007 James Bond: SPECTRE

Based on the novels of Ian Fleming, SPECTRE is the story of James Bond trying to uncover a criminal organization that is threatening the world just as the MI6 is under threat of shutting down. Directed by Sam Mendes and screenplay by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth from a story by Logan, Purvis, and Wade, the film has Bond encounter the organization that puts the world into chaos as Daniel Craig plays Agent 007 for the fourth time. Also starring Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, Dave Bautista, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jesper Christensen, Andrew Scott, and Ralph Fiennes as M. SPECTRE is a thrilling yet exciting film from Sam Mendes.

The film plays into not just the recent events James Bond had encountered with mysterious organization known as Quantum but it all finally ties together when he not only uncovers what Quantum is part of but who is running this secret organization. Even as it relates to not just Bond’s past but also the emergence of a new world order as MI6 is being shut down by a new organization that wants to put the entire world under total surveillance. For Bond, this new criminal threat as well as the possibility of MI6 being shut down not only prompts him to go at it alone against the advice of M but also lead him to clues as it relates to a man named Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) whom Bond had known as a child and thought had died.

The film’s script doesn’t just play with Bond coping with aspects of his past and the new threats he is dealing with. He also is forced to go alone as MI6 are unable to be directly involved as M, Q (Ben Whishaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), and Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear) are all under surveillance from this new organization that is to replace MI6 where M had to fight to keep MI6 going. While Bond would create things that would put MI6 under further scrutiny such as the film’s opening sequence in Mexico City which has him trying to go after an assassin that is related to this secret criminal organization under the orders of the previous M. He would also turn to an old nemesis in Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) who would reveal not just what Quantum had become but asked Bond to protect his daughter in Dr. Madeline Swann (Lea Seydoux) who knows some things about what her father did as she would help Bond.

The script would also play into the growing sense that the world is changing as it makes Bond and M uneasy where the latter has to deal with Max Denbigh aka C (Andrew Scott) who wants to get rid of MI6 for a joint security organization as he believes surveillance on everyone is good for the future. It plays into this conflict of the old ways vs. the new ways where Bond is a representation of the old ways as he is about trying to figure out what is going on and make the decision to pull the trigger if necessary. While M and Bond do agree that their old tactics do have faults, they at least produce results which does prompt the latter to go deeper into what he is trying to uncover and why Oberhauser is alive. Even as it becomes clear about what is trying to do and why he is targeting Bond of all people.

Sam Mendes’ direction is definitely thrilling from the film’s cold open which begins with this intricate and gripping tracking shot where Bond is at the Day of the Dead ceremony in Mexico City as he is watching out for an assassin. It definitely opens the film with a bang while it establishes what Bond is going after and what it will lead him to. Shot in several locations such as Mexico City, Rome, London, Tangiers, and the Austrian Alps, the film does play into the emergence of a new world order emerging where there are several things happening while Bond would travel by himself as he is aware that he’s being watched under the new rules forcing his associates to cover for him. While it is largely a suspense film with lots of action and extravagant set pieces, Mendes does know where to slow things down as well as play into the formula that is often expected with Bond films. There are elements of humor in the film which definitely gives a nice balance to the action as it often comes from Q and Moneypenny while infusing bits of drama and character development into the story.

Notably the relationship between Bond and Dr. Swann as the latter is hesitant to trust Bond but realizes what he is doing while being the one person that could bring some redemption for her father. Mendes’ approach to compositions with its usage of medium shots and close-ups do help build up the drama while the wide shots allow Bond to be wherever he’s at to cope with what he’s facing When the film’s third act takes place in Tangiers where Bond and Dr. Swann with Oberhauser, it is clear that something is up but also there is a lot more that is being revealed. Especially in what he is up to where some of it isn’t surprising but it does have this payoff that Bond is up for a challenge with so much at stake. Overall, Mendes crafts an enthralling and entertaining film about a spy saving the world from an evil criminal organization bent on creating a new world order.

Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of the exterior lights for scenes set in Rome and London as well as playing up to some of the cold atmosphere of the scenes in the Alps as well as some crafty interior lighting for scenes in Tangiers. Editor Lee Smith does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward while knowing when not to cut while creating some unique rhythms and jump-cuts for some of the action sequences. Production designer Dennis Gassner, with set decorator Anna Pinnock and supervising art director Chris Lowe, does amazing work with the design of places where Oberhauser conducts his business and meetings as well as Bond‘s home apartment and other rooms such as Q‘s workshop.

