25 Days of Bond (Day 24)

You know when a movie trailer looks so good you think it will be the greatest thing to hit theaters that year, but then you see the full film and it disappoints. That's what Spectre did. It looked phenomenal in the previews and had fans going crazy with expectations, but ultimately it made a few too many mistakes and just didn't deliver on what was promised in the trailer.

1. The opening long take (with some disguised cuts hidden in the right places) in the pre-title sequence is a thing of beauty, not only because of the unique filmmaking technique, but also the countless extras in amazing costumes, a recreation of Mexico's Day of the Dead festival, and the impressive stunt flying.

2. Speaking of that stunt helicopter, it is incredible what they do with that machine and watching Bond fight off two opponents at the same time while keeping the helicopter from crashing makes for a fun watch. It is the combination of the opening long take, production design, and stunt work that helped seal this as my favorite pre-title sequence of the entire franchise. Although, after many viewings and the newness of the thing has worn off it might drop to number two on my list. We will see where it lands after I re-rank the franchise once I've seen No Time to Die.

3. This is the third time we've seen Bond's apartment, and a new one at that. I don't need to see where he lives in every movie, but it is always delightful when it happens.

4. Many fans hate the part when Bond escapes the villainous organizations meeting in Rome and subsequent car chase through empty streets. Considering it is essentially an information dump done in an interesting way, I don't mind it at all. I also think that when the music hits its zenith and Bond's Aston Martin DB10 and Mr. Hinx's Jaguar C-X75 are cruising through the square it is a magnificent moment.

5. When Bond meets with Mr. White it is a reunion I've been wanting for since Quantum of Solace. The brief scene in Quantum of Solace between the two of them left fans wanting more and this is a great follow up to that moment. How can you not love it when Mr. White says, "You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond."

6. "A license to kill is also a license NOT to kill."

7. Meeting Dr. Madeleine Swann shows that Daniel Craig's Bond can be playful and fun. It isn't all doom and gloom in his films. She is also a well-written, fleshed out character for a Bond girl. I recognize the complaints about how quickly she and Bond fall in love, but it does also make sense that she would understand a man like him and find comfort in that kind of relationship. I don't mind at all how the writers handled the two of them and am happy to see her return for No Time to Die.

8. This is the best train fight since From Russia with Love. Mr. Hinx is a bull in a china shop as he manhandles Bond from car to car. By the end of it you can truly believe how exhausted and beaten 007 is.

9. Another argument I don't agree with other fans about is the escape from Blofeld's crater hideout. Most complain it feels like a sequence from a video game. My takeaway from the sequence is how awesome Bond is in taking out the unnamed goons. As each target gets farther and farther away 007 has to change his shooting stance in order to better aim. I get that he just went through torture and is supposed to be half-beaten, but I also just don't care and like watching him be the superior marksman.

10. There are very subtle nods to Ian Fleming's short story "The Hildebrand Rarity" and Kingsley Amis's continuation novel Colonel Sun. The best Easter eggs are the ones that aren't obvious, and these definitely fly under the radar for people who aren't familiar with the literary character.

11. How this movie ends with Bond and Madeleine driving off into the overcast London sunset is actually a great way to end Craig's tenure. It wasn't known if he would return for another movie, so finishing things up in an ambiguous way as to make the viewer question if he has left the service entirely or is just going on holiday with his new love is fine. I had always been under the assumption that he left MI6 completely behind because it was a more final way of ending things for this Bond and the way Q says, "Bond, I thought you had left." This version of Q nearly always calls him 007, not Bond. So by calling him Bond instead of his code name it made me believe he had quit. I feel justified in this line of thinking with how No Time to Die is expected to start.

25 Days of Bond (Day 23)

We are so close. Only two days to go and we will have a new Bond movie in the franchise. After seeing the first trailer for No Time to Die I was expecting it to be the best film in the series since From Russia with Love. I've since decided to temper my expectations and then I started believing it to be the best since Casino Royale. If it turns out to be anything as good as Skyfall I will be a happy fan (but in reality it could be the worst in the series and I'll still just be glad to have a new entry in the series).

1. We haven't had a pre-title sequence that tries to make the viewer believe Bond has died in a long time. I think the last one was You Only Live Twice.

