Followers of my blog are aware that I’ve been blogging on each and every James Bond film with my thoughts on them all for the past month and a half. It will culminate this week when Skyfall is released on Blu Ray. Following my blog post on that picture, I will write a post ranking every 007 movie from #1 to #23.
In the meantime, all that Bond watching has given me an opportunity to hear every James Bond theme song that plays over the opening credits. So today seems like an appropriate time to share with you my favorites of the 007 theme songs… and even it’s even more appropriate to pick seven of them. So without further adieu, the (00) 7 Best James Bond Theme Songs picked by yours truly.
7. “Diamonds Are Forever” – performed by Shirley Bassey
This is not Shirley Bassey’s first James Bond theme song or her last (she would return for 1979’s Moonraker). While her first 007 theme will rank higher, this song is a memorable Bond theme… and be used later in a Kanye West sample. Great work from Bassey, though not quite her best.
6. “You Only Live Twice” – performed by Nancy Sinatra
From the Chairman of the Board’s daughter comes this lush theme. It definitely sticks in your head and was sampled later by Robbie Williams for his terrific song “Millenium”.
5. “A View to a Kill” – performed by Duran Duran
Not one of the best 007 movies, but definitely a fantastic theme song. Performed by Duran Duran (a “boy” band who happened to make brilliant pop music in the 80s), this happens to be the only Bond theme I’ve seen performed live.
4. “Skyfall” – performed by Adele
There was a long break between great theme songs… about twenty seven years to be exact between A View to a Kill and this. There were some decent ones (The World Is Not Enough by Garbage, You Don’t Know My Name from Casino Royale by Chris Cornell) and some bad to mediocre ones (Sheryl Crow’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Madonna’s Die Another Day). With the 2012 Bond and Skyfall, the marriage of Adele and Bond theme seemed like a perfect idea the moment it was announced. And it was.
3. “Nobody Does It Better” – performed by Carly Simon
From one of the very best Bond pictures, 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, comes this classic Bond theme. With its wonderful piano arrangement and Carly Simon’s vocals, this epitomizes what’s special about 007 music.
2. “Live and Let Die” – performed by Paul McCartney and Wings
Seems like a natural fit to have someone from Britain’s most famous band do a theme song for Britain’s most famous film character. The result is this classic song.
1. “Goldfinger” – performed by Shirley Bassey
The theme song that every other Bond song is measured against… and there’s a reason for it. From the moment those classic strings come in and Shirley Bassey starts singing, “Goldfinger” takes its place as the quintessential 007 tune.
So there you have it – my favorite 007 theme songs! My thoughts on Skyfall are coming soon, my friends, along with my ultimate rankings of all 007 movies!
You know that one guy who played D-Day in National Lampoon’s Animal House and he’s been in like 100 movies since then? That’s Bruce McGill, an actor whose become a personal favorite of great director Michael Mann and appeared in his movies The Insider, Ali, and Collateral. He’s also shown up in The Last Boy Scout The Sum of All Fears, and Cinderella Man, among many others. Here he is making the absolute most of his screen time in a fantastic courtroom scene in The Insider.
Mr. McGill is a perfect example of a “Character Actor”, those performers who seem to pop up in about three or four high-profile pictures a year. While a lot of us may go to the theater to see the actor whose name is above the title, it’s these character actors that often put a smile on our faces. Their presence is like comfort food. We may not even know their names, but we know their work. And we’re often left saying, “You Know That One Guy…” from “so and so”… “he/she is great!!”.
I certainly have my group of favorite character actors and here is just a small sampling. You may not know the name James Rebhorn, but I bet you know him. He’s been in everything from Independence Day to Scent of a Woman to The Game to Meet the Parents to Baby Mama. Here he is alongside Gwyneth Paltow in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley.
There’s the late, great J.T. Walsh, who you may know as Jack Nicholson’s right-hand man in A Few Good Men. You know, the one that killed himself and screwed up Tom Cruise’s whole case. You may also know him from Backdraft. Or Pleasantville. Or Hoffa. Or The Negotiator. Or Sling Blade. Here he is in one of the few decent scenes in 1995’s Outbreak.
Then there’s Alfred Molina. He’s been in everything from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Spider-Man 2, in which he had a breakout role playing the main villain. You may also know him from The Da Vinci Code. Or Chocolat. My favorite Molina role is unquestionably his role as a coked-up weirdo in 1997’s brilliant Boogie Nights. He had only one scene, but he killed it and that sequence in the film is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. Molina’s contribution had a lot to do with that.