Costume designer Jany Temime does nice work with the costumes from the dresses that Dr. Swann and the other women wear to the Tom Ford suits that Bond wears. Hair designer Zoe Tahir and makeup designer Naomi Donne, with prosthetics makeup designer Mark Coulier, do terrific work with look of the characters in terms of the hair and such as well as the look of a character late in the film. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, along with visual effects supervisors Steven Begg and Mark Curtis, does fantastic work with the special effects as it relates to some of the action sequences along with some of the hacking devices from Q.

Sound designers Christopher Assells, Ann Scibelli, and Peter Staubi, along with sound editors Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg, do superb work with the sound to play into the many sound effects that occur in the action sequences as well as in some of the film‘s quieter moments to build up its suspenseful moments. The film’s music by Thomas Newman is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that play into the action and suspense while knowing when to be low-key for its drama while creating some variations of the franchise’s theme music. The film’s song Writing’s on the Wall by Sam Smith is an OK song that has its moments but Smith’s singing is just terrible.

The casting by Debbie McWilliams and Nicole Schmied is great as it features some notable appearances from Stephanie Sigman as Bond’s date in Mexico and Alessandro Cremona as the assassin Bond goes after in Mexico. Monica Bellucci is wonderful as the assassin’s widow Lucia who would give Bond some crucial information about Oberhauser while Jesper Christensen is terrific in his role as former Quantum figure Mr. White who would also reveal Bond some information as well as urging Bond to protect his daughter. Andrew Scott is fantastic as Max Denbigh aka C as a government official who wants to get rid of MI6 for a new security organization as he brings a smugness that is just fun to hate. Dave Bautista is superb as Oberhauser’s henchman Mr. Jinx as a henchman that doesn’t say anything but uses his actions and power to do the talking as he’s a fun henchman to watch.

Rory Kinnear is excellent as MI6 chief of staff member Bill Tanner who aids M in trying to keep MI6 from being shutdown while Naomie Harris is brilliant as Moneypenny as M’s secretary who helps Bond uncover some information that would relate to the secret organization. Ben Whishaw is amazing as Q as Bond’s quartermaster who provides him with some inventions and stuff while providing some witty banter that is essential to the series. Ralph Fiennes is incredible as M as Bond’s boss who copes with not just Bond’s tactics but also MI6 being shut down where he tries to deal with C and maintain his idea of the old ways.

Lea Seydoux is remarkable as Dr. Madeline Swann as Mr. White’s daughter who joins Bond in uncovering the secrets of this organization while being someone who is very smart and not afraid to throw down where Seydoux brings some depth to the character. Christoph Waltz is phenomenal as Franz Oberhauser as this mysterious man who knows Bond very well as he is the mastermind of this organization where Waltz brings a lot of charm and personality to a villain that could be Bond’s greatest opponent yet while bearing many attributes that is typical of the old ways but reinvent for a new world order. Finally, there’s Daniel Craig in a sensational performance as Agent 007 James Bond as this spy who is trying to save the world from evil where he copes with not just elements of his past but also in maintaining the role that only he knows as it’s changing for an uncertain future. It’s a performance that his Craig not only be the badass and be serious but also display some humor which shows he’s having fun as it’s definitely Craig at his best.

SPECTRE is a marvelous film from Sam Mendes that features Daniel Craig in another winning performance as Agent 007. Along with a great supporting cast that include standout performances from Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, and Ralph Fiennes as well as thrilling action sequences and sprawling technical work from its crew. The film definitely stands as one of the finest films of the James Bond franchise in terms of its entertainment value as well as provide enough intrigue for audiences to be captivated by. In the end, SPECTRE is a riveting and exciting film from Sam Mendes.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia With Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

Sam Mendes Films: (American Beauty) - (Road to Perdition) - (Jarhead) - (Revolutionary Road) - (Away We Go) - (1917)

© thevoid99 2015

007 James Bond Marathon: Quantum of Solace

Based on Ian Fleming’s stories, Quantum of Solace is the story of James Bond seeking vengeance as he goes after the Quantum organization by targeting an environmentalist trying to control Bolivia’s water supply. Bond is then joined by a woman who is also seeking vengeance for her parents’ murder as the two team up. Directed by Marc Forster and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis, and Joshua Zetumer, the film picks up where Casino Royale left of as Daniel Craig returns as the role of Bond for the second time. Also starring Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Almaric, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Rory Kinnear, and Judi Dench as M. Quantum of Solace is a decent but very messy film from Marc Forster.

