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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 18, 2012 1:06:09 GMT -5
I watched the Hunger Games 3 times in the past few days. Once for the movie, then for the Rifftrax (and for the curious - no, I didn't hear any references to the "Running Man" or Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery") and then again because I really enjoyed the movie. Though not wholly original (and disturbing, as it should be) it's more sophisticated than most young adult fare. I found the subtext concerning war (kids drafted to kill kids), desensitization, and it libertarianism leanings interesting. And Jennifer Lawrence is a top notch actress.
And in each viewing I stayed to the every end of the credits -- because I liked the rustic folky music. Afterward I started thinking about others times I've sat through a film, start to finish. Some are obvious. The Marvel movies I stick with to see the 'tag' at the end. Musicals of course, you stay for the music, comedy because you might get a funny outtake.
I stayed with Glory to the end because I was stunned, so moved I couldn't move (and the score was powerful as well)
Sometimes I stick around to actually read a credit, to see the name of an actor or a song title. Once in Nashville, I stayed to see my old home town's name listed in the scroll. While watching the movie something looked familiar, "Hey, that's my high school!"
I always stay to the end with Jaws, but there's not much to them. In older films end credits were either non-existent or scrolled by quickly. Today they can take up 10+ minutes of film. I remember with the last Underworld movie, the credits were almost as long as the movie.
Anyway, Hunger Games, I stayed to the end 3 times for the music, and then went on Youtube and listened to the songs again.
Arcade Fire did something bold and striking (love the drums) and vocally ethereal. Taylor Swift's offering was pretty, as was the final tune from the Civil Wars and their nice harmonies.
I should buy the soundtrack.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 23, 2012 4:20:22 GMT -5
When lyrics fight backIn 1999 I wrote a song with trite and tired lyrics titled "Last Night" and because they were trite and tired I set it aside. In August of 2010 I rediscovered the skeletal remains of the tune on an old cassette. I liked the music and thought I could spruce up the lyrics and make it work, But I couldn't. I was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and instead this new song sprung from out of the blue. I’m not going to share the demo, it's too rough -- but the lyrics can be found just bellow. The track is based on truth, it’s about late night pillow talk: The woman in the song is trying to justify choices she’s not proud of, by pointing out the hypocrisies in others, who hide secrets (their affairs, their fetishes) behind a mask of piety or what not. I attempted to keep myself –as narrator- out of the picture apart from the opening and closing bits (the bridge is in the woman voice, speaking of herself in the 3rd person). Because I had to edit the lyrics to fit the melody, the song has kind of a random quality, which actually works, since she did ramble back and forth on a stream of consciousness. At times owning up to her damage, others time defending it before shifting blame on society or her parents, etc. Here are those lyrics... Last Night By Shawn David 8/18/2010
Last night you said, my heart is dead, but I still have my good intentions I have become the negligible sum, due to my schemes and inventions
And the high and mighty, they hide a cache of frilly lace panties Which linger in their memory like a gnawing toothache, as they sing their hymns in their Church of choice
I’m no hypocrite; my sins lay bare, drawn on my forehead in ash I suppose that doesn't help, when you’re strung out and burning and short on cash And I wonder how it got this bad; guess I over compensated for the things I lack I pulled on the tiger’s tail and the tiger finally bit back
(bridge) And now I’m caught in a trap, this little cage I flutter back and forth, silly bird, you’re not going far You’ll never get further than where you are
But at least I’m not a hypocrite; my sins are there for all to see I’m not my mother’s daughter, of that I’m certain, that’s a certainty Last night you said, my heart is dead, but good intentions spill from my head My parents list their demands and sleep in separate beds And I’ll never go back! Last night, last night that’s what you saidSure, that was nice but I still had this tune in need of new and improved lyrics. So I scribbled something together in a rush and recorded it. I used a lot of delay on the guitar and filtered my vocals. The words can have several meanings. Is she a ghost, a figment of the man’s imagination? Or is their some kind of "Vertigo" thing going on where the man is remaking her? Or could it be that she remakes herself to fit the situation, becoming who the man needs so that he’ll continue to take care of her? I wrote it so that all of these scenarios could fit. I also had this memory in my head of a Twilight Zone-like show concerning an artist whose drawing of his ideal woman comes to life (or something along those lines). Recording wise: I layered the vocals during the chorus, and added double lead guitar spots (one with distortion on the acoustic Ovation/the other played straight with the Telecaster). The main guitars were tuned one step down; but I experimented by keeping the lead guitar in regular tuning. Sometimes it does sound off key. Click title to listen Last Night, You SaidBy Shawn David - 8/19/2010 Last night, you said It's all in your head I'm just a ghost you conjured one night I can't escape, I'm not even real I only feel what you want me to feel So don't look away or I could disappear It could all be a dream You could wake up and break up again Last night... Last night, you said You can't wake the dead You can't embrace what isn't there So don't look away or I could disappear It could all be a dream You could wake up and break down again Last night... But I told her, last night I found one love was true And that love was always you
