Nobody Does It Better

James Bond is dead. Long live the new James Bond. After a couple of years of waiting (and gnashing of teeth by some petulant, stuck-in the-past fans), Daniel Craig, the new face of 007 has made it to the big screen and truly brought the legendary franchise into the 21st century, by stripping him down to the basics in order to rebuild him.

When Pierce Brosnan was unceremoniously dumped as the world’s most famous spy, I was not happy. Brosnan hewed most closely to the Bond I was introduced to – early ‘70s Roger Moore, and managed the role with more swagger and fewer quips. But once he was gone the realization set in that the franchise had, despite raking in record box office takes, had lost its already tenuous grip on reality. The stories and villains had spiraled out of control, as has the gadgets and miraculous escapes. While these were the essential elements of every Bond movie I had grown up with, the films now bore more of a resemblance to Goldmember than Goldfinger.

The release of The Bourne Identity in the same year as Die Another Day set the bar higher for any spy film that was to follow. Compared to Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, Commander Bond looked soft and effete. Bourne could beat someone half to death with a rolled up magazine, while Bond was rolling about in an invisible car. It was hard not acknowledge that the torch had been passed.

That didn’t mean that it was time for James to slip quietly into the night though, and the producers recognized it. They returned to 007 creator Ian Fleming’s first novel, Casino Royale, and hired a relatively unknown actor for the role, eschewing the A-listers circling the part. And the results are a fantastic success. Craig plays a much harder Bond, disassociating himself from what he does with arrogance instead of smarmy one-liners. He’s rough around the edges and less than infallible. He makes mistakes and is more than willing to get his hands dirty – dispatching bad guys up close and bloodily personal. Craig comes across as leaner, meaner and far more believable because of it.

The film even deals with one of the most improbable aspects of a secret agent – the fact that he tells everyone his name. It is one of many nods to the character’s long lineage, from the vodka martini to the Aston Martin and a reinterpretation of a famous scene from Dr. No. This Bond film hasn’t forgotten where it came from, but nor is it tied down by history – jettisoning Q, gadgets and Miss Moneypenny, at least for now. The critics that were up in arms with the choice of Craig as the new face of 007 have been silenced.

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Pop Culture Lobbyists

It probably would have gone straight to video or at least died a quick death during the August cinema doldrums, but because of the rabid interest of fans on the web, Snakes on a Plane is well on its way to becoming a cult classic.

The film has been floating around Hollywood since 2000 and has since been the subject of fan art, trailer mashups, shirts and blogs, a phenomenon of its own. Interest in the movie has encouraged the studio to shoot more scenes, adding more deaths, nudity and, of course, snakes to the film. It’s called Snakes on a Plane, what else could you expect? Also on tap will be Samuel L. Jackson yelling: "I want these motherf**king snakes off the motherf**king plane!"

Jackson stars as an FBI agent who has to fight a planeload of snakes unleashed by an assassin bent on killing a witness in protective custody. "That's the only reason I took the job: I read the title. You either want to see that, or you don't," Jackson has said of the film. Collinder.com agrees, stating that maybe fans just want what they want, ironic or not.

Not all fans are quite so lucky. Depite much whiney resistance to new 007 Daniel Craig by fan groups such as the Craignotbond site, the blonde Bond has been signed on to a second round, once Casino Royale wraps.

Some have vowed not to see any Bond film starring Craig, despite there having been little footage to base their opinion of his work on. So here we have two films with intense online interest and it will be intriguing to see which group will impact the box office more.

The Spy Who We Love

There has been a storm raging over the new James Bond and the remake of Casino Royale (see the trailer above.) There are sites calling for Daniel Craig’s removal, complaints about the Blonde Bond abound and tabloids and gossip sites snicker at his abilities.

On the other side there are fans behind the rethink of the franchise who are looking forward to a younger, harder Bond and are solidly behind Craig (or are at least willing to give him a chance.)

But why do we care so much? I’ve found myself caught up in the debate and have written over a half dozen entries about it. And I’m hardly an obsessive. Craig himself has felt compelled to respond to the criticism. It has to do with the longevity of the franchise.

There were six Bond films before I was born. Moonraker was the first film I ever saw at a drive-in when my teenaged aunt took me their when she was supposed to take me to Return from Witch Mountain. Watching A View to a Kill was my treat on the last day of school one year and a lot of the earlier films I watched on TV with my dad.

What other series has that kind of history? Lord of the Rings happened over a few short years. Star Wars has wrapped up after only six films and Harry Potter will be finished after seven. Casino Royale is the 21st in the 007 franchise and has become part of the pop culture firmament.

People feel like they have a vested interest in the character and the films. I realize that the debate, good or bad, is really just publicity for the film, but I don’t care, because Bond matters to me.

