SirHenryLeeChaChing's For Original Fans - Favorite Moments In NTTD (spoilers)

Some_Kind_Of_Hero · September 2014

DarthDimi · September 2014

Dante Spinotti would be my preferred choice for the next 007 cinematographer. Granted, he’s 71 years of age but by the same token, he has only just finished working on that new Hercules film, which seems to imply that he’s still very much active. He photographed Tower Heist, the 2010 Narnia, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Prison Break pilot, Red Dragon, LA Confidential, The Quick and the Dead, … But he’s most famously known for his work with Michael Mann; so if you need some convincing, just watch Manhunter, The Last Of The Mohicans, Heat, The Insider and Public Enemies. If my Bond film could ever give me a shootout like the one in Heat or the kind of close-ups we get in Heat and The Insider, the choice of film stock Spinotti excels at, and so forth, I’d be in film heaven!

4EverBonded · September 2014

Great thoughts, @Some_Kind_Of_Hero and @DarthDimi! Thanks very much. Thanks for the pictures, too, Some_Kind_Of_Hero. :)

I totally adore the Narnia films for their entire look, so I don't mind Spinotti being 71 now. If he is still active, I'd give him a chance, Dimi.

All of which reminds me, I am so very ready (beyond ready) to know the cinematographer for Bond 24! (*gnashes teeth*). We should know this fall, right, when they finally have their press conference? Sigh ...

4EverBonded · September 2014

And to say, that I do like Alfonso Cuarón as a director a lot. A Little Princess is simply gorgeous. However ... the last part of Gravity, to be honest, especially the final ending, let me down cinematically. I thought it could have been great, uplifting, stirring, amazing shots ... but no. I still think I would like him as a Bond director, though.

Matt_Helm · September 2014

chrisisall wrote: »

I just watched GE today, and (here I rant) the colours were rich and vibrant... earlier today I watched QOS, and though I really love the flick, I have to say the colour palate was a bit drab by comparison. Digital fixes in post today irritate me to no end. Nothing looks real any more. I had the same problem with SF. It's a video-game world in movies now... [-(

Sorry to say I am of a complete contrary opinion. While GE to me looks very much like a TV production I find QoSs cinematography stylishly,elegant and colourful . De gustibus non est disputandum remains as true as ever, I guess.

Thunderfinger · September 2014

4EverBonded wrote: »

As we wrap up cinematography today ("Yes, it's a wrap!") let's also think about which cinematographer we would like for Bond 24.

I'm going to go look up Mendes' films and see who has worked with besides Deakins. Hmmm. In the meantime, here are some cinematographers to consider for Bond 24. (in no particular order):

1) Phil Méheux (yes, CR and GE) - I hard think he is past it and I'd be more than willing for him to have another Bond film in his resume

2) Janusz Kaminski (Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan)

3 John Toll (Iron Man 3, The Last Samurai, Seraphim Falls)

4) Robert Richardson (Django Unchained, Shutter Island, Inglourious Basterds)

3) Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, Children of Men)

4) Wally Pfister (Nolan's Batman trilogy, Inception). Personally, I really like his work.

5) And on another thread, folks are mentioning Hoyte van Hontema (Interstellar; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

6) Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood - for which he won the Oscar - Syriana, Michael Clayton, MI Ghost Protocol)

7) Claudio Miranda (Oblvion, TRON Legacy, Life of Pi)

8) Dante Spinotti (The Quick and the Dead, LA Confidential, Narnia: Prince Caspian)

Please give us your thoughts on which director you feel (not meaning just from my list; your own choice) would be great for Bond 24.

Cheers!

I like your suggestions. Especially Richardson and Pfister.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Okay, out of the suggested names, I'm going to give my top three choices.

1) Wally Pfister
2) Robert Elswit
3) Phil Méheux

Would anyone care to name the cinematographer in this photo?
(I know only because I looked him up, but I thought he was a fine choice to post on this thread. Some of you may know him right away.): ;;)

chrisisall · September 2014

Matt_Helm wrote: »

Sorry to say I am of a complete contrary opinion. While GE to me looks very much like a TV production I find QoSs cinematography stylishly,elegant and colourful .

I'm not talking cinematography here, I'm talking digital post-production & the subtle but noticeable digital noise that bleeds into the images. My Wife doesn't see it, my Son does, which leads me to believe it's even more subtle than I realise...

4EverBonded · September 2014

And so we fade out, in glorious cinematic color, on the topic of cinematography. But keep in mind, any additional comments on cinematography* in Bond films are still very welcome.