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Post by Mighty Jack on Oct 27, 2012 3:44:04 GMT -5
Theatrical James Bond turned 50 years old this year... I turned 51 back in May. It’s interesting to look over your life and see the things that have come and gone over the years. I always get a sad nostalgic pull whenever I do – even more so when I visit forums and I discover the things that I grew up with are fading and being forgotten. But Bond, James Bond has always been a constant, he's always been around. Memories turn foggy and lose their crispness, but I have images in my mind, little snapshots of Bond in the 60s. I remember Rosa Klebb’s deadly shoes and that super cool Jetpack in Thunderball that thrilled me. I remember Odd Job throwing his hat around, and the girl in gold (people actually thought skin suffocation was real. It led to an urban myth that the actress had actually died during filming!) I remember this album cover and hearing the sound of the movie's theme playing in our house. Mom loved Tom Jones. (here's a link to the back cover images, etc... www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=3615326) In the 70s there were the hit and miss Roger Moore films. The one that really grabbed us all was The Spy Who Loved Me. It was all the talk among my friends. How we loved Richard Kiel as Jaws. We looked forward to his return in Moonraker but left the theater bitterly disappointed at the movie as a whole, and how dumb the humor was and how they watered down the scariness of the Jaws character. I remember HBO having a Bond Marathon in the later 70s or so. That likely was my first Bond-a-thon, it was where I got truly acquainted with 007. The movies were pure escapism - with outlandish, outright absurd schemes. As I got older I could the see flaws, how much they repeated themselves. Moonraker was a copy of The Spy Who Loved Me, which was a copy of You Only Live Once. How many ski scenes have I witnessed, how many vessels (from space and under the sea) were used to capture other vessels - Mad plans to pit superpowers against one another. I can't really argue with anyone who points to this (and others silliness) as reasons why the series sucks. I can’t argue, but I can't help but continue to love them regardless. Bonds have come and gone, debate continues over who was –or was not- effective. Though few are foolish enough to deny that Connery was the quintessential 007. Me, I think they all brought something nice to the table. Though Roger Moore’s humor wasn't something I cared for, and I consider him my least favorite of the 6 actors who played Bond. I liked George Lazenby, thought he was especially good in scenes with Diana Rigg. Timothy Dalton did a lot to restore dignity back to the characater and I thought Pierce Brosnan was the best Bond since Connery - and (aside from "Tomorrow Never Dies") I enjoyed his flicks... more than most it seems. In the aftermath of movies like Bourne, Bond seemed a spy out of time. Aging, tired and in need of a facelift. And he got one - While Casino Royale aped the Bourne style, it was a welcome shot in the arm for the franchise. Daniel Craig brought back the grit and edge to 007 and the stories and schemes had more of a sophistication and seriousness to them. The world has changed – I went from seeing Bond in theater's to finding him on Cable TV to renting him on tape and owning them on DVD and now Blu-Ray. So that today when there's a new release, I can have my Bond-a-thon whenever I want, and have a 007 gabfest with Internet pals, who live all over the planet. It's as fun and exciting a time to be a James Bond cinefreak as ever, and with Skyfall's release I'll be adding to my catalog of memories.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Oct 31, 2012 15:48:16 GMT -5
The greatest Bond of all time: Barry Nelson.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 1, 2012 0:24:02 GMT -5
Yeah, a good old square headed bland American. We might as well have Keanu as the next Bond.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Nov 1, 2012 0:42:14 GMT -5
I'm cool with that. His British accent in Dracula was hilarious. I could listen to that all day.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 2, 2012 6:04:27 GMT -5
Bond Girls Are ForeverIn the beginning there was Ursual Andress. A modern age Venus on a half-shell, she emerged from the sea in Dr. No, knife strapped to her bikini, and left an indelible impression in the minds of film goers. And while there was one woman just before her (Sylvia Trench, who was supposed to be a regular but only made it through Dr. No and FRWL), it was with Honey Rider that the iconic Bond girl was born. Other iconic moments would be had. Who could forget Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson, the girl covered in gold? MSTies also know Shirley as Sumaru, and I remember her in the Lewis and Martin comedy, Sailor Beware. Playing Shirley Hornett. First Bond Girl Sylvia Trench's Scenes with 007...Glamour, sophistication, sex and beauty were all marks of the Bond girl, though through the years they would become more important to the story and the impetus to several of Bond's actions. It’s interesting to think what with the sexism associated with the term "Bond Girl", the phrase would survive in our liberated age. But it indeed remains and is embraced. We've not gotten overly persnickety about it, which is nice. But Bond girls are more than just eye candy. Pussy Galore played by Honor Blackman of TVs "The Avengers", was one of the strongest and independent. Though she too gave in to 007s charms (even though she preferred the company of women) James was pretty good at turning heads; maybe too good. Eventually the film scripts addressed this in Thunderball by giving us a Bond Girl who was not so impressed by 007s charms. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agent Fiona Volpe goes so far as to belittle Bond for his arrogance and mocks his inability to win her over to the side of good. In the books, Bond wasn't a player, he actually had great affection for the women in his life. In Particular Tiffany Case from DAF and in the movies, Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. Once, a women stole his heart completely. That was Tracey in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, played by another vet from TVs "The Avengers", Diana Rigg. Tracey was not just a pretty face, but came to his aid when Blofeld and his agents were dogging him. It's always fun to spot a Bond girl in other features. Tatiana in From Russia With Love can also be seen in the Bond spoof, Operation Double 007. Miss Caruso from LALD (Madeline Smith) starred in several Hammer films from the 70s. And lovers of giant monsters will remember Aki, played by Akiko Wakabayashi (YOLT) in such movies as King Kong vs. Godzilla and Ghidorah Some of the coolest Bond Girl moments? How about Magda in Octopussy, who steals a jeweled egg, gives James a kiss while tying her robe to the balcony, does a little back flip off of it and twirls out of her wrappings to the ground below. Beauty, eh? Some of the Best Bond Girl names? Dr. Christmas Jones, Kissy Susuki, Mary Goodnight... though none top Pussy Galore. A few more of my favorite Bond Girls? Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale Camille from Quantum of Solace Melina Havelock from For Your Eyes Only And I don't know of anyone as stunningly beautiful as Claudine Auger as Domino in Thunderball. Bond Girls are forever - and have become such a vital part of the series that they've often taken center stage in promotional material.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 4, 2012 19:30:31 GMT -5
For Your Ears Only: The Music of BondNote: Links to songs found in body of articleThe music in Bond is another key component, whether it be the score or the title track. And it all begins with Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme”. Its signature ‘surf style’ guitar riff (first played by guitarist Vic Flick) and memorable “Da Dum Da Dum!” make it one of the most recognizable pieces of music in motion picture history. The other significant name in Bond music is of course John Barry, the architect of the 007 sound. His compositions are pure 60s, and yet have proven to be timeless. Some of those disco inspired scores in the 70s are cringe worthy and dated, while Barry’s work still sounds as fresh and vital as ever. Barry contributed 2 distinct Bond Themes of his own. “James Bond is Back” is the shortest piece of Bond music, a quick rat-a-tat-tat that was first heard at the opening of From Russia With Love. The other, titled simply, “007 Theme” has become the secondary, adventure-style music. First heard in FRWL, it has popped up frequently, notably in the first part of Little Nellie’s flight in You Only Live Twice. Along with casting, direction and title, one of the most anticipated announcements surrounding a new Bond movie involves the theme song. This number and accompanying credit sequence -as we know it today- bloomed in full in the film Goldfinger. It would feature the first -and best- of 3 Bond themes sung by jazz diva Shirley Bassey (she also performed the so/so “Diamonds Are Forever” and the ultra terrible “Moonraker”) Awards? Strangely, John Barry never received a nomination for his Bond scores. (Marvin Hamlisch and his limp effort on “The Spy Who Loved Me”, is the lone nominated score the series has received.) And Oscar has only doled out nominations for 3 title songs. The first going to my favorite tune, Paul and Linda McCartney's Live And Let Die (1973). Other noms went to For Your Eyes Only sung by Sheena Easton, and the Marvin Hamlisch/Carole Bayer Sager penned “Nobody Does It Better”, sung by Carly Simon from “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) How ironic then if the Dusty Springfield’s vocal of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s The Look Of Love, from the 1967 Bond spoof “Casino Royale”, had won. Which it should have (it lost the Oscar for Best Song to “Talk To The Animals” from Dr. Dolittle) Passing thoughts There have been several interesting stories behind the music. Such as -- Shirley Bassey unable to hit that final note in “Goldfinger” the way Barry wanted it… so she tore off her bra and gave it her all one last time. Or, that the vocals from “You Only Live Twice” were pieced together from 25 takes because singer Nancy Sinatra was so nervous she couldn’t get through the whole song in one. It hasn’t all been roses, as there have been a number of stinkers: The previously mentioned "Moonraker" from Bassey. That horrid Madonna tune from "Die Another Day", and the Jack White, Alicia Keys collaboration for "Quantum of Solace". White should never do duets with anyone, he’s terrible with them, and there are several points in the number where the two are so off key it made my fillings hurt. (Shirley Bassey also recorded a theme for this film, which was rejected) Only one tune has ever gone to #1. That was