After capturing Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) to find out who he’s working for, James Bond and M interrogate him only for something to go wrong when M’s bodyguard Mitchell (Glenn Foster) tries to kill M as Bond goes on the chase to go after him as they both realize that Mitchell is a double agent. Mr. White has suddenly disappeared as Bond and M found some banknotes at Mitchell’s apartment that is connected to a contact in Haiti. After finding the contact, Bond meets a woman named Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) whom the contact was supposed to kill as he learns that she’s the lover of an environmentalist named Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric). Bond watches the meeting as he learns that Montes is really going after a Bolivian general named Medrano (Joaquin Cosio), for killing her family many years ago, while Greene is making a deal with Medrano about getting land in Bolivia.

Bond travels to Austria to follow Greene as he infiltrates a meeting as he captures the pictures of many who are believed to be part of a secret organization known as Quantum. Yet, Bond manages to kill the bodyguard of a man connected to the British prime minister on his way out as M revokes his passports and credit cards forcing Bond to seek help from his old ally Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) who joins him to Bolivia to find out what Greene is up to as they’re met by a MI6 officer named Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) who wants to take Bond back to London. Instead, Bond takes her to Greene’s party with Mathis to find out what Greene is up to as Montes is also there to find out what is going on. Bond and Montes decide to fly to the land that Greene wants to buy as they are nearly attacked by Bolivian planes where they learn what Greene is up to. With the help of Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), Bond and Montes decides to confront Greene and Medrano to learn about Quantum.

The film is essentially a continuation of its predecessor in Casino Royale where James Bond goes after the people who are running a secret organization that he believes is responsible for the death of someone close to him. Throughout this journey, he learns more about this organization yet his thirst of vengeance eventually starts to become a liability for the MI6 as they try to make sure he doesn’t stray from the mission. It’s a very compelling story that has Bond trying to uncover this organization and seek vengeance as he also helps a woman get her revenge as well. It’s just that the story isn’t given the presentation that could’ve made it more captivating.

The screenplay definitely maintains its sense of mystery and intrigue but it’s very unbalanced with lots of action sequences that loses the luster on its suspense. Still, the script does succeed in making Bond more flawed as he still has a bit of inexperience in him in the way he deals with situations and such as he starts to understand more and more about what it takes to be a 00 agent. Helping him in this mission is Camilla Montes who is this woman seeking revenge for her parents’ death as she starts to piece the puzzle of what Dominic Greene is up to. The Dominic Greene character isn’t a traditional villain as he is really more of an organizer that is working for this mysterious organization yet he’s surrounded by people who will help him do things to make sure they’re taken care of.

Marc Forster’s direction has some moments that are quite engaging in some of the film’s action sequences and dramatic moments but he often delves way too much into action film conventions in terms of their presentation. Fast, choppy editing and shaky camera work give way to moments that almost become nonsensical and very hyperactive that it becomes a bit hard at times to follow through. Another problem with Forster’s direction is that the film has too many action sequences and not enough moments for the film to really invest in its mystery and intrigue despite the way he creates some gorgeous images of the locations and setting. Overall, Forster creates a film that tries to play up to the conventions of action films where it lacks the splendor and intrigue of the James Bond films.

Cinematographer Robert Schaefer does some excellent work with the photography by capturing the beauty of some of the film‘s locations in South America and Europe along with some lovely interior lighting schemes for hotel scenes in Bolivia. Editors Matt Cheese and Rick Pearson do terrible work with the editing as it plays too much into the frenetic fast-cutting style of action films where not much makes a lot of sense while not taking enough time to slow things down for the film‘s dramatic moments. Production designer Dennis Gassner, with set decorator Anna Pinnock and supervising art director Chris Lowe, does superb work with the set pieces such as the suite in the Bolivian hotel as well as General Medrano‘s base for the film‘s climatic face-off.

Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes from the tuxedos and clothes that Bond wears to the dresses that Montes and Fields wear in the party scene. Sound designers James Boyle and Martin Cantwell, along with sound editor Eddy Joseph, do some terrific work with the sound to convey the sense of atmosphere that occurs including the film‘s interrogation scene that is inter-cut with an event in an Italian town. The film’s music by David Arnold is pretty good for its mixture of orchestral bombast as well as plaintive folk music for some scenes set in South America to convey the sense of loss that Bond and Montes are going through. The theme song Another Way to Die by Jack White and Alicia Keys is an okay song with lots of orchestral flairs and guitar bombast but it’s all over the place as it’s just a duet that doesn’t really work.

The casting by Debbie McWilliams is wonderful for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy performances from Simon Kassianides as the Quantum member Yusef, Stana Katic as a Canadian agent Yusef tries to target, Neil Jackson as the contact Bond fights in Haiti, Fernando Guillen Cuervo as Mathis’ Bolivian contact, David Harbour as Felix Leiter’s CIA contact, Glenn Foster as the double-agent Craig Mitchell, and Jesper Christensen as the mysterious Quantum official Mr. White. Other small roles such as Rory Kinner as M’s aide Bill Tanner and Joaquin Cosio as the slimy General Medrano are pretty good though Anatole Taubman as Greene’s henchman Elvis is a weak henchman who sports a very stupid-looking haircut. Gemma Arterton is quite fine as the MI6 official Strawberry Fields who aids Bond at Greene’s party while Giancarlo Giannini is excellent as Mathis who helps Bond go to Bolivia while providing insight about Bond’s thirst for vengeance.

Jeffrey Wright is terrific as Bond’s CIA friend Felix Leiter who goes undercover to find out what Greene is up to as he later helps Bond in going after Greene. Judi Dench is superb as M as she tries to deal with Bond’s tactics as well as whether to trust him with this mission. Mathieu Almaric is all right as the villainous Dominic Greene in trying to organize things for Quantum though he’s not a great villain as Almaric doesn’t really get a lot to do as he’s just a lackey for Quantum. Olga Kurylenko is brilliant as Camilla Montes as this woman who is seeking her own vengeance as she displays a sense of charm to her role in the way she interacts with Bond. Finally, there’s Daniel Craig as James Bond where Craig maintains that same sense of grit and weariness to his role as he also makes Bond more flawed in his pursuits as someone who remains haunted by previous events as it’s another captivating performance from Craig despite the film’s flaws.

Quantum of Solace is a very uneven film from Marc Forster that tries to be more of an action film than a suspense-thriller despite the stellar performances of Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko. The film is definitely one of the weakest films of the James Bond franchise due to the fact that it plays too much into conventional action film territory as it doesn’t invest in much time on the mystery and suspense as well as the fact that it’s also one of Forster’s weaker works as a filmmaker. In the end, Quantum of Solace is an okay but very underwhelming film from Marc Forster.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

Marc Forster Films: (Everything Put Together) - (Monster’s Ball) - Finding Neverland - (Stay (2005 film)) - Stranger than Fiction - (The Kite Runner) - (Machine Gun Preacher) - (World War Z)

© thevoid99 2012

James Bond Marathon: Casino Royale (2006 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/23/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on Ian Fleming's novel, Casino Royale is the story of James Bond going on the search for a terrorist as he teams up with an accountant during the mission. Directed by Martin Campbell and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis, the film marks a reboot of sorts for the franchise as it takes Bond back to basics. For the role of James Bond, Daniel Craig takes on the role in his first outing as Agent 007. Also starring Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Jesper Christensen, and Judi Dench as M. Casino Royale is a thrilling yet hard-boiled film from Martin Campbell.

After attaining the license to kill as a secret agent for the British government, James Bond is now on his first mission. In Madagascar, Bond is trying to retrieve a message that involves a plot to destroy a new super-plane. After chasing a bomb-maker named Mollaka (Sebastien Foucan) into the city, Bond enters into an embassy where he's been caught on camera killing a man despite a successful mission. Meanwhile in Uganda, a terrorist named Steven Obanno (Issach de Bankole) is talking to Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) about a man he needs to help raise funds for his own group. Mr. White brings in Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) who has been a brilliant, pokers player that often wins with the money going to fund terrorists. Back in the U.K., M is upset over Bond's actions as he tries to find the connection that leads him to a man named Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) where he goes to the Bahamas. After meeting Dimitrios' wife Solange (Caterina Murino), he gets a clue where Bond goes to Miami to find Dimitrios' plan where he has sent a henchman to try and destroy the super-plane.