We are now sallying forth into a light, frothy subject: Miscast Bond Girls.
This probably won't take long, but let's have some fun. ;))

My suggestions for this topic are:
a) You can name miscast Bond girls and give a suggestion for someone you would have preferred in the role. That actress can be from the time period of the actual film or, just as a fantasy, from any era.
b) Or you can just list the Bond girls you found who were really miscast, state why (briefly or at length) but not name a replacement.
c) This can be the main Bond girl or supporting, lesser roles. It's all kind of your choice, what you'd like to say about Bond girls that you were not happy with.
d) Keep in mind we are not changing the script - they are stuck with the same dialog.

Here is my first go. And I am trying to keep the replacement actresses from the same era ~

Miscast Bond Girls

Ruby (one of the Angels of Death in OHMSS) - although cute, her terrible hairstyle hampered her. Anyway, I don't feel she was horribly miscast. But I would have enjoyed Elke Sommer in the role a lot more.

Mary Goodnight (TMWTGG)- With such a poorly written script, one can hard fault Brit Ekland. However, I think the only way to make this character better, without changing the script, would be to cast someone especially lovable and wild and who can play ditzy ... especially in her younger days: Goldie Hawn. Yep. Don't discount it outright, take a moment and picture Goldie in that role. I think it would have been an improvement. And I bet she and Roger would have had a smashing good time.

Stacey Sutton - I realized a while ago that I wish Fiona Fullerton and Tanya Roberts had switched roles. Fiona had nice and believable chemistry with Roger, and she was fun. Tanya could have sulked in the hot tub and then be finished. Yes, I would have liked that much better.

Paris Carver - This has been discussed a bit, and I'm throwing my hat in the ring saying Monica Belucci would have been perfect (and was considered). Second choice Madeleine Stowe. Remember her? She starred in Last of the Mohicans; she's beautiful and can act. (I haven't seen here in ages; is she still acting?)

Christmas Jones - Trickiest one for me, as it is a bimbo part even though a nuclear scientist. I'm a bit stumped at this one just now. I'll say Salma Hayek. Not so much that she would sell it as a scientist, but I just think she deserved to be in a Bond film and she can sizzle. Or maybe Juliette Binoche. Lovely, can act. Hmmm. That might be good! Or Kate Winslet; yes! And she can really act, as we all know by now.

Jinx Johnson- oh dear, where do I begin? I guess just by finding another decent actress who would play it a bit differently. I'll go with Peta Wilson! Yes, from La Femme Nikita. She could kick ass and would have been young, fit, and different from Halle.

That's all for now. Please chime in over the next few days with your ideas about miscast Bond girls.

*P.S. The cinematographer in my photo is the amazing and darn near incomparable Freddie Young.

Cheers!

DarthDimi · September 2014

I'm going to kick this thing off with an obscure suggestion: Jacqueline Bisset. She was wasted on that far too brief Miss Goodthighs part in CR67, while in fact she could have been a splendid Bond girl in the official EON series. Very easy on the eye and most talented, she truly charmed me with her presence in The Detective, siding with Frank Sinatra against corruption.

I wish she could have played Tiffany Case in DAF.

Another case of miscasting happened around '73, when Madeline Smith spent hardly a few minutes in the Bond universe as Miss Caruso. Yet this Hammer cutie oozes late 60s early 70s charm. She could easily have been Ruby in OHMSS or Goodnight in TMWTGG.

chrisisall · September 2014

4EverBonded wrote: »

Christmas Jones - Trickiest one for me, as it is a bimbo part even though a nuclear scientist. I'm a bit stumped at this one just now. I'll say Salma Hayek. Not so much that she would sell it as a scientist, but I just think she deserved to be in a Bond film and she can sizzle.

Now THAT would have been inspired casting! She & Pierce worked SO well together in After The Sunrise, and she sells intelligent well despite her distracting looks. I'll suffer Ms. Richards for the sake of the film, but recasting Jones would have gone a long way to upping the class of the movie.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Oh, I like your suggestions, @DarthDimi! :) Jacqueline Bisset in particular would have been a great Bond girl. Although somehow I think you would have wanted her to play Melina (just for the underwater shots). ;) But I wouldn't replace Carole Bouquet either. And I also always thought the lovely Madeline Smith deserved more time onscreen.