Duran Duran’s A View to a Kill (McCartney’s LALD topped out at #2). On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the lone instrumental number (Dr. No featured half an instrumental theme and half a sung calypso song. It is the only film at this writing to feature two songs during the opening credits). Though Louis Armstrong recorded a pretty pop ballad heard later on in the film (We Have All The Time in the World). With a tough new Bond we got a tough new theme from Chris Cornell. I loved it, and the credit sequence is my favorite from the series. It’s like it’s own mini movie and every time I watch Casino Royale, I replay it several times. Here’s that track along with a handful of other favorites... You Know My Name TWINE – I was surprised to learn that many fans dislike this one. Ah well, people are screwy. Tomorrow Never Dies – Blogger John Jarzemsky wrote… ” A surprising departure from her usual fare, Sheryl Crow delivers a pitch-perfect impersonation of a smoky-throated chanteuse that would have done the Connery- era crooners proud. Crow also wins the prize for being the first female artist in Bond history who wrote her own title song.”
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 6, 2012 2:22:55 GMT -5
I wasn't planning a series of Bond related articles, but I’m so hyped about the forthcoming film that it has put me in the mood to gab. Frequently, Blogging means ranking lists (because that's the way my brain is wired). This time though I thought I’d take a different tact and write overviews on the things that make Bond special. Here are a few more musical notes... While the Shirley Bassey sung title song is what everyone is familiar with, John Barry's instrumental version is equally as strong. I like the big brassy sound of it. Over the years there are have been times when producers weren’t sure what they wanted. In the film "Thunderball" they had the title track all set, sung by Dionne Warrick it was called "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang". It was too sprightly for a Bond tune in my opinion but that’s not why it was ultimately rejected. Reports vary but it was either the studio or one of the producers (Saltzman or Brocolli) who wanted the title sung in the lyrics. Barry and lyricists Don Black wrote a new and improved theme, sung by Tom Jones. This was Black's first collaboration with Barry, though he did have a Bond connection, as he was Matt Monro's manager. Monro sang the title theme to "From Russia With Love". This might have led to the secondary number, an alternate theme usually played during the end credits. Here are links to a few rejected and secondary tracks. The first link the piece they used in the film. John Barry, playing trumpet with the John Barry SevenTo satisfy the curious, here are the talents behind the music for each EON produced picture. I included a little trivia culled from Wiki for most of these. Dr. No (1962): Composer: Monty Norman * Title Song: James Bond Theme & Kingston Calypso by Monty Norman. Performed by John Barry & his Orchestra, and Monty Norman From Russia With Love (1963) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: James Bond Is Back/From Russia With Love/James Bond Theme by John Barry, Lionel Bart & Monty Norman,. Performed by John Barry, sung by Matt Monro. Note: The original recordings of the soundtrack are thought to be lost and did not appear when the soundtracks were issued in remastered form on CD. The album is different from the film with the album's recording of the main titles sounding slower and not featuring the organ played by Alan Haven.Goldfinger (1964) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: Goldfinger by Leslie Bricusse, Anthiny Newley & John Barry. Performed by Shirley Bassey. Note: Believe it or not, Producer Harry Saltzman hated the number and only agreed to it when partner Cubby Brocilli twisted his arm. The soundtrack album reached #1 and stayed on the charts for 70 weeks.Thunderball (1965) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: Thunderball by John Barry & Don Black. Performed by Tom Jones. Note: Because of the sudden switch on the title theme, the soundtrack was finished only days before the release of the film. You Only Live Twice (1967) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: YOLT by Leslie Bricusse & John Barry. Performed by Nancy Sinatra. Note: The original title song was sung by Julie Rogers – it was re-written for Sinatra. A third version was recently discovered in the vaults in 1990. It was performed by Lorraine ChandlerOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: OHMSS & We have All The Time in the World by John Barry & Hal David. Performed by the John Barry Orchestra – Louis Armstrong. Note: The main theme features a Moog Synthesizer in its bassline. This would be the first time the Moog would be used on a soundtrack – but not the last. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: DAF by John Barry & Don Black. Performed by Shirley Bassey. Note: Once again, Saltzman hated this number, it caused a falling out with Barry, which is why he wasn’t on board for the next releaseLive and Let Die (1973) Composer: George Martin * Title Song: LALD by Paul & Linda McCartney. Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings. Note: Having recorded McCartney's performance, Martin was taken aback when Saltzman asked him who he thought should sing the Live and Let Die title song, suggesting to him Thelma Houston. Saltzman had envisaged a female singer. Martin said that it should be McCartney. He nonetheless scored a soul arrangement to accompany singer B. J. Arnau for a nightclub sequence in the film. Live and Let Die was the first time that a rock music arrangement was used to open a Bond film. It was also the first time that McCartney and Martin had worked together since Abbey Road in 1969. McCartney had been considered as title song composer for the previous Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever. The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: TMWTGG by John Barry & Don Black. Performed by Lulu. Note: The first Bond song not to chart as a single in either the US or UKThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Composer: Marvin Hamlisch * Title Song: Nobody Does it Better by Hamlisch & Carol Bayer Sager. Performed by Carly Simon. Note: The first theme song where the title is different from the movieMoonraker (1979) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: Moonraker by John Barry & Hal David. Performed by Shirley Bassey. Note: Frank Sinatra was considered for the vocals, before Johnny Mathis was approached and offered the opportunity. Mathis was unhappy about the song and withdrew from the project, leaving the producers scrambling for a replacement. Kate Bush declined, so John Barry offered the song to Bassey within just weeks of the release date. For Your Eyes Only (1981) Composer: Bill Conti * Title Song: FYEO by Conti & Michael Leeson. Performed by Sheena Easton. Note: Blondie was original approached to to the song and recorded one FYEO. Producers didn’t like it and wanted them to record the Conti tune, they refused and Easton was brought in.Octopussy (1983) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: All Time High by Barry, Tim Rice & Stephen Short. Performed by Rita Coolidge. A View to a Kill (1985) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: AVTAK by Barry and Duran, Duran. Performed by Duran, Duran. Note: Duran Duran was chosen to do the song after bassist John Taylor (a lifelong Bond fan) approached producer Cubby Broccoli at a party, and somewhat drunkenly asked "When are you going to get someone decent to do one of your theme songs?" The Living Daylights (1987) Composer: John Barry * Title Song: TLD by Barry and Pal Waaktaar. Performed by a’ha. Note: The Pet Shop Boys were approached to do a partial soundtrack. They declined.Licence to Kill (1989) Composer: Michael Kamen * Title Song: LTK by Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen & Walter Afansieff. Performed by Gladys Knight. Note: Initially Eric Clapton and Vic Flick were asked to write and perform the theme song to Licence to Kill. The theme was said to have been a new version based on the James Bond Theme. The guitar riff heard in the original recording of the theme was played by Flick GoldenEye (1995) Composer: Eric Serra * Title Song: GoldenEye by Bono & The Edge. Performed by Tina Turner. Note: Ace of Base wrote a song that was rejected, they reworked it into The Juvenile which they released on their own. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) Composer: David Arnold * Title Song: TND by Crow & Mitchell Froom. Performed by Sheryl Crow. Note: The theme tune was chosen through a competitive process. There were approximately twelve submissions; including songs from Swan Lee, Pulp, Saint Etienne, Marc Almond, Sheryl Crow and David Arnold. Arnold's entry—"Tomorrow Never Dies," sung by k.d. lang—a bold, brassy number in the classic John Barry/Shirley Bassey vein, was chosen as the official theme song, and Arnold heavily incorporated elements of the song throughout the film's score. However, similar to the last-minute theme song switch that occurred with Thunderball three decades earlier, shortly before the film's release, the producers replaced Arnold and lang's theme with Sheryl Crow's, as Crow was a much bigger name at the time; Arnold's theme was re-titled "Surrender" and moved to the end credits The World is Not Enough (1999) Composer: David Arnold * Title Song: TWIN by Arnold & Don Black. Performed by Garbage. Die Another Day (2002) Composer: David Arnold * Title Song: DAD by Madonna & Mirwais Abmadzai. Performed by Madonna. Note: Prior to Madonna's title song being chosen, Arnold, along with lyricist Don Black began work on their own title track titled "I Will Return". It was never finished. In one of the themes, it is possible to hear the beat of "Die Another Day" − this is the melody they were going to use. Also prior to the choosing of "Die Another Day", Madonna composed another song with Mirwais Ahmadzaï to serve as a possible Bond theme, called "Can't You See My Mind". The song remains unreleased Casino Royale (2006) Composer: David Arnold * Title Song: You Know My Name by Arnold and Chris Cornell. Performed by Chris Cornell. Note: Tony Christie and Tina Turner have said that they were working on themes, though Cornell was chosen pretty early and decisively by producers.Quantum of Solace (2008) Composer: David Arnold * Title Song: Die Another Day by jack White. Performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys. Note: Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse recorded a demo track for the film, but Ronson explained Winehouse's well-publicized legal issues in the preceding weeks made her "not ready to record any music" at that timeSkyfall (2012) Composer: Thomas Newman * Title Song: Skyfall by Adele & Paul Epworth. Performed by Adele.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 7, 2012 0:40:20 GMT -5
The Gadgets of Bond
“Now pay attention 007” – Q
In his novels, Ian Fleming noted that Bond's one hobby was taking care of, and driving his prized Bentley. Cars and other mode of transport have always been a major piece of the 007 puzzle, though it took the movies a while to embrace them in full. We never see James drive his Bentley in those early films; we see it used… but only as a glorified phone booth.