2. The title song from Adele is exactly what you would expect. It has the classic bombastic musical tones of a Shirley Bassey/John Barry style from the Goldfinger days, but modernized for a 21st century audience. It is incredible and absolutely deserved the Academy Award for Best Original Song, a first for the Bond franchise to win.

3. "Then why do you need me?" "Every now and then a trigger has to be pulled." "Or not pulled. It's hard to know which in your pajamas."

4. Sam Mendes is one of the more famous directors to ever helm a Bond movie and his aesthetic traits can be seen in certain shots throughout the movie. One of these that is a real standout is the footage of the city of Shanghai as it combines with the music to make a great union of sight and sound.

5. My favorite sequence is the silhouette fight between Bond and Patrice in the skyscraper office. Even the buildup to the fight is great as Bond is trying to sneak up on the assassin by staying in the shadows and reflections of the glowing neon outside the building. Even though you cannot really tell which character is which since it just two black figures in hand-to-hand combat, you still can't help but be impressed with what is on the screen.

6. And another beautiful combination of visual and artistic style is when Bond is floating into the entrance of the Macau casino. The fireworks going off above, the floating lanterns, and the illuminated dragon make for a compelling location that I wish existed in real life. Unfortunately, the Golden Dragon Casino is only a creation of the production team at Pinewood Studios.

7. Berenice Marlohe is just stunning. I don't know if there are any other half French, half Cambodian and Chinese women in the world, but if there are I can't imagine they are as gorgeous as Miss Marlohe. Her character Severine doesn't last long in the film, but while she is onscreen your gaze is likely fixated on her.

8. What an entrance Silva makes. His opening monologue, and even the one later when he is imprisoned and explaining why he has done the things he's done, is compelling and one of the most memorable introductions to a Bond villain we've ever had.

9. Although a lot of people have complained about the convoluted plot and story conveniences when it comes to Silva's escape, it still gives us a great sequence of Bond chasing him through the London underground as Q helps. This scene is particularly useful as it not only is a fun action/chase moment, but it gives us some interplay and team building for Bond and the new Q. It sets up the development of a relationship that viewers had enjoyed where Q was always annoyed by Bond and Bond just kept at annoying him. Now we've seen the first hints at how this interrelation began.

10. While the silhouette fight between Bond and Patrice is my favorite scene, the shootout at the government inquest is Joanna's favorite, and honestly I can't say I blame her. The tension mounts, the music builds, Judi Dench reads poetry, and Bond comes in to save the day with some help from a few allies. Even the ingenuity of how he frees the hostages is quite original.

11. The return of the Aston Martin DB5! I don't care that it's featured too much in the Brosnan and Craig eras. I love that car and all of its magnificent toys.

12. Another complaint for some critics of this film is the Home Alone climax. I don't care that it feels like a ripoff of the Macaulay Culkin holiday classic. It shows 007's ingenuity and resourcefulness as he outwits Silva when outmanned and outgunned. Plus, who doesn't love watching Albert Finney blast away some faceless henchmen as he quips, "Welcome to Scotland."

13. This is a really small moment, but I have always enjoyed it. When Bond is running across the field of his ancestral home and he jump kicks a henchman in stride, it always makes me smile.

14. Javier Bardem's death scene is so freaking great.

15. The final scene of the new M and Bond in an office harkens back to the classic films where Bond is given an assignment as he sits across from his boss. Once Craig retires and we do another reboot of the franchise, I want to get back to Bond being given an assignment in M's office and we start off on our adventure.

25 Days of Bond (Day 22)

Since Quantum of Solace suffered from a Writers Guild of America strike while filming, I am going to treat this write-up in a similar fashion and give it a quick once over with no polishes.

1. Along with not having a team of writers available to work out the kinks of the story, the movie also suffers from being influenced heavily by the Jason Bourne series. The quick editing style does the movie no favors. However, even though some of the pre-title sequence can't really be understood without multiple viewings it is still a thrilling piece of action cinema. I also love how artsy it begins with the music building as the camera swoops across an Italian lake and flashes of the cars chasing one another are seen before we are inserted right into the middle of the chase. It is a nice cinematic flair from the director that makes the sequence stand out.

