Bodes particularly well for Craig’s Bond. He doesn’t do the broad gags well at all, but the subtle, dry or darker asides he’s very good at.
Sorry you’re on the fence about Maniac - I’m really enjoying it, especially it’s abundant references to Kubrick like Hal and Strangelove (perhaps yet to come!?).
Also, I love the score. The main theme is a bit of a rip off of a massive attack track from their score for the 2005 movie Danny The Dog (AKA Unleashed), but it’s tweaked enough to stand on its own merits. And if you’re gonna steal, then steal from the best, hey! All art is theft (as Picasso once said); I stole it myself once for a doc I cut in the naughties
EDIT: here’s the massive attack tune to compare with the end credit theme of Maniac…
They’re obviously not identicle - the keys are different, but the concept is the same. Tbh I love both versions and hope that Fukunaga is allowed to bring his great taste in music Bond.
Honestly, I keep watching MANIAC because in every episode there is something that keeps me hooked. But there are also many scenes which make me check my watch and ask myself: should I keep watching?
It seems to me that the storytelling is extremely wobbly and drawn out, as if the central idea easily could have been dealt with within a 90 minute movie. Atmosphere and especially the photography (giving a real spatial feel for the surroundings) are topnotch. But I sincerely hope that the second half of the series will reveal more surprises and fresh ideas.
As for Kubrick - nah, Kubrick is Kubrick, and Fukunaga is Fukunaga. Sure, he seems inspired or at least eager to drop some homages here and there. But they are very different, and they should be - how could they be not, making movies in the current climate?
As I mentioned before, I saw all ten episodes of Maniac and enjoyed the show, but I wasn’t blown away by it. Back when Mendes was announced, I mentioned Road to Perdition as a film I enjoyed, but wasn’t blown away by it. If this guy can follow in those footsteps, giving us something more complex and character driven like Skyfall, Bond 25 should be in good hands.
In the end, of course, it all depends on the particular story. As a director Fukunaga knows what he’s doing. If MANIAC´s story is not to one´s liking it´s no problem for BOND 25 at all.
Is there any director whose films (and stories) I enjoy totally, the whole filmography?
I’m certainly not saying they’re the same. I doubt anyone will ever come close to Kubrick’s virtuosity imo.
But who a director is influenced by is obviously important. And though it’d be fair to say that it’s hard to find a good director who isn’t influenced by Kubrick, Fukunaga seems to be wearing it so proudly on his sleeve in Maniac that for anyone wondering what kind of bond movie he’ll make it could be a vital clue. What kind of bond movie would Kubrick make?
Of course Fukunaga won’t make his bond wearing a ‘What would Kubrick do?’ T-shirt, but even if it’s not a conscious decision, the abundant adoration evident in Maniac (and his decision to make Napoleon) suggests perhaps that Kubrick’s style may be influential in Bond 25 and so may we indeed glean some pointers on his bond by asking that very question printed upon his hyperthetical t-short?
I find it’s not only Maniac’s themes and visuals that scream Kubrick, but the way Fukunaga draws his scenes - pacing, blocking and performances - and the ever present ironies, both farce and sophisticated.
Moreover it’s the skill with which he apes the great man that catches my eye. Many directors do all of the above, but I’m not so sure anyone has ever done quite so authentically, including Spielberg.
I see. I’m just a little allergic to calling someone “the new…” It´s most of the time misleading hype and limiting the particular person to one aspect or similarity. The influence, as you point out, is definitely visible in MANIAC (not really in TRUE DETECTIVE, but that was not Fukunaga full-time, right?)
In any event, a Kubrick-influenced BOND 25… bring it on!
That’s absolutely the right attitude and I’m indeed in danger of inferring that. He’s not the new Kubrick and I’m sure he’d much rather be his own thing. While I love the Kubrication of Maniac there’s also much more to this limited series than that, both good and bad.
But, yeah, a Kubricated Bond! I wouldn’t say no to that either
Remember when the rumors were flying about Felix Leiter and Craig’s Langley visit? How about Felix gets brainwashed and becomes a threat, and requires his friend Bond to rescue him? Or is that too close to Maniac?
Agreed on many points and also, having caught up on MANIAC, the chops are good IMO. Drive and focus are key and lend to story telling. If what is presented is combined with the right look in terms of cinematography, then I think and hope that we have the right man for the job as long as he’s a team player on behalf of what Bond is (and) can be about. Focus on the challenge and character and there’s a lot there to work with.
️ WARNING: Not an out and out spoiler, but even so…
… …
After all the ‘Kubrication’ it then throws in (imo) a homage to The Graduate. It’s not on the nose, but i’d say Fukunaga was aware of the similarity. And if so it makes a neat, sardonic statement on marriage and insane asylums. The comparison is more particular and stronger than that but I don’t want to give everything away in my Spoiler warning isn’t headed.
Perhaps even the 00 Spectre’s Aston was intended for before Bond stole it.
It would explain how the SPECTRE guard new that it was bond who’d arrived at the Rome meeting (not that it needs explaining necessarily). It’d be a neat reveal if SPECTRE were informed of the Aston’s details by this 00 traitor.
A 00 traitor could also help the writers figure out how to plausibly boost Blofeld from a high security prison (if that’s a feature of Bond 25). Although they already played that card in QoS, secondhand plot devices are not uncommom in the franchise.
6 of the last 8 movies had a rogue agent inside MI6:
GE Trevelyan
DAD Miranda
CR Vesper
QoS Mitchell
SF Silva
SP Denbigh.
Please, no more rogue MI6 agents. That trope has been played out to death.
️ WARNING: Not an out and out spoiler, but even so…