Another one of my beloved character actors was also in Boogie Nights. Luis Guzman is definitely a face you’ll recognize. If not from Boogie Nights, how about Carlito’s Way, Out of Sight, or Traffic. Here he is alongside Jack Nicholson in 2003’s Anger Management.
The late Paul Gleason is also a personal favorite. He always tended to show up as a prick in many famous 1980s pictures, namely Trading Places, The Breakfast Club, and Die Hard. Here is a wonderful tribute to his work:
William Fichtner is that guy who’s been in everything from Heat to Armageddon to Black Hawk Down to Crash to The Dark Knight. He also absolutely kills in every scene from 1999’s Go. Fichtner pretty much steals that movie.
How about Richard Jenkins? Burn After Reading. Friends with Benefits. The Kingdom. Eat Pray Love. The Cabin in the Woods. You know… that guy. Here he is as John C. Reilly’s dad in Step Brothers.
And there’s no way I could do a post on fabulous character actors without mentioning Gary Cole. From his perfect comedic portrayal of Mike in The Brady Bunch movies to Will Ferrell’s absentee dad in Talladega Nights to sportscaster Cotton McKnight in Dodgeball, Cole has brilliantly turned a career that started in TV drama (he was the star of the series “Midnight Caller”) to a comedic gold mine of roles. Oh yeah. There’s also his role as Bill Lumbergh in a little 1999 comedy called Office Space.
Sometimes performers known as character actors become household names. Think Christopher Walken. Or John C. Reilly. Or Paul Giamatti. Or William H. Macy. Or Steve Buscemi. Or Gary Oldman and Kevin Spacey. I could go on pontificating on the greatness of many more character actors, from Joe Pantoliano to Frances McDormand to Philip Baker Hall to Dennis Farina to Brian Cox to J.K. Simmons (you know, that guy who’s Peter Parker’s boss and Juno’s dad…).
However, I’ll end on this note, giving you two character actors to keep an eye on. First up: Lucy Punch, a talented comedic actress who has made the most of her roles in Dinner for Schmucks and Bad Teacher.
By the way, that scene in Bad Teacher features another wonderful character actor, John Michael Higgins or “that guy from all the Christopher Guest movies who also played Jennifer Aniston’s brother in The Break-Up“.
And remember the name Brett Gelman. He’s been in such comedies as 30 Minutes or Less and A Very Harold&Kumar 3D Christmas. Gelman caught my attention in the 2010 Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg picture The Other Guys, in which he owned the scene he got to appear in. Pay attention to about :56 seconds into this clip. This dude’s awesome!
I could obviously go on with many more examples, but you get the idea. We may talk about the big movie stars and their filmographies on a more regular basis. It is often those character actors that we remember the most though. Even if we can’t always recall their names off-hand.
At the box office this weekend, we have a high profile comedy and a high profile director offering up new material, along with last weekend’s champ Warm Bodies entering its sophomore frame.
First up: Identity Thief, from the director of Horrible Bosses, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman. It will be interesting to see McCarthy’s star power with this feature. This is her first vehicle in a starring role after making an enormous splash in a supporting role in 2011’s massive hit Bridesmaids. She even earned an Oscar nomination (rare for a comedic performance) for the role. While Bridesmaids received overwhelmingly positive reviews, Identity Thief has not been met with much critical acclaim. Still, McCarthy’s presence, some fairly effective trailers, and the absence of comedies over the last couple of months should help. I honestly believe Thief could gross as low as $16 million and as much as $36 million. My gut tells me it will be on the lower end of the spectrum, but I won’t be shocked if it outperforms my prediction.
Steven Soderbergh, the great director of Out of Sight, Traffic, and Contagion, is back with Side Effects, a psychological thriller starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara, and (paying attention ladies?…) Channing Tatum. Soderbergh has a spotty track record at the box office lately. While Contagion was a hit, his last feature (2012’s Haywire) grossed a weak $8 million in its opening frame. The marketing for Side Effects has been muted in my view, though the presence of Tatum and generally solid reviews does nothing but help. If audiences are still seeking out adult fare (which they’ve had in abundance lately), Effects could open higher than my rather meager prediction.
As for the leftovers likely to fill out the Top 5, the zombie comedy Warm Bodies enters its second weekend and I expect it to drop close to 50 percent. For the record… I predicted it would open at $20.5 million last weekend and it grossed $20.4 million. So… pat on the back for me! Silver Linings Playbook has remained in the Top 5 and experienced small declines from week to week. I expect that to continue. Finally, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, in its third frame, seems likely to drop over 50 percent, just as it did in its second weekend.