2. I'm not usually a fan of the location being flashed on screen as it should either be obvious from the coverage footage of the city or detailed in the dialogue. However, sometimes location titles are necessary in a movie. These are done in an interesting and artistic way, so it is the best possible situation for what we're given.

3. "It's time to get out."

4. The killing of Edmund Slate in Port-au-Prince is another failure due to the frantic editing style. However, after the killing as Bond is cleaning up, the camera keeps returning to Slate's lifeless body and it is a reminder to the viewer of the coldness and brutality it takes to be in Bond's profession. He ignores what has just taken place and is simply moving on with his duty, but we keep coming back to the horrific look on Slate's face as he realizes the final moments of his life slipping away.

5. Tanner is back again and here to stay for the next three movies as well. He becomes a permanent member of the Scooby gang at MI6. There are little hints in this film that he and Bond are close. The best moment that reflects this is when M is interrogating Bond about the recent killing of Slate, Tanner interrupts and changes the subject in order to deflect from Bond's reckless behavior.

6. Director Mark Forster definitely tried to sprinkle his artistic style throughout this movie and it is unfortunate he was dealt a bad hand with the writer strike. However, where you can see some of his creativity working well is during the Tosca scene. As Bond is spying on members of the villainous group we get some intercutting with the Italian opera and the edits continue even when the henchmen are chasing Bond backstage and through the building. It is similar to the shot in You Only Live Twice where the camera pulls back to reveal Bond being chased along some rooftops instead of trying to show another fight sequence that we've seen so many times. In Quantum of Solace we hear the operatic music and get shots of the performance among those of Bond being pursued. It is a fascinating technique that I think works.

7. Another Bondian-trope that is turned on its head is the fight between Bond and main villain Dominic Greene. After establishing how great of shape Bond is in during Casino Royale the filmmakers couldn't really make us believe that Greene would be a physical match for Bond. However, during the climactic battle they do still make it an interesting fight as Greene goes berserk with an axe. I assume it is hard to combat an opponent when they have no style at all and are just flailing about.

8. I really wish the writers strike had not taken place during the making of this movie as I feel that one particular scene that, as it stands now, is pretty good could have been exceptional with a few re-writes. It is the one where Bond is comforting Camille in the burning hotel room as they think they are about to die. Her backstory, which isn't touched upon quite enough to drive the point home, involves her being the sole survivor when as a child her family was attacked, raped, and killed and her home set ablaze. She obviously has some serious trauma and pyrophobia and she keeps mumbling to Bond, "Not like this." You can see Bond contemplating shooting her to put her out of her misery and at the last second he sees a way out. Some additional work from the writers would have made this an outstanding display for Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko's talents.

25 Days of Bond (Day 21)

We have reached the point in the series where Daniel Craig takes over as 007 and the franchise begins a story and character arc very much intertwined among the star's films, which is not something previously done for Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, or Brosnan. Casino Royale is a near perfect movie for fans of this franchise and after 15 years of letting it resonate with me I have a hard time keeping it as my third favorite in the series. It is many fans' number one favorite and I could see myself eventually succumbing to that line of thinking as well.

1. Having the pre-title sequence shown in black and white is such an interesting choice. It creates a certain ambiance and sets a tone for what is to come, while at the same time giving us the unnecessary, but intriguing, history of how Bond receives his double-oh status. Fans of the literary character know that it takes two kills to get a license to kill with her majesty's government and having to see the brutality and coldness of those two kills is an incredible start to the movie.

2. The first time I saw Casino Royale's title sequence I didn't particularly like it, but I have since realized it was because I was so thrown by the greatness of the pre-title sequence that I wasn't ready for another drastic departure to what I was used to. I now recognize what a unique visual the animated sequence is as Chris Cornell's rocking theme song plays over the titles.

3. The parkour chase sequence is a highlight of the movie and my favorite sequence. Besides just being an immensely entertaining and re-watchable scene, it also displays, along with other parts to come later in the movie, how Bond is not really the best at his job just yet. He makes a lot of mistakes along the way to becoming the heroic spy we've come to love.