Bond succeeds in his mission where M learns that the plot was part of a scheme involving Le Chiffre who plans to play a game in Montenegro. Bond, a skilled pokers player is accompanied by a mysterious accountant named Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) whom he meets on a train. Arriving in Montenegro, they meet up with Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) who decides to help fund Bond in order to beat Le Chiffre. With Lynd posing as his wife, Bond goes into a battle of skills against Le Chiffre where the game becomes intense. With Bond's ego troubling him, so does Lynd's troubling emotions after an attack that involved Le Chiffre in conjunction with Obanno. Losing money, Bond unexpectedly gets help from CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) who helps fund Bond with his money as the game becomes more challenging. Despite being poisoned by Le Chiffre's henchwoman Valenka (Ivana Milicevic) and nearly dies from it, Bond succeeds with Vesper's help.

With Vesper warming up to him, things seem to go great until she was kidnaped as Bond tries to rescue her. Instead, he and Lynd gets captured by Le Chiffre into wanting to know the password to his account. Bond refuses where after being tortured, he was saved all of a sudden as he and Lynd settle some deals and Bond has fallen for her. It is at that moment, Bond has thoughts of giving up his role as an agent only to realize that he can never quit where he is forced to face tragedy and everything that requires to be a 00 agent.

The problem with some franchises, especially in the James Bond franchise, is that they tend to have cliches and everything else that follows a formula. Fortunately for this film, many of those cliches and formulaic ideas expected from Bond are thrown out of the table. While there's still Bond making out with fine women, tension with M, and doing all of the action stuff that he's done. What isn't there is some of the catchy one-liners (except for the famous one), gadgets, Moneypenny, swagger, or anything that can be considered parody. Instead, director Martin Campbell and his screenwriters went back to the old-school Bond and going more into text of its novelist, Ian Fleming. The result is old-school Bond with more action, more background story on him, more of his flaws, and how he became the 007 that audiences came to know and love.

While writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have added elements of action and humor to their previous work with Bond films, the duo strayed away from the silliness and everything else that would've made the film predictable. The major factor into the script is Paul Haggis who adds not just a sense of psychological drama but also the reality that Bond is actually human with some flaws as he learns on what it takes to be a 00 agent. Particularly in the relationship between Bond and Vesper Lynd that is filled with some sexual tension that becomes something more emotional as their relationship develops. The result is a fantastic script created by the trio of Purvis, Wade, and Haggis that brings enough depth and entertainment.

Returning to the franchise is GoldenEye director Martin Campbell who definitely uses the script to broader, fresh territory after the recent action-driven Bond films. With locations in Africa, the Bahamas, Miami, London, Venice, and Montenegro, Campbell definitely brings a more worldly presentation to the franchise while letting the drama and tension unfold for all the characters. While some of the humor often comes in Bond's tense relationship with M, Campbell definitely restrains himself by going more into a balance of intense, dramatic sequences and fantastic action sequences. While the card-playing scenes might feel like it slows the film down, it works to add the tense feel of Bond and Le Chiffre. Then there's the action scenes where the film starts off with a band of how Bond got his 00 status in a black-and-white sequence where he beats a man up in a bathroom and then killing another man. With some stuff done in handheld cameras, the action is definitely more engaging with some great stunt work and action sequences to give the feeling that its energetic and realistic at the same time while showing Bond actually going through some pain in some of those sequences. The result is a very tight, ass-kicking action film where Bond is badass.

Helping Campbell in his presentation is cinematographer Phil Meheux whose flashy colors in some of the film's night, exterior settings brings a dark mood to the film while some of the sunlight settings are wonderfully shot with the interiors, notably the opening sequence is wonderful with its grainy, handheld camera work that adds a new style to the Bond franchise. Production designer Peter Lamont and his team of art directors definitely add new style to the franchise with some flashy looks for the Bahamas sequences as well as the Montenegro setting with some sheer, icy look for the hotel room. The cars also play a role to the film and they definitely look cool. Costume designer Lindy Hemming definitely goes for a more classic style with the tuxedo along with some amazing dresses for Eva Green to wear in which, she looks very beautiful. The opening credit sequence for Bond by Daniel Kleinman definitely plays up to the card game scenario with some fine visual effects by Angela Barson.