And with that, my predictions for the weekend:
1. Identity Thief
Predicted Gross: $22.1 million
2. Side Effects
Predicted Gross: $11.5 million
3. Warm Bodies
Predicted Gross: $10.6 million (representing a drop of 48%)
4. Silver Linings Playbook
Predicted Gross: $6 million (representing a drop of 23%)
5. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Predicted Gross: $4 million (representing a drop of 54%)
This weekend on the Facebook page, check for updates on Saturday and on the blog Sunday for final numbers!
It is not often that we experience a new phenomenon in the world of film and television. However, as of this past Friday, entertainment audiences have been treated to a grand experiment… and a pretty risk one at that.
We all know Netflix, the streaming and mail order service entertainment catalog that serves us thousands and thousands of titles for our viewing pleasure. Personally, I feel strongly that Netflix is absolutely wonderful. The streaming service alone gives fans of movies and TV a tremendous amount of exposure to titles they might not normally see. This is music to my ears as I always encourage movie (and TV) lovers to expand their palette, hence my “Movies You Might Not Know” posts, etc…
Don’t get me wrong. A lot of the titles offered on Netflix are junk, but that’s movies for ya! On the contrary, when I scroll through their Classic Movies selection, it’s pretty damn impressive. I love the fact that, through Netflix, people are watching things they never would otherwise, especially with the death of video chains. Pay cable like HBO, Showtime, and others offer the same chance, but on a much more limited basis. And we all know that when a blockbuster title like The Hunger Games premieres of Cinemax, it’s going to be showing a lot, which preempts other titles.
Until now, Netflix has always been thought of as simply a way to see movies and TV shows (and documentaries and concerts) that have already been released. That is until last Friday when Netflix made a bold decision to begin making their own original programming.
And for their first experiment, they didn’t go for some generic action pic or outrageous comedy that might have cost $10-$20 million to produce. Instead, Netflix went ahead and made a 13 episode TV series “House of Cards” and they invested in some high-price talent to do it. A second season is already ordered. The series stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn, and Kate Mara. The first two episodes are directed by the great David Fincher, who brought us Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Other episodes are directed by James Foley, who directed Spacey in Glengarry Glen Ross and Joel Schumacher, who directed Spacey in A Time to Kill. The show is set in Washington D.C., with Spacey playing a conniving Congressman who will go to far lengths to get what he wants. The characters are complicated and well-written. The direction is first-rate. I don’t know why, but the orchestral theme song by Jeff Beal has not gotten out of my head since I started watching. I’m six episodes in out of thirteen and I can already say with high confidence that Kevin Spacey will win Best Actor at the Emmys this fall for his brilliant performance.
While many may gripe that movies aren’t that good anymore (a sentiment I vehemently disagree with), there is little doubt that television drama has been in a golden age for over a decade now. From “The Sopranos” to “Mad Men” to “Breaking Bad” to “Lost” to “24” to “Homeland” to “Boardwalk Empire” to “The Shield” to “The Walking Dead” and much more, TV drama has been on a hot streak for a long time now. Looking at that list, you realize a lot of that has to do with cable networks and their ability to take risks and produce high-quality programming. What HBO started has been continued by AMC, FX, and Showtime, among others.
Netflix decided it was time to get in on the action and they spent an astonishing $100 million dollars to produce two seasons of “House of Cards”. It may be awhile before we know if their investment paid off. There’s a lot of questions, but the main one is: how many people will watch it? What is a good number to be considered a hit show and worth the nine digit investment? It will be months before we really know how well it did. Will Netflix subscribers watch one or two episodes or the whole 13 episodes? And will this lead to Netflix producing a lot more TV shows and movies?
If it does lead to movies… what kind of talent will the company be able to attract? They’ve had a heckuva start enlisting Fincher for “Cards”, considering he’s one of the most sought after directors in Hollywood.
This all remains to be seen, but I give a whole lot of credit to Netflix for making their inaugural dip into the original programming pool a worthwhile one. “House of Cards” is pretty special and I highly recommend it.
Before your attention shifts to New Orleans and the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, we have some box office results to get to for the weekend.
As expected, the zombie comedy Warm Bodies opened atop the box office, grossing an estimated $20.4 million dollars in its opening weekend, right on target with my $20.5M projection. The picture earned solid reviews and a decent B+ Cinemascore grade from audiences and may have a decent holdup next weekend.
