No Time to Die – Member reviews (Spoilers!)

Films No Time To Die (Spoilers)
923

The only Craig film that might have benefited from a final battle is SPECTRE. They had set it up too as once M says no to Moneypenny and Q to assist 007, Felix and the CIA could have been sent in as Donna Lucia is presumably under the CIA’s protection.

However, the battles in TB, YOLT, TSWLM and MR have some urgency as a nuclear bomb or world war 3 is about to start. A countdown to Nine Eyes taking over surveillance data doesn’t have the same immediacy.

And yet, there’s a nice parallel with Skyfall ending with the destruction of Bond’s childhood house and Spectre ending with the destruction of his workplace building.

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924

It’s an archaic practice, both in fiction and in reality.

Selling the idea that a huge military intervention will fix everything has been proven wrong by the history of humanity! It’s a lie that needs to die.

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925

And NTTD ending with the destruction of his body and life.

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926

This quote from Fukunaga inside No Time To Die: The Making of the Film, talking about the stairwell scene, sells me on why Bond goes in alone to open the blast doors:

“If you’re making a film that’s coming from the experience of the character, there’s nothing that puts you more in the present tense than a oner. I think what makes this James Bond film different from the others is it’s more of a personal experience. It’s Bond’s perspective versus a God’s eye perspective, and when you’re in Bond’s perspective, oners put you right there with him. They increase the tension and the thrill of the moment. I like being with characters for that long.”

The focus is right there on Bond and his last journey.

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927

Nicely explained, and I totally understand where he’s coming from. Makes total sense as a creative decision, but for my personal taste, it looks just a tad too much “ego-shooter”.

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928

I’ve been working on a top 30 moments of the Craig era countdown, by the way. Should be completed fairly soon. I’m deciding if I post it all at once, or in instalments. Perhaps the latter.

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929

That will be difficult to do, and makes me excited to read your list! :slight_smile:

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930

My countdown begins:

30. “Shaken or stirred? – “Do I look like I give a damn?” (Casino Royale, 2006)

James Bond is very particular when it comes to his trademark vodka martini. Craig’s incarnation, however, didn’t seem to bother too much during this moment in Casino Royale. It’s a small scene, but a memorable one, and instantly set this Bond apart from the rest.

29. Stealing a tuxedo (Quantum of Solace, 2008)

After arriving at the opera without suitable attire, Bond steals a tuxedo from a stage performer. He then knocks out a Quantum member and locks him inside a bathroom by ripping off the door handle. This humorous scene reinforces the idea a suit is something this younger, rougher around the edges Bond merely uses to blend in to high society.

28. Emerging from the surf (Casino Royale, 2006)

In a moment that has become almost as famous as Ursula Andress’ entrance in 1962’s Dr No, Craig rises from the ocean wearing a pair of blue bathers, highlighting his masculinity and cementing a strong female following.

27. Six martinis (Quantum of Solace, 2008)

Bond sits alone at the bar during a flight to Bolivia. His old friend Mathis joins him, and we discover Bond has downed six Vesper martinis. An impressive feat, and one that reveals a haunted agent still troubled by his past.

26. How very traditional (Skyfall, 2012)

Bond spends a large amount of time sporting a beard in Skyfall, and when the time comes to shave it off, he opts to use a traditional cut throat razor. In a sensually squeamish scene, the deed is done by Eve Moneypenny, again pushing the film’s theme that sometimes the old ways are the best.

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931

I’m guessing more than half the population would put Bond emerging from the surf a lot higher.

Nice list.

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932

Running the risk of coming across beyond mouth breather, this scene is preceded by probably my single favorite camera shot of the entire DC era - Bond walking down the corridor towards the camera, as the actor drifts slightly to his right, the camera moves almost imperceptibly in the other direction. Great work by the DP and director.

For all the conversation about shakes-cam, what gets lost in discussing QoS is how many truly terrific camera shots the film does contain.

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933

When Quantum of Solace came out on Blu Ray, my friend and I got to that scene and decided to have martinis, Bond’s recipe as recited by the bartender. He passed out after two, and I after three. No way we could’ve done six!