Editor Stuart Baird does some wonderful cutting, notably the action sequences where it isn't too fast or extremely quick like most action films. Baird cuts it right to the point where the audience knows what's going on while other sequences, there's long cuts and perspective cuts that indeed work to give the film a nice pace to everything that goes on. Sound editor Eddy Joseph definitely plays up the intensity of the sound with nice design on the action sequences which are layered with a lot of sounds and the way it's mixed to the music from composer David Arnold. Arnold returns to the orchestral world of John Barry by adding dreamier arrangements for some of the film's romantic moments while more brooding notes in the dramatic scenes. Arnold also goes for some wonderfully screeching, intense music for the action scenes that works with the old arrangements that Barry did in previous Bond films with the theme from Monty Norman. Finally, there's the song You Know My Name by Chris Cornell where mixed with Arnold's musical score, the song is definitely one of the more rock-driven tracks that adds punch and power that hasn't been heard since the classic Paul McCartney song Live And Let Die.

Then there's the film's cast that's definitely less-star driven and has more to do with real actors. While actresses Ivana Milicevic and Caterina Murino don't have much but to look sexy and play their respective world as Bond henchwoman and Bond Girl, they do bring charm to their roles. Issach de Bankole, Sebastian Foucan, and Simon Abkarian are excellent as henchmen of sorts for Le Chiffre with de Bankole bringing an intimidating presence as Steven Obanno while Foucan is great for his action running, and Abkarian is more sly as Alex Dimitrios. Jesper Christensen also brings a complexity to his role as Mr. White in how he plays things while making sure that Le Chiffre does his job. Giancarlo Giannini is great as the complex, charming Mathis who is careful for Lynd's behavior while having some motives that is more about financial than personal. While Jeffrey Wright doesn't have much to do, he is good as Felix Leiter in how he helps Bond and being a smooth, American agent who knows that America isn't all that. Judi Dench remains at the top of her game as the irritable M with her authoritive personality and her love-hate relationship with Bond as she and Craig are great with the tense relationship they bring.

Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as the brooding Le Chiffre who brings a different personality than most Bond villians where he sheds a bloody tear and carries a respirator. Mikkelsen adds a lot of intelligence to his character that has a knowledge of numbers and knows how to play poker while proving that he can be menacing in a torture scene as it's a great role for the Danish actor. For anyone that wants to become a leading Bond girl, they will have to step up in their game as Eva Green gives a fantastic performance as Vesper Lynd. The French actress, who had recently made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers in 2003 while appearing in the good but flawed 2005 Ridley Scott epic Kingdom of Heaven, definitely adds a new sense of beauty and depth that hasn't been seen from Bond girls in recent years. In fact, Green is more of a Bond woman who is more emotionally troubled and complex in her role where her motives are very ambiguous. While Green can play pretty and be sexy, she shows her worth in just being one of the rare women who can stand up to Bond and make sure he does things right. It's a great role from Eva Green who definitely has more promise than most of Bond girls from the past.

Ok, for anyone who enjoys the cock-sure swagger of Piece Brosnan, the brooding nature of Timothy Dalton, or the humorous vibe of Roger Moore. They're going to have to go because Daniel Craig is now James Bond. While purists may feel that Sean Connery may own the role, Craig's Bond is more of a badass. The man can take hits, show cuts and bruises, and will break his own body to get the job done. Daniel Craig is also a better actor than his Bond contemporaries, that includes Connery, by showing more flaws and emotions to his role. Craig also displays the kind of arrogance and charm that Bond has but he's more into his own in the way he displays himself dramatically while he's a real fighter in the film's action sequences. Plus for the ladies, he is also very sexy where he also makes a sexy entrance from the beach sporting some speedos and looking very good for a man's man. This is a new James Bond and Daniel Craig has what it takes to be 007.

