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Sam Mendes - good or bad?

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  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited October 2014 Posts: 4,512
    I have seen Jarhead last year on dvd (29 June 2013), 9 days later after the 2th view of Skyfall (20 June 2013). You wil understand that again i disapointed in Skyfall. Jarhead look like more on QOS and when i see Jarhead i see Roger Deakins take that inspyration for Skyfall house.
    M_Balje wrote: »
    Finaly saw Jarhead and it made it quistion Skyfall more then it already did before. The part before Bond 23 whas titled Skyfall and my expections be more a QOS setting.

    My idea of Jardhead at the time whas this feeling, but expext a more boring movie and now i see the movie it confirmd this for me how much i whant to that QOS style return. Couple of things suprise me to see in Jarhead who also be in QOS and Skyfall. Something of those thing i earlier at to earlier Bond movies like CR/QOS then Mendes. How amazing it be if Bond 24 be QOS/Jarhead setting. Cinematopgraphy/production design is great, there take more time to tell in my eyes litle bit weak end. Jarhead have a more breath moment people said there missing in QOS and i mis in Skyfall. This from a point of view that Jarhead is not a Bond movie, because there enough moments where i think QOS is a better movie/have more breath moment. Humor and drama is subtil. Biggest problem of Jardhead be that that there not happend that much with those other good things. That's where i think Bond 24 can inprove. I think the waterstory/symbol can be in good hands of Mendes with a good writer. Something i hoped on before i saw Skyfall, now he only should make it true.

    Of course i am stil worried about the rest. This is of course also because iam a big fan of Tomorrow Never Dies and case be that this is mixed very well with the above.

    Name it a Kathryn Bigelow moment, but i think the agression/politic points in the beginning are simalar to the one in QOS. I own 2 movies of her who i bought for intrest when she whas remour to direct Bond 23.

    Another thing, once you know the clue make it a less of movie you whant see a lot. To much of open end mabey for Jarhead, not in special a problem for Bond 24.
  • AstonLotusAstonLotus
    Posts: 1,394
    BAD.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    Not a big fan of his work.
  • PanchitoPistolesPanchitoPistoles 2.0
    edited November 2014 Posts: 4,619
    Skyfall may not be the best Bond film, but Mendes is easily the greatest director to work on a Bond film yet.
  • GetafixGetafix
    edited November 2014 Posts: 11,425
    PanchitoPistoles wrote: »
    Skyfall may not be the best Bond film, but Mendes is easily the greatest director to work on a Bond film yet.

    Really? What about the great Lewis Gilbert. Plenty of impressive and diverse non Bond work on his CV.

    And give me TSWLM over SF any day.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Getafix wrote: »
    PanchitoPistoles wrote: »
    Skyfall may not be the best Bond film, but Mendes is easily the greatest director to work on a Bond film yet.

    Really? What about the great Lewis Gilbert. Plenty of impressive non Bond work on his CV.

    Gilbert is awesome. Alfie and Educating Rita are superb. He doesn't take himself too seriously either, which I think is an admirable and rarely found trait these days, particularly among directors.
  • PanchitoPistolesPanchitoPistoles 2.0
    Posts: 4,619
    Getafix wrote: »
    PanchitoPistoles wrote: »
    Skyfall may not be the best Bond film, but Mendes is easily the greatest director to work on a Bond film yet.

    Really? What about the Lewis Gilbert. Plenty of impressive and diverse non Bond work on his CV.

    And give me TSWLM over SF any day.

    Gilbert hasn't directed anything that comes close to American Beauty, Road to Perdition or Revolutionary Road.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    PanchitoPistoles wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    PanchitoPistoles wrote: »
    Skyfall may not be the best Bond film, but Mendes is easily the greatest director to work on a Bond film yet.

    Really? What about the Lewis Gilbert. Plenty of impressive and diverse non Bond work on his CV.

    And give me TSWLM over SF any day.

    Gilbert hasn't directed anything that comes close to American Beauty, Road to Perdition or Revolutionary Road.