4. Despite the character being portrayed by Judi Dench still, this Bond's M is a different person than what we got with Pierce Brosnan. She is still a strong woman in power who doesn't comprise, but she is more of a mentor/motherly figure to this Bond than she was with Brosnan's 007. Craig's character, while respecting her more over the course of the later movies, certainly defies this boss more than any other Bond has before, which is a big regret with many fans and the reason for their disdain in regard to Craig's tenure.

5. "So you want me to be half monk, half hitman."

6. The Miami Airport chase is just a thing of beauty. It plays out so well and like the parkour chase sequence is utterly re-watchable time and time again.

7. The conversation aboard the train between Vesper and Bond when they meet is probably the best writing in the entire series. Their interplay and back-and-forth banter with one another is fantastic. It is the greatest introduction to a Bond girl since Ursula Andress on the Crab Key beach.

8. That Aston Martin DBS is gorgeous. It is a funny coincidence that Joanna pointed out a white version of this car in the Six Flags parking lot this afternoon as we were leaving the park.

9. Rene Mathis is a literary character who shows up in several of the Ian Fleming novels and some of the continuation novels. He isn't necessarily a standout character by any means, but has always been an ally to Bond. It was great to finally get a version of the character in a film and Giancarlo Giannini is a pleasure to watch.

10. She is the woman who molds Bond into the cold-blooded, womanizing character we know. Vesper Lynd ranks alongside Tracy di Vicenzo as most influential Bond girls of all time and Eva Green hits every right note needed in the performance.

11. As a regular poker player the scenes involving Texas hold'em are really well done and fun to watch for viewers of all familiarity with the game, but there are some small things that annoy me throughout the film. The way they handle the chips and plaques are not acceptable in a real game and the way Bond wins and loses certain big hands aren't great examples of showing whether he is proficient at the game. They would be played in the same manner by people with a minimal skill set at poker.

12. I'm sure it is annoying at this point for me to just keep saying how great this scene is and that scene is, but when a movie is this good that's kind of all I can do. That being said, the stairwell fight is so good. Bond and the machete-wielding killer give it their all as they punch, fall, and slice their way down the stairs all while Vesper is just trying to get away, but she eventually gets caught up in the fight and has to take action, which is something she never expected to be a part of in her life and has a lasting impact on her.

13. Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter is the greatest actor to ever play the role. I was so happy to hear he would be returning in Quantum of Solace, but the writers ended up not utilizing him in the way we are accustomed to. Then he is only referenced in Spectre. I'm hoping we get a really good scene between Bond and Felix in the upcoming No Time to Die.

14. It is a testament to the greatness of this movie in that I am finally getting around to Le Chiffre. Mads Mikkelsen was unknown to me at the time this movie was released, but since then I've seen several of his films and he, like Jeffrey Wright, is one of the greatest actors to appear in a Bond film. And on top of that, we get a physical deformity with the blood tears, which isn't overplayed for laughs but just is added to make the character a little more menacing.

15. As much as I love the Aston Martin DBS, I also love the barrel roll stunt that destroys it. The original plan was to only have the car flip over one time, but ended up sending it into a seven-roll spin, which set a world record.

16. No previous Bond movie could have had a torture scene like the one we got with Craig. If there was any doubt about this new actor bringing a harder edge that we hadn't seen before (Timothy Dalton notwithstanding) this scene was proof of that.

17. Well, what do I say about the betrayal and death of Vesper. Even after 25 viewings it is conflicting for me. I'm with Bond when he states at the end of the film, "the bitch is dead," which is taken directly from the source novel. However, seeing her drowning and Bond's subsequent attempt to revive her brings up all the feelings.

18. Yet, it is the impact of Vesper's influence and death that transforms Bond into the man we meet in Dr. No and his introduction to Mr. White is the perfect way to end this film.

25 Days of Bond (Day 20)

This is going to be another short one with not much thought or effort put into it since that is what the writers and Pierce Brosnan did while making the darn thing. Die Another Day is half of a good movie and the other half belongs in the Razzie's Hall of Fame. Here is what's actually good about it.