Casino Royale is an incredible film from Martin Campbell that features a towering performance from Daniel Craig as James Bond. Along with a wonderful supporting cast that includes Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Mads Mikkelsen, and Judi Dench. It's a film that definitely stands as one of the best films of the Bond franchises. Notably as it brings Bond back down to Earth after a period of misguided silliness. In the end, Casino Royale is a magnificent film from Martin Campbell.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

© thevoid99 2012

Melancholia

Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Melancholia is the story of a young woman’s wedding ceremony is threatened by a planet that is set to collide with Earth as the bride goes into a deep depression while her sister begins to worry about the planet. The film is the second part of an unofficial trilogy that explores depression that was preceded by von Trier’s 2009 film Antichrist. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier, Cameron Spurr, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, and Stellan Skarsgard. Melancholia is an extraordinary yet intoxicating film from Lars von Trier.

Arriving late to their own wedding reception, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) arrive at the castle as they meet their guests. While Justine’s boss/Michael’s best man Jack (Stellan Skarsgard) and Justine’s father make grand speeches, Justine’s mother Gaby (Charlotte Rampling) shows her distaste towards weddings. The mood changes as Justine suddenly falls into a deep depression as her older sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) notices as she tries to get Justine to lighten her mood as Claire’s husband John (Kiefer Sutherland) also tries to get her to improve her mood. Still, Justine feels out of it as Jack sends his new assistant Tim (Brady Corbet) to get a tag line from her for an ad. With the party winding down, things begin to unravel as Justine’s depression worsens as the night ends in disaster.

Going horseback riding with Claire, Justine notices that a star she had seen the night before is gone as they see a large planet emerge. Claire becomes worried about the planet while Justine’s depression worsens though she is drawn to the planet as is Claire’s son Leo (Cameron Spurr). Though John claims that the planet will just pass by, Claire doesn’t think so as Justine’s mood becomes erratic and un-natural due to the presence of the planet. Notably as she claims that life on Earth is evil as the family watches the planet at night where John believes it’s moving away. Later that morning, the inevitable starts to appear as the two sisters react differently to what is going to happen.

What happens when a planet is set to collide with Earth and all of its existence cease to exist? How will anyone react to this situation? Well, Lars von Trier doesn’t really give any answers although he does bring some suggestions about how would a person react to a situation like this where all it would eventually lead to is death. The film is split into two different parts representing the two sisters and their own reactions to everything around them. The first half is about Justine and her own descent towards depression. The second half is about Claire and her anxiety about the fact that the world is going to end. Of course, the ending is very obvious as there’s no deux ex machina or anything to twist things up. Instead, it’s all about how one reacts to the inevitable.

The script that von Trier creates is truly ambitious but also very accessible in the way he studies anxiety and depression. Something the director has known to deal with throughout his entire career, notably in recent years as he was open about the way he dealt with his on-going depression and anxieties. He uses both subjects as a way to react to the idea that the world is going to end in his narrative structure. The first half is about a young woman at her own wedding suddenly falling into her own depression. There, she begins to feel detached to the people around her while wandering around all by herself unsure of what to do. In the second half, she begins to behave erratically while all of the things that happens to a depressed person starts to unveil such as the way people taste food or reacting to things in a certain way.

While both depression and anxiety are evident in both halves of the film, the anxiety portion of the film in the older sister becomes more evident in the second half. There, we have this woman starting to become frightened about the idea that the world is going to end and there won’t be any life after that. She would eventually fall apart and become worried about the people around her while her own depressed sister would realize that since everyone is going to die. The best thing to do is just accept it and get it over with. It’s the way von Trier handled these themes into a grand situation like this that is very engaging and also very realistic to the way people would react to something like the end of the world.

The direction of von Trier is definitely more fluid and hypnotic than anything he had done in his career. While he utilizes some of the visual tricks he cultivated with Antichrist, it’s done in a more refined manner to emphasize the way Justine and Claire react to Melancholia. The film opens with this amazing eight-minute sequence of images of characters reacting to the end of the world as the planet Melancholia is about to collide with Earth. Everything is presented in slow motion and into these beautiful that is inter-cut with the planet setting to collide and destroy Earth. Then the film returns to its main narrative which is split into two parts as von Trier allows the camera to observe everything that is happening.