It wasn't until "Goldfinger" that the famous Bond car was born and put into action... and what a car it was. When Bond asks about his Bentley, Q answers, "It’s had its day", then introduces the Aston Martin DB-5, the iconic Bond vehicle. Q points out the modifications. Bulletproof window, revolving license plates (naturally), ejection seat, tracking device, smoke screen, oil slick, machine guns and a nasty tire slasher to name a few.
Other cars would come - most notably the Lotus Espirit from the Roger Moore era, a vehicle which doubled a submarine in "The Spy Who Loved Me". From the Brosnan era there was Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Which upset some folks who found the invisible car ridiculous. In truth though it has practical applications. The science behind it was successfully used to render an item near invisible (As in the movie, there is a slight ghosting effect when you look hard enough). All of these are nice, but James eventually finds a way back into the classic DB-5.
The world of 007 is populated with spacecraft and submarines, even hydrofoils. There is Qs jet powered fishing boat (for his retirement) in TWINE. And Little Nellie in YOLT, which is mini-copter that might look like a toy, but is fully loaded with deadly weapons ranging from missiles to flame throwers.
Thunderball was Bond’s first big budget special effects extravaganza and was filled to the gills with gadgets. From custom made submersibles to boats with detachable sections to mini-breathers (which didn’t work, but the FX team actually got a call from some organization wanting to know the science behind it, and how long a person could breathe underwater with it).
The most memorable piece of equipment from Thunderball was the Bell-Textron Jet pack (which went through fuel so quickly that trips had to be short and sweet)
Cigarettes that could launch explosive projectiles, wrist watches with all kinds of gimmick -- and a cell phone that could pick a lock, fire an electrical shock, read fingerprints and helped Brosnan's Bond remotely drive from the back seat – all are part of the super spy’s arsenal.
Of course there are the guns. James started off with the Berretta, but the real Boothroyd (a friend of Fleming’s) pointed out that this was considered a firearm for ladies… so it was switched to a Walther PPK.
While the villains had a wealth of fiendish thingies, meant to destroy or gain control or whatnot. It was Q who supplied Bond with all manner of invention, both lethal and protective, to aid him in his fight to save the world.
Gadgets have taken a back seat in this modern Bond, which leans to the side of realism (of a kind). And while I get that, I miss Boothroyd’s toys and wish the new would give us a little taste of the old. Maybe by bringing Q back to the series we’ll see that side of the spy game again?
