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Skyfall.
BEST. BOND. EVER.
Beg, borrow or steal to go see this in the cinema. Srsly.
Apart from the fact literally EVERYTHING was fabulous - script, acting, cinematography, Richard II - I mean Ben Whishaw - as Q, Skyfall itself and M etc. etc. there were two things that stood out in particular.
1. OMG THEY TURNED MI6 INTO TORCHWOOD! I half expected Ianto to turn up with a tray... And it continued right into Teh Gay Awesum. (I could totally buy Daniel Craig's Bond as bi, btw. It might all have been a game, but... )
ETA: 1a. Darcy & I have talked about it a lot, and about how it's actually a very untypical Bond film - the villain is essentially there just as a catalyst and as a dark mirror, the thing that enables Bond to be just Bond. Also Darcy remarked upon how the second we get to Skyfall, it becomes a completely different film (this is a good thing) - the thing about Bond is that he never talks about himself, so this is a huge departure, but it's perfectly done, and therefore amazing.
Also (remember this is a MA film student talking/flailing): The film follows the rules to the letter, but breaks them in two places (and you can do that when you otherwise follow the rules & know what you're doing): The Villain's long monologue and M's poem. It completely breaks the flow, but it does it beautifully.
2. Everything to do with Empire Lost and Relics From The Past Trying To Be Relevant and I just. *hands* Half of me is itching to write that post I mentioned earlier about Sherlock/Doctor Who/Bond, the Olympics and Britain coming to terms to term with its new role, but the other half is flailing because THE MOVIE USED POETRY TO SPELL OUT THIS EXACT THING, and really, it says it all:
ETA: Darcy's verdict: 'There are very few perfect films. But that? Was a perfect film.'
Beg, borrow or steal to go see this in the cinema. Srsly.
Apart from the fact literally EVERYTHING was fabulous - script, acting, cinematography, Richard II - I mean Ben Whishaw - as Q, Skyfall itself and M etc. etc. there were two things that stood out in particular.
1. OMG THEY TURNED MI6 INTO TORCHWOOD! I half expected Ianto to turn up with a tray... And it continued right into Teh Gay Awesum. (I could totally buy Daniel Craig's Bond as bi, btw. It might all have been a game, but... )
ETA: 1a. Darcy & I have talked about it a lot, and about how it's actually a very untypical Bond film - the villain is essentially there just as a catalyst and as a dark mirror, the thing that enables Bond to be just Bond. Also Darcy remarked upon how the second we get to Skyfall, it becomes a completely different film (this is a good thing) - the thing about Bond is that he never talks about himself, so this is a huge departure, but it's perfectly done, and therefore amazing.
Also (remember this is a MA film student talking/flailing): The film follows the rules to the letter, but breaks them in two places (and you can do that when you otherwise follow the rules & know what you're doing): The Villain's long monologue and M's poem. It completely breaks the flow, but it does it beautifully.
2. Everything to do with Empire Lost and Relics From The Past Trying To Be Relevant and I just. *hands* Half of me is itching to write that post I mentioned earlier about Sherlock/Doctor Who/Bond, the Olympics and Britain coming to terms to term with its new role, but the other half is flailing because THE MOVIE USED POETRY TO SPELL OUT THIS EXACT THING, and really, it says it all:
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Alfred,Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) 1833
ETA: Darcy's verdict: 'There are very few perfect films. But that? Was a perfect film.'
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Plus - all that mirroring and shadow-doubling.
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And oh the mirroring... Have edited the post to talk about it a little.
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We are contemplating taking the two older girls. (So we can see it again. Ahem. *g*)
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Shall have to watch Casino Royale and Quantum again, though, and then maybe have another go because omg allllllllllllll the Bond/M stufffffffff could anyone possibly ask for more?
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In the old days when an agent did something that embarrassing, he'd have the good sense to defect! Christ I miss the Cold War.
Alllll the love.
And I love how she is subtly but undeniably a different character from the M she played with Brosnan.
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Best. M. ever.