    Well, their respective oeuvres aren't necessarily comparable, as is the case with most directors. They each have their strengths. I actually think Forster is arguably a more skilled film maker than either Gilbert or Mendes, but he's lost his way since moving into big budget flicks. It's totally subjective and as the only comparison of merit is Bond v Bond, Gilbert wins hands down for me.
  • GetafixGetafix
    edited November 2014 Posts: 11,425
    Mendes has been quite hit and miss IMO. Funnily enough, even though I think Gilbert is a better comedy director, one of the Mendes films I enjoyed most was a little rom com called Away We Go that sunk without trace.

    American Beauty was good. Road to Perdition I thought was pretty poor, squandering a great cast. Haven't seen Revolutionary Road but understand it's decent.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Lord knows, had Winslet ever been cast as a Bond girl we would have got some amazing love scenes.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I think the consensus after SP seems to be that Mendes has to move on
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Skyfall = BAD
    Spectre = GOOD

    Next will be bad again so go away and never return Mr Mendes.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I agree with your scoring matrix
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    edited April 2017 Posts: 4,043
    Skyfall= Good

    SPECTRE = Seriously bad.

    I've always enjoyed American Beauty but never got the reverence for Road To Perdition, not really seen much more of his CV.

    I hope he never returns to Bond because he said all he needed to with Skyfall, unfortunately he felt pressured to come back and make the mess that is SPECTRE.

    Skyfall will go down a classic despite the members here going on about what a disaster it is whereas SPECTRE is already being looked at as a seriously flawed film that wasn't worthy of following up SF.

  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Skyfall and Spectre = Good!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Murdock wrote: »
    Skyfall and Spectre = Good!

    Yes, agreed.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Agreed.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Disagreed.

    No more Mendes. No more family BS please.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,575
    I highly enjoy both films. I feel that they were good takes in matters that we had yet to see.

    However, with that being said, I wouldn't want him near a Bond film again. Especially since Thomas Newman is forced to come with him. He left a unique stamp on the franchise, but it's time to move on.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    Have to say I'm surprised those who loved SF tend to be the biggest haters of SP
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,575
    Getafix wrote: »
    Have to say I'm surprised those who loved SF tend to be the biggest haters of SP

    Or the other way around.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Not surprising at all.

    Spectre is all that Skyfall isn't, fun, entertaining, humorous and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Craig is finally the Bond we know for 40 years from DN to DAD.

    Skyfall had some think, the franchise would now forever go on in that boring fashion, mainstreamed to death to reach a billion BO audience.

    As I said it's always fun to see how the exact same things that were done in SF are now highly criticised in Spectre. That's quite schizophrenic.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,575
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    Not surprising at all.


    As I said it's always fun to see how the exact same things that were done in SF are now highly criticised in Spectre. That's quite schizophrenic.

    Well thats because..

    Bond copies Bond- Lazy and uninspired.

    Any other franchise copies Bond- Genius, witty, and crafty.
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    Posts: 1,812
    I actually love both Skyfall and SPECTRE, more so SP, but I'm done with Mendes directing Bond movies. I damn near wanted to slap him for the line in SF from Q when he said something about not using gadgets anymore. He made up for it with the DB5 spy car at the end though.
    Mendes made the missions too close to Bond's past and/or personal life. I really want to get back to the movies just being about the mission and getting the job done. No more links to Bond.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Even with all the glaring flaws that Skyfall has that many choose to totally ignore it's still a James Bond film.

    In 2012 it was one of the best films that's for sure. It was just a very disappointing affair overall compared to what came before, as it was aimed at the broadest possible audience which makes is so incredibly common.

    QOS at least is original in its approach and has found a maybe small, but very passionate following.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,392
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    Even with all the glaring flaws that Skyfall has that many choose to totally ignore it's still a James Bond film.

    In 2012 it was one of the best films that's for sure. It was just a very disappointing affair overall compared to what came before, as it was aimed at the broadest possible audience which makes is so incredibly common.

    QOS at least is original in its approach and has found a maybe small, but very passionate following.

    It always happens with actors second film.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    What?
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    I'm not sure you could apply that to FRWL.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,019
    My take on this is: SKYFALL - great. My No. 2 immediately after FRWL, even after repeated viewings.
    SPECTRE - not really bad, but disappointing after SKYFALL. Upper mid-level in the series due to the idiotic Bloberhauser angle.
  • Tuck91Tuck91
    Posts: 1,680
    SF was mainstream appeal, they made SP geared towards the fans.
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