The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[Blowfeld]

Truly trying to be fair. Am I misunderstanding what Barbara is trying to say here? Seems like she does not get what Ian wrote or how the word she used is ...well used. Remember the lead up to QOS all kind of confusion with them trying to define what Ian meant by QOS eventhou Ian defines point blank in the story.

I just read that article by Babs. I don't really see anything glaring wrong in what she wrote, and I do get the point she was trying to make that Bond was living life to the full, because he never knew when it would be over, due to his dangerous profession.

With the term accidie, this was also very evident in many of the Bond novels, particular in the later ones. Bond would often feel a touch of boredom and depression. The only time this has really been touched upon in the films was in the Dalton movies, particularly in TLD, when Dalton states that if he was fired, he would thank them for it.

So it looks as though in Skyfall we will see a touch of the Bond in TB and YOLT, where Fleming has Bond fed up by his job. I'm guessing there are also hints of the opening to TMWTGG judging by the trailer too.

More in YOLT for Bond personally altho I remember TLD as a bleak one. Barbara seems to be equating accidie with revulsion which is wrong use of the word.

Ian always had Bond a hedonist (after all Ian was) altho not for the reasons Barbara ascribed nor Vesper.

[FormerBondFan]

If you guys want some bloody action, watch the latest Expendables.

And EA....you REALLY need to watch the latest Bat.

[Kristatos]

Bourne is going to be lucky to make its budget back at this rate, especially as, unlike Bond, most of the previous films' box office has come from the US and Canada.

[The Sweeney]

I watched the new Bourne film last nice and I thought it was very good, and suprisingly didn't really notice (or care) that Matt Damon was missing. Action scenes were all top notch, and the new direction is less shaky cam than the other Bourne films.

Overall, very impressed, particularly with Renner in the role. I scoffed before at the idea of him playing McQueen in the new biopic film, but after watching him last night, I think he could do a fairly decent job of playing the King of Cool.

[carl stromberg]

I watched the new Bourne film last nice and I thought it was very good, and suprisingly didn't really notice (or care) that Matt Damon was missing. Action scenes were all top notch, and the new direction is less shaky cam than the other Bourne films.

Overall, very impressed, particularly with Renner in the role. I scoffed before at the idea of him playing McQueen in the new biopic film, but after watching him last night, I think he could do a fairly decent job of playing the King of Cool.

Jeremy Renner is a bit of a Craig lookalike so maybe he could be the next Bond.

[The Sweeney]

I watched the new Bourne film last nice and I thought it was very good, and suprisingly didn't really notice (or care) that Matt Damon was missing. Action scenes were all top notch, and the new direction is less shaky cam than the other Bourne films.

Overall, very impressed, particularly with Renner in the role. I scoffed before at the idea of him playing McQueen in the new biopic film, but after watching him last night, I think he could do a fairly decent job of playing the King of Cool.

Jeremy Renner is a bit of a Craig lookalike so maybe he could be the next Bond.

[bjmdds]

Sweeney, you adore Cr-egg as Bond and you enjoyed The Bourne Lunacy....... .......I don't know what we are going to do with you............

[FormerBondFan]

Sweenster.....are you planning to see Expendables 2?

[The Sweeney]

Sweenster.....are you planning to see Expendables 2?

mmmm....not really sure. I've heard mixed reviews.

You've seen it though FBF, correct? Is it any good?

[FormerBondFan]

Sweenster.....are you planning to see Expendables 2?

mmmm....not really sure. I've heard mixed reviews.

That's a thing about mindless action films.

You've seen it though FBF, correct? Is it any good?

Yes. It's even more funnier than the first.

[bjmdds]

$770,000 (Estimate) Spider-Crumb weekend...........it's in 16th place and done and $200 million behind Tobey's 2007 flick.........now what? Sony will make a sequel to this trash? Pascal does not have a clue. Where is FBF? Read this: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/overseas-m ... 23193.html This is why trash like Cr-egg's film and Garfield's web crawler can do better than we think. Overseas box office now draws the more importance. The Dark Knight Rises to the No. 1 spot for the fifth consecutive round, and to push the film’s overseas gross total past that of its franchise predecessor, 2008’s The Dark Knight. The $20.6-million weekend tally recorded by Rises in 61 offshore markets (down 42% from last weekend) was the 2012’s third lowest for a No. 1-ranked title. Still, as per Warner Bros., director Christopher Nolan’s final Batman title hoisted its foreign cume to $487.8 million -- $18.1 million more than Dark Knight’s $469.7 million. That gap should widen since Rises opens in Greece this week, China on Aug. 27 and in Italy on Aug. 29. The two biggest Rises markets to date by far are the U.K. (market cume of $77.7 million over five rounds) and Australia ($40.5 million also over five stanzas).

[Omega]

I watched the new Bourne film last nice and I thought it was very good, and suprisingly didn't really notice (or care) that Matt Damon was missing. Action scenes were all top notch, and the new direction is less shaky cam than the other Bourne films.

Overall, very impressed, particularly with Renner in the role. I scoffed before at the idea of him playing McQueen in the new biopic film, but after watching him last night, I think he could do a fairly decent job of playing the King of Cool.