Previous Bond Posts:
Licence to Whine, Royale Flush, My Gossip Runneth Over, Shaken and Stirred, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Bond is Dead, Long Live the Bond

Links to Live By

I’ve spent the day surfing, wondering what to write about. My time wasting is you gain. Here are some of the great things I found on some of my favorite blogs:

• I Watch Stuff site joins the ranks of sites moaning that Daniel Craig doesn’t look like James Bond should, whatever that means. The upside is that I was pointed to new publicity pics of Casino Royale, so my many, many thanks.

• I’ve never been able to write these, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good haiku about Munich, found on Film Experience.

• Is Scrubs not long for this TV life? It’s on Child of TV’s list of 21 shows likely to be cancelled this year, on top of what has already been announced as no longer for this world.

• TVGasm gives a great overview of the story and cast of the long-in-hibernation Prison Break. It will be back March 20th and I can't wait. Stupid Fox network. Surprise fact? John Abruzzi was the guy who fed Steve Buscemi into the wood chipper in Fargo.

• Hee, hee – betcha George Clooney used to offer free mustache rides. Thanks to Pop Culture Junkies for digging this up.

• Much love to Population Statistic for pointing out the original Fred & Barney cigarette ad on the Flintstones, courtesy of You Tube (them again!) I love seeing how tobacco used to be imbedded directly into pop culture.

Licence to Whine

Daniel Craig just can’t catch a break. After a huge search to find a new James Bond, the iconic British spy, the actor got the nod.

It’s a huge role, vaulting any actor who snags it into the international spotlight. You’d think it would be a time to celebrate, foregoing the shaken martinis and cracking open the champagne.

And perhaps he is, but there is some serious opposition to the “blonde Bond.” A group of 007 fans is seriously unhappy with the choice.

"How can a short, blond actor with the rough face of a professional boxer and a penchant for playing killers, cranks, cads and gigolos pull off the role of a tall, dark, handsome and suave secret agent?" asks the site CraigNotBond.com.

The complainers are calling for a boycott of any film with Craig in it and are calling for Pierce Brosnan to be reinstated. I agree that Brosnan was an excellent Bond and he did get unceremoniously pushed out of the role, I also understand what the producers are doing.

Casino Royale is meant to hark back to a younger, harder Bond of the Ian Flemming novels, a more youthful, realistic and cold character, a la Jason Bourne. They are reinventing the franchise by returning to the origins of the character, much like Batman has recently done. It’s a good idea.


The petitioners don’t appear to be complaining about this, just about he physical appearance of Craig, which is a fantastically superficial complaint. They also say there have been five great Bonds. Anyone who says George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton were great Bonds are clearly dillusional.

Previous Bond posts:
Royale Flush
My Gossip Runneth Over
Shaken and Stirred
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Bond is Dead, Long Live the Bond

Royale Flush

James Bond has found his new villain and femme fatale.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen will join new 007 Daniel Craig as Le Chiffre, an evil genius known as the Cipher. Mikkelsen, best know to North American audiences for his role as Tristan in King Arthur, is a star in his home country.

Oddly enough, I’ve seen a couple of his Danish films. At last year’s Toronto film festival he played a delusional priest who would turn the other cheek, no matter what in the comedy Adam’s Apples. I also saw him two years (and pre-blog) earlier in The Green Butchers. Both were very funny roles and not villainous in the least. It will be interesting to see how this works out as he’s definitely talented.

With today’s announcement of Eva Green as the new Bond girl, the Casino Royale cast is complete. Beating out names like Charlize Theron and Thandie Newton, the little-known French actress, last seen in the crusades drama Kingdom of Heaven, will play Vesper Lynn. It’s a fine name, but let's face it, no Pussy Galore or Honey Ryder.

Casino Royale is meant to hark back to a younger, harder Bond of the Ian Flemming novels so I’m pleased to see relative unknowns being brought in. The franchise will have a much better chance of success without stunt casting. I’m looking at you Halle Berry.

Shaken and Stirred

I'd been talking about the future of the James Bond franchise with a couple of friends yesterday and then stumbled across this shot from Casino Royale of Daniel Craig as the new 007 and had to share.

As those who have read me before are aware, I'm a bit of a Bond junkie. We were talking about what needs to change to keep the series fresh, and what should never be touched. You can't touch the theme music, the opening shot through the barrel of the gun, or Bond's nationality. But after that, it's pretty much fair game.

The Bourne series has set the current bar for super spies and the 007 films could use a little of that hard-nosed, can-do, quiet intensity. Die Another Day went some of the distance, showing a Bond that wasn't infallible or unrumpled. I hope they continue, lest the quips and double entendres turn the series into Austin Powers-lite.

And choosing Casino Royale seems to indicate that they are serious. This was Ian Flemmings first Bond novel so it appears the producers are looking at their roots. As part of that, the characters of Q and Moneypenny won't be in the next film as they weren't in the book, according to bondmovies.com.

The film will also deal with "...a lot of 'embryonic stuff' about why Bond prefers his martini 'shaken, not stirred,' and why he favors the Aston Martin sports car." So it looks like they are going the route most recently taken by Batman Begins and reinventing an overly familiar figure. I can't wait.