And yes, @chrisisall, Salma would have been (still could be!) a great Bond girl. I forgot about After the Sunrise - yes, and and Pierce had had very good chemistry. And she can portray more, well, intelligence than Denise. I would have enjoyed her in that role. She is not ever wooden or static - she is electric and her personality adds to her portrayals. I think it would have been livelier and more genuine chemistry ... even though still hard to imagine her as a nuclear scientist. :-B

Thinking of Madeleine Stowe, I realized she also would have been a great candidate for the role of Dr. Christmas Jones, and could have been more believable as a scientist, while still being gorgeous.
Madeleine-Stowe-Cora-the-last-of-the-mohicans-9084852-391-417.jpg

Madeleine-Stowe-Cora-the-last-of-the-mohicans-9084852-391-417.jpg

So Monica for TND and Madeleine for TWINE. There, that would be perfect, in my opinion.

I'm happy with all the other main Bond girls as they were portrayed (Anyone care to replace Ursula? No, I didn't think so.). Anyway, I'd like to see which Bond girls you feel were miscast (with or without a suggested replacement).

:)>-

DarthDimi · September 2014

In the back of my mind, I have always wondered if feisty Tippi Hedren could have played Pussy in '64...

MajorDSmythe · September 2014

Halle Berry

I know she can do better when given better material, so I would keep Halle as a Bond girl, but cast her in a better film and role.

Elisabeth Shue
large_PEOPLE%20SHUE.JPG

She convincingly played a doctor of science in the oft-maligned Saint film, with that in mind, I would replace Denise Richards with Elisabeth Shue, and rename the character.

Elke Sommer

Elke played a Bond style villainess in the very Bondian Deadlier Than The Male. She should have officially joined the Bond Girl legacy.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Great pics!
Oh, I love Elisabeth Shue! Thanks for mentioning her. And I actually love that movie, The Saint. It was gorgeously shot and fun. She and Val had good chemistry. She most definitely could have played Dr. Christmas Jones well.
Alas, we cannot change the role or films in this round. But I do think Halle is a good actress in other things and certainly beautiful, so I know what you mean, @MajorDSmythe.
And it does seem a shame that Elke was not ever a Bond girl. I grew up wanting to be like her; I remember thinking that.

@DarthDimi, Tippi could have played Pussy well. I think Honor was pretty much perfect, though. But Tippi had the looks and attitude; she could have fit, yes. Also, how about Anne Francis as Pussy? (I know due to her show Honey West, I don't think the producers would have put her in a Bond film; but without that tv show - she had the looks and acting ability.). I always like Anne, too:

MajorDSmythe · September 2014

Ah, I see now, keep the scripts but recast a role. In that case, I would keep the Shue & Sommer suggestions. I also have an alternative to Elisabeth Shue, to replace Denise Richards...

Penelope Ann Miller, whom i've had a soft spot for since I first watched The Shadow back in the late 1990's. Like Shue, I believe that Miller could exude the required intelligence for a nuclear physicist.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Oh, she's a decent actress! And cute/pretty rather than stunningly beautiful. I can see her in a Bond film, though, yes. I could picture her as Moneypenny, too. :)

MajorDSmythe · September 2014

I know what you mean about her looks. She doesn't have the typical Bond Girl look, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Maryam d'Abo wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she is still my favourite Bond girl.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Yes, good point. And I love Maryam.

BeatlesSansEarmuffs · September 2014

One Bond girl that I think could be improved with a recasting is Rosie Carver from LALD. The character is almost completely unlikable...she's traitorous, not a very skillful liar, and something of a coward to boot. Gloria Hendry brings nothing to the role. I'd like to make a fairly radical suggestion here: Nichelle Nichols, well known to audiences of the time due to her role as Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek series, might have brought a substantial amount of audience sympathy with her, and made the character of Rosie a little more palatable. She's certainly attractive enough to have been a Bond girl...and it would have been nice to have seen her given lines a little more challenging than "Hailing frequencies are open, Captain."

MajorDSmythe · September 2014

When I watched LALD recently, I have forgotten how useless Rosie was and how underwhelming Gloria Hendry was. Given how LALD was made in the vein of the blaxploitation genre, a better choice than Hendry for Rosie Carver, would have been one of the genres biggest names...

Pam Grier

4EverBonded · September 2014

I like both of your choices! I think I'd give Pam a slight edge.
Good thoughts, guys. Would have definitely helped having a different actress in that role.

I'll start thinking more about the "other Bond girls" in the series, not just the main ones. :)

BAIN123 · September 2014

My thoughts on miscast Bond girls
Barbara Bach
Tanya Roberts
Teri Hatcher
Denise Richards
Halle Berry

I wanted to include Britt Eckland too but I think the role of "dippy bint" suited Britt quite well.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Thanks, @BAIN123. :)
(Some do agree with you about Anya, but I do still like Barbara just fine in TSWLM)

So here are my musings on the "other Bond girls" ~ keeping the replacement within the same time/era:

Rosie (LALD) - Pam Grier or Nichelle Nichols (shameless just copying from Beatles and Dimi). Or Diahann Carroll (she can act). :)

Magda (OP) - Now don't get me wrong, I do mostly like her (just find her hairline a bit too ... well, way too high forehead). But I could also see her being replaced. So not adamant about that. But I'll suggest Michelle Pfeiffer.