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Post by afriendlychicken on Nov 7, 2012 1:08:53 GMT -5
I hope you're right. Going to a Bond film to see the gadgets was half the fun of seeing them.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 8, 2012 0:21:44 GMT -5
Bond VillainsWho would Bond be without the baddies? They are an indispensable ingredient in the 007 mix. SMERSH, a soviet counterintelligence agency was the primary foe for Bond in Fleming's novels. Goldfinger, Le Chiffre and Mr Big (From Live and Let Die) were all SMERSH agents. In the movies it was a global terrorist organization named SPECTRE ( SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) who took center stage. In the Craig films we have Quantum (which doubles as SMERSH) The film series first baddie was the ultra cool and calculated Dr. No. No worked for SPECTRE in the movie version. While in the novel he was an agent for the USSR - and was on the island for the bird poop. Well... there was more to it than that. Seriously though, poop plays a big part in Dr. No. Bond even kills the evil genius by dropping a crane full of the stuff and burying him under 20 feet of bird crap. The film went for a more dignified death, but I think the bird dung angle might have been a hoot and a half on screen. Things were pretty nuts in the world of Bond, book and film. Of course, the major big bad in the movies was Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Blo appeared in 3 books -- 6 times in the movies. Stavaro made such an impression that he went on to introduce several evil genius clichés, one being the kitty. 2.bp.blogspot.com/_sU7XPiqn5dI/S6lbM25P_AI/AAAAAAAAB0I/eavPUSQAARU/s400/blofeldcat.jpg [/img] Blofeld sported a lot of different personalities. From icy reserve, to the cracked disfigured mad man played by Donald Pleasence and the rougher gangster type offered from Telly Savalas. From wiki: Blofeld’s appearance and personality change according to the personifying actor: “He has a full head of black hair in From Russia With Love and Thunderball; a facial dueling scar in You Only Live Twice; no scar or earlobes in On Her Majesty's Secret Service; and silver-grey hair in Diamonds Are Forever. This metamorphosing matches Fleming’s literary portrayal of a master criminal who will go to great lengths to preserve his anonymity, including the use of radical plastic surgery. He often wears a jacket without lapels, based loosely either on the Nehru jacket or on the Mao suit, a feature which is used in spoofs like the Austin Powers series, though in his early two appearances on film he wore a black business suit.” Sadly, due to legal wranglings which prevented his continued use, Blofeld met a silly end in FYEO -- As an unnamed and cackling cartoon figure whose death was the punch line to a joke. Oh that we could have gotten what we got in the books, with a heartbroken James avenging his wife’s death by strangling the baddie to death. As with gadgets, part of the fun is in all there weird attachments of disfigurements. LeChiffre who cried tears of blood. Tee Hee and his claw in Live and Let Die. Jaws and his shiny death-teeth in TSWLM and Moonraker. These were a ton o fun… Other villains though were just relentless, and perfect physical specimens. Ala Red Grant in From Russia With Love or Mr. Stamper in Tomorrow Never Dies. And sometimes things are not as we believe. In TWINE, Renard is set up as the scary unstoppable terrorist. Later we learn he's just a pawn for the real power –Electra King: Femme fatale extraordinaire. It helps to have a great actor – Christopher Lee, for example, makes the gun fighting Scaramanga the best part of The Man With the Golden Gun. But whether you like them cracked, like Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (DAF) or Xenia Onatopp (TND). Duplicitous like Nick Nack (TMWTGG), imposing, like Largo in Thunderball or calculating like Stromberg in TSWLM, Bond villains always make an impression and leave their mark. In the forthcoming film, Skyfall, it sounds like Javier Bardem gives us a taste of the crazy, classic style villain, which I’m looking forward to. While I've loved the Craig films, I sometimes feel they lean a little to far into Bourne territory, I’d like the franchise to meet somewhere in the middle. Updated and modern, sure, but lets not lose complete sight of what made Bond, Bond.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 10, 2012 3:28:32 GMT -5
I'm wheezing out some long winded thoughts here. Beware of rambling! “The future is intrinsically a solipsistic self-centric concept. If there is no one to see it, it doesn't exist.” - Something an Iron Man villain said.This is not truly about solipsism in the strictest sense. Though I have my niggling doubts, I’m somewhat certain all of you are real. This is more about an abstract solipsism. In fact, this is probably more a kin to bent nihilism. In short: Nothing is real than what is real to you and nothing matters than what matters to you. On truth:I once read a thread populated by the forums keenest thinkers. And in this particular thread they prefaced their replies with variations of... "I don’t agree" And thereafter they each fashioned a reasonable and valid argument supporting why they didn't agree with the other. They were all so right… and yet how can they all be right. Maybe they aren't, maybe they are all full of malarkey? Can we both be right and wrong at the same time? Then how can we know truth? Is there a universal truth and if so, where does it come from? Consider our belief systems? I am a product of my family and their history and religion and politics -their psychology and biology. I say, "This is my truth", as if it were truth itself. But is it? What if I were born elsewhere? I didn't emerge from the womb a fully formed Roman Catholic for example. I was molded and carved into one. Had I come to life in, say, India, I would have been molded and carved into a different form. In many ways I am a product. I'm a trained seal. While I might fight for free will, I have been indoctrinated through TV, family, society, the government etc to believe certain things. There has been a constant shaping and reshaping of my person and character. If they tell me to bark, I bark. I can be guilted and browbeaten into voting or dressing a certain way or acting a certain way. Being an aspie –for example- rocking in place gives me comfort -- "But don’t rock", I've been