While there is bits of humor prevalent throughout the film such as the way the wedding planner (Udo Kier) responds to the bride or the way the butler (Jesper Christensen) reacts to everything that is going on. The direction is always engaged to situations while maintaining a straightforward approach to the presentation with hand-held cameras for the wedding and other scenes. For all the scenes involving Melancholia, it’s all about the minimal amount of visual effects used to emphasize that a planet is coming to end everything. While von Trier has stated that this film has no happy ending, he’s right though depending on how a viewer will react to that is different. Overall, von Trier creates what is truly a solid film that is probably his most accessible work to date.

Cinematographer Manuel Alberto Caro does an excellent job with the film‘s photography by emphasizing the use of blue to display Melancholia from above as well as to create a mood that surrounds Justine. There is also a more heightened look as the colors look a little brighter for some of the daytime scenes while using yellow lights for some of the interior and exterior nighttime settings to display more haunting shots during the film‘s first half. Editor Molly Malene Stensgaard does a great job with the editing in maintaining a straightforward style for the main narrative of the film while utilizing some jump-cuts in some places while the opening sequence is presented in a slow but elegant approach to emphasize the dread that is to occur.

Production designer Jette Lehman and art director Simone Grau Roney do a fantastic job with the set pieces created for many of the interiors while all the exteriors are shot at the Tjoloholm Castle in Halland, Sweden. Costume designer Manon Rasmussen does a nice job with the costume design for the look of the wedding gown that Justine wears to the dress that Claire wears for the wedding while the rest of the clothes is more casual. Visual effects supervisor Peter Hjorth does an amazing job with the visual effects created such as the planet Melancholia and the scenes in space which is truly gorgeous to look at.

Sound designer Kristian Eidnes Andersen does a superb job with the sound work to create an intimacy and liveliness for the wedding reception as well as something sparse for some of the exteriors. The film’s soundtrack features a lot of music that is played on the wedding while the rest of the music is largely dominated by excerpts of Richard Wagner’s Tristan une Isolde to play up the dramatic moments of the film for both Justine and Claire.

The cast that is created for the film is brilliant as it features appearances from a few regulars of von Trier in Udo Kier as a flamboyant wedding organizer, Stellan Skarsgard as Justine’s slimy boss Jack, and John Hurt as Justine’s fun-going father. Other notable small roles include Brady Corbet as Jack’s young trainee, Jesper Christensen in a low-key role as a butler, and Charlotte Rampling as Justine’s bitter mother. Cameron Spurr is very good as Claire’s young son Leo who is amazed by the planet while being the only person that can comfort Justine. Alexander Skarsgard is also good as Justine’s new husband Michael who tries to deal with her sudden melancholic state while trying to cheer her up. Kiefer Sutherland is excellent as John, Claire’s logical husband who tries to tell everyone that Melancholia will pass by only to realize that there is no logical conclusion to the end of the world.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is great as Claire, Justine’s older sister who tries to help her younger sister while dealing with Melancholia that brings her a lot of anxieties. While it’s a less frantic role than the one Gainsbourg played previously in Antichrist, it is still a mesmerizing performance for the way she reacts while having some great rapport with Sutherland and Kirsten Dunst. Finally, there’s Kirsten Dunst who definitely gives the best performance of her career. Dunst’s performance is very entrancing from the way she reacts at a very nonchalant, numbing state of mind. Definitely inspired by her well-publicized depression in 2008, Dunst uses that experience to create something that is very real and direct about how one deals with depression as there’s a fearlessness in Dunst that is very hypnotic as she is definitely a major highlight of the film.

Melancholia is a powerful yet enthralling film from Lars von Trier that features radiant performances from Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg. While it may not be as extreme as its predecessor Antichrist, it is a film that truly studies the idea of the way people might react to situations such as the end of the world. For fans of von Trier, the film is definitely his most richest work to date as well as something that people new to von Trier might be intrigued by for the way he presents the ideas of depression and anxiety in such an accessible way. In the end, Lars von Trier creates another outstanding film with Melancholia.

Lars von Trier Films: The Element of Crime - Epidemic - Medea - Europa - The Kingdom I - Breaking the Waves - The Kingdom II - Dogme #2-Idioterne - Dancer in the Dark - The Five Obstructions - Dogville - Manderlay - The Boss of It All - Antichrist - Dimension (2010 short) - Nymphomaniac - The House That Jack Built - The Kingdom: Exodus - (Etudes)

Related: The Auteurs #7: Lars von Trier

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