Last weekend’s winner Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters fell to second with $9.4 million, slightly above my $8.6M prediction. Oscar darling Silver Linings Playbook continues to exceed my expectations and came in third with $7.7 million, above my $6.6M estimate. In fourth place, I was right on the money with horror flick Mama earning $6.6 million (I said $6.7M). Zero Dark Thirty came in at the five post with $5.2 million, just under my $6M projection.
Sylvester Stallone’s Bullet to the Head performed a giant box office belly flop this weekend and the film had an even more pathetic opening than buddy Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bomb The Last Stand two weeks ago. Bullet managed just $4.5 million, well below my apparently generous $8 million estimate. The last three weeks have been brutal to generic action films, with Bullet, Stand, and Jason Statham’s Parker all flopping.
Finally, the Al Pacino pic Stand Up Guys opened on a small number of screens and made just $1.5 million, just above my $1.2 estimate.
Be sure to check back Wednesday for projections for next weekend when the Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief and Steven Soderbergh directed thriller Side Effects made their debuts. Stay tuned and enjoy the Super Bowl!
In two years, “Saturday Night Live” will turn 40 years old. Lorne Michaels brilliant creation has certainly had its ups and downs through the years, but it remains the most important television comedy on the air, capable of influencing culture and politics on a level that few singular forms of entertainment can.
The show has also served as a major launching pad for its cast members going into film careers. There are countless examples of success. Eddie Murphy’s film catalog has grossed nearly $4 billion dollars domestically. Adam Sandler’s filmography clocks in at over $2 billion. Chevy Chase has seen wild success with the Vacation series, Fletch, and more. Bill Murray has starred in comedy classics from Stripes to Groundhog Day to an Oscar nomination in Lost in Translation. Mike Myers created the hugely successful Wayne’s World (from an SNL skit) and, of course, Austin Powers. Will Ferrell struck it huge in film, from Old School to Anchorman and beyond. In 2011, Kristin Wiig made a massive headlining movie debut with Bridesmaids, as did Jason Sudeikis in Horrible Bosses. There are many more examples.
However, it doesn’t always work that way for SNL alumni. So consider this an alternative movie history for cast members who never quite broke out in movies.
We’ll start with the films based on sketches that bombed. In 1994, Julia Sweeney took her popular androgynous character Pat to the big screen with It’s Pat. Filmgoers quickly sent back the message that they preferred that character in five minute segments, not feature length film. The producers didn’t even bother to give it a wide release. The result? It’s Pat grossed all of $60,000 at the box office. Long way from the success of The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World.
In 2010, Will Forte brought his MacGruber character to the silver screen with disastrous results. It grossed only $8 million. Blogger’s note: MacGruber shouldn’t have gotten such a bad rap… it’s pretty damn funny.
Away from pictures based on sketches, let’s move on to alumni that just never broke out in film. Mary Gross was a cast member in the early-mid 80s. When she made her starring film debut in 1988’s Feds with Rebecca DeMornay, no one was watching to the tune of a $3.8 million box office take.
Victoria Jackson was a member of some wonderful casts in the late 90s and early 90s. Her attempt at film stardom, 1988’s Casual Sex?, didn’t register with moviegoers and it made just over $12 million. I also enjoyed the question mark in the title. Are we trying to convey an air of mystery?
Dana Carvey, one of SNL’s MVP’s, had a promising start with Wayne’s World. After that, it was pretty much all downhill. Films like 1994’s Clean Slate and Trapped in Paradise bombed. 2002’s Master of Disguise earned a respectable $40 million, yet it had the distinction of being one of the worst reviewed pictures of the year and Carvey has yet to star in a film since.
Chris Kattan had a long run as a cast member and did star with Will Ferrell in the mildly successful Night at the Roxbury, based on the SNL skit. When it came time for his close-up, 2001’s Corky Romano, it didn’t go over so well with a $23 million gross.
Jimmy Fallon was a wildly popular cast member whose gone on to the big things by taking over the “Late Night” franchise to positive results. However, when he tried to turn his SNL popularity into a film career, the result was 2004’s critically reviled Taxi with Queen Latifah, which underperformed with $36 million.
I could go on and on explaining the checkered movie history of Rob Schneider or Joe Piscopo or David Spade. For every Tommy Boy, there’s a Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. For every Ghostbusters, there’s a Pure Luck with Martin Short. For every Talladega Nights, there’s a Hot Rod with Andy Samberg.