Jeremy Renner is a bit of a Craig lookalike so maybe he could be the next Bond.

He is sort of.

I haven't seen Bourne 4 yet but Damon was replaceable IMO.

[Alessandra]

A reasonable guess would be attendance in the 78 to 74m range if things go well. Bad reaction to the controversial elements could make it do worse.
I'm not worried about the professional critics we all know how glowing their reviews will be, a few will be interested in looking at Bond as series and as a whole is probably where the weak emo elements of Spyfall will backfire.

I agree with Mazer. I don't think Spyfall will do anywhere near sensational numbers. It might do ok of course, but I don't think it'll do anything more than that.

Sweeney I think you're not taking into account how much movie attendance in general has gone down, not to mention, even if everyone on an internet forum bought a ticket, that would be a worldwide massive BOMB. What internet forums say isn't indicative of the actual performance of a movie at all, and particularly in Bond's case, given the big forums are run by people paid by EON to do so and spin things.

Also re: Olympic ceremony, I understand that in Britain whatever Craig does, especially on internet forums, is looked upon as great, but I can guarantee you I have yet to hear a SINGLE person who watched the ceremony here who thought Craig was the best part. Actually I have yet to hear anyone who thought that was good. Most said the Queen was terrific and he just looked way out of place. So yeah, no matter what they say in England, that is not necessarily the feeling of the rest of the world Which in the end is what determines success or not (the reaction of the rest of the world, not just of the UK).

That said, I think the trailer is along the lines of the trailers for action movies lately: give away all the best parts in there, and that's all there is to the movie. I have to say I think it is incredibly bad in terms of 007 per se. Craig looks worse than ever, if that is even possible.

As far as Craig's career, ask around in Hollywood and anyone will tell you he's way past his prime and with all the box office mediocre performances he's had, nobody will bet on him anymore. It's on the downfall, most certainly not on the rise. Skyfall may stop the downfall if it does ok (again I don't think it can do more than ok) at the box office. But it most certainly can't put him in the A list. He never really was, and never will be at this point.

I think Mazer's analysis is the most balanced, I expect the same numbers for Skyfall: 74-78 mln attendance if things go well. Way lower if the movie is as bad as it looks (Bunch of rehashed plots from previous Bonds and other movies, and a leading man that's WAY too old and unclassy for the role. Always has been, but this time it's worse than usual.)

[Alessandra]

In other (horrible and tragic) news, Top Gun director Tony Scott jumped to his death from a bridge in California last night. I never understand how people who achieve such professional success can also be so incredibly unhappy personally. And at his age, no less, he wasn't a young man without a life. Success can make people very lonely. It's not one of those stupid common places, it's the sad truth. You don't know who your real friends are anymore, whether people stand by you because they like you or because you're successful. If you're not very grounded and with REAL people around you from the start, it can just eat you alive. I am so sorry for Mr. Scott... it's a real tragedy when a human being decides their life is not worth living anymore.

[The Sweeney]

In other (horrible and tragic) news, Top Gun director Tony Scott jumped to his death from a bridge in California last night. I never understand how people who achieve such professional success can also be so incredibly unhappy personally. And at his age, no less, he wasn't a young man without a life. Success can make people very lonely. It's not one of those stupid common places, it's the sad truth. You don't know who your real friends are anymore, whether people stand by you because they like you or because you're successful. If you're not very grounded and with REAL people around you from the start, it can just eat you alive. I am so sorry for Mr. Scott... it's a real tragedy when a human being decides their life is not worth living anymore.

Really sad day for me. He was and always will be my favourite movie director. I would desperately rush out to watch a new Tony Scott film - there wasn't any other director that would make me do this, not even Chris Nolan or Spielberg. I only rate Kubrick a close second in terms of a director's work that I would look forward to.

Ever since I was 14, watching Top Gun for the first time, did I fall in love with everything this man did on film.

After Sly Stallone's son toppping himself, now this?? It really spells a nasty picture of what life can really be like in Hollywood.

[Kristatos]

After Sly Stallone's son toppping himself, now this?? It really spells a nasty picture of what life can really be like in Hollywood.

Just the latest in a long list of people who have been driven to suicide by Hollywood. Even those who have acclimatised paint a deeply unflattering portrait of the place. I remember an interview with Ricky Gervais when he was talking about going there to make a movie and he spent the first week just holed up in his temporary home, being paid to do nothing. He seemed to find it funny, but I think I'd be driven nuts by the mind games and effective imprisonment.

[Goldeneye]

What a tragedy. I enjoyed so many of his movies always thought of him and his brother as successful and happy. What a sobering way to start the week.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/20/showbiz/o ... index.html

[katied]

Latest news is that Tony Scott had a brain tumor.

[Alessandra]

Read the latest as well and apparently for once, it's not about Hollywood but about the fact he had an inoperable brain tumour. Doesn't make it one bit less sad (and by the way, Sweeney, I share your admiration for the man, I think he was a brilliant director and I love his movies), but at least it means it wasn't the Hollywood life that led him to it, but a tragic disease.

[katied]

It's very sad. Looking at the list of movies he made(both with Ridley and by himself), I'm amazed at how many I've seen.