Saw "Skyfall"
Bro's birthday, so we all went out to a movie of his choosing. I'm glad I went; it was a really good movie.
I should have remembered about Judi Dench's eye disease. That would've prepared me better for seeing her M die. I'm sad to lose her, because her relationship with Craig's Bond was just so fantastic. They sparked off each other so beautifully. It's fitting that he weeps for her. They spent the whole movie contrasting Bond and Silva. Bond, who still believes in her, yet sees her with clear eyes; he knows what her priorities are, and keeping his (well-formed) ass intact is not among them. And Silva, who's obsessed with her, who hates and loves her in equal measure because he wanted so badly to mean more.
M's own feelings are not explicitly stated, but Judi Dench. Seriously, just . . . Judi Dench. By which I mean, she shows more of M's soul with her eyes than any screenwriter could possibly even hint at. She does have regrets. She does get attached. Silva did mean something to her; the fact that she said his name--his real name--to Bond proves that. Bond is special to her, but she can't express that. All she can do is show that she believes in him. At the end, she states that she was right, but dies before she can say about what. I think she was thinking about clearing Bond for duty. Everyone else said he wasn't ready, but she knew he would pull himself together better if he were on the job. He proved she was right.
Bits and bobs:
--love the new Q. His being a very young man gives the character a new spin, rather than the older, eccentric previous Qs.
--Albert Finney! I sort of wanted M to retire to the Scottish countryside with his character, just because he was so endearing. The Alfred to James Bond's Batman, one might say.
--new Moneypenny! Naomie Harris looks like she'll keep Bond on his toes just as well as her predecessors did. Moneypennys are good for puncturing his ego.
--and a new M. I've no doubt Ralph Fiennes will do a great job, but I will miss Dame Judi.
--this movie makes it canon that MI6 changes its agents' names. I'm convinced "James Bond" is the code name given to every 007, and he's carefully selected for the job. I think the reason Silva laughed when he saw Bond's parents' graves is that he knows Bond's name is an alias. Yet his parents are buried under the name Bond. Why? Perhaps it was done by Bond himself, to stick it to MI6 or, possibly, to show just how deeply he'd taken on the identity. Or, perhaps it was done by MI6, so that anyone who traced this Bond to Skyfall would reach a dead end. They wouldn't be able to find his original family name or any other relations.
On that general subject, have a Cracked! video. I love their "After Hours" sketches of four pop-culture junkies arguing about geeky stuff at a diner. This time, James Bond is on the table.
5 Reasons James Bond Might Be the Worst Spy Ever
Edited because the darn thing wouldn't embed.
I should have remembered about Judi Dench's eye disease. That would've prepared me better for seeing her M die. I'm sad to lose her, because her relationship with Craig's Bond was just so fantastic. They sparked off each other so beautifully. It's fitting that he weeps for her. They spent the whole movie contrasting Bond and Silva. Bond, who still believes in her, yet sees her with clear eyes; he knows what her priorities are, and keeping his (well-formed) ass intact is not among them. And Silva, who's obsessed with her, who hates and loves her in equal measure because he wanted so badly to mean more.
M's own feelings are not explicitly stated, but Judi Dench. Seriously, just . . . Judi Dench. By which I mean, she shows more of M's soul with her eyes than any screenwriter could possibly even hint at. She does have regrets. She does get attached. Silva did mean something to her; the fact that she said his name--his real name--to Bond proves that. Bond is special to her, but she can't express that. All she can do is show that she believes in him. At the end, she states that she was right, but dies before she can say about what. I think she was thinking about clearing Bond for duty. Everyone else said he wasn't ready, but she knew he would pull himself together better if he were on the job. He proved she was right.
Bits and bobs:
--love the new Q. His being a very young man gives the character a new spin, rather than the older, eccentric previous Qs.
--Albert Finney! I sort of wanted M to retire to the Scottish countryside with his character, just because he was so endearing. The Alfred to James Bond's Batman, one might say.
--new Moneypenny! Naomie Harris looks like she'll keep Bond on his toes just as well as her predecessors did. Moneypennys are good for puncturing his ego.
--and a new M. I've no doubt Ralph Fiennes will do a great job, but I will miss Dame Judi.
--this movie makes it canon that MI6 changes its agents' names. I'm convinced "James Bond" is the code name given to every 007, and he's carefully selected for the job. I think the reason Silva laughed when he saw Bond's parents' graves is that he knows Bond's name is an alias. Yet his parents are buried under the name Bond. Why? Perhaps it was done by Bond himself, to stick it to MI6 or, possibly, to show just how deeply he'd taken on the identity. Or, perhaps it was done by MI6, so that anyone who traced this Bond to Skyfall would reach a dead end. They wouldn't be able to find his original family name or any other relations.
On that general subject, have a Cracked! video. I love their "After Hours" sketches of four pop-culture junkies arguing about geeky stuff at a diner. This time, James Bond is on the table.
5 Reasons James Bond Might Be the Worst Spy Ever
Edited because the darn thing wouldn't embed.