So while “Saturday Night Live” always has and always will be an influential gateway from TV star to film star, it doesn’t always work. Ironically, a cast member from one of SNL’s most hated seasons went onto possibly the most impressive film career. In the 1985-86 season, an entire new cast was brought in to revamp the show. This was met with awful results, both ratings wise and critically. Almost the entire cast was fired after that one year, but one particular alumni from that forgettable season has seemed to manage with a movie career. His name is Robert Downey, Jr.
For Oscar purposes, 1995 gave us the opportunity to say something we certainly haven’t said much recently: it was a great year for Mel Gibson.
Mad Max directed and starred in Braveheart and the historical epic was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five. Those wins included Best Picture and Director.
In the Picture category, it was a relatively weak field in my judgment. Braveheart beat out Ron Howard’s Apollo 13, Chris Noonan’s childrens film Babe, Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, and Michael Radford’s critically acclaimed Italian film Il Postino.
I will confess that I’ve never seen Postino, but the other four nominees are all what I would describe as very good movies… none of them great. I’m certainly aware Braveheart has fans who would disagree. Sorry. My personal favorite picture of 1995 is probably Michael Mann’s heist drama Heat with its at the time historic pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. It was no surprise that it didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, but its exclusion in the cinematography and editing categories is inexcusable. Competing with Heat for favorite film honors of the year is certainly David Fincher’s Seven and it sadly received only one nomination, for Editing. And if the Academy wanted to include a kids film, I would have left Babe off and put in Pixar’s wonderful inaugural feature, Toy Story.
Three out of the five Picture nominees saw their directors nominated – Gibson, Noonan, and Radford. A little surprising that Ron Howard and Ang Lee were the ones left out. They were replaced by Mike Figgis for his work in Leaving Las Vegas and Tim Robbins for Dead Man Walking.
For Best Actor, Nicolas Cage was honored for his work in Leaving Las Vegas as a suicidal alcoholic. It certainly is one of his finest performances (he mixes in good acting every once in a while to join a host of over-the-top and silly performances). His main competition was Sean Penn as a death row inmate in Dead Man Walking. Penn would get his due not once, but twice in later years. Other nominees were Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland’s Opus, Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, and Massimo Troisi in Il Postino. Italian actor Troisi joined the small list of posthumous nominees. He passed away of a heart attack the day after Il Postino completed principal photography. Other performances that might have made my list: John Travolta’s terrific work in Get Shorty and Jack Nicholson in The Crossing Guard.
While Penn didn’t win the gold for Dead Man Walking, his co-star Susan Sarandon took the Best Actress award for that film as a nun counseling Penn. Her competition: Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas, Sharon Stone in Casino, Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County, and Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility. Amazingly, this was Thompson’s fourth nomination in three years. She won the Actress category in 1992 for Howards End and was nominated for Actress in 1993 for The Remains of the Day and Supporting Actress for In the Name of the Father. 1995 was actually quite a year for leading female roles. In addition to the five nominees, there were many other deserving performances: Nicole Kidman in To Die For, Kathy Bates in Dolores Claiborne, Julianne Moore in Safe, Jennifer Jason Leigh in Georgia, and Heather Matarazzo in Welcome to the Dollhouse. Popular choices could have included Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds or Julia Roberts in Something To Talk About.
In the Supporting Actor category, the favorite to win was Ed Harris in Apollo 13 or possibly Brad Pitt for 12 Monkeys. The winner is an example of the Academy getting it right, when they recognized Kevin Spacey for his breakout role in The Usual Suspects. The other nominees: James Cromwell in Babe and Tim Roth in Rob Roy. Pretty solid field, though I might have found room for Don Cheadle in Devil in a Blue Dress or a second nomination for Spacey in Seven.
For Supporting Actress, the winner was a performer in a Woody Allen film for the second year in a row. In 1994, Dianne Wiest took the honor for Bullets Over Broadway. Here, it’s Mira Sorvino for her first-rate comic performance in Mighty Aphrodite. She beat out Joan Allen in Nixon, Kathleen Quinlan in Apollo 13, Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility, and Mare Winningham in Georgia.
Again, my list probably would have looked a lot different in the Picture field, with consideration given to Heat, Seven, Toy Story and possibly 12 Monkeys or The Usual Suspects or Oliver Stone’s Nixon. However, it was Mr. Mel Gibson’s year.
For many years, the James Bond character pretty much had the super agent franchise to himself. Sure, many films would attempt to copy the Bond magic, to varying degrees of success. For the most part, however, it wasn’t until the 1990s and beyond that a number of other wildly successful franchises would take flight.