told, because you’ll be teased or people will think your weird or because, because, because... why? Why do they care, why do I care? (note: this is not an absolute. We can rage against the machine. Become anarchists and free range hippies. Become, not like our parents... though are we truly every completely free of that chain?) On Reality:“Maybe each human being lives in a unique world, a private world different from those inhabited and experienced by all other humans. . . If reality differs from person to person, can we speak of reality singular, or shouldn't we really be talking about plural realities? And if there are plural realities, are some more true (more real) than others? What about the world of a schizophrenic? Maybe it's as real as our world. Maybe we cannot say that we are in touch with reality and he is not, but should instead say, His reality is so different from ours that he can't explain his to us, and we can't explain ours to him. The problem, then, is that if subjective worlds are experienced too differently, there occurs a breakdown in communication ... and there is the real illness.” ¯ Philip K. DickSometimes I like to play this mind game... I know you are out there, but if I don’t see you, if I don’t speak to you then it as if a light switch has turned to the off position, you all go dark in my mind. You, in effect, don’t exist. People only bloom into life when I see them, when I speak to them. What if this was literal? What if the universe only comes into being when I’m in it? Maybe the next city block is all white space and nothingness. It only becomes, when I step into it. I turn on the computer and a world comes into being. A world I didn't acknowledge or consider when the computer was off. While I was out getting the snow tires put on my car today, the people on this forum were doing something I couldn't see or know about and therefore wasn't real to me. You didn't exist, until now. I turned you on, I tuned you in. I gave you life. So if during the course of a discussion, a person scratches their head and replies, "I can’t understand ‘such and such’ a mindset" – of course they can’t because it's not their world, they didn't build it. And understanding doesn't really factor in to it. 'It is', simply because someone says or believes 'it is' - and it 'is not', simply because another says it 'is not'. In that way we have millions of little universes, millions of truths and realities – and that’s how –in the discussion mention above- the participants can be both insightfully right and embarrassingly wrong at the same time.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 14, 2012 0:25:12 GMT -5
Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? When I was a boy there were kids who wanted to be astronauts or firemen, football players, maybe a doctor or two. When that topic came up around the dinner table I announced that I wanted to be a Hippy.
This was met with rounds of laughter and commentary. I wish I could remember what was said. But my career choice was such a hit, it made the rounds among family and friend’s and soon that became the thing I was known for.
I believed what appealed to my young brain was that I perceived Hippies as people who didn’t think like the norm; they were free of all the uptight rules society was shackled to. They grew their hair long, played guitar and wrote songs about peace, love and equality – they wanted a better world, and spent time contemplating the deeper things. Sounded like a good job to me (I had no idea what it paid, but a young bohemian didn’t concern himself with such things).
I grew up, and in the 70s I was a big admirer of Senator George McGovern. I guess some of his policies and ideas were considered kind of out-there. But for one-time aspiring hippy that was A-okay -- Plus he was all about peace and feeding the hungry and other righteous causes. In his one run for the Presidency, tricky Dick slaughtered him. I couldn’t stand Nixon, probably because my dad couldn’t stand him. He used to call him a dirty crook and schemer even before Watergate. So I was heartbroken when America chose the schemer over the dreamer as President. I wonder if much would have changed had McGovern won?
Many years after that - somewhere along the line - life punched me in the nuts just enough so that hopeful ideology gave way to cynicism. And now I find I just don't give a damn or believe much in anything. One day I was one person, the next I was someone else – watching as life started to pass me by -- and seeing what was once verboten becoming acceptable. It’s a weird sensation – for example I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around the fact that my State voted to legalize pot!
What is even stranger is that my City went along with it!
I was watching the news for a snow report, when I caught a story where they compared how we voted vs. the rest of the State. Now in Washington there has always been a great divide between East and West. We are the big city in the East, but when you have Seattle, Vancouver and the Capitol, Olympia on the West - that means little. (And it has given us an attitude, we feel like our issues and needs are ignored in the Capitol)
So my city voted against the guy who would win the Governorship and we voted for Romney and we voted against gay marriage -- which fits us. But we decided Seattle was right when it came to Mary Jane. It seems we wanted to get high too! Which shocked the heck out of me. Something’s DO change.
I have found that as I've grown older I have become more conservative... or perhaps the proper term is "set in my ways". I can’t pin point when that exactly happen and how, only that it did. Not that I’m completely stuck in the mud (I don’t care who marries whom), but I do struggle with some things (I still avert my eyes during ‘certain scenes’ in Almodovar films for example. LOL). And I’ve come to realize that it’s not my world anymore, it belongs to a new generation.
Hmm...
I wonder what ever became of the boy who wanted to grow up to be a Hippy?
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 16, 2012 3:57:42 GMT -5
Just saw this cool piece and thought I'd share... I loved Jeff Parker's "Agents of Atlas" and when saw his name attached to the new Red She-Hulk series I picked it up. Thoroughly enjoyable book, with lots of James Bondian style action. (RSH dons a jet pack in this current issue)
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