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934

Yeah when the movie came out I didn’t quite get the joke (I was 18!). Now every time I watch it my first thought is “ Yeah no f***ing way.” :joy:

935

I love QOS. All of it.

Except the shaky-cam sequences.

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936

Same. Lots to like in QoS.

937

It was the night of the Skyfall (or was it SPECTRE?) premiere in London. I had the disadvantage that everyone else had seen the movie, whereas I hadn’t got a ticket, which gave me the opportunity of an outside view of the premiere. After the premiere we all met at the usual place (a casino in London), an illustrious gathering of Bond fans from around the world. (I had to walk away from many conversations that night in order not to get spoilered). Some CBners, 003, The Admiral, Marketto from Brazil, Ajay shooting in and out and in and out, some of my German fellows etc.

I was part of a group of six who stood together at one of the bars and talked the night away (with other people joining or walking away), and as the evening evolved, each one of us had bought a round of Vespers – six of them, in about as many hours. A once in a lifetime experience. We left past five in the morning. :woozy_face:

At 8.30, I knew why the hotel room three minutes from Leicester Square had been available at such a modest rate, when the jackhammers started working at the building site across the street :confounded:

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938

Great story, stromberg! :cocktail:

939

My countdown continues:

25. “How many is that now?” (Quantum of Solace, 2008)

A recurring theme of Craig’s first three Bond films is the body count of his female acquaintances. This is effectively demonstrated with the death of Agent Fields, who is laid out on a bed covered in the liquid gold that is oil. The sequence updates Jill Masterson’s demise from Goldfinger to the current day, giving Craig further claim as Connery’s true successor.

24. Backfire (SPECTRE, 2015)

Up until this point, Craig’s Bond had to settle for a micro-dermal sensor Walther PPK and his own personal Aston Martin DB5. You would think stealing 009’s Aston Martin DB10 would improve his gadget chances, but not so. While being pursued by SPECTRE assassin Hinx, Bond discovers the car’s weapons have not been loaded. He isn’t too happy, but when a button releases a torrent of flame from the vehicle’s rear, a satisfied Bond declares “that’s more like it.”

23. Helicopter heroics (SPECTRE, 2015)

The Craig era has established this Bond is a skilled pilot and capable of fighting from great heights, such as cranes. In perhaps his greatest display of both, Bond engages Marco Sciarra outside an out of control helicopter, before saving the vehicle from certain doom. The helicopter corkscrews have become an iconic visual for this era, again showing stunts done for real always beat computer imagery.

22. Hiding the pain (Skyfall, 2012)

The second last lesson Desmond Llewelyn’s Q gave Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in ‘The World is not Enough’ was to “never let them see you bleed.” After undergoing gruelling physical tests in the MI6 underground under close supervision, Craig’s Bond collapses to the floor, but only after Tanner has left the room. A small moment which reminds us that Bond is a disciplined human being, but a human being nonetheless.

21. Life insurance (SPECTRE, 2015)

Bond attends the funeral of Marco Sciarra and encounters his widow, Lucia. He remarks he knew Marco all too briefly and his profession is life insurance. Some claim humour is not Craig’s strong suit, but these pointed remarks are classic Bond and show a sense of playfulness from a man feeling very comfortable in the role.

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940

Interesing, I am enjoying your list so far.

I actually never took this line to be humorous. It comes off as very creepy (not like how Bond later bedding Lucia is creepy, but more like scary creepy). Much of Spectre has a horror-vibe to it and Bond certainly seems to be acting as the harbinger of death for Lucia and she must be terrified based on what Bond is telling her and the way he is acting.

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941

I think both are true. I think there is a small laugh in there, but your description of the scene is correct too.

I enjoy the kissing scene with Lucia especially when she says that her husband spent more time with SPECTRE than with her, and Bond replies “Then the man was a fool…”

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942

I also particularly like the way Craig answers her question „Can’t you see I‘m grieving?“ with a sly „No.“

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