1. I have given a lot of praise to the title sequences during Brosnan's run as Bon and while I don't like the actual theme and images shown in this title sequence I do like that they show part of the story during it. They've never done anything like that before or after and it happily distracts us from the stupid Madonna song and plethora of scorpions (its just too many scorpions being shown; we get it, they used scorpions on him during the torture).

2. Raoul the sleeper agent is a really cool bit. I don't necessarily think the character is all that memorable, but the idea of Bond activating a long-forgotten sleeper in Cuba was an interesting idea.

3. This is the 20th film in the series (like the title of this post references), so the producers wanted it to reference the other 19 films to have come before. Some are extremely obvious and annoying, while others are subtle and enjoyable. The ones that work I really like and wish they had tried as hard on all the others that are just, "hey remember this thing we did that was so much better the first time around."

4. November 22, 2002, is when I fell in love with Rosamund Pike. She is in my all-time favorites list of actresses and nearly 20 years later she looks just as gorgeous as she did when she graced the screen in this movie.

5. One nod to the literary world of 007 is when Bond duels Gustav Graves at Blades. This is a gentlemen's club we are introduced to in the novel Moonraker. This is the closest we've actually gotten to a cinema version of Moonraker as the movie with that title has nothing to do with the book other than using the villain's name. The sword fight at Blades is the best part of this movie. It is intense and shows off some creative swordplay.

6. "Hey boss. He beat your time."

7. Nearly everything in Iceland is horrific and unwatchable, however, the car chase with 007 and Zao is pretty great. It is fun to see the evil version of Bond get his own gadget-filled vehicle and they go at it.

25 Days of Bond (Day 19)

Among the Bond fan community this is an unpopular opinion, but I rank The World is not Enough a lot higher than most people. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure and it certainly has its problems (Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist being the most frequently mentioned), but it is a product of the times when 90s action films were completely over the top and put explosive action ahead of plot coherence or character development. Also, what this movie gets right it does really well. Here is what I like about The World is not Enough.

1. While most of the action in this movie feels like the writers developed first and then figured out ways to get the characters in position for said moments, the one sequence that works perfectly is the boat chase on the Thames in the pre-title sequence. Originally the titles were going to run after 007 made his escape in Spain, but the producers felt it wasn't a big enough stunt so they delayed the titles and included the exquisite boat chase in the pre-title sequence. Comedy and action intertwine throughout as Bond uses a prototype boat loaded with gadgets to chase down an assassin.

2. I've always been a fan of the band Garbage, so when they were selected to sing the film's theme song I was hoping for something modern with a classic Bond-theme feeling and in my opinion they delivered. The song has a dark and moody sound while being completely in the style of Garbage and Bond at the same time.

3. The images that go along with the theme song of naked women soaked in oil harkens back to the Maurice Binder classics like Thunderball.

4. While they didn't know this would be Desmond Llewelyn's final appearance in the franchise as Q, this is the perfect way for him to say goodbye. Llewelyn would end up dying in a car crash following completion of this film's production.

5. You rarely see one of Bond's quips undone, but when Brosnan tells the Parahawk driver who he thinks will fall to his death after steering off a snowy cliff that he'll "see him back at the lodge" and then a secondary parachute comes out, the disappointment on his face couldn't be any funnier.

6. The amount of bad acting that we get from Denise Richards is equally balanced out by a great turn from Sophie Marceau. In addition to being one of the most beautiful women to grace the screen as a Bond girl, Marceau's performance as the sexy, duplicitous Elektra King gives the best performance in the entire movie.

7. We get the return of Valentin Zukovsky! Other than Felix Leiter, very few allies get repeat appearances, but Zukovsky is absolutely deserving of that privilege.

8. It is a really nice touch putting a painting of original M actor, Bernard Lee, on the wall at the Scottish headquarters.

9. I have a soft spot for mystery plots in this franchise. I love it when Bond has to figure things out along with the audience and we get twists and turns throughout.

10. The title of the film and the way they use it in the movie is a great callback to the Bond family motto from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

11. I know I already touched on Sophie Marceau and her powerful performance as Electra, but I also have to add that the scene when she has Bond in a torture chair is fantastic. She is doing a high-wire balancing act of sexpot and sociopath and pulls it off flawlessly.

12. "You wouldn't kill me. You'd miss me." ... "I never miss."