Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

Craigs Bond is more like the original Fleming version from the novels compared to the ones we've had in the movies. A number of the later movies overdid it a bit while in the novels Bond is often less than perfect and shows more emotion iirc.

I still can't make my mind up about Daniel Craig, i think i like the more cheeky chappy appeal of bond. Will definitely watch it when it comes out in hopes that it's better than previous.

I like Craig well enough but I like Pierce Brosnan better as Bond.

IGN Has Seen the Skyfall

We visit the set of James Bond's new movie.

We were among several media outlets invited to Pinewood Studios in England last week to observe the filming of Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond movie. Here's what we saw, so be advised that there's some spoilerish material ahead.

Officially, Skyfall sees MI6 come under attack, revealing M's (Judi Dench) dark past and testing 007's (Daniel Craig) loyalty to her as he goes after the threat no matter the cost. Beyond that, the cast and filmmakers wouldn't reveal much more. In the sequence we witnessed being shot, Pinewood's famed 007 Stage had been transformed into the Temple Street station of the London underground for the climactic portion of an extended chase that takes place midway through the film.

Bond has pursued his quarry Silva (Javier Bardem) into a tunnel. After an exchange of gunfire, Silva, who is dressed as a Metropolitan Police officer, triggers an explosion in the wall behind Bond that will send the train traveling above crashing through the ceiling, nearly killing both hero and villain. Alas, we only saw the explosion and not the train derailment, which was scheduled to be shot the next day. This sequence is one of two major train stunt set-pieces in Skyfall (the other will be shot in Turkey in the coming weeks), both of which were designed by Oscar-winning special effects whiz Chris Corbould and his team.

In addition to the Tube station, sets at Pinewood have included an MI6 safe house, an abandoned Japanese island city, a Shanghai highrise and a waterfront casino in Macau. The two-story casino set, which was still being built with pieces from China, will see Bond (gasp!) meet a beautiful woman for a drink at the bar. The haunting abandoned city, inspired by Japan's Hashima Island, is where Bond meets Silva. It was an eerie, striking setting of dilapidated buildings, abandoned bicycles and a giant, fallen statue of a leader in the middle of the town center.

There are only about six weeks of filming left, with the production slated to finish at Pinewood within the next two weeks and then relocating to Turkey where filming will wrap in late May. Skyfall began shooting in early November and locations have included Shanghai, the Scottish Highlands, Surrey and London. With 2012 marking the 50th anniversary of Bond on film, it seems fitting that 007 should literally come home to London for it, but Craig was quick to caution us not to read too much into the role the capital city plays in the film.

"That's actually a little bit of a misconception. We're filming a lot in London, but it's only because we get photographed in London every time we go out into the streets. But the rest of the time we've been here in Pinewood on huge sets, which are based all around the world," said Craig during a roundtable interview.

"We're about to leave for Turkey next week, which will sort of double the number of locations. We're using London in a very particular way. Sam [Mendes, the director] and everybody, we were all very keen to capture the parts of London you wouldn't ordinarily see but that Bond would have access to. So it's partially very much about London and partially about lots of other things."

Then what exactly IS Skyfall about? That's a very good question we never really got answered. Unlike during our Quantum of Solace set visit in 2008, where Bond producer Michael G. Wilson pretty much spilled all the beans about the film on the record, the cast and filmmakers this time around were more tight-lipped than Christopher Nolan on a wiretapped phone. (That's probably why Wilson wasn't on set this time!)

So what do we know about the movie? Well, we now know that the "government official" played by Ralph Fiennes is named Mallory and that he has oversight over M and MI6 and, judging from the first photo of him, he's also handy with a gun. Mallory is also said to have a contentious relationship with M. "Yes, we do lock horns in this, but then I think I lock horns with nearly everybody this time," said Dench, who wrapped on the film the previous week.

"There's more to it [this time]," said Dench of how M and Bond's relationship is different in this film than in the prior two entries. "By nature of the fact that she has more to do and I think you see that she's an altered person a bit. ... There's more of her and she's not being kept in that shed in the back." (Dench also certainly wouldn't comment on those rumors making the rounds online.)

We know Naomie Harris plays an MI6 field agent named Eve who has a relationship with Bond. He also romances the morally ambiguous Severine (Berenice Marlohe), a character who the actress said also has a few scenes with Silva. "The terms we use to describe her are glamorous and enigmatic," said Marlohe during a roundtable chat. "Enigmatic is important because you can't really put her in one of the classic categories of good or a villain. This is very interesting and it is also what Daniel did with James Bond. His colors are not that obvious. So I like this word enigmatic. I like to give her the most complexity of a human being and not determine color."

Likewise, Oscar winner Javier Bardem enjoyed the opportunities presented by the role of Silva. "It's always about the material and when I read it, it was very strong, very well put together and very powerful in many ways and that the character that they were offering me had a lot of different possibilities to have fun doing it and also create a person," he recalled. "I didn't see a reason to say no to this and I'm glad I didn't because I'm having a lot of fun."

We also learned during our chat with the film's armorer Joss Skottowe that Bond not only fires his usual Walther PPK as well as a machine gun during the film, but also antique English flintlock pistols and one hell of an old school elephant gun. Pity the poor ****** who buys it from that beast! (And, yes, we got to hold Bond's Walther PPK and, no, that's not a euphemism.)

The film's title certainly has a doomsday-esque connotation to it with the idea of the sky falling. "We think it sounds like a Fleming title for that very reason, Skyfall. His titles always had many meanings. And when you see the movie, you'll understand," said producer Barbara Broccoli coyly.

  • 4 weeks later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Instagram just got "a long-requested feature" by Hamid Ganji Instagram has finally added a new feature that has been "long-requested" and it allows users to write an individual caption for each image or video in a carousel. The feature will start rolling out this week, and it’ll be available to all users. Previously, Instagram only allowed a single caption for all regular posts and carousels. This made it harder for content creators to describe every scene in a carousel and often forced them to write longer captions. However, with this new feature, every slide in a carousel can have its own caption, which can be viewed by swiping left or right. To use the feature, when writing a caption for your post, select “Multiple captions” from the dropdown menu in the caption area. You can then write unique captions for each slide. By swiping through the carousel and selecting individual slides, a dedicated space for writing captions will appear. Instagram says the feature will help audiences get the right context at the right moment. The ability to assign a unique caption to each slide in a carousel could be particularly useful for content creators and brands on the platform. Instagram says the feature will begin rolling out this week. The new feature appears to have been well received by Instagram users, many of whom have been requesting it for a long time. However, users are now asking for additional features, such as the ability to add new slides to a carousel after it has been published. Instagram has been introducing several useful features lately, but users who want access to additional tools and perks can subscribe to the platform’s Instagram Plus offering. Priced at $3.99 per month, Instagram Plus includes exclusive features such as 48-hour Stories, more detailed post analytics, and the ability to tailor posts or Stories to specific audiences. The subscription includes 11 new features in total.
    • "Learning" and "starting" are fine uses of AI. The moment that crap falls into the final game? Lost a sale from me.
    • Don't worry, the majority of its members still suffer from heavy TDS, so these White House simping posts will continue being few and far between.
    • If you're using a webcam for Zoom calls, then any 720p or 1080p cam will do. If on the other hand you want high quality video for streaming or recording, then consider using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, because 99% of 4k webcams will have a tough time achieving same results.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Huge Trailer earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Classifyskilleducation earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      eurospharma62 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      With What earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Harris Gilbert earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      581
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      73
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      66
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      64
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!