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They remind me a little bit, actually, of Adelle and Topher on Dollhouse. Which will mean little to you. But Adelle and Topher on Dollhouse basically send me into a little internal storm of squee every time I think about them. But they have a similar thing of being two very powerful cogs in a shadowy, byzantine game that's falling apart around them, with an ambiguous sort of metor-y/pseudo-parental/inappropriate confidante/I-respect-the-way-you-used-me relationship that's defined by understanding each other a little too well.
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I will miss Judi. She really made this role her own. I loved Skyfall because it put M in the spotlight in a pretty clever way.
Need to rewatch Casino Royale. And maybe some Brosnan Bond. To compare notes. You are right- she does change from the Brosnan years... for the better I might add :)
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LOVE THAT QUOTE TOO. She just stormed onto the screen an that was her first line in Craig-era Bond, yes? Perfection.
I will miss Judi. She really made this role her own. I loved Skyfall because it put M in the spotlight in a pretty clever way.
The end of this film made me sad. We got so much more from the Bond/M dynamic than I ever could have hoped for, but when Voldemort sat down at the desk it was like . . . ok, enough of this, back to basics. I just don't see how a male M could have anywhere as interesting a role as Dench's M did.
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Somehow that doesn't surprise me... Knowing you and all. *g* I was just drowning in EVERYTHING. It was the point where they turned MI6 into Torchwood that I knew I was lost forever. (Need to write that post about the Olympics...)
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I would say that I aim to be predictable, but that's just not true, lol. Ah well, you'll have to forgive me ; )
It's not often that I wish I liked movies more . . . I used to love movies! And when Casino Royale came out I was in fits of joy over it. Phooey--I seem to have broken myself. *pets tv*
I was just drowning in EVERYTHING. It was the point where they turned MI6 into Torchwood that I knew I was lost forever. (Need to write that post about the Olympics...)
It wasn't exactly American Beauty, but if you lined me up a bunch of Bond films and say "point to the one by Sam Mendes" . . . there would really be no problem figuring that one out, bless his literary device-addled heart <3
Olympics post, yuuuss! Would definitely like to hear more of your post-empire thoughts, as it was all so obviously there as I was watching, but do suspect I loose things in cultural translation and also was slightly preoccupied by being given more Bond/M than could have ever hoped for.
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Shiny, shiny Bond vid deserved sharing.
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I need to watch Skyfall again.
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Heck, I want to watch Quantum again (in series, obviously). That takes a lot.
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Blinding
Morrgaaaaaaaannnnaaaa /o\ /o\ /o\ (Basically her whole arc, less the buckets of epic stupidity they started pouring on it about halfway through. What's sad is, this isn't really a "revisionist" vid. They aren't changing what happened. They just left out the . . . stupidity. It's like what the show would have been if they'd kept exactly the same storyline for her but managed to keep a more balanced perspective on her rather than dumping her in the cartoon villain bin after two seasons).
Having a vid-watching morning.
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(Makes me want to watch all the parts of Merlin I've not seen. Which is most...)
I almost want to say 'don't.' There are so many better things to watch. But you've missed a lot of the genuinely good stuff and the whole is so . . . almost good. There's something really compelling about that. I keep coming back to thinking about it.
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I TOTES DIDN'T REALISE WHAT YOU POINT OUT ABOUT THE POEM. SO TRUE.
Also, I forgot to add in my post- M is the Bond girl in this movie. How cool is that! M IS THE BOND GIRL. Adele's song tells us so.
ps: Bond totally did a Sherlock/Dr Who. Moff was totes on the line when they wrote the script ;)
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And oooh, M as the Bond girl. Never really thought of that (too many other thoughts), but you're absolutely right.
ps: Bond totally did a Sherlock/Dr Who. Moff was totes on the line when they wrote the script ;)
IKR? 'Tis too fabulous for words.
(I'm on my way to bed, hence the swift response. But loved your post! SO MANY LAYERS!)
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I have so many feelings and thoughts. So many. I don't think my meta covered everything by a long shot- and I only realised about M being the Bong girl later. I love Adele's theme. It's perfect. Also, I love how nuanced M became in the Craig years.
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