.
Kim Bassinger would have been good, too, but she was already going another route, so to speak.

May Day (AVTAK) - OK, I know she's a villain ... but for fun, I'm including her here (and she did sleep with Bond). Besides, I know SirHenry would want me to ditch her if any kind of opportunity came up (true!). ;) I have two suggestions. First is Angela Bassett
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Second is Lynn Whitfield.

With all the other Bond films, I cannnot find another secondary or lesser Bond girl (or any minor female character) to replace. I like Corrine in MR just fine (SirHenry just kicked me), and Manuela, and Valenka, and Prof. Ingrid Bergstrom, Naomi with her helicopter (I know, a villain who did not sleep with Bond) etc. Solange was great. Hmmm. I could have done without Talisa as Lupe (LTK) but I know she is a fan favorite (and not for her acting).
But let me have a little more fun anyway.
Okay, very minor female roles. And not necessarily a true "Bond girl." For example The Cigar Girl in TWINE (whom I would not want to replace). But perhaps I would want to change out:

Bambi and Thumper - (DAF) Hmmm. Just an idea. So brief on screen, but I'd have enjoyed seeing Joey Heatherton and Nichelle Nichols as these tumbling adversaries of Bond.

And last, and yes least ...
Woman on Yacht (the PTS of TLD) - When Timothy's Bond lands on the boat and phones in, I'd have like to have seen someone else tempt him. Say, Kelly LeBrock, for example.

Another few days of Miscast Bond Girls - please chime in.

Cheers!
:-bd

BAIN123 · September 2014

As much as I love TSWLM I do think the character of Anya deserved a much stronger actress. I think Bach is the main weak link in the film unfortunately. I know I'm jumping on the bandwagon a bit but some of her line deliveries do make me cringe and her voice seems to always sound the same.

4EverBonded · September 2014

Yes, we could have another full discussion about Bach as Anya .. but let's not this week. :)
We will be revisiting the films sometime during the next 10 months, and we can and will dissect TSWLM again. I remain a fan of her in the role. But you know, it is just personal opinion. We do vary on the things we like best, or dislike, in this series. After all it is 23 films and counting, lasting through decades, changes of actors, changes in tone and style, etc.

But you are right to put her on your list; that is what we are doing now. And others would agree with you. Any thoughts on a replacement actress?

BAIN123 · September 2014

Well apparently Louis Chiles was an original choice for Anya. Although certainly not a great actress herself I think she would have done a better job than Bach.

I really like TSWLM all the same though and think that, as an overall Bond film, its far superior to MR.

4EverBonded · September 2014

I did not know Lois Chiles was the first choice to play Anya. At least I don't think I had read that. Interesting! We do agree on which is the better film, though, for sure. :)>-

BAIN123 · September 2014

I don't know about first choice but (according to Wikipedia anyway) she was approached for the role but turned it down as she was taking a break from acting.

OHMSS69 · September 2014

I don't have much problem with any girls being miscast in the films prior to AVTAK. In regards to comments about Jill St John and Britt Ekland...the script is what hurt the characters not necessary the actresses. I actually liked Jill St John for the first part of the film, then she became a Lucile Ball type and that turned me off. I liked Britt's Mary Goodnight, once again the script hurt the role...

I don't agree with the comments about Pam Grier as Rosie in LALD. Pam Greer is such a towering screen presence and the part of Rosie was kinda small. She was there to be a bedmate for Bond then she was quickly killed off (like Paris in TND)

Back to AVTAK, Tanya Roberts was definitely in over her head. Former Angel, Jacqualine Smith could have nailed the part of Stacy.

It was not until the post GE Brosnan films when misacted girls became the norm.
Teri Hatcher, Denise Richards and Halle Berry. Funny thing about these three films is that the "main" Bond girl is miscast in those films, the "other" girl was just fine. (Michelle Yeow, Sophie Marceau, and Rosalind Pike)

We all so bemoan the fact that Monica Bellucci was passed over for the part of Paris Carver...
Madeline Stowe would have made a great Dr. Jones in TWINE. Perhaps Carrie-Anne Moss would have made a more believable nuclear physicist.
Jachinta Johnson, aka Jinx? Sanaa Latham or Lynn Whitfield. Both are more serious actors and would be much more believable.

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