest).

    That might be because Matt Damon was trying (may be not all that successfully) to play an Afrikaner white South African (i.e. of Dutch origin) speaking English....

    He definitely wasn't trying to do a British accent though, which is may be why you thought it wasn't very good.

    I don't hold dodgy accents against either Craig or Damon though. Both are good actors. Not many actors can do good accents. I often think that even those who are supposedly good at it (Meryl Streep) are actually not that great. Accents are so hard to do. When somone does it well, it's really impressive.

    Any way, there is a great tradition of appalling accents in Hollywood. Imagine Mary Poppins without Dick Van Dyke's dreadful 'cockney' or The Untouchables without Sean Connery (was he even trying to do an Irish accent?) - they'd be lesser films.

    That's an important clarification, too. Thanks.

    Yes, important, as the character he is depicting, Francois Pienaar, would have spoken Afrikans as his first language, not Englihs. So Damon is portraying an Afrikaner, speaking in a language that is not supposed to be his first languauge. Quite challenging, when you think about it.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    This is a QoS thread, lads, not a boxing match between Damon and Craig or Spielberg and Eastwood. They're all talented and iconic, okay? No need for the mudslinging.
  • Posts: 11,425
    This is a QoS thread, lads, not a boxing match between Damon and Craig or Spielberg and Eastwood. They're all talented and iconic, okay? No need for the mudslinging.

    Totally agree.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Can anyone think of a " Cufflink " fixing moment in QOS ? As DC
    Has done one in CR, putting on his tux, SF after jumping into the
    Passenger carriage, and I read somewhere he looks to do it in SP.
    I'm trying to think of one but so far my mind is a blank. :)
  • Posts: 11,425
    I don't think he does it in QoS. I am not personally a fan of that. Who 'pops' their cufflinks? Makes him look like some silly city boy in his new suit.

    Just my view. Felt similarly about Brosnan's tie straightening thing.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DrGorner wrote: »
    Can anyone think of a " Cufflink " fixing moment in QOS ? As DC
    Has done one in CR, putting on his tux, SF after jumping into the
    Passenger carriage, and I read somewhere he looks to do it in SP.
    I'm trying to think of one but so far my mind is a blank. :)

    Hmm, I can't think of a moment either. This group has done such a stellar job at cataloguing the many objects Dan's Bond has tossed this way and that with reckless abandon, but we've never turned all of our energies to this particular challenge.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Getafix wrote: »
    I don't think he does it in QoS. I am not personally a fan of that. Who 'pops' their cufflinks? Makes him look like some silly city boy in his new suit.

    Just my view. Felt similarly about Brosnan's tie straightening thing.

    Agreed, annoying and not cool at all.

    What will the next Bond do? Check his zipper?
  • Posts: 11,189
    Hmm, eyebrow raise, tie straightening and cuff-checking.

    Seems to be going further and further down the body indeed.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,425
    Getafix wrote: »
    I don't think he does it in QoS. I am not personally a fan of that. Who 'pops' their cufflinks? Makes him look like some silly city boy in his new suit.

    Just my view. Felt similarly about Brosnan's tie straightening thing.

    Agreed, annoying and not cool at all.

    What will the next Bond do? Check his zipper?

    De-wedge his boxers?
  • Posts: 15,125
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    I don't want to sidetrack this thread, but for those who like Patricia Highsmith I recommend Purple Noon (Talented Mr. Ripley essentially but made in the 1960's in French - Alain Delon is amazing in it) and Ripley's Game (John Malkovich as Ripley). I really enjoyed them both.

    I wish they'd go for a full redo adaptation of all her Ripley novels - there's potential for a blockbuster series here.

    I believe there are several film versions of TTMR. I've wanted to see the Alain Delon one for a while. I also enjoyed Ripley's Game but found Malkovich's predictably OTT performance makes it actually a more cartoonish and less disturbing film than the Damon movie.

    If you're a big Highsmith fan, did you see The Two Faces of January with Vigo Mortensen? I thought it was pretty good. It has a very similar look and feel as TTMR. I remember watching it actually and (as parts of it are set in Istanbul) comparing it to SF and wishing the Bond films could capture some of the weirdness, tension and genuine sense of danger.

    Maybe we should start a thread about Tom Ripley. I watched Plein Soleil, I was not impressed. Partially because French actors play American characters talking in French with French accents. Except Freddie Miles who speak French with an American accent: "Tom, voo zêtes oun sacré farçoeur" I lost it with that.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I liked the tie straightening bit - especially in GE.
  • Posts: 11,425
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    I liked the tie straightening bit - especially in GE.

    Surprise! ;)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :)) I love to see Bond, readjust a wedgie ! Getafix. =))
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited March 2015 Posts: 8,400
    I know this is somewhat controversial but to me Craig's performance here is the best in the entire series. I really buy him as both a tortured soul and a man of action. =D>
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