As followers of my blog are aware, I’ve been blogging and sharing my thoughts on each and every 007 adventure – all 23 of them. That series will conclude in a couple of weeks, when Skyfall is released for viewing on my couch. It’s been the best experience I’ve had so far revisiting these pictures and writing about them.
So, naturally, I will continue writing about other famous film franchises. And that begins with “The Ethan Hunt Files”, where I will cover all four entries from the Mission: Impossible series.
As you’re likely aware, there was a very popular TV show “Mission: Impossible” that ran on CBS from 1966 to 1973 (they’re on Netflix if you’re interested). As I explained when I began my Bond series, this is a movie blog. That’s what I focus on. I didn’t talk about the Ian Fleming novels that many of the 007 pictures were based on. Two reasons: this is a movie blog and I haven’t read them. Same goes here: this is a movie blog and I’ve never seen the TV series.
There’s little mystery why Paramount chose to revive Mission: Impossible for the big screen. It had high built-in name recognition. More importantly, Tom Cruise decided to make it his movie franchise. Our younger readers may not recall, but there was indeed a time when Cruise was unquestionably the biggest movie star on the planet. He had big hits in the early 80s (most notably Risky Business), but from 1986 on, Cruise began a truly remarkable run. Top Gun. The Color of Money. Rain Man. Born on the Fourth of July. Days of Thunder. A Few Good Men. The Firm. Interview with the Vampire. This list is especially notable for the amazing list of directors he worked with, from the late Tony Scott to Martin Scorsese to Oliver Stone to Rob Reiner and Sydney Pollack and more.
When Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner moved on to Mission: Impossible, it guaranteed this TV show adaptation would get a lot of attention. They also chose a very well-known director: Brian De Palma.
De Palma came up in the same era (and was buddies) with Spielberg, Scorsese, and Coppola. He’s directed such now-classics as 1976’s Carrie, 1981’s Blow Out, 1983’s Scarface, and 1987’s The Untouchables (also based on a 1960s TV program).
Robert Towne, one of the premier screenwriters in Hollywood, was enlisted to write it. Towne is the man responsible for one of the best scripts ever written – 1974’s brilliant Chinatown, as well as Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, and The Firm, among others. His co-writer was another hot commodity, David Koepp, screenwriter of Jurassic Park and another great De Palma film, 1993’s Carlito’s Way.
Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, a member of the elite IMF (Impossible Missions Force – get it?), an ultra-covert branch of the CIA. The film opens with Hunt in disguise interrogating a witness with the help of his team – which includes the head of the group Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), his wife Claire (Emmanuelle Beart), techie Jack (Emilio Estevez), and agent Sarah (Kristin Scott Thomas).
After that three minute opening sequence, we get the title credits with the well-known traditional “Mission: Impossible” theme song, composed by Lalo Schifirin. I may never have seen an episode of the TV show, but I definitely know and love the theme song.
The film moves to beautiful Prague, where the IMF team is tasked with retrieving the Noc list, which contains the identities of all covert agents in the Eastern European region. The Noc list serves as the movie’s MacGuffin. For those not familiar with what a MacGuffin is, you must not have read my blog post on the second Bond picture, From Russia with Love. Shame on you. The MacGuffin is a commonly used movie term: it’s the thing that all the characters desire. It doesn’t really matter what it is. It’s what the good guys want the bad guys not to have. It’s why the plot moves along. The reason for its being gives the characters the motivation for all the fancy action sequences, etc…
Mission: Impossible shares a common theme with many 1990s action pictures, including 1995’s Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 entry. The agents are trying to deal with the aftermath of the Cold War and what their purpose is in this new reality. For some agents, their reaction is not positive. This holds true for the film’s main villain. Spoiler alert: It’s Ethan’s boss, Jim Phelps… we don’t discover this until late. Phelps has become disillusioned and he wants the NOC list for nefarious purposes. His wife Claire is in on the scheme, too.
The action in Prague allows Ethan to disguise himself as a Virginia Senator at a party to retrieve the MacGuffin, with other members of the team populating the soiree as well. To say the least, all does not go as planned and the majority of the IMF agents are killed, including Emilio Estevez’s character in a memorable elevator shaft decapitation. Jim Phelps also “dies”, though we discover otherwise later. The party scene is terrific, complete with the kind of first-rate cinematography and long-take shots fans of Brian De Palma have come to expect.
For a while, we think the villain might be IMF Director Kittridge. He’s played by Henry Czerny in a wonderfully over-the-top performance. When Ethan meets with Kittridge in a restaurant after the party massacre and discovers he’s being set up for what happened, it provides one of the movie’s greatest sequences. If you’ve seen it, I’ll just say “Aquarium Scene” and you probably know what I’m talking about.
There are other now-famous action sequences. When Ethan discovers he must break into CIA headquarters in Langley to get that damn MacGuffin, he enlists Ving Rhames and Jean Reno as new members of his team. They concoct an elaborate way to break in which involves repelling Ethan into a high-security area. It’s a terrific sequence, done with no music, and is a major highlight.
The finale, set on a train, is also exciting. This sequence, more than any other, demonstrates what De Palma fans already know. He is heavily influenced by the master, Alfred Hitchcock. Many of his earlier pictures, including Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, and Body Double, are direct homages to Hitch. If you want to find out for yourself, either watch those films or Google “Hitchcock and De Palma” and you’ll likely have a day’s worth of reading material. Watching the train sequence, it feels like you’re watching a big-budget action scene if Hitchcock was alive to direct it. I loved it.
Those three action set pieces are a huge part of the reason why Mission: Impossible works pretty darn well. Cruise makes a fine debut as Ethan and most of the cast are solid, with special props to Vanessa Redgrave as an arms dealer who shines in every scene she’s in.
Some of my issues are with the script. The screenwriters, as talented as they are, often seem to be pushing a little hard to make you feel that the plot is really complicated and intricate. It’s not. The film is basically about double-cross intrigue among agents that we’ve seen in many other similar pictures.
However, some of the methods deployed here by writers Towne and Koepp work. When Jim Phelps character comes back from the dead, he explains why he’s not dead and tries to convince Ethan that Kittridge is the villain. As he’s talking to Ethan, we see what’s going through Ethan’s head as he realizes it’s actually Jim and others that are responsible for the party massacre. It’s a very well-directed and written scene that takes an original approach to moving the story forward.
While there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about Mission: Impossible, the train scene, Langley scene, and aquarium scene make it a highly entertaining entry in the spy movie genre. Audiences were ready to take the Mission. Opening in the summer of 1996, Mission grossed over $450 million worldwide and was the third highest grossing domestic release of the year, with a U.S. take of $180 million (behind Independence Day and Twister). With this picture, Cruise would have his franchise and he can thank the solid contributions of De Palma and some well-thought out centerpiece action scenes for providing it.
Here are the facts:
Film: Mission: Impossible
U.S. Release Date: May 22, 1996
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenplay: David Koepp and Robert Towne
Budget: $80 million
Worldwide Box Office: $457.6 million
This blog series will return in “The Ethan Hunt Files – Mission: Impossible II”
Well, it’s Super Bowl weekend and conventional wisdom tells us it’ll probably be a pretty slow weekend at the box office. A lot of American moviegoers may be more focused on the Ravens and 49ers than the slate of films being offered up.
You never know, though. 2012’s Super Bowl weekend had two movies post very solid openings: the sci-fi flick Chronicle ($22 million opening) and the Daniel Radcliffe supernatural thriller The Woman in Black ($20.9 million opening).
The top spot this weekend is likely to be occupied by Warm Bodies, described as a “paranormal romantic zombie comedy”. It features no box office draws (though John Malkvoich and the hilarious Rob Cordry are in it), but it’s been heavily marketed by Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the juggernaut Twilight franchise. I expect it could post a nice weekend debut. It doesn’t hurt that the picture is also getting pretty darn good reviews.
This weekend’s other wide release is Bullet to the Head, an action flick starring Sylvester Stallone. It’s getting mixed reviews, not as positive as the critics reaction to Sly’s buddy Arnold Schwarzengger’s The Last Stand two weeks ago. And that movie bombed… bad. Stallone has been more successful in recent years with Expendables movies, but I’m not convinced Bullet will break out of the pack and do the kind of numbers those films put up. It just doesn’t look like anything special and with similar action titles like The Last Stand and Parker faltering, I would expect the same fate here.
Opening on only approximately 450 screens, Stand Up Guys features an impressive cast with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin. Yet again, with its small release, I don’t see it doing much and the studio seems to have little faith in it.
As far as holdovers, I’d be surprised if last week’s champ, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, doesn’t fall 50% or more in its sophomore frame. The same holds true was last week’s #2, the horror flick Mama, entering its third weekend. Oscar darling Silver Linings Playbook is likely to experience a smaller drop. I would say the same for Zero Dark Thirty.
And with that, my box office predictions for the weekend:
1. Warm Bodies
Predicted Gross: $20.5 million
2. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Predicted Gross: $8.6 million (representing a drop of 56%)
3. Bullet to the Head
Predicted Gross: $8 million
4. Mama
Predicted Gross: $6.7 million (representing a drop of 55%)
5. Silver Linings Playbook
Predicted Gross: $6.6 million (representing a drop of 30%)
6. Zero Dark Thirty
Predicted Gross: $6 million (representing a drop of 38%)
Finally, opening on that small number of screens, I’ll say Stand Up Guys grosses $1.2 million for a not-so stand-up opening.
That’s all, my friends. Check back over the weekend for updates and on Sunday for final numbers!
Quantum of Solace, the 22nd entry in the 007 franchise and Daniel Craig’s second as Bond, is likely destined to forever be known as “the one between Casino Royale and Skyfall.” Frankly, it’s easy to see why. While the picture has its moments, it simply doesn’t hold a candle to its predecessor or follow-up.
The film breaks the tradition of all entries that came before it: Quantum is a direct sequel to Casino Royale. It continues the story of 007 going after further bad guys who were ultimately responsible for events that unfolded in Casino Royale. We pick up right where the predecessor left off with the opening sequence and a car chase with Mr. White (who Bond captured at Casino‘s close) locked up in the trunk.
For the theme song, we get two immensely talented artists, Jack White and Alicia Keys, performing “Another Way to Die”. It’s not bad, but it’s a forgettable tune that should have been better, considering the players involved.
Considering the movie is a direct sequel, the mission for Bond is personal this time around. He’s searching for the people responsible for the death of Vesper, who Bond fell in love with in Casino Royale.
This leads 007 to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the head of a shady organization known as Quantum. He has dastardly plans to control the water supply in Bolivia. If that sounds like kind of a weak plot line, it kind of is. As an audience, we simply aren’t invested much in it and the character of Greene is not one of the stronger villains, even though Amalric’s performance is solid.
Our main Bond girl also isn’t terribly interesting. Played by the lovely Olga Kurylenko, Bolivian agent Camille Montes is also on a personal mission. Her family was killed by General Medrano, a secondary villain. Her story isn’t very fleshed out and she doesn’t make much of an impression. I found myself much preferring the secondary Bond gal, MI6 agent Strawberry Fields (in a good performance from Gemma Arterton) and wished she would have been the main Bond female character. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make it the whole way and her demise is a nice nod to 1964’s Goldfinger.
We also have Judi Dench back in her sixth go-round as M and Jeffrey Wright reprising his Casino role as Felix Leiter. Also back: Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, who helps out Bond for a final time.
Of course, there are a whole lot of action sequences. Quantum is directed by Marc Forster, most known for his work in 2001’s Monster’s Ball and 2004’s Finding Neverland. I actually found Forster’s direction for many of the action-oriented scenes a little lacking, with some of the scenes being too jumpy and others just typical fare. There are exceptions: the scene at the opera house is extremely well-done. It is definitely one of the picture’s high points.
Quantum of Solace has the interesting distinction of being the shortest Bond ever. While most entries clock in at over two hours, this one runs a quick 106 minutes. This makes sense because it illustrates my main criticism: there’s just not a lot of there there. The plot isn’t that good, the characters aren’t fleshed out, and the action sequences that get us from point A to point B are a mixed bag.
Journalists had a lot of fun with this film’s rather strange title. Starting with Goldeneye, Bond makers had to start coming up with their own names (after the majority of Ian Fleming titles were used up). This meant some generic ones in the Brosnan era – think Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. This one isn’t too great either but I suppose it sounds better than Amount of Consolation or Portion of Comfort.
While critics and audiences experienced an understandable letdown here, it’s box office numbers didn’t suffer. Quantum of Solace earned $586 million worldwide, just slightly under Casino‘s haul. It took in $168 million in the United States, barely edging its predecessor’s $167 million domestic take.
Quantum has some decent moments but is missing a key element that made Casino Royale such a rousing success. While this film maintains the serious and gritter tone of Casino, it fails to put in the sense of fun that was also present in the first Craig feature. And while it’s certainly watchable and moves along pretty briskly, its reputation as a disappointing follow-up to a great film is deserved.
Here are the facts:
Film: Quantum of Solace
U.S. Release Date: November 14, 2008
Director: Marc Forster
Screenplay: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade
Bond: Daniel Craig
Main Bond Villain: Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric)
Main Bond Girl: Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko)
Theme Song: “Another Way to Die” – performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys
Budget: $200 million
Worldwide Box Office: $586 million
My James Bond blog series will return in “The 007 